New brand question
05-15-2011, 08:44 AM
#61
As being a current Caster Racing USA team member and driver. I would agree with some comments that the buggy is older technology compared to the Losi and associated, but that does not mean that it is a poor quality buggy. As for the comments of continuously breaking parts and carrying a bag of parts with you every time you race, that comes down to poor driving skills. I have raced the buggy at events and the past 2 events that include qualifiers, mains, and practice and have not broke a single thing. I made the A mains and placed 7th out of 32 people(oh and by the way i am twelve years old). My buggy was jumping perfectly just like the Losi's. And was handling the same as well. I will continue to practice and compete with my caster buggy and will only get better as time goes on.
05-15-2011, 06:14 PM
#62
If you ever hit a GLORCS race (WNY, Ontario and Quebec) you can run my spare E-Buggy. I'll even pay your entry fee.
05-15-2011, 06:50 PM
#63
Ya know.. This thread makes me laugh.. This new company comes on here to the lion's den and asks why people are or aren't buying their products.. It's like a guy who has low self esteem and is trying to impress a girl.. "are you ok?" "are you sure?" "you mad?" "whats wrong?" etc.. Insecurity about your product will not help in potential sales.. This thread IMO should be closed.. It is only going to hurt sales
Todays market in this field must be a tough one.. There are countless manufacturers that have been around for decades.. Kyosho.. Tamiya.. AE.. Losi.. Traxxas.. etc.. Their company's successes didn't happen over a few years.. It took decades.. They have world championships under their belts.. Parts are everywhere.. Hobby shops have kits in stock etc.. New, innovative kits are coming out regularly to keep their product lines from getting stale..
With so many cheap knockoff products coming out daily from China and other countries.. There has been a recent push of sub-par quality (Exceed.. Redcat.. etc) kits and RTRs for low prices.. This makes people question new companies and their products more than from an established company that has been well seeded in the industry.. "Its junk until proven otherwise" is a common theme in RC.. When a company is new and their products don't meet expectations or have QC issues the company's image is hurt.. It doesn't take long for something like that to happen.. To rebuild the trust in the consumer it takes a LOT more work..
Speaking of cars. Look at Hyundai (since it was already brought up).. They for years had a reputation of building cheap throw-away cars.. The Excel... It was garbage.. It took Hyundai 20 years to rebuild an image for itself in the US.. It's not going to happen overnight..
Back to Caster.. Personally I have never seen one outside of the internet.. Never saw one at a LHS or track.. anywhere.. I have no idea what your cars drive like.. They could be better than my K cars.. But, I have no way to tell before I were to buy one.. The only times I hear Caster is when one of your team guys posts here on RCTech.. Thats probably the biggest hurting factor.. Market penetration.. There is nearly none from what I see in the NE area of the US.. Get kits / parts on shelves and people will buy them.. Sponsor races.. etc.. The image will fix itself over time
Todays market in this field must be a tough one.. There are countless manufacturers that have been around for decades.. Kyosho.. Tamiya.. AE.. Losi.. Traxxas.. etc.. Their company's successes didn't happen over a few years.. It took decades.. They have world championships under their belts.. Parts are everywhere.. Hobby shops have kits in stock etc.. New, innovative kits are coming out regularly to keep their product lines from getting stale..
With so many cheap knockoff products coming out daily from China and other countries.. There has been a recent push of sub-par quality (Exceed.. Redcat.. etc) kits and RTRs for low prices.. This makes people question new companies and their products more than from an established company that has been well seeded in the industry.. "Its junk until proven otherwise" is a common theme in RC.. When a company is new and their products don't meet expectations or have QC issues the company's image is hurt.. It doesn't take long for something like that to happen.. To rebuild the trust in the consumer it takes a LOT more work..
Speaking of cars. Look at Hyundai (since it was already brought up).. They for years had a reputation of building cheap throw-away cars.. The Excel... It was garbage.. It took Hyundai 20 years to rebuild an image for itself in the US.. It's not going to happen overnight..
Back to Caster.. Personally I have never seen one outside of the internet.. Never saw one at a LHS or track.. anywhere.. I have no idea what your cars drive like.. They could be better than my K cars.. But, I have no way to tell before I were to buy one.. The only times I hear Caster is when one of your team guys posts here on RCTech.. Thats probably the biggest hurting factor.. Market penetration.. There is nearly none from what I see in the NE area of the US.. Get kits / parts on shelves and people will buy them.. Sponsor races.. etc.. The image will fix itself over time
Last edited by TailsNeon556; 05-15-2011 at 07:30 PM.
