|
powderific posted:Ugh, I picked up a bearing set and shocks for the M-05ra at my local shop and they gave me the wrong shock set. I told them they didn't look right and the guy insisted that the dude who pulled them from the shelf raced M chassis cars and knew what they were. And, since they don't have the right shocks in stock, I'd have to wait an unknown number of weeks to get the right ones. And they'll only give me store credit on exchange. Think I'm gonna go back to buying on the internet. How long has it been? You have 9 weeks to dispute/chargeback, unless there is some officially stated policy of no returns on their fuckup, involving the bank is easy for both of you to deal with. They sold you the wrong product, and they don't have the correct one. God forbid if you paid cash.. then you've got essentially nothing to do but suck it up and use the credit, and not patronize them in the future.
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2012 19:39
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 16:40 |
|
|
powderific posted:Ugh, I picked up a bearing set and shocks for the M-05ra at my local shop and they gave me the wrong shock set. I told them they didn't look right and the guy insisted that the dude who pulled them from the shelf raced M chassis cars and knew what they were. And, since they don't have the right shocks in stock, I'd have to wait an unknown number of weeks to get the right ones. And they'll only give me store credit on exchange. Think I'm gonna go back to buying on the internet. hobbystore.txt krushgroove posted:That's why you need to walk in with the part number. Be sure and tell the owner how disappointed you are with the service. Yes, it's his fault. Sorry about your issue powderific.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2012 19:42
|
|
|
front wing flexing posted:hobbystore.txt ...Not really what I was saying, but okay.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2012 19:46
|
|
|
krushgroove posted:...Not really what I was saying, but okay. You shouldn't have to walk in with a part number to get the right part at a hobby shop. It's not like I even expect them to memorize parts or whatever, but they have catalogs and inventory systems. There are a lot of resources supplied by the manufactures just for this purpose.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2012 19:53
|
|
|
Yes, you went to a hobby shop. To buy parts for a specific car. From the experts. That means you took time out of your day. You went to THEM. You trusted THEM. They sold you the wrong part. If you're doing part number research before you goto the hobby shop, your hobby shop has utterly failed you. My local carpet course, knows all of the shock available for their commonly raced classes of cars. Including the ones they don't carry. Where are all the "good hobby shop" stories?
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2012 19:56
|
|
|
Nerobro posted:Where are all the "good hobby shop" stories? Back in the eighties and nineties. Basically, before the internet. Edit: This hobbyking shirt says it all. Find out who your real friends are at your club with the HobbyKing.com T-shirt! Strike fear into the hearts of store owners by wearing this 100% cotton topic of conversation to your local hobby store & watch their attitudes change as you proudly wear your battle dress whilst perusing the shelves of overpriced locally acquired merchandise. Prepare to be loved or hated at your next R/C convention or meet-up. The iconic HobbyKing.com trademark is an internationally renowned logo, a beacon un to others as to the true king of R/C, the consumer! This shirt is a reminder that no distributor, store, vendor or manufacturer can ignore with the collective voice of the astute hobby customer. This T-Shirt guarantees* the wearer will be impervious to overpriced goods and fake hobby store owner friends for a period of 6 months. Available in M, L, XL, XXL sizes. *Guarantee not guaranteed. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2012 19:57
|
|
|
I don't think krushgroove was saying that it's the consumer's fault, just that the lovely service is the new normal and you pretty much have to bring the part number since you can't rely on the store people. Which this an other experiences apparently bears out. Definitely not the way it should be, but advice I'll be following in the future. Unfortunately, they do have some stated policy about returns only for store credit. They weren't that expensive so I guess I'll just find something of equivalent value to exchange, but I'd rather have put that money towards ordering the right thing in the first place. In the future I'll just be more patient and order everything big online if I can.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2012 20:45
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1xjcyyuDM0 
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2012 20:48
|
|
|
Nerobro posted:Where are all the "good hobby shop" stories?
