new X-7

[A.R.C Raceway]

:D any idea of a release date on the market?
will it come as a complete kit or is it a hybrid of models?

[YoungChazz]

We hope for early spring 2013. It will be a complete Kit -- everything but wheels, tires, and lubricants.

[A.R.C Raceway]

:) Great news.
Look forward to your handywork.

[stefke]

We hope for early spring 2013. It will be a complete Kit -- everything but wheels, tires, and lubricants.

I hope a bit sooner since by then most of us would have started with the new outdoor season.

[YoungChazz]

I'm afraid spring 2013 is the very earliest we could possibly do. Later is more like it. We are going as fast as other commitments will allow -- gotta keep production and sales going while developing the new car.

[mes]

Any idea yet if you'll include the new AE big bore shocks?

[DeMogoobra]

Hey chazz.

Some kind of teaser pic would be much appreciated.
There are some interesting new 4wd on their way like Xray, Losi and
perhaps Kyosho. JQ have a car all finished on the drawing board so my point is to let people see some teasers and maybe that could help them decide what to run for when the next outdoors season begins.

I for one is patiently waiting for a release of Tamiya 511 but if that does not happen I will go with the new Xray or....x7 if I know a little more about it.

[Darren Boyle]

Hey chazz.

Some kind of teaser pic would be much appreciated.
There are some interesting new 4wd on their way like Xray, Losi and
perhaps Kyosho. JQ have a car all finished on the drawing board so my point is to let people see some teasers and maybe that could help them decide what to run for when the next outdoors season begins.

I for one is patiently waiting for a release of Tamiya 511 but if that does not happen I will go with the new Xray or....x7 if I know a little more about it.

There are quite a few action and close up shots of Ellis X7 all over the forum in various race reports etc, this is not a million miles away from what a production car will be if you just want "teasers", but there are none detialing the inside just yet I'm afraid.....

[DeMogoobra]

Totally missed that:blush:

Going to check it out.

[adey]

Hi all, just wondered if x factory have released and body off shots of the x7 yet.

[The_doctor]

dont make me laugh X7 body off we cant even get body on shots or anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

be nice 2 get some news as its been quite for a long time

how about updating the X6 cars as they r starting to fall away from the other kits on the market!!!! and the track!!

we just dont get any news on anything

im sick of x factory working only on short course trucks come on Paul and chazz how about some new bits to keep the cars up the top end of the racing
:mad: not happy with a car that's getting long in the tooth how about a new X6 CF kit like the truck ......
if no ongoing developments r coming out then i will after 4 years racing these kits drop them as the cars r getting too old in the chassis area

[Steven Forster]

When was the last big win for the X6 SQ..........???

[rcjunky]

a x6cf won't happen. They've already tried it and its too stiff. They're still working hard on the x7 so I wouldn't expect anything major for the x6 until th 4wd is out and things have slowed down after the rush for the new kit, but I do thing it would be cool to see a narrow alloy chassis with plastic wings like the new trend is, just to make it look new, although thats simply not there style.

[Andyp]

I notice that Ellis has a dex410 set up posted on petit rc. I also notice he is now a "supported" driver from xfactory uk rather than a "team" driver.

Does this mean the X7 has hit a problem as Ellis was using some of last winter and all summer?

[Darren Boyle]

Lots of interesting gossip and assumptions on this thread recently some true others not, keep your eyes open for early 2013 and some great new things from X-Factory. All I can assure is that Paul and Chazz are far from standing still and VERY busy working on new things and not just SC trucks I will add!!

As for body on shots of the X7 there are plenty available on here to look at, if people want direction to them then let me know.... (there is one right as the main picture of our XFactory UK facebook page for starters kindly supplied by Jimmy.)

Last big win for the X6 Sq, depends what we call big I guess, Belgium GP big enough in July? Elvo winning the Belgium title and he and Stefan dominating the BeNeLux series, it just depends on what we call big I guess.......... but not even ALL of the BIG manufacturers have "BIG" wins under thier belt recently let alone the smallest brand out there....

[mikeyscott]

I notice that Ellis has a dex410 set up posted on petit rc. I also notice he is now a "supported" driver from xfactory uk rather than a "team" driver.

