Another Reason to dislike Traxxas

[arrmadillo]

That was the intention.

Another Smart Ass!!

 

[stuartd]

Another Smart Ass!!

Sounds like my attempt at humour missed the mark. Apologies. If I’d thought that would have caused offence I wouldn’t have posted it.

 

[arrmadillo]

Sounds like my attempt at humour missed the mark. Apologies. If I’d thought that would have caused offence I wouldn’t have posted it.

Hey stuartd its all good. Sometimes you don't know people's intentions. I just got back to RC after Christmas after quite a few years away. Since then I found about all the things going on with Traxxas that I don't approve of. I know its a hot topic lately and perfer not to get into it.

My initial post was sort of a joke. Its true I have Traxxas models. 5 are nitros from 2004 to 2007 with AM radio. Other 2 are electric Rustlers which I always liked. When I bought my Traxxas back then Arrma was not around. I have recently discovered Arrmas existence in January this year.

I'm not really 100% brand loyal, I buy what I like. Had Losi, Associated, etc. over the years. I'm a Chevy man but had Fords also.

Just being back this January I was looking for a MT to make my entrance back. Naturally while searching the erevo 2.0 came up because of its popularity. I was doing extensive research on everything out there. I do like the looks or the E2 but after all the research on this model and all the problems with it breaking even on 3' jumps, I decided to move on.

This is when I discovered Arrma in my readings early this year. So now I'm here on this forum. Its been great being here for the short time I've been here. Such awesome comradoatory with the members here that I have never experienced anywhere else. I'm oldschool so not so tech savy and have never done the forum thing. Making new friends here I hope. Found out people can be cruel and jackasses online to put it mildly.

Anyway I think Arrma is the brand everyone is watching and manufacturers need to take a lesson from. I have found my new home and found my new MT. Arriving this week will be my first 2 Arrmas, V3 Outcast and V4 Kraton.

Hope you didn't take any offense either, I want to get along with everyone on here. Hope you have a good day!
Arrma D!

 

[stuartd]

No offence taken at all, glad you’ve accepted my apology,

It’s funny, I was looking for my first RC last year and had looked initially at a HPI Trophy Truggy then a Traxxas E Revo 2.0. Those were the two brands I was aware of. People on another forum pointed me to Arrma, who I had never heard of. Decided on a Kraton, couldn’t get one so got a Talion.
I’d have bought the e revo 2.0 if it hadn’t cost £180 more than the Arrma.

 

[arrmadillo]

No offence taken at all, glad you’ve accepted my apology,

It’s funny, I was looking for my first RC last year and had looked initially at a HPI Trophy Truggy then a Traxxas E Revo 2.0. Those were the two brands I was aware of. People on another forum pointed me to Arrma, who I had never heard of. Decided on a Kraton, couldn’t get one so got a Talion.
I’d have bought the e revo 2.0 if it hadn’t cost £180 more than the Arrma.

Man am I glad I never got suckered into the erevo. It's a good looking truck but that's about it. It breaks constantly and I would have been so disappointed wasting $550. on it (US). Never heard of Arrma myself and luckily I stumbled on them in my search.

The Kraton is a beast, IMO it can do it all, it's versatility is what I most like about it. Maby one day you will be able to own the Kraton, but in the meantime enjoy your Talion, you cannot go wrong with any of them.

 

[olds97_lss]

It's a good looking truck but that's about it. It breaks constantly and I would have been so disappointed wasting $550. on it (US).

Um... yep and yep. lol!

I have a v1 and it's nowhere near as capable as my outcast. I'd get rid of it, but my wife got it for me as my first electric for Christmas 2 years ago.

 

[arrmadillo]

Um... yep and yep. lol!

I have a v1 and it's nowhere near as capable as my outcast. I'd get rid of it, but my wife got it for me as my first electric for Christmas 2 years ago.

Well then you better keep it or she'll get rid of you. Lol

 

[olds97_lss]

It's fine if you stick with 4S and don't get stupid with jumping height. I have 2 nitro revos as well, heavily modified and neither run traxxas engines. Without the torque of brushless, they hold up pretty well... well, after $100 worth of robinson racing steel gears in the transmissions... and all the RPM stuff I have on my ERBEv1 as well better roll bars.

