great updates
 

Thanks for blazing the trail with the sc18. It appears there is some rough terrain to traverse. $^&%(, that is frustrating. I get the whole hop up path that I lot of guys choose. I'd just like to buy something that rock and rolls right out of the chute. Let us know AE's response after your friends connect with them.

One more complaint on AE. I registered on their OWN forum to learn more, and they don't even have a thread for the SC18 yet. How lame is that? I've left two posts there and no response either. What's so hard about customer relationship building?

The Traxxas forums are the place to go for info on all their RC. It's like only one manufacturer that gets it. At least as of today. (Nothing personal folks. Just a small observation.)

Thanks, Rabbi,

I'm sure every RC company has issues with first releases...especially if the vehicle is a clean sheet design like the SC18. I'm sure Traxxas has had their lemons. Traxxas most popular design is 15 years old (Slash is a slammed Stampede) and they have had lots of time to perfect it. My Nephew has one of the first Stampedes back in about 1994, and I remember replacing lots of broken steering knuckles. If the servo-saver and hot motors end up being the only issues with the SC18...they are doing pretty good. One thing you learn in machine manufacturing design is you can keep perfecting a design forever...and never release it. At some point you release the product to the public, because you need return in investment in a given business plan timeline, +/- a bit. Then you see what happens when the public gets the product. The magic is how you handle the problems when they come up....how well you take care of the customers brave enough to buy a REV A design. You need to turn them into allies, not enemys.

I did get a response from AE: They said I was the first person with the steering servo problem. I am having my friends write them...and anybody else who has problems should write this email:

[email protected]

are there any upgrades yet for this truck

Do you know a source besides Hitec for this screw?

I got 1 screw from a friend who got a bag of 10 from Hitec.

Also, a mechanial engineer and I figured out a 2-64 (UNF) screw is almost identical in pitch and diameter to a 2.3mm 0.4 pitch screw. We put the Hitec screw on an optical comparator and crunched the numbers (couldn't get the DRO to read out metric). Doesn't do much good...a 2-64 x 5/16 is about as rare as a 2.3 x 8mm screw. McMaster only has 1, 2-64 option in the online catalog...and it is too long.

business model
 

I definitely get the challenge of operating a business. My small business has been rewarding and challenging many times. In fact, I'm still learning.

The last thing I want to do is establish myself on this forum as a complainer. In fact, I'm hoping to pick up my own SC18 in the next few weeks. That's why I'm following threads like this so closely.

I suppose it's about managing expectations for your product. That's no easy task.

I'm sure AE will get it right, and maybe there's nothing wrong in the first place.

I have spent hours trying to find this screw and have only been able to get them from Hitec. I do not know why they use such and odd screw. A while back I bought 3 servos for some kits I was building and when I called Hitec they would only send me 1 at a time even after I offered to buy them. Atleast they did send them for free, but I would have been happy to pay for a few to have just in case. I have also read where people have retapped them, but I have not attempted that.

I don't think there is much in stock anywhere. Some people have found CVDs somewhere...but probably another month until all the AE team parts are available.

I didn't take your original post as a complaint...just stating your feelings reading the threads. I have a small RC airplane accessory manufacturing business and...and early on, some pieces were left out of the kits...and i took care of people that took the time to write me...instead of just complaining online or doing nothing. Those people are like the best ever. Word about problems spread at 1,000x the speed of the solutions...know internet foum fact:)

Jon

What are you looking for? SOME of the original RC18 parts will fit.

I found some here. A ridiculous price if you ask me...

http://www.superfastrc.com/907238-xr...723823810.html

RC18R CVDs will fit, same part as the SC

It is not a metric thread, it is an sae 2-64 like previously posted. I spent some time at a local place here digging through every metric screw size they had and came up dry. When I was about to give up, I meandered into the sae isle and found the right one. I bought like 20 of them. Don't waste your time with a 2.3mm, you are just going to end up stripping it. Find the right screw. If anyone is in the San Diego area and needs one, come by and get one or I will look up the store I found them at for you.

To those who have stripped the stock servo:
did anyone loosen the tension on the servo saver beforehand?
I found that my saver was set extremely tight from the factory, atleast for the driving i was planning on...:D

The tension on mine was ok, but there were some screws in the rest of the linkage that were too tight from the factory and caused problems with the truck not going straight.

I've done it, it's very easy. Du-Bro drill and tap set is our friend.