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2012 20:49
|
|
|
front wing flexing posted:You shouldn't have to walk in with a part number to get the right part at a hobby shop. Of course the shop is at fault, my main...issue, I guess? after hearing that story is that the shop isn't taking care of the situation, so Powderific is disappointed, annoyed and out of pocket, and there's another bad shop story to share with other RC folk. Nerobro posted:If you're doing part number research before you goto the hobby shop, your hobby shop has utterly failed you. Your shop must be the 1%, you're tremendously lucky. I wouldn't expect a shop to know about or stock the parts for anything but the cars that race at their track, this is why I mentioned looking up part numbers. There's no way to know everything about every new kit comes out, which is why shops should have (at least access to online) kit manuals and an internet connection in the shop to look up stuff. I've heard plenty of bad information from shops as well (usually along the lines of 'oh that kit is coming out next month' or 'that part is discontinued', which annoys manufacturers and simply misinforms customers. That said, the shops I was familiar with in the US usually had a nitro guy, an off-road guy, an on-road guy, or a Tamiya guy, an Associated guy, etc., and they might know just about everything in their field, so as a whole the shop would be able to help out 99% of the people that walked in - if the specialist was in. But these were usually the largest shops - smaller shops have to rely on manuals and other info from the manufacturers. e: powderific posted:I don't think krushgroove was saying that it's the consumer's fault, just that the lovely service is the new normal and you pretty much have to bring the part number since you can't rely on the store people. Which this an other experiences apparently bears out. Definitely not the way it should be, but advice I'll be following in the future. That is exactly it, thanks for understanding. I was posting from my phone while watching TV, and I've now switched to my computer  I should have expanded my initial reply to say that when I do just about any purchase over $/£20 or so, I research the hell out of it. Phone, tablet, laptop, hard drive, computer mouse, TV, anything like that. I wouldn't expect to walk into Best Buy or its equivalent and get all the correct information from the people working in that department, it's Buyer Beware just about anywhere. krushgroove fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Oct 23, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2012 20:55
|
|
|
Nerobro posted:Yes, you went to a hobby shop. To buy parts for a specific car. From the experts. In other news! I ordered an Axial EXO buggy kit. Should be a good time to build this weekend! They dropped the price some time ago, I had a 550 ballistic motor kicking around so why not?!
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2012 23:43
|
|
|
Wound up just exchanging it for some springs and deans connectors. The place has a huge racing crowd (it's the place Needknees mentioned in Omaha) so maybe customer service doesn't matter to them. I'm mostly just frustrated because my little project snowballed a bit due to me just not knowing a whole lot about Tamiya. Seemed like a great cheap little kit, but the extras you need add up a bit. The stock friction dampers in particular blow my mind. Still pretty excited for the little thing though. Always thought they were neat and it has been a fun kit despite the setbacks and annoying hobby shop. Seems like it'll be small enough to make a pretty decent track in the basement of my work too. The Exo looks amazing--I might pick up a kit once budget allows. Seems like they handle well and the Dingo kit was great to put together. powderific fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Oct 24, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2012 02:11
|
|
|
Well, I have some good hobby shop stories. As I've said several times, Harbor Hobbies https://www.harbor-hobby.net They are knowledgeable, of their classes, and even classes they don't run. They have fair prices. (on everything but batteries.) And the people who run the joint are great. Some of the patrons are ... a little elitist. They are a r/c car shop. http://ad-venturehobbies.com/ Ad-Venture hobbies, in Wheeling Il. They're mostly a static model and airplane shop. The airplane people are friendly, and quick to help. The r/c car people are hard to get to talk. They have a huge stock of used stuff, and they take models on consignment. I got my MSR for $50 there. The local HobbyTowns are hit and miss. The one in highland park is run by a guy with what I think is a sweedish accent. And they have a bunch of very passionate people working there. They have several full timers, and I've always gotten good advice there. The one in Lake in the Hills has a track. But they're not as friendly. The kiddos who are at the tech bench are usually absorbed in their own thing. The place is mostly stocked with planes, but the focus seems to be on the track. And there was really no real advice to be had on the classes, and what someone should run. When I asked, I got a bunch of wishy-washy answers, and nothing solid enough for me to turn around and try to pick out a truck. The track itself is musty smelling, but that comes from clay, indoors. It is well groomed though! I have, and happily do return there to spend my money. The one in Orland Park though, was painful. The layout is useless, and getting the attention of someone behind the counter to help you is an exercise in futility. Heck, trying to check out was a five minute experience. They do have a small rock climbing track.