Does this mean the X7 has hit a problem as Ellis was using some of last winter and all summer?

I think if he has gone to TD I think they would have announced that, as Darren says - 2013.. The only reason I can think is due to no announcement is contractual reasons 1/1/13?

[Darren Boyle]

The only reason I can think is due to no announcement is contractual reasons 1/1/13?

Nope...

[arransmith27]

Is there any proposed release date yet for the X7?

[mikeyscott]

Nope...

Ah well, just have to be patient and wish whatever people do the best for 2013.

[Darren Boyle]

Is there any proposed release date yet for the X7? With other exciting new projects in the pipeline, we now anticipate (and hope) the X7 wil be along in the second half of this coming year (2013).... I have no more info than that at present that I can (or am allowed) to share sadly.

[Darren Boyle]

Ah well, just have to be patient and wish whatever people do the best for 2013. Indeed, I know of at least 4 movers at present, so going to be as exciting in 2013 as ever..

[arransmith27]

The best things come to those who wait :)

[chris68nufc]

This one is for AndyP and Darren (Just in case he didn't know!)
http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118206

[mes]

Although I don't have any X-Factory cars myself, I was not too happy to read that. After Brian Kinwald in '11 another top driver has left this iconic team... On the other hand, I would have been happy if he'd joined Yokomo! ;)

[Welshy40]

Its taking far too long to develop this car and the good drivers are going, im surprised Ellis lasted as long as he did. Its a shame.

[Darren Boyle]

It goes without saying it is indeed a huge loss losing E from the XF brand, he is one of the very few talented "elite" in r/c off road and would be an asset in any team but as in most forms of motorsport it is always very hard for the small teams to hang on to such talent for too long....

In terms of small, it would be hard for anyone to imagine an r/c car company any smaller than X-Factory, with just two solitary employees (Chazz and Paul) and with Chazz being seriously ill over the past 12 months too, duirng large parts that was down to just 1!!

However, things move on, top drivers do change teams and there is one reason that Ellis did stay at XF for as long as he did and was becuse he knew (and demostrated on track last year) just what potential the X7 has and after all he had nothing to prove with the X6 after two back to back titles with the 2wd chassis in recent years too.

The two big things (other than Chazz's poor health) that have held back the X7's final development and ultimate production were simply time and finances. The "time" delay meant it was right for E to move on from all points of view, take on fresh challenge and chase that last ultimate goal he has of winning the UK BRCA 4wd title, with his new ride he has a car that can challenge for that without the need for it to continue being developed along the way. From X-Factory's point of view, they now also have more finances free due to this move to invest in the X7 project too, so in some ways the change actually helps everyone....

Along with several other exciting new projects that are coming along very nicely that will break cover in early 2013 and new team members inbound too, the future for both X-Factory as a company and the X7 4wd itself are still very bright...........

The 4wd market is bulging already, another reason the X7 will have to be 110% and spot on when it is launched for it to succeed in a fierce market, there can be no compromise on this car, and that sadly, in the hands of the r/c minnows takes time, time that has was set back by 12 months due to ill health, but the patience will be worth it for those who wait............

[benl]

Whatever X-Factory do its normally groundbreaking and exciting. As they are a much smaller company than the likes of Associated and Schumacher etc. it was always going to take time to get right. I'm just looking forwards to seeing it released when the time is right. For them to keep going with it this long it must be something special and different. :thumbsup:

[chris68nufc]

It goes without saying it is indeed a huge loss losing E from the XF brand, he is one of the very few talented "elite" in r/c off road and would be an asset in any team but as in most forms of motorsport it is always very hard for the small teams to hang on to such talent for too long....

In terms of small, it would be hard for anyone to imagine an r/c car company any smaller than X-Factory, with just two solitary employees (Chazz and Paul) and with Chazz being seriously ill over the past 12 months too, duirng large parts that was down to just 1!!

However, things move on, top drivers do change teams and there is one reason that Ellis did stay at XF for as long as he did and was becuse he knew (and demostrated on track last year) just what potential the X7 has and after all he had nothing to prove with the X6 after two back to back titles with the 2wd chassis in recent years too.