05-15-2011, 08:21 PM
#64
LOL
I also run caster cars and love them with about 40 videos on youtube. Here is one of are new 2011 truggy's that had way to much brakes making it crash a lot. LOL The caster cars a great cars now, not the best that's for sure but great. Both my e-truggy and buggy handle and run great. I hope in 2012 we will put out a top notch car like x-ray, mugen, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nZTdPd4v5Q
Here a lin to a lot of video's
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhum
I also run caster cars and love them with about 40 videos on youtube. Here is one of are new 2011 truggy's that had way to much brakes making it crash a lot. LOL The caster cars a great cars now, not the best that's for sure but great. Both my e-truggy and buggy handle and run great. I hope in 2012 we will put out a top notch car like x-ray, mugen, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nZTdPd4v5Q
Here a lin to a lot of video's
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhum
The new truggy handles very well or it's the driver? Lol.
05-16-2011, 03:57 AM
#65
Tech Regular
iTrader: (12)
Just note about Caster front lower arms for buggy and truggy. There is rumour about new geometry and stronger items in design...
That is what I like about this company. They listen to customers and make changes accordingly. Hope that new buggy (I think in first half of 2012) will be very good! Although current buggy is also very nice
.
That is what I like about this company. They listen to customers and make changes accordingly. Hope that new buggy (I think in first half of 2012) will be very good! Although current buggy is also very nice
.
05-16-2011, 06:11 AM
#66
Just curious as to what it is that makes a person want to buy a new brand.
Why do you buy Caster? Why not?
Why do you buy Team Durango, Losi, Agama, Hot Bodies? Why not?
etc....
I have a bet going with 2 other guys who are well known in the industry and are at 2 other companies. I want to see honest answers.
We were comparing customer service vs car quality vs reputation vs advertising vs having a real team driver vs winning races vs sponsoring races vs being reviewed in magazines vs being in local hobby stores.
Prove me wrong and tell me what you honestly think of Caster Racing, especially if you are not a customer. This can also go towards people who are employed in the industry.
What would you want to see to buy a Caster for 2012?
What is important to you for your buying decision?
Why do you buy Caster? Why not?
Why do you buy Team Durango, Losi, Agama, Hot Bodies? Why not?
etc....
I have a bet going with 2 other guys who are well known in the industry and are at 2 other companies. I want to see honest answers.
We were comparing customer service vs car quality vs reputation vs advertising vs having a real team driver vs winning races vs sponsoring races vs being reviewed in magazines vs being in local hobby stores.
Prove me wrong and tell me what you honestly think of Caster Racing, especially if you are not a customer. This can also go towards people who are employed in the industry.
What would you want to see to buy a Caster for 2012?
What is important to you for your buying decision?
Why do I not buy Caster Buggy? -Not necessarily Local parts support because LHS DOES NOT carry ANY major brand Parts in Stock.(if local parts support was my only factor I would be driving, xtm's, Duratrax and traxxas) which I am not.
I buy Team Associated B/C I have had their Vehicles since the original RC10 Gold Tub 6- Gear Tranny 1/10 Electric 2wd Buggy.
-Caster needs to Advertise and get their Buggies and other vehicles in peoples hands.
-The caster Drivers(not just team drivers)should also post on other website forums, besides JUST being on www.Casterracingusa.com.
-Caster racing needs their current drivers to enter major Races so they can win Major races, to get the Caster Racing name on Podiums more often.
-Caster Racing is probably not the best Name chosen, to be honest
What do I wanna see come from caster in 2012?-A new Updated 1/8 Scale offroad nitro and electric Bugggy, and possibly truggy.
More support on other forums.
The Updated Forums website looks better than before.
People here are tough. If you drive a caster buggy and it breaks it is a POS, but if you drive a Durango, JQ, Losi, Kyosho MP9, AE RC8 Series(bent drive shafts on my RC8B(not hardened enough??), or a Serpent, and it beaks then it is no big deal, and no major flaming goes on. Hand out some free parts due too breakage, within reason.
