Hobby Town USA Distribution

[arch2b]

Originally Posted by KyoshoAmerica

What did you want to know? Maybe i can help you. This might help as well.

http://www.kyosho.com/eng/support/in...ano/dnano.html

again, thank you. i've updated the lineup sticky with additional car information.

[Murdoch]

heh.. isn't this cute.

Still fawning over the dnano's even though there is no support for them now. Why don't you grow a sack and tear kyosho a new one for this bonehead move.

oh that's right i forgot. you're so much of a fanboy you can't even see past your infatuation for these things. rather bend over and take it instead of actually having the cajones to say something.

dNanos are dead. time to move on.

[arch2b]

read the thread... most of it gets into just how we feel they botched it here. you pick a reply or two where info was shared in good fashion in order to justify your own bitterness.

no, they are not dead. they are over a year old already in japan. mini-z's were in the same situation when they were new here. it just takes time and a good product. 10 years later and mini-z's are doing great. lets just hope it doesn't take as long for the dnano.

i take your reply for what i think it's worth, worthless ranting because you don't like how it was handled. so what, get over it, get around it and move on.

[RsFan]

Geez, I just joined because I love mini and micro RC stuff, the first thread I read is this one and wow...is there always this kind of bickering?

I don't know what the big deal is anyway, I have a friend who's got a DaNano and it;s pretty cool. I wouldn't spend that much on one, especially since my Xmod with the Atomic motor will stomp it, but hey, if you have the money and want one why not? They have nice looking bodies, so what if they are a little slow? So was my Xmod before I hopped it up.

[Murdoch]

Bitterness? Are you crazy? No bitterness here, just calling the bs when I see it. Charging an arm and a leg for them, cherrypicking locations and killing support tells me they don't care about them or you guys.

But if you want to chase after them like a six year old with an infatuation, go right ahead.

[RCP-Tracks, Inc]

I think it will take a little time to get the tracks to all the stores. They have a bunch HobbytownUSA stores already in the loop to get started on the racing program, so maybe a little patience is in order. The dNaNo has only been here in the states for about 4 months now. It takes a little time to get such a unique program up and running.

On another note, I've been working on a new program and have something in the works to get clubs involved in dNaNo racing here in the states. Give that a little time too and things will start to pick up before you know it. Like arch2b said, it took the Mini-z many years here in the states to get established. I believe Kyosho has spent a lot of time and money to design the dNaNo and like most of their other products, produced a very unique and high quality RC car. With a little time, the dNaNo has the potential of being just as great and popular as the Mini-z within the small scale RC community.

[betty.k]

howdy gang, been a while!

in my experience, kyosho have had a reputation for producing quality products at enormous prices and with minimal support. i have no idea where to buy genuine kyosho products anymore.

it's almost as if they want to keep kyosho customers as part of an elitist club. i think me, ph2t and oldtamiyaphile are the only australians that have heard of dnano's.

it would be easier (and cheaper) to find an epoch and convert it to miniz electrics than to buy a dnano, which i have done. i don't care how good dnano's are, their exclusivity has put me off them for good.

as bad as kyosho are on this topic, i think ht have missed a big opportunity by not going with the entire track/parts/readysets deal (whether it was their fault or kyosho's).
i'm fortunate enough to have a dedicated 1:28 track and shop within walking distance of my house. the track is one of those iwaver "imat" tracks (rcp ripoff), they have a dedicated pc based lap counter/transponder setup.
the shop is a fully stocked iwaver dealer with readysets, upgrade parts (both iwaver and atomic) as well as all other scale rc's.
i've only been going there for about 6 months now and have already spent around $500 on rc's there. and that's not including track time fees.

so not only have kyosho shot themselves in the foot, they're robbing ht stores of an opportunity to find new markets.


shame kyosho, shame.

[Millertime]

I just wish we could get an honest answer on what's happening exactly. It's the lack of information in any form that is creating all the rumors and raw feelings.

As far as we can tell there hasn't been a new dNaNo track in any store for several months. And given that one of the track's main features is the scoring system tied into global rankings, it's very unlikely that tracks ARE out there and we don't know about it. That's not something that makes me optimistic - it simply cannot take that long to produce and deliver one single track.

