Bye Bye Traxxas

[WickedFog]

I am kind of glad that Taylor RC changed that name ,it sounded cheap anyways ,If I
sold a high end product ,I would not use the name with Max in it!..

It would be like Gucci selling underwear called Gucc Max!..

Taylor RC sells high end stuff ,master piece like artwork!
Traxxas is kids play!

View attachment 163036

I was just drooling over some Taylor powered RC's the other day. They do look like wicked engines.

View attachment 163038
Yes they do!!!!!

Yeah, that's the one I saw lol.

 

[bill_delong]

I have 2 friends who work at 2 hobby town stores. One told me that stores don't make profit from selling rtr cars, it's only 20% margin. Most money they make on selling spare parts, 50%, and repairs....

Here's a dated article back to 2013 which supports your friends claims:
https://www.rogershobbycenter.com/f.../two-problems-ecx-has-to-fix-now-opinion.html

ECX is a durable brand of cars. Too durable, in fact. Since we’ve been selling ECX (after the 2012 reboot), our parts sales have declined sharply. ECX vehicles don’t break regularly enough to sustain the brand. Selling cars is nice, but the simple fact is that hobby shops don’t make much at all on the vehicles we sell. What keeps R/C shops in business is the parts sales that come as a result of vehicle sales. Few broken parts makes it hard to sustain. Traxxas proved that the battle for market share and TOMA (Top Of Mind Awareness) is won in hobby shops. There's nary an R/C hobby shop out there that doesn't carry Traxxas. Make dealers happy and your market share will come.

The above quote alone is proof that Traxxas is selling junk, and hobby stores need to sell junk in order to stay in business... it's a catch-22

Kinda reminds me of the Blockbuster dilemma... I predict Amazon to be the one who has the ability to be the Netflix equivalent that can replace local hobby shops who choose to force only Traxxas junk

 

[806mastadon]

Wow. Just wow. There's something wrong with that company. Somebody should be testing that drinking water in TX. Well, not all of TX, just the city of McKinney. That stuff is contaminated.

Thank god I’m in Lubbock Texas

 

[Mtbmatty]

I'm not a fanboy by any stretch and not looking to argue opinions with folks who have had negative experiences. We have 3 Traxxas models, and have had great success with all 3.
I’ve said before I think Traxxas could make some quality of life improvements that would benefit their customers.
This thread is about a company protecting their intellectual property.
It may seem to be petty. Maybe you think it’s the big bad corporate machine sticking it to the little guy, but that’s big business dudes.

 

[WoodiE]

you would know that traxxas is taking big brand down that offer parts (aftermarket) CCXRC is one, not traxxas parts taken down, the entire website.

To be fair this is not a true statement.

Traxxas didn't remove any website from the internet. Traxxas sent the copyright infringement notice to WIX, the web host of CCXRC, who then promptly removed the site.

This is not to say Traxxas is a saint.

 

[bill_delong]

I'm not a fanboy by any stretch and not looking to argue opinions with folks who have had negative experiences. We have 3 Traxxas models, and have had great success with all 3.
I’ve said before I think Traxxas could make some quality of life improvements that would benefit their customers.
This thread is about a company protecting their intellectual property.
It may seem to be petty. Maybe you think it’s the big bad corporate machine sticking it to the little guy, but that’s big business dudes.

There is more to the story that you should know, Traxxas will control how much inventory a shop is allowed to sell and if the shop sells too much of a competing brand then Traxxas will revoke the dealer's account, more info here on their controlling tactics which are highly unethical to me:

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=41386217&postcount=30

 

[Chubaka]

There is more to the story that you should know, Traxxas will control how much inventory a shop is allowed to sell and if the shop sells too much of a competing brand then Traxxas will revoke the dealer's account, more info here on their controlling tactics which are highly unethical to me:

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=41386217&postcount=30

Traxxas is really starting to remind me of Disney the more I think of it.

 

[bill_delong]

Traxxas is really starting to remind me of Disney the more I think of it.

Yup...

