fizzy

iTrader: (15)

Yeah to me it's a real a$$hole act to just ignore people that have tried many different avenues to contact them and get some official info about whats going on, these are people that have been loyal to the brand.To not give us any type of answer or fill us in on anything. It really goes to show what a pack of scumbags the people over there running the show are and how much they care about the people that have spent their hard earned so they can get paid it just really stinks, should've given them the boot when lutz did. They just seem to be a pack of money hungry brain dead idiots at Td now.. Sure you'd have to be blind or stupid to not see that TD is dead but make it official so we can all just leave it and move on.

tc5 man

Ive owned one Durango and it was a Dex210 V2 it was a good buggy quite light for mod steered and rotated like crazy but could never get enough rear bite with the inline setup so I sold it when I got a B5M which i liked .

Now with Durango this is all Hobbico with lack of parts support got rid of the pro driver team O, Donnell 1/8 scale and other stuff they had went the same way that the racing brand Durango is going out .


If you heard the story from a local news already Hobbico is having money issues.

micholix

It's not TD, it's Hbbico that make the rules for them, thats the problem i think.

I'll hold on and drive my TD fleet, till i cant get parts for them anymore, but as Alan sayed before, there are lots of second hand, fully loaded kits to get for nuts, thats what i look atm.
I've good spare stock in my box, to keep me driving, at least over this year and hopfully, TD will find another distributor over this year and will grow again.
I love these cars and i'll not sell them, they have some adicting thing to me....

Alan_r

This is one of those times I wish I had the kind of money required to buy a company. This is a perfect opportunity to take over a successful company right at the point where it still could be saved.

Imagine this: You get enough capital to buy the company with enough left over to carry regular Operations for a few months. Immediately make contact with multiple manufacturing plants and get an order moving for all replacement parts for all current vehicles and two generations back on discontinued vehicles. Renew all distribution contracts and contact all smaller shops that have sold TD before. Offer a kiosk to those shops with TD information and a small amount of replacement parts; contingent on a signed contract that says the shop will sell and promote the brand. Set up a streamlined spare parts hotline for shops, offering overnight service on all spare parts, no order to small. Get display kits out to all these shops, based on what type of vehicle the shop says they have the most success selling. Setup a dedicated team of staff that answer phones and emails promptly. Give them the authority to fix issues at their level. I. E. Send replacement parts, accept sales, offer tech advice and warranty work. Give them the power to offer free parts or discounts if they think it's needed for customer satisfaction. Ensure that there are no direct from factory to distributor backlogs. Keep an inventory at the TD headquarters (warehouse) containing parts and kits. When a shop or distributor places an order, this will ensure that it will be in stock and ready to ship at a moment's notice. Backorder should be a four letter word within the company. Good company logisticians (I've been one) can prevent backorders. If a factory cannot meet demand, find a new one. (the ultimate goal is to create TD's own factories within the US and EU. But that's down the road. The overall plan is to make TD smaller overall, but increase quality and customer service. Bring back the boutique aspect of the brand. Materials used will be the best available. Fit and finish, packaging and documentation will be as high quality as possible. Sharp print, quality packaging material ect. People will pay more for a top quality, precision piece of equipment. This will create the image of TD as a top tier, premium brand.

A race team is required for a race car company. Race teams are expensive though. Until the brand takes off again, invest heavily on 50% team drivers. Offer incentives based on wins. Drivers who win local series races get bigger discounts on parts and accessories in their next contract. Regional winners may get free parts support, National and above may get free kits and parts. You get the point. Give team drivers the authority To Help customers and work out issues directly with the sales team. Create the environment in which Team drivers are truly reps for the company. Offer prizes and bonuses for exceptional customer service. This to me is the most cost efficient way to get pro drivers behind the wheel of a TD without actually having a paid team running around. Ultimately a full factory team is the goal, but this should help get the company off the ground for now.

Put together a tractor trailer covered in TD livery staffed by a few knowlegable TD employee's. One for each major market for now, as in USA, EU, Asian markets. This truck will follow the major race circuits within their respective areas. This truck will be stocked with kits, parts and pamphlets. The purpose of the truck is to offer support and sales direct to the customer. Enlist team drivers to have free clinics at the truck showing things like shock building, diff tuning, car setups. This truck is the face of the company. Be there and become a regular site at these races. I think new and curious people would appreciate being able to walk up to a factory truck and talk to people. The brand needs exposure.

