Druss

I don't see why you would need to get rid of a proven platform just to have innovation. You pointed to Traxxas as an example.

They basically used the rustler platform in order to produce the Slash but the idea, scale and fun of the slash opened up an entire new class. It made it affordable to not only buy a RC but to race one.

Next would be the summit, sure it's based on the revo chassis but the remote controlled low/high gear shift and diff lock are both innovative for a mass produced model.

The other advantage to sharing a chassis is that the existing upgrades will work on the new one.

There are holes in almost all of your arguments.

I want to stress again that regardless of whether these are made in the same plants or not, those produced to the QA/QC requirements of NA companies are still going to be higher quality both in fit and finish but in materials.

My company, and myself because I've worked in our engineering department, have first hand knowledge of the difficulty of quality control in China. Do you have the same experience?

zeo 1

not first hand but as a consumer and also working in at sears i can also see issues with quality as well i guess in a sense you can look at innovation is slowly building my only gripe now is to lower the cost on some of these models and really to call out all clones as bad isn't right or a fair justification i mean in reality its jst about all made in china

ASSOCIATED_DRIVER

Not sure about outsourcing, but I know defenitely that Tamiya has a manufacturing plant in the Philippines.

the-one1

Dude, you can't blame an old bad keyboard for bad grammar and punctuation. Let me guess, your SHIFT key no longer works right?

Interesting subject but like most people, I glanced over what I could not comprehend and read the posts with punctuation.

I've yet to see a clone that had the same parts as the real thing. They might look alike, but they are not the same. It's still a rip off of the original though.

EngageRC

clone? where is the original DNA?

Foxy

the-one1, there are many clones which are identical. Those which do not take the same parts cannot be described as true clones. they are simply 'cheap RCs', perhaps based on other models.

tommygun32

I personally feel the thread title should be changed from:

RE: thwe truth about some of these so called rc clones

TO:

My opinion about some of these so called rc clones

Access

What actually happens is that traxxas et. al gets their RCs built in China, and then shipped back overseas to be sold at prices no one except for the filthy rich in China could actually afford to pay. Then the factory people in China says 'hmm this is some pretty neat stuff we are building', or 'I'll bet my kid would want one of these', a local entrepeneur runs the factory after-hours or just copies the design and builds it at his own factory, intending to sell it locally. Sometimes sacrifices are made, but these vehicles end up being sold locally at prices a working person in China could afford. And then another entrepeneur realizes that he could probably sell the clones overseas too (even though they weren't originally intended for that market), and does the import/export thing. Gray market is one of the downsides of the whole labor outsourcing thing, along with the Yuan that is pegged artificially low to the dollar.

mufflerbearing

Traxxas has their own plant in Taiwan like most name brand mfg's. They make their own parts. Notice you don't see a lot of Traxxas clones? It is because traxxas has very strong patents on their vehicles.

Trinity has tried to sell a "traxxas type connector" and now Traxxas is sueing trinity's butt off for it.

This whole thread if full of BS. I think the OP is a chinese mfg. that is trying to justify making clones. That would explain the spelling too.

SAVAGEJIM

We say "clone" because it is more PC to say that. You can say "knock-off" which is much more correct since you are very much correct, where is the original DNA? So knockoff will be a more proper term in many cases.

Also, lets look at fake viagra, you know, those damn spam emails that fill up your email box every day. In many cases, those viagra pills are not real pills, they are made illegally in china and in many cases are just sugar pills. So, in this cloning case, where is the original DNA? Absolutely nowhere! But none the less, the knockoff chinese viagra is still just that, a knock off and illegal at that.

In legal terms, no one says "clone" or even "knockoff." They say "illicit" meaning an illegal copy or a fake that looks too much like the original thing. And for something to be illicit does not have to have the original DNA at all to be illegal and a knockoff.

