When I was younger I had a lot of fun with radio controlled vehicles – what kid didn’t? Up until recently, I haven’t paid much attention to them. It’s not that I had no real interest, it’s more because my life was filled with so many other activities that I was well occupied. As it seems, I’m revisiting my old hobby, but only on a limited basis. Sort of.
Smokey, the plump Siberian Husky that shares the house with me is a good dog, but anyone looking at him could tell that he could use a bit more exercise. I know, he’s cute and puffy the way he is, but he also needed a bit more excitement in his life rather than sleeping all day and night. So I remembered how years ago, he would go crazy over radio controlled cars, running after them in the back yard to the point of exhaustion.
Smokey is much older now, but I thought I would buy an RC car just for both of us to have a little fun. It all started with the Caster Racing Fusion F-18 Fusion, and he just lit up at the sight of it. Now, months later, Smokey can’t wait to go outside, and admittedly, I’m having just as much fun as he is. I decided to step up to a Traxxas Rustler VXL, and that was a really cool truck. It’s super smooth and fast, and very easy to operate, requiring almost no maintenance. But, I wanted something more – I wanted the realism that goes with a combustion engine instead of an electric motor and the sounds and smells that go with it. That’s all great, but I really didn’t want to mess with nitro motors – they are messy and require constant tuning. No thanks – at least for now.
I started researching larger scale vehicles and instantly found the relatively new and extremely popular Baja 5B and 5T 1:5 scale buggy and buggy and truck. To put this into perspective, the vehicles that Traxxas sells are 1:10 scale, and are large to begin with. A 1:5 scale vehicle is huge, and that’s an understatement.
The Baja 5B(buggy) and 5T(truck) are essentially the same vehicle, using the same chassis and basic components with the main difference being the body and in some cases the engine size. Most Baja parts are interchangeable, such as suspension parts, drivetrain, engines, etc. I thought about getting the 5B, but after some thought I just couldn’t resist the looks and size of the 5T.
The HPI Baja 5T is powered by a Chung Yang 26cc two-stroke “Fulie” engine that runs on high octane fuel at a 25:1 fuel/oil mixture. The CY engines are a direct clone of Zenoah engines, and most of the parts are even interchangeable and as such, a Zenoah engine will drop right into the Baja with no modification. CY engines are known to be just about as reliable as Zenoah these days, and with proper care and maintenance they can run a long time between rebuilds.
The Baja’s drivetrain consists of a two-wheel-drive single-speed transmission utilizing all-metal gears and an alloy differential case. The chassis is 4mm thick stamped aluminum alloy, and most suspension parts are made of high strength nylon. It weighs close to 40 pounds and has a top speed of about 45mph, according to HPI. Aftermarket parts support for the Baja series vehicles is huge, and there’s even a kit offered in form of the Baja 5B SS, which features the larger 26cc engine and most of the HPI upgraded parts.
I ordered my Baja from Dave’s Discount Motors and that included their Dominator tuned pipe, which is supposed to increase the power of the vehicle substantially. The truck arrived here a few days later, and nothing could prepare me for the size of it. The photos of tne Baja 5T simply cannot depict its size, so when you see one of these in person, it’s quite an experience. Yeah I know, I’m talking about an RC vehicle here. But really, it’s cool.
I’m very impressed with the quality of the vehicle, and I decided to shoot some photos of it before it gets dirty. I have not started it yet – that will come soon, as well as a follow up article on its performance. I’m just wondering what kind of a reaction this monster will draw at the local parts here. Stay tuned for updates with action shots.
