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- #21
Already starting behind the proverbial 8-ball even mentioning 1/10 ST’s, and bargain basement 1/8 companies like Duratrax.. Let alone from well over 20yrs back.. Yeah-I remember when, back in my day, how it used to be, yada yada yadda.. A pack of Marlboros were $1.30, you could get a cheeseburger from McDouche’s for $.59, an entire swarm of tacos in a giant box for $5 from the Bell, and gas was under $1.15 a gallon too..
Ya can’t complain about prices if your gonna refuse to do any math lol..
There is absolutely no arguing that a race grade KIT is absolutely more expensive than an RTR “version” from the same company. No argument what so ever. (This thread wasn’t made to argue it either-it was to bring attention to Kyosho’s prototype, top of the line race kit…)
However…. Since this is where you are determined to take the thread; I’ll play for a few..
You “remember when” an RTR 1/8 buggy could be had for “about $500”.. That would’ve absolutely been prior to around 2005 when RC (especially nitro 1/8) was in its prime.. A Kyosho Inferno RTR setup was closer to $600 at that time, as one of my buddies decided to jump on it-and “drive today”, rather than take my advice.. At that time, my brand new Kyosho ST-RR kit ran me $649 BEFORE my discount. And that was shipped to my door BEFORE my discount, but for the sake of argument, we won’t even figure that into the equation.. So we are $50 more for my race KIT.. Now you said “building race buggies”… Not a chance.. Building by the manual includes outfitting it with engine, servo’s, ESC, radio, rx pack, tires, glue, blah, blah, blah (yes, I’m aware that I’m ADDING to your price, and I am “team KIT” here allllll day..).. At the end of the day, You’re gonna be TWICE the cost of the purchase price for the kit, just to get it on the starter box that you also just bought.. So we are MUCH more invested dollar-wise into a race kit over a far inferior RTR-and you haven’t begun to replace your garbage radio gear, junk silicone coupled & plastic ziptied pipe/header, bought (3) new pullstarts, or replaced the sad RTR engine (and mount, because it’s taller for a pullstart at that time), flywheel, clutch, etc… What I’m pointing out here is that there are MANY things to consider when attempting to compare apples to oranges. I’m also showing that the price difference off the rip is SUBSTANTIAL, and you’re saying it’s a far bigger gap TODAY. This is absolutely false lol…
Your comparisons of “back when…” and today are even MORE apples to oranges-you seem to remember guys “building race buggies for $600”, and apparently “today a decent RTR is sub $700 and a race buggy is twice that”… I’ve shown above that you’re not adding up the parts for a complete buggy BACK THEN… -while “today” you absolutely ARE if you’re saying that it’s “twice that” of a sub $700 RTR offering.. Not a single one of my several CURRENT kits have been over $700, in fact-I’ve payed closer to $620 shipped. One was even closer to $320
…The bottom line is that there is no conspiracy going on, and that the spread is still accurate today, as compared to “way back when”..
Now… “if I’m just bashing, why bother spending the extra money???”… I don’t give a damn what “you” do with your money. However-again; for the sake of argument, IF you ask for my advice, I’ll steer you toward a kit every single time. And I will absolutely never stray from that mindset, as I’ve been doing this SERIOUSLY for a very long time. Remember my buddy I brought up who didn’t take my advice when I was asked for it? Yes-you can “drive today” for FAR less initial investment. But IF you don’t say “f-this bs!” after two weeks of constantly fixing, and wrenching on your “drive today for cheaper” big name RTR, and you actually stay in RC, then the money you spend is absolutely going to be the same, OR MORE than what you’d have spent buying a kit, a DECENT motor, DECENT servos, blah, blah, blah, because you’re going to almost certainly end up buying all that TOO, on top of that “drive today for cheaper” disaster of a vehicle.. I’ve seen it more times than I can count. You know what I’ve seen even more than that? -a broken RTR go up for sale, and a person never drive another RC again… And that person will talk CASH SHIIT about the hobby, the car, the people, his ENTIRE EXPERIENCE, because of it… That doesn’t bode well for the furthering of the hobby, and it all could’ve been avoided by simply listening to an old head when they were asked for their opinion, knowledge, and experience on the purchase.
It’s NOT as simple as “cheap servos” bud, lol.. This is what @WickedFog was trying to get across to ya.. EVERYONE knows the servos are junk. -as is the restt of the radio setup, the terrible motor, the entire exhaust, the PLASTIC spur gear (9 times out of 10), PLASTIC diff internals (or Bangladesh pot metal), the absurd DECK SCREWS throughout (I’m looking at YOU, Kyosho
), ya know what-ALL plastics, as they are absolutely NOT the same as the race kit offerings, the shocks, the bearings, wheels/tires/inserts, the cheesedick body, drive axles, the freaking CHASSIS 
…. -you picking up what I’m putting down? What’s even worse is that 99% of the time, the forward thinking finally begins, and the new buggy owner decides, “since I’m having to constantly fix this thing, I’ll just start buying the KIT parts, and I’ll have the race kit at the end of the day anyhow, and at least I’m UPGRADING, so this isn’t so bad after all..”… Ahem… NOPE.
-because 99% of the time, these RTR’s are SO inferior, that they don’t even offer full interchangeability with the KIT vehicle.. Ya know why this is the case? Because again; as @WickedFog was saying-it’s because too many people think the way you do, and are comparing apples to oranges, while expecting a massive difference in price.. And because of that, you GET IT. You also get an absolutely massive difference in QUALITY, and reliability.. You can have one, but not both. You’re 40+ yrs old, and have been in RC a long time, so you absolutely should know this.. I didn’t reply to pick a fight, or talk shiit.. This hobby has suffered enough over that crap imo. Too often do we run folks off over constant bickering in RC, ESPECIALLY on forums. I only wanted to shed what apparently is much needed light on this RTR vs KIT subject, as it’s a big one, and misinformation costs people time, and money-let alone success, and ENJOYMENT of these silly toy cars of ours..
