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Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 3:16 pm
by XLR8
Lonestar wrote: Fri Jul 19, 2019 3:37 am
XLR8 wrote: Thu Jul 18, 2019 11:14 pm AE's list of discontinued parts grows.

Part #: 6225 (Steering Blocks, white)

Bodies are gone:

Part #: 6121 (Viper Buggy Body, clear)
Part #: 6160 (Protech Buggy body, clear)
Part #: 6162 (RC10 Turbo Mirage Body)
Part #: 6181 (High Down Force Wing Kit)

Is there anyone else making the original Protech body?
I assume you checked with TBG and Penguin?
Yes, no one has it -- yet. Hopefully, someone will start reproducing it. I have a couple NIB but doubt I will ever use them now that AE has discontinued them (yeah it seems really dumb to want to keep things in their original package but there you go).
Meanwhile, the Mirage variants are still available from Old RC and TBG so they'll do. Also, TBG has the Protech 2. I guess I just prefer the original Protech body to the later ones. That new body from Andy's looks really nice.

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 6:36 am
by Lonestar
XLR8 wrote: Fri Jul 19, 2019 3:16 pm
Lonestar wrote: Fri Jul 19, 2019 3:37 am
XLR8 wrote: Thu Jul 18, 2019 11:14 pm AE's list of discontinued parts grows.

Part #: 6225 (Steering Blocks, white)

Bodies are gone:

Part #: 6121 (Viper Buggy Body, clear)
Part #: 6160 (Protech Buggy body, clear)
Part #: 6162 (RC10 Turbo Mirage Body)
Part #: 6181 (High Down Force Wing Kit)

Is there anyone else making the original Protech body?
I assume you checked with TBG and Penguin?
Yes, no one has it -- yet. Hopefully, someone will start reproducing it. I have a couple NIB but doubt I will ever use them now that AE has discontinued them (yeah it seems really dumb to want to keep things in their original package but there you go).
Meanwhile, the Mirage variants are still available from Old RC and TBG so they'll do. Also, TBG has the Protech 2. I guess I just prefer the original Protech body to the later ones. That new body from Andy's looks really nice.
If you want to have any hope that they will be reproduced, you also have to hope that someone hands them over a new one first... ;)

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 11:03 am
by XLR8
Lonestar wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 6:36 am
XLR8 wrote: Fri Jul 19, 2019 3:16 pm
Lonestar wrote: Fri Jul 19, 2019 3:37 am
XLR8 wrote: Thu Jul 18, 2019 11:14 pm AE's list of discontinued parts grows.

Part #: 6225 (Steering Blocks, white)

Bodies are gone:

Part #: 6121 (Viper Buggy Body, clear)
Part #: 6160 (Protech Buggy body, clear)
Part #: 6162 (RC10 Turbo Mirage Body)
Part #: 6181 (High Down Force Wing Kit)

Is there anyone else making the original Protech body?
I assume you checked with TBG and Penguin?
Yes, no one has it -- yet. Hopefully, someone will start reproducing it. I have a couple NIB but doubt I will ever use them now that AE has discontinued them (yeah it seems really dumb to want to keep things in their original package but there you go).
Meanwhile, the Mirage variants are still available from Old RC and TBG so they'll do. Also, TBG has the Protech 2. I guess I just prefer the original Protech body to the later ones. That new body from Andy's looks really nice.
If you want to have any hope that they will be reproduced, you also have to hope that someone hands them over a new one first... ;)
Yes, you've made a good point.
However, if I were in the RC body business, I might first approach AE and their supplier about purchasing the existing mold - with trademarked logos removed of course -- assuming the mold hasn't already been destroyed.
Reckon I could contact Old RC, TBG and Penguin and determine if there's any interest in reproducing this item. Hopefully, I won't be the first or only customer to make such an inquiry. Just looking at TBG's RC body catalog, they offer some relatively obscure items so I'd assume they aren't concerned about low production volume. Also, TBG mention that they mold to order so they don't carry inventory.
Do you recall other manufacturers who might be interested -- Andy's maybe?

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 3:10 pm
by KidAgain
Well guys 3 more items discontinued..........................

#6578 diff outdrive hub left
#6468 shock rodends
#6440 shock rebuild kit

This totally sucks

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 3:22 pm
by jwscab
yep, i got a bunch more emails today with the same message.......discontinued.

