Am I wrong or Super Avante doesn't sell?

[bRIBEGuy 2547]

5 hours ago, Saito2 said:

I'm sure the price hike (here in the States at least) will certainly help boost sales too.

Price hikes suck!  But are also sort of inevitable...

I'm not completely convinced I subscribe to the "TD4 isn't selling" point of view that many are touting.  I know locally none of the shops can keep them in stock, and online it seems to be hit-or-miss... though not really too hard to find one.  I think as a new buggy (just not a limited rere), Tamiya likely produced quite a few of these kits (and in no less than 2 variants) and as such, may have created a situation that seems foreign to many us: Cars that are easily available.  But here's the thing... RC cars are supposed to be easily available.  The last few years has seen an odd "spike" in demand in the hobby, and coupled with supply chain issues, almost anything has been hard to get.  But now that some kits are staying on the shelves, it seems the TD4 haters are quick to point figures and assume it's because the car is a flop.  One of my LHS's has probably 12 Traxxas X-Maxx trucks in stock right now, as well as a few Losi LMT's, a couple Midnight Pumpkin Black Editions, and a shelf full of Axial SCX24's.  That has been the case for MONTHS, and effectively just represents "normal" stock levels.  I've never walked into the shop once and heard people commenting on how any of those cars must suck or be over priced based on the fact that stock is available.    

Is the TD4 polarizing?  Heck ya.  But think of how bored we'd be if EVERYONE loved it! 

Is the TD4 expensive?  Also heck ya.  But what isn't?  It's cheaper than the Avante 2011 Black Edition rere will be, and more expensive than the ThunderShot rere.  The quality of the kit compared to those two probably makes the price seem in scale (in my eyes at least).  In context (which makes me want to puke...), I paid less for my TD4 kit than I did for my last 2 tanks of gas in my truck.  

If I wanted to complain about anything on the platform (aside from the low hanging fruit that is the incorrect wheel color and questionable body styling), it would be the price of the TD2, not the TD4.  When the TD4 came out, you could pick one up locally for $399cad.  They are now $499 most places.  But the TD2 is $399!  I know I very well could be out to lunch here, but that seems really high for the 2wd variant of the same chassis.  Heck, it's the same price here as a TLR 22 5.0 DC Race Roller... and that's a full race chassis (which the TD2 is not...).  BUT..... what do you compair the TD2 with?  Nothing really.  And so maybe it it priced accordingly?  Sort of like the TD4?

Our hobby is expensive.

[Aerobert 1984]

Just ordered mine for €250 posted. 

[Robert5000 928]

I will buy a Super Avante, if for nothing else because it's what I've been hoping Tamiya would do, their modern take on a retro buggy with proper box art. 
The body hasn't convinced me in it's swedish flag livery, but @moffman's look great, and luckily you can buy it unpainted. Dismantling most of it to get the battery in and out isn't ideal, but I can probably live with that. 

[Klausen 1151]

I am really happy with mine. Agree not the best looker, but it was an great build, and I have no used in three races, and it is getting better and better. I know have all the hopups for it, and look forward to see if it ads some to the handling. But already I am really happy with it.

[moffman 5359]

15 hours ago, Robert5000 said:

I will buy a Super Avante, if for nothing else because it's what I've been hoping Tamiya would do, their modern take on a retro buggy with proper box art. 
The body hasn't convinced me in it's swedish flag livery, but @moffman's look great, and luckily you can buy it unpainted. Dismantling most of it to get the battery in and out isn't ideal, but I can probably live with that. 

Time will put the super avante in the long line of quirky buggies that tamiya have always been producing! I remember when the original hotshot appeared back in the early 80s and at our local school hall club people were commenting on how the radio gear was a pain to get to and remembering back then you had to have easy access to the receiver because changing crystals was the norm when racing! But look how fond everyone is of the hotshot (and rightly so it's a ultra cool looking buggy) and we've had numerous buggies, trucks and cars (vajra?) That tamiya's quirky division have breathed on over the years and I can only hope it continues for many years/decades to come?

[Robert5000 928]

Nice point on the quirkiness @moffman! And when I see your Super Avante I can't help think Tamiya didn't show it from its best angle in the promotion shots. 

[GeeWings 2770]

15 hours ago, moffman said:

That tamiya's quirky division have breathed on over the years and I can only hope it continues for many years/decades to come?

 

Good points. 

And more importantly how could someone look at that Hotshot and not fall in love...

[Jonathon Gillham 4514]

7 hours ago, GeeWings said:

Good points. 

And more importantly how could someone look at that Hotshot and not fall in love...

The only reason is they would remember they had a Boomerang at home so it would be a meaningless fling with the Hotshot...

[GeeWings 2770]

14 minutes ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

The only reason is they would remember they had a Boomerang at home so it would be a meaningless fling with the Hotshot...

Fair call

I’ve still not purchased a Boomerang. It was the first car that was ‘mine’ after my brother officially gave it to me. I love them but feel like if I buy one now my RC collection will be complete

[Jonathon Gillham 4514]

1 minute ago, GeeWings said:

Fair call

I’ve still not purchased a Boomerang. It was the first car that was ‘mine’ after my brother officially gave it to me. I love them but feel like if I buy one now my RC collection will be complete

I know that feeling, but since buying a Boomerang I have added so mamy cars to the fleet, and now want another Boomerang. The Novafox and Boomerang kicked off the rere thing for me, I have a NIB Novafox in the garage (actually need to check it didnt get ruined from the recent rain...) and really want another Boomerang, although then I might be finished and thats terrifying. I'd either need to stop or buy a bigrig and I don't have the skills of @Re-Bugged to do that justice!