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2012 05:44
|
|
|
powderific posted:Wound up just exchanging it for some springs and deans connectors. The place has a huge racing crowd (it's the place Needknees mentioned in Omaha) so maybe customer service doesn't matter to them. I'm mostly just frustrated because my little project snowballed a bit due to me just not knowing a whole lot about Tamiya. Seemed like a great cheap little kit, but the extras you need add up a bit. The stock friction dampers in particular blow my mind. Still pretty excited for the little thing though. Always thought they were neat and it has been a fun kit despite the setbacks and annoying hobby shop. Seems like it'll be small enough to make a pretty decent track in the basement of my work too. At that store Alex, Tim, and... Chris? (not 100% on his name) all seriously know their poo poo. I'm not as familiar with the other people and assume they cover the other areas in the store (planes, trains, etc). Sorry you had a bad experience there, it never makes things very fun  . While they've not always had every part I've needed they've been more than helpful. Hopefully that one bad event doesn't sour you on the whole place. It's an absolutely outstanding facility. On a happier note, the Tekno EB48 continues to amaze the poo poo out of me. That buggy is hands down the best 1/8th I've ever driven.
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2012 07:42
|
|
|
Hobbytowns are usually hit and miss, but then a lot of model shops are. Serious hobbyists don't usually make great business people, and the people that get hired in shops can be quite absorbed in chatting with each other or the regulars who come in every week, so they might not be the best sales help. I have seen some amazing shops, but sadly they are a dying breed.
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2012 08:41
|
|
|
It's taking forever for the shop I ordered the oil filled shocks from to ship, but I got the M05 far enough to take it for a spin sans body. It's really fun! I've never had an onroad car before, or a FWD for that matter, and it seems crazy to take hard turns on pavement without traction rolling. Totally different experience. I think I'll need to pick up a set of on-road tires so I don't wear the rally blocks down to slicks. Looots of wheelspin even with the stock silver can. Really can't wait to get a body and some proper shocks on it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2012 15:42
|
|
|
As a change up from my normal scale 4x4 stuff a former national carpet champ (who is also a super nice guy, name is Drew Ellis if that rings any bells for you onroaders) just opened up a carpet track in an old mall store a couple months ago. While they don't have a VTA class, they do have a stock w/ silver can motor Tamiya F1 class for beginners in offroad. I see those cars can be had used for only a $100. Do you onroad guys think that would be a fun class to try carpet racing?
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2012 16:26
|
|
|
Definitely, you just have to find F1/RC fans! They can be few and far between, it just depends on the area. It might have 'new and different' appeal, you just have to work to keep people interested.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2012 16:33
|
|
|
krushgroove posted:Definitely, you just have to find F1/RC fans! They can be few and far between, it just depends on the area. It might have 'new and different' appeal, you just have to work to keep people interested. Thanks krushgroove, I guess I should rephrase. They have been running this class for awhile at the track and I was debating getting into it myself. So this is a decent class for a beginner like myself? I think I'm going to go by the track and see if someone will let me take a few hotlaps in one.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2012 16:45
|
|
|
Ah - sorry, it was my misunderstanding. Reading too quickly! If you like F1 yeah it's a very cool class, especially if there are a few replica paint schemes running. It's just a simple pan car chassis so there's not much to tune, after you get it dialled in it's just about driving skill and patience. In my experience, as long as the racers want to keep it simple with not many options anything can be really fun, so give it a try, maybe there's someone at the track that has an F1 car they want to sell so you can get try it out cheaply.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2012 16:53
|
|
|
I'm not quite what I'd call an onroad guy (yet) but after a couple races and seeing f1 cars out there both times, I don't know if I'd want to run one. They look... odd. dunno if it's the tires or what, but they just don't seem that fun to drive. Raced my 1/12th for the second time last night and had a blast . Kinda getting the hang of it, although setup is still a mystery. There wasn't many people there but a couple of fast dudes, ended up qualifying 3rd and finished in the same spot after AA mains. I've pretty much got the pace to run with em but you CANNOT make any mistakes... especially on Omaha's track. If you get out of the groove at all there's enough dust on the track that it takes a few corners to clean the tires back off and be anywhere APPROACHING race speeds. I make too many mistakes  Col. Matrix take this with a (large) grain of salt but if your track has a stock 17.5t or superstock 13.5t, blinky esc 1/12th class I'd suggest that. If you want to go new, the kits are pretty reasonably priced. Used, there's always a bunch for sale on rctech. The cars are relatively simple and extremely fun to drive. The track I've been racing at has 13.5 blinky 1/12th and they're still shockingly fast. needknees fucked around with this message at 17:33 on Oct 25, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2012 17:25
