Akira going long, going big!

Satoru Terada driving a paddled out Savage X!

Andrew O'Bannon laid down some nice wips and nice sand screens!

Erik Shauver, designer of the Firestorm showed us his enthusiast side, DRIVING! Sand for added FUN!

John Schultz, our desert and dune advocate with a capitol-B for BLING!

Adrew O'Bannon again with the wips! Sand wip, sand wip, sand wip... 3-Sans Wips and a whole bunch more!

This is where our story begins... It actually starts earlier, like all stories, but for all intended purposes... This is John Schultz driving us out to Dumont Dunes, some 3+ hours from our office. Plan was to be at the Dunes by this time, but getting out of the office on time was well, that's another story. But at least we went the night before instead of waking up and 1AM!

Baker, Ca. is the cut-off from the freeway to the dunes, AKA the Thermometer.

11:00PM and 91 degree's!

The Mad Greek is the last lights you will see, from here, it's into the black of night with no moon, no street lights.

About 30 miles from the Mad Greek is the exit to the dunes. If you do not know where this is, you could easily pass it and drive staight through Death Valley.

We put out a little banner for the morning crew coming in, as it will be dark still. "we are here!" Our little Everest...

We make camp here! We knew we would get stuck, we just wanted to get as close as possible for camp and support.

Our camp view in the AM just before sun up.

The view out the tent window!

With the sun fast approching, I wanted to get the cars in position for the morning light.

This would be the main bowl we would be working off for the day. not too shabby of a Baja 5B spot. Not too shabby at all!

Soft on one side and hard on the other...

The view out of the back of the bowl we would be working over. John Schultz had to hoof it up to the top of that rather large peak in the background! Yes, the Baja 5B will climb! No, the quad without paddles will not make the climb... Took John an hour to climb due to sheer steepness and the heat!

Can you say, POSTER!? Post card is more like it. Send this when you are not coming back from your first sand sabbatical!

Golf kart + quad = must have Baja 5B support items! Not necessary, but great helper items, especially for the large group we would have on hand today.

Akihito Watamase, Erik Shauver and Yuta Koide: Team Devo Firestorm Amigo Bravo!!! The Firestorm is simply a ton of fun in the sand, especially due to the fact that sand paddles are avaiable for the Firestorm!!! Check'em: 4412 & 4457

Tom "Mr. Wrench" Phillips "screwdriver" - OK everyone, Tom's new nickname is "screwdriver!!!"

Tom laying down some paddle action for his very fist time!

Tom saying, "look! I can drive on the hill sideways and fast too!"

John Schultz, while having a mass populous with the Savage crowd, now has us all hooked on sand and the Baja 5B!!!

John carving the big wave!

When you disrespect the "big wave" and going all out for the gusto, sometimes the sand bites back and flips you into oblivioun! Driver makes "the walk"... These walks usually require climbs. Climbs result in shoes filled with sand. Here, John shows us an example of how steep these climbs are and without doubt, shoes filled with sand!

Not to fear, John back in full action and ripping power as his Baja 5B is lifting the tires as it makes another wip turn!

John wearing the BIG orange I'm right here spotter hat, and Satoru out on the dunes.

Satoru laying the Savage X out for it's first sand run, and Satoru's first dip in the big end.

Savage X piloted by Satoru Terada.

Satoru said, he thought this is how it's done... Backflips! Monster Jam Style!!!

Peep the Land Rover Defender painted in the "prototype-white" #7199

I Bet the Land Rover 1:1 scale guys wished they could mount paddles up like this!!!

Savage X in sand paddle action!

Satoru piloting the Savage X again.

Sand + Land Rover body + Sand Paddles + Savage X = FUN!!!

Satoru fishing his way across the big sand wave.

Savage getting it's wip action on!

Look Pop's, I caught a big one!!!

Erik Shauver putting a little body english into this nice arce. Front tires cocked and off the ground! Firestorm setting the sand on fire!

Notice the Firestorm favors the rear wheels.

Firestorm is absolute fun and has the power and agility of the full-size sand cars!!!

Erik say's see my Firestorm?! It's got some mean bark and spits sand for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Duce-duce snake-eyes! OK, he didn't really say that, I just added that for extra flavor. But the Firestorm does spit sand!

Firestorm crew reading the arsenal for big wave carving.

Hat's is the sand flavor, but Yuta takes it a bit further with his inner-city flavor of rocking the baseball cap under his donkey ridding hat.

