Why so dead?
 

Things seem to be getting slow in here.Whats up?The HT's are finally getting there tracks and starting to try to get there racing programs organized.Now I understand that alot of people are still playing with their outside toys while they still can.But it seems that interest is dropping a little.Man I hope I'm wrong and only imagining this.What are your thoughts?Chime in.

around 90% of forum visitors never post. for whatever reason, the most common forum member is simply a lurker. the site figures usually look good, trouble is getitng them to post ;) always has been, always will be.

co-signed... plenty of interest bro. dNaNo is not going anywhere.

And i'm one of them. Because i'm new to 1:43 rc this is the best wikipedia that i could have! And because i live in the only place in the US where there's no track for rc (Touring, mini-z or whatever) or hobbyshop - manhattan - i only have this (and nanotrax) webforum...

So, keep up the good work. My Dnanos, RCP track and some hop-ups are on their way to my house. This winter i'll be ready, ehehe

Thanks
Nuno

I have more interest than time unfortunately, probably the case with most dNaNo owners. I race Mini Zs as well and sometimes I have to make a choice what to race on a given week, wife not to keen on two "free" nights so to speak.

I wouldn't say there not going anywhere, I'd say there going EVERYWHERE! I think these thing's are probably the most popular so far despite their pricing. I love'em more than any other RC car right now.
I'm still waiting for the following in this same scale.

AWD Dnano
F1 Dnano, yea we have other manufacturers making cheaper F1 cars but not to this level.
Overland, hopefully AWD as well
Monster Truck, also hopefully AWD. I think the Micro-T is 1/36 scale so is bigger than 1/43 and so far only 2WD.

If an AWD Dnano can be made, the other "trucks" can be made AWD.

Maybe you should take on some more responsibilities for the family you know like the "Grocery Shopping" Oh and don't all the good specials come out on Tuesday LOL

I raced 1/8th scale offroad before so I think its a bargain to go racing for about $300 bucks but all I've heard is cost cost cost 95% of everyone that looks can't believe that little car cost so much. I agree with big E Kyosho needs to do something. If an average person can get into racing for about $199.00 (Car, Control, Battery, and charger as 1 unit) thats so much easier to sell than $260 plus. If it needs to be $260 maybe include like Big E said the IC cable and software. or in my opinion include something more important like the ball diff and bearings Lets face it kyosho couldn't be paying more than about .55 cents per bearing X 7 bearings ($3.85) I can buy them for that so I know they can get them for that or less. And if there paying more than a few bucks for the diff there paying too much. The bottom line is it needs to look like a better deal some how.

I little bit of bad news for us in the Mooresville/ Hickory NC area is that there is a slot car track opening in Mooresville. Now we'll also have to compete with the package deal of a flexi car controller and some extras with a tool box for about $80 And we all know with the struggling economy we'll lose lots of potential racers to that.

I don't meen to be so grim but we should all keep talking about getting the price down if we want to see this succeed maybe Kyosho will listen.

.02 Cents

dnano isn't about mass sales or getting the "average" consumer into the hobby. who can step outside the box and really break down "dNaNo" as a concept? as i keep saying over and over... get out of thinking dNaNo is like any other R/C ever created and maybe u will be able to c it.

I guess my simple mind can't see why it's so different I have been involved in RC since I was 8 ( Grasshopper kit ) and I'm 37 now so I think thats like longer than dirts been around and I don't see why it's any different. I still work on a car that has 4 wheels, A motor, electronics and a battery it's just on a different scale and at 37 I need a magnifying light to see the parts. Make no mistake about it I am very impressed that a car with this quality is put in such a small package.

I have news for you if this isn't geared toward average person it WILL NOT make it. and I guess I should put my cars up for sale because average I am.

Maybe we should stop telling everyone it's so specialized and difficult and only a person of a certain mindset can do it. Instead lets all help the average person realize they can do this and have a lot of fun with it and hopefully at a reasonable price

or perhaps read the short blog cristian wrote which i reposted here that offers a glimps into the mindset of kyosho and their thought process which is insightful as it helps explain why kyosho treats the domestic u.s. market the way it does and it's price point.

lets keep this rational and respectful and ditch the needless argumentative banter shall we :) after all, that doesn't really get us anywhere and certainly doesn't offer any constructive to respond to.

