Originally Posted by
kentech
Realize...that the TRF line is just a chance for Tamiya to display their skills, develop new concepts and keep alive the mythical Tamiya brand.
Tamiya do not really have to earn any money from the TRF projects. And therein lies the biggest difference to most other brands they are competing against on the tracks worldwide.
Actually, the strategy to keep the TRF line of cars a little bit hard to get might just be a very good strategy for their purpose...
And that is what I don't understand. Tamiya has some world class R/C racers that kick butt and take names. They also know how to hold onto their titles. They could make even more money for their TRF line and develop much better cars. Tamiya still leads the R/C industry for innovation.
If I were to get a Tamiya 416X, I'd definitely be inclined to buy a second kit just to have spares. But as far as buying arms, hubs, and knuckles, people would be SOL. Pretty sad in my opinion.
Their success in the R/C world would also trickle down to the club racer level and keep companies like Xray (whom have never won as many worlds as Tamiya) in check with their prices. Perhaps larger forces are at work? Perhaps Tamiya only focuses on their Asian markets for the R/C arena and parts support?