Traxxas Titan

[properchopper]

I'm going to play advocate to my own devil here and say that Traxxas should be given some slack for witholding release so they can GET IT RIGHT (if that's what it's all about). Sure, they prematurely bragged about speeds and such, but s**t happens - look at the cellphone market[Apple]. Traxxas is a "for-profit" business targeting a relatively unsophisticated demographic and exaggerated claims are unfortunately all-to-common in such arenas. OTOH their marketing department definitely should be criticized for that "race-ready" claim. [My 2001 Ford Explorer is similarly "race-ready" if I was going to race a one-legged midget around the block]. Consider that I just built an ACTUAL "race-ready" P-Mono with absolute top-of-the-line stuff and if you include good batteries and a decent charger and Tx/Rx the tab came to around $ 1800.00. The thing is, if I wanted an affordably priced, sharp looking rtr to play in bouncy water out at the river, the Titan would be my first choice. Let's face it- you're getting a whole lot of bang for your money with this boat and once Traxxas gets it right, even though the speed claims (or internals) might need adjusting prior to release, it can only be a nice way to enjoy a day at the water's edge.

[mschaffer66]

I think another thing a lot of people may not realize is that the guy driving that boat in the videos and at this supposed 50mph has had more stick time on that boat than anyone out there and is probably some sort of pro driver. And god knows how many hours of video they had to shoot to get those few minutes of nice clean running. That guy may have stuffed it 100's of times before getting that little bit of video where it looks like its on the ragged edge of control...

[properchopper]

I think another thing a lot of people may not realize is that the guy driving that boat in the videos and at this supposed 50mph has had more stick time on that boat than anyone out there and is probably some sort of pro driver. And god knows how many hours of video they had to shoot to get those few minutes of nice clean running. That guy may have stuffed it 100's of times before getting that little bit of video where it looks like its on the ragged edge of control...

Excellent point ! Many edit/cuts on the vid. Your point is well taken in the r/c heli world ! I've bought several helis based on how they flew in the promo vids and couldn't get them off the ground , crashed, and wasted lots of money. Obviously the demo pilots were highly experienced, yet these birds were represented as entry level. OUCH !!!

[Steven Vaccaro]

Where did they publicly say the delay was due to speed issues? Its probably just some production delay. It happens all the time.

[Flying Scotsman]

In an old issue of RC Boat Modeler there was an article about the Villian EX vs the Twinstorm. The Villian EX did 19 mph IIRC.

I remember that article, speed claims are just that..claims.

Newbies will buy the boat based on dubious performance claims, it looks good on paper, but to perform at 50mph will cost a lot of money and the hull will probably crack or be flexing too much at that speed.

Douggie

[forescott]

All I know is that if it doesn't do 50 were gonna hear about it here!

[Rumdog]

you guys are highly underestimating the strength of abs plastic. I used to work in injection molding where we made automotive parts. Abs, if done properly can be much stronger than fiberglass! Trust me. When setting up a machine and running the first few shots into the mold, the material is tested for structural integrity/brittleness to make sure the mix is correct. The barbaric test involves basically throwing the part at the concrete as hard as you can. Any chips/cracks, and the mix is off. Lets see someone do that with fiberglass. I still have faith in this boat as well. Plastic may not be as pretty but you wont have chipping gelcoat either. I dont know why everyone is assuming it is gonna be paper thin plastic?

[Flying Scotsman]

Rummy, every model ABS hull I have touched would flex a lot....thin wall. Automotive ABS parts are another story...light and very strong.

Edit: I am not knocking this boat...it looks great but the hype????

Douggie

[Rumdog]

Understood Douggie. I had my hands on a Proboat Widowmaker last weekend. That thing is ridiculously thin. Hopefully, Traxxas stating, we'll be happy it isn't glass, means it is quite thick. Who knows? I personally think the biggest flaw is that it is wired from the factory to run 1p. It should be setup for 2p right out of the box.

[forescott]

[My 2001 Ford Explorer is similarly "race-ready" if I was going to race a one-legged midget around the block].

Is this a new race-class??

[properchopper]

Is this a new race-class??

[BakedMopar]

Abs or plastic will start it's life strong but after weathering it becomes weak unlike glass boats IMO. My full sized boat is almost 30 years old and the hull is structruly sound but everything eles had been replaced at least once.

BTW the only boat I stuffed and flooded due to a cracked hatch was and abs one.

I agree with Tony that when you buy all top-notch products you will easily spend more than a grand on a 50 mph mono boat. So to see Traxxas do this is certently pleasant.

[keithbradley]

I definitely dont think their delay is due to speed issues or the ability of the boat to live under the conditions of 50+mph runs. They havent been too worried about it with other Traxxas products. The traxxas rustler vxl was claimed to be a 70+mph truck with a 3s lipo and 31/76 gearing. I ran one with that gearing and a 40c 6500mah lipo and got 55.7mph GPS. Granted thats fast, but its not 70 (Im not saying its not possible with adding weight/changing to foam tires/ect, just not as easy as they make it out to be). With that gearing, the motor was over 200degrees after 3 minutes of runtime...Not a useable setup by any means.

Sorry to chase a rabbit and get slightly off topic, Im just saying I dont beleive traxxas is withholding the titan because they are making it hit 50mph safely. The Titan is on a slow boat from China (or Taiwan, or Hong Kong, wherever they are being made) and thats why they are not released. I think the "we are taking the time to make sure its right" thing is just a way to put a positive spin on a negative situation.

Im not trying to bash Traxxas either, and Im not saying other companies dont do the same or worse. Traxxas is a good company and I think the release of this boat is going to do a lot to get newcomers into the world of FE. The titan will be a fast, fun boat and I have a couple friends who ordered one so I cant wait for it to come out. Thankfully I have a boat that will smoke it so I dont get shown up!!!

[Brushless55]

I agree, this will be a great way for newcomers to this hobby
and it sucks how Traxxas seams to bait then drag things out as they do on all their new rcs

[oscarel]

So I just happen to come across 3 guys at a local lake in McKinney, TX yesterday and they were from Traxxas testing the Titan. They had one that was GPS'd at 52 and they were running them like crazy. They were testing with 6S and the Nicads and running in full speed in turns and it never once flipped while I was there.