I hate to bring this up months after the fact that you made Kyosho America's intentions clear.........one thing bothers me.....you wrote that: "The resistance to the price and the relatively small amount of shops that would still carry the Spada in spite of the price, is how we arrive at our current decision."
I don't care what the shops want to do, I as a consumer know what I want and bought
....(a hobby shop that I have called several times, I have asked to see if they are going to carry a product that many racers use.....I've been told more than a dozen times that they already carry enough stuff and won't carry anything else that doesn't sell)
Now in defense of Kyosho...I presume Kyosho asked the "shops" and got the same answer that the consumers have. ?do you think that this might be an ongoing problem? what happens when you bring a new 1/10th scale out and they still have the older version on the shelf?.....have you thought that this would have created such a "stink?" Knowing now, what you would have known then, would the decision have been different? From the Readings here on this thread alone, I have counted 42 Spadas in the US....(that is from the guys who have them and/or thier buddy, that posted on this thread and , not to mention the others that have not posted) California, New York, New Jersey, Georga, South Carolina, Florida, Utah, Vermont, Canada, Indiana, Ohio.....This week, I know of 4 more in Florida.
Kyosho America: Does this create a double edged sword? If those that have gone overseas to get the car and parts, how does this make you feel when those same racers go back to buy from overseas? Considering that they don't even have to leave home, can get what they want for a good price and delivered to the door, quicker than they could if they went to a hobby shop and had them order it.
Then, on the other hand, now the Hobby shops are upset that they cannot compete with the Online Hobby Sites and loosing sales.....I don't blame Kyosho at all.......I blame the Hobby shops for making decisions that are more with the idea of, we have enough already and don't need anything more.....It won't sell..... I know that not all hobby shops are like this and cannot carry everything that is out thier on the market, otherwise we would have hobby shops the size of Walmart, but at least make the option available to the consumer to order what they want.
Now, a flip to this is a Local hobby shop wanted to please it customers and offered to order the Spada in, with for a minimum of 5 racers and with a deposit..... Where do you think they would get it?
Now, you have that sword Kyosho....stuck in the middle.....I feel sorry for a company that is in business that is faced with a decision like that.