I'm a glutton for punishment.

 

[Wmorgan]

Hey stuartd its all good. Sometimes you don't know people's intentions. I just got back to RC after Christmas after quite a few years away. Since then I found about all the things going on with Traxxas that I don't approve of. I know its a hot topic lately and perfer not to get into it.

My initial post was sort of a joke. Its true I have Traxxas models. 5 are nitros from 2004 to 2007 with AM radio. Other 2 are electric Rustlers which I always liked. When I bought my Traxxas back then Arrma was not around. I have recently discovered Arrmas existence in January this year.

I'm not really 100% brand loyal, I buy what I like. Had Losi, Associated, etc. over the years. I'm a Chevy man but had Fords also.

Just being back this January I was looking for a MT to make my entrance back. Naturally while searching the erevo 2.0 came up because of its popularity. I was doing extensive research on everything out there. I do like the looks or the E2 but after all the research on this model and all the problems with it breaking even on 3' jumps, I decided to move on.

This is when I discovered Arrma in my readings early this year. So now I'm here on this forum. Its been great being here for the short time I've been here. Such awesome comradoatory with the members here that I have never experienced anywhere else. I'm oldschool so not so tech savy and have never done the forum thing. Making new friends here I hope. Found out people can be cruel and jackasses online to put it mildly.

Anyway I think Arrma is the brand everyone is watching and manufacturers need to take a lesson from. I have found my new home and found my new MT. Arriving this week will be my first 2 Arrmas, V3 Outcast and V4 Kraton.

Hope you didn't take any offense either, I want to get along with everyone on here. Hope you have a good day!
Arrma D!

Wow! Your story almost exactly mirrors mine. Except I got back into RC 2 years ago "for my son" and got a couple of Rustlers (XL5 and VXL). After Harvey our lives got hectic and moving around left no time for RC...until about January this year. 2 years ago I saw some YouTube video with a Kraton and I was very impressed but wasn't willing to by another as my VXL was keeping me busy with needed upgrades. So looking to add to the collection I started looking at Arrma and the Kraton. Being old fashioned I wanted to buy it at my LHS which is where I found the Rustler 4x4. I know the eRevo 2.0 is a better comparison to the Kraton, not a match, but better than Rustler. I guess the price on the erevo always deterred me for what you get. I was very disappointed when I saw the same crappy components on this later model as what I had on XL5...brushed XL5!! Traxxas is based in my home state and I really wanted them to be better...and they're just not. So I turned to Arrma and found out on here that V4s are about to be released. Now I have a Kraton V4 at home waiting for 6S batteries.
Not sure why I typed all of this, but felt compelled to share.

 

[arrmadillo]

C

Wow! Your story almost exactly mirrors mine. Except I got back into RC 2 years ago "for my son" and got a couple of Rustlers (XL5 and VXL). After Harvey our lives got hectic and moving around left no time for RC...until about January this year. 2 years ago I saw some YouTube video with a Kraton and I was very impressed but wasn't willing to by another as my VXL was keeping me busy with needed upgrades. So looking to add to the collection I started looking at Arrma and the Kraton. Being old fashioned I wanted to buy it at my LHS which is where I found the Rustler 4x4. I know the eRevo 2.0 is a better comparison to the Kraton, not a match, but better than Rustler. I guess the price on the erevo always deterred me for what you get. I was very disappointed when I saw the same crappy components on this later model as what I had on XL5...brushed XL5!! Traxxas is based in my home state and I really wanted them to be better...and they're just not. So I turned to Arrma and found out on here that V4s are about to be released. Now I have a Kraton V4 at home waiting for 6S batteries.
Not sure why I typed all of this, but felt compelled to share.

Cool glad you did. Enjoy your Kraton, know I will. Just got a email from Fedex, mine will arrive tomorrow. I can tell you another thing we have in common. I'm from New Orleans and lost my home and my life in Katrina.

My home was under water for at least 17days and relocated to Houston. It was living hell and changed my life forever. Until today my life is scarred, reminders all around me. 90% of my friends lost everything but the clothes on our backs. When everyone got back to rebuild we got together and vowed to replace our RC stuff and start running again. I can tell you RC helped to keep us sane.