If I buy a BNIB 1/8 scale Caster ZX1.5 R pro and I drive it, but then wreck and do 10-15 cartwheels in one wreck and break a arm and bend a driveshaft or 2 I wouldn't expect free parts. But if I drive the same buggy and take a sharp corner too tight, at a relatively slow speed and bump the pipe and break an arm, shock shaft and bend a driveshaft,(more than just once, that once could of been a fluk) then I would expect and investigation into the parts and possibly free parts to replace them after said products were to be found defective, and a running change in said defective parts)(Manufacturer defects) (usually Caused by to hard of steel parts, and air bubbles in the plastic parts)
What is important for me in my buying decision?- Support and Durability and Price. Support- can be internet(more than 1 Forum), telephone support, email support. Durability- hardly any breakage.
I will say this again, I am really considering buying a Caster Buggy, money is tight and I may not even be able to race, run,repair, or buy new stuff this year to even replace worn out parts.
05-22-2011, 05:05 AM
#67
MGT:
YOU have a pm!
& IF you ever break something I have extras of, I'll mail it/them to you ASAP!!!!
YOU have a pm!
& IF you ever break something I have extras of, I'll mail it/them to you ASAP!!!!
05-25-2011, 09:43 PM
#68
I have been sitting back reading these post day in and day out and not replying to them, but I have heard enough crap talk about Caster. If people on these forums feel like they need to bad mouth me for running a Caster vehicle, then let them.
First and foremost, there is absolutly nothing wrong with the vehicles Caster sells currently. There has been some issues in the past with breakage, but we must ask ourselves how much is driver error and how much is manufacture error. I am ruff as hell on a car, but I do take care of it. I have broken several a-arms on my EX1.5R, but all were due to my ruff driving style, not parts durability.
Caster has come a long way in the industry and this shows in not only the product but in customer service, which is superior to companies like Losi and Associated. Everyone has to like a car inorder to drive it. If you are not happy with it, then it is time to move on. There are many manufactures out there that claim one thing but then deliver another.
Someone stated that Harra has proved the Hot Bodies vehicle and I agreee to some point. Harra is a great driver, but the car he was driving was not even something that was offered untill just recently, so technicaly Harra has proven the car he was driving. I have seen many factory drivers running different parts and equipment. This is something that they have to deal with.
As for parts aviability in local hobby shops, well most the shop I know of will only carry what sales, i.e. Traxxas. They will order in the higher priced race vehicles, but don't stock them. Some stores will stock a buggy or truggy from time to time because of the great deal they get on it when oredering at certian times of the year.
Ever manufacture starts out on the bottom and works there way to the top. Associated and Losi did this and Caster has to, but Caster is struggling getting to the top because evenone thinks they are a cheap knock off and will not buy it, but when they go out shopping, they are looking for the best deal or cheapest fix to a problem or something. If your water hose breaks and you need an inline coupler to repair it, are you gonna buy the 10.99 part to fix it or the 5.99 part which does the exact same repair. Most people will buy the cheaper one and let it go at that, but in R/C it is totaly different. They want quality and think they have to spend more money to get it so they buy a name brand and never give the new guy a chance even though his product is better. This is true with Caster. If everyone looks at the vehicles for what they are both price wise and quality wise, you will see that Caster is an exellent choice.
I run Caster and have been doing so for over 2 or 3 years now simpley because I like the products, I enjoy the customer service, and I enjoy the help I receive off the forums. I have seen caster drivers go out of there way to help someone, but I have also seen other manufacture drivers ignore people when they ask a simple question. I remember not getting the time of day when I started out racing.
I am not saying Caster is the best R/C product out there, but I am saying that it is the best for me. Only you can decide if they are the best for you, but you must give them a chance before making a decesion.
P.S.....Most guys buy tons of parts for the caster product line not just for spares or backups, but to help out other people that have caster vehicles. And I have even seen several Mugen drivers (Factory and none factory) use some of my caster parts.
First and foremost, there is absolutly nothing wrong with the vehicles Caster sells currently. There has been some issues in the past with breakage, but we must ask ourselves how much is driver error and how much is manufacture error. I am ruff as hell on a car, but I do take care of it. I have broken several a-arms on my EX1.5R, but all were due to my ruff driving style, not parts durability.
Caster has come a long way in the industry and this shows in not only the product but in customer service, which is superior to companies like Losi and Associated. Everyone has to like a car inorder to drive it. If you are not happy with it, then it is time to move on. There are many manufactures out there that claim one thing but then deliver another.
Someone stated that Harra has proved the Hot Bodies vehicle and I agreee to some point. Harra is a great driver, but the car he was driving was not even something that was offered untill just recently, so technicaly Harra has proven the car he was driving. I have seen many factory drivers running different parts and equipment. This is something that they have to deal with.
