Cyclone C12 – Review
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Hot
Bodies
Cyclone 12 Review by R/C Car
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Stephen Sohl
Okay, when’s the last time
you saw a 1/12-scale pan car review? That’s right, it’s been, like,
forever. Now consider this: 1/12-scale Stock is one of the most popular
indoor carpet racing classes in the country; there are more kit choices
than any other class, and it’s possibly the most affordable class to
race in RC. We’re definitely overdue for a solid test drive and,
frankly, a wake up call for everyone. What better to smack us back into
1/12-class racing than the Hot Bodies Cyclone 12? This car uses 100%
percent Hot Bodies parts while many car manufacturers share parts and
collectively develop performance ideas. Combine the exclusive parts with
input from multi-World Champions Atsushi Hara and Andy Moore and you’re
surely to develop a top contender in this heavily-contested 1/12-scale
racing arena. Let’s see what they came up with.
Kit Features
Traditional T-bar
design. But that’s where the similarities end.
HB has integrated multiple tweak screw locations in their 1.6mm thick
fiberglass T-bar for further adjustability and tuning options. Combine the
T-bar style design with a 2mm woven carbon fiber chassis and rear lower
pod and you got the platform for a very stable and aggressive car. With
T-bar style pan cars, you have to use a split four-cell sub-C battery
setup. HB has engineered a battery strapping system to add ease and
effectiveness to keeping your batteries in place at all times. The system
in conjunction with battery trays adjusts for front or rear battery
positions.
Aluminum
threaded micro shock. 1/12-scale shocks
have always been an issue. Flimsy and unreliable has been the norm.
Not anymore. HB’s new micro shock builds exactly like any other
larger scale shock for modern touring car—shaft, c-clips, piston,
bladder, etc. This departure seems incredibly logical, and I can’t
understand why it wasn’t done earlier. Add aluminum screw-on caps
for both the bottom and top of the shock body and now maintenance is
a breeze. The shock attaches to the chassis via an aerial mount that
also includes setscrews for securing the rollover/antenna post.
Forget the tape! The Cyclone 12 uses a
trick battery tray system to hold the 4-cell saddle pack in place,
utilizing straps that hinge out of the way to allow for easy ingress and
egress, and lock securely in place without body clips or screws. The cells
themselves sit in a comfortable cradle of molded plastic to make sure your
packs stay put during a hard wreck. The whole system combines a great
mixture of security and convenience that traditional 1/12-scale chassis
can’t match.
Two-piece
aluminum rear axle. The rear axles of many
pan cars have all been the same or fairly similar. Again, HB decided
to come up with a unique two-piece aluminum rear axle and diff
assembly. The axle uses a steel pin covered by a rubber O-ring to
unite the two axle pieces just to the inside of the differential
hub. This design allows for easy replacing of the worn or damaged
spurs or other diff parts. Not to mention you can have several diff
assemblies built, and swap them out with ease.
Three-way
adjustable reactive caster blocks. Though
not new to the 1/12-scale market, these adjustable caster blocks are
a must-have to compete with the numerous other kits out there.
Basically, two screws hold the block in place. Remove the front
screw, loosen the rear screw and the block pivots to three reactive
caster positions: zero, five and ten degrees. Tighten the screws
down after you move the block to your desired setting. The blocks
also feature convenient clips to tune caster angles, and they have
made space for an optional HB Front Cross Brace (#61673).
Performance Testing
We took this C12 to 360
Speedway & Hobbies, West Babylon, New York, for a complete day of
testing. The car launched smoothly and tracked straight even after a few
board taps. It didn’t take long for the C12 to get up to speed and lap
consistently with the rest of the stock 1/12-scale cars. It carried plenty
of corner speed, but the tire choice seemed to make it grab too much
mid-corner, so I switched to harder compound tires to free it up a bit.
On-road racers have a notorious attention to detail, and serious
competitors will spend lots of time to simply ensure their cars roll as
freely as possible. Out of the box, the Cyclone 12 coasted as though it
was on a cloud of air and continued to get better as the bearings loosened
up; this translates into class-respectable acceleration from the first
time you pull the trigger. Even when outfitted with a 17.5-class power
system, our C12 launched from the starting line and shot out of corners
with authority. Just as well, the differential and two-piece rear axle
performed flawlessly to provide efficient acceleration and smooth action
through corners.
The C12 is very sensitive to oversteer, as most T-bar cars can be. Larger
turning circles seemed to reduce the high-speed oversteer significantly,
but now my racing lines had to be more precise in the low speed and
switchback sections. After a few more laps playing with radio settings,
the car got into the groove and lapped comfortably, predictably and
stably. What more could you ask of a car?
What did we like?
We like T-bar pan cars. They
seem to be more consistent and less finicky than spring pan cars. The use
of a real shock design means that setups are more consistent because it’s
easy to build, bleed, and adjust correctly. Also, the two-piece axle
design is easy to build and tear down for maintenance. It’s very cool to
see new features like these added to cars that leave relatively little
room for innovation.
What would we change?
Brushless motors are the norm
for 1/12-scale racing, so we’d like to see a little roomier rear pod and
a smaller spur accompany the kit. In addition, the front arms need more
ride height adjustability.
Conclusion
The Cyclone C12 is a
respectable and formidable weapon in the highly contested 1/12-scale
racing arena. With Atsushi Hara and Andy Moore helping to develop this
car, you know it’s going to just get better and better. The car is fast,
easy to adjust, and features new details that have catapulted this racer
to the top of the charts at both Worlds-level events and local races
across the country. We can’t wait to get our hands on the upcoming
evolution of this 1/12-scale standout, Hot Bodies’ new Cyclone 12X.
Source: RC-Car