One of my local HT stores has said they were the 4th in the US to sign up. I tend to believe that claim as they do have a pretty good selection of dNaNo cars and parts, with no track to support it. I've talked with the people there and they know that these will not sell well if at all unless they can get that track in the store to promote it. I just can't imagine the store owner putting out that much advance on 7-8 cars, readysets, and parts without expecting that they would also get the track. So why is it that they have been told "a week or two" for several months, and now they say they can't get a straight answer at all?

[arch2b]

i think it's fair to say we all agree that kyosho is failing in regards to how this was launched, handled.
those with experience, know the product is of good enough quality and the price is actually fair when you consider what your getting compared to a mini-z (tx, autoscales, charger and batter excluded and overpriced).

is this doomed to failure? i would think it's an easy claim to make however this was said of the mini-z too and 10 years later here we are.

is the dnano a world wide phenom, no. it never was. mini-z's were not either. they have been in japan for over a year, here a couple months, elsewhere, i'm sure it's still planned but behind schedule as most kyosho things are.

are we consumers who want these upset? sure. who isn't when they have a hard time buying what they want. again, mini-z's were not easy to buy either but that improved. are we some fanboy for still wanting these, why is it necessary to put that label on someone who enjoys something despite the hardships to get it? am i just as critical on how the product launch was and is being handled as the next person. just makes me a more educated buyer. atleast i know all the troubles going in vs. tossing money at ebay to get it hear first. for all my want and rants, i at least can return mine if needed.

kyosho usa has in my opinion been about worthless when it comes to mini/micro rc marketing, much less product information. save for a few brave souls who gave thier time to share information we got/get bumpkiss. even stores that sell them know less than us at times. i think rcp has done more to promote the mini-z (and likely dnano) than kyosho at trade events and broader market venues.

i still believe club racing is far more valuable to a product long term success than store tracks. mini-z's have made it 10 years with little to no store support save for a few brave shops. 90% at least is club racing and or traveling sponsored series. i see dnano doing well in this model as well with the current and soon to come track products and god willing, the new lap timer (there are alternatives).

what i find pointless is for someone to come here just to ridicule those of us whom find these enjoyable and worth the headaches. complain, whine, toss things and yell to your hearts content about the situation if that suits you but why insult others?

i don't see the solution as terribly difficult. resale to ecommerce sites and that alone will be enough in my opinion. have someone translate existing japan websites to proper english and update product availability information and i'm a much happier consumer. and for gods sake, atleast keep the hobby shops trying to push your products up to date. how do they expect a store to promote something they get little info on. give them the tools they need.

[lornecherry]

...good points all around ...I want to emphasize to the naysayers that there is a significant difference between the dNano and the Mini-Z. Try as one might with a Z, you needed to take apart half your living room to set up a decent track. Apartment dwellers? They are really shut out, as a Z on a 10-foot track, no matter what the quality of that track, is not very fun.

I read so many threads from Mini-Z owners who never experienced the ‘miniature race car potential’ in the pre RCP days, because little thought was given to the overall racing experience at the Z’s introduction time. For that (and even though I made/sold tracks for a while), we need to thank RCP. In fact, I know I spent much more time on trying to improve the racing experience than modding the car itself. Those of us that endlessly dabbled in lap counters and tracks can sympathize with the frustration - like driving a Ferrari in 30 MPG zone.

Truth was, the Z was ahead of its time from an engineering perspective, and despite many cloning attempts, it has become the Toyota Camry of 1/24th scale.

The problem with the Z’s a launch was never the concept, quality or even the price, it was where, how and with whom. My biggest problem was WAF (wife acceptance factor), when 30 feet of track replaced our living room furniture on a weekly basis. RC is fun but expensive, divorce is only the later. My point? …if a car and track cost $500, it is not a toy, it’s a hobby and it has to fit into lifestyle of the target market.

Slot cars succeeded because of the easy form factor: set 'em up and race anywhere. Sure there were the die-hards with 200 feet of meandering track alongside a 1/64th scale city that took three months to build … but many parents put a smile on their kids face with a full race setup in the bedroom.

So what does this all have to do with the dNano? In short, the dNano represents the first hobby-class car that can be raced indoors in your own home, in almost space, with lap timing and tunable performance.

Kyosho is fortunate that the dNano concept is capable of outliving teething problems with respect to distribution, provided they do open sales up. (I should not have had to go to Japan to get my lap timer, after posting and asking for a month on the boards …not when the cars have been in the market for 4 months in NA. In this economy, there should have been a dozen dealers clamoring for that $350).

