What's going on with Durango's future

[bigalbi]

All the model shops seem to flogging off 1/10th Durango spares and kits at huge discounts. There have been the occasional threads on here about parts availability etc..

Is this the beginning of the end for Durango 1/10th buggies or is there something else in the pipeline that a normal club person like myself doesn't know about.

I have a couple of Durango cars which have been reasonably heavily invested in over the past couple of years. Should I be thinking about a change before I can't service them properly any more?

[KBRacing]

I can ONLY say the same here in Denmark. where we have got an importer NOT have something in stock, and we know NOT when or if he will get something out of stock .......
:( :(

[john wolfe]

I have 3 SCT thàt i race where am I going to get spares from now in the UK as don't have funds to bulk buy
J9hn

[andys]

Shame.

If MB are clearing the decks of Durango stuff - it's not looking good.
I remember when MB first stocked Durango and supported racers with superb spares availability - MB went out on a limb / took a huge punt on Durango to help promote the brand and stocked a lot of gear to ensure racers had support.

Obviously - whoever is in charge of Durango has forgotten who helped them get traction in the UK - if MB can't deal with them anymore it does not bode well for other shops.

[InsideLineModels]

We decided to clear our stocks and offer clearance prices as the demand has dropped off significantly over the last few months and restocking of parts has been difficult. Later later today it seems that MB has decided to follow us in doing this, so I can only assume they have seen the same drop off themselves.

If you own a Durango, now might be the time to stock up and take advantage of this. Between MB and ourselves there are a lot of bargains to be had.

It's a shame, and I understand the frustration, but for us there's no other choice right now.

Kev Lee

[Checa]

I have 3 SCT thàt i race where am I going to get spares from now in the UK as don't have funds to bulk buy
J9hn

I still have a bit of stock for short course stuff which i take to the Nationals but have to say it looks grim

[S_Nori]

I'm tempted by the DEX210 v2 offer on MB, what's different from the DEX210? (is it classed as the v1?)

[honrico Diablo]

longer chassis, different front arms, bulkhead, shock towers rear arms gearbox casing etc. All minor tweaks really and interchangeable. The longer chassis is a good upgrade. Good time to grab one and use old v1 as spares car!

[Bells]

I'm tempted by the DEX210 v2 offer on MB, what's different from the DEX210? (is it classed as the v1?)

Don't buy one , yes they are good cars I've had 3 but where are you going to get spares from ?

[claymoreman]

with the amount of people now posting would it not be wiser for us all instead of wondering and telling people not to buy to actually encourage them to buy then we could actually all put pressure on durango to actually supply parts to the shops and as owners of these cars support the shops who are banging there heads against brick walls to get parts for our cars
I own a v1 and v2 and just got back into the sport from a 20 year break so having that lovely steep learning curve with all the new technology the last thing I want to have to do is switch cars and quite literally bin the best part of £400 I got invested in the two cars. SO instead of saying where and how am I going to get parts how about everyone who owns a durango doing the one thing that may help and bombarding the makers with the problems they causing

[G2510]

Well said Claymoreman. I too bought a 210v2 only 4 months ago after a 20yr break. I have invested a fair bit in it and just about getting used to driving it. Was thinking of selling up and going GT12 but this just makes me want to buy up all of the cheap kits and spares and have a cheap racing set up and spare cars in 2&4 wd. Support for the brand would show the distributor they need to pull their finger out. If I had the funds I would happily bid for the distribution rights and do a proper job if it supporting the model shops and racers. Let's get behind this brand rather than writing them off and risking a potential company failure.

[bigalbi]

I too came back from a long break from rc and chose Durango as my return brand. It's been reasonably hard work ever since sourcing the bits I need.

I didn't start this thread to write off the brand. What we all need is clarification from durango about their business model / future direction to know whether we are flogging a dead horse. I don't have the funds to keep re-inventing my gear every 2 years.

[Bells]

Durango bring out a couple of new 1/8 cars and then our model shops stop stocking spares ! Maybe durango want us all to buy direct from them ? I'm sure all will come to light in the future

[claymoreman]

I have contacts in the usa so if it comes to it and people are willing to we can work out an order between us all on a club based system I would be willing to use my contacts across the pond to source the parts purchase them and have them shipped to me then we could send to a dedicated person from each of the clubs that need parts so at least we have parts coming in is one option but we do need clarification from durango

[G2510]

Spot on bigalbi, some comments from the company would help us all. I think we all feel the same in that we backed the brand and now feel let down

[bally]

Parts stock is not a issue at Revell they have over 95% of the parts in stock in Germany, the problem is there service is terrible. We need a UK distributor who specialises in race products to be awarded the distribution rights, send orders to shops next day and offer some decent customer service and then I'm sure the brand will grow again, I have heard they have some new products lined up but as things stand i can't see them making it to the UK.