The two big things (other than Chazz's poor health) that have held back the X7's final development and ultimate production were simply time and finances. The "time" delay meant it was right for E to move on from all points of view, take on fresh challenge and chase that last ultimate goal he has of winning the UK BRCA 4wd title, with his new ride he has a car that can challenge for that without the need for it to continue being developed along the way. From X-Factory's point of view, they now also have more finances free due to this move to invest in the X7 project too, so in some ways the change actually helps everyone....

Along with several other exciting new projects that are coming along very nicely that will break cover in early 2013 and new team members inbound too, the future for both X-Factory as a company and the X7 4wd itself are still very bright...........

The 4wd market is bulging already, another reason the X7 will have to be 110% and spot on when it is launched for it to succeed in a fierce market, there can be no compromise on this car, and that sadly, in the hands of the r/c minnows takes time, time that has was set back by 12 months due to ill health, but the patience will be worth it for those who wait............

Nicest post I have ever read that you've posted Darren!

Maybe it's a New Years resolution?!!!

Good luck Ellis with the Durango....2013 is going to be interesting!

[Darren Boyle]

Nicest post I have ever read that you've posted Darren!

Maybe it's a New Years resolution?!!!

LOL, they are all like that really, depends how you read them :D

[The_doctor]

well said Darren...

but with no big name drivers now on the team there will be limited development going on ......
we have seen nothing new for the x6 4 a long time ...
how about a 8mm chassie or something........ cant even get a forward cab body cant be that hard !!!!come on !!

the cars r just falling back.....

and now with the big E gone i dont see much happening at X Factory:cry:
dont get me wrong i love my X factory cars but with every other car maker is moving forward, it just makes it hard to get 100% out of an ageing chassie!
the last big win was over here at the Australian Titles 2012 winning Stock

[YoungChazz]

There is no negativity here. When I finally returned full time six months ago, we sat down for several meetings (Yes, you can have meetings in a 2-man company!) to plan the way forward. You're right, Mick, R & D pretty well stopped for 18 months (!) while I was sick.

We looked at many things carefully, including a major financial crunch, and plotted a way forward that included the revolutionary SCX - 60CF and X - 60CF. Unusual for any company, the 60CF was launched within two weeks of the original plan, and there has been no need for a single change.

The SCX - 60CF is a huge improvement over the SC10 and an improvement from the SCX - 60. The X - 60CF is an improvement over the X - 60, so, within six months this small company has launched two radical new vehicles successfully.

The plan we laid out last summer extends through 2013 and into 2014, so there is much to come. Several things are in testing now, both in the U.S. and in U.K. There are five major races here in the next 10 weeks, and those who look closely will see new products in testing at all of them.

New products and updates to existing products will be announced regularly as the first part of 2013 unfolds. I'm certain, Mick, that you will be very pleasantly surprised.

[Darren Boyle]

well said Darren...

but with no big name drivers now on the team there will be limited development going on ......
we have seen nothing new for the x6 4 a long time ...
how about a 8mm chassie or something........ cant even get a forward cab body cant be that hard !!!!come on !!

the cars r just falling back.....

and now with the big E gone i dont see much happening at X Factory:cry:
dont get me wrong i love my X factory cars but with every other car maker is moving forward, it just makes it hard to get 100% out of an ageing chassie!
the last big win was over here at the Australian Titles 2012 winning Stock

All I can really add to what Chazz has written is that you are indeed in for many surprises in answer to nearly ALL of your points....

[Steve.T]

Looking at the posts on this thread it would seem that the X7 is likely to out at the end of this year? Ironically this suits me as finance means that I cannot afford a new car at the moment.
I had four X5's and rated them one of the best cars I have driven so a new X factory 4WD is something I'm looking forward to.
However, The X7 will need to be very good to make me change my current zx5fs2.

[YoungChazz]

We've got it covered, Steve!

[Chrislong]

Yep Steve, the X-5 I agree was best handing car bar none and prob still is. Only the transmission would struggle to cope with current power levels. So the X-7 is highly likely to be immense if it is going to be even marginally better with bullet proof transmission!

