is it a stumpy lipo down the center ?

Maybe, but: http://rcinsider.com/?p=20425

ha, maybe not then ha ha

Hey, he is famous now :thumbsup:

Paul took 3rd at the J Concepts Clash with the new X - 7 prototype. We hope to have video -- possibly TWO vids, up today. They will be on YouTube with links on our FB page. X Factory R/C. Some interesting pix, including one of Durango's Gerd Strenge checking out the new car, are there now. More to be added this week.

Paul ran an all-new Gen 5.2 at the Clash. It had much, but not all, of the thinking for what we hope will be the final, Gen 6.0 version. Mostly the Gen 5.2 has the front end changes planned for the 6.0, and they worked very well. Car handled just awesome, especially in the bumps.

Why a Gen 5.2? We had planned to go straight to the 6.0, but ran out of time. Paul could only make so many of the new parts, so he built a new chassis incorporating as many of the new ideas as possible. This car is a one-off for Paul, who will run it in Columbus next weekend. Ellis will not have one.

As soon as possible, before Christmas for sure, the 6.0s will be made, and Big E will have one. Because our luggage did not arrive in Florida until noon on Thursday, Paul was up all night (got to bed 6:30AM, up at 7 to go to the track) building the 5.2 and ran it for the very first time in Q1 Friday.

The Clash track was extremely rough, first because of the weather -- monsoon conditions -- and second because 1/3 of the cars on it were 1/8 scale. (Coral Springs crew did a FANTASTIC job getting the track so we could race at all, and they did it three times!!!) The point is that the vids will show the X - 7 clearly handled the bumpy conditions better than any car on the track.

And, Paul was ballistic in a straight line...

when can we see pics ?

So shouldn't you call it Gen 5.3 then? :yawn::thumbsup:
That's how revision numbers work lol :-)

Not quite Cooper. Each prototype has been numbered 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 etc, however any "slight" revision we have made to each existing platform along the way simply becomes 5.2, 5.3 etc, the new paltform will be 6.0 as Chazz said, any slight changes to that would be called 6.1 etc.........

Darren is right on. Ellis is proving the 5.1 to be quite fast, and Paul did very well with his too. When we built it, we thought the 5.1 would go into production; however we found a reliability issue and the 5.1's weight distribution isn't quite right when the electronics go in, so the 6.0 was designed.

For the Clash, Paul did not have time to make all the 6.0 parts. Too busy with the SCX - 60CF. He did have some time, and made a new chassis that tackles the reliability issue and moves the weight a little bit in the intended direction. We scratched our heads: What to call it? It's neither 5.1 nor 6.0, and that leaves 5.2.

The 5.2 will be a short lived thing. Ellis doesn't get one, and Paul's will run at CRCRC & R/C Factory this weekend. Paul should have 6.0s finished for both Ellis and himself by Christmas.

B.T.W., the 5.2 worked great. Reliability issue solved, and the weight move was in the right direction. When the 6.0 moves the weight where it's finally supposed to go, we think the X - 7 will be even faster. It's a matter of changing things about 4% and we hope you'll have to add no ballast at all.

One of the cool things is that all the concepts proven on the test bed chassies so long ago are still fully in place. Most of the original ideas from two years ago remain the heart of the X - 7.

As was the case when we made the 5.1, we expect the 6.0 to be a production-ready vehicle. Once Ellis & Paul drive their 6.0s in battle two or three times, another small batch will be made for some other Team drivers, and, assuming their cars go together well, don't break often, and are both easy to drive & fast, we'll start production, possibly as early as late spring. Darren and Dan are drooling...

If additional problems appear, or if all the criteria just above are not met, then it's back to the drawing board. Unlike some of our competitors, who go straight from initial C.A.D. to mold-production, we thoroughly test everything before bringing it to you, and sometimes circumstances make that take forever. We do it where you can see at least some of it while trying to keep the innovative stuff away from the competition, but The Family knows what we are working on.

5.2 is looking good, cant wait till the production car is out!!!! Bring on the spring!!! :thumbsup:

nice to see some anti clockwise racing,I mentioned this at our local club and had some serious black looks down some long noses!!Is it traditional to race clockwise here in GB?,it would make a change to go the other way round for a change.:woot:

I did catch a glimps of it recently and have to admit I would buy it as it is now so if it ever went up for sale (I wish) then I would have it.

Great ideas being used and cant wait for the production version. Keep up the great work guys and hurry up and get it sorted so I can buy it. :thumbsup:

Thanks for the props, Wleshy. We are going as fast as possible.

Is there any update in regards to the release date yet?

From what I've heard it's a long way off yet. I wouldn't expect it until next year personally at least. I think it'll be mostly testing and trying our their designs this year.

Paul's 5.2 has been shipped to Ellis, and Paul will begin making the 6.0 later this week. Paul is entered at Motorama mid-month and will run the 6.0 there.

Ellis will not have the 5.2 for long, because Paul will make two 6.0s when he does it. Therefore, Ellis should have a 6.0 before the end of February.

We believe the 6.0 will solve all the outstanding issues, and will be extremely close to a production car. If so, we'll work out the set-ups this spring and start production as soon as possible.

