it does look like a solution looking for a problem...... saddles will do everything that will, and more.

To be honest it looks good but it's nothing revolutionary. They've taken designs from everyone a put it in one kit. I wouldn't be bending over backwards to get one unless I was changing from a C4.1.

They should have gone for the b44.2 battery clip in stead of the thumbscrews. What the hell is going on with the battery.

Doe esc & rx placement look tight fit ? Compare c4.2 which seem loads space

I currently own c4.2 & I personally sticking with c4.2 as it decent car to suit my driving

There seems to be no battery adjustment. im not sure if there was any in the centro, however in the RB6 it's a tuning aid I use frequently.

And yes it does seem a tight squeeze!

On C4.2 there is lipo adjustment such as forward or rear position also stubby lipo fitment too
Then again I don't know about B5M

According to Ryan Cavalieri via FB the screws are metric.

If so... FINALLY! :)

The B5 seems to take a lot of design features from current cars (of their own and competitors). Imo, they don't have to feel ashamed in doing so though: Many brands have taken inspiration and/or copied design features from AE for years, and from there on other brands have set new standards with certain design features. Instead of stubbornly creating something completely different with a questionmark whether it will work better, they take their turn getting an up to date platform out there based on innovations that were made by other companies.

It seems the task was to get a truly up to date car, and the photos posted so far promise that the car will do a good job at that. The future will show if AE will try to regain the dominant market position again with innovative designs that push the boundaries - If you ask me they will, one does not release two dedicated kits at once if you don't have high ambitions :)

it still has ball diffs :thumbdown:

Where are you guys looking at the rear motor car!?, I can't seem to find any body off pics of that one, think my eyes must be painted on ! :confused:

http://www.teamassociated.com/AREA51/B5

Or just click on the B5/rear motor car/left on the announcement page

Yeah, that's come as a bit of a surprise. One rumour I'd heard a while back was the rear car would have a ball diff and the mid a gear diff. I don't know why this was but in any case it's proved to be wrong.

Looks like on the Mid car there's about 5mm of room forward of that pack ! and I suppose a stubbie cell could be mounted fore or aft giving you more weight options. On the diff front I would sooner have the ball diff in the kit. As a gear diff is cheaper to buy.

Fair play to AE at least it turns out both cars are genuinely new chassis and there wasn't just a hopped up b4.2/c4.2 underneath (as some thought from the first 'body on' shots). Clearly they've borrowed some design ideas from similar cars but not nessecarily a bad thing.

Factory Team version of the M would be good.

Any speculation as to price - will it be sensible I wonder.
Hopefully closer to £200 than the £300 mark?

£280

$260 at tower and around mid March they say

You can't tell 100% without having one in front of you to look at but all the geometry and component placement on the M looks identical to the Centro to me which is a good thing. It also makes sense to have a ball diff on both cars, the only situation where you'd want a geared diff in a 2wd IMO is when you would be running one of the front motor spazzy 2wd's.
I'm interested to see if the alloy chassis on the M is flat and the kickup is built into a plastic part, or if the chassis is bent up like the C4. If it's flat it'd be perfect for plopping on the front of a B44 and making a front motor car.

I know they aren't the Factory Team kits, but does anyone else think they look a bit 'RTR' with all the plastic?

They are factory team cars it just seems the costs need cutting to make them a good price
And all the r and d needs paying for

They are not factory team cars. FT kits will be released later on, which is a traditional policy with AE, but not one that I like. Racers will always want the factory version with the aluminum and titanium parts, IMHO there is no need for these 'team' versions. Nobody wants a tuned-down competition car for bashing nowadays. :thumbdown:

Is it me ...! Doesn't look anything like the Centro chassis....the M in particular, but also the 5 look like moulded plastic chassis. IMO .....there certainly doesn't look like much room in the 5 and both seem to be designed around Reedys new one piece saddle shape lipo.... Hope stick packs will fit in the 5.....
I think the M looks great and can't wait to see one "in the flesh"....!:thumbsup:

The CML FB page says the RRP is £219 for the rear motor and £239 for the mid although it's TBC.

It has all the blue parts which every previous FT car has had, alloy servo mounts, blue motor mount, blue shock collars etc.

On any previous AE team car they have always been full black aluminium, no bling parts and room for improvement.

The car, with a pre RRP at £240 seems very good value. and if I was in the market would be interested in this.

MB Models are taking deposits for pre orders...! See their section...they say 10% off.!!:thumbsup:

sexy... sexy.... I might order one if they, mid motor car, is quick and strong.

Moulded chassis are perfect for the job. Straight or broken, light, cheap.

To finish first, first you must finish.
Breaking a chassis simply by landing a jump doesn't help very much. Ditto front wishbones, rear wishbones, towers, top deck, bulkhead. Just some of the parts I've broken without crashing.
I still break parts now, but I have to crash first. The RC10 2wd cars may well have been state of the art 30 years ago. But high grip/euro/astro/carpet tracks are hard on cars.

Does the B5M have different front arms than the other one?

yes B5M has different front arms to the B5

Yes the arms for the B5 are different to the B5M.
I think the reason for this is the gullwing arms on the mid car are to give it a lower C of G ! for high grip tracks. Awaiting to be shot down in flames !!!! :lol:

Chassis is alloy it says so in the blurb under the pictures, if you zoom in you can see it behind the servo, alloy chassis with plastic sides.

I can't help but notice you're running in Sweden - I don't mean to sound like I'm making conclusions based on stereotypes, but were you by any chance running the car in (very) cold weather? :eh?: I can imagine the combo of a car designed in the brushed era+cold weather (which generally makes plastics brittle) results in weird breakages.

http://gallery.pistik.com/albums/Win...r/IMG_2779.jpg

This is how we used to roll back in the days. Up to -30C.
That's in Estonia though.

Nope. If it's cold we go inside.

:thumbsup:LOL

I just think the continuation and lack of development of the RC10 is down to cost cutting, they sell masses of them in their home market, they are ideal for the "typical" user, and ideal for the typical US track. So why change.

More recently the aftermarket chassis/conversion people have started taking too much of the glory/market share, so they want some.

Post of the day :thumbsup:

Also it hit 30 degrees here in Summer so it's not always cold, unfortunately.

You've answered your own question there.

The B4 has not been replaced until now because Associated haven't needed to replace it. Why go to the vast expense of developing and tooling up a new car when your current car is still winning and still selling loads of kits.

Now the others have caught up, and mid motor cars are starting to appear in the US, Associated has to keep up with everyone else and bring out new cars.

No doubt the B4 RTR will still be around for some time as well.

Just hope they've taken the opportunity to have a look through a plastics catalogue that's less than 20 years old. ;)

The fixings look metric to me, anyone able to confirm either way .