Our picks from the Spielwarenmesse 2019 (The Nuremberg international toy fair)

In its 70th year, the Spielwarenmesse (translated: Toy Fair) is an annual international celebration of toys from manufacturers across the world, held in Nuremberg Germany. With a bias towards plastic kits and electric trainsets, the show does feature new releases from giants Traxxas, Tamiya, Carson and more. Lets take a look  at some of our favourites from the 2019 show.

DR!FT : Tabletop drift racing

Originating on kickstarter, Dr!ft is a 1:43 scale rc system designed to provide 'real driving physics' on the tabletop. You drive the car via your smartphone, using the accelerator to control the attitude of the vehicle. Under the small shells are multiple motors and servos hooked up to some hard drifting tyres, enabling these little cars to perform incredible slides whilst you countersteer, just like the real thing. The system now includes RFID 'humps' that can record the car sliding over them to award you points for a full gymkhana experience. Ignore the slot track in the video, this thing is freely sliding over the surface! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMWkKS4FXF0 We have been following Sturmkind's build for over a year now and are very excited to get our hands on a Dr!ft set real soon. Keep your eyes on our blog home for more!

Traxxas TRX-4 Body

Alongside some fantastically hopped up TRX-4 Sport and Sport-Camper bodies (with those great LED Bumper bars!) was the new Mercedes G500. This fully licensed G-Wagen has some particularly bling details and was on the Traxxas stand in blue and a day-glo yellow as shown below. [gallery columns="2" size="medium" ids="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0263/8469/5395/files/gwagenyellow.jpg|"] Coming later this year it is sat on the TRX-4 chassis so we'd expect the full remote-locking diffs and fantastic performance that you get from its Defender and Bronco stablemates. As with the other models, it features a highly detailed body with wipers, wing mirrors, grille mouldings and windscreen spoiler with lightbar mounts. The body covers the chunky plastic bumpers front and rear with a drop receiver hitch at the rear and what appears to be a metal skid plate at the front. Also added are new scale wheels and tyres, the marker lights, sides steps plus a side exit exhaust with pipework that extends under the body. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJrHHLAKpO4 We also hope there will be a full LED kit for the headlights, tail lights and mounts for wheel well lights to match its older brother.

Traxxas 'Tracks'

Whilst there have been several aftermarket offerings for snow-tracks, its great to see Traxxas apparently stepping up to offer a factory backed solution. We think they look equal parts ridiculous and awesome! [caption id="attachment_7778" align="aligncenter" width="749"] Video thumbnail Courtesy of MikaNews.De[/caption] These tracks feature rubber belts with a large geared drive-wheel, 5 individually hinged dolly/tensioning wheels and a sprung damper to orientate and tension them. They mount to the model via the standard wheel hex with plenty of clearance around the portal hubs, so whilst they are shown here on the TRX-4 sport, they should in theory work on other models. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap2Vsjmkjxc We will be badgering Traxxas for more information on these, especially the price, so keep your eyes on our instagram account. Regardless you are probably going to want to combine these with the lift kit to ensure clearance over your body.

Carson Reflex Wheel Start

Carson Trigger remotes of old looked really dated, bulky ugly hard-edged black plastic units, so we welcome these entry-level bright, colourful, ergonomic units!  These are ideal for kids rc models whether they be touring, drifting or off-road cars. The 3-channel pistol-style kit include a 3-channel mini-receiver with integrated fail-safe.  Both channels can be reversed should things be wired incorrectly on the model. Trims for both the throttle and steering as well as dual rate adjustment, ideal for limiting the speed of a powerful car. [gallery columns="2" size="medium" link="file" ids="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0263/8469/5395/files/reflex-wheel-start-24g-radio-blue-500500100-en_02.jpg|"] They take four AAA batteries, stored in the grip section of the remote (as seen in this video) for better weight balance. We particularly like how the handles are removable and interchangeable, sliding into the bottom of the transmitter head. It means that you can buy multiple units, or swap the grips with a friend to mix up your look. [gallery size="medium" link="file" columns="2" ids="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0263/8469/5395/files/reflex-wheel-start-24g-radio-blue-500500100-en_03.jpeg|"]

RC Geeks : RC Enthusiasts

A big thanks to Mikanews.de for allowing us to link to their videos, if you speak German their blog is well worth a visit. What was your favourite product from the show? What RC models and parts are you most excited for in this coming year? Leave us your comments below!