As for parts aviability in local hobby shops, well most the shop I know of will only carry what sales, i.e. Traxxas. They will order in the higher priced race vehicles, but don't stock them. Some stores will stock a buggy or truggy from time to time because of the great deal they get on it when oredering at certian times of the year.
Ever manufacture starts out on the bottom and works there way to the top. Associated and Losi did this and Caster has to, but Caster is struggling getting to the top because evenone thinks they are a cheap knock off and will not buy it, but when they go out shopping, they are looking for the best deal or cheapest fix to a problem or something. If your water hose breaks and you need an inline coupler to repair it, are you gonna buy the 10.99 part to fix it or the 5.99 part which does the exact same repair. Most people will buy the cheaper one and let it go at that, but in R/C it is totaly different. They want quality and think they have to spend more money to get it so they buy a name brand and never give the new guy a chance even though his product is better. This is true with Caster. If everyone looks at the vehicles for what they are both price wise and quality wise, you will see that Caster is an exellent choice.
I run Caster and have been doing so for over 2 or 3 years now simpley because I like the products, I enjoy the customer service, and I enjoy the help I receive off the forums. I have seen caster drivers go out of there way to help someone, but I have also seen other manufacture drivers ignore people when they ask a simple question. I remember not getting the time of day when I started out racing.
I am not saying Caster is the best R/C product out there, but I am saying that it is the best for me. Only you can decide if they are the best for you, but you must give them a chance before making a decesion.
P.S.....Most guys buy tons of parts for the caster product line not just for spares or backups, but to help out other people that have caster vehicles. And I have even seen several Mugen drivers (Factory and none factory) use some of my caster parts.
05-26-2011, 04:38 AM
#69
I have been sitting back reading these post day in and day out and not replying to them, but I have heard enough crap talk about Caster. If people on these forums feel like they need to bad mouth me for running a Caster vehicle, then let them.
First and foremost, there is absolutly nothing wrong with the vehicles Caster sells currently. There has been some issues in the past with breakage, but we must ask ourselves how much is driver error and how much is manufacture error. I am ruff as hell on a car, but I do take care of it. I have broken several a-arms on my EX1.5R, but all were due to my ruff driving style, not parts durability.
Caster has come a long way in the industry and this shows in not only the product but in customer service, which is superior to companies like Losi and Associated. Everyone has to like a car inorder to drive it. If you are not happy with it, then it is time to move on. There are many manufactures out there that claim one thing but then deliver another.
Someone stated that Harra has proved the Hot Bodies vehicle and I agreee to some point. Harra is a great driver, but the car he was driving was not even something that was offered untill just recently, so technicaly Harra has proven the car he was driving. I have seen many factory drivers running different parts and equipment. This is something that they have to deal with.
As for parts aviability in local hobby shops, well most the shop I know of will only carry what sales, i.e. Traxxas. They will order in the higher priced race vehicles, but don't stock them. Some stores will stock a buggy or truggy from time to time because of the great deal they get on it when oredering at certian times of the year.
Ever manufacture starts out on the bottom and works there way to the top. Associated and Losi did this and Caster has to, but Caster is struggling getting to the top because evenone thinks they are a cheap knock off and will not buy it, but when they go out shopping, they are looking for the best deal or cheapest fix to a problem or something. If your water hose breaks and you need an inline coupler to repair it, are you gonna buy the 10.99 part to fix it or the 5.99 part which does the exact same repair. Most people will buy the cheaper one and let it go at that, but in R/C it is totaly different. They want quality and think they have to spend more money to get it so they buy a name brand and never give the new guy a chance even though his product is better. This is true with Caster. If everyone looks at the vehicles for what they are both price wise and quality wise, you will see that Caster is an exellent choice.
I run Caster and have been doing so for over 2 or 3 years now simpley because I like the products, I enjoy the customer service, and I enjoy the help I receive off the forums. I have seen caster drivers go out of there way to help someone, but I have also seen other manufacture drivers ignore people when they ask a simple question. I remember not getting the time of day when I started out racing.
I am not saying Caster is the best R/C product out there, but I am saying that it is the best for me. Only you can decide if they are the best for you, but you must give them a chance before making a decesion.
P.S.....Most guys buy tons of parts for the caster product line not just for spares or backups, but to help out other people that have caster vehicles. And I have even seen several Mugen drivers (Factory and none factory) use some of my caster parts.
