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Old 02-06-2007, 07:35 AM
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Arrow ★ ☆ ★ Hot Bodies Cyclone D4 EP buggy ★ ☆ ★

Hot Bodies is going to enter the famously competitive 4WD electric off-road class with this amazing new prototype buggy. In keeping with the tradition of the World Champion Cyclone car and championship-winning Lightning 2 Pro rallycross buggy, Hot Bodies has been designing, developing and testing this new prototype for several months in secret.


Making its debut at the IFMAR World's Warm-Up Race last year, this new design captured the attention of the off-road racing world when it TQ'd and won at its first major race! Top Japanese racers have been giving the new buggy a workout since then, and we are expecting its imminent release in the coming months!

4WD electric buggy racing has always been a racing class that is seen as the off-road class for the elite, a tough-to-crack category of off-road racing which is difficult to master and features the fastest, best-handling off-road machines available! Hot Bodies is aiming to jump feet-first into this category with a top-level, championship-quality kit that anyone will be able to use.

Just check out this impressive list of standard specifications:
Carbon graphite double deck chassis (2.5mm)
Front and rear carbon graphite shock towers (3.5mm)
Machined aluminium motor mount
Threaded aluminium long-stroke oil-filled shocks
Front and rear ball diffs with carbide diff balls
Optional front one-way will be available
Suspension mounts with a built-in bushing for impact durability
Slipper clutch system
Universal shafts for front, rear and center
Titanium turnbuckles
Custom body and wing
Custom wheels â€" standard wheels can be used
Tires or inner foams not included
Battery trays for 3x3 cells

Keep checking here to see sneak peeks and more details! Hot Bodies is keeping the electric 4WD buggy class alive with this new and exciting top-level racing buggy!
















Last edited by Mike Schumacher; 02-13-2008 at 07:19 AM.
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Old 02-06-2007, 10:07 AM
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Originally Posted by Mike Schumacher
Hot Bodies has been designing, developing and testing this new prototype for several months in secret.
What secret, its a BJ4 WE.
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Old 02-06-2007, 10:14 AM
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Interesting. I hope to hear more about it soon. Not a real big fan of saddle packs though.
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Old 02-06-2007, 10:25 AM
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Its a PRO4 offroad -nice tho.
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Old 02-06-2007, 12:47 PM
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Kinda disappointing that its basically a BJ4WE editon clone. They have a new 1/12 car that looks just like a RC12L4 too. Seems that Hot Bodies (HPI) is just a pirate company stealing other companies designs with slight modifications to prevent patent infringment.

Hopefully, it will be cheap so that racers that can't afford the LEADING technology BJ4 WE can at least get started in the class. They can always upgrade to the BJ4 later

Last edited by Scrubb; 02-06-2007 at 01:25 PM.
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Old 02-06-2007, 05:04 PM
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It would be nice to see some of these "major" manufacturers use some of their engineering might to come up with a new/different idea. Cookie cutter cars, although cost effective for them really dont offer the consumer a differentiated product. Im sure there are guys that would like to be able to run side by side backs, or use more readily available parts, or just see something innovative to place their support behind. Using JConcepts/AE's development/design work is really getting old and I hope that people come to realize the originator of these ideas. Hopefully most will place some stake in running the real deal, instead of a luck warm replica. Its like buying fake wheels on ebay...
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Old 02-06-2007, 06:27 PM
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Originally Posted by AndyMoore
What secret, its a BJ4 WE.
Andy, don't you run for HB and HPI? I've seen a couple vids of you running the Cyclone and the Pro4 I think. Never a JC.
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Old 02-06-2007, 09:07 PM
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Originally Posted by annie_himself
Andy, don't you run for HB and HPI? I've seen a couple vids of you running the Cyclone and the Pro4 I think. Never a JC.

Same name, different guy. I would be nice to be world champ....haha.
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Old 02-07-2007, 12:15 AM
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Originally Posted by AndyMoore
It would be nice to see some of these "major" manufacturers use some of their engineering might to come up with a new/different idea. Using JConcepts/AE's development/design work is really getting old and I hope that people come to realize the originator of these ideas.
Hmmm...

Considering that the BJ4 used suspension components and geometry straight of the RC10b4 I can't see how they were the "originators" of anything

I seem to remember the TC"O" car being released before the BJ4, and whilst it was only a conversion for the TC3 - the design concept was still there.

It seems to me that the JConcepts are only the "originators" of copying existing designs

Elements of many of these new 4wd's designs can be traced back much further than the BJ4.