[The_doctor]

cool cant wait bring them on cant wait for the new stuff !!!!!
now must go and up date my truck to the CF version now!!!!!:thumbsup:


well done on the double win!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup:

[YoungChazz]

Paul has arrived at W.C.R.C. with the new Gen 7.0 X - 7. He finished building it late Tuesday night and flew out Wednesday. Look for it on LiveRC this weekend!

[YoungChazz]

Paul got one run in open practice at the Reedy race Wednesday afternoon, and broke a caster block on L3, so no real conclusions. Thursday he finished three runs in controlled practice, with decent results. Says the car is faster than the 6.3 that he ran at Nats last August, and he's changing from the motor he's used for the past six months to a new one which Viper says is better.

[YoungChazz]

Answering here in response to a guy who posted in the Cubed thread.

Development of the X - 7 is ongoing. Up until now we have had two copies of each prototype car in testing, one in U.K. and one for Paul. We are confident enough of the current design, Gen 7.0, that a third is being built. Paul's is in the hands of a west coast Team driver and he is building another identical one for himself.

Why has the X - 7 project taken so long? First, my illness almost killed it -- there was no time for Paul to work on anything other than shipping orders because he was at the hospital every day for several months. Everything else, including Paul's primary job, R & D, stopped.

When I returned to the company in a tentative and very part time way, summer of 2011, the R/C market was changing fast from where it was just a year earlier, and X Factory had to move fast to catch up. Now I have returned to a "normal" schedule, and Paul does what he is supposed to do. In the past 12 months we have launched two new cars beginning with the SCX - 60CF short course truck, then on to the X - 60CF stadium truck, and now we are set to release the X - 6 Cubed.

These vehicles are developing sales and market share necessary for the launch of the X - 7, which will be, by a factor of five, the most costly and ambitious project we have ever attempted. We still have seen nothing on the market that has any of the engineering breakthroughs on the X - 7. It is revolutionary.

Stay with us as we continue to develop and release cars and parts that nobody else can or will do. The X - 7 is a true X Factory car.

[BeachBuggyPhil]

If our club starts 4x4 then perhaps this is the car for me to wait for.
Nice

[nikos2002]

If you get a chance watch the video of the X-7 on the XF website from Motorama, I was there with Paul and Chazz that weekend and the car was really great. Paul out qualified from factory heavyweights from other teams. Having had the privilege of looking it over, there is as you would expect some great engineering principles applied to the car and from someone who has worked on car development in the past, its really a nice piece of machinery -- it will be worth the wait.

[The_doctor]

any news ......................???????????????????????????? ????:eh?:

[YoungChazz]

I can't say this enough: Paul's first R/C car ever was a Tamiya Thundershot, and his second R/C car was a xx-4. X Factory's first car was the X - 5. 4WD is in our blood and is our first love. We are distressed that we have no 4WD at all on the market now, and are distressed at the length of time the X - 7 has been in development.

The X - 7 was on track and we were rolling before I got sick. X Factory almost died when I almost died, and both I and the company are on a long slow road to new vigor. The X - 7 will be, by a factor of at least 3, the most expensive thing we have ever done, and we must do that with sales recovering from the nadir.

Therefore, we developed the SCX - 60CF first. With the help of Speedy Dad, who did much of the nitty-gritty design work, we produced a revolutionary slim CF short course truck for sale in the largest and fastest-growing segment of the largest R/C market in the world. Once the SCX - 60CF was in place, doing the X - 60CF was relatively easy.

Meanwhile, what had become our biggest car was quite long in the tooth and, while still extremely competitive, new exciting products are a necessary fact of life in today's market. Since the Cubed shares some parts with the two trucks, and we expect good sales immediately, this was the direction we had to take.

All of these vehicles are/will be producing the money needed to make the X - 7. As soon as the Cubed is fully integrated into the production stream, the X - 7 is our next car.

Will we be able to release the X - 7 in 2013? As of June 12, I doubt it. If we were to turn our attention full time to the 7 right now, release for Christmas would be unlikely, and we won't be full blast on the 7 for at least another 8 weeks. It's not that the car needs lots of testing or development, it's a matter of getting R.F.P.s out, letting contracts, receiving parts, designing the box, writing the manual, doing all the ancillary stuff. If only it were just designing the car!

