Steel_Rain

iTrader: (6)

I think this is where Traxxas will eventually run into some issues. They build the brushed/brushless stuff for 90% of the buying public that has no intent of upgrading. How may completely stock Traxxas models do you see on Craigslist? That's the demographic they are looking for and lets face it, it works...for now.

A few co-workers over the years have told me they bought an RC car and in those cases, both were Traxxas purchases. They have no real interest in the Hobby and purchased it based on what "the kid" wanted. I get that. The members of this forum are the 10%. Those co-workers of mine are the 90%. The 90% has no interest in upgrading. They care about getting parts, quickly and having the vehicle work as deisnged. Both boxes checked on that side for Traxxas. Hence, the business model. Make a product that appears to the biggest audience and fulfill the basic needs of the audience that presents as the biggest majority. But that's the genius behind the marketing of Traxxas.

They don't make the best, they don't make the most inexpensive, they don't need to re-engineer new models or even old ones...why? Because that's not what makes the business model work. Remember...WE all know this...the buying public does not.

Now...things are slowly changing. Hobbico, using Arrma, knows this. New business model...for the Millennials...Buy something more durable, that can be upgraded and can customized and still be reliable. The design of the new Granite and Senton 4x4 is squarely targeted at Millennials. Ease of maintenance...upgrade paths, durability and easy on the wallet as a first RC.

That release alone should put Traxxas, and therefore Horizon, on notice.

As the Gen X, Y and Z generations grows older, so will the business model that makes Traxxas strong right now. They have time to recognize this and I feel like with releases with the TRX-4 and the X-Maxx, they are coming around. The market that keeps them mainly afloat is the 1/10 2wd and 4wd SCT's and MT's (and some the REVO class) however. Until they follow suit with the latest offerings from Arrma, they have much work to do.

dhc8guru

iTrader: (2)

I'll throw my worthless opinion out there.
I took a chance on buying a Helion select four SC10 and have not been disappointed. Several hard practice and race sessions and haven't broke a single part.
I was a brand snob but honestly I don't care anymore. Years of dropping a grand on crap from the big RC suppliers made me look at Helion. I figured for $290, the worse would be if it was total garbage, my investment was minimal and could toss it in the trash without much regret. Glad it didn't turn out that way. I buy spares direct from firebrands/hobbytown and get them in about 3 days. Flat $5 shipping is mighty nice.

Micah78

The Nero may have many different design elements than the Revo, but it is conceptually the same, much like the Nero Big Rock is conceptually the same as the Summit.

Also, the Arrma Nero is still for sale.[/QUOTE]

The Big Rock is not conceptually the same as a Summit. The Big Rock is just a Nero with the Aluminum parts anodized a different color, updated HD driveshafts, a different body, and different tires. It's no more a Summit than the original Nero. The gearing of the Nero/Big Rock is waaaay too tall for the type of crawling that the Summit is meant for. The locking/unlocking of the diffs is meant to change the handling characteristics of the truck at speed. Not to go crawling like the Summit.

Yes, the Nero, Big Rock, and Fazon are still for sale at local hobby shops that already bought them and have them for sale. My local Hobbytown has two of them. Sadly, I would recommend against anyone purchasing them because if Traxxas wins this lawsuit, I'm sure the parts will dry up. The commonly broke parts already dried up once for this model and I had to wait a couple months for them to restock the supply chain. With this lawsuit I'm sure Arrma will not restock the supply chain when it runs out this time.

fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

o_O

What are you talking about? My Stampede 4x4 has a 4-pole 550 brushless motor installed in it, and I haven't needed to replace any of the original suspension or chassis components. I replaced the driveshafts with MIP, but that's it.

As for Jerry-rigged's comment about the E-Revo being "plastic-craptastic" and the Arrma Revo being "quality", I don't know a single person who bought a Nero who hasn't had the suspension links break over and over and over. Hard to drive your quality car when it can't keep its chassis off the ground. Arrma has always had issues with using plastic that tries to be stiff but ends up being brittle instead. I've owned multiple Arrma vehicles and I've had to work around this problem on every one of them. They're getting better about this, but the problem still exists.

I wonder how many people who think Traxxas vehicles are low-quality are the same people who think "bashing" means multiple-backflip jumps onto concrete at the skate park. It seems like that's all I ever see in RC videos featuring Traxxas vehicles. Stop trying to turn your RC car into an RC airplane and you won't have that problem.

fyrstormer

iTrader: (1)

There is no such thing as Generation Y or Z. Generation X are people born from 1965-1984, and Millennials are people born from 1982-1999 (i.e. people who were born in the 20th century but turned 18 in the 21st century). I'm at the leading edge of the Millennials, in the narrow band that can fit into both generational groups, and I'm 35 years old working for a defense contractor. Don't believe the "mainstream media" nonsense about Millennials only being teenagers. The youngest Millennials will be 18 in a few months. The "MSM" is just catering to cranky old people's desire to complain about Kids These Days, and they're incorrectly calling them Millennials because it's a catchy name that sounds good in sound-bites.

slick2500

iTrader: (1)

Jaytee RC on Youtube buys a lot of the Helion stuff and he seems to like them.

+ YouTube Video

+ YouTube Video