I didn't realise Kev (Insideline) had dropped his prices until i was posting about it so decided to follow with the same discount %. Between us (MB) and Insideline I'm sure we will have plenty of stock to keep the cars out there going until the situation sorts its self out.

MB

[honrico Diablo]

Just panic bought a load of bits! Got enough to keep the two of us going for a year or so! DEX410 is still king in my eyes!

[Bells]

Just panic bought a load of bits! Got enough to keep the two of us going for a year or so! DEX410 is still king in my eyes!

I agree the 410 is awsome

[S_Nori]

longer chassis, different front arms, bulkhead, shock towers rear arms gearbox casing etc. All minor tweaks really and interchangeable. The longer chassis is a good upgrade. Good time to grab one and use old v1 as spares car!

That's what I was thinking, spare / wet car. Cheers!

[Tobyw]

Is there no way we lobby a load of us (users) and the local shops (MB / Inside Line etc) together and put a case back to Durango Germany? It is clear that Revell arent supporting our local model stores which not only impacts them but also the ultimate end users.

I was having trouble finding some find stock of front suspension arms. I tried nearly every shop in the UK and no one could sell me any. I contacted Revell directly and asked them why no one has any and they stated that they have 1000's in stock and I should be able to get them from one of their appointed distributors. They clearly have no idea how things are from a users point of view and are happy to lay blame to the local stores which in my mind is totally wrong of them.

I race with my 2 kids and we all run DEX410's and have been since we started racing. We have loads of spares but what happens when they run out. I simply couldn't afford to replace 3 cars and all the spares we would need to keep 3 of us running.

I really hope Durango sort something out soon and appoint a decent UK distributor!!!.

Just my thoughts

Toby

[claymoreman]

I sent the following email to durango this morning lets all bombard durango with emails showing our displeasure at the current distributor of there parts and maybe we can get this sorted or get some sort of response
I will post the response I get if I get one

Seems we are struggling to get parts in the United Kingdom due to the poor service and poor knowledge of the industry from the distributor that has been assigned the sole rights to distribute durango parts. Our model shops are now pulling from supporting durango parts due to the poor service they receiving there is a big market for durango in uk but without the ability to buy parts this brand will be come an outcast and leave many of us angry and annoyed at the poor service we receive when we need parts. We know that the parts stock in germany is at 95% but getting the parts through our model shops is becoming impossible.
In the last 24 hours 2 major shops that supply durango parts have now let it be known they will no longer be supplying parts for this brand unless something can be sorted
as a durango customer who has just returned to the sport I now feel that as a company you have let down someone who decided to return to the sport using your brand as it was the best value and option for someone returning to the sport.

[Jamesy]

The Team Durango website is now showing stock availability at the European warehouse, look for the green boxes in the top right hand corner of each parts picture. Here is the parts listing for the DEX410v4 for example:-

http://www.team-durango.com/parts.php?partNo=TD102030&type=STD

Wheelspin Models and Hobbies are listing all of the Team Durango parts here:-

http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/c/1166/

If the part is showing as 'Shadow Stock' at Wheelspin, they should be able to have it delivered to them in two to three working days.

[andys]

Awesome.... should get parts in - in 2 to 3 'working' days - brilliant.

So i'm at a race weekend - I break something, the shops at the meeting have no spares and I have to order from Europe and wait...

Who are these jokers - someone here has their head up their arse - support the shops that support the racers - it's not rocket science....

[Adam Skelding]

Andy,
The tool is there to show you that the part is in stock at the EU warehouse. So any model shop with an account should be able to get it on a 48 hour order if they don't already carry the part. So unless you are racing twice or more a week (which some people do) then you should be racing again the following weekend.

If the shops don't have it at the meeting. Nothing the shop or distributor can do will help you there.
You'd then have to ask around and with the people who participate in our hobby that's normally good enough to get you sorted out. No-one will normally see someone go home from racing if they can help out.

