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Old 04-12-2013
Ray Kindstrom Ray Kindstrom is offline
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Default Tamiya not to renew Martin's contract

After reading the Lee Martin Racing FB post last week I wondered what was to come of Lee. I log on to Live RC to discover that Tamiya is cutting back on its "off road program".

Stunned silence...

I figured Lee would use his World finishes to his advantage to seek more money someplace else. Never would I had assumed that Tamiya wouldn't pick up his contract. WOW


A guy goes out busts his arse and shows the world what he can do with an "off brand" car....and they dump him! Good call Tamiya!

Here's an idea for increased sales in a slumping r/c market.....make affordable kits! What market analyst said it was a good idea to price the conversion kits so damn high? Seriously a $700 MM car? Really? And don't get me started on the 4wd cars! Best 4wd car Tamiya makes is discontinued...come on! Don't wonder why your off road sales are so low when you price kits outside of what most racers can afford!

An under dog makes a huge impression on the world with his driving talent...running your equipment and you dump him for his efforts...

Shame on you Tamiya!

Effective immediately I'm resigning as a Tamiya/TRF USA driver....now where's that TLR contract I received.....



Best of luck Lee!
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  #2  
Old 04-12-2013
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Dean Washington Dean Washington is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Kindstrom View Post
After reading the Lee Martin Racing FB post last week I wondered what was to come of Lee. I log on to Live RC to discover that Tamiya is cutting back on its "off road program".

Stunned silence...

I figured Lee would use his World finishes to his advantage to seek more money someplace else. Never would I had assumed that Tamiya wouldn't pick up his contract. WOW


A guy goes out busts his arse and shows the world what he can do with an "off brand" car....and they dump him! Good call Tamiya!

Here's an idea for increased sales in a slumping r/c market.....make affordable kits! What market analyst said it was a good idea to price the conversion kits so damn high? Seriously a $700 MM car? Really? And don't get me started on the 4wd cars! Best 4wd car Tamiya makes is discontinued...come on! Don't wonder why your off road sales are so low when you price kits outside of what most racers can afford!

An under dog makes a huge impression on the world with his driving talent...running your equipment and you dump him for his efforts...

Shame on you Tamiya!

Effective immediately I'm resigning as a Tamiya/TRF USA driver....now where's that TLR contract I received.....



Best of luck Lee!


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Old 04-12-2013
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Well, couldīnt agree more...
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Old 04-12-2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Kindstrom View Post
After reading the Lee Martin Racing FB post last week I wondered what was to come of Lee. I log on to Live RC to discover that Tamiya is cutting back on its "off road program".

Stunned silence...

I figured Lee would use his World finishes to his advantage to seek more money someplace else. Never would I had assumed that Tamiya wouldn't pick up his contract. WOW


A guy goes out busts his arse and shows the world what he can do with an "off brand" car....and they dump him! Good call Tamiya!

Here's an idea for increased sales in a slumping r/c market.....make affordable kits! What market analyst said it was a good idea to price the conversion kits so damn high? Seriously a $700 MM car? Really? And don't get me started on the 4wd cars! Best 4wd car Tamiya makes is discontinued...come on! Don't wonder why your off road sales are so low when you price kits outside of what most racers can afford!

An under dog makes a huge impression on the world with his driving talent...running your equipment and you dump him for his efforts...

Shame on you Tamiya!

Effective immediately I'm resigning as a Tamiya/TRF USA driver....now where's that TLR contract I received.....



Best of luck Lee!
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Old 04-12-2013
andoiwebb andoiwebb is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Kindstrom View Post
After reading the Lee Martin Racing FB post last week I wondered what was to come of Lee. I log on to Live RC to discover that Tamiya is cutting back on its "off road program".

Stunned silence...

I figured Lee would use his World finishes to his advantage to seek more money someplace else. Never would I had assumed that Tamiya wouldn't pick up his contract. WOW


A guy goes out busts his arse and shows the world what he can do with an "off brand" car....and they dump him! Good call Tamiya!

Here's an idea for increased sales in a slumping r/c market.....make affordable kits! What market analyst said it was a good idea to price the conversion kits so damn high? Seriously a $700 MM car? Really? And don't get me started on the 4wd cars! Best 4wd car Tamiya makes is discontinued...come on! Don't wonder why your off road sales are so low when you price kits outside of what most racers can afford!

An under dog makes a huge impression on the world with his driving talent...running your equipment and you dump him for his efforts...

Shame on you Tamiya!

