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Nov. 8, 2013, 5:09 a.m.
11/11/2013
By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com
Last Friday was the first edition of our new weekly column, "Flashback Friday". Each week we travel back in time to a significant moment, or race, or driver, or product release in the R/C industry. For the first edition we traveled back in time to the release of the Team Associated B4 buggy just over 10 years ago. While obviously the car has been improved over the years through the release of the B4.1, and now B4.2, the overall platform is the same as that of the original B4 in 2003.
CLICK HERE to read the "Flashback Friday: Team Associated B4" article. This got me thinking about all of the things in life that have changed since 2003. There has been a LOT of new things in this world developed since that time. I have put together just a few examples of things that have significantly changed since 2003:
(Cell phones - as you can see on the left, the screen shows what a "sexy Snapchat" from your girlfriend looked like in 2003. Today we have handheld computers that will even hold conversations with us, and tell us a joke when asked.)
(Cop cars - In 2003, it was often difficult to tell if your 90-year old grandparents were following you in their Crown Vic, or if you were caught in the middle of a high speed pursuit. Today, it is pretty obvious the law is behind you with their race cars equipped with war bumpers, LED's, and rocket launchers.)
(Video games - The graphics of a video game were considered "GREAT" if you could just read the players name on the field in 2003. Today, you can see the sweat rolling down Lebron James' face before each shot.)
(LiveRC - In 2003 the idea was buried somewhere between computer codes and fantasy football statistics in Brandon Rohde's brain. Today, it is the reason you are reading this right now.)
(Amanda Bynes - In 2003 she was every high school boy's dream girl and celebrity on the big screen. Today, she is...umm...ok so this might not have been a good example.)
In everyday life there has been huge advances in the past 10 years. One thing that has not changed all that much is the Team Associated B4. Am I saying that the engineers at Team Associated are behind the times? Absolutely not. Actually I am saying quite the opposite. Whether you are an AE fan or not, you have to give credit to the engineers of the B4, as in my opinion they were about 10 years AHEAD of their time. Cliff Lett, Torrance DeGuzman, and Kurt Wenger truly created a something spectacular...it's just too bad they weren't in charge of engineering Amanda Bynes future instead.
R/C racing in general (in my opinion) has always been "ahead of it's time" in comparison to a lot of things in life. For example, most people had NO CLUE what a LiPo battery was until the eco-friendly car craze started in 2009-10. R/C racers had been using LiPo batteries for several years by that time!
When it comes to cars, Team Associated is not the only one's who have developed a car that I would consider "ahead of it's time", but we'll save the others for future Flashback Friday recaps.
The moral of the story is, while many do not understand R/C car racing and/or R/C racers, in my opinion R/C is made up of some of the most advanced forms of racing, technology, and individuals you will find anywhere in the world.
What product in R/C would you consider to be "ahead of it's time," and why?
Share your thoughts and opinions in the Viewer Comments box below!
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