HPI Joined the Short Course Bandwagon

[Bondonutz]

The Slashy has all metal gears,It's the VXL Tranny. I distroyed a couple diffs in mine though. Cheap replacement at least.

[rawfuls]

Oh.... figures.

[Bondonutz]

Destroyed the diffs yes but never touched the trans gears. They were like new when I sold it after beating it half to death. If the HPI gears wear tuff like that it'll be great.

[maxair45]

I coulda swore the sc10's trans was metal...I asked this on rctech and they said yes but they aren't the most informed bunch. I also like this but I am too hooked on my slash ad my lhs dosen't stock HPI parts.

[MetalMan]

Anybody getting one of these? I got mine today This is the first new truck I have been excited about in a while (the price I paid helps too...)

Overall I'm pretty impressed with some of the design features HPI included in this truck, it's more well thought out than the SC10 and Slash IMO. Of course HPI has had more time to iron out the kinks...

It's obviously based off the Firestorm, which from my experience working at the LHS has had some issues with breakages in the front end, usually the hinge pin brace, bulkhead, and upper deck. These breakages are likely the result of head-on or near head-on collisions, which shouldn't be an issue for the Blitz due to the nicely designed front bumper.

What caught my attention most about this truck is the way HPI secures the impact-absorbing parts to the chassis. The front and rear bumpers swivel on screws, while the plastic the bumpers are made of is very flexible. This combination is an excellent addition in my book. Not to mention the front bumper has an extra adjustment hole

The nerf bars offer the same flexibility, illustrated in my pictures below.

The tires are pretty significantly softer than the Slash tires, so they should hook up quite a bit better (not necessarily an issue for the stock motor...) but probably won't last as long. I think they're softer than the stock SC10 tires as well.

Another small thing that really stood out is HPI's use of screws. They are ALL hex head, and the majority of them have "12.9" stamped on the head. For those who don't know, Class 12.9 screws are some of the strongest you can buy, which means less bent screws (Slash has this issue in my experience) and the hex heads should last longer (as should your hex drivers).

HPI did a pretty good job with the shocks, they offer the suspension a feeling a million times better than the Slash. I personally like threaded preload adjustments, so that's a plus. On mine the back shocks feel dialed, but the fronts seem like they weren't bled properly due to a small amount of air in them. Not a big deal, it is a RTR after all.

Durability is up in the air at this point. I think it should be stronger than the SC10, and in my hands will probably hold up better than the stock Slash. I've only been behind the wheel of a Slash a couple times, but it wasn't nearly stock so I can't offer a fair comparison here. Only time will tell...

That's it for now, unfortunately I won't be able to provide a report on how it drives until tomorrow at the earliest (midterms/homework/essay) but I hope for the best!

[MetalMan]

And of course the view a buddy of mine (Slash owner) will become familiar with:

[Bondonutz]

Nice Pics and hands !
Let us know what you think after driving it.

[MetalMan]

Well, despite the my lack of free time I soldered on a Deans plug, topped off a 2s Lipo, and took this truck for a spin. I must say, brushless/higher voltage has really spoiled me. It could be the fact that this 2s pack is at least 2 years old, and was a 6400mah 15C, but the Blitz's speed was far from impressive. I'd estimate about 25mph. Even in the small area of my back patio it was full throttle most of the time, this is where brushless has made me a good driver.

I purposely rammed into some objects just as minor stress tests and am happy to report that (so far) this truck flexes just right. A lot of the steering of this truck comes from the back end, but it'd be even better if there was a thicker fluid in the diff (assuming it contains grease). Temps on the stock electronics were great after 10mins of HARD driving, relative to the meek power output of the motor of course!

My original intentions were to keep this truck as stock as possible... But I'll never want to drive something so slow LOL

[skellyo]

You just had to go and post your Blitz pics dangit! Now I have my finger hovering over the checkout button on tower.

[MetalMan]

Sorry

[rootar]

i do like how the bumpers are mounted on the hpi and you cant deny its the best looking SC on the market.... but i went with a sc10 (only logical because i have 3 T4s and tons of parts).

do they sell those maxxis tires anywhere yet? id love to get a set for my new beadlocks for the sc10 they would like sick on my split sixes....

[nitrostarter]

Looks nice! I got to race my Slash and SC10 tonight. I love the SC10 with the Tekin RS/Redline 17.5. Its so smooth and much quiter than the Slash!

There should be about 6 Blitz's at next weeks race.

[junkman]

That really is a great looking truck, body/wheels/tires look awesome.

[hyper9e]

I can't believe how fast this whole SC thing has caught on, this could easily be the next big class.

I have the SC10(by far the best SC I own), I had a Slash(not impressed), I own the Strike(waiting on parts after 2 runs), I also have a Aftershock 8e(awesome truck for the price), and I'm working on a SC hybrid of my own from assorted parts.

The Blitz is on my list, but it will have to wait until either the Hyper 10 SC or the Jammin SCRT10 is released.

Next spring can't come soon ehough, my back yard track is going to get a workout!