What "makes" a "top of the line racing chassis"?
Most people who use this term probably can't answer that question. I mean how do you define "what" a "top of the line racing chassis" is.
Is it:
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A car designed from the ground up to be a racing car.
-Well that doesn't automatically guarantee that a car is capable of winning. Thats just what the company had in mind when they made it. The Factory Team TC4 was designed to be such a car, but I would put a stock TA05 up against it any day, let alone a hopped up TA05. Then you throw in the success of the budget minded MR4TC. That car wasn't intended to be a racer, so how could it do so well at local, national AND world level? Hmmm...So original design intent can't be the definition.
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A car that doesn't need hop ups right out the box.
-Well how many cars have any of us seen run box stock. In fact, before I got my TA05, I considered a Xray (can't remember which one since they change so quickly), but when I asked if there was anything I needed for this car that claimed to be "competition ready from the box", and what I got shocked me. A list of items a mile long. Hard arms, different thickness upper decks and chassis, $50 battery straps that DON'T come with the car, the list went on. So if not needing hop ups is a requirement, the every Xray I've seen is out.
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A Nationals level winning car
-Well now see we have a problem. Cause last I checked, there are A LOT of "top of the line racing chassis" that haven't won jack. Thats not even counting the cars that are "top of the line" that haven't even hit the shelves yet.
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A high price
-Name one low price car that has ever been considered "top of the line", even if it performs excellent. Just one.... Now, name a couple high priced kits that didn't handle worth a crap out of the box, that were still consider "top of the line". I sure we can come up with quite a few, starting with the FT TC4 and a couple of the Xray line of cars. Case close!
Its been implied that the TA05 doesn't qualify as a "top of the line racing chassis", but let me ask this.
What about when Tamiya starts selling a TRF version? I'm talking fully decked out, maybe even with a graphite plate chassis that some people seem to want so much. Would it qualify then? If yes, then
Why? What would make that car different than the car that many of us has already put together from seperate hop ups? Maybe the fact that we've spent around $290 making our TRF cars, but Tamiya would most definitely charge upwards of $350+ for their version. And if a TRF version of the TA05 still wouldn't be worthy of the "top of the line" label,
WHY NOT? The hopped up MR4TC was considered "top of the line" after Yokomo slapped all the hop ups on and relabed the package.
Its an interesting question, "what makes a top of the line racing chassis", but its my bet that the people who use it to prop up one car, while completely eliminating another, probably don't have the answer to what seems like a simple question.