 

[DavidB1126]

 

[Bogda89]

Every once in awhile, someone will find a new reason to restart the dont buy Traxxas, boycott Traxxas thing. This is the biggest one i have seen on the forum so far: https://www.rctalk.com/forum/threads/this-is-why-you-dont-buy-traxxas.124531/ and, i get it. Traxxas as a company is one of the worst around. I still hear quite often that their products are garbage, and are nothing but money pits, or, my favorite comment yet, that ECX is better. Personally, i think they need to rethink their position in this hobby, and get off the, we should be the only company around, ideal they seem to have. Literally every lawsuit, or every time they go after a smaller person in the hobby (RC Saylors comes to mind), it makes me wonder what kind of clowns are running that circus. Instead of boycotting them though, i think a better way to approach it is to find ways to get the word out about your personal experinces with their products, either in YouTube vidoes, or on other social media platforms. A few people boycotting them wont make much of a difference, but, if people who are looking to get into the hobby are able to see and hear just how bad their products can be, that might make a much bigger impact. However, unless an awful lot of people start doing that, you will always be fighting a losing battle against the fan boys, since there seems to be way too many of them around. Personally though, and i am speaking strictly 1/10TH scale stuff, i dont find them any better or worse than brands like ECX, Arrma, Redcat, and even Losi and AE. It may be because of the way i use my RC's, but, i have had major issues with everything from the cheap brands to the more expensive stuff, and, in my experience, Traxxas isnt any better or worse than any of the others product wise. The best company i found for how i use my RC's, DHK Hobbies, is now no longer available in this country anymore. Now, if only Arrma would bring back a real 2WD, like the original ADX-10, Fury, Raider platform, then, i might be a bit more biased towards them, since, my discontinued Arrma Fury breaks way less, even under heavy abuse, than anything else i own. Currently though, i dont have any bias towards any company anymore, although, for 2WD, i do look a bit more at HPI, only because i havent broken either of the ones i have, yet, but, i also havent had them at my favorite playground yet either.

I had arrma fury. I really liked the way it handles but it's the most fragile and flimsy rc I ever had

 

[Mtbmatty]

There is more to the story that you should know, Traxxas will control how much inventory a shop is allowed to sell and if the shop sells too much of a competing brand then Traxxas will revoke the dealer's account, more info here on their controlling tactics which are highly unethical to me:

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=41386217&postcount=30

This is a familiar story. The bicycle industry lost a lot of brick and mortar stores due to online sales. That story is a bit more complicated though….

I’m guessing with Hobby Fever as with all other traxxas dealers, they sign dealer agreements that do dictate how much of their sales can be online. What the hobby needs is hobby shops, not another online reseller. At that point they are not necessarily competition, they’re just not necessary in the mind of companies like traxxas.

 

[Bogda89]

Honestly I could never understand why people care about Traxxas lawsuits. We live in a first world country, not in a communist or dictatorship country. If we don't believe our justice system then we should definitely join musk colonization of Mars . If Traxxas is sueing someone on a baseless claim of patent or trademark infringement they will lose the case. If Traxxas can pay licence for example for scale bodies, than other companies should do the same.

If Traxxas was not strict with patents and trademarks we would probably see even bigger mess than it is now, dozens of companies selling almost identical cars with names as numbers that even Einstein can't memorize. Over half off-road cars look like kraton and over half onroad cars look like infraction.

You can call me a Traxxas fan boy I have over 80% of cars Traxxas has ever made, but I only bought 2 brand new. Out of 5 arrmas 4 I bought new. There is a lot of reasons why I like Traxxas cars, their nitro cars are the easiest to use, reliable and easy to fix, there is a lot of them on used market, they hold their value but sometimes you can find an awesome deal, and no matter how old the car is, I can find most parts and fix it.

 

[WickedFog]

It is my understanding when Traxxas sued HPI it was because HPI was using a sealed box to protect the receiver. Something Traxxas patented. That sealed box design has been around in many industries for various reasons for many years. Ever heard of a pelican case? They were first made in 1981. When was Traxxas first on the scene? 1986. Traxxas' design is no different than that. So I would argue Traxxas never came up with that design in the first place. So the fact they were able to get it patented is just baffling to me.

