Turnigy Trackstar 150A 1/8 scale brushless esc?
01-30-2011, 01:30 PM
#2
Based on posts at RC-monster the internals are a Mamba Monster clone (even though on the outside it looks like a Tekin clone), but it uses lower quality FETs and an older version internal BEC circuit. Patrick, the president of Castle, was not too happy to find that out, for obvious reasons.
03-17-2011, 02:56 PM
#3
Im thinkin of getting one for my E-Maxx. I say $67 beats $170 
03-21-2011, 03:12 PM
#5
You might not think that if you ever need customer support or warranty service!
I don't have a problem with cheap/generic Chinese ESCs, they have their place in the hobby. But the Trackstar ESC is a stolen design from Castle and because of that I'd never buy one. Castle does a great job and has put a lot of time and hard work into their stuff, and it kind of sucks to see someone clone and profit from their design.
I don't have a problem with cheap/generic Chinese ESCs, they have their place in the hobby. But the Trackstar ESC is a stolen design from Castle and because of that I'd never buy one. Castle does a great job and has put a lot of time and hard work into their stuff, and it kind of sucks to see someone clone and profit from their design.
03-21-2011, 04:10 PM
#6
You might not think that if you ever need customer support or warranty service!
I don't have a problem with cheap/generic Chinese ESCs, they have their place in the hobby. But the Trackstar ESC is a stolen design from Castle and because of that I'd never buy one. Castle does a great job and has put a lot of time and hard work into their stuff, and it kind of sucks to see someone clone and profit from their design.
I don't have a problem with cheap/generic Chinese ESCs, they have their place in the hobby. But the Trackstar ESC is a stolen design from Castle and because of that I'd never buy one. Castle does a great job and has put a lot of time and hard work into their stuff, and it kind of sucks to see someone clone and profit from their design.
03-21-2011, 04:59 PM
#7
03-21-2011, 05:17 PM
#8
You might not think that if you ever need customer support or warranty service!
I don't have a problem with cheap/generic Chinese ESCs, they have their place in the hobby. But the Trackstar ESC is a stolen design from Castle and because of that I'd never buy one. Castle does a great job and has put a lot of time and hard work into their stuff, and it kind of sucks to see someone clone and profit from their design.
I don't have a problem with cheap/generic Chinese ESCs, they have their place in the hobby. But the Trackstar ESC is a stolen design from Castle and because of that I'd never buy one. Castle does a great job and has put a lot of time and hard work into their stuff, and it kind of sucks to see someone clone and profit from their design.
03-21-2011, 05:34 PM
#9
Tech Adept
iTrader: (1)
Think of a writer that writes a book that takes years of research, and then when it finally comes out some other guy copies all the words and then sells his own book for cost of materials + 10% or something. It ain't right.
03-21-2011, 05:43 PM
#10
Got any evidence, or is this just another internet-bred rumor? I'd like to see somebody crack one open and compare. I'm not trying to call B.S. because I really don't know. I have a Castle MM ESC, and might pick up a track star for another car. If I do, I'll be happy to crack them open. I still have to fix the fan on my MM.
The thread was started about the Toro ESC, but the Trackstar is the same just badged for HK. On page 4 Patrick from Castle chimes in with his $0.02 explaining the cloned design, and lower quality BEC and MOSFETs.
IMO a lot of the value of a Castle product isn't the ESC or motor itself but the warranty and support that come with it. You don't get that with the Trackstar.
Last edited by simplechamp; 03-21-2011 at 05:54 PM.
03-21-2011, 05:54 PM
#11
I think with all HK stuff you have to buy it with the assumption that there is no warranty. I've tried these, the construction feels cheap, and they won't calibrate with a lot of radio's (Deadband issue, on Castle ESC's you can adjust that setting to get it to calibrate, on this one you can't.) But calibration etc is all Castle type, obviously a clone. BEC is fairly weak, struggles with a high load servo. Has a rather large footprint as well.
03-21-2011, 06:01 PM
#12
I paid $129 for my Monster Max from bishop power products, only a little more than the cheap Trackstar knockoff. I'd rather buy from Castle and have them stay in business and continue making great products. They may not make the motors here in the states, but their ESC's are. To me its an American company, we need definately need more like this.
03-21-2011, 06:18 PM
#13
The materials may cost $30 or whatever, but there is also research and development that goes into a product that doesn't have a material cost in the end product.
Think of a writer that writes a book that takes years of research, and then when it finally comes out some other guy copies all the words and then sells his own book for cost of materials + 10% or something. It ain't right.
Think of a writer that writes a book that takes years of research, and then when it finally comes out some other guy copies all the words and then sells his own book for cost of materials + 10% or something. It ain't right.
03-21-2011, 06:20 PM
#14
I paid $129 for my Monster Max from bishop power products, only a little more than the cheap Trackstar knockoff. I'd rather buy from Castle and have them stay in business and continue making great products. They may not make the motors here in the states, but their ESC's are. To me its an American company, we need definately need more like this.
03-21-2011, 07:11 PM
#15
This is sort of like the debate over the world's fastest streetlegal supercars, the Bugatti Veyron & the SSC Ultimate Aero. The Bugatti, costing over $2.6 million (world's most expensive car too), is acclaimed to be the peak of engineering "brilliance" with its W16 engine and great luxury to boot. Some time ago it was beat by the SSC UA, costing a mere $65Grand, which uses a less-innovative design of standard supercar luxury & powered by a simple GM pushrod V8. Veyron fans HATED the UA & made many negative remarks about it, but many of those remarks are opinion-only or empty accusations, very few based on actual facts (its body style for example). Even being less-innovative, it still achieved the end result that they were both set out to achieve.
The SSC company didn't steal/clone the design from Bugatti and market it as their own.
Last edited by simplechamp; 03-21-2011 at 07:22 PM.