New Toyota FJ body scaler

[JatoTheRipper]

From the Q&A session here: https://www.hpiracing.com/en/article/view/2017020302

"And finally, the question everyone's asking - can you give us a release date?

TG: Well, I’m happy to say that we will have the finished production Venture FJ kits delivered by Summer of this year."

Companies are often late with their predictions. And with as delayed and disorganized as HPI has been lately, I'm guessing fall or winter of this year.

[steven318is]

hope this works out for them they should jump on the scale craze and make some quick money, solid axle mts with savage internals would be nice and more crawler options. i like the options on the venture rig though didnt know there were so many metal parts on it makes me want it even more

[Natedog]

From here:
https://www.hpiracing.com/en/article/view/2017020302

Interview with the Venture FJ Designer! Fri, 3rd February 2017
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Today we sat down with Thad Garner, designer of the Venture FJ for HPI Racing, to learn a bit more about him and the Venture!

Hi Thad, thanks for your time! Let's have a little introduction first - when did you start with HPI and how did you become an HPI designer?

Thad: I’ve been with HPI since 1998. Early on, I was involved with product testing and development. After learning CAD I transitioned to a design position in 2012. I continued to work closely with other R&D designers learning valuable skills and techniques.

And what HPI parts and kits have you designed or worked on?

TG: I helped develop and finalize the Jumpshot and WR8 Platforms, then I designed the RS4 Sport 3 touring chassis from the ground up, as well as the soon to be released Venture scale crawling platform.

The Venture! Now we’re talking. Of course, like many RC fans around the world we can't wait to get the Venture FJ in our hands, so let's talk about that. First of all, how long did it take to design the truck overall, and what went into the design?

TG: The complete design was finished in about 8 months. I start with conceptualizing and research first, and then I narrowed down what I was going to do so I could start laying out the standard RC components in CAD. This let me get an idea how the design had to take shape. After that I put in the differentials and drivetrain, and then the rest of the components, and design all the parts from there.

So when designing the Venture FJ, what were your influences from real off-road trucks?

TG: I always liked the idea of having a similar motor drivetrain layout with a 1:1 crawler. Motor under the hood with a transfer case. It’s the most realistic layout, and for RC purposes it’s the most efficient and climbing-friendly way to do the drivetrain.

We think that really helps with the scale aspect, too. So, what about testing the Venture after it was designed? How much were you able to do, and were there any changes you had to make after you drove the Venture for the first time?

TG: Testing is really important for us, because we want the kit to be great when it gets in the hands of customers. So we do a lot of testing. Our standard procedure is during and after the design phase I will test prototypes which are mostly 3D printed components. I’ll also hand build many of the parts. This is the time for us to find potential problems and finalize the overall design before going to production. As each part is manufactured, a sample will be compared with the original design data and eventually tested as an entire assembly or by itself. After pre-production testing is completed and all the components have been approved, I test the complete and final assembled off-the-line samples again before final the assembly production and packaging. With the schedule I was working under, I allowed myself one month of testing for the Venture. I made several durability improvements as well as suspension setting changes.

The Venture FJ debuted over a year ago, and with HPI going through an ownership change there were many projects that were forced to be delayed. Have you been able to use the extra time to design some new parts or cool options for the Venture?

TG: Yes, I’ve been able to expand on what I originally had lined up in the way of options.

Can you talk about any of the new stuff we haven't seen yet? We'd love to know what's in store for scale crawling fans!

TG: I’d love to, but I can’t reveal anything yet - however, I will say the FJ is only the beginning for the Venture line.

Alright, we understand! So what do you look forward to seeing people do with the Venture FJ?

TG: Just getting out and just having fun.That’s what it’s all about.

And finally, the question everyone's asking - can you give us a release date?

TG: Well, I’m happy to say that we will have the finished production Venture FJ kits delivered by Summer of this year.

Fantastic! This is great news for crawling and HPI fans. Thanks very much again for your time, we can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Venture!

TG: You’re welcome, I hope this has been enlightening.