This is my view.HT's have tracks and according to Kyosho America an exclusive deal for an unknown time at the moment"straight from a Kyosho America person I talked to last Tuesday".Looks like the masses were being thought about.However the deal makers are no longer with the company.All companies are in business to make a profit and this usually unvolves selling something.I am not being argumentative just stating a fact.We all know that this can be huge really fast.I questioned the cost and would like to see it cheaper, but I also understand the manufacturing process for something this small.Slotcar track in Mooresville means maybe now I can unload my slotcar stuff and buy more dnano stuff:):).Then I can loan cars to potential buyers also..Its all about nurturing the hobby.If Kyosho didn't want em here why did they sell em here?Maybe we should invite them to shed some light on the subject for once.

cristian has already shed some light on the pricing structure for a comparative scale. understanding that mentality sheds a lot of light on how it works for other less competitive scales such as this one.
the whole ht.usa exclusivity has been public knowledge since they were announced for the domestic u.s. market. while i'm not a fan of that in particular, they could have kept the tracks exclusive and opened parts/kit sales to online area at the very least so that purchases could happen much faster and certainly easier than having to contact stores that are often way out of ones area.
they brought them here because like all thier other stuff, it will sell, despite all the road blocks they put in the way. it was just as difficult in 2000-202 with the big brother mini-z. it wasn't until the great planes distribution deal ended that mini-z's were cheaper and easier to aquire.

RCP has mentioned on mini-zracer that kyosho is looking to bring back a cup series in 2010. lets hope they include some plans for the dnano's as well. that will bring more exposure to the ht store locations, competitive racing at this scale and more energy to drive the market more for these.

overall, i'd say these are off to a good start. not the best but not troubling either. it will soon be more in the hands of the individual stores and how well they market them, promote the racing, etc. while online communities like this one offer and outlet and avenue for promotion, we can only do so much. ht's are going to have to step up and make it worthwhile for people to drive to thier stores and participate in races, much more so than simply offering track time as a profit generating tool.
personally, i don't think most stores are cut out for this. i could go on for ages on how difficult it is to find a store that support micro scale kyosho products but i'm sure many of you guys have similar stories. the ht store owners are going to have to want it to succeed rather than just putting it out there and hoping it does. i am shocked, personally, that all these shops are not online promoting these as much time allows for them. you have one or two that have an active presence but i would think all of them would be using every tool at their disposal.
if the market launch in the summer is also not the best time for indoor racing. our club slows in the summer as i'm sure many others do as well due to outdoor seasons. they need to push, get the word out, get people excited as fall starts and indoor racing picks back up again. fall point series.. seem only natural. could do it per store, then regionals, then national by spring.

anyway, let see what happens this fall. if nothing, i think there will be a stronger arguement for the flash to be gone and stagnant sales/activity.

we can help to guys/gals :) spread the word, post topical discussions, review and critque aftermarket developments, etc. maybe even hit up pnracing for a dnano series, or atomic rc (not atomic mods). these manufacturers have current mini-z programs and both support dnano via parts.

co-signed :D

Interesting thread.

I will say that there is negligible hobby shop, club, or forum activity from Canada with respect to this scale. (I'm wondering if this forums "lurker" stats indicate differently for Canada, and that there is actually more interest, given that this is indeed an indoor category and we are an "indoor" country with respect to R/C for many months of the year).

That said, Canada's lack of d'nano interest is most probably a direct result of Kyosho's archaic distribution policies.

Secondly, to me at least, what is so different about the d'nano -- it is the only hobby-class car that you can truley race in a small space. With so much growth in the micro R/C category ('copters and some indoor multi-channel airplanes that fly 3D in your living room), I had expected the dnano's "performance" to catch on even faster (d'nano's $160 asking price is nothing to the 'copter crowd either and certainly in line with other hobby-class micro R/C.)

