I think it's a great topic. My 2nd hobby is lurking, and I've been seeing rips on Traxxas quite a lot. And I know that by the nature of our hobby, we are a damn hard group to please. We demand quite a lot from these businesses. So criticism is nothing of a surprise. What IS (was, whatever) a surprise is how much... I'd say animosity there is towards Traxxas, which I see as a fantastic company. I've watched them jump from "total noob brand" status in the 1990's to producing the Maxx in '99, which was big, big deal! Working at my LHS off and on for 5 years gave a lot of insight into many brands. Traxxas, in my mind, is one of the top dogs as far as quality, well-thought out, fun, and reliable rc goes. What irks me is watching "rcnoobguy2008" get talked out of a rusty, or an Evader, or a T4, or XXXT, for some obscure or complicated thing they'll struggle with.
So like I said, I think this topic rocks. I'd like to see what it really is that people seem to hate about what I feel is one of the best in the biz. I'll strike a nerve to do it if I have to.
How bout this... would Traxxas be more appealing if their products were made in the U.S.?