First and foremost, there is absolutly nothing wrong with the vehicles Caster sells currently. There has been some issues in the past with breakage, but we must ask ourselves how much is driver error and how much is manufacture error. I am ruff as hell on a car, but I do take care of it. I have broken several a-arms on my EX1.5R, but all were due to my ruff driving style, not parts durability.
Caster has come a long way in the industry and this shows in not only the product but in customer service, which is superior to companies like Losi and Associated. Everyone has to like a car inorder to drive it. If you are not happy with it, then it is time to move on. There are many manufactures out there that claim one thing but then deliver another.
Someone stated that Harra has proved the Hot Bodies vehicle and I agreee to some point. Harra is a great driver, but the car he was driving was not even something that was offered untill just recently, so technicaly Harra has proven the car he was driving. I have seen many factory drivers running different parts and equipment. This is something that they have to deal with.
As for parts aviability in local hobby shops, well most the shop I know of will only carry what sales, i.e. Traxxas. They will order in the higher priced race vehicles, but don't stock them. Some stores will stock a buggy or truggy from time to time because of the great deal they get on it when oredering at certian times of the year.
Ever manufacture starts out on the bottom and works there way to the top. Associated and Losi did this and Caster has to, but Caster is struggling getting to the top because evenone thinks they are a cheap knock off and will not buy it, but when they go out shopping, they are looking for the best deal or cheapest fix to a problem or something. If your water hose breaks and you need an inline coupler to repair it, are you gonna buy the 10.99 part to fix it or the 5.99 part which does the exact same repair. Most people will buy the cheaper one and let it go at that, but in R/C it is totaly different. They want quality and think they have to spend more money to get it so they buy a name brand and never give the new guy a chance even though his product is better. This is true with Caster. If everyone looks at the vehicles for what they are both price wise and quality wise, you will see that Caster is an exellent choice.
I run Caster and have been doing so for over 2 or 3 years now simpley because I like the products, I enjoy the customer service, and I enjoy the help I receive off the forums. I have seen caster drivers go out of there way to help someone, but I have also seen other manufacture drivers ignore people when they ask a simple question. I remember not getting the time of day when I started out racing.
I am not saying Caster is the best R/C product out there, but I am saying that it is the best for me. Only you can decide if they are the best for you, but you must give them a chance before making a decesion.
P.S.....Most guys buy tons of parts for the caster product line not just for spares or backups, but to help out other people that have caster vehicles. And I have even seen several Mugen drivers (Factory and none factory) use some of my caster parts.
'Nuff Said?
05-26-2011, 08:22 PM
#70
Tech Adept
iTrader: (6)
The vision of Caster Racing is to make affordable, race competitive r/c car kits and parts available to the general public. Caster Racing and Caster Racing USA have exclusive race teams and engineers that are constantly giving feedback and design ideas to help make Caster Racing one of the best in the world, especially when considering price.
Being a somewhat new Caster owner I honestly believe the above statement taken off of Caster's website. I've had owner Mike Mazza and Team Manager Rick Jenkins return ALL my phone calls and emails. When I talk to someone at Caster I'm talking to a driver who knows the product inside and out. Any new company is going to have growing pains but these guys listen and learn from their customers and they drive what they sale. Everyone I've dealt with at Caster Racing has treated me like a valued customer. I was very fortunate to meet Caster Team Racer James Carter at one of the local races. I'm a rookie when it comes to 1/8 buggy and James has taken me under his wing and shown me things it would take months for me to learn on my own. I feel confident that with James's help my Caster is going to be very competative. I have all the faith in the world in Caster USA. Caster's people listen, they learn and they go the extra mile to make sure I'm happy. That's a formula for success.
Being a somewhat new Caster owner I honestly believe the above statement taken off of Caster's website. I've had owner Mike Mazza and Team Manager Rick Jenkins return ALL my phone calls and emails. When I talk to someone at Caster I'm talking to a driver who knows the product inside and out. Any new company is going to have growing pains but these guys listen and learn from their customers and they drive what they sale. Everyone I've dealt with at Caster Racing has treated me like a valued customer. I was very fortunate to meet Caster Team Racer James Carter at one of the local races. I'm a rookie when it comes to 1/8 buggy and James has taken me under his wing and shown me things it would take months for me to learn on my own. I feel confident that with James's help my Caster is going to be very competative. I have all the faith in the world in Caster USA. Caster's people listen, they learn and they go the extra mile to make sure I'm happy. That's a formula for success.
