Nitro becomming a thing of the past?

[chaos2767]

I went to 3 hobby shops today and all 3 said that they do not deal much with the nitro's anymore. Everything is going electric. Kind of sad but I love my nitro, the smell and everything that goes with it. I understand why the big push in electric but its sad to see the nitro's becoming a dying breed, so it seems anyway.

 

[Nitro Nerd]

Why is this posted in the electric RC forum? Ask the nitro heads on another forum what they think. ;-)

 

[hulkmaxx]

OMG this topic again? From what I have seen in my area the hobby shops have idiots working for them, that have no idea about nitro. Hobby shops do not want to deal with the hassles that nitro's can have. Everyone wants to just say electric because well it's easier. It takes time and effort in the nitro side and a lot of people say they don't have time to put in with the nitro's. I just started out with the electric side with scale crawlers. They are fun and it's been an awesome experience. With that said it is no where near the fun and enjoyment that nitro brings for me. I don't see nitro completely fading away. Picco has just released there new .21 maxx engine and Ofna there .28 maxx engine. I in no way will completely ever go completely electric. New era has been putting some of there Revo parts back into production, also like there big block conversions. If there is demand for nitro companies will keep producing parts for them. Maybe if LHS would promote the nitro side of the hobby they would get more attention. I have 2 buddies that are hardcore nitro guys, one just bought a new Summit, ran it like once said it's going up for sale. Wants a new nitro truggy electric didn't do it for him LOL!

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

Nitro is still very popular, just not with a lot of hobby shops. Consider also that a lot of popular brands also aren't carried by the hobby shop for whatever reason.

To be successful in selling nitro (a more grown-up game, really), the LHS will be dealing with people who have much stronger preferences for brands. This means that they have to stock a huge array of engines and accessories, and they have to stock them with competitive prices, or they will not sell them. That is the reality of the internet to brick and mortar shops; If you don't have it in-stock and very close to online prices, you will not sell it. Period.

The world of internet shopping has changed the world of RC forever. We are no longer stuck with what the local hobby shops carry in order to avoid a bunch of phone calls all over the country, trying to track down the right parts. As such, the LHS has had to alter their stock to cater to the crowd who A) needs their help and B) doesn't want to wait 3 or 4 days on a part. This generally means younger guys who like to bash. So a LHS will pick two or three brands of popular bashing vehicles, and fully stock for those, clearing out older stock of stuff that doesn't move fast. In addition to this, you generally end up with a staff that really only knows the vehicles they carry.

Nitro largely disappearing from local shops? Definitely. Nitro waning in popularity? Not that I've seen. Despite the performance of modern brushless systems & LiPo batteries, nitro still offers a lot of performance and, perhaps more importantly, a level of realism that does not exist with flashlights.

I have electrics, and I enjoy them (especially on cold days, since our indoor is electric only). Still, I love my nitros. They comprise 2/3 of my collection, and generally outperform the electrics (which are not slouches, mind you). The only thing I don't like about nitro is the noise when I'm playing in my downtime during business hours; phone rings, and I generally have to shut them down, versus simply pausing with the electrics.

What do I like best from a practical standpoint? They're always ready to go, as long as I have AA batteries and fuel. If I want to run my electrics, I have to spend the evening before charging batteries, and to run all day, you need to have 5 or 6 packs ready to go, a fairly substantial up-front investment, and a bit of a headache to prep.

 

[tadpole1991]

I also was thinking the same exact thing the other day,seems like everywhere I read everyone was running electric or switching to electric as for me only time id use an electric is inside,I like my nitro's

 

[Cornholio]

I recently just purchased my first electric, I've been thoroughly enjoying it the past few days but honestly I miss the sound and smell of my Nitro. Electric is going to be great for the cold winter days here in VA, but as soon as spring gets here I'll be running the Nitro rig all summer.

 

[avelciario]

Here in UAE before we had only 3 racers going for electric, but last race there's no more class for them cause the two guys go for the nitro. I love nitro. I have 8 cars all nitro, never own a electric, no interest.