Since its inception, the B44 has been on the cutting edge in the 4WD buggy class. Considering its humble origins and the journey it has traveled in eight years, the buggy that graces these pages is more than just the newest one, it’s the most important in a lineage of successful racing buggies that have dominated around the world. As such, the B44.2 Factory Team is the perfect example of refining and honing a proven platform rather than replacing it with entirely new cars. As each generation of B44 has proven its mettle on the track, it has also shown some things that could be improved. With a slew of new parts and components redesigned to be stronger, better, and faster, the B44.2 is the answer to keep the A-Team on top of the podium. Take a good look because this is the buggy that will beat you at the track—that is, until you get one of your own.

HOT FEATURES

1 (JON AND KATE) +8
The heart of the B44.2 is its graphite chassis. For the .2 version, the chassis has been stretched an additional 8mm to make it more stable and easier to drive. Along with the +8mm chassis, a new longer and beefier front top deck has been installed to fortify the front end and make it both responsive and strong.

2 SUPER–SIZE SHOCKS
Part of the B44.2’s beefed-up suspension is Team Associated’s plush new 12mm large-bore shocks that are included with the kit. The shocks have plenty of volumetric displacement to damp even the toughest of landings and utilize 3mm thick ti-nitride-coated shock shafts to keep everything working smooth.

3 THE GUN SHOW
Nothing says strong like a set of big arms and the B44.2 has you covered in that department as well. With extra bracing and thicker surfaces, the front arms have been revised and fortified around areas that were more prone to breakage.

4 SLIP AND SLIDE
Team Associated has redesigned the buggy’s slipper clutch to their new VTS slipper unit that utilizes three drive surfaces to handle the excessive power of modified motors. A new high-rate spring holds the assembly’s settings secure, guaranteeing that you won’t lose your clutch mid-race.

5 THICKER TOWERS
With stronger arms and more capable shocks, the brunt of hard hits is now transferred through to the shock towers. To combat this issue, the B44.2 features a superthick 3.5mm front shock tower and 2.5mm tower in the rear. No more doubling up on shock towers!

6 ON THE HUB
One of the most difficult things to do in any 4WD buggy is adjust the motor position to set gear mesh. It requires some double-jointedness, an archaic hex wrench from an Ikea couch, and some creativity. This is no longer the case, as the buggy’s new cam-type motor mount allows you to loosen the motor bolts from the side and rotate the motor on its cam to move it back and forth for mesh settings.

7 DUAL CUP
The new chassis also features a set of new quick release battery cups. When in the past you’d have to remove screws, body clips, and practically half of the car to get your saddle pack out, it’s now as simple as a twist of the thumbscrew and a swing of the straps out of the way. The high outside walls of the cups are also ideal for adding a small piece of Velcro to keep the body snug to the chassis.

8 HUB–BUB
The B44.2 comes with aluminum 0-degree rear hubs that feature a larger outer bearing for added durability. The kit also has locking aluminum drive hexes out back to put down some serious power.

---

SOURCES

Futaba futaba-rc.com
Pro-Line Racing prolineracing.com
Team Associated teamassociated.com

---

TEST GEAR

• ASSOCIATED XP DS1015, PART NO. 29167, $100
• LRP FLOW ESC, PART NO. LRP80970, $200
• REEDY SONIC 6.5 MOTOR, PART NO. 947, $90
• REEDY WOLFPACK 4800MAH LIPO BATTERY, PART NO. 737, $70
• PRO-LINE SCRUBS 4WD BUGGY FRONT TIRES, PART NO. PRO8214-03, $12
• PRO-LINE SUBURB BUGGY REAR TIRES, PART NO. PRO8213-02, $12

---

SPECS

Type: 4WD buggy
Scale: 1/10
Length: (378mm)
Width: 9.84 in. (250mm)
Ground clearance: .79 in. (20mm)
Wheelbase: 11.18 in. (284mm)
Weight: 3.81 lb. (1729g)
Chassis: Carbon-fiber plate
Part no.: 9062
Price: $370

---

BEST FOR Intermediate to expert racers

---

PERFORMANCE

The B44.2 is bred for one thing: racing. So, I took it to the newly built indoor track at Wolcott Hobby in Waterbury, CT, to put it to the test. I’m known at the track for having way more motor than I could ever possibly use, so when prepping the buggy for my debut, I installed a Reedy Sonic 6.5t motor, WolfPack 4800mAh LiPo pack, and an LRP Flow speed control to keep things moving forward. With that much power on tap, absolute control is a must, so I chose the office Futaba 4PK Super R for driving duties. From first pull of the trigger, the B44.2 is nothing short of explosive. The diff, slipper, and suspension settings from the manual are spot on and when paired with the correct tires for the track, the buggy is very easy to drive right from the get-go. 4WD buggies are always prone to understeer, so I installed an Associated XP DS1015 high-torque/high-speed servo to not only get the wheels turned quickly but to also add some much needed weight to the front of the buggy. On the track, the B44.2 is an everyday racer’s all star. It tracks straight under the heaviest acceleration, handles bumps and rhythm sections with ease, and steers confidently lap after lap. The track’s back straight is split up by a single and a huge double that lands into an elevation change. Down siding the first jump puts you on a good run at the double and sets you up perfectly for some serious time savings, but land it wrong and it gets ugly quickly. Even when I botched the single, the Sonic 6.5 had more than enough power to get me out of trouble, sending the buggy soaring through the air level and under control. A quick tap of the brakes drops the nose down and slides the car perfectly down the back of the double, giving me plenty of time to cut the corner tight over the elevation change. Lap after lap, the FT instilled confidence in me and I found myself pushing harder and harder. When considering the small changes and adjustments to get to the B44.2, it really is amazing how drastically better it handles on the dirt.

---

THE START OF A PHENOMENON

It’s no secret that the B44.2 is the distant relative of the JConcepts BJ4, so it’s only appropriate that JConcepts’ Finnisher +8mm body is included with the kit. Where did the B44, and in this case, B44.2, come from? Here is a look at the grassroots efforts of one Associated driver who set out to build a buggy and ended up creating a phenomenon.

BJ4: When the original JConcepts BJ4 was released, you had to get on a waiting list and hope you’d get your kit together in time for off-road season. Based on the drive line from the Associated TC3, its layout placed the motor to the rear of the chassis in similar fashion to its on-road cousin and used an extra long driveshaft to send the power to the front wheels. It used Associated B4 buggy front arms all the way around, making it easy to find replacements; its low front kickup made it very rough on the front suspension during impacts.

BJ4 WORLDS: Like the 44.2, the Worlds car addressed some issues from the original; the biggest of which was its very rear-favored weight bias. By splitting the center shaft in half, the motor was moved to the middle of the chassis to create a more balanced buggy. New arms made the buggy stronger than its predecessor but it was troubled by the very design that helped it handle better. Because the motor was so far forward now, it was impossible to reach in to adjust the gear mesh without removing the battery. JConcepts had a great handling car on its hands and sold tons of them—every one that they could make.

---

VERDICT

In the battle to produce ever-improving buggies that not only handle better, but are also more durable and easier to use, Team Associated is the old master. The A Team’s racing heritage dates back to the beginnings of RC racing in every class with a history of refining, updating, and pushing their vehicles to the limits. With what seems like small changes here and tiny tweaks there, the B44.2 FT improves upon an already great platform in a big way. It’s not only easier to drive faster than the previous versions, but it’s also easier to work on. The original B44 was a world champion, the B44.1 was a world champion, and we’ll find out in September if the B44.2 will complete the hat trick.