New Products from the 2001 Shizuoka Hobby Show!
From May 17th to the 20th, the 40th Shizuoka Hobby Show was held in Shizuoka City. Each year in Japan, this is an event internationally known as the place where top radio control manufacturers present their latest and greatest products to the media and the public. This year was no different!
The HPI booth
This year's HPI booth was created with a large driving space for periodic demonstrations of new cars, plus LRP and Team Orion had adjacent booths to display their new products in style. A large group of HPI and Team Orion employees were on hand to help field questions about the kits and upcoming parts and bodies.
Crowds of people hung around the booth to get a glimpse of the upcoming Micro RS4 kit, which generated a lot of excitement! It was easily the star of the show!
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The
car demonstration area
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The
latest products were arrayed around the tower
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The
crowd gets their catalogs and flyers!
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Demonstrations
About every hour, a member of Team HPI drove one of the demonstration cars in the driving space next to the booth. Jumps and a large flat area provided plenty of room to show the surrounding crowd the Super Nitro Rally, Micro RS4 and more kits, which really pleased the people gathered around!
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HPI
staff members speak about the kits while driving demonstration cars
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The
eager crowd gathers around booth to pick
up catalogs
and watch
the demonstrations
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HPI
staff members showed the crowd how much fun the cars are
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A
member of the HPI staff shows one of the children on hand how to
drive the demonstration car.
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The
kids really loved the car demonstrations!
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Most of the attention at the HPI booth this year was cast on the Micro RS4, which is scheduled for an August 2001 release date. Preproduction prototypes were shown in an almost-complete state, with full electronics and bodies mounted! Look for Dodge Viper GTS and BMW M3 kits at your local shop by the end of the summer!
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Total length 200mm, width 100mm, with a selective wheelbase of 140mm or 150mm. Standard size electronics will fit with no problem - use those old speed controls and servos! |
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4 "AA" or "AAA" battery operation - the battery holder changes size to fit either size battery!
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Single belt 4WD for agile handling and quick response. |
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Two body types available at first - the Dodge Viper GTS or the BMW M3. The bodies are made from a lightweight clear polycarbonate, just like our 1/10 scale bodies. |
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Several
option parts are scheduled to be released - a rear ball diff,
front one-way diff, battery pack, and softer tires.
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Three different types of "outer wheels" will be available. Four different widths can be chosen, depending on the body type used on the chassis. By positioning the outer wheel in different spots on the inner (clear) wheel, you can make the stance of the car narrow or wide. |
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New Bodies
New bodies that will be available soon include these below:
The Nissan Skyline GT-R GT (200mm)
The Lamborghini Diablo GT (200mm)
The Toyota MR-S GT (200mm)
