ORIGINAL: SAVAGEJIM
This is not a cheap hobby, and I personally believe that it being an expensive hobby instills some sense of responsibility.
Knowing that you paid a grand or more for a gasser will help keep you in check so that you dont indiscreminatly and purposefully go out and run into things knowing that you can fix it cheaply.
I do not mean to be elitist about this, I just say the hobby should not be cheap, and anyone who wants a gasser should save up.
Hold off on the instant gratification and practice the self-discipline to buy the original, which in most cases is better than the copy.
What??? I don't recall ever reading a post with more outrageous statements than this! I've read this entire thread now (which i must say has been thoroughly entertaining) and am dumbfounded that after several users posted sound logic and foxy continually provided the voice of reason, this post somehow found its way into this thread. I'm sorry if anyone finds this offensive but it is incredibly immature to claim that you are proportionately more responsible as you spend more and more money on a hobby (and I mean any hobby)! I mean, really? If I were to follow this logic to its furthest extent I would be one of the world's most responsible people if I were only willing to liquidate my house and my car and all of my savings and dump them into the ultimate original anti-clone 1/5th scale truck! And when my wife's family would ever so gently inquire as to where I got such a firm understanding of responsibility that neglected to care for my wife, four month old daughter, and any other meaningful thing in my life, I would simply reply that I studied at the SAVAGEJIM School of Responsibility.
But seriously, there's only one valid argument against cloning and that involves the legality of this practice. I think it has been established in this thread that, as angry as it makes some people, there are no laws preventing clones from being manufactured. So, the rest is just opinion and should be acknowledged as such, and nothing more. And I think that some clone buyers should start getting some credit for exercising "self-discipline" in actually considering their families more important than having to buy top of the line R/C's. I'll be the first to say that R/C's are fun, but if this hobby ever starts putting my family on the back burner I really hope I get a good dose of priorities really fast! Does that resonate with anyone else?