Well, as far as a higher price goes, by the time I'm done modding these little bootches I've got about $40 into them anyway, so big deal. Another way they could keep the price the same is by selling the controller seperately, which you could do if a single controller was capable of transmitting all frequencies. That would be a nice step, as I have a grocery sack full of unneeded controllers.

Of course you have to imagine Tomy has something up their sleeve, too. It's going to be a fun winter!

I agree, even $20 for the existing ones is a stretch for something so small and simple. The mark up on them has to be high already. I am hoping they sell them rather cheap with just the car and controller, minus the body top, motor, wheels and axel. I have plenty of motors, axles and body tops I will never use right now.

I dunno, I've heard that the mark up is small and that's why the salesman keep pushing batteries with the sale to help offset the low profit margin. And, I think 40.00 is a good price even if it is limited proportional like the vipers. I agree about the controllers being sold seperately. I've got a butt load of spares too. But, knowing RS corporate, they'll package things in the most stupid and profitable way possible. Like the purple motor being packaged in a huge upgrade kit. I mean, ZZs are the only brand of micro that doesn't package motors individually. You gotta buy at least two upgrade kits to get two purple motors if you want two cars equally balanced to race. Which means you end up with a lot of parts you don't need. So, I expect RS to do the same if these babies are really comin. And, I'm sure there is room for the PCB under the shell. I've seen ZZ conversions with epoch PCBs and they fit. Springs on the front is an easy one. The back is a bit more complex as the rear tab can't really bounce up and down since it's supposed to fit the old shells as well. A T suspension in the rear won't do it. So, I'm curious about that one. And, it is possible to make a micro servo in the front, Puchi's did it some time ago. No, I think it's all VERY possible. But, we'll just have to wait and see.

I am willing to bet the packaging and ads cost more than the production of the actual product.

You and just about everyone else.;)

$40 will be too expensive for me. you mod it, you break it, you lose $40. i dont know about you but $40 can go a long way, especially if you are 14 years old. i think once i get my tmaxx i am selling everything i own that is zipzap related and spending my money on better stuff... like tmaxx upgrades...

if they still sell the regular ones for $20 still, then i wont mind. making everything harder and harder for the consumer to get what he wants...

This should be interesting, either way.

I hope the price will drop with time too, propo steering is a nice thought.

maybe there not a servo with a case like we're all invisioning perhaps there just a small motor with a worm gear attached to the wheels via gears like the inside of a servo. kinda like building a servo with the chassis as the case. that would keep the cost to produce them down a little.

good thinking!

Hey flatlander,
You're gonna love your T-maxx dude! I got a Traxxas Nitro Rustler about 3 yrs ago and it still runs great. I've never had to rebuild the 3.5 motor! I sure wish I had waited a little longer for the T-maxx to come out when I got my rustler. Nitro RC is tha' dope! Very cool! Now I'm married with a baby so I no longer have the funds for the nitro rc hobby anymore... It's a little expensive to keep em going but it's a blast! Traxxas is definately the way to go for a guy on a budget...they run like heck and they're easier on the pocketbook than others, and the parts are as close as the nearest hobby store. I've had a broken front shock on mine for months and haven't got around to getting a new one. If I remember right I was reading a while back about the new models having a little faster motor than the older 3.5's. Mine runs an easy 35+ mph and it's bone stock with the exception of dirt hawg tires in the back and a few cosmetic goodies. When you get your t-maxx will you post some pics...I know this forum is about mini rc but I'm sure others will like to see it. I'll post a pic of mine if I can find the cd with all my pics on it. (I just built a new tricked out pc and I'm trying to get everything all dialed in still)
:cool:

Absolutely! That's consumerisim at it's worst. It's like shampoo. The cap on the bottle actually costs more than the shampoo inside. But, we can only blame ourselves for that. Do you remember the "generic" movement of the seventies? Manufacturers decided to try lowering costs of products by offering them in simple black and white packaging. It failed miserably. Fact is, we buy the flashy, colorful package. What's inside is secondary. We come home, take out the product, and throw the package, which was our incentive to buy it in the first place, in the trash. You pay 4.00 for a box of cereal, and the box constitutes 3.75 of the cost to produce it. We could all be enjoying much cheaper and more accessable products if we could just deny our instinct to buy glittery colorful packaging. But, history shows we can't do that.

oi. i cant wait, as far as the bits go i dont think they are going propo, the new super bits arent, so maybe then zz may take over the market. full suspension, i really want that, we have speed figured out now we need handling, suspension will help bucketloads.

What are these super Bits I been hearing so much about? I mean, what's so super about em? Are they longer? Dual celled? Don't look like pokimon toys anymore? What?

uhhh all i know that the box says super on it and the controller looks different, cool bodies too.

A couple more tidbits I heard tonight, they are talking digital propo and the price is supposed to be $29.99.