Foreplay? really looking forward to the egm, just hope the foreplay doesnt move up a notch and clothes get taken off.

Stuart.

well as this is the "being provocative" thread, let me just jump in.

Because there isn't much sustainable commercial potential for micro. RC Organizations support those classes and technical choices that either (1) have historical RC significance (12th scale, 8th scale onroad) or (ii) have financial lobbying behind them (think 5-cells for instance and why it's taken so long to "legalize" lipo) that believe in global financial potential - that's most of the existing classes.

Micro scale cars have been commercial fads since Tamiya's first Tamtechs (1986 if I aint mistaken), no proven sustainability => no push from manufacturers => no championships.

Paul

Sorry Paul, don't agree. Micro's have far more sales potential than most if not any other class because they are aimed at the mainstream market. They are at a lower entry price point and most platforms are multi function (RC18 buggy, truck, SC, rally, etc.) and so sales volumes have a much larger potential. The Losi Mini-T variants and the RC18 platform has been around for many years.

A smaller sized car that can be used at home and on the race track at a lower entry point and reconfigurable as pretty much any 'fad' body style type has way more global commercial sales potential. In the end it all still comes down to where the marketing dollars are spent and since this is still a niche hobby (even on a global scale) the numbers can be skewed in one direction or another.

Personally I think one of the reasons they are not yet raced seriously on a global scale is because the marketing dollars were spent on the entry level users as apposed to serious racers so they have been seen as toys as apposed to 'proper' race cars. Cris started this whole thing a few years ago, we have completed 3 whole BRCA sanctioned series with rules now starting to reach maturity. Manufacturers are already starting to take it seriously enough that we will be seeing 'proper' race cars in the very near future.

my personal opinion, till the cars are better, then they won't find big favour.

:wtf:
Better than what?


I don't care what "scale" you're talking about, we're still racing toy cars - and last I checked everything breaks if you crash it.

well, they have gone to a longer wheelbase, good, they are wider when they started and now the RC18T2 has a slipper. For me, it wasn't so much the breakage from having an 'off' but the fact that it took a lot of work to make a car just reliable.

But as I say, thats just my 'personal opinion'.

Don't know of a true racer that comes "reliable out of the box."

Always been a part of the hobby, and racing in general, to make it better than it was (and more reliable) to stand up to the rigors we put them through. ;)

Sorry Rob but I cannot listen to the opinions of a man who is banned from more forums across the world than I have ever visited.

Sorry Crissy, but I can't listen to the opinions of a woman dressed in men's clothing who's so impressed with themselves they fail to rationaize when they're blathering on aimlessly.

RC10B4, Losi XXX CR, Tamiya's..... erm.... I think most other classes have cars that are in general, reliable..... I am guessing you love provoking discussion.....

:yawn:
I think you were trying to do that when you said, "till the cars are better, then they won't find big favour." :rolleyes:

whatever rocketnob

what-ever shortbus http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/3291/shortbus.jpg

fail :woot:

I hear you - the problem is that they compete against products of similar size but 1/4 of the price, that you can find a walmart and carrefour... Most non rc-ers have no idea what a propo radio is and don't understand why that 20cm car would cost EUR150 in a hobby shop while a "similar" car would fetch EUR40 at their local supermarket.

Additionnaly I believe that it costs marginally more money to manufacture a 10th scaler than an 18th scaler... But the manufacturers can charge a lot more money for it, behind "size impression". So, bigger scales (to some extent) = more profitable market = more push, and manuf'ers can't chase too many targets at once, especially these cash-constrained days.

I don't think small-scale cars have a sustainable future, certainly not when one can now get a 2.4G, brushless powered RTR AE B4 for a mere $220.

Paul

PS: not sure who said out-of-the-box cars can't be reliable and competitive... I run a box-stock FT B4, no breakage, and I win races with it. I run a box-stock (ok, there's a couple of eye-candy alloy bits on it) MBX-6 and I win races with it... I run a 100% box-stock xray T3, and, well, I don't win races with it as I'm not good enough in this very demanding class anymore, but I'm pretty darn close sometimes. None of these cars has suffered ANY reliability issues the past 12 months. Things ain't what they used to be any more, but in the right direction now ;)

bit like America then were they have a 'Worlds' for everything in there own back garden :lol:

http://www.s-m-d.co.uk/lrp-shark-18-...-rtr-i687.html

You don't have to run the longer wb chassis to be competitive at all, it's just something we've chosen to do because it makes them nicer to drive. If you're a good enough driver you could fit your electronics in that car above and win a micro national with that setup and some decent wheels/tyres, I guarantee it.

you say that but not just in the states its same in othersports eg snooker where the uk is really the only country its played in yet we have a world championship:thumbsup:

You don't have to think about it, it has already been proven that they have. The Mini-T, Anderson series, RC18 series, etc. have been on the market for years and years and there are still new models being released today (Losi Desert buggy, Vendetta SC, RC18B2, etc.) and the same old platforms updated.

You seem to base your idea around the fact that bigger is better. Not everyone thinks that way. People especially in the UK cannot run a 1/10th scale car or buggy in their house. Most people don't have a back garden big enough to run one either. They also wouldn't know a proper track existed near their house if it hit them in the face. The market potential for a smaller scale is infinitely higher than larger cars. You and me can speculate but unless we know the real numbers it's nonsense talk. :D

Yes there are crappy 1/18 buggies around (and even more crappy 1/10th buggies!) that should not be used for racing but anyone stating there are no reliable 1/18 cars obviously have never owned a LRP Shark FT. It's a many times tougher than any 1/10th scale buggy I have ever owned (and I have owned a few), much cheaper to run, much cheaper to fix, just as fast if not faster with the right motor and no less fun to drive. The only issue so far has been that until recently they have been marketed to the wrong audience.

....