Jump to content
richb77

This looks a little familiar....

Recommended Posts

It's funny we can't even mention repro goods in here, while there are companies out there cashing in with stuff like this?

I would not be surprised the plastic they're using is better than Tamiya's ABS. What I can't seem to understand is how they copied the wheel/tire combination, if this is an improvement over the original Tamiya. The Tamiya people were not even completely interested in the model, using non-matching tires on a tractor that downscales a 2wd one (skinny directional tires in front??). The Tumbling Bull actually is not useful to explain a kid what a tractor is or the differences between a 2wd and a 4wd one. The educational thing that Tamiya used to be so proud off is absent on this specific model.

And talking about tractors, I don't think the reviewer knows much about the subject, and probably never seen the old Diesel Porsche tractors:

Porsche-tractor.-Picture-courtesy-flickr

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Bearings. The cheap knock off comes with bearings as standard. What exactly is Tamiya waiting for?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Bearings. The cheap knock off comes with bearings as standard. What exactly is Tamiya waiting for?

FrZO2el.jpg

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I doubt the quality of plastics and other materials for clones. Usually it's unavoidable to have a loss in mold quality for recasts, especially when dealing with product piracy like seen in this thread.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I doubt the quality of plastics and other materials for clones. Usually it's unavoidable to have a loss in mold quality for recasts, especially when dealing with product piracy like seen in this thread.

that may have been true many many years ago but now that china been making stuff for American and other companies and sending it here in the USA for so long they actually make some good stuff now... like above I would not be surprised if the materials are of much stronger plastics that are not prone to cracking like Tamiya with there 80's ABS that they so love to use for some odd reason.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Tbh, I question why Tamiya charges as much as they do for their kits? I realize that they have design costs, etc, but these companies still need to make their own molds and produce a product with much smaller sales numbers. Don't get me wrong I love Tamiya and would not purchase these things but in all honesty Tamiya sells 10x more than these knockoffs but they wont pass the savings to their consumers. It kinda of opens your eyes when Tamiya still doesn't offer bearings as standard.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Actually, not a thing of this is new. If anybody remembers the Academy Rock Buster buggy, which was actually a pretty nice piece of RC.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Let us not forget...

Whether or not this product is 'better' than its Tamiya counterpart, whether or not it includes bearings (and not all bearings are the same...) and whether or not you believe Tamiya's prices are too high, this is still an illegal copy of an existing product.

If you buy this product there is every chance that you are funding further piracy. Addirionally, should Tamiya feel the impact of such products on their bottom line, you couldn't blame them for taking a more limited approach to their marketing and producing solely for their domestic market, as other hobby companies have already done.

As for the price of Tamiya products, they're cheap in Japan. More than that I cannot say...

Dorvack.

Not that I'm rushing out to buy models from these guys but all bearings are better than bushings and quite a bit of Tamiya's offerings are already geared with the domestic market as primary and everything else as secondary. It's why they're pushing Life and going so far as disabling lipo cutoff on the electronics they rebadge.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I know Conrad sold ball bearings with a rather high failure rate from the start.

I think Tamiya's plastics are fine. Their selection of materials are usually geared towards the respective market of the individual kit, depending on entry level (sturdy yet flexible to ease out impacts), to mid range/club (composite plastics) to serious race level (carbon fiber).

To get a better understanding on why Tamiya's plastic selection, molding quality and precise plastic tolerances are superior, one should try building a kit from other US, Japan or European based brands. And please compare kits of the same category. You may be baffled to learn by yourself about what Tamiya does right to make kit building and maintaining easier for you.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Tbh, I question why Tamiya charges as much as they do for their kits? I realize that they have design costs, etc, but these companies still need to make their own molds and produce a product with much smaller sales numbers. Don't get me wrong I love Tamiya and would not purchase these things but in all honesty Tamiya sells 10x more than these knockoffs but they wont pass the savings to their consumers. It kinda of opens your eyes when Tamiya still doesn't offer bearings as standard.

You realise it cost's Tamiya 0.0001c to manufacture/stamp out plastic bushings inhouse for their kits as opposed to outsourcing and paying another company for their product (bearing) paying the bearing company their administration costs, overheads, courier costs etc etc to eventually get bearings in their kits?

It costs nothing to pay a 6 year old in China a bowl of rice per day to clone a sweatshirt or scan and copy a toy for mass production.

Imagine if one your work colleagues took your idea you'd been working so hard on to his boss and cut corners and passed it off as his own for a quick buck or a pay rise, you all would be outraged.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So Tamiya outsources their production to China, and Chinese firms subsequently produce knock-offs... Can we just go back to "Made in Japan", please? :-(

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The knock-offs are usually produced by recasting existing parts. This is especially visible in cars like the TL-01B clones. It's not like the bootleg manufacturers have easy access to the original molds, even if the original production is outsourced to other countries (e.g. Philippines in Tamiya's case).

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...