HEY! whats the circumstance
you'll never be great without taking a chance so
wait, you waited too long
had your hands in your pocket
when you shoulda been gone

-Shinedown

Rockthecatbox21,

If you need yours now, I suggested you get your local machine shop to make one up for you now or ask Futaba to produce them.

As we said before, we are too small of a company to run only ten units considering our costs to produce them.

What would cost guesstimate be on a drop down? I would be in for one if it was compatible with the 4PLS that is releasing very soon. Same as 4PL but with telemetry.

Pricing and other details about this pilot has been posted if you search this thread.

If we do make a drop down, both 4PL and 4PLS shares the same plastic shell so a single drop down will be made.

If you are truly interested and willing to commit, send me a pm so we can get you on the standby list.

The list stands at ten people now since this thread is just under 7000. So you have to understand why it is a prepaid pilot run because only a select few want a drop down.

Ron
Team GRID

I know I'm still probably on that list, please remove me as I decided not to play the waiting game and purchased a 4pks

The waiting game is caused by the 30 other posters that said they wanted a drop down. We got an email asking us to make thousands, so we can sell thousands.????

If and when we get enough people, everyone on that list needs to be reconfirmed anyways.

So......is that a yes?

I committed... come on 4PL guys!

I will committ if it will be 4PLS compatible.

http://www.futaba-rc.com/systems/fut...pls/index.html

The 4PLS and the 4PL use the same shell. That will be confirmed.

TEAM GRID,

I understand where you guys are coming from, I'm in the manufacturing business as well. What I don't get is why don't you just make the damn things and get it over with? You draw a model on the tube, create some cutterpaths, buy your material and cut them on the cnc. Its not gonna cost you thousands of dollars to do this, if it does then your doing something very wrong here. If you make it, they will come. Getting guys to front the money out so you can make them is non sense in my book. Just make 10 or 20 of them and see how it goes. I told you a few months ago I would like to be on the list, but at the last minute I backed out because I had a sneeking suspicioun I'd be waiting for a while, and here it is months later and no drop downs yet.

GrimReminder,

Since you are a manufacturer yourself, you know it takes time for the CADCAM, machining up prototypes, testing and then final test units, then to production units, anodizing and the cost of a few 4PLS radios which we need to buy.

A small run of 10 or 20 units does not even cover the time and cost to produce them.

That list is important because it sits only at 10 now with those that are truly commited. There are 35+ others that posted on this thread that said they wanted a drop down but never asked to be on the prepaid list so thus the delay is caused by them.

This post was made in Jan 2013. We could have delivered these drop downs in spring so everyone could use it now for racing.

GrimReminder, Would you take on a tool & die job knowing you will lose money on it?

What makes you so sure you're going to lose money on it? The reason noone is commited is due to the fact it doesn't exist. People won't pay for something till they at least know what it looks like. Make a prototype first and people will pre-order. Even a 3D detailed CAD model would be better than what you guys are doing now. Risk is a part of business, and if you don't take risks, your company will never grow. Just look @ tekno rc. They're releasing and electric truggy, knowing the class is pretty much non-existent as of now. Why? Because they know if it exists someone will buy it and others will follow. And i know what your going to reply with "oh, they're a much bigger company than us and they have more money for R&D". While they do have a little more money than you guy's company, they are much smaller than other companies such as TLR, Associated, Kyosho, etc, yet what makes them so sucessful is their customer-first attitude. The people tell them what they want and tekno releases it. Listen to the few customers you have now, and you will have many more in the long run. It's the company's job to take a risk, not the consumer.

I have to agree. I'm not in the manufacturing business BUT as a consumer.... if I SEE something I like.... I'll want it... and then buy it. I understand needing to know that people will actually buy the product and the risk involved to cover the start up cost. In this case though... it's an easy no brainer. The 4PL/4PLS is an EXTREMELY popular radio and people will be all over a drop down. Especially when they see it on a website available for purchase.

+1 on a CAD model That alone will be a big jump start to attract potential customers.