|
|
|
Those are the two main classes that they run needknees. I don't have the money to blow getting into an actual race class but reading through the track forums it sounds like several guys are wanting to race VTA, and I'd be all over that. Those cars look so drat cool, and I could probably pick up an old TC3 or something to use for it. Off topic: Even though this probably belongs in the monster truck thread I figure it's relevant here. I can finally talk about a top secret shop project. Next week at SEMA we are debuting BIGFOOT #20, the worlds first fully electric monster truck. We just put the truck in the trailer to head to Vegas and it's awesome. It runs on 36 Odyssey Batteries with 1,200 hot cranking amps as well as 540 cold-cranking amps. The truck has approx 78 minutes of run time on a charge. Where the engine normally sits is a gigantic brushed electric motor. It was co-developed and built by a guy from Phoenix that drag races electric dragsters. We posted a crude video of it running today on our facebook. The drive train is close to a scaled up Axial Wraith! The electric motor is putting out around 900 foot lbs of torque. The thing sounds weird in person. Sounds like a huge clodbuster. The truck is a ghost being so quiet. We are doing the big reveal next week at SEMA. Here's the video - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3820640920443 EDIT - I literally know next to nothing about touring cars. Would a TC3 be the cheapest option for VTA racing? Anything else I should look for? I really only have about $100 to play with to score a roller. ColonelJohnMatrix fucked around with this message at 20:27 on Oct 25, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2012 17:53
|
|
|
ColonelJohnMatrix posted:Thanks krushgroove, I guess I should rephrase. They have been running this class for awhile at the track and I was debating getting into it myself. So this is a decent class for a beginner like myself? Otherwise they are pretty strong, hard to break anything on them.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2012 22:34
|
|
|
ColonelJohnMatrix posted:Those are the two main classes that they run needknees. I don't have the money to blow getting into an actual race class but reading through the track forums it sounds like several guys are wanting to race VTA, and I'd be all over that. Those cars look so drat cool, and I could probably pick up an old TC3 or something to use for it. It's not quite $100 but AE just started blowing out their FT TC6.1 kits for freakin $250. I think they still have a TC4 club racer kit that's very reasonable as well.
|
|
#
?
Oct 25, 2012 23:13
|
|
|
ColonelJohnMatrix posted:Where the engine normally sits is a gigantic brushed electric motor. Why not brushless ?
|
|
#
?
Oct 26, 2012 18:28
|
|
|
buttcrackmenace posted:Why not brushless ? I'll find out next week when I talk to the motor builder.
|
|
#
?
Oct 26, 2012 18:50
|
|
|
joined the nitro club (only rc club in Qatar) Oh boy what have I gotten myself into. Mugen Mbx6r, still have to route the fuel lines, install air filter but before I do, I have to take out every diff and refill em and the shocks as well. Its the worst thing about buying used, however the motor mount is a kingheadz quick mount so yay! 
HoWSeR fucked around with this message at 20:08 on Oct 27, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 27, 2012 17:10
|
|
|
Had a lot of RC-ing today. Took the Dingo out to the park again and tried to get a couple passable photos. Someday I'll bring a real camera.     And when I got home some extra parts for my M-05 had arrived. On-road tires, LiPo compatible ESC, slightly better motor, and an aluminum steering rack. Oil shocks should be waiting for me at the office on monday.   I love this tiny car. It's small enough to be fun just racing around my driveway and sidewalk. With the friction dampers it bounces around like crazy. It's kind of cute—makes it look extra excited. The servo saver is giving my trouble though: on a hard bump, it decenters and won't go back unless I pull it straight by hand. How likely am I to toast my servo if I just take it off? Either that or a recommendation for a servo saver that won't do that. It's super annoying.
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2012 06:52
|
|
|
Maybe I'm out of touch with servo savers, but I'd be shocked if the servo saver on something that small is soft enough to actually have any servo-saving action. Personally I'd just take it off and enjoy. I doubt it'd hurt the servo, but even if it dies in a few months, a new micro servo is like $9.
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2012 06:58
|
|
|
In that case, what's a good cheap servo? The m05 actually takes a standard sized one.
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2012 07:16
|
|
|
Actually, discovered a servo saver on one of my unused Dingo parts trees and modified it to fit. Seems to work great! With the new motor the M-05 seriously roasts the tires. Is there such a thing as a limited slip for RC? Is that what ball diffs are? Despite being 2wd it gets around surprisingly well in the dirt, but can get stuck pretty easy if I don't keep up momentum. One wheel will spin a little hole for itself and then it's stuck.