There is one manufacturer that is doing it differently (TTech) but that's not going to guarantee them sales is it?
From an economics point of view, it makes much more sense to refine an existing competitive design than to try and re-invent the wheel
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Old 02-07-2007, 04:49 AM
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It dosen't look like HPI refined anything. From a pirates point of view, its better to steal somebody else's stuff than it is work for it yourself.

Anyway, lets just hope it is low cost (not like it cost alot to develop) to get more people racing 4wd electric. CyCLONE seems to be a fitting name though!

Last edited by Scrubb; 02-07-2007 at 05:10 AM.
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Old 02-07-2007, 08:10 AM
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Originally Posted by bender
Considering that the BJ4 used suspension components and geometry straight of the RC10b4 I can't see how they were the "originators" of anything
SOME of the suspension components are straight off the B4, but not the geometry. The B4 is rear wheel drive, so we only made minor changes to the rear suspension. Even though we originally used B4 front arms, the actual front suspension geometry (the hardest part of designing a 4WD car) is completely different from the B4.

Originally Posted by bender
I seem to remember the TC"O" car being released before the BJ4, and whilst it was only a conversion for the TC3 - the design concept was still there.
What design concept are you referring to? Using the TC3 drivetrain for a 4WD off-road car? That is the only similarity between the TC3"O" and the BJ4. Even the TC3 drivetrain was modified for the BJ4 (machined housings, different input shaft, slipper clutch, etc.), so the only parts that are actually the same are the diffs and drive gears.

Originally Posted by bender
It seems to me that the JConcepts are only the "originators" of copying existing designs
I don't even know where to start on this statement. You obviously have NO IDEA what it takes to design an entire 4WD car, even if you use existing parts. Just take a look at our parts list, and you'll see how many parts had to be custom designed. Besides, using existing Associated parts to make a competitive 4WD off-road car was the whole idea behind the original BJ4.

Originally Posted by bender
Elements of many of these new 4wd's designs can be traced back much further than the BJ4.
The people on this forum are not criticizing similar design elements. They are criticizing the copy exact approach to "design".

FYI - Both HPI and Tamiya started ordering BJ4 parts from us early last year (worlds conversion kits, a-arms, caster blocks, suspension mounts, CVD's, etc.).
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Old 02-07-2007, 10:21 AM
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Can a BJ4WE even be bought at a hobby shop? Because I know that the Hot Bodies definately can be, which is one advantage it has over the BJ4 right there. Obviously its a rip off, but it is slightly different and that is sometimes all you need to have the advantage.
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Old 02-07-2007, 10:35 AM
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My local hobby shop, Wolcott Hobbies and Raceway has sold 10 BJ4 WE kits in the last month. We still have two kits in stock.
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Old 02-07-2007, 05:57 PM
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Brad,

You have appeared to take my post the wrong, and mis-understood what I was saying.

My post was not to bash your company, it was to point out to the BJ4 fanboys that even you took existingcomponents that worked and then developed the car from there. A point some people have seemed to forgotten.

I am not comparing your car to the TC3"o" merely pointing out that they were the originators of the design concept.

It is obvious that you took that basic concept and substantially re-engineered it by producing many of your own parts, and the end result is that the Bj4 is a proper 4wd buggy, rather than just a hack-job.

The Bj4 is the current "best" 4wd - but it is not perfect - so then should it not be expected that others will attempt to develop the design further in the hope of improving it and gaining an advantage?

Or should manufacturers release wildly unique designs (ie TTech) in the hope that they will perform miracles on the track? Let's face it, in many fields today, companies take an existing design and attempt to improve it, rather than waste money on design work that may prove fruitless.

I also find it ironic that you mentioned that HPI and Tamiya ordered parts from you so that they could build their car, and yet you did the exact same thing with AE when you first built your car!

As I said, my point wasn't to dismiss the work you've done, rather to show the fanboys that these other companies aren't just "cloning" your car.

You obviously have NO IDEA what it takes to design an entire 4WD car
This comment was totally uncalled for You do not know me so you are not in a position to judge my abilities in any area. You seem to be using that tired old internet logic in that you assume that as you mustbe right, all other opinions are made by people who have "no idea".
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Old 02-07-2007, 06:05 PM
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Originally Posted by WheelNut
Can a BJ4WE even be bought at a hobby shop? Because I know that the Hot Bodies definately can be, which is one advantage it has over the BJ4 right there. Obviously its a rip off, but it is slightly different and that is sometimes all you need to have the advantage.

So what hobby shop has the hot bodies car for sale right now?

EDIT: Bender-There is a lot to be said for the service provided by JConcepts, the Hot Bodies Worlds Edition may be $50 cheaper, but good luck with support. As far as the design of the car, JConcepts didnt use an 75%+ of an existing design and call it their own. Hows that Tamiya Worlds Edition working out for ya?
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