first i don't think that it's anything about where it's made. it's about WHY it's made there. it's just that RTR's are for people that don't know the value of RC (highly price elastic) and chassis kits are for those that do (lower price elasticity) so for RTR, they try to get make as cheap as possible. and since RTR's require labor while chassis kits don't, making them in asia makes sense. furthermore, the things made in asia may be lesser robustness because the customer (including US RC brands) specify cheaper materials, lower tolerances and less stringent quality control. if they wanted a car built right, they could still get it done but at a higher cost. the majority of the worlds laptops are made in china, you think your car needs more precision? a large percentage of ABS car parts (full size) are made in china and taiwan, you think your RC car needs to be more robust? RTR's maybe not be as good as their kit-made counterparts... BUT IT'S BY NOT ANY MEANS A RESULT OF BEING MADE IN ASIA!!!

second, you can't buy an RTR thinking that it's going to be the same as a kit-built car. three words: value for money. if RTR's were just as good, then NO ONE would buy kits. and to be honest, RTR's are good. just don't expect them to outperform cars costing twice as much! if my $200 RTR outperforms my $400 CHASSIS KIT, i'd be crazy (or rather go crazy) RTR's are meant for screwing around in the parking lot or out back. you still can't crash them all over the place. but if you treat them with some level of respect and understand that their parts are not meant for the same punishment as some more expensive ones, you'll have a good time.

third, if you're going to spend $500 on a $250 RTR and regret it, WHY DIDN'T YOU BUY A KIT? i wonder that myself. and the truth is that a lot of mods are more for bling than anything else. if it's for engines, well then that's an upgrade everyone makes. if it's for radio gear, then, i think most RTR people are okay with just the basic stuff. i have friends running twin RS40's with the original pistol grip controllers. they are doing fine. i've run my superten with a kyosho mini-z tx without any problems. has dual steering rates, too!

lastly, false (or at least inflated) advertising is a part of our lives. if you believe everything on the box, then you'd own every single device ever marketed by infomercials. you know, do you own a car that runs forever without oil, washboard abs with 3 minutes a day, richard simmons as your personal trainer, and dinner table centerpiece that is george foremans lean mean fat reducing grilling machine?

ps. AE asks "What percentage of the parts made in the U.S. will qualify it as American-made?" - then they say that the kit's are "made" in the U.S.A. i'm not really sure that's too conclusive. i mean it could well mean that only some things are made in the states and a large part still done in asia. i would venture to say that many of the AE parts are made in china.