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2012 21:35
|
|
|
powderific posted:Is there such a thing as a limited slip for RC? Is that what ball diffs are? Pretty much, yeah - you can try thick grease in the gear diff as a cheaper option, but unless your car has a sealed diff (I have no idea if it does or not) the grease will just spin out of the diff and you'll have a huge mess on your hands.
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2012 22:34
|
|
|
The Traxxas Summit has difflocks, which I still think is cool as hell.
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2012 22:43
|
|
|
drat that Mini is sitting high! Looking good though. I use the plastic oil shocks in mine
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2012 23:26
|
|
|
It's the rally version so it has a bit of extra ride height, and the stiff springs on the friction dampers don't help matters. I've got the plastic shocks on order and they should be in tomorrow. What weight shock oil are you using? How hard is it to get these things apart to work on the diff? It seems like you practically need to do a complete disassembly.
|
|
#
?
Oct 28, 2012 23:58
|
|
|
Nice pics Powder (on both vehicles). Yeah, what krush said. If you don't have a sealed diff you are going to make a mess by putting anything in there. Having a race truck/car with sealed diffs spoils you because of how great it responds to tuning with various weights of oil. We had another club meet today and some more guys showed up with really cool stuff. In addition to the trail running I finally finished my truck pulling sled and it was ready to go! It was a freakin' blast! Dudes keep showing up out of the wood work for these meets.           We got some go pro footage by using this "chase truck"!  You don't expect to see these at a scale meet. The first two are cool...but this Batmobile is sick! It's an actual hobby grade pan car that my friend got when he worked for Six Flags over 15 years ago. The tires are foam. The batmobile has never been run and has been kept in mint condition as a shelf queen. I should've shot it next to something because it's almost twice as long as a regular pan car. One of the coolest r/cs I've ever seen.   
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2012 02:42
|
|
|
I'm a huge r/c fan, and am not being a pedantic dick when I ask this. I race R/C cars and I love the competition. I love being able to out drive someone on the track and shave off 10ths of a second a lap. What exactly is the allure of just driving em around your yard, or in the crawlers case, just driving them slowly over rocks? Doesn't the fact that it's a toy car become extremely prevalent when it's just going a few miles an hour over some obstacles? Honestly wanted to know, not being a prick!
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2012 04:09
|
|
|
For me, I have rock crawling areas where it's actually very challenging to get the truck down my preferred line without flipping or getting stuck. Instead of competing with other people, you're battling the terrain. It's not the exciting rush of racing--more of a slow, calculating thing. It's a nice way to chill out. It's a different kind of fun than racing. And, really, they're just fun toys to play with? I totally understand wanting the competition and skill of racing, but it doesn't seem so strange to just want to gently caress around with the stuff instead.
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2012 04:23
|
|
|
OnlyJuanMon posted:I'm a huge r/c fan, and am not being a pedantic dick when I ask this. It's just fun. When I'm not at a track I kind of imagine my own circuit. I also like to jump ridiculous things that break my poo poo. I also find it massively relaxing.
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2012 04:27
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 16:40 |
|
|
OnlyJuanMon posted:I'm a huge r/c fan, and am not being a pedantic dick when I ask this. The simple answer would be that these are toy trucks and they look cool as hell. And yeah like powder said, some terrain is a real bitch to conquer. Most of our club is made up of guys who have a love of rc and 1:1 offroading. A bunch of us are burnt out racers that just want to dick around for a couple hours every few weeks. Our local track held a ROAR regional this weekend so I stopped by yesterday to see old racing buddies and let my 2 year old check it out. We were spectating for less than 2 minutes when a racer started berating a corner marshall for not getting to his buggy. There was then a multicar accident on a triple that was no ones fault and 3 drivers started dropping f bombs on the marshalls prompting one of them to yell at the drivers to gently caress off. I remembered real quick why i stopped racing and took my daughter home. That being said, i do intend on building a cheap pan car when i get more free time because a bunch of friends are racing on carpet now. The onroad/oval guys around here seem to be way more laid back and many of you people in this thread have me appreciating the crispness of a good road race. Road racing is the last segment of the hobby ive never tried.
|
|
#
?
Oct 29, 2012 05:09
|
|