The fact Traxxas would even patent that design, and use that to go after another RC company and basically put them out of business is just wrong. I don't give a rats behind if they have the legal right to do so. There are lots of things that are legal to do that are just wrong. Smoking is legal, and government officials are being lobbied by big tobacco to ban vaping. Something millions of smokers have used to quit smoking. How is that legal? It is, and it's just wrong. Traxxas getting that patent is wrong, and Traxxas using it to sue HPI was wrong. I don't care if it was legal for them to do so. Greed is the vice I despise the most in people. So it really bothers me when I see it.

That being said, there are still a few Traxxas vehicles I'd love to get, and a couple I am building from parts. So I'll just go over here and graze on this lovely grass and shut up now.

 

[biggman100]

It is my understanding when Traxxas sued HPI it was because HPI was using a sealed box to protect the receiver. Something Traxxas patented. That sealed box design has been around in many industries for various reasons for many years. Ever heard of a pelican case? They were first made in 1981. When was Traxxas first on the scene? 1986. Traxxas' design is no different than that. So I would argue Traxxas never came up with that design in the first place. So the fact they were able to get it patented is just baffling to me.

The fact Traxxas would even pattent that design, and use that to go after another RC company and basically put them out of business is just wrong. I don't give a rats behind if they have the legal right to do so. There are lots of things that are legal to do that are just wrong. Smoking is legal, and government officials are being lobbied by big tobacco to ban vaping. Something millions of smokers have used to quit smoking. How is that legal? It is, and it's just wrong. Traxxas getting that pattent is wrong, and Traxxas using it to sue HPI was wrong. I don't care if it was legal for them to do so. Greed is the vice i despise the most in people. So it really bothers me when I see it.

That being said, there are still a few Traxxas vehicles I'd love to get, and a couple I am building from parts. So I'll just go over here and graze on this lovely grass and shut up now.

Most of Traxxas patent's are designs either stolen from other companies, or, they found some loophole to get a patent. Look at why they sued Arrma and Hobbico. The lawsuit started over the use of the laydown shock in the NERO, a design that Traxxas somehow got patented, but, wasn't even their design. Tamiya used lay down shocks in either the front, rear, or both, in cars going all the way back to 1976 (Porsche Turbo RSR 934), way before Traxxas was even a company. And, although it is a single, and not dual shocks, what about the Tamiya Hotshot, that had laydown shocks front and rear? Or how about the lay down shocks Tamiya used in 1988 in the Super Avante? Yes, they were on the front, and not the rear of the car, but, the lay down shock was not a Traxxas exclusive idea, so, they shouldnt have been able to patent the design, or sue anyone over it, but, we all know that for some reason, Traxxas seems to get away with things like this time and time again. As for the waterproof receiver box, does anyone remember the upgrade receiver box that screwed together that you could get for cars like the Tamiya Lunchbox and Monster Beetle that was supposed to be waterproof? I remember it being listed for the Midnight Pumkin as far back as 1988. I have seen a lot of Traxxas ideas and designs that were pretty much stolen from Tamiya, so, I'm surprised Tamiya has never sued Traxxas over any of their stolen designs.

Personal disclaimer here: At one point, going into the early nineties, i had more than 100 Tamiya cars, and, was beyond obsessed with them for a very long time, and, i have seen a lot of things Traxxas supposedly came up with that Tamiya did long before Traxxas was even a company.

 

[Doom!]

You either like them or you don't. Not much else to it at this point, they are not going to change their practices.

 

[Chubaka]

You either like them or you don't. Not much else to it at this point, they are not going to change their practices.

Is the horse hpi, arrma, or mcclan?

 

[Greywolf74]

There is more to the story that you should know, Traxxas will control how much inventory a shop is allowed to sell and if the shop sells too much of a competing brand then Traxxas will revoke the dealer's account, more info here on their controlling tactics which are highly unethical to me:

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=41386217&postcount=30

To be fair, a lot of big companies even outside of RC do the same thing though, its not just Traxxas.

 

[bill_delong]

To be fair, a lot of big companies even outside of RC do the same thing though, its not just Traxxas.

Which is why so many people choose to boycott outside of RC, nothing different other than Traxxas is the only company in this industry that is making things worse by stifling innovation and creating a monopoly to force people into buying lower quality products at higher prices.

I am not a basher, I am a racer, where my favorite class used to be the HPI Cup Racer where that car was forced to be discontinued as collateral damage in the fallout from the lawsuit that Traxxas filed against HPI. It makes no sense to me that a basher brand has the power to effect race grade brands like HPI, Durango, Maclan, etc...