So let's be realistic and say 2014.

[Col]

snip...

So let's be realistic and say 2014.

and this is why I like X-Factory - simple, honest answers:thumbsup:

Thanks Chazz

[nosequehacer]

Small company, BIG people ¡¡¡

[The_doctor]

thanks Chazz thats all i wanted to know........

:D

[mintzant]

Hi Vasiliios,
The X7 project is still on-going, expect to see further development during this season with an expected releases towards the end of the 2013 summer season anticipated. That really is all we are allowed to say at present sadly.

Best Wishes
X-Factory UK
This is the answer (22.1.2013) in my same question from xfactory!!!

[YoungChazz]

?????????

[Twister]

Good things takes long time :) take your time and give us a great car :thumbsup: Yeah it is
Great to be in the x-factory family :thumbsup: take care chazz.

[YoungChazz]

Thanks for the props. You guys make it all worth while.

[Steve.T]

So whats the latest

[YoungChazz]

X Factory is probably the very smallest R/C car company in the world, and, as such, we are beset by all the problems of an ultra-small business. One of them is having just 1 1/2 total people, who must do everything from the janitorial work to the banking.

In the last three months we have experienced terrible problems with a critical supplier which have forced us to make big changes in what we do on a daily basis. These changes have kept Cube production going, albeit at a snail's pace, and stopped development work on the X - 7.

The logjam began to break on Friday, when we received the largest shipment of parts we have ever had at one time, parts which fit and are necessary on every current car.

Paul plans to be running 4WD at the upcoming CRCRC MidWinter and the Reedy Race, which tells you the X - 7 project is returning to the front burner. I keep saying this: Our first car was the X - 5, and 4Wd is where our hearts lie.

[Steve.T]

I'm a bit of a student of formula one history. The cooper car company started very small and yet changed the F1 world.
It would seem that (in my opinion) that X factory could be the "cooper" of the RC world

[adey]

A frank and thorough explanation by chazz there. Hope things get better for you chazz and we see the x7 in the shops soon.

[MikePimlott]

It would seem that (in my opinion) that X factory could be the "cooper" of the RC world

They already are with the X6, started something everyone now follows

I keep saying this: Our first car was the X - 5, and 4Wd is where our hearts lie.

:thumbsup:

[YoungChazz]

Thanks for the props, guys. Mike, I'd like to think we started changing things with the X - 5.

[Chrislong]

Im dieing to see what new stuff the X-7 brings even though im no longer racing, as everyone who knows me knows, I loved my X-5 sooooooo much, and my X-6 ofcause, but X-5 my favourite. :wub

[Loheswaran]

Out of pure interest is the X7 likely to require a donor car, or will it be sold as a full kit?

[JohnM]

I believe it's going to be a full kit, from what Darren at DMS Racing showed me, it's going to be stunning:thumbsup:

[KooBee]

Any news about this, it has been a bit quiet?

I read that Paul ran a modified B44 some while ago (At the Reedy race I think? Don't remember exactly...) instead of X-7. What was the reason for that?

[YoungChazz]

Here's the reply I just posted to essentially the same question on RCTech.net:

There has been one problem with all the previous X - 7s, and that, combined with some scheduling priority issues has stopped that avenue of development. Paul has decided to see if he can fix some of the problems inherent in shaft drive, and is using a B44 to test out his ideas. They seem to be working well so far.

The X - 7 had a unique steering geometry which gave it great steering for a 4WD, really just as good as a 2WD. A version of this has been grafted onto the B44 and it is working well. Also, Paul's improvements to the driveline are working well too.

Development of a new 4WD car continues, and whatever we come up with will be called the X - 7 -- it's the next number. It still may be like the first X - 7s, or it may be like this test bed B44, or perhaps something in between. Paul has several more ideas to try out on the B44. This is the fun of designing and testing new R/C cars.

[Chequered Flag Racing]

What's new?

Been 3 weeks since last update

[rcjunky]

Its a small company and the x7 isn't there #1 priority. Being a small company they need to focus there resources, and I believe that's still x6^2 production, so 4wd progress will be very slow and I'm sure Paul or Chazz will post every where when there's something note worth. You can also follow xfactory on facebook.

