Durango dex210

[Kristian]

Hi,
I'm new to this having had an Optima mid when I was a kid. I've seen 2 x Durango Dex210s for sale. Seems a good option for me and my son to race as they come with everything including 4 lipos for about £200. However, a bit worried about the fact that Durango have gone out of business. They seem good value but would it be a mistake to buy?

Thanks

Kris

[jhock]

I would probably avoid them, what a lot of people do is find what is popular where you intend to race and go with that. That way someone will have spares and there will be plenty of set up knowledge too.

[Origineelreclamebord]

Hi Kristian,

Design-wise the Durango cars are well thought out and from that point of view I'll sorely miss the brand. Still I would definitely avoid a Durango since you have the choice. Here's why:

(Revell-)Hobbico (Durango's distributor/owner) announced that no more parts will be produced. Since Durango's production partner (KingStar) went bankrupt somewhere last winter, I wouldn't be surprised if no parts have been produced since then. Whatever is the case, it does leave uncertainty about how many (new) spare parts are still out there. And even if there are a lot of parts, the stockpile is riddled with quality problems varying from batch to batch - some batches are great, some are useless even if you got the parts for free.

Instead, I would go for a brand like Associated or Schumacher - just to name two examples. They have a long history, good reputation and parts are easily available. Both brands have a tendency to re-use parts where possible when a new model is introduced and thus parts are generally available for some time even after the model is discontinued.

[Kristian]

Thanks both. I have always been an associated fan and the current Schumachers look really good so will likely look at those. Kyosho quality has always been good, are they worth the extra? Also like the look of the Yokomos.

I've just restored an original RC10 and also building a Cat XLS now. Would these be hopelessly slow against modern cars?

Having got back into looking at this, especially vintage cars, I'm really mourning having sold my Turbo Optima mid about 15 years ago, what a mistake!

Thanks

Kris

[J77MYF]

I still run an original Optima Mid against modern cars from time to time and it does pretty well. Your vintage cars will be OK against modern stuff but you might struggle for parts.

If I was you I'd look for something more modern that has good parts backup.