Over time new cars and companies join the R/C racing scene one after another. Unfortunately, many of these new companies and cars disappear as fast as they arrived. One company and new car that won't we don't feel will be leaving anytime soon is the new Hobby-Pro USA PRS1 2014 Edition 1:10 scale 2wd buggy!
The Hobby-Pro USA PRS1 buggy has been the weapon of choice of drivers around the nation, and has had quite the success in local, regional, and even national level events. The 2014 Edition PRS1 features a super sleek aluminum chassis, aluminum threaded big bore shock bodies and caps, carbon fiber shock towers, rear and mid motor capabilities, and miscellaneous aluminum "option" parts such as front hubs and pivot blocks.
The BuildWhen building a new car we have become accustom to having a Dremel tool, sanding file, and maybe even a drill handy in order to modify parts to fit better. Unfortunately for the Dremel, sanding file, and drill, the Hobby-Pro USA PRS1 doesn't require any of such modifications for the parts to fit as they should. The pieces fall into place fitting quite nicely. The instruction manual is relatively easy to read and follow along, and is also written in English...which is nice for those of us English speaking car builders. Overall the rolling chassis went together with ease, however, the tricky part comes when mounting your electronics. This buggy features a very slim and sleek design (which we love), however, that also means less room for electronics. With a little help from a few local H-P drivers we were able to twist and turn our way to fit the ESC and receiver in place, and get the car up and running.
Track TestOur good friend, Andrew Smolnik, helped us out by providing his race winning setups for the buggy. We set it up to Smolnik standards and hit the race track. Immediately taking the track we were able to feel how light and nimble the Hobby-Pro PRS1 buggy really is. On the scales it remains above the minimum weight requirements for racing, however, on the track it feels much lighter. Our test was conducted on the smooth, prepped surface of your typical indoor 1:10 scale offroad track. Here we were able to test out the buggy and its abilities to handle tricky rhythm sections and cornering. Our Viper VTX10 Black Edition ESC with VST 13.5 motor gave the PRS1 plenty of power to run lap times comparable to that of the mod class. The 12.75mm big bore shocks soaked up the jumps and bumps with ease. When it came to cornering, we had to re-adjust our driving style a little as this car loves to turn. When combined with the Pro-Line Racing M4 super soft "IONS" tire front and rear, this baby is STUCK to the track. Once accustom to the amount of steering it provided, the PRS1 proved to be just as fast and competitive around the track as any other car.
Naturally we aren't all top professionals, therefore one of our major focal points when testing a vehicle is it's durability. While on the track we encountered multiple hard crashes, and collisions with passing short course trucks, yet never had an issue (aside from a beat up looking wing and body). Off the track, we had a bit of an issue. At the end of the day, while packing up to head home, we set the car on the ground near our pit table. As luck would have it, a rather robust individual walking by mistakenly planted his size 14 shoe directly on our car. We expected the end results to be catastrophic. 300+ pounds in the form of a work boot smashing down on your R/C car can't be good. In the end it mangled the body, and popped a ball cup. We popped the ball cup back on, de-mangled the body (best we could), had a few laughs with the car crushing fellow, and went on about our day.
Pros: - This car goes together smooths, and the build process is as painless as possible.For those not looking to build their own, Hobby-Pro USA offers prebuilt versions as well.
- Out of the box this car features many race inspired options including aluminum chassis, carbon fiber towers, aluminum big bore shocks, etc.
- Among the slimmest and sleekest 2wd buggies on the market.
- Can be configured in mid or rear motor configuration.
- Hobby-Pro USA offers excellent customer support for anything from building the car to pro driver setups.
- Very lightweight feel when driving.
- Provides LOTS of steering.
- Many different tuning and setup options available.
- Just as durable as we had hoped for.
Cons: - Finding a place to mount your electronics can be tricky due to the lack of space.
- Parts availability at local tracks and hobby shops is still growing at this time, and can be a little hard to find on race day if needed.
Conclusion:Being 110% honest, we had no idea what to expect from the Hobby-Pro USA PRS1 2014 Edition buggy. There are a LOT of different buggies on the market, but only a select few are even considered by serious racers. After spending time working with the buggy, and putting in the laps with it...this buggy has joined that list in our opinion. While local setups, parts, and support may not be as readily available on race day as some other brands, that does NOT mean this buggy can't run with the best of them. Andrew Smolnik and the entire Hobby-Pro USA crew are very helpful when it comes to setups and support. Overall we were very impressed by the buggy and it's overall handling, durability, tuning options, and appearance. As the company and car continues to grow in popularity, we expect to see more of it in the winner's circle around the country.
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