[YoungChazz]

Paul continues to run his modified B44. Nothing new to report on it -- the changes he made have worked great. Now back to Cubed production, updating the trucks, and making parts for D.M.S.'s S model...

[The_doctor]

hi guys one of club guys just returned fron the catus classic and told me that u were not going to go ahead with the X7 if this is true hav u thort of doing a X5 cuded based on the 22-4 as u could just have to make a chassie and layshaft as well as a new motor mount .....
as eveything is already done it would save in cost to make everything!!!!
just a thort......as ive just returned to driveing my X5-sq again it still kicks ass!!!!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[andy110m]

Any news on a new 4wd, we're now nearly 6 months on?

Be good to get another up date please.

[YoungChazz]

The X - 7 project is way back on the furthest-back burner at present. There are too many other things for us to do right now, all of which can be done quickly with minimal cost and decent profits. We are having great success with the new Infinity line of parts and are re-designing the two trucks, with the SCX - 61CF and X - 61CF slated for release soon. C.A.D. for the short course is almost finished and testing has been successful on the SC as Paul demonstrated at the recent J Concepts race.

Updating the two trucks will be simple, cheap, and quick as it's mostly just cutting new CF. The X - 7, on the other hand, will require a massive investment of time and money, both of which are currently in short supply. The X - 7 will involve at least five new molds @ about $8000 each -- we estimate a total investment over $100,000 before we produce a single car.

The X - 7 prototypes run by Paul and Ellis were excellent cars with a number of engineering innovations that have not appeared anywhere else since, and are very fast. In the past three years we have learned a ton and probably can make the car even better when we get back to it. But that won't be anytime soon.

[discostu]

Ha ha normal story then.

[YoungChazz]

We are not laughing. There is a host of info in my post above, the sort of info you'll not find ever made public by any other company.

When the X - 7 project started we were most serious about it, investing much time and money. Making a whole new car is something we have never actually done, and we have learned it requires more time and money than we initially thought. I got sick during that time too, and business fell; therefore the cash stream fell.

Fortunately we've experienced an on-going succession of opportunities to earn profits by making great stuff, opportunities we could not afford to pass up, We have sold a bunch of short course trucks, for example. The Infinity line is selling very well indeed.

Will we ever make the X - 7? We started with the X - 5. Paul's first R/C car of any sort was a 4WD Tamiya, and his first real race car was a XX-4. If we are ever going to make the X - 7, and as stated above the engineering concepts are still ground-breaking and valid, growing our business with these other products is vital.

[RogerM]

Keep pushing Chazz and doing what you need to do to grow your business, plenty of recent 4wd cars out there at the moment for people to work through ;)

The RC racing scene would be a much duller one to be part of without the smaller companies such as yours

[Steve.T]

Ha ha normal story then.

Highly inappropriate comment.
X factory should be respected for not bringing out the car before its totally ready

[Origineelreclamebord]

It's a bummer to hear... but at the same time it's for the better: With the dedicated attitude to the hobby that you have, you deserve to have the X-7 go in the books as a beautiful car, regardless if it remains a concept or makes it to production (though I'm sure everyone will love to see the latter)!

And let's not forget, who knows what the future will bring in terms of production technology. If you ask me, it's reasonable to expect tooling costs will drop in the future. 3D printing has opened a whole new world to mould making, and with the rate of developments and patents lapsing on key technologies in the upcoming years their potential will grow and the costs will reduce :)

[fil9144]

Highly inappropriate comment.
X factory should be respected for not bringing out the car before its totally ready


Totally agree

[fredswain]

I don't think the general public has any clue just how expensive injection molding is. Each part is quite cheap. It's the molds that are extremely expensive. Thousands of dollars each. A tradeoff needs to be made on those too. Do you want a cheaper mold that can only pound out 1 part at a time and therefore make a smaller quantity? Do you want a more expensive mold that can make a dozen at a time? Did your initial mold design work? If not, could it be modified to fix the issue or did you have to have another made at several thousand dollars? How many molds were necessary for the job? One? Two? Twenty? Each at several thousand dollars. What are the projected sales? Will it be enough to cover the investment in equipment and tools to build it as well as ongoing maintenance? This all assumes contracting out to an injection molding company. How are those molds going to be paid for? Up front in cash? Credit (loan)? Amortized over production life of the molds. That brings up another point. What if those molds wear out? It's more money. This is only talking about molded parts and not everything else.