Bottom line, an illicit product does not have to have the original DNA to be illegal.

just_right44

I have one of the T-Maxx clones (unfortunatley) ... I need a new battery box for it and the traxxas one doesn't fit, it's too long. Does any one know where I can find one that will fit it?

sheograth

You can search www.towerhobbies.com, they have all kinds of batteries.

teacher brent

Does anyone know where the traxxas factory in Taiwan is? I would love to go knock on the door and say hello.

nitrosportsandrunner

i like the chinese stuff!
it gives us more options. we can chose the lower priced, items which may or may not be as good as the name brands, or we can chose the name brand stuff.
i buy alittle of both myself.

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

Maybe they would be worth a crap if you spent more than $35 a piece cloning them. You sound like a retailer, let me guess... your markup is 4 or 5 times what you are actually paying for them? Clones are junk... even if they are an exact copy, the engines/electronics are crap, and the plastics/metals are crap. There is also no parts support. You are basically copying someone else design... and disregarding any patents that may be in effect, I have zero respect for that. All you are doing is bypassing the years of R&D and the thousands spent on market research. Even if these companies managed, by some stroke of luck, to put out a model that is actually worth more than pocket change... I would still not buy it. I would rather support the companies that have been good to me all these years.

Here is how the cloning works... it is not someone running the machines after hours at a traxxas factory, its some sleazeball over here that has startup cash, he sends a car down to china along with a few grand, in a few months he can start ordering them in bulk. I know someone that cloned some sun/ringle bike parts this exact same way.

mrgoodbar

If you had any knowledge of the subject you would know that no major manufacturer "patents" any of their rc cars or trucks, and haven't done so in quite some time. So in the greater scheme of things they are opening themselves up to this cloning, by shipping their designs overseas for production so as to save on manufacturing costs and to increase profits, They've brought it on themselves.

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

about 10 years ago, OS was in court for copying Novarossi's turbo plug. A complete car cannot be patented, but variations in electronic and motor design can be. What about the Deans plug? It has a patent number... but I see cheap knockoffs on ebay all the time. The medial pro tire? It has a patent... but I guess because its a french company, venom feels like they have the right to copy their honeycomb design. I cant imagine Novak would manufacture electronics without at least applying for patents, I think I recall seeing patent numbers on at least some of their electronics. I guarantee I have more knowledge on this subject than the average hobby enthusiast. But thanks for your two cents, the effort was appreciated.

qoisdhc oqina

My Feedback: (-1)

With him it always is.

mrgoodbar

Then you would be wrong, they used to do it all the time back in the day.
Now, just to get all the paperwork through the pipeline would hinder bringing new product to market. Companies just don't have the time.

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

Ok? Heathkit patented an entire car 40 years ago... that point does not really hold place in this discussion. So you are saying that No current companies have open patents? Even though I see a parent number on a tire?

mrgoodbar

You missed the whole point apparently. Associated, Losi, others I can't pull off the top of my head, used to apply for patents for their cars and their designs all the time.
We're talking about whole cars, not a vagrant bit or piece here and there, that was what the discussion was about, relative to "clone cars" and whether or not manufacturers held patents (not that China is under any obligation to abide by US Patents) on their cars and designs.

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

Well that's funny... I don't see a parent number on any of my gold tubs, or even on the box. I don't see a patent number on my old street weapon. I do see parent numbers regarding electronics, like on this old LRP (ae) esc box. No... they don't have to abide by us patents overseas... but the turd paying for the cloning (someone over here) is under that obligation. Either way... patent or no. Anyone who buys a clone supports terrorism. [8D]

mrgoodbar

Funny, but I just went out to the workshop and I was looking at all the boxes of all my old rigs from long ago. Almost every single one has some sort of Patent Label, numbering, or Patent Pending notification, either on the box or in the instruction sheet.

I'd never buy a clone either, but I think the "supporting terrorism" suggestion is a bit much.

midntpumkin

i buy clones all the time but not cars , i buy the hobby king 450 helicoptrer clones of the align trex450 , so would buying a 450 clone from a chinese company that cloned another chinese company be considerd a terrorist. sorry after that statement i need to side with mrgoodbar because he makes me laugh[&o][sm=lol.gif]

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

I dunno, but being stuck with an esky would kinda suck... those things are crap.