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 3:41 pm
by XLR8
So have I. Then I checked AE's website and just about everything is gone. It looks like we're back to scrounging parts from derelicts or ebay or wherever we can find them. Yee-haw. :(
I'd bet these early re-re haters are loving this.

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:14 pm
by XLR8
Old RC says "no".

Hello,
I am not doing those since I do not have a mold for them.

I might look into some solution to get them made. But it comes down to how best spend money for return on investment and risk. They could decide at any moment to start making them again. That would mean a bunch of wasted money for Sabula Tech.

Best Regards
Daniel Patridge
Sabula Tech


We'll see what the others say.

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:33 pm
by ChisaiKuso
XLR8 wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:14 pm Old RC says "no".

Hello,
I am not doing those since I do not have a mold for them.

I might look into some solution to get them made. But it comes down to how best spend money for return on investment and risk. They could decide at any moment to start making them again. That would mean a bunch of wasted money for Sabula Tech.

Best Regards
Daniel Patridge
Sabula Tech


We'll see what the others say.
I seriously hope that you are not going to ask TBG. :(

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:19 pm
by XLR8
ChisaiKuso wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:33 pm
XLR8 wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 8:14 pm Old RC says "no".

Hello,
I am not doing those since I do not have a mold for them.

I might look into some solution to get them made. But it comes down to how best spend money for return on investment and risk. They could decide at any moment to start making them again. That would mean a bunch of wasted money for Sabula Tech.

Best Regards
Daniel Patridge
Sabula Tech


We'll see what the others say.
I seriously hope that you are not going to ask TBG. :(

Of course and I've already asked. After all, our options are pretty limited here. Besides, I've gotten probably 20 - 30 bodies from them over the past few years (mostly buggies) and I've not had any serious problems. If they do agree to reproduce this one, I reckon it will be a little undersized like all the rest but that's not too difficult to overcome. If you don't like TBG for any reason, then please don't buy from them.
I was going to contact Andy's but I realized that they make their own designs rather than reproductions - same for Pro-line. Who else should I contact?

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 11:55 am
by jbmeyer13
KidAgain wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 3:10 pm Well guys 3 more items discontinued..........................

#6578 diff outdrive hub left
#6468 shock rodends
#6440 shock rebuild kit

This totally sucks
This is really irritating; these are critical consumables not obscure seldom used parts.

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 12:03 pm
by GoMachV
For a little clarity, I recently asked Curtis if we could buy a bunch of parts oem such as the outdrives and other common parts. This is one of the reasons why they will not even produce the low hanging fruit like shock rebuild kits and other parts that sell. The other factor being that they don’t have a say in what Thunder Tiger allows them. This isn’t the old Team Associated that had the tools and molds in the USA and could make small runs.

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 12:10 pm
by XLR8
I agree completely! Very irritating. Guess we're gonna need to find alternatives.

Meanwhile, I've just received this message from Steve Haskins at Penguin, via his ebay account, regarding availability of reproduction bodies:

Yes I do the protech, protech 2, viper, turbo mirage, Parma eagle, all for the rc10, 👍
Toyed with the idea of the mirage (without side scoop) as I have a new uncut one to do it from , but it’s essentially the same as the turbo one
Steve


I've no experience with Steve's products, are they good?

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 12:17 pm
by GoMachV
I’ve never owned one but I have heard very good things about them 8)

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 12:21 pm
by jwscab
yes, I hear nothing but good about penguin. They also sometimes pull/sell correct rc10B2 bodies.

yeah, it's frustrating for sure.

Re: More AE parts being discontinued

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 12:33 pm
by XLR8
GoMachV wrote: Tue Jul 23, 2019 12:03 pm For a little clarity, I recently asked Curtis if we could buy a bunch of parts oem such as the outdrives and other common parts. This is one of the reasons why they will not even produce the low hanging fruit like shock rebuild kits and other parts that sell. The other factor being that they don’t have a say in what Thunder Tiger allows them. This isn’t the old Team Associated that had the tools and molds in the USA and could make small runs.
With this, the manufacture of vintage RC10 parts has officially moved from a corporate endeavour to a cottage industry.
For my part, I plan to remain in this hobby for the foreseeable future so I'm willing to soldier on.
Modern RC buggies really don't interest me.