Firestorm is blazing new trails. Look close and the Firestorm is just shredded the sand as it makes way across the dune!

Again, Firestorm at it's best, on paddles and on the back wheels!

OK, there are moments the front wheels are... ok, close to the ground... he must be getting ready to turn.

Akira Kogawa, designer of the Baja 5B and in this image, the thought of "Search For Animal Chin" came to mind. For those of you who know, Akira does embody the spirit of Aniamal Chin!!!

Akira launches the Baja 5B

Again, enthusiast in action!!

These GUYS again!

Akira shooting out of the big bowl, hip trasfer.

Down wind of Akira's big bowl exit.

Akira flying the Baja 5B!!!

A brush for dusting...

Chris Higa, Baja 5B enthusiast and big air ramp miser... yea, right! Chris is not afraid to launch and launch big! His Baja 5B is fast too, thanks to his friend who is also named Chris. I have no idea what the name of Chris friend, Chris's shop name is, who is making these ridiculously fast Baja 5B engines.

Tom "chauffeur-screwdriver", driving Erik back to basecamp. Tom, seriously, thanks for all your help!!!

Andrew O'Bannon readies his Baja 5B for his first ever sand dune experience!!!

Flavor! Yuta-Style!!!

Now the baseballer is on top of the donkey rider... must be getting the Baja 5B ready!

See, Yuta switched back to donkey rider hat style and now working on the Firestorm.

Outerwears filter protection - CHECK!

Andrew is simple giddy as to what he is about to drop into. I had to stop him just to hold him up for another second. hehehe

Andrew begain to unleash the Baja 5B with no mercy! No words for the next ten images, just Andrew simply doing what Andrew came to do - DRIVE and HAVE FUN!!! 1 of 10

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One more of Andrew in air-action.

This is the bowl that Andrew was working as it was adjacent to the main bowl we were working today.

Hey, one more of Andrew in action wip sand blasting his way across the dune.

Andrew and Satoru team up for some dual-run double's action in the mini-combi-bowl. Yea, giant skate park for your Baja 5B, but with more friendly landings than concrete.

The main bowl is more like a wall, just past the front tires, all DOWN!!!

Akihito "Aki" Watamase piloting the Firestom.

Aki using the "the wall" as a ramp.

Aki airing out the Firestorm.

Aki likes to drive RC's.

Aki likes to drive quad's.

Aki likes to drive golf carts. Do you ge the idea that Aki likes to drive just about anything he can get his hands on? No wheel-barrow in site.

I fell off the GolfKart and I can't get back home.

Dave Groon, another Baja 5B enthusiast. You may have seen him with matching paint scheme on his lift-induced, backflipping Hellfire. He loves Monster Jam demo's too!

Akira wrenchig away while Yusuke Makino askes questions and soaks in the Dumont goodness for an upcoming interview with RC World Magazine. Yea, the awesome magazine from Japan!!!

Heather Compton sporting fresh new look.

Erik bringing the Firestorm up to operational temperature for desert sand attack.

yeap, we are still basecamped here.

Can you say, Baja 5B! Count'em if you like, flavored for actual individualism. Action figures sold separately.

It's bird, it's plane, no... wait, yes IT IS A BIRD!!! Andrew "SUPER-BIRD" O'Bannon doing his infamous "fly-away" super long jump... And then, there are those guys in the background. Aki, John and Erik also make the big leap.

Just so you know... It's a cool ONE HUNDRED DEGREES!!!

The sand is like FIRE! The Firestorm designer, Erik, decides to throw in a couple of extra rolls for good effect.

Notice Erik is going all the way to the bottom!

So with Erik's extra antics, the bar was raised and the next level was there for the taking. You guessed it! Andrew "super-bird" O'Bannon again with the mega-stretch leap!!!

So once the boys say that, Aki "judo-chop" and John, white man can't jump, without a throttle, threw themselves over one more time for good measure. Heat will make you do crazy stuff sometimes.

Baja 5B posse

Another paddled out Baja 5B!

Sand Bandito

This sign tells it like it is.

Tom switched from screwdriver mode to sawing mode on the way home.

Akira and crew making way homeward.

The two new pre-painted bodies for the Baja 5B! OK, I know you are going to go jumping up and down and try to get your hands on these like yesterday, but as always, there is a time factor and you are going to have to wait a minute. It's that simple. The only reason you are getting to see these new bodies here is due to the amount of people with camera's that were with us, figured you better get the 411 right here. Again, not avaible just yet.