05-26-2011, 10:14 PM
#71
We at caster try to have the best customer service out there. Here is a video of a race i went to while i was in LA CA at Disneyland. Pro drive Travis Amezcua was even there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ettI_icRJBw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ettI_icRJBw
05-27-2011, 05:20 PM
#72
Dude, you have been anti Caster for years. Don't you have some form of affiliation with Mugen? Speaking of which, do you know the relationship between the 2 companies? But for the record, the MBX6 and the Caster 1.5R are definitely different, same as the hobbytech, Ishima, and a few other well known brands that are OEM are also different, but made by Mikey. But that is where it is unfortunate. Ford is Ford and Chevy is Chevy. In the RC world, some parts are made by one company, but are branded as everything else.
Truggy is dead in my opinion, but we have the only electric one available as far as I know even after 3 years.
But since you asked, we did several changes to our 1/8 cars since 2008. Truggy specific nitro or electric is a longer chassis, new gears, different lightweight outdrives, new wing, new body, new foams, new rims, new tires, etc....
Team driver program was changed in 2010. I admitted it was a mistake, but it was not ever intended to get rid of old stock. But yes, reading a resume from someone and hoping for the best was a bad business decision on my behalf. Rick Jenkins has changed that for the most part.
Plastic was complete garbage in 2004-2006 and has been improved 3 times in the past 3 years.
By the way, Mugens are known for breaking front suspension parts also.....especially lower arms.
We have multiple videos of people racing and finishing races, some including some spectacular crashes. On the other hand, I have seen and heard other well known brands coming off tracks in pieces, I won't mention any names though as that appears unprofessional.
Truggy is dead in my opinion, but we have the only electric one available as far as I know even after 3 years.
But since you asked, we did several changes to our 1/8 cars since 2008. Truggy specific nitro or electric is a longer chassis, new gears, different lightweight outdrives, new wing, new body, new foams, new rims, new tires, etc....
Team driver program was changed in 2010. I admitted it was a mistake, but it was not ever intended to get rid of old stock. But yes, reading a resume from someone and hoping for the best was a bad business decision on my behalf. Rick Jenkins has changed that for the most part.
Plastic was complete garbage in 2004-2006 and has been improved 3 times in the past 3 years.
By the way, Mugens are known for breaking front suspension parts also.....especially lower arms.
We have multiple videos of people racing and finishing races, some including some spectacular crashes. On the other hand, I have seen and heard other well known brands coming off tracks in pieces, I won't mention any names though as that appears unprofessional.
Personally, I think you need to advertise in the magazines and online...that is number one...I am in sales management (Im an engineer as well) in the industrial automation world and advertising industrial products to engineers is extremely difficult...You are lucky to have a captive audience who still buys magazines or reads forums...
Sponsoring events is only useful if your name is either part of the event name or the event is covered widely in the magazines and online and you can see your name everywhere...to be blunt, putting a wall poster at a local event and handing out some promo stuff at a local event is a waste of money at this stage of your sales development cycle. You do these sorts of things once you have already established a brand in the industry and then your aim is to develop it better at a localized level to gain brand loyalty
You website is a bit of a disaster as well...I tried for ages to find your manuals(which bluntly are awful). For the EX-1R for example you really need to work on putting a concise picture on the website of what the car is all about with descriptions below pictures...randomly placing pictures on a page that you have to scroll down for an hour is not professional at all. Also the statement ¨Fusion EX-1.5R Factory Pro Buggy. This is now officially the best electric 1/8 scale on the market. ¨ really puts me off your product....just doesnt come across very professional
I personally like how Associated does their site. All the info you need is right there when you select the product you are interested in...be it tech data or videos or marketing blurbs
You should also consider how you want to go to market. Obviously resellers will not be too pleased if you are selling directly to customers so it will be hard to convince LHS to pick up your product and if you do offer it at your online store, I would be pissed to buy it from you and later find out I can get it at Stormer for $100 less(which is the case from looking at their site)
I think it will be very difficult to go after the LHS without massive sales and marketing efforts which means hiring dedicated sales reps and a marketing push...I would probably either go with one or two main online shops or sell from your store or an affliated dealer network...You can always offer LHS price discounts on kits and parts if they are interested and they would buy through the dealer network....lots of options for you here but you need to pick one and go full on with that for a year or two before switching gears...
