Your Ride Begins Here!
The annual Portland International Auto show returned to the Convention center this past February, and Axial was invited, for the 5th year in a row, to show off their awesome lineup of rigs, and let thousands of people try their hands at navigating an SCX10 through the custom rock course. This year they could choose between the Deadbolt SCX10, Falken G6, or Dodge Ram. The trucks were geared down and 85 turn motors were installed to keep things under control. This setup provided over 4 hours of run time on a 3300 mah, 2 cell Lipo battery. The trucks survived the constant abuse well, with only 2 broken rear axle housings and much body damage. Considering the age and/or inexperience of many of the drivers, as well as the 7′ height of the mountain on the course, this says a lot for the durability of the SCX10 platform!
The course was built over the period of about 3 months using wood, carved foam and concrete. It was built in 4 sections to make transport easier, and the sections weighed anywhere from 140lbs to almost 400! We had integrated RGB LED’s that changed color along with the music that played constantly.
This year I wanted to give drivers 3 possible routes to take, which made for some fun lines.
We used Quickcrete on the high-impact areas for maximum durability.
I transported the whole course on my trailer Thursday morning before the weekend of the show. The Union guys with forklifts moved it in to the building for us.
The amount of work that goes into these auto shows is staggering. Endless crates of displays, almost to the roof!
The course sits on (4) 6′ tables, and has a TV constantly playing Axial DVD’s or streaming King of the Hammers live. (It was the same weekend!)
Once we finished setting up the dsiplay, we tested the various lines with the new Deadbolt SCX10 to make sure they weren’t going to be too difficult for inexperienced drivers.
Last year the event was snowed out, which is rare for Portland, and hurt attendance. This year, the weather was great, and from what I heard they had record numbers! The Axial booth was pretty busy the entire 4 days from open until close. It’s a good thing we have volunteers to help from ORCRC! (Oregon R/C Rock Crawlers) We handed out Axial stickers, coupons for local hobby shops that sell Axial product, and product information pamphlets. We also raffled off a new Dodge Ram SCX10.
The Currie Jeep showing off its LED lights.
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Brett working the crowd.
This little guy was AMAZED.
Big Block Honcho.
I had plenty of time to see the entire show, which had a great selection of exotic rides this year, like the Lamborghini Huracan.
Aston Martin Vanquish
Gorgeous Mercedes 300SL Gullwing
Ferraris
And a rare Bugatti Veyron.
The show attracted more than 100,000 people over the 4 days, and judging by the number of people having a great time at the Axial booth, I’d say we introduced quite a few to their new addiction! We look forward to next year, and would like to thank Axial for the opportunity!