LOL...Intech’s ER-12 2WD 1/10 Buggy.... Look familiar??

[M.Andrews]

Any idea of how much and when is the release date of this car?.

[bender]

Originally Posted by MattyBox

USA Intech team driver Gene Hickerson built the 2 buggy's together and said it is 50 - 60% different. He also took TQ and the win first time out, not sure how big the event was but its obviously got the pace.

Here is a snippet of his build

the buggy is much more different then I originally thought. The front end is the same geometry but with some differences like the steering arms can be set in 5 places (inline or trailing), but the rear end is completely different.

It is a whole new rear geometry. The CVD's are 72mm long - way longer then the DEX210. The rear hubs are non offset and can be moved forward or back 7mm rather then 4mm. The camber link location is totally different and the roll center is different. The rear susp blocks are wider. The rear chassis brace and body mount is different. The side chassis guards are way smaller. The chassis is different and about 4mm longer then the stock 210. The gear box is different

I saw this post on rctech and if it wasnt for the fact the mods there were getting edit-happy with people dissing this car then i wouldve added my 2 cents worth too, which i'll happily do here

To claim that the car is 50-60% different is a joke. Lets not mince words here, it's not so much the actual parts which have been cloned, it's more so the design. Changing the shape of the battery locators, cutting down a tiny part of the sidepods etc, whilst making the parts technically different, doesn't stop them from clearly still being a copy.

Ironically most of the real changes have been made do to avoid any legal complications of cloning the patented gearbox. As soon as they had to put their own gearbox on it, it's rather unsurprising that new suspension mounts were needed to accommodate it, which then requires new arms, which then requires new hubs, driveshafts etc, and on it goes.

I'd be surprised if any of the rear end changes were made due to testing or technical analysis, but more simply "doing what needed to be done" to get the car to work once their 3-gear gearbox was on there. The rear hubs are quite funny when you think about it... make them a little narrower, shave off some more material.. and bingo! more shims used, therefore bigger wheelbase adjustment. Lets hope other manufacturers don't all decide to start shaving off bits of components in an effort to get another few mm of adjustment in for the sake of marketing.

Honestly, I don't have an issue with the car being almost cloned - it's logical to assume that except for the gearbox, Durango don't own the design rights to the car, so there's no reason to stop the owner (Kingstar if its the case) making this car OEM for another company. It happens already in the RC industry. My issue, and i guess it's the same for others, is how Intech representatives on forums try their hardest to refute what is so damn obvious

[Danny Harrison]

Originally Posted by M.Andrews

Any idea of how much and when is the release date of this car?.

Originally Posted by jimmy

If you buy this car - you are a bell end, basically.

Sorry Jimmy, couldn't resist!

[hobbypros]

The ER-12 is based off the DEX210 and that has been said from the very beginning. That has never been denied, but it is not a clone or exact copy.

I can't speak for the Intech engineers, but I would guess they looked at all the buggies out there, then choose the one that had the best features, and used that platform to design their buggy. They basically just tried to improve on a proven platform. If it was an all new design from Taiwan, no one would buy it unless they spent tons of money hiring top drivers to fly around the world and win big races. But since it looks like a buggy people know works, then they are more likely to give it a try.

IMO, the ER-12 is way better then the DEX210. It comes with way more upgraded parts and it does not fall apart and break just going around the track. They both handle well, so the better one is the one that does not DNF every race. Only time will tell.

[hobbypros]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPCPhvIPnn0

[peetbee]

Originally Posted by hobbypros

IMO, the ER-12 is way better then the DEX210.

so the 3 gear mid motor gearbox is way better than a 4 gear, really?!

[mattr]

Originally Posted by hobbypros

The ER-12 is based off the DEX210 and that has been said from the very beginning. That has never been denied, but it is not a clone or exact copy.

I can't speak for the Intech engineers, but I would guess they looked at all the buggies out there, then choose the one that was currently flavour of the month, and then ripped the design off as hard as they could without infringing any obvious patents

Originally Posted by hobbypros

it comes with way more upgraded parts and it does not fall apart and break just going around the track. They both handle well, so the better one is the one that does not DNF every race. Only time will tell.

I thought they'd ripped off a 210, not an AE4.1

I reckon their next 4wd will be an XB4 clone, that seems pretty popular at the moment.

[MattyBox]

Originally Posted by M.Andrews

Any idea of how much and when is the release date of this car?.

Hi.

The first batch of buggy's are expected in the UK around the 6th of September and pre orders are now being taken. RRP is £239 but the first 10 kits are available at £199.

It was mentioned on this thread that the buggy could not be promoted on here so dont want to break any rules! Try searching Ebay???

The buggy has had a bit of a pasting on here but I think we should wait and see what it does on the track and compare the build quality to other models before writing it off. Some will buy it, some wont.

I am obviously going to give it a try through the winter, didnt think I would go back to 1/10 after a 22 year break and they do look very small after a year racing 1/8 Nitro but will give an honest un biased view on it for anyone who may be interested.

Who knows I may even get some 'Team Bellend' Stickers done lol!!!

[Si Coe]

Hmm - twice the price of a real 210 then?

Ok, its got carbon towers and alloy shock tops but with the £100 price difference you could do the same to a 210.

Very much the expensive imitation.

[Danosborne6661]

lol that the copy is twice the price of the DEX210