Let's pretend for a moment that these guys actually started a company to make some money. That's the goal of every company. If it's not a goal there are two possibilities. One is that they aren't in business very long. The other is that they are setup as a non-profit agency. I don't recall seeing any good products coming out of nonprofit agencies that aren't intended as handouts for the poor. With money being a definite need and goal, they need to spend lots of it before they can ever even sell a car. What if you had to spend the same amount of money as it would take to buy a house up front just to sell an rc car kit in the hopes that you not only make your money back but actually make a little bit more? How long would you be willing to be at a loss until that happens? Not many would do it, and not many do.

They can't spend money they don't have. They need to generate revenue before they can generate product. It's an evil cycle but works best gradually over time by reducing risk. A new car is a huge risk.

I don't laugh at them for this. Especially with only a couple of people doing everything. This is very tough and it's respectable that they are doing this. Obviously they do it for their enjoyment too. Too often a hobby stops being a hobby when it becomes a job. This is far more than a job for them. It's way past that. It's their way of life. Give them a little credit for the effort. They sure look like they are tackling it correctly.

[YoungChazz]

Thanks, Fred.

[rcjunky]

Steve and Fred hit the nail on the head. I thought Chazz had a conservative number at $100k in tooling for a new kit, I guess there's more machined parts then I though, but that's a lot of money. If they're spending that much money, it better be perfect, if they don't feel that that's where they're at, I think it would be silly to build the car. I think they're possibly one of the smallest companies in the industry, I imagine making a car and have if fail could possibly put them out of business. They'll have a lot on the line to build a complete car in such a competitive market. The whole 'normal story' thing is a complete cheap shot, they've got to make a living to make, and only they know what's best for there business

[YoungChazz]

Thanks Andrew. As Fred says, it's become a way of life for both Paul and me.

[xx4racer]

What happened with the X7?
Will it produced or not?

greetings

[Steve.T]

I think X factory have been concentrating on a truck and the X7 has taken a back seat.
Mind you, after having owned four X5's, I'm curious too.

[Buggyman]

did anybody ever see the layout of the car. ?

[JohnM]

Yes & it had some nice ideas in it.

[Losi_110]

Would it not be more of a viable option now with 3d printing coming along like it has? The rc world needs some new ideas throwing into the mix.

[Darren Boyle]

Would it not be more of a viable option now with 3d printing coming along like it has? The rc world needs some new ideas throwing into the mix.

Not really..... since there was a fair amount of aluminium and carbon parts in the construction of the car.

[Chequered Flag Racing]

did anybody ever see the layout of the car. ?
2010 prototype down the page
http://www.petitrc.com/index.php?/forums/topic/10910-x-factory-x7-new-4wd/

[Darren Boyle]

2010 prototype down the page
http://www.petitrc.com/index.php?/forums/topic/10910-x-factory-x7-new-4wd/

No, that was the X57 (half X5 half X7) that Ellis played with.

I have that car with me too (or what's left of it) as well as the X7 both in my office :woot:....

[Chequered Flag Racing]

No, that was the X57 (half X5 half X7) that Ellis played with.



:thumbsup: / :blush:

[Losi_110]

Not really..... since there was a fair amount of aluminium and carbon parts in the construction of the car.

I thought the main limiting factor was the cost of getting moulds made for all the plastic parts? Real shame. Still I guess the ideas will gradually work their way in.

[Steve.T]

Is this still in development or on the back burner?

[Darren Boyle]

This project ended quite some time ago sadly. Funding was just never there for it.

It is such a shame since the prototype that belonged to Ellis sits in my office currently and each time I see new 4wds coming out I see many significant features that were on the X7 proto that goes to show just how far ahead of its time it really was ...

I wonder if X-Factory would ever allow us to sell this piece if iconic history.....