I will never ever forget the power of Rc. Like one of my Katrina buddies told me one day when we met up" I'll be doing this to the day I die", I kinda feel the same way.

So I feel where you're at. Only people like us that went through this can fully understand, so I too felt compelled to reach out and share. Have a good one brother.
Arrma D

 

[2015GTRBE]

It's funny how we start to care about stores closing after they close. Look at Toys R Us, for example. The same people that were in shock about them closing were the ones that probably hadn't stepped inside one of their stores in years. Our wallets dictate what stays in business and how companies respond to their customers.

Don't buy what you don't like and spend your money on places that you want to support. If Traxxas is alienating their customer base through their actions, more and more people will stop buying from them, whether it's through word of mouth or personal experience. As long as people keep buying from them, they will keep doing what they're doing. If they lose enough business, they will be forced to respond. Either that, or, go the way of the dinosaurs.

1000000000000000%.

Everyone doing the bitching also buys stuff on eBay or amazon because the prices are usually cheaper and shipping is included. You also can find exactly what you want and compare prices. It’s what the WORLD is doing in every market. When is the last time you bought a magazine? Be serious, some of you act like this concept is brand new.

Me personally? I miss magazines, and being able to go to a store and look at the box art of products. I’ll never forget being a kid and seeing the Tamiya box art and Kyoshos and the fun of thinking about building it and what color paint. Now we have RTRs mostly with stickers and body graphics and nothing to build. You still have to tear it apart and inspect, and modify it, but that isn’t the same.

I’m a builder so maybe I see things different, but I think so many parts of this hobby’s core has gone to hell. If anything I should despise Traxxas for making the RTR the business model of every manufacturer today, but like all things, we have to adapt. If a hobby shop embraces the modern times and figures a way to offer things that the internet cannot provide then they can fight to survive longer. One idea would be to have test cars for trial that perhaps the manufacturers can provide, and another thing is to embrace social media and advertise.


Let’s pretend that Traxxas actually has a rule about a non compete clause in their dealer network. I know they don’t, but let’s pretend they do just to play nice here. What should people do? You can moan and female dog and cry about it... that is one method. Or.... how about taking the fight to social media platforms and making a point to show other brands cars in comparison and explaining why they are superior IF they are superior? Why just lay back and do nothing?

I read on here that so many people never heard of Arrma before. Want to know why? It’s because they don’t advertise to the outside world like Traxxas does. How in hell do you blame that on Traxxas? That is craaaaaazy to even think that is anyone’s fault but their own. The problem is that Arrma is focusing on sending out cars to youtubers who have very little subs (as much as I love the Rich Duperbashes, Vas, etc). Arrma should be sending cars to BIG channels to gain commercial traction without having to “sell out” in your minds. If you keep the game plan small, then your company will also remain small. How can Rich duperbash with 5k subs get the Arrma name out to hundreds of thousands of people? It’s impossible. Arrma needs to put more dollars into their own advertising budget to expand, and unfortunately I don’t believe that Horizon Hobby will support that given their lack of interest in advertising Losi more.

I dunno, I’m kind of tired about posting this stuff because I end up looking like the bad guy simply because I put the truth out that some don’t want to hear. You just can’t be blind as an RC enthusiast. You have to be willing to expand your understanding of how things work and how you can help the hobby you care about (and that means you can’t only support one brand and talk bad about the others... that is how Traxxas grew so big btw, doing exactly what some of you do now).

 

[arrmadillo]

1000000000000000%.

Everyone doing the bitching also buys stuff on eBay or amazon because the prices are usually cheaper and shipping is included. You also can find exactly what you want and compare prices. It’s what the WORLD is doing in every market. When is the last time you bought a magazine? Be serious, some of you act like this concept is brand new.

Me personally? I miss magazines, and being able to go to a store and look at the box art of products. I’ll never forget being a kid and seeing the Tamiya box art and Kyoshos and the fun of thinking about building it and what color paint. Now we have RTRs mostly with stickers and body graphics and nothing to build. You still have to tear it apart and inspect, and modify it, but that isn’t the same.