[GeeWings 2770]

@Jonathon Gillham I’m also still holding out hope that my boomerang is in my dad’s loft. I’m pretty certain it isn’t but until I’m sure I don’t think I could buy another one.

[Re-Bugged 9388]

There’s always the option of a pre-painted Big Rig @Jonathon Gillham, you’ll have to build some of those other cars you have stashed first to make room though they are in a big box 😉

[Saito2 6033]

Digging this one up after some time has past. So, do we think the TD4 is destined to be an orphan car that will fade into obscurity or will Tamiya push forward with new body shells, etc, After the initial excitement, was this a success or failure?  

[Twinfan 765]

I haven't built mine yet, but I picked one up recently for use as a cheap basher along with a couple of diff nut Hop-Ups.  Then I picked up some Big Bore shocks and springs, and metal bevel gears, and the rear damper stay, and the slipper clutch and - you get the idea.  I like "new stuff" so even though I wasn't sure about the TD4 at first it grew on me a bit and getting one for just over £200 tipped me over the edge.

I also have a pre-painted TD2 with a full set of Hop-Ups to go on it when I build it, plus a set of four TD2/TD4 kits (both pre-painted and non-painted) in my NIB collection.

So the collector in me thinks they'll be a short-lived thing and I've picked them up while they're around, and the driver in me wants to taste the latest Tamiya chassis.  Ultimately, and I've said this in another thread somewhere, I think their future depends entirely on how popular they are in Japan.

 

[chris.alex 181]

The price has apparently dropped. In some shops you can get it for well under 200€ like 169€ at "d-edition". If you can buy it for so (relatively) little money, I wonder if it's a slow seller? 

[simalarion 2150]

My overall feeling is that TD4 is doing quite poorly but not a complete disaster, the BBX on the other hand i have a feeling is doing quite well.

I would pick a BBX over TD4 myself.

Edit: Yes, they are quite different buggies performance vice, and a rougher buggy handling rougher terrain suits the Terrain where i live better, so that has a  huge impact also.

[Twinfan 765]

I'm not sure many people would cross-shop the BBX and TD4.  Very different appeal to potential buyers in my opinion.

I don't see the TD4 as appealing to the stereotypical Tamiya buyer, hence the slow sales?

[Collin 1937]

I have to admit I am VERY! happy with TD2/4. Finally some useable balldiffs for my Dyna Storm gearbox conversion

[Kowalski86 2181]

3 hours ago, Saito2 said:

will Tamiya push forward with new body shells, etc, After the initial excitement, was this a success or failure?  

I anticipate it being like Tamiyas DT line-up, a decent yet stagnant line-up of buggies without much more development.

The main problem is that Tamiyas "mid-range" kits, don't sell nearly as well as their cheaper kits.

[ThunderDragonCy 7285]

I think the TD4 is a great buggy let down by awful body. If Tamiya did something better looking or a little more retro I think it would sell. 

[Elbowloh 689]

56 minutes ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

I think the TD4 is a great buggy let down by awful body. If Tamiya did something better looking or a little more retro I think it would sell. 

Indeed. The body was the only thing holding me back from getting one...and then the BBX arrived and i purchased that instantly.

[urban warrior 142]

Interesting thread. When the "Super Avante" was released I wasn't very impressed. All that already has been said: battery accessibility, crude wheels, an the sacrilegic use of the name. Only to name the major arguments. Apart from that it has some nice features: the wheel-mounted fenders, "windows" to see the inside mechanics. Maybe those are weird features, but I like them. The price has significantly dropped now. With some ideas in mind, I could get one quite cheap.

I remember when I stood in that legendary hobby shop (Modellbau Slezina) in the vincinity of the zoo in Frankfurt (several decades ago), opening the box of the newly released Avante. But at that time I was more interested in monster trucks than buggies. So I bought the even quite new Clod Buster instead. I never really had to regret that buy. But later I was a bit pitied about not having bought the Avante too. Well here in Germany both models weren't that far from each other in price. I guess around 50DM difference (699DM and 649DM, not sure if I recall that correctly after more than 35 years). So it could only be one. Well finally I bought a re-re for a steep price about a year ago. My Avante will never be raced. It's really a piece of sentiment. I believe the years 1986 and 1987 were the best years in my memory, when it comes to rc modelling. But I still welcome the new technologies in our hobby today. The bad things at that time were batteries (1.000mAh or 1.200mAh NiCds), speed controllers (no ESC was really able to cope with a Reedy Pink Dot motor at that time) and radios (every additional pair of channels costed a fortune!). I guess I am swinging back and forth between the past and the future. Always trying to get the best of both.

Cheers

Martin

[hamtaro 78]

If you go by the number of after market/3rd party hop ups available for the td2/4 then you would have to say it is seen as unpopular and not a big seller.  People have been breaking hubs in races and no alloy ones or strengthened composite plastic ones yet.  Kinda says something really.  I would get one despite hating it but don't want to get an orphin

 

[Saito2 6033]

9 hours ago, chris.alex said:

The price has apparently dropped.

 

4 hours ago, urban warrior said:

The price has significantly dropped now. With some ideas in mind, I could get one quite cheap.

I've seen this too and almost pulled the trigger finally. Space is at a premium though and I definitely want the BBX over this plus saving space far a potential return of the RC10. Its a shame the body was so utterly brutalized by someone wielding one heck of an ugly stick. It would be easier to spend to cash if it at least looked good out of the box. (imo)

[Klausen 1151]

I have been racing my TD4 for two seasons now, and I am really happy with the car. I also bought a second one, plus all hopups for it, to build up as a shelfqueen. But I guess it haven’t been the fastest seller for Tamiya, but I think it is quite underrated.