Does the hobby really need to be cheaper?
ThunderbirdJunkie sees a lot of guys, presumably younger (14-18 sound right?) saying this hobby needs to be cheaper.
It's gotten so much cheaper than it used to be it's not even funny.
Back in the day, if you wanted a Stampede, you had to drop about 300 bucks for the truck kit, charger, batteries, etc, before you could run it.
Now, the truck comes assembled, ready to go, and most everything you need in the box for under 200 clams.
We've seen drastic price drops across the board. Where at one time, $80 bought you a lower-end speed control, we now have brushless systems for that. Want a matched 6 cell 3300 pack from Trinity? Cough up $60+ dollars, then assemble it yourself. Want a charger with lots of features? That'll be $150.
Now you don't even have to turn commutators.
And what about 1/8 scale buggies?
If you even wanted to look at one ten years ago, you had to have $800 in your wallet just to get going. Now? $300 (and cheaper?) RTR buggies that don't suck flood the market.
The real problem is, as the hobby gets cheaper and more accessible, those of us who choose and want the top-of-the-line goods in radios, speed controls, servos, and other peripherals are getting bitten by the cost-cutting actions of even the top-tier manufacturers' top-tier products, trying to bring their equipment down to a more palatable cost for the relative newcomer.
Is there really an advantage to RC becoming cheaper? Sure, it helps the new guy out to get into it...but please...stop cutting corners with higher end equipment as a result.
Discuss[&:]