I’m a builder so maybe I see things different, but I think so many parts of this hobby’s core has gone to hell. If anything I should despise Traxxas for making the RTR the business model of every manufacturer today, but like all things, we have to adapt. If a hobby shop embraces the modern times and figures a way to offer things that the internet cannot provide then they can fight to survive longer. One idea would be to have test cars for trial that perhaps the manufacturers can provide, and another thing is to embrace social media and advertise.

Hey GTR, Whats Up! I like magazines and don't read anything online magazine related. Thats how I roll.
I do miss going to the hobby shop to look around and meet other modelers and shoot the breeze. Thats long gone around here. With really 1 shop thats so far away I can't see making that drive anymore

I buy most my RC stuff online, thats just the way it is here. If a shop was close I would love to check them out, see all the models, put my hands on them, etc.

Like you said its the sign of the times. Saturday's at the hobby shop is only a pipe dream today.

From just getting back to the hobby I'm shocked by all the practices that Traxxas has implemented lately. IMO it is hurting the hobby and the remaining shops that are still around.

 

[2015GTRBE]

Hey GTR, Whats Up! I like magazines and don't read anything online magazine related. Thats how I roll.
I do miss going to the hobby shop to look around and meet other modelers and shoot the breeze. Thats long gone around here. With really 1 shop thats so far away I can't see making that drive anymore

I buy most my RC stuff online, thats just the way it is here. If a shop was close I would love to check them out, see all the models, put my hands on them, etc.

Like you said its the sign of the times. Saturday's at the hobby shop is only a pipe dream today.

From just getting back to the hobby I'm shocked by all the practices that Traxxas has implemented lately. IMO it is hurting the hobby and the remaining shops that are still around.

Sup brother.... eh, it’s not Traxxas man, look they are just trying to protect themselves but it’s US the consumers who dictate the market. If no one bought fords, they would be long gone no matter what their dealer rules were. People buy Traxxas because they put their advertising dollars to work.

You know who the biggest disappointment is in my mind? Losi. Losi has been in the game for longer than most and they are still in the same place as they always were because they never took to social media and other advertising avenues. Remember back in the day what Losi meant? I thought they would be the king by now.

Did you get your Kraton yet?

 

[olds97_lss]

You know who the biggest disappointment is in my mind? Losi. Losi has been in the game for longer than most and they are still in the same place as they always were because they never took to social media and other advertising avenues. Remember back in the day what Losi meant? I thought they would be the king by now.

Associated should be on that list as well... go check out their site and what they offer these days. The RC10GT is no longer there! Crazy stuff!

My first truck was a losi xxx-nt 20 years ago. Really wish I had gotten the rc10gt. The losi was so much more geared for a racer and a track, not for a country bumpkin like me that was going to screw around in the yard. I broke soooooo many arms and shock towers on that thing! At least with the rc10, I couldn't have gotten RPM stuff.

I sure miss my LHS's. My favorite was 15 minutes from my office and I always made a reason to go there on lunch a couple times a week to buy some "necessity". Now I drive 1 hour 20 minutes from my home to get to the closest one with fuel and do all my part shopping online.

 

[arrmadillo]

Sup brother.... eh, it’s not Traxxas man, look they are just trying to protect themselves but it’s US the consumers who dictate the market. If no one bought fords, they would be long gone no matter what their dealer rules were. People buy Traxxas because they put their advertising dollars to work.

You know who the biggest disappointment is in my mind? Losi. Losi has been in the game for longer than most and they are still in the same place as they always were because they never took to social media and other advertising avenues. Remember back in the day what Losi meant? I thought they would be the king by now.

Did you get your Kraton yet?

Get them today, FedEx.
I sure do, Losi was my first hobby grade, 2wd 10 scale stadium truck. Brushed days!
I know its a business and Traxxas does what it takes to get their market share.
Do they want to dominate the market? Sure, its all business.

I agree as long as people buy their stuff nothing will change. The amount of $ they spend on advertising is mind blowing.

I'm in no way blaming everthing on them, we do buy a lot online rather than the local shops but hey its sign of the times.

But that still done change how I feel about some of the chit thats going down.
Peace Brother Arrma D!

