Tired of this chit in the Hobby aftermarket!!!

[30%NitroBoy]

Whaddup guys and gals,

As I look on E-bay, in RC mags and aborad it becomes so apparent. Everybody and their mother wants to be an RC aftermarket supplier "now a days" but very few have any real and true product R&D. It seems that many compaines just immulate the stock parts of many popular Trucks like the T-maxx in whatever quality alluminum with no regard to how it might increase or even decrease the overall performance and especially the strength of said truck. Hell, some compaines don't even change the design but do a total duplicate of the stock part in alluminum....lame ass IMHO. Many of these companies are very aware of the fact that they're selling to often young and nieve kids and apparently don't give a phuck about anything but making money. More power to capitalism but at least desgin a somewhat superior "hop-up".

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to c the weak and strong points of the T-maxx after you've bashed one for a week. If you sit down and think about it, it's easy to c where you need Ti or strong alluminum or where a strong Vinyl plastic is superior overall. I wouldn't expect companies to "re-invent" the wheel but some real understanding of product application would be nicel.

Kuddos to some of the real players in the hobby.....

UE's - His prices can be rediculous but he puts tons of REAL WORLD R&D into his products. I ordered the UE suspension but I'd reco the RPM arms to most everyone with a MAXX. If you can afford his products they're great from many peoples experience.

RPM - The Hobby would be allot better if RPM made a replacment with their superior mix of vinyl and plastic for stock plastic parts.

RC Solutions - Many people consider some of their products...."OVER KILL".....UUUHH what's overkill..hehe.

Peace

 

[robmob]

I don't have any experience with UE, but I do with RPM and RC Solutions.

I agree with you 100%. RPM put out some tough stuff with the best warranty you can get. I put just about everything RPM carries for the Maxx on mine.

RC Solutions stuff is top of the line. I just finished installing their bulkheads and chassis braces on my Maxx and they both fit perfectly. The bulks are not just an alum. carbon copy of the stock bulks. They put a lot of thought and engineering to design them better. I highly reccomend them to anyone in the market for alum. bulks.

Rob

 

[SuperMaxx97]

UE is great, i got the widetrack suspension and i love them. but liek u said u have to have the money!!

bryan

 

[StrechM]

NB, what would be nicer is the manufactures making an rc car/truck/buggy or whatever that doesn't require us to spend another $1-2000 to make it run better and stay together.

 

[SilentGTboy]

I agree, If companies would fix problems when they come out with a hop-up or improve the design, the world would be alot better place, and they would bring in more money. I've seen alluminum shock towers come out with the same number of mounting holes as stock. Why not add more holes I don't see why they don't do that. Hardcore Racing actually remakes parts and they do it for many cars.

 

[Wardo]

As for making the stock parts better, somewhere here a line has to be drawn between building a great truck and actually being able to price them so they will sell. Bottom line is, the companies would rather sell and move product that a good percentage of people can afford instead of selling a few hundred pieces of a $1000 truck.


It's also safe to say, 50-75% if not more of the cars and trucks sold will never see an aftermarket part anyway.

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

It is also true that 89.5% of statistics are made up on the spot!

 

[StrechM]

Originally posted by Wardo
Bottom line is, the companies would rather sell and move product that a good percentage of people can afford instead of selling a few hundred pieces of a $1000 truck.

If they were to mass produce them the prices would be just slightly higher.

On the flip side we wouldn't need about 75% of this forum for our answers.

 

[Wardo]

Originally posted by humboldtblazer
It is also true that 89.5% of statistics are made up on the spot!

Entering my 15th year in the hobby business, my stats are 89.6% correct.

Originally posted by StrechM


If they were to mass produce them the prices would be just slightly higher.

I'm gonna say this wont be true. Look at a Associated Factory Team GT. It doesn't come with a motor or radio and is not assembled yet is just $13-$15 cheaper then the GT plus kit that includes the motor, radio and assembly.

To keep digging, a TC3 FT car without tires, motor, radio, body and in kit form is in the same price as a NTC3 RTR car. It's also almost double to the base kits price. Think Savage 25 with a $800 price tag. They just wont sell.


You also have to remember, Traxxas tried going that route in electric stadium trucks and failed. Entery level is where it will always be.

 

[robmob]

Most people would not buy for example a T-maxx if it was to cost say $1000. However, the majority of these same people would not hesitate to pay $400 for it, then proceed to pump $600 or more in hop-ups to make it better. It is difficult to part with the $1000 in one shot. But if you spread it over time it doesn't seem like you spent that much.

