Originally Posted by moonman
Ofcourse it have to be ready before you start selling it. Only one problem, how can you afford not to have a touring car for sale. As you said sometime ago noone want to buy the TC4 anymore. The development on TC5 should have started much earlier. The evolution of racing cars is ongoing.
Was the Losi JRXS done right....
Was the TC4 done right. Maybe not good enough as they have problem selling it.
As an example the development of the Tamiya TRF415 series.
-Tamiya 415 came out february 2004 - the layout was the benchmark for the new generation of touring cars. Almost all manufacturers uses this motor / battery / drivetrain layout today !
-Tamiya 415MS out in november 2004 - same as previous except new lightweight suspension.
-Tamiya 415MSX out in november 2005 - main changes easy diff access bulkheads, lowered top deck for lower CG, aluminium diff.
-Tamiya 415MSX MR limited edition september 2006 - main changes new steering system, new efficient beltpulleys.
-Tamiya 415 MSXX will be out march 2007 - basically the same as the previous version but lower price.
I feel the TRF415 series have been a success story saleswise so Tamiya can't have done a really bad work.
I have both the first version the TRF415 and the latest TRF415 MSX MR
and the diffrence on track is very big. This just shows that development is constantly ongoing in small steps. I don't think even Associated could build a car that is still top level, big seller after 2-3 years from the release date. This because the development is going on faster and faster all the time. It wont stop as long as there is a big market for TC cars.
It will be intersting to see what approach Associated will take on the TC5.
The future will tell if Associated will experience the glory days of TC3 time again.
if you are happy with the Tamiya... why are you on this thread harassing these people? the way i see it... as a customer. Associated is in a Catch-22.
release the car to please people like you just because they want the car out. then when an update comes out.. someone is gonna complain and whine. Associated loses.
Associated releases the car on THEIR timeline, when they feel its perfect. and the public doesnt have to do the beta testing.. people complain and whine because they dont want to wait so long. Associated loses.
Associated has been around a long time, and this is their decision to release the car when they feel its ready. not to have the public beta test it and report back to them to fix any bugs (kind of what Microsoft does), this eventually becomes a customer service nightmare. Associated loses again because the public will complain.
looks to me.. either way Associated loses. so like Kevin stated in the post above, if you have nothing nice to say, dont post. Or stick to Tamiya. Negativity isn't productive at this point.
but my insider source at Associated said the car will be released in "two weeks" (borrowed that from the Losi thread.
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