[Killa-Cotton]

A day late and dollar short IMO.

[Shinchu]

Yeah, saw the vid on youtube posted by hpi today.
Uhhhmmmmm i will beleive it when i see it.
But!!!
My birthday is in june so... that would be rad if it actually happens!

[CamoCrouch]

Glad they kept their promise on this announcement, fingers crossed for no more delays!

Keen to hear what body colours the FJ will come with (don't hate on me - 3 kids, no time to build a kit!).

Also keen to know what the stock steering angle is.

Will Thad be gracing this thread with his presence once more now that we are seeing some movement again?

Cheers.

[Thad Garner]

Originally Posted by CamoCrouch

Glad they kept their promise on this announcement, fingers crossed for no more delays!

Keen to hear what body colours the FJ will come with (don't hate on me - 3 kids, no time to build a kit!).

Also keen to know what the stock steering angle is.

Will Thad be gracing this thread with his presence once more now that we are seeing some movement again?

Cheers.

I'm here...

[Natedog]

Hi Thad,
Glad that you're still here and anticipating seeing this new crawler in person!

[honchojoe]

Originally Posted by Thad Garner

I'm here...

Great. But when is the crawler here? LOL

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Browncoat]

Available to Order: April 30, 2018

[hillbillyrc]

Originally Posted by big1717

Available To Order: Mar 1, 2018

https://www.amainhobbies.com/traxxas...rawler/p630375

The day before the traxxas scaler as told by amain.

[Natedog]

Originally Posted by Browncoat

Available to Order: April 30, 2018

Let's hope this has lots more cool innovations when this is released...it's already what two years old technology? I'd like to see this truck come to fruition, just hope it's good quality and has it's A game ready.

[Killa-Cotton]

At this point I've all but given up on HPI continuing to be a viable RC company. Being involved in this hobby since the early 80's I remember when HPI was a force in the industry. Much like Novak they rode a huge wave of success for many years but have now finally crashed on the rocks. My advice is if you own an HPI product that you enjoying running then you better stock up on replacement parts. It appears the end is near.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by Browncoat

Available to Order: April 30, 2018

April 30, 2018?! Holy shit! If that date is true HPI should just give up. These aren't going to sell well.

And HPI lied to us again. Taken from their recent Q&A session they promised "Well, I’m happy to say that we will have the finished production Venture FJ kits delivered by Summer of this year."

Originally Posted by Killa-Cotton

At this point I've all but given up on HPI continuing to be a viable RC company. Being involved in this hobby since the early 80's I remember when HPI was a force in the industry. Much like Novak they rode a huge wave of success for many years but have now finally crashed on the rocks. My advice is if you own an HPI product that you enjoying running then you better stock up on replacement parts. It appears the end is near.

I agree with you there. HPI has been flubbing things for a long time and at this point it seems to be the lowest of their low points. HPI never did anything for me though. I have a Baja that I love, but it has lots of design flaws.

[Rcdood]

Looking forward to the release

Timing is good for me as i just spendt to much money on a smt10 + hopups, my wallet need abit of recup time lol

[4RunnerKid]

Facebook post from today

[Natedog]

Nice, but why doesn't HPI/Venture post here too? I don't play fb, many others don't and this is one of the largest RC crawling sites around. Reading that fb post, maybe the date is 2018 because many online shops don't trust the release date?

[imthatguy]

Originally Posted by Natedog

Nice, but why doesn't HPI/Venture post here too? I don't play fb, many others don't and this is one of the largest RC crawling sites around. Reading that fb post, maybe the date is 2018 because many online shops don't trust the release date?

Thad, who designed the thing, does indeed post here.

[Natedog]

Correct, but where did he post this info?

[BigSki]

Originally Posted by imthatguy

Thad, who designed the thing, does indeed post here.

Only enough to say "it's on the way". I realize that many things happened that were beyond the control of Thad, or anyone else within the organization, but enough of the teases. Either post up a release date or just go away until they're ready to have a deliverable product.