[orinoco]

According to the shops this is not how things have been working with Revell though.

[claymoreman]

the point is the distributor is the problem if you read the posts from the owners of the shops that stock the parts dealing with revell for them is the problem as they do not understand the sport and the needs of the shops

[bally]

Andy,
The tool is there to show you that the part is in stock at the EU warehouse. So any model shop with an account should be able to get it on a 48 hour order if they don't already carry the part. So unless you are racing twice or more a week (which some people do) then you should be racing again the following weekend.

If the shops don't have it at the meeting. Nothing the shop or distributor can do will help you there.
You'd then have to ask around and with the people who participate in our hobby that's normally good enough to get you sorted out. No-one will normally see someone go home from racing if they can help out.

So Adam, why have i never had a order arrive within 48 hours of placing it, we know Revell have stock there website says so, my last order was chased on at least 5 occasions, until i cancelled it last night as I had got fed up with chasing and waiting?

MB

[Adam Skelding]

I can't speak for individual cases. I don't work at Revell, they are our distributor.

I've had my orders in 48 hours if I've ordered them in the morning. (They are direct from Revell). Only when items are out of stock have orders not been received in the 48 hours and if the order can be sent without (out of stock) parts then they have.

Yes it was different when the stock was in the UK (the stock was just down the road).
----------
We have tried to help the end customer by showing what is / isn't in stock at the EU warehouse so they know if they are looking for a part that is out of stock.

[bally]

They are going to deliver orders to Team Durango in the UK within 48 hours they wouldn't want to look like muppets would they!

[andys]

Cheers for reply Adam.

I don't think I made myself clear - when I suggested that the shop (either locally or at a race) doesn't have spares - I was suggesting a scenario where they no longer carry Durango parts - hence they have nothing - ever...

I'm running two Durango cars for my twin boys this year - if they stick with the hobby and local shops stop carrying stock it will be far from ideal. People want access to spares etc quickly - that's why we have shops, that we can go to and buy things, or get them delivered next day.

[Tobyw]

Wheelspin Models and Hobbies are listing all of the Team Durango parts here:-

http://www.wheelspinmodels.co.uk/c/1166/

If the part is showing as 'Shadow Stock' at Wheelspin, they should be able to have it delivered to them in two to three working days.


Good luck with Shadow stock. I placed an order with wheelspin and the items were down as "shadow stock" and they turned up this morning. Only taking 2 weeks from shadow stock so I would deffo not trust that.

Toby

[davidmog99]

There will be a long delay if the UK shops won't stock durago, and there is no uk stock!
What a shambles, but maybe durango to can't make a profit having a UK distributor. If that is the case they shouldn't bother with the UK market or be honest about how long parts will take!

[claymoreman]

the parts are there so why are they not being shipped when they are ordered by a shop. I was talking with mb this afternoon to try find out the problems and when they tell you they have had an order in for 5 weeks and had a revell representative in the shop promising there order would be there within 72 hours not the 48 that some are saying and it still does not turn up makes you wonder do durango want to support shops that helped them get a foot hold in the Uk and support club members or just the factory drivers. Check the stock of there so called shops in the uk from there own site list I did at 3am this morning and out of all the shops they list as stockists I found 2 with parts and mainly for the 410 do durango not think that there are 210 owners out there and 210 v2 owners sourcing parts for a 210v2 is like finding a needle in a hay stack. If revell cannot do the distribution of the parts from europe to the uk then surely durango need to act or it will simply be left with only a factory team to supply which when it boils down to it will soon come to an end when the idea behind a factory backed team is to promote the brand to the end customers who will no longer buy the cars due to the lack/poor support of the regular club member hence leaving factory backed drivers looking for new companies to drive for. or failing that we should be able to order parts direct from the distrubutor but then again would they be able to handle small orders if they cannot handle shop orders.

