+1 or should i say ay least 15.. Where i am there are quite a few that would buy it.
Please do one gridrc!!

We had 5 drivers at the local race with 25 entrys using the mt4 and 4 of them said they would be interested.

There are plenty more here as well.

+1 for me, if the price stays reasonable. I might get a MT4 too soon

I can't really say that the price matters as long as its not the same price as the M12 itself.

Id prefer the MT-4 as its lighter and cheaper

Wasn't the spektrum one about $70? Id pay that no problems

Also if it is more than that I really hope that people keep the complaining to a minimum as there would be a lot of testing and man hours gone into testing and designing of the drop down.

Think about the big picture if they don't make any money from it then why would they do it.
Your radio is a essential piece of kit, its not something that you swap out often

I didn't say it had to be 10$ :lol:, it just has to stay realistic compared to the price of the radio. It can't be 1/3 of the price for example, maybe 1/4 would be more acceptable

Even if its $100 which is quite a bit (and hope its not that much) you still get a great radio $200 cheaper than the M12

Everybody isn't only comparing the MT4 to the M12, there are other radios out there ;). You would pay 100$ maybe, but I really doubt many others would. Whatever the engineering behind it, it's just a dropdown. You can't educate the people on the pricings, people buy what they feel has an adequate pricing looking at their own experience.

Make it and they will come ....

I remain keen for a drop down for my MT4

Carl

Smiley started this thread to ask for interest MT4 users to show their hands that wanted a drop down. Only a dozen came forward over a period of time.

Racers are buying the MT4 because it is position as their mass market and low cost radio. At the same time the M11X is still offered as their pro class radio and now the M12, both with drop downs.

If you guys in Asia really want a drop down for the MT4 we can produce one but it would be on a project based to see if MT4 owners will actually buy drop downs. We spoke with customers that bought back light kits, and they told us that they have no need for drop downs.

What we see are a small group of serious racers using a MT4, but how many racers using MT4 over the M11X and M12?

Your continued input is welcomed.

Team GRID

I love my mt 4 and would buy a drop if it were available but not at the 100 dollar price someone else is willing to pay.:tire:

I have all the radios, m11 , mt4 and the m12. I think the mt4 is a great starter radio i used it for half a season but inevitably went with the m12. I think the drop down idea is great as i use the m12 drop down and its very comfy. If you could add a back light and drop down upgrade to the mt4 i am sure allot of people would buy it as the mt4 is already super popular. Great idea guys !

Since you have both MT4 and M12, do you see a performance difference between the two?

Yes off course the wheel is silky smooth on the m12 and by narrowing the wheel turning radius and recalibrating the radio its very smooth. Its allot faster as well but you dont have to run it at the highest setting it comes at standard speed from the factory to let everyone get used to the zero latency speed between the m12 and the new receiver.. Overall the m12 is definitely for the serious racer giving you a alot more refinements than the mt4.

Radio manufacturers like Futaba, Spektrum, Sanwa and KO reserve the drop down for only their flagship radios. Drop downs are preference options.

KO sells their drop down for $99 because the mold cost $15,000+ and only a small percentage of KO EX-1 sold will end up with the drop down.

For us to mill the drop downs for the MT4, unless well sell hundreds, a dozen that came forward from the last poll, would make the drop downs so pricey and unsellable.

Again, we are will to do this project provided MT4 owners really want them and willing to commit this time.

Do these hundreds of MT4 owners want a drop down?

If they do, then we can start milling drop downs this weekend.

if i were you, for small run stuff liek this, get one peice machined and copy it with smooth on product.
they make all kinds of casting resins and im sure one of the task series would work flawlessly for this.
in most cases the product settles without bubbles in it, and if you use a silicon mold to copy the primary peice, the surface finish is copied perfectly.

its a two part resin that cures within half an hour. comes in all kinds of finishes, densities and implied purposes.
im going to make a chassis using it, just takes a little time to make molds.

for short run stuff like this, pay out for one peice to be machined, then copy with smoothon as many times as you like.

+1 this is a technique we use in industrial design too

I don't think this method can produce a complex milled MT4 drop down with threaded holes.

MT4 owners would want a commercially produced drop down.

It also sounds very labor intensive. Can the final product from that method be plastic or aluminum?

