RC10 Graphite - the next re-release from AE?

[Wandy 1562]

Looks like the Graphite might be the next RC10 variant from AE. This image was posted on their ‘60 years’ celebration site and then swiftly pulled.

If we get a Graphite, Worlds and Championship Edition/Team Car by the end of this year it will have been one helluva 12 months from Associated. 

[IXLR8 1275]

Can't wait to see what's included with this kit and how it's presented. 

Collectors have been wanting the RC10 Graphite since it's so unique among the first gen RC10 lineup.

I really wanted to see the return of the Team Car but I reckon this is it for AE re-releases in 2024.  What a year!

 

[tamiya3speed 505]

I was never a big fan of the graphite but may not be able to resist getting one to admire.  The best news here is that it has to be just a matter of time until we get a Team Car or Worlds car.  Would also be super pumped to see a T2 or GT.

[RichieRich 772]

I have not purchased any of the "new" offerings from AE yet. I'm waiting for a Team Car or Worlds Car too. I have the original RC10 re-re and that was good enough for me for a 6 gear.

[Mad Ax 10130]

hmm...  It's great to see all this vintage support, but as I said on the Halsey Edition thread, these re-res aren't aimed at me, or at people who want to build and race these cars like it's the 80s and 90s.  They're aimed at collectors who want a box to go in their collection, maybe one to build and admire.  I can't justify that kind of money on something that'll get battered in a race and need 3D printed or aftermarket parts when something breaks.

I'm not sure what good flooding the market is doing either, even the wealthy collectors don't have unlimited funds.

[Saito2 7327]

I couldn't have said it better myself @Mad Ax. I (and others) waited a long time for the return of the RC10. This wasn't the marketing angle I was hoping for but I previously acknowledged it was a "safer" one that wouldn't leave unsold stock potentially sitting on shelves. Now, I'm beginning to question their strategy. How many pieces can you cut the RC10 "pie" into in so short a time and expect people to be coming back for seconds, thirds, fourths and so on? The timing for pumping out all this on is unfortunate on the US end too, with corporate greed reaching disgusting levels of collusion, inflating prices on necessities like groceries. I still fear this rapid fire expulsion of product is going to come to a sharp end at the end of the year at which point Associated will fold up their re-release tent, possibly for good. Hope I'm wrong.

[Hobbimaster 205]

I see this particular "Graphite edition" release as more of an answer to Fan RC. There is obviously a demand for these older RC10 kits, and AE was too blind to see it, that is until Fan RC reproduced some of their models.  Now to get Fan RC to make a JRX Pro, to persuade Losi to pull their heads out of their bums.

[mtbkym01 4170]

10 hours ago, RichieRich said:

I have not purchased any of the "new" offerings from AE yet. I'm waiting for a Team Car or Worlds Car too. I have the original RC10 re-re and that was good enough for me for a 6 gear.

Yes, I bought 2 classics and a worlds first time around, this time I got the 10T, will definitely try and get this graphite I think, but that may go close to seeing me out

[markturbo 212]

As someone who missed out on the first classic a few years back and ended up paying a premium later on to obtain one, well, this time around I didn't wait and pre-ordered all the ones that interested me and have no regrets. The graphite will be added as well. Great job by AE offering up these classics again. 

[GTodd 1562]

I really don't get the hate.  The world economy is garbage thanks to my countries horrendous leadership. Figuring in inflation rates the cost of these Rere are in line with 10 years ago.  

This team car is close to the price of fan rcs.  AE pretty much has to bring this out as Fan RC can't keep theirs in stock. 

As far as spares, check out AEs site, they are in stock with more coming each day. 

[RichieRich 772]

13 hours ago, mtbkym01 said:

Yes, I bought 2 classics and a worlds first time around, this time I got the 10T, will definitely try and get this graphite I think, but that may go close to seeing me out

Right, I got a Worlds too. Did yours assemble ok? No problems with the transmission? I was wondering if I was the only one that got one without issues.

[GTodd 1562]

1 hour ago, RichieRich said:

Right, I got a Worlds too. Did yours assemble ok? No problems with the transmission? I was wondering if I was the only one that got one without issues.

Top shaft is fixed, well I wouldn't say fixed. They used the old style slipper compared to the B4 thing they did on the worlds, no issue. 