 

[StrechM]

No one to my knowledge has ever mass-produced a high quality mainstream rtr vehicle, at least one that I would consider high quality. Think about it for a second. Look at where they are having most of them made and the materials they are allowing or requesting that they be made from. The slight difference in up graded materials and the cost is not that much greater when produced in larger quantities. Instead the manufactures approach is to try to get the hobbyists to absorb the cost of R&D or "upgraded package" over a very short period of time. In addition they make a higher percentage on the stock less desirable replacement parts. It's plain old "good business practice" to do so. My preference would be to spend $650-1,000 over $400-700 and then an additional $1,000 minimum in upgrades from the after market suppliers. I'm aware of the lhs and it's typical inability to market and sell the more expensive RC. Most of them are purchased online or at a discount from the lhs just to keep their customers business.

 

[SuperMaxx97]

robmob, u said it. i have now over 4 years spent over 2g's on my maxx. it's funny cause i could have gone and spent 1500 on an all aluminum truck, but instead i bought the truck for $450 and then went and spent another 2000 or so.

bryan

 

[Wardo]

Originally posted by StrechM
No one to my knowledge has ever mass-produced a high quality mainstream rtr vehicle, at least one that I would consider high quality. Think about it for a second. Look at where they are having most of them made and the materials they are allowing or requesting that they be made from. The slight difference in up graded materials and the cost is not that much greater when produced in larger quantities. Instead the manufactures approach is to try to get the hobbyists to absorb the cost of R&D or "upgraded package" over a very short period of time. In addition they make a higher percentage on the stock less desirable replacement parts. It's plain old "good business practice" to do so. My preference would be to spend $650-1,000 over $400-700 and then an additional $1,000 minimum in upgrades from the after market suppliers. I'm aware of the lhs and it's typical inability to market and sell the more expensive RC. Most of them are purchased online or at a discount from the lhs just to keep their customers business.

OK, my business has been made up of about a 50/50 mix in the RC dept. of racers and hobby type people. 9 out of 10 hobby type people will still buy stock or the cheapest part available when their product breaks. Aftermarket parts at a higher cost is not an option for them.

I have been doing this, full time, for a living for quite a while now and it's not just me that can tell you this. My 5 regular sales people at my suppliers can also tell you this. Ones been dealing with hobby supplies since 1965, he knows where the market is and always has. He calls me ASAP when the Maxx bulkheads are back in stock :LoL:

You seem to think there is some magical market out there that we haven't seen yet. This is bottom line, what sells and what does not. It is just good old business like you say, your thinking is just skewed.


It boggles my mind of just where the hell you guys spend money like this on theses trucks.

 

[scottm]

The money goes fast in the first few months while you learn what works and what doesn't. I now can build up a full Cybermaxx extended chassis kit with roll cage and the right combo of alum bulks, plastic rpm arms, and a Hyper 21 8p for under $1000 retail, that can take far more abuse than any all aluminum $1500+ trailer queen. The secret is to buy just the traxxas diffs and tranny, rather than buying the tmaxx and throwing everything else away.

 

[robmob]

I am just about through upgrading my T-Maxx and all that is left that is stock is the chassis plate, diffs and trans, and the arms that hold the bumpers. Eventually I will replace all the gears inside the diffs and trans as well.

scottm, the rc solutions stuff I got is some high quality stuff. I am very happy with it. (Bulks F/R, Braces and Cage)

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

Originally posted by scottm
The secret is to buy just the traxxas diffs and tranny, rather than buying the tmaxx and throwing everything else away.

The is the funniest, trueist stament I have ever heard about the T-Maxx!!! ROFLMAO!!!!
:worship: :worship: :worship:

 

[scottm]

Thats great to hear robmob, thanks. Are you near Fasteddy?

I don't know why, but my trans and diffs are stock, and over 3 years old with almost no problems. I have only had the trans case open once, and that was to put in a forward-only kit. My rear diff has only broken once, and that was from a backflip at the RCX show last year. I am using stock drivelines on my cybermaxx, and I think they absorb a lot of impact.

 

[robmob]

Originally posted by scottm
Thats great to hear robmob, thanks. Are you near Fasteddy?

Yep, he is just over the hill. About a 35 min drive.

 

[scottm]

Ha ha, yes it is funny HB. It was just sick how we filled boxes with stock parts, never used, and just GAVE them back to our lhs to sell off. Well, it only costs about $160 to get just a trans and diffs.

I have heard he's over the hill!

 

[StrechM]

Originally posted by Wardo

You seem to think there is some magical market out there that we haven't seen yet. This is bottom line, what sells and what does not. It is just good old business like you say, your thinking is just skewed.


It boggles my mind of just where the hell you guys spend money like this on theses trucks.

Not so say 2 of my friends that own a shops in this area. You do understand that the suppliers sell only what has been made available. But then again I must be skewed or something.
It’s not only magical but also very, very mysterious, lmao!