Believe it or not, I will probably pick up a Castor....the only question will be if I can get a used one cheaply or a deal on a new one...perhaps you might want to consider my opinion above as credit to a free one?!
I have not even really broached the subject of effective market management and how you determine what client base you are after(do you have an elite high end product...low cost....high value...etc...) for that you would definitely have to send me a couple of kits gratis!!!!
Good luck!
05-27-2011, 05:34 PM
#73
ThunderbirdJunkie wants to like Caster, but it's so hard sometimes.
One minute "yeah, we have this super sweet new car coming out, check it out!!!"
Then, 5 posts later
"Yeah, we've been trying to get rid of our crappy history etc etc etc"
The only people generally bringing up the initial poor quality issues is hakmazter himself; everybody else seems to ignore it.
This is why ThunderbirdJunkie hasn't and probably won't buy a Caster Racing product. It's all about presentation. When the guy running the outfit says "Yeah, that car was SHIT" and is the only person that brings it up, what kind of confidence do you think that inspires in your product?
One minute "yeah, we have this super sweet new car coming out, check it out!!!"
Then, 5 posts later
"Yeah, we've been trying to get rid of our crappy history etc etc etc"
The only people generally bringing up the initial poor quality issues is hakmazter himself; everybody else seems to ignore it.
This is why ThunderbirdJunkie hasn't and probably won't buy a Caster Racing product. It's all about presentation. When the guy running the outfit says "Yeah, that car was SHIT" and is the only person that brings it up, what kind of confidence do you think that inspires in your product?
Sales 101
Every company and I mean EVERY company in the world in every industry has issues but as long as you fix those issues and put it behind you why on earth would you ever bring it up again? You can bring up the fact that you stand behind your product but you should not talk about how your last product was a POS...case in point is that you told people that the last gen product was garbage and they need to throw it in the garbage....when I read that I thought this was coming from a dealer, not the owner of the company!!!!
I personally think its because the company is owned by a genuinely good hearted person with little to no sales or marketing experience...if you get that sorted you might have already solved your main issues and be well on your way to making millions...
05-27-2011, 09:48 PM
#74
Thanks for the advise
05-27-2011, 10:42 PM
#75
The vision of Caster Racing is to make affordable, race competitive r/c car kits and parts available to the general public. Caster Racing and Caster Racing USA have exclusive race teams and engineers that are constantly giving feedback and design ideas to help make Caster Racing one of the best in the world, especially when considering price.
Being a somewhat new Caster owner I honestly believe the above statement taken off of Caster's website. I've had owner Mike Mazza and Team Manager Rick Jenkins return ALL my phone calls and emails. When I talk to someone at Caster I'm talking to a driver who knows the product inside and out. Any new company is going to have growing pains but these guys listen and learn from their customers and they drive what they sale. Everyone I've dealt with at Caster Racing has treated me like a valued customer. I was very fortunate to meet Caster Team Racer James Carter at one of the local races. I'm a rookie when it comes to 1/8 buggy and James has taken me under his wing and shown me things it would take months for me to learn on my own. I feel confident that with James's help my Caster is going to be very competative. I have all the faith in the world in Caster USA. Caster's people listen, they learn and they go the extra mile to make sure I'm happy. That's a formula for success.
Being a somewhat new Caster owner I honestly believe the above statement taken off of Caster's website. I've had owner Mike Mazza and Team Manager Rick Jenkins return ALL my phone calls and emails. When I talk to someone at Caster I'm talking to a driver who knows the product inside and out. Any new company is going to have growing pains but these guys listen and learn from their customers and they drive what they sale. Everyone I've dealt with at Caster Racing has treated me like a valued customer. I was very fortunate to meet Caster Team Racer James Carter at one of the local races. I'm a rookie when it comes to 1/8 buggy and James has taken me under his wing and shown me things it would take months for me to learn on my own. I feel confident that with James's help my Caster is going to be very competative. I have all the faith in the world in Caster USA. Caster's people listen, they learn and they go the extra mile to make sure I'm happy. That's a formula for success.
Caster Racing is more than just racers and bashers operating radio controled vehicles, it is a family. Anyone on the Caster Team would be more than happy to answer any questions or help out in any way possiable. I enjoy helpping others more than racing sometimes, I mean, I like racing, but one day my time will come and my sight will go, thus my racing will too, but friends and family will allways be there. I can allways offer my help and I don't need sight to do that.