[mtbkym01 4170]

10 hours ago, RichieRich said:

Right, I got a Worlds too. Did yours assemble ok? No problems with the transmission? I was wondering if I was the only one that got one without issues.

Nah, my top shaft was no good, AE (through the Aus distributor) supplied a replacement which was fine, other than that it was a really nice build

[wtcc5 5572]

On 10/1/2024 at 9:09 AM, Mad Ax said:

hmm...  It's great to see all this vintage support, but as I said on the Halsey Edition thread, these re-res aren't aimed at me, or at people who want to build and race these cars like it's the 80s and 90s.  They're aimed at collectors who want a box to go in their collection, maybe one to build and admire.  I can't justify that kind of money on something that'll get battered in a race and need 3D printed or aftermarket parts when something breaks.

I'm not sure what good flooding the market is doing either, even the wealthy collectors don't have unlimited funds.

These cost less than the actual competition machines and AE brings spare parts as well as Fan RC. So you can run them at vintage events without any worries or regrets.

Also the number of RC10s (40ths too) is so high now, that it easily exceeds the original kit numbers from the 80s. It is also easily available in shops worldwide together with the clear version and the RC10T. So these are definitely not the collectors items that AE tried to sell us at the beginning of the year… It feels more like TT-02 right now and won’t gain any worth in the coming years…

[Saito2 7327]

53 minutes ago, wtcc5 said:

Also the number of RC10s (40ths too) is so high now, that it easily exceeds the original kit numbers from the 80s.

Am I misreading or are you saying the RC10s that have been released this year in various guises exceeds the amount produced in the 80s/early 90s? There is no possible way.

[markbt73 5699]

1 hour ago, Saito2 said:

Am I misreading or are you saying the RC10s that have been released this year in various guises exceeds the amount produced in the 80s/early 90s? There is no possible way.

Yeah, that's just not possible. I've had 15 or 20 originals over the years myself. It wouldn't surprise me if the original run from 84 to 96 was in the hundreds of thousands.

[GTodd 1562]

I just checked AEs website, the graphite is still missing BUT they have almost every part listed to piece together a RC10: chassis, idler gears, and even the 6 gear case. 

[scoobybooster 288]

5 hours ago, markbt73 said:

Yeah, that's just not possible. I've had 15 or 20 originals over the years myself. It wouldn't surprise me if the original run from 84 to 96 was in the hundreds of thousands.

 

6 hours ago, Saito2 said:

Am I misreading or are you saying the RC10s that have been released this year in various guises exceeds the amount produced in the 80s/early 90s? There is no possible way.

Fully agree on this. Almost every RC guy used to have several RC 10's back then ( except if you are european of course).

The amount of Re-release RC 10's and all their variants may seem quite numerous at the moment, but AE also has reason to celebrate and must of course take full advantage of the moment of attractiveness, which is why one variant after another is now being announced. But I'm sure it will never reach the numbers of the past. 
I think the RC 10 hype will be over again next year, probably 1 or 2 truck variants will be added (I almost dare to bet that we will get a Cliff Lett version of the 10T) and then it will become quieter again, if only because the performance and the interest of the buyers can no longer be maintained. 

[Saito2 7327]

3 hours ago, scoobybooster said:

I think the RC 10 hype will be over again next year, probably 1 or 2 truck variants will be added (I almost dare to bet that we will get a Cliff Lett version of the 10T) and then it will become quieter again, if only because the performance and the interest of the buyers can no longer be maintained. 

I agree. I think this is route it will take.

Purely hypothesizing here so I could be totally off base but I think Associated thought this go around was going to be about shelf queens and collectables vs the 2012 re-release which was more geared to running in vintage events.

In 2012 podcast, Cliff Lett spoke of how they marketed it and improved its quality (down to them debating between making a new "one-piece" manual vs the old picture manual with separate printed instructions) to make it a more viable runner at that time. He also plugged that they were going to have spares right out the gate not only for the re-release but also for owners of older cars looking to restore theirs. Granted, back then Associated still had some original RC10 spares in stock as this was before the big Thunder Tiger purge years back that saw most original RC10 spares dropped from their inventory. The price point of $250 seemed about right too. Other manufactures in this vintage 2wd space to this current day seem to be in the $250-300 range too, like the Super Astute and Ultima.

