The massively anticipated Venture FJ Cruiser is on its way! For over a year, RC and HPI fans have been clamoring for information - mainly when it would be available! Now, we can proudly say that Summer 2017 is the worldwide due date for the Venture FJ Cruiser. 

As a new platform for scale crawling fanatics, the Venture combines a realistic front-motor position and steel chassis rails with a realistic suspension and drivetrain. The Venture chassis is finished with the fabulous look of the celebrated Toyota FJ Cruiser for a fantastic scale off-road experience only HPI can deliver! With a fully licensed replica body that includes front and rear bumpers, mirrors, functional roof rack and swing-away spare tire mount, the Venture brings total scale realism to crawler fans right out of the box. Underneath the body, the steel C-channel chassis rails support a front-mounted motor, transmission and servo, plus a central transfer case that sends power to telescoping driveshafts and solid axles with metal diff covers. Authentically scaled oil-filled shock absorbers and full-time locked differentials work with the realistically treaded tires for confident driving in all off-road situations.
 
Scale Chassis Design and Layout 
The Venture FJ Cruiser features a steel C-channel chassis and cross braces as the foundation for a realistic truck chassis. To make sure the truck has a front weight bias that improves its climbing ability, the 35-turn crawler-spec motor and the transmission are mounted right up front - just like in a real truck! For additional weight up front, the steering servo is also mounted to the chassis next to the motor. 

Realistic Drivetrain 
In addition to the motor and transmission at the front, the Venture FJ Cruiser features a centrally mounted transfer case with a gear ratio of 1.5:1. This allows the drivetrain to sit low and down the centerline of the chassis so the driveshafts are perpendicular to the axles. The low angle and central position of the driveshafts allows for maximum power transfer, so as much power as possible reaches the tires. 

The driveshafts are composite slider-style shafts with universal joints at each end, where they meet the transfer case and axle. At the axles, 13-tooth pinions and 43-tooth ring gears (axle ratio of 3.31:1) sit inside the "pumpkin" or center of the axles. Each differential is equipped with metal diff lockers for pure 4WD traction at all times.  

With the transmission drive ratio of 1.53:1, the overall drivetrain ratio is 7.6:1 for a good all-around gearing and a final drive ratio of 30.4:1 out of the box. This will get you up or down most trails and get you started climbing difficult inclines. With pinion gears of 15-28 teeth you can get final drive ratios of 30.4:1 to 16.2:1. You can easily alter the ratio with an optional 56-tooth spur and pinion gears from 19-32 teeth for final drive ratios of 22.4:1 to 13.3:1. 

Fully-Featured Steering & Suspension  
With a Chassis-Mounted Servo (CMS), the scale realism of the Venture FJ Cruiser is kept intact. The steering link connects to one steering knuckle and Behind The Axle (BTA) steering linkage connects the two steering knuckles together. With all of the steering linkage kept out of the way of potential obstacles such as rocks and roots, the truck has a much better approach angle than with standard crawler kit steering designs. A Panhard bar on aluminum mounts provides even more scale looks as well as maintaining zero bump steer as the axle rises and falls over bumps and ruts. The steering knuckle design provides zero Ackermann angle for full range steering and a super-tight turning radius. The Venture FJ Cruiser will be able to avoid obstacles and go exactly where you want it with ultra-precise steering control!

The Venture FJ Cruiser has the most advanced and user-friendly off-road suspension you'll find in RC crawlers. At the front, you'll find a 3-link suspension with Panhard bar. A triangulated 3-link suspension at the back keeps things under control. Coilover shock absorbers equipped with dual-stage shock springs connect to shock struts and aluminum suspension mounts on the axles. The chassis shock mounts feature additional holes so you can change the wheelbase of the Venture easily. Each shock is filled with oil to control the bounce of the suspension, and aluminum threaded shock bodies allow you to make ride height adjustments easily and quickly. 

Scale Replica Detail
The Toyota FJ Cruiser body included with the Venture RTR kit is completely outfitted with a range of fabulous scale items that would be extras on many other scaler trucks. In addition to the officially licensed replica FJ Cruiser body on its own, you'll find a pair of side mirrors, a functional roof rack ready for a range of scale accessories, a working swing-away spare tire mount on the back bumper, working D-ring shackles on the front and rear bumpers, tubular brush guard and mounts for LED lights on the front bumper, and adjustable-width rock rails that help the truck glide over tough obstacles.