Jimmy has a point -- we have been working on this thing forever. However, two things have gotten in the way. First, my illness halted everything except the bare necessities for almost a year. By the time I got back, events in the marketplace forced us to do the SCX - 60CF. Even though our primary focus the last 6 months has been the SC, Paul, Ellis, and Elvo have kept working at the X - 7; once initial production & launch of the SC is over, it's full speed on the 7.

So it won't be long now.

I'm down at Motorama as well, may have to try and sneak a peak!:woot:

You won't have to "sneak."

Ooh, does that mean the covers will be off at last??

Hang around our pits long enough and you'll see Paul or Ellis working on their cars. Really can't hide it. We're not making a big deal about showing the car off, and no body off photos yet, but we must maintain it like any other car, and we'll not put up some kind of wall.

Maybe this will help 4wd come back to the states in bigger numbers!~

Big E Does A Great Job At BWOC
 

Ellis Stafford took second overall at the weekend's BWOC by a mere 0.02 sec with the new X - 7 Gen 5.2. Paul's old car arrived at Ellis' house last week and this was E's first time out with it.

Ellis finished second on the track in A-1 but a rough driving penalty to the leader put Ellis first. I think E took third in A-2, might be mistaken.

In A-3 Stafford held about a 2-sec lead for the last half of the race until he hit the pipe three turns from the end. This allowed Kevin Lee to catch up with a resulting drag race down the straight to the line. Stafford pulled the trigger hard and the X - 7's new belt system delivered so much power he did a wheelie the entire 30 feet (!) crossing the line with the nose still up in the air. This elevation of the transponder may have cost Ellis the win, as the two cars crossed the line side-by-side, with Lee getting the win by 0.02 seconds.

Any way you look at it, this is a great finish for the new X - 7!

Not quite right there Chazz, but close!

A-2, both Ellis and Darren Bloomfield were right at the back after lap one after seperate racing "incidents" both fought their way through the field but niether were in the top 3 in leg 2.

A-3, Darren took a flag to flag win, Kevin and Ellis were racing for second in the leg, Ellis made the error 3 or 4 bends from home that allowed Kevin to catch up, then on the corner table top just a few yards before the loop, Ellis went tight and steady, Kevin wide and fast and they drag raced across the line, Ellis did indeed pop a VERY impressive wheely, which he did hold for the remainder of the long straight :thumbsup:.

When the computer gave out the times, Kevin triggered the loop 0.03 in front of Ellis and with a win (from leg 2) and a 2nd(3 points) took the win from Ellis with his leg 1 win and leg 3 3rd (4 points). Tom Yardy was third overall.

Well done to both drivers in leg three a good race and very tight finish, excellent racing to watch and there could only be one winner. Well done to Kevin on the win and also to Ellis too for what is a very good result for the new car and first time out on the track with this version too....

Thanks for clearing it up, Darren. That's what I get trying to do things late at night from memory at home.

It was a great showing for the prototype car against top competition. Weight distribution on the 5.2 still isn't what we want because we don't have the new belts & pulleys necessary to move the motor a bit -- they are coming soon for the 6.0. When they arrive, we expect the 6.0 to be significantly faster and if the new weight bias proves correct, it will be ready for sale.

Look forward to seeing it at Off Road Wars in a couple of weeks.

When the X-7 will be in production, it would be great to see your different prototypes, so we can see when/how ideas and designs appeared, evolved or disapeared through the whole development.:)

That would be a lot of effort just to educate the other manufacturers on how to make (and not make) a 4wd - no harm in keeping a few secrets!

I very much doubt we'd do that, but it would be interesting to show them what doesn't work. Perhaps they already know that...

Any pictures floating around yet ?

Some X7 pics from Cactus:

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/a...ettet/X7_5.jpghttp://i900.photobucket.com/albums/a...ettet/X7_3.jpghttp://i900.photobucket.com/albums/a...ettet/X7_2.jpghttp://i900.photobucket.com/albums/a...ettet/X7_1.jpg

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/a...ettet/X7_4.jpg

:thumbsup: AWESOME! :thumbsup:

Body off pics please. You have teased us for long enough

3 belts i'm guessing

I recon two belts, front and rear gearboxes and elevated pulleys. Motor in front of lipos.

+1. I recall the lipo was a stubby placed across the chassis? I'm guessing it will accommodate a full stick to comply with ROAR rules, but no-one will actually do that!

Are those front wishbones original, or from another car? They're huge! Are the diffs Team Associated, B44 or (N)TC3? The front driveshafts are also enormous...

This car looks the real deal, but I fear the cost will be astronomical with all that milled alloy and carbon fibre :S - maybe a case of 5 minutes of (wallet) pain, followed by several years of (racing) pleasure....

Edit: D'oh, the gearboxes are being fed from a belt so no crown gear, and thus no 4wd diffs. Cheers Northy.

Looks to be:

Cat SX front end - which is just the tried and tested XX4 geometry.
X6 rear end.
B4 gearbox internals both ends driving a belt from the layshaft that goes to the middle of the car, where the slipper and some more gears layshafts etc are to connect the two belts.

What I expected really :thumbsup:

http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/a...ettet/X7_5.jpg

Looks like saddle packs to me...

They will be AE diffs. You will be able to use either saddle or shorty packs. We think regular stick packs are so last year...

Looking good Chazz. I can't wait to get my car.
Darren