This article was originally published in RC Driver’s September 2015 issue.
You got questions, I have answers. Feel free to ask any RC related questions; questions on tuning, on article cars, on racing or just to ask how I’m doing! I’ll do my best to answer all of them.
QUESTION:
Hi Tony! I am a “new again” guy to the RC marketplace. I enjoyed my Team Associated TQ10 back in the day and then moved to downtown Chicago which is not really RC friendly. I now live in south Florida and want a badass electric HPI Baja 5B. My question is this; can I build one entirely out of hop up parts? Forget all the comments about “why build something that isn’t good enough out of the box” and what have you. I’m into customizing things and enjoy the process of building something almost as much as playing with it. What I want to be able to do is select every single part for a 5B without having to endure the cost of a stock one only to take every part off of it. If anyone can help me with this, I would most certainly appreciate a complete parts list and perhaps a build diagram to get me started. I know it will be costly, but it will be entirely my design. Thank you for helping with my quest. Tom C., Ft. Lauderdale, FL
ANSWER:
Hi Tom, First off, I love how you think. I’ve built projects similar to this; attain all the parts separately and slowly create my one- off project! As far as the HPI Baja 5B, you can absolutely build one from spare parts. My suggestion to start is to head over to HPI’s web site, download the manual for the HPI Baja 5B kit and start researching parts. There are quite a few aftermarket suppliers out there that still support the 5B, allowing you to customize everything from the suspension arms, shocks, wheels, tires, body, chassis … all the way down to a full set of stainless screws! It’s going to be a major build, but the manual will give you a parts list as well as show you how to assemble it. Oh, and when you’re done, be sure to let me know – I’d love to feature your project on our site! —Tony
Got A Question?
Head over to the Ask Tony page and shoot me a message. I’ll either get it on the web or, if I like you enough, put it in the mag!