With all the special editions and bushings included in all of them, I'm guessing Associated figured this new batch would be more aimed at the collector/display market. I could be misremembering, but wasn't their a message from Associated after this ball got rolling that was along the lines of "You asked, we listened, RC10 spares coming soon."?  Guessing once again that despite the higher price/collectable nature of these individually numbered tub cars, people still wanted to run them and that got us the spares we see now. They had a few floating around but slowly the numbers are up to the honestly fairly comprehensive selection we have now.

[markbt73 5699]

The funny part is that runner-quality original RC10s still aren't hard to find at all. There are dozens on eBay at any given time, usually in the $200-300 range (sadly; they used to be $50-150) that will clean up and drive just fine, if that's what you want. Plenty of less-than-perfect chassis parts available as well. And the parts generally don't break, though they can wear out and get sloppy, but no more so than Tamiya cars. If you want to experience an RC10 the way it was meant to be experienced - get it dirty and have fun doing it - the opportunities to do so are many, varied, and affordable.

If Associated meant for these "Limited Edition" things to be run, they would price them lower, to compete not with FanRC and the like, but with their own used market. I have no interest in spending $400 on a Chinese-made copy of the original kit (no, I don't care if it says "Associated" on the box; I had an RC10 Classic kit from the first time around, and it felt awful compared to an original, sort of sterile and lifeless), but I would definitely drop that much on used parts to build out the parts I have into two more ugly and beat-up RC10s. If a basic #6001 kit re-re were available for $200, it might be worth it. Maybe. But I'd probably take a belt sander to the bottom of the chassis right away, to give it a little authenticity.

[GTodd 1562]

I manage production for companies and for my own start up.  I dont think alot of you understand how inflation and sourcing materials effect the final cost of a product.  In relative speak there will not be alot of these rere RC10s made that are based on the 1st gen car, AE wont be able to spread the cost out in order to proce it less then what they are selling.  Creating new molds, sourcing manufactures, and securing distrubition takes significant investment.  Look at the quliaty of cars that are at $200. Ony Tamiyas TT02 range are close to that cost and thats because theyve been in production for over 20 years.  

A $200 RC10 would be a piece of garbage.  AE does plan on these things being run, just look at all of the spares. And if the RERE isnt for you, the vintage ones hitting the marketplace in need of replacement parts can now be bough, repaired, and ran. Its a win win. 

[Saito2 7327]

24 minutes ago, GTodd said:

Creating new molds, sourcing manufactures, and securing distrubition takes significant investment.

Correct but Thunder Tiger has 2 of those three already covered. Now there's even debate if the 2012's Classic's molds were even actually lost as Shawn Ireland claimed. Who knows.

Associated priced it for a decent return on the the numbers they planned on producing. If they planned on producing it well into the future they might have risked making more over a longer period and priced it lower as a result, more in line with an Ultima for example. They took the safer way to see a more secure return on their investment. That's all I'm saying. Its not bad nor good. I'm happy people who can afford one (or multiples) are getting the opportunity as well as some spares. Its still a money making endeavor just like Tamiya, Traxxas or anyone else. They're doing it because there's a market for it.

[GTodd 1562]

28 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

Correct but Thunder Tiger has 2 of those three already covered. Now there's even debate if the 2012's Classic's molds were even actually lost as Shawn Ireland claimed. Who knows.

Associated priced it for a decent return on the the numbers they planned on producing. If they planned on producing it well into the future they might have risked making more over a longer period and priced it lower as a result, more in line with an Ultima for example. They took the safer way to see a more secure return on their investment. That's all I'm saying. Its not bad nor good. I'm happy people who can afford one (or multiples) are getting the opportunity as well as some spares. Its still a money making endeavor just like Tamiya, Traxxas or anyone else. They're doing it because there's a market for it.

This is a fair call out for the classic, the RC10T atleast needs new molds for the arms, body, and associated (lol no pun intended) RC10T only parts.  The Graphite will be $$$$ due to its chassis.  If they do some kind of long arm car they will have all the parts for a Team car, CE, and another worlds. Lets go!

[markbt73 5699]

I didn't say they could do it for $200; I just said it would have to be that cheap for me to be interested, because used ones are so good and so plentiful.

But then, I'd rather buy a really nice Mercedes-Benz W126 from the '80s for $10k than spend $100k on a new Mercedes - for the same reason.