Besides, we will wait for ONEKIWI report back on his search for customers that want the MT4 drop down, and PINOY RC's list of hundreds on MT4 owners in his Asia region that also want a drop down.

:lol:

Does that need to have threaded holes if this could make a one piece?
Or make it so there are nut holes or replacable bits to screw into?

There are many ways to make it and multiple materials it can be made from. Gold is actually the best, because once the radio is obsolete, you can melt it down and sell it.

smoothon comes in a lot of different resin systems that are aluminized, or filled with various minerals. it will copy any mold detail you produce, threading, texture, whatever. just makes for a more or less complex mold.
in fact, it would not surprise me in the least if some of the smaller rc manufactures make their parts from some derivitive of this product.
you should check it out yourself if your unsure.
I dont know your level of hands on technical skill, so mold making could be a task for sure but its really not that hard. some basic woodworking skills required really.
just offered you an alternative to the very high cost of cnc shop hours.
Also, having an m12, i can say you really would not be doing any worse than the m12 dropdown for quality lol. for all the ranting and raving i saw on sanwa quality, its really, normal.. in every way.. fast and awesome, but.. normal.

next question though, would you need an extension cable for the pot assembly? sourcing those plugs could be a challenge.. but wait.. another task for smoothon!

I really would like on of these preferably machined
Does anyone sell one or is there a DIY ?

Sorry dude but start by reading the thread

Mt4 drop down
 

I will buy of price is reasonable.

The bigger question is how many MT4 owners really want to purchase a drop down. This thread has over 4000 reads, and a handful show real interest. PINOY RC says he knows of hundreds that want it and that can get the project going now if he can confirm it.

We see a lot of owners going for radios skins ($33) and back light kits ($40). Do these owners not want a drop down as well?

As for pricing, CNC machining costs are many many times higher than the above upgrades.

If we do a custom run of the MT4 drop down would that work?

+1 for a custom run. Could you maybe outsource some of it?

I think the previous MT4 owners if they still own the MT4 may still be in for a drop down.

The custom project means only the committed customers with a pre-paid deposit and will be guarantee the drop down. People that sit on the fence well,... can sit on the fence.

What is reasonable?

why do i need a dropdown ?
not being a smartass Iv'e never had one in my hands
serious question

If you have never had one then see if you could use someones from the local track for a little bit.
I personally think that my hands have a bit more of a natural position and it feels like they are more in the right position.
Sure you could get used to which ever radio/wheel position you have but I really like it and will try not to go back to the normal.

Saying that I use the spektrum DX3R with drop down and one of the only radios I have felt that I could actually use it in the "old school position" is the MT-4 I really really like this radio.

One of the nicest radios I have used and the fact that its is affordable high class. I think it deserves some pampering

Im in for the run!!!

I would also buy one if the prices was reasonable.

Would like one also

I still have my mt4 and need a drop down. I commented a loooong time ago (think it was actually over on the mt4 thread) that a drop down was needed for this tx. I will however not pre-pay for anything thats not out and openly being tested by fellow racers (I want to see it and hold it before I "drop down" my $$). My budget just does not allow for it.Just keep us posted if this is still in the works..and if I still own my mt4 when/if it does I would be in.

It is a drop down, what are you testing it for?


We understand your budget situation. This custom run is not for everyone.

We believe there will be a small group that will be on the first pilot for the drop down. You can test the first ones out and then decide if you want one on the second run.

This thread was posted on April 2012 and up till now over 4600 views, and we count just under 20 interested people and if we did produce inventory, maybe only a few of those will actually purchase.

Thus the custom run.

i think the only way you can secure this is simply to say what it costs and collect deposits. if you dont get enough interest, just refuned deposits.
its very easy to get interest from lots of people, its quite another thing to get even a small amount of money out of them ha.

I would be interested in getting in on the custom run of drop-downs, if it happens. Is there any ballpark idea of how much?

Thanks,
BulldogSRT

Team GRID to make MT4 drop downs
 

We decided on not to ask for deposits to eliminated unnecessary administration work.

Considering possibly a dozen people will actually purchase a MT4 drop down, we will mill up a tiny batch just to test the market and the pricing will reflect that.

Will keep you guys posted.

Regards,
Ron
Team GRID

Ron, why not make this into a kickstarter project?

Thanks Ron.