Finally, the Venture FJ Cruiser rests on realistic Rockthorn rubber tires with thick, meaty tread blocks and sidewall tread wrapped around all-new CR-10 1.9" beadlock-style multispoke wheels that feature center hub caps. The hex hubs are standard 12mm size so you can fit any crawler or on-road wheels or tires to make the truck your own. 

Of course, the clear FJ Cruiser body is available separately so you can customize your own Venture - that's what scale RC is all about! Any other 1/10th scale clear body will fit as well, thanks to adjustable body posts and large braces for the rear body posts. 

HPI Venture Toyota FJ Features:

• Factory-assembled & pre-painted electric-powered full-time 4WD 1/10 scale off-road truck
• Officially licensed replica Toyota FJ Cruiser body
• Functional roof rack plus side mirrors
• Front bumper features brush guard, light mounts and D-ring shackles
• Rear bumper features swing-away spare tire mount and D-ring shackles
• Adjustable rock rail side sliders help the truck get over tough obstacles
• Steel C-channel chassis rails 
• Front-mount motor and transmission position for ultimate scale realism
• Front weight bias improves climbing traction and provides more realistic driving
• All-metal gear drivetrain for extreme durability
• Central transfer case with slider driveshafts to front and rear differentials
• Transfer case prevents motor stall for the best climbing action
• Transfer case also straightens & lowers center driveshafts for more efficient power transfer
• Axles feature small diff case or "pumpkin" size for best possible ground clearance
• Aluminum differential pumpkin cover
• Locked differentials for superb off-road climbing traction
• 12mm hex hubs to fit any available crawler wheels
• Shock towers have multiple shock mounting positions to allow for wheelbase options
• BTA (Behind The Axle) steering linkage for improved approach and departure angles
• Panhard bar for scale looks and optimized geometry with zero bump steer
• Zero Ackermann high steer knuckle design for improved obstacle clearance and tighter turning radius
• 3-link front and triangulated 3-link rear suspension
• Oil-filled aluminum coilover shock absorbers (63-90mm stroke)
• Adjustable threaded shock bodies for quick ride height changes
• Dual-stage shock springs
• Aluminum lower link/shock mounts
• Aluminum panhard mounts
• CMS (Chassis Mounted Servo) realistic steering setup
• Adjustable body mounting to fit any style of off-road body
• Fully braced rear body mounts
• All-terrain Rockthorn 109mm x 38mm soft S-Compound tires with chunky tread blocks
• Beadlock style CR-10 ten-spoke 1.9” wheels
• HPI 35-turn crawler spec motor provides speed as well as crawling torque 
• HPI waterproof SC-3sWP2 Crawler Edition adjustable electronic speed control 
• HPI water-resistant SS-20WR steering servo
• HPI TF-40 2.4GHz radio system with carry handle
• HPI waterproof 2.4GHz receiver in protective case
• Full set of ball bearings
• Includes NiMH battery and charger and 4 AA batteries for radio transmitter

HPI Venture Toyota FJ  Specification:

• Length: 527mm (20.7")
• Width: 227mm (9")
• Height: 238mm (9.4") with roof rack, 217mm (8.5") without (will vary depending on tire choice and suspension settings)
• Wheelbase: 311mm (12.3")
• Front overhang: 101mm (3.9")
• Rear overhang: 135mm (5.3")
• WeightRunning weight: 2.4kg (5.3lbs)
• Weight without battery: 2.1kg (4.7lbs)
• CapabilityBreak-over angle: 44.5 degrees
• Approach angle: 55 deg
• Departure angle: 45.5 deg
• Max climb angle: 49 deg
• Max tilt angle: 28 deg
• Axle articulation: 30 deg
• Ground clearance 68mm capable: (2.7")
• Ground clearance at standard ride height 60mm: (2.4")
• Axle ground clearance 32mm: (1.3") 
• GearingDrivetrain ratio: 7.6:1
• Transmission gearing: 1.53:1
• Axle gearing: 3.31:1
• Transfer case gearing: 1.5:1