RC10th wrote:I think as far as fit and finish the new kits are better, less hand finishing. I agree 100% the older kits were more fun to build. The new cars also work much better. I also liked the aftermarket of the late 80's early 90's, today there isn't really an aftermarket unless you want aluminum bits for your Traxxas.
So I don't know, I find on the new kit there is a lot of flashing and sharp edges on the chassis, the plastic parts are now super stiff, I guess I can see why they would be preferred over the softer nylon with brushless motors and all, it isn't like the old Tamiyas which had hard yet very brittle plastic, but still something about the new way of building them (no more e-clips, all the hinge pins are pushed in and then secured with screws, the hard plastic bits, the flashing on the parts....) it just doesn't seem to me as "well made" as the older kits were.
I remember someone saying that if they continued to make them in the US they would cost a fortune now, but still I kinda get the feeling building this one that it just to me doesn't seem as nice/fun and while the changes in engineering are interesting I personally can't see why they made some of them
I do agree on the aftermarket, now it seems like the only options I have are if I want to bling out the ride with all aluminum bits or spend a fortune to do a needless shock upgrade to big bore.
One of the things I loved about RC in the 80s - 90s was the customization and stuff they sold which added to durability/performance....sure I can get titanium turnbuckles and hinge pins now from Lunsford but why bother ?
I also think the older kits were easier to service, just looking at the front bulkhead assembly of the new car and if anything goes wrong with the steering assembly I can only see it being a pain to repair...my old Team Car everything was open and accessible, plus the screws really take some force to crank down now, I had some old hex drivers that I couldn't even use as I can't get the leverage without the handle on an allen key.