Two d'nanos, with needed hop-ups, lap timing system, batteries/charger and a decent track that fits nicely in your basement for a fair bit south of $1,000. Just try and do that for that with any other hobby-class scale car, airplane or whatever.

Thirdly, there is something about the d'nano that is truly unique for a hobby class anything. Because of the low mass, they do not break very often: No stripped servo gears from hitting a wall, bodies stay intact for the most part, no broken rotor blades or expensive heads (R/C helicopter) ... just 5 or 6 hop-ups from stock, pick your correct tires and you’re good to go.

And 10 second battery changes, longer run times with no finicky transponders to deal with, are all a step forward from the Mini-Z, which despite its problems was/is still a good car.

The d’nano is the Toyota (or Honda) of the R/C car world -- good overall performance at a slightly higher cost, but with a lot less running costs in the long run. The only other hobby class product I've seen like this is my Plantraco Carbon Butterfly (micro R/C airplane), and again; it's low mass that has kept this remarkable airplane in one piece for well over 100 flights. And it cost $299, w/transmitter – more than the d’nano.

I'll say it again, the only thing holding this car back in North America is the closed distribution policy.

Perhaps there’s a few Chrysler and GM dealers that could pick up the line.

you are SO on point. you did miss another aspect (outside of collector's syndrome, adult arcade style possiblities, unique data storage characteristics & online capabilities): each car handles like its full size predecessor due to the intimate detail they've put into each model. it isn't meant to be modified... collecting them is like having an arsenal of different weapons you can take to an indoor, air-conditioned, comfortable environment with the sole purpose of vanquishing the competition. i can't believe the number of cats crying about the cost when i've raced 1/10th buggy and 1/8th buggy and if i spent HALF the money i spent on just ONE of those two, i could probably own 10 fully hopped up dNaNos! :lol:

in the american market, it will be difficult to catch on because -while r/c is popular nationwide- getting all those interested in dNaNo into one place is difficult and organizing a club of enough people interested to support it locally is probably equally as hard.

I would imagine that due to the popularity of RC in the US it would be just the opposite and more would be interested;due to the I can now race year round if I want to crowd.I don't agree with the it wasn't meant to be hopped up thought if that was the case they would have not offered the OEM hop up parts.I believe it was meant to be raced due to the way it has been constructed.It is a really robust product or at least mine has been.

This is an interesting thread. Firstly, I'd like to note that I apparently stripped my stock differential, or some other way caused it to stop consistently spinning, in the first three days of ownership, but, I agree, it's awesome, and pretty damn durable, as I've smacked it around quite a lot (first ever R/C). No worries, I wanted to try a ball diff anyway...

As an American I think dNano has great potential as a niche hobby. I certainly hope I'm wrong and the kids snap them up like Transformers, but I doubt it. As cool as racing is and as undoubtedly popular as it is, I think that to reach overwhelming momentum in the US would take either an intensely lucky marketing campaign, or a way to have more fun without friends. dNano is the perfect city racing platform -- I head to the track and can always find at least two or three people to chill with, talk about parts with, and to laugh at my racing/learn from. ;) But for children in the suburbs, the scene is much different. They can't drive to the racing track, and although an RCP or Real track is a cheap investment to us, it's not so easy on parents. Most of use posting are adults or young adults, and I think our perceptions are a little skewed by this.

These cars are convenient and durable -- pop them into a briefcase or other bag and you're ready to race whenever (NOTE TO KYOSHO: MAKE MINIATURE TXz - even if they're gimped they'll be huge sellers). But if you would throw one into a kid's backpack or god forbid, a pocket... well, you must have a $150-bill tree in the backyard. Plus, kids want to race anywhere. On the back porch, on the kitchen floor, over the roots of the trees in the backyard -- the kind of stuff Mini-Z buggies can handle so well, completely gums up dNanos.