Bring back the discontinued kits so that all classes are covered. For now, mildly update them with the latest updates on the kits that aren't discontinued. Revamped kits will be coming, but for now the current kits are still competitive.

The problem is going to be AARMA. The current owners likely will not let go of the profitable branch of TD. Some of the vehicles are too similar to their TD counterparts to sell as a separate brand under a different parent company. That's for someone else to figure out and I'm tired of typing. Anyway, that would be plan if I could buy the company. We can dream right?

micholix

Well sayed Alan!
I was thinking the same, if i've hade the money...

Cain

iTrader: (294)

yeah hopefully something good happens. Ended up getting fully out of durango. I still sometimes find myself searching listings on the brand, does have a special place with me, but at the end of the day having an active race program and the desire to have quality parts is important to me.

The last cars from them, the DEX410V5 and DEX210F made me think of what could of been as they are really good cars with some minor areas they need to address. But at the price point of the vehicles, at this point it should have been addressed.

Kremzeek

iTrader: (8)

I'd really like to know what happened to the brand. They went from being a top contender to nothing within a relatively short amount of time. There must have been a conscious decision by someone within Hobbico to kill it off in favor of ARRMA.

banx

alan I think you should start a go fund me page and let's buy durango.

Cain

iTrader: (294)

with the way its going right now, may not cost much to buy it.

Alan_r

The thing is, it's easier to start a new company. To take over an existing company, you have to pay for not only current inventory, but any outstanding licensing contracts, debts and property. Team Durango may not have a stockpile of liquid capital, but I'm pretty sure they have lots of capital in equipment and inventory. Financial statements are usually available for public companies. Anyone familiar with the Euro market know anything? I'd be curious to know what debts they're carrying. Something has to be offsetting sales somewhere. If they are in fact running in the red, it should be easy to see where the money is going. The ARRMA issue might not be that bad. Looking at the models, the only crossovers that present a problem are the DESC10 and the DEX8T. That solution is simple for the time being; bring back the DESC410 and DEX408 series with updates for the short term. Are the DEX8/DNX8 buggies related to anything ARMMA?

Cain

iTrader: (294)

yes, they are related to the armma buggies. that whole line is basically the "race" version of the arrma vehicles.

derekclayton97

iTrader: (3)

Wow , I've been out of the loop. Can't say I saw that coming

Alan_r

I see, I hadn't seen the ARRMA buggies yet. Serious bash vehicles that should hold their own on the racetrack. Well then, ARRMA definitely complicates things for anyone who would take over Durango. Half your current lineup would face massive licensing issues if you could use them at all.

Something happened around mid August 2016 and September 2016. That's when they went dark. They've been dark ever since.

I wonder if the parts we're buying are all coming from old stock or if this stuff is still being produced. Has anyone come across a hard to find part that was backordered at a major distributor and then was successfully restocked within the last 6 months? I know I've had gearbox covers on order since mid summer 16'.

I've actually gotten in the habit of buying multiples when I buy wear parts or wings ect. If I need one, I buy three. I've actually got a pretty decent backup of parts to draw on if needed. I'm about to start building the DNX8. Once that's done I've still got the DEX210V1 that needs restored, then I've got to build a NIB DEX210V2 and a DEX8. Eventually I'll pick up the DEX8T and an older DNX408T so I've got a nitro truggy to run. I'm also working on a DEX410V4 that's being set up as a 13.5 buggy. Plus the V4 can still use some of the older, awesome looking aftermarket bodies available for the chassis.

So I guess whether or not they stay afloat doesn't matter as I'm all Durangoed up for the year. When it will make a difference is next spring. If they are gone, I'll be offloading them on Ebay....at a considerable loss I'm sure. The only thing that could/would stop me in my tracks would be a sudden parts stoppage. If they suddenly dried up I'm prepared to dump them quickly.

8KCAB

This thread has me curious if I'll even be able to sell my V1 210.

Alan_r

They are selling on Ebay but sub $100.