 

[Wmorgan]

Y'all are thinking too hard about this... it's the Millennials fault!! Lol

I think the reality is that we're at the dawn of a new era. Someone mentioned hanging out at the LHS and sharing with other hobbyists...in a very inpersonal but very accessible way that's what we're doing right now. Forums have replaced the need to collaborate F2F on the weekend. The trade off is we can now do it from wherever whenever. Amazon ushered in free delivery on literally everything at or below market value which has killed or killing the old big box stores...including LHSs. The key to Amazon's success is being very quick and dependable. Of 1000s of things I've ordered I've had 4 issues. All of which we're corrected to my satisfaction. Ordering online works if it's dependable. When I was a kid you could put your hands on models bc they were available in the store. Today every LHS I've been in only has customer models on display. The rest are in the box. What good is that? Oddly there always seems to be only one guy who's knowledgeable AND helpful...just 1. Lol. I will say I think what Traxxas is doing is certainly self serving and NO benefit of not harmful to the hobby. Everything they have is becoming "Traxxas only". You can't buy non Traxxas batteries or charges for Traxxas cars or versa visa. My biggest complaint on Traxxas is they don't seem to care about making improvements to well known and historical issues as they have new releases. Wouldn't surprise me if the owners of Traxxas aren't even into the hobby...just a bunch of business folks making money on a niche hobby. Who knows. For now we can enjoy an open market through the speedy delivery networks and can share our OPINIONS and hobby on the interwebs with forums. Unless it's the Traxxas forum which you'll get censored or banned for mentioning another brand like "Arrma" (jab).

 

[arrmadillo]

Y'all are thinking too hard about this... it's the Millennials fault!! Lol

I think the reality is that we're at the dawn of a new era. Someone mentioned hanging out at the LHS and sharing with other hobbyists...in a very inpersonal but very accessible way that's what we're doing right now. Forums have replaced the need to collaborate F2F on the weekend. The trade off is we can now do it from wherever whenever. Amazon ushered in free delivery on literally everything at or below market value which has killed or killing the old big box stores...including LHSs. The key to Amazon's success is being very quick and dependable. Of 1000s of things I've ordered I've had 4 issues. All of which we're corrected to my satisfaction. Ordering online works if it's dependable. When I was a kid you could put your hands on models bc they were available in the store. Today every LHS I've been in only has customer models on display. The rest are in the box. What good is that? Oddly there always seems to be only one guy who's knowledgeable AND helpful...just 1. Lol. I will say I think what Traxxas is doing is certainly self serving and NO benefit of not harmful to the hobby. Everything they have is becoming "Traxxas only". You can't buy non Traxxas batteries or charges for Traxxas cars or versa visa. My biggest complaint on Traxxas is they don't seem to care about making improvements to well known and historical issues as they have new releases. Wouldn't surprise me if the owners of Traxxas aren't even into the hobby...just a bunch of business folks making money on a niche hobby. Who knows. For now we can enjoy an open market through the speedy delivery networks and can share our OPINIONS and hobby on the interwebs with forums. Unless it's the Traxxas forum which you'll get censored or banned for mentioning another brand like "Arrma" (jab).

But it's still the millennials fault, Right! Lol

 

[bicketybam]

Can someone just shovel some dirt on this dead horse and let it rest in peace? ?

 

[bicketybam]

Here's the deal. Traxxas offers a better dealer discount if you carry ONLY Traxxas products. It doesn't matter if Traxxas doesn't have a competing model. If you want the better pricing, nothing but Traxxas. I find it silly that they would allow you to stock a 1/5 scale gas powered truck, but that's the deal. My LHS said the discounted pricing wasn't enough to justify them doing it, thank God.

 

[2015GTRBE]

Here's the deal. Traxxas offers a better dealer discount if you carry ONLY Traxxas products. It doesn't matter if Traxxas doesn't have a competing model. If you want the better pricing, nothing but Traxxas. I find it silly that they would allow you to stock a 1/5 scale gas powered truck, but that's the deal. My LHS said the discounted pricing wasn't enough to justify them doing it, thank God.

That makes way more sense. Thank you for clarifying