So of course I'm not busting on dNano -- I love what I'm getting for my money. I do wish that Kyosho weren't so traditional about its business model. They'd get more of my money from licensing fees on other companies' bodies then they'll ever get from me buying more bodies from them. I just don't really like Le Mans and GTR bodies that much. So instead, all my money is going to Heller, some guys on ebay, and Tamiya (for modelling/painting supplies). I do wish I didn't have to wait for my local dNano shop to restock so I could buy hopups. I do wish that I could buy from dozens of US shops online. For the reasons listed above I doubt dNano will ever be as big as 1/18 in the US. But it's perfect for me! :)

Yeah only reason why Kyosho has sold only a handfull of dNanos is that 99% of the enthusiasts say they are too expensive .. for their size.
Which is one of the most stupid things I've heard.
Now Kyosho released the all new mr-03 Mini-Z which has those cool new features too what made me buy dNano in the first place :S

As an "OG" Mini-Z racer I have to say Kassi just NAILED IT! :)


And I am officially "calling out" Nitrojunkie and every other member here. An online community is what you make of it. Instead of asking "Why so dead?" you should ask "What can I do to make this better?" If you would like some examples, just look at some of my recent posts. Not saying I am the poster boy (interesting pun play on words) but I have been taking "extra effort" to share my findings and expertise to help build this community. Everybody can help out like this if we all just pitch in. So not just calling out Nitrojunkie, but every lurker out there to post up pics, videos**, findings, tracks, new parts coming out, etc.

OK, so there was my official "cheerleader post" and no I won't wear the skirt :p I do so because I manage online forums professionally for over 12 years so I have a really good idea of what it takes to have a great online community and I love this dNano platform.

**Mods, let's get embedded Youtube videos happening. It is a free feature for vBulletin and a tiny config is all you need. Then we could use tags like [youtube]YoutubeID [/youtube] and it embeds the vid inline in the message. While we're at it, new smilies wouldn't hurt :)

Want to see a dead forum, check out TinyFlight.com. I haven't seen anybody post there in month's. I've posted a few of my helicopters and that's about it. That is one dead forum. I think this one is live and kicking pretty well and it's probably mostly cause the Dnano is the hottest craze right now.

i guess you didn't get the gist of fraz's comments.:rolleyes:

Hey I'm trying to help out as much as I can with tips and stuff.As I figure things out or am told things or see stuff first hand I try to pass it along.I don't mind being called out.I have yet to miss a Tuesday night at the Mooresville track since having bought my car and I am working on getting a second car and radio so I can have one to loan if the opportunity arises.

Totally didn't intend to imply you weren't pitchin' in... more or less a call to action for all :)

Time to let Kyosho know direct!
 

What do you guys think about the Kyosho tracks?
I know it needs a better layout, and one more panel.
Would it be better if it was in local hobby shops, in stead of being in Hobby town USA shops. Just want to know. Might want to contact Kyosho direct, and let them know what has been going on. We as Dnano crasy people, want this to work.
Not only for us racers but for the new guy/girl. It could be just as big as the Mini-z thing, if not bigger.

I probably didn't read all of it! :D

I've talked to Kyosho USA they seem to know about as much as their website shows.The people that initiated the HT deal are no longer with the company for what ever reason.The guy I talked to didn't know much himself as far as how long the deal is for when is the big push or release comming etc.As for the HT USA tracks I think they are fine the way they are for now.Some stores don't have the room for a bigger track.The one thing that I suggest is track upkeep a simple vacuuming will go a long way just dont use any motorized type vacuum head on it it will do more damage than good.You just want to remove the loose fibers not knock more loose.

Oh, yes, it's almost dead ;-)

Where are you people?

Nuno

I got my first dnano just a few weeks ago, and I've done some extensive research on all the different forums that currently exist. I've noticed that its quite difficult to find some real "basic" information. This is most likely due to the fact that most dnano owners are experienced mini-z racers.

I thought (especially after reading this thread) that it would be a good idea to built one forum-and-shop-independent wiki that would cover the different basic aspects of the dnano (parts, cleaning, hopups). This could be a good source for beginners and something that could be referred to in the different discussions on the forums.

Would you guys be prepared to share your expertise on something like this?

well, i know that they are bulting a new indoor track (i'm following the threat in the rc tech forum) btw queens and brooklyn and that there's a mini-z in northen queens...but, i'll wait for the new indoor 1/10 track. I've race that scale in the past 2 years...

Nuno