RC product cycles
03-04-2004, 03:55 AM
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RC product cycles
im a newb and have a few q's
what do product cycles look like? for example, does a new rc10 come out every year? what about motors, esc, radio
if so, what time of year do these products get released?
what does tech cycles look like? how quickly do things get faster, lighter, stronger, etc
also, i have a circa 1991 RC10 Team Car (stealth tranny) and wonder how much its worth on the market. its been built but never run...
thanks for any and all!
what do product cycles look like? for example, does a new rc10 come out every year? what about motors, esc, radio
if so, what time of year do these products get released?
what does tech cycles look like? how quickly do things get faster, lighter, stronger, etc
also, i have a circa 1991 RC10 Team Car (stealth tranny) and wonder how much its worth on the market. its been built but never run...
thanks for any and all!
03-04-2004, 10:27 AM
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RE: RC product cycles
What are you a market analyst??
I have thought about this but this is the first time somone is actually asking this question LOL!
In my opinion.. The product cycles are based on sales and competition.
"Bread n butter" money-making cars like the RS4 by HPI and the TC3 by Team Associated are always supported and sold but they come out with new chassis' and new names for the ones with "new technology".
I personally think that there is much more technology out there.. but since we break stuff, the industry uses cheaper high-density plastic parts and thats where we are now.
PRoduct cycles are actually not that long.. about 1-2 years from what I've seen. New products come out.. but the old ones are still sold because the products need a "reputation" to be sold.
It seems soo easy to establish a maket base in this industry especially since people arent hesitant to "tout" what they've bought or convince other to but something just because "they like it" even though it may not be the best product (Case in point.. TMAXX).
Aftermarket support is also HUGE! That also seems to make or break your life on the market..
Hope that helps.. thats my opinion anyway!
ram
I have thought about this but this is the first time somone is actually asking this question LOL!
In my opinion.. The product cycles are based on sales and competition.
"Bread n butter" money-making cars like the RS4 by HPI and the TC3 by Team Associated are always supported and sold but they come out with new chassis' and new names for the ones with "new technology".
I personally think that there is much more technology out there.. but since we break stuff, the industry uses cheaper high-density plastic parts and thats where we are now.
PRoduct cycles are actually not that long.. about 1-2 years from what I've seen. New products come out.. but the old ones are still sold because the products need a "reputation" to be sold.
It seems soo easy to establish a maket base in this industry especially since people arent hesitant to "tout" what they've bought or convince other to but something just because "they like it" even though it may not be the best product (Case in point.. TMAXX).
Aftermarket support is also HUGE! That also seems to make or break your life on the market..
Hope that helps.. thats my opinion anyway!
ram
03-04-2004, 11:38 AM
#3
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RE: RC product cycles
Excellent question; one that has no definitive answer.
I'll agree with ram on most of his points, but I think we're beginning to see a move by the manufacturers toward making the hobby more affordable and thus attracting more customers. The down side to this is that to make it more affordable, they're lowering quality.
I'll wager, however, that Kyosho is king of the hill when it comes to dropping products. Just take a look at the "Discontinued Products" page on their site. There must be fifty r/c land vehicles, at least.
And what about modifications to existing, established products? My grandson has a two-year-old RC10. He finally wore out the tires by doing doughnuts on the street. I put it off as long as I could, but when foam began showing, I knew it was time...
Rather than hassle with boiling water, etc., I just purchased a new set of wheels and tires. Glued the tires on, and...***??? The rear wheels didn't fit. I double-checked the package; yup, it said "For RC10 GT RTR". I had to so some serious whittling to get them on. No big deal, but I spent almost fifty bucks on this stuff, and shouldn't have to modify it to make it work. At least the front wheels fit okay.
Bottom line? I think life cycles are determined by the market; or a market executive. Not all decisions are made on sales, etc. The Kyosho Concept helicopter is a prime example. With this little gem, Kyosho had a BIG chunk of the market. They decided to drop it in favor of another design, which was a serious mistake. The Concept was selling well, but they wanted to get out of paying the designer a royalty for every kit sold. This was in 1994, and they have never recovered from it (helicopter market share, that is), since the replacement was a total dog. In fact, I keep hearing snippets that The Empire is going to drop Kyosho helis altogether because of slow sales.