Forbidding authorized Internet sales cost Sony and other high end electronics manufactures huge market share earlier this decade; Kyosho should not make that well-documented mistake. If they authorize Internet dealers, it will not only satisfy customer demand, but gain much-needed advertising and PR, all while protecting the consumer from unauthorized grey marketers.

There are indeed caution flags with respect to giving the Internet-based lap timing to any hobby shop that wants it. Collaborative racing needs to be authorized and centrally controlled, while at the same time it is opened up … RCP has hinted in some threads that he has something in the works along those lines, and that is a good thing.

As for the argument the cars have been on the market for only for 4 months; if there is no strong availability up and running for the Xmas holiday buying systems, the cloners will eat the market share gap faster than you can say iDnano, or whatever name the cloners pick. Rest assured there is someone, somewhere reverse engineering all of Kyosho’s hard work as you read this.

Kyosho needs to understand that they can’t do this alone; and I want to be cautiously optimistic they do understand, given that they appear at least sporadically on these forums and are bringing in partners to make the dNano a racing experience and not just the world’s smallest hobby-class R/C car.

Things should improve, especially when the economy perks up …it’s hard to buy one of these for you or your child, when you see the company that makes your full-scale car parked outside is in Chapter 11. Not to mention that from a corporate perspective, marketing dollars are as hard to come by as a Paris Hilton weight gain.

The driving force behind the launching of the dNano must viewed from an overall market perspective, as a disruptive technology that may eventually replace slot cars altogether. And from that perspective, I kind’a smile every time I think about these little things. Even my wife approves.

[KyoshoAmerica]

Originally Posted by arch2b

actually, that provided a link to another page in english that has some of what i'm looking for. thank you very much!

not to get all picky and demanding but tim left some big shoes to fill in terms of helping to keep us up to date. over on mini-zracer for example he kept a sticky post, but listed all 12 months and simply updated them with product listings as they appeared.

this is especially important with dnano as there is currently no place to find product delivery dates domestically.

where can i find individual parts kits information and pictures? the 'new' parts listing on the japanese site has them as they are newly released but the images are rotated off and i can't find them anymore.

feel free to email me if it's easier than posting your response here.

If i find some time i will start to post on mini-zracer.

Domestic delivery dates for any Kyosho product is very simple to calculate. You can almost always count on it showing up in the US about a month after it's release in Japan.

Check out this site http://dnano.jp/

[arch2b]

do you have an order sheet? i've spoken with HTUSA employee's who have said they have no idea what they can order as they were never provided with order information, only packaged product deals. i have to scroung up part numbers to provide them to ask you if they can order them. this is an unsustainable model that i hope gets corrected soon. at this point those who read here know more about what is and isn't available.

[Millertime]

KyoshoAmerica (Sorry I don't know your real name ) -

Any comments on the availability of more tracks for HT USA stores? Personally I bought my dNaNo with the expectation of taking place in the standardized racing with global rankings. Let's be honest, the price of a dNaNo is above the curve for total startup costs. Now the value for that initial cost is very good in my opinion, with 2.4ghz radio and RFID transponders coming standard.

Without the Kyosho tracks the transponder is worthless, and in my opinion that takes a big chunk out of the value that offsets the price.

[mugler]

Originally Posted by Millertime

Without the Kyosho tracks the transponder is worthless, and in my opinion that takes a big chunk out of the value that offsets the price.

Ditto.

Better planing should have been implemented on the availability of store tracks!

[Hobbytownsean]

Originally Posted by arch2b

read the thread... most of it gets into just how we feel they botched it here. you pick a reply or two where info was shared in good fashion in order to justify your own bitterness.

no, they are not dead. they are over a year old already in japan. mini-z's were in the same situation when they were new here. it just takes time and a good product. 10 years later and mini-z's are doing great. lets just hope it doesn't take as long for the dnano.
i take your reply for what i think it's worth, worthless ranting because you don't like how it was handled. so what, get over it, get around it and move on.

Very well put. From a dealer stand point the lack of pictures and discriptions does hinder the process a bit. BUT......these things are selling well along with numerous parts. I understood that parts would be on back order when we put in our initial order. The Rep at Kyosho that I speak with is very knowledgable about the whole program and has answered all of my questions from both myself and customers that I get info for.

So to say that Dnano's are dead is a joke. All new product launches (especially R/C) take some time to get rolling. I back Kyosho 100% on this venture and look forward to all the stores (including mine) getting the tracks setup. That is when the Dnano's will really come alive on the market.