Effective immediately I'm resigning as a Tamiya/TRF USA driver....now where's that TLR contract I received.....



Best of luck Lee!
Awesome!
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  #6  
Old 04-12-2013
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Fantastic........................................: thumbsup:
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  #7  
Old 04-12-2013
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I understand the sentiment, but seeing as though tamiya are cutting back their off-road schedule, I can't see how they will miss you.

That is assuming you run for tamiya off-road and not on-road.
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Old 05-12-2013
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It's certainly disappointing that Lee is leaving TRF.

I've always liked Tamiya cars no matter who was racing for them. Back in the early 1990's TRF was starting to develop good Off Road racing cars, Top Force Evolution and Dyna Storm, then they stopped. Due to lack of parts and ageing cars I moved on to other brands before stopping RC racing altogether.

Nearly two years ago I started RC racing again and bought TRF cars because they were out there and just as competitive as the opposition.

Hopefully TRF off road development won't come to a grinding halt and new kits will be released soon!

Otherwise I'll have no choice but to change brands - not easy when the stable consists of 2 versions of the 201X, a 502X and DB-02, because they all share common parts!

Lee will be missed. I like the fact I could ask him questions via this very same Forum.

All the best Lee, thanks for everything you have done for TRF and your fellow racers over the past four years!
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Old 05-12-2013
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You guys are funny, You are in your warm House with no idea about the Economy in General, Its really really tough making Business, especially in RC, I am sure that the decision was not made lightly or willingly. Tamiya TRF make great Models but it costs, to Make in Japan v China or Taiwan is not cheap to do. Its a battle many Manufacturers face. But to get the best its what must happen, You have to pay for the good stuff or use something else. The sad fact is many people bought the other cheap stuff meaning Tamiya can't earn enough money to Pay for Lee Martins wage. Don't forget he was a paid employee.
I wish Lee well and its a real shame it ended,its a sad sign of the economy not some conscious bad decision to upset anyone.
I can tell you its not just Tamiya who cant pay for pro drivers. many of the top Brands are in same situation and not able to pay a wage for someone to race.
You should love the product for what it is not what the economy forces business into doing.
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Old 05-12-2013
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well said neil

in order to make a small fortune in the RC world it's best to start with a large one
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  #11  
Old 05-12-2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Neil Skull View Post
You guys are funny, You are in your warm House with no idea about the Economy in General, Its really really tough making Business, especially in RC, I am sure that the decision was not made lightly or willingly. Tamiya TRF make great Models but it costs, to Make in Japan v China or Taiwan is not cheap to do. Its a battle many Manufacturers face. But to get the best its what must happen, You have to pay for the good stuff or use something else. The sad fact is many people bought the other cheap stuff meaning Tamiya can't earn enough money to Pay for Lee Martins wage. Don't forget he was a paid employee.
I wish Lee well and its a real shame it ended,its a sad sign of the economy not some conscious bad decision to upset anyone.
I can tell you its not just Tamiya who cant pay for pro drivers. many of the top Brands are in same situation and not able to pay a wage for someone to race.
You should love the product for what it is not what the economy forces business into doing.
Yes, very well said and what I wanted to say when reading this thread. This is the exact sitation in RC today and it will be more and more obvious in the near future. People outside outside the business, i.e. normal racers perhaps don't understand this yet.

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Originally Posted by stumpiey View Post
well said neil

in order to make a small fortune in the RC world it's best to start with a large one
Thank you for that, best thing I've heard today
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Old 05-12-2013
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Hi Neil,

No warm fuzzy house here. My Tamiya's are not far from being one off's here on the Aussie tracks. Which means they generally scarce. So far parts, and the kits for matter, I have been able to source from OS.

If the parts become hard to find then I'm left with no option to change brands, as you can't race cars with no availability of parts, because when you race, stuff breaks. Further, as the cars are scarce, I generally can't ask the guy in the pits next to me to borrow some parts.

Thus in the end if I'm not driving Tamiya, their not getting my dollars. But in the end, if they are making a loss in Off Road, they need to reorganise and concentrate on where the profits are being made so they can survive, that is understood. It still doesn't mean it isn't disappointing.
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  #13  
Old 06-12-2013
Ray Kindstrom Ray Kindstrom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Neil Skull View Post
You guys are funny, You are in your warm House with no idea about the Economy in General, Its really really tough making Business, especially in RC, I am sure that the decision was not made lightly or willingly. Tamiya TRF make great Models but it costs, to Make in Japan v China or Taiwan is not cheap to do. Its a battle many Manufacturers face. But to get the best its what must happen, You have to pay for the good stuff or use something else. The sad fact is many people bought the other cheap stuff meaning Tamiya can't earn enough money to Pay for Lee Martins wage. Don't forget he was a paid employee.
I wish Lee well and its a real shame it ended,its a sad sign of the economy not some conscious bad decision to upset anyone.
I can tell you its not just Tamiya who cant pay for pro drivers. many of the top Brands are in same situation and not able to pay a wage for someone to race.
You should love the product for what it is not what the economy forces business into doing.