[Mike Parker]

Hey guys

We carry a healthy range of spares for both 210's and 410's, the website hasn't been updated since the 210v2 came out but there is a good chance we may have it. Any you guys struggling drop me a line with a part number or numbers and will do our best to accommodate

Coincedently, I've had a look on the TD stockist locator and we don't appear to be on

[JohnM]

the parts are there so why are they not being shipped when they are ordered by a shop. I was talking with mb this afternoon to try find out the problems and when they tell you they have had an order in for 5 weeks and had a revell representative in the shop promising there order would be there within 72 hours not the 48 that some are saying and it still does not turn up makes you wonder do durango want to support shops that helped them get a foot hold in the Uk and support club members or just the factory drivers. Check the stock of there so called shops in the uk from there own site list I did at 3am this morning and out of all the shops they list as stockists I found 2 with parts and mainly for the 410 do durango not think that there are 210 owners out there and 210 v2 owners sourcing parts for a 210v2 is like finding a needle in a hay stack. If revell cannot do the distribution of the parts from europe to the uk then surely durango need to act or it will simply be left with only a factory team to supply which when it boils down to it will soon come to an end when the idea behind a factory backed team is to promote the brand to the end customers who will no longer buy the cars due to the lack/poor support of the regular club member hence leaving factory backed drivers looking for new companies to drive for. or failing that we should be able to order parts direct from the distrubutor but then again would they be able to handle small orders if they cannot handle shop orders.

I don't think there are any factory drivers anymore either, Jorn, Ryan Lutz, Elliot Harper etc all left months ago.

[Buggyman]

So Adam, why have i never had a order arrive within 48 hours of placing it, we know Revell have stock there website says so, my last order was chased on at least 5 occasions, until i cancelled it last night as I had got fed up with chasing and waiting?

MB

Can Mr Skelding ask the distributor (revell) what's going on then. It's plainly obvious that mb models and inside line racing have had enough issues with poor service to make them drop the durango brand and just remember what a bad advertisement for the durango brand this discussion is. Whatever you say means nothing when mb models come on here and tell everyone exactly what the service they have been getting is like (and remember how trusted mb models are). Please speak to revell if you can and find out what's going on if you can then hopefully durango customers can buy in confidence.

[xtreme-rc]

there are spares out there but with no team drivers in the UK at the moment the brand is not popular, the cars are competitive and I am not sure Revell are that keen to prompt the brand

[Fabs]

It's not up to Adam, or myself for that matter, to call Revell and talk about distribution.

MB have their own reasons for their decision, it just means that other shops will become the main carriers for Team Durango.

[claymoreman]

then if revell as distributor is not keen to promote the brand why are they the distributor ??
lets get someone willing to promote the brand so we can get stock to the shops that order then have to wait and wait till revell decide they going to send. If they not or dont want to promote the brand in the uk then just image how they would feel if we all decided to not support the brand in the UK as a whole and im sure with the word of mouth on how they treat customers be they shops or club racers and it gets posted on many forums around the world how it could affect there business the fact of the matter is there are a lot of durango owners in the uk who have supported the brand for them now to not deal with a problem which sounds like has not improved in a long while if they do not want the profits from the uk then they should post to that end so we can all spend our money on a brand that is supported by a good and healthy flow of parts. Think on how people coming in to the sport who have purchased this brand as it is a good car to begin with only to find when they break something they wont be able to race until they source a part because half the stock is sat in a warehouse in germany due to the inability of the european distributor to forfill its contract in essence .

[neallewis]

it just means that other shops will become the main carriers for Team Durango.

If they bother at all. I don't see any others queuing up.
Revell want to sell direct to user and take dealer margins for themselves. Any serious racer will soon get tired of not having their local shop able to supply them, and so switch brands, if they haven't done so already.

[dpackster1980]

I remember last time they changed distributor to Hobbico and that was a complete farce which is why I will never run Durango again. Now Revell have Hobbico this time it's rediculous, it's the current Durango runners I feel sorry for. The cars are worthless 2nd hand so it's not as if they can sell them on to reinvest in a different brand. They're technically stuck with them.

Shame on Revell. The complete lack of communication shows nothing but contempt for what they think about the Durango customers (shops) and end users alike.

If shops aren't willing to put up with it then people need to stop promoting the brand trackside and advising people to buy them going forward. It's only a matter of time before other shops follow suit.

[bally]

Fabs - I think it is up to you guys i've tried and tried, when Revell's UK manager stands in my shop and tells me i will receive orders within in 72 hours and it doesn't happen what am i supposed to do. I chased my last order several times until on Thursday i gave up and thought lets do something to make TD do something about it, you certainly did by announcing to customers that orders would be with them within 48 hours, if Revell can't manage weeks, they have no chance at getting orders to customers in 48 hours. The average time is around 10 days from my experience.

I have to say I'm shocked that nobody from Revell or Team Durango has bothered to contact me about my decision.