When HPI went bankrupt there was no inventory for on-road platforms in the Mini and VTA classes where our local on-road program dissolved...

Traxxas can go eff themselves, they forced me to lose all the money I had invested in the on-road program and I was forced to buy all new gear for off-road. I foolishly ran the Traxxas Spec Slash for a couple seasons until I realized Traxxas was the one disrupting the entire industry.

I'm not gonna give any excuses to Traxxas nor give them any passes because they are targeting the wrong players, all their IP theft is happening outside their jurisdiction, I used to feel bad about that until they created so much collateral damage they can no longer play the victim anymore...shrug


*** UPDATE ***
I do get some comfort seeing the following post which shows the beginning of aftermarket brands beginning to boycott Traxxas as well, this could very well be the beginning of the domino effect to Traxxas' demise:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbi..._M6legrb8TjsQd8DrJPqA-jh8bmsBgKAE&__tn__=EH-R

 

[WickedFog]

Which is why so many people choose to boycott outside of RC, nothing different other than Traxxas is the only company in this industry that is making things worse by stifling innovation and creating a monopoly to force people into buying lower quality products at higher prices.

I am not a basher, I am a racer, where my favorite class used to be the HPI Cup Racer where that car was forced to be discontinued as collateral damage in the fallout from the lawsuit that Traxxas filed against HPI. It makes no sense to me that a basher brand has the power to effect race grade brands like HPI, Durango, Maclan, etc...

When HPI went bankrupt there was no inventory for on-road platforms in the Mini and VTA classes where our local on-road program dissolved...

Traxxas can go eff themselves, they forced me to lose all the money I had invested in the on-road program and I was forced to buy all new gear for off-road. I foolishly ran the Traxxas Spec Slash for a couple seasons until I realized Traxxas was the one disrupting the entire industry.

I'm not gonna give any excuses to Traxxas nor give them any passes because they are targeting the wrong players, all their IP theft is happening outside their jurisdiction, I used to feel bad about that until they created so much collateral damage they can no longer play the victim anymore...shrug


*** UPDATE ***
I do get some comfort seeing the following post which shows the beginning of aftermarket brands beginning to boycott Traxxas as well, this could very well be the beginning of the domino effect to Traxxas' demise:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbi..._M6legrb8TjsQd8DrJPqA-jh8bmsBgKAE&__tn__=EH-R

View attachment 163100

Sorry Bill. I have boycotted FB too

 

[Greywolf74]

Which is why so many people choose to boycott outside of RC, nothing different other than Traxxas is the only company in this industry that is making things worse by stifling innovation and creating a monopoly to force people into buying lower quality products at higher prices.

I am not a basher, I am a racer, where my favorite class used to be the HPI Cup Racer where that car was forced to be discontinued as collateral damage in the fallout from the lawsuit that Traxxas filed against HPI. It makes no sense to me that a basher brand has the power to effect race grade brands like HPI, Durango, Maclan, etc...

When HPI went bankrupt there was no inventory for on-road platforms in the Mini and VTA classes where our local on-road program dissolved...

Traxxas can go eff themselves, they forced me to lose all the money I had invested in the on-road program and I was forced to buy all new gear for off-road. I foolishly ran the Traxxas Spec Slash for a couple seasons until I realized Traxxas was the one disrupting the entire industry.

I'm not gonna give any excuses to Traxxas nor give them any passes because they are targeting the wrong players, all their IP theft is happening outside their jurisdiction, I used to feel bad about that until they created so much collateral damage they can no longer play the victim anymore...shrug


*** UPDATE ***
I do get some comfort seeing the following post which shows the beginning of aftermarket brands beginning to boycott Traxxas as well, this could very well be the beginning of the domino effect to Traxxas' demise:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbi..._M6legrb8TjsQd8DrJPqA-jh8bmsBgKAE&__tn__=EH-R

View attachment 163100

Yeah, I'm not saying I agree with it, I'm just saying thats a common business practice in general. I believe just make better stuff than everyone else and people will buy your stuff instead of the knock offs. The people that will buy the knock offs when you have a superior product arent going to buy your stuff in anyway so