Vaterra: A new option for realistically-styled R/C action
Horizon Hobby had been teasing a new product line for surface radio-control vehicles for the past few weeks and finally let the cat out of the bag a few days ago. If you love ultra-realistic automotive styling and love it in small-scale form, you may have found an ideal R/C match in the new Vaterra line. Featuring on-road and off-road options, the first thing that strikes me about these new RTR models is their look. They are stunning, from a visual perspective. To give you an example, the 1/10 on-road options include a retro, 1969 Camaro RS, a stunning 2012 Camaro Zl-1, and a sleek 2012 Nissan GTR.
Each of these models feature realistic styling features and details like side mirrors and bodywork. These are not your "typical" hobby-grade vehicles in that they seem to resemble the styling from New Bright and Tamiya's XB series (hat-tip to Josh for this thought). The level of exterior detail looks simply amazing.
For the off-road enthusiast, there are four Vaterra models for varying types of terrain. The Twin Hammers - a 1/10 scale rock racer, the Glamis Uno - a 1/8 scale buggy, the Kemora - a 1/14 rally-cross car, and the Kalahari - a 1/14 desert truck. Not bad for an initial offering and it should have something for everyone.
While most of these vehicles won't be out for a few months yet, you can find pricing information and a few teaser videos at vaterrarc.com. Plenty of exterior photos and footage is available but not much seems to be known about the chassis or out-of-the-box performance that these vehicles will have, so time will tell how well these stack up to what's currently on the market. If you're able to find out more about this new line of R/C vehicles, or can get your hands on one of the new models, let me know! I'd love to learn more about these new machines.
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