So what's with UE?

[captain harlock]

If he's going to make parts for v-rods and Harley bikes, I don't see any reason why he should be keeping making parts for our little rigs.
I should pick up a truggy and convert it to brushless in the future and just sell this SuperMaxx of mine...=(

[BP-Revo]

See, the problem is was that he was just in it for the money, and not for the interest of the hobbies (and other's in the hobby), like Mike is.

He seems to have found something that creates more income, and thus he is going to drop RC.

[captain harlock]

Yeah, I guess I feel sorry that I spent over 3 grands for nothing.

[ClodMaxx]

i wouldn't be so sure robin's abandoned r/c. so far all he's made (well, marketed to sell) for the v-rod is a 5 gallon plastic gas tank. that's it. i'd have to imagine anything he creates new takes an extensive amount of time for engineering and production, and he usually does some very extensive testing before he ever releases anything. he's hinted in the past to the r/c group that there could be something new in development.

i know i'm keeping my fingers crossed for something new for r/c.

Al - keep your SM!! i know i can't bash mine as hard as i'd like due to zero replacement parts, but i don't believe i'll ever sell it. it's taken me too long to collect everything, and it really is a work of art even if it is a bit outdated. lots of guys that have sold their SM's have been sorry they did. =)

[captain harlock]

Can you post some pics of yours, if you don't mind?

[Procharged5.0]

Originally Posted by BP-Revo

See, the problem is was that he was just in it for the money, and not for the interest of the hobbies (and other's in the hobby), like Mike is.

He seems to have found something that creates more income, and thus he is going to drop RC.

I disagree with you on that. If Robin was in it purely for the money he would not have invested ENORMOUS effort into engineering items like the Racer-X suspension, Victory Bulkless, EXT Suspension, FOC's, Lightning Chassis, Thunder Chassis, Razorback, etc. He's bright, loves RC's, and has a knack for thinking "outside the box". Otherwise he would have done like nearly everyone else and just made aluminum copies of the Traxxas parts.

BTW, from an RC parts perspective Robin is alot like Mike. An innovator and creative thinker. Mike is more personable and more available to us but both gentlemen are HUGE assets to the moster truck/rc community and I respect them both a great deal.

[ClodMaxx]

Originally Posted by captain harlock

Can you post some pics of yours, if you don't mind?

i have mine torn down to clean/polish/rebuild diffs etc. but should have it back together after this weekend. i'll post pics shortly thereafter.

and well said, procharged. =)

[sjcrss]

I hope that he isn't done with RC, cause I love the quality of the parts,(but the price hurts sometimes) but it seems like lately they are hard to come by

I've been following UE for a few years and I don't see it coming back to what it was. I'm really surprised to see genIV servo saver back in stock, as well as the 6 & 8 spyder kits. I really think Robin has lost interest and with the other things he's making I don't see it coming back. I don't think you'll ever see a Razor in production.

There was a thread in UE forum some time back where he unloaded about the crap he has to put up with, folks stealing his designs, constant complaints about prices, costs, taxes and so on. Copycats that scab his ideas and sell them for cheaper prices than he can cause they cut corners he won't. It frosts him to see these guys be successful like FLM.

He made a statement in that thread the his V-Rod project had been an eye opener for him - his products were appreciated, he never had a snippy, contrary word about his prices and they weren't being ripped off.

Its taken me two full yrs to get a SM pulled toghether and I'd still like to find a set of straight 8mm cvds. I'd buy em new in a hearbeat if they were available. CVD drive pins - pieces you gotta have to run, good luck with finding those. UE is really about the ultimate in everything for that type platform and for the top, you have to pay the price.

[ClodMaxx]

i totally agree, duster - 100% dead on (and welcome over here, btw =). robin doesn't strike me as someone very strong on patience - and i've read many a rant from him - to add to your list, he's also very anti-Bush and his outsourcing to foreign countries for a cheaper wage/tax cuts campaign, and has said in threads that he's feeling a lot of pressure to do the same. i think he's fed up. combine that with the fact that - let's face it - the maxx platform is now becoming more and more outdated. truggies and buggies are in, and the hottest, most hip r/c's to buy are trucks like the revo and the 8ight, among many others.

the funny thing is that 6 months ago UE had just about everything in stock: VBS, just about every driveshaft, EXT and RacerX, and most all the spare parts for them. then they all immediately started going out of stock and have stayed that way. had i known it would get to this point i don't think i would've built my SM, as now i can't really push the envelope with it for fear of lack of replacement parts. it's still an amazing truck and UE parts are unmatched...but as you've pointed out, robin seems to be on to bigger and better things. IMO, there are most likely more people with harley's wanting a gas tank nearly double the size of stock vs. people like you and i that are willing to drop $2,000-$3,000 to make a radio controlled SM.

[captain harlock]

Yeah, that makes sense. I hope Mike will not give his back to the RC community like Robin is about to do. Mike's buisness is growing bigger now, and I think I might get a Mugen MBX-5T PROSPEC and convert it to brushless while keeping the SM as shelf queen.

[Procharged5.0]

I think someone like Mike or Jamie should buy the rights to the Supermaxx designs. I'd consider it myself but I have no way of producing the products even with the designs. I'd have to contract it all out. I don't have enough time or cashflow to undertake a project of that magnitude at this time in my life. I like to, but I can't.

[ClodMaxx]

wow, that would be a big investment - i'm sure robin wouldn't let them go cheap, if at all.

al - do you have shots of your SM? and were you finally able to view the ones in my thread? i'd like to see yours!

[captain harlock]

Yes of course. Here you go with plastic rims:

[captain harlock]

With the aluminum( got bent in one of my speed run...130 dollars away in an instant):