[MikePimlott]

I wonder if X-Factory would ever allow us to sell this piece if iconic history.....

OR at least let you share pictures and the ideas behind it :)

[Tom3012]

+1 on what Mike said!

[Darren Boyle]

Don't think that will be allowed to happen sadly...

[YoungChazz]

Without re-reading everything above -- I just found out oOple still exists -- let me talk a moment about the X - 7.

First, we believe today that two important engineering concepts on the X - 7 remain vital improvements on 4WD R/C cars. One is in the driveline and the other the steering. The X - 7 still accelerates and steers like no other 4WD car.

There are two problems which continue to prevent us from making the car.

First, we can't find belts and pulleys that will survive the incredible power of today's LiPos and brushless motors. We are making at least double and perhaps three times the power we were just 10 years ago, and with the best parts we could find at the time, we couldn't make the X - 7 driveline last more than one race weekend. It was crazy fast, but we won't sell a car that requires that much maintenance and associated cost.

Second, the X - 7 would be our first complete car -- nothing from a donor car, and no off-the-shelf parts we could buy. The start-up cost is massive, a half million dollars or more to do it justice, and we just don't have anywhere near that much money.

So we'll continue designing making CF parts in house that improve other cars and see what the future brings.

[The_doctor]

Man get investers...
I still own all my X factory cars and will never sell them should c my X5 2 new tamiya belt in it from t
New single belt touring car
Bring it out..
If u guys made t x6-3 in metric I'd race it still one if the best cars and adjustable 😥

[Steve.T]

Without re-reading everything above -- I just found out oOple still exists -- let me talk a moment about the X - 7.

First, we believe today that two important engineering concepts on the X - 7 remain vital improvements on 4WD R/C cars. One is in the driveline and the other the steering. The X - 7 still accelerates and steers like no other 4WD car.

There are two problems which continue to prevent us from making the car.

First, we can't find belts and pulleys that will survive the incredible power of today's LiPos and brushless motors. We are making at least double and perhaps three times the power we were just 10 years ago, and with the best parts we could find at the time, we couldn't make the X - 7 driveline last more than one race weekend. It was crazy fast, but we won't sell a car that requires that much maintenance and associated cost.

Second, the X - 7 would be our first complete car -- nothing from a donor car, and no off-the-shelf parts we could buy. The start-up cost is massive, a half million dollars or more to do it justice, and we just don't have anywhere near that much money.

So we'll continue designing making CF parts in house that improve other cars and see what the future brings.

Chazz, very happy to see X factory heading in the right direction.
$500,000 start is a huge amount of money and I think you deserve credit for not continuing with the X7 rather than making an attempt which would be compromised through lack of money.
I loved my X Factory cars (I had 4 X5's and one X6) and would be very tempted to run one again if another conversion kit came out

[daz75]

Schumacher I assume make belts last longer than that in the L1

[andy110m]

and every manufacturer producing a touring car. Those guys are running silly power in mod, down to 3.5 turn and those powertrains last.

[Darren Boyle]

A touring car belt is under nowhere near the strain of that in an off road buggy. Its not just the spinning speed but the torque and loads imposed on it too... Also not just the belts, but the pullies to match as well.

[andy110m]

I think the loads in touring would be higher. More acceleration with 3.5 motors regularly used in mod, high traction loading the transmission then max brakes.

That said in off road the landings will shock the drive. It'll probably be similar so surely possible.

[Darren Boyle]

Hi Andy, you only have to look at the size of belts used to see, most tc are 2.5mm to 3mm wide yet the off road ones are 4mm to 5mm or even 6mm in cases. The torque is what destroys them and that is intense in off raod, hence why if you compare the tension on off road cars belt to an on road ctc they are significsntly tighter

[The_doctor]

I've had this for many years

[The_doctor]

Still wish this buggy was made😀😢

[MOGGIE XL]

Do you have a better picture of this car. Is it the official X factory X7

[The_doctor]

yes this is the X 7 and no photo's without body ….best pic I could ever fine!

[isobarik]

Looks a bit like the Yokomo yz4 or vice Verza .

Med vänlig hälsning, iso

[The_doctor]

yes belt wise but a lot more going on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:thumbsup: