Kits arrived at LHS in Connecticut and were sold in 24 hours. I just completed the build and with 25 years experience in this hobby, this is my first X-Ray.
I write this because I know there are others out there who can't justify the price or see no reason why other cars that look similar could be any different. I finally bit the bullet and bought this one.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THE QUALITY. There is no comparison. Now I totally understand why every part is double the price. My Associated TC5 looks similar but wow, what a difference. The xray needs no shims to take up play anywhere, the parts fit together with aircraft tolerances. Just the ball links alone are amazing. I have never seen a car with zero slop or play in the steering yet not binding. The bell cranks don't move up and down with bearing slop. Quality of the chassis carbon fiber is beautiful, the shocks, which most are concerned about being plastic are incredibly smooth and the design is "out of the box thinking".
I love the fact that someone finally put together a kit that as you build it, exactly what you need is in the bag. I didn't have to search through molded parts trees that spanned half a work bench, searching. Most of the screws are similar lengths...thats so nice. The gear diff is really light weight, and so is the whole car for that matter. The belts are far higher quality and the kevlar threads are quite obvious in the construction. Rubber bladders in the shocks are so supple and soft. Very thick shock shafts, and pistons.
The car has flawless geometry, amazing suspension travel. None of the plastic parts feel cheap and brittle but instead feel like some space age blend of xray magic. I think more aluminum would simply be a waste.
Also, none of the parts needed to be reamed. All the suspension pins fit so well in the parts that when you slide them through, it feels almost like a lubricant is there or a vacuum. Zero play, zero stick, zero bind.
Lastly, the complexity of this car renders is very simple to work on. I used to curse at other cars that removing two screws which were very hard to get to would result in a ton of parts falling apart on the tc5. What a pain to put back together, trying to juggle a arms, pins, shims, washers, nuts and roll center bulkhead mounts. The xray is like a dream.
I spent so much extra money on the other 1/10 scale touring cars. This one needs nothing. Now I really cannot believe I was racing against these cars. No wonder these guys had the time to laugh and tell stories between heats. These cars need nothing.
I cannot wait to put this car on the track. Its going to feel like driving a Ferrari.
Every RC brand company is in business to sell kits, parts and make money. From a marketing perspective it makes sense to sell kits that break parts. It makes sense to design and improve to sell more kits each year. When you decide what it costs to design a car and build it, every aspect must be considered and many times, to cut costs, materials and manufacturing techniques are sacrificed to bring the kit and parts to market faster, for less.
Congratulations to Xray for standing above and setting the undisputed standard in this hobby. I would rather pay more up front and be done and happy, than spend less for the kit and then hundreds in upgrades, countless hours solving issues, wasting time trying to re-engineer the design, and countless days online hoping someone else has figured out how to make a car work.
I for once feel that the evolution and refinement combined with this relentless quality will lead me to have far less stress when racing, and far more enjoyment.
THIS ALONE IS WORTH THE DIFFERENCE IN PRICE. I can't believe I let the $200 dollar cost DIFFERENCE keep me from buying xray before.
I will never look at another brand of car the same way.