I feel sorry for the end users but its come to a point where I'm not sure things are fixable anymore.

MB

[terry.sc]

then if revell as distributor is not keen to promote the brand why are they the distributor ??
lets get someone willing to promote the brand so we can get stock to the shops that order then have to wait and wait till revell decide they going to send.
Revell Germany are the distributors because Revell and Durango are all part of the same company, Hobbico. It means they aren't going to change to a different distributor unless another company buys Durango from Hobbico.

[Origineelreclamebord]

Revell Germany are the distributors because Revell and Durango are all part of the same company, Hobbico. It means they aren't going to change to a different distributor unless another company buys Durango from Hobbico.

And after all that has happened with Durango, who will? :lol:

Anyway, this is pretty sad news for any Durango user, and unfortunately I have to say it fits in the line of miserable things that has happened to this brand over the last few years. With MBModels and InsideLineRacing now also quiting support for Durango, is there even a shop left in the UK supporting Durango - other than eBay with its wide offer of parts from used split kits on eBay?

[mattr]

TBH in a previous life in the UK I dealt extensively with many mainland European suppliers and in many cases they treat the UK like a slightly thick, younger sibling who should be humoured, but not respected in any way, shape or form. Basically ignored. They prefer their own local customers.

Thankfully we were big enough, loud enough and had a legal department. So eventually we got what we had paid for. In spades.

MB, Inside Line and so on aren't big, loud or tooled up with lawyers. So unless someone inside the organisation (not the UK people, the actual Revell Germany staff) gets a good kicking, it could well carry on indefinitely.

Shouting at the UK sales/supply people (or team Durango themselves) won't actually help. As they probably get very similar treatment. As slightly thick younger siblings........

It's a crap situation, but it's going to take some changing.

[claymoreman]

OK quick update I sent two emails over the past weekend one bounced straight back to my inbox just proves one thing about the durango brand they have no clue about one thing called updating as this email box was one on there website. SO thought cut out the middlemen and go to the chiefs still waiting on a reply and guessing that now 2 days on I aint going to be recieving one so IM now in the position that if they cannot talk to a model shop that supported them and cannot give any clarification to club racers on why we struggle to get parts across a peice of water 25 miles wide then maybe it is time I support a brand that can so I prob sell my dex210 v2 as a spares option

[G2510]

I too have lost all faith in this brand and have my DEX210v2 up for sale. Although I may suffer with the sale price I think its best to change brand now and take a smaller hit than put more in and potentially lose even bigger.

I had plans to add a 4wd to the stable from TD but now looking at a reliable, supportive brand and will most likely stay with my old favourite from the good old days Schumacher. I loved my old Cougar and Pro Cat back in the day.

[bigbaza555]

Hi I remember dealing with Revel many years ago when I was in the trade and they were shocking then and by the looks of things they have not changed its a sad situation and that's the reason we stopped as a shop dealing with them.http://www.oople.com/forums/images/icons/icon13.gif

[neallewis]

Looks like the MB models offer to swap to another brand is the the way to go. Send your durango roller back to the shop, and get a discount off a new kit, Yokomo, Schumacher, etc. :thumbsup:

[mattr]

I'm just glad that a) i'm on the mainland (relatively cheap and quick postage from Germany) and b) with google translates help and a rudimentary knowledge of German, i can order from Germany........

[Mark A]

Some one is not for-filling there contract amongst this fiasco , I work in warehousing and distribution, we supply to UK and Europe same day so why can't Revell??? It appears to me there infrastructure is not there which is unacceptable with all the courier services in Europe . Hobbico get it sorted and start looking after your customers.

[Mark A]

A friend has just ordered some parts from the USA last Thursday and they arrived today with only £3 postage, enough said

[arceye]

MB models announcement about new durango parts order. Bally, is this a final last chance order to suppliers to see if their ideas have booked up? Or are you sticking with Durango stocks now?

[bally]

Not 100% sure we certainly won't be selling any kits for now, but we did a trial order this week and it arrived in 51 hours from been placed which i feel is more than acceptable considering it came from Germany, especially with the tunnel issues this week. its early days but i hope we can work with Revell to improve things further moving forwards.

[arceye]

Cheers Bally, hopefully they will keep it up.

[honrico Diablo]

thanks Bally.. just ordered some re stocked bits, good to see they playing ball at the minute!