More AE parts being discontinued

[XLR8]

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.

[Lonestar]

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...

[XLR8]

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?

[KidAgain]

Well guys 3 more items discontinued..........................

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

This totally sucks

[jwscab]

yep, i got a bunch more emails today with the same message.......discontinued.

[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.

[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.

[ChisaiKuso]

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.

[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.

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?

[jbmeyer13]

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.

[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.

[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?

[GoMachV]

I’ve never owned one but I have heard very good things about them

[jwscab]

yes, I hear nothing but good about penguin. They also sometimes pull/sell correct rc10B2 bodies.

yeah, it's frustrating for sure.

[XLR8]

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.