And the Concept? They're still out there. There is almost a cult following, as a few of us still like and operate this machine. Kyosho really screwed the pooch when they dropped it. They realized their mistake and brought it back a few years later, but the damage had been done. Loyal customers, like me, were aggravated and had gone on to other brands. I have three Concepts and a good spares stash, but if you gave me a new, current Kyosho heli I would try to sell it to buy more Concept parts.
The Japanese hobby manufacturers have a history of here today/gone tomorrow. I see where the Nitro Rush is gone, replaced by the Rush EVO. The MT2 has replaced the NMT RTR. And so forth, and so on.
I try to keep in mind that these are toys, nothing else. Expensive toys, to be sure; but toys nonetheless. There are plenty out there to play with...
.
I'll agree with ram on most of his points, but I think we're beginning to see a move by the manufacturers toward making the hobby more affordable and thus attracting more customers. The down side to this is that to make it more affordable, they're lowering quality.
I'll wager, however, that Kyosho is king of the hill when it comes to dropping products. Just take a look at the "Discontinued Products" page on their site. There must be fifty r/c land vehicles, at least.
And what about modifications to existing, established products? My grandson has a two-year-old RC10. He finally wore out the tires by doing doughnuts on the street. I put it off as long as I could, but when foam began showing, I knew it was time...
Rather than hassle with boiling water, etc., I just purchased a new set of wheels and tires. Glued the tires on, and...***??? The rear wheels didn't fit. I double-checked the package; yup, it said "For RC10 GT RTR". I had to so some serious whittling to get them on. No big deal, but I spent almost fifty bucks on this stuff, and shouldn't have to modify it to make it work. At least the front wheels fit okay.
Bottom line? I think life cycles are determined by the market; or a market executive. Not all decisions are made on sales, etc. The Kyosho Concept helicopter is a prime example. With this little gem, Kyosho had a BIG chunk of the market. They decided to drop it in favor of another design, which was a serious mistake. The Concept was selling well, but they wanted to get out of paying the designer a royalty for every kit sold. This was in 1994, and they have never recovered from it (helicopter market share, that is), since the replacement was a total dog. In fact, I keep hearing snippets that The Empire is going to drop Kyosho helis altogether because of slow sales.
And the Concept? They're still out there. There is almost a cult following, as a few of us still like and operate this machine. Kyosho really screwed the pooch when they dropped it. They realized their mistake and brought it back a few years later, but the damage had been done. Loyal customers, like me, were aggravated and had gone on to other brands. I have three Concepts and a good spares stash, but if you gave me a new, current Kyosho heli I would try to sell it to buy more Concept parts.
The Japanese hobby manufacturers have a history of here today/gone tomorrow. I see where the Nitro Rush is gone, replaced by the Rush EVO. The MT2 has replaced the NMT RTR. And so forth, and so on.
I try to keep in mind that these are toys, nothing else. Expensive toys, to be sure; but toys nonetheless. There are plenty out there to play with...
.
03-04-2004, 02:06 PM
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RE: RC product cycles
Yeah thats VERY true..
The market has a long way to go but I doubti t will expand too quickly.. IF it expands at all.
I think the Hobby market in general will boom ONLY if the economy improves. Untill then it will only be the fanatics spending "maintenance money" on their toys.
Well time to go take a test...
Ram
The market has a long way to go but I doubti t will expand too quickly.. IF it expands at all.
I think the Hobby market in general will boom ONLY if the economy improves. Untill then it will only be the fanatics spending "maintenance money" on their toys.
Well time to go take a test...
Ram
03-05-2004, 01:25 AM
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RE: RC product cycles
thanks for the replies guys...actually, i do deal with research (equities) buggies r us, but i started thinking about this as i have been snowboarding heavily this season. as you may know "new" snowboards are released every year around oct or nov, but usually nothing changes technically except the graphic design.