FYI...I happen to own my own small business, so I understand the shrinking economy here in the states. My feelings are a little different from yours since I've been a TRF driver for the past few years. In those past few years I've been left disappointed with the amount of focus Tamiya has spent on developing the off road program. They release car after car...toy after toy. Then they release big bores and 2 conversion kits that cost a small fortune. My vent was that of frustration as a TRF driver. Tamiya spent huge amounts of money to develop a rear motor car and a mid motor car. For what? Lee does an amazing job at the Worlds. So right when Tamiya might be able to capitalize on the finishes of its top driver...it decides off road is too expensive and pulls the rug out from under us.

My complaint....as a business owner...is this:

How can they expect to gain customers (market share) with a car that retails for a small fortune? I own an auto repair business. I've been working on autos for most of my life. With that in mind, I'll tell you that quality isn't a marketable selling point when the repair shop down the street is half the cost. Of course you want to produce quality work....but you also must have a competitive price. Otherwise your quality product sits on a shelf collecting dust.
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Old 06-12-2013
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Fredrik Emilsson Fredrik Emilsson is offline
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Lees wage isīnt the problem. Tamiya could afford that.

They are cutting down on the development and therefore there is no meaning in having a paid pro.
Itīs as simple as that and thatīs what they have said more or less according to Leeīs statement.
If not, how will they promote a race car if they have no success at the tracks?

Good products are useless if you have nothing to sell. Thatīs the biggest problem in this case.
Tamiya didīnt really make it easy to buy kits or spare parts.
How many times have you read or heard people asking where to find kits and parts?
Even Lee has tried to help out. I have received quite a few e-mail request.
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  #15  
Old 06-12-2013
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You cant put all the blame on Tamiya.
Tamiya just make the products and sell to distributors worldwide who have to try and sell to the public.
Unfortunately as said its very difficult for the distributors to sell any models and make money, so simply they don't. In the UK Lee Martins country where he has done fantastic for Tamiya it is close to impossible to buy kits and spares in uk, just as no-distributor can do it and make a profit. We have the same problem with Kyosho, but lucky we are a big strong Distributor who can sell the kits for no profit and make small margin on spares etc, we can only do this as we don't fully rely on this race market for our core business.
So again don't blame Tamiya its just fact of the world economics that outside Japan it can not be sold for easily for profit.
If you love the products get them anyway you can. If you don't then try another Japanese Brand with same quality but little easier to get ;-)
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Old 06-12-2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Neil Skull View Post
If you don't then try another Japanese Brand with same quality but little easier to get ;-)
Oh, you must mean Yokomo?
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  #17  
Old 06-12-2013
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Oh, you must mean Yokomo?
LOL! I did not rule them out!
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  #18  
Old 06-12-2013
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Strange that it is almost impossible to find a TRF kit even in asia then.
Iīve have contacted several shops and most of them cant get any kits.
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Old 06-12-2013
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I think Tamiya are to blame, how can a company like Tamiya spend the amounts of money on development on off road TRF buggies 2wd and 4wd that they wont release for sale.?

Why, then release the upgrades, of buggies you cant buy and better still the upgrade kits Tamiya release you cant buy spares for the upgrade kits.

If Tamiya had of looked at the demand of these beautiful buggies then maybe the price issue would not be a issue.

So as i read this thread then,

You wont be able to buy the TRF 2WD mid or rear motor anymore.
You wont be able to buy the TRF 511.1 OR 512 which ever it was going to be called anymore.

I cant really get my head around Tamiya for this but OH HOLD ON A MINIT !!!!

Maybe in 25yrs time just like the Avante you will be able to buy these as a release that wasn't released
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Old 06-12-2013
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I maybe wrong but isn't the point of employing team drivers to give your products a good showing and help increase sales. Lee Martins salary or support costs over a year would surely not be all that much money in comparison to the increased profit achieved with him advertising their product. I am sure that people would disagree with me on this but I think tamiya really got their credibility back as a serious competition car manufacturer with Lee Martin.
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