<eom>...

Have you thought about doing some unpainted for those who'd like to do a custom and would like to skip paint stripping? :) rr

<eom>

Did Dragula make any clear tjet chassis? With this clear body, you have a science exhibit.

<eom>

there kinda cool looking, but I would buy the chromies first, colored later, and if money was left, or they were really cheap then the clear.

<eom>

Lenny, I think you are taking the comment the wrong way... an unfortunate side effect of the written word...

Lenny, those clear chassis were cool.....its just that many couldn't afford to have one. Your clear SM's would be a welcome addition, as will the clear Round2 bodies in the deluxe pitkit.

Clear is definitely cool. Money is definitely an issue for me right now though.

Ummm...
What did I miss here?

I was actually thinking of giving the clear cars away for orders over a certain dollar amount...

I think I'll save the money and effort... It's amazing, another vendor annouces clear cars in a pit kit and you guys go ga-ga. I announce clear cars and I get 'science experiment' comments...

Why bother?

I Hope something got deleted for this reaction, I actually liked the science experiment comment. I could actually envision the all clear car on a track it would turn more then a few heads and get a lot of 'Hey man that is so cool!" I don't think anyone meant it as a insult in any way shape or form and you being the buissness end should show a bit more control before you go jumping all over with posts it sure doesn't build my confidence. And I personally think your doing a great service to the hobby but take it easy on your customer base we do remeber insults for a long time.

Dave

I Hope something got deleted for this reaction, I actually liked the science experiment comment. I could actually envision the all clear car on a track it would turn more then a few heads and get a lot of 'Hey man that is so cool!" I don't think anyone meant it as a insult in any way shape or form and you being the buissness end should show a bit more control before you go jumping all over with posts it sure doesn't build my confidence. And I personally think your doing a great service to the hobby but take it easy on your customer base we do remeber insults for a long time.

Dave
Insults? Who's insulting who? I was making a valid point comparing the reaction to a product I announce to a very similar product announced by someone else. I get wierd comments, he gets kudos... Strange... If you took it as an insult, you read way too much into it.

Like I said, why should I bother? I post somethig here and it gets essentially laughed at. Fine. This variation won't get built because I don't have excess cash to burn on 'science experiments'.

Now I can understand why other manufacturers don't post here. It's just not worth the effort.

Now go ahead and flame me for this, too...

Dan

Dan, just put on your asbestos pants and coat and build your slots. We will buy them or we won't. We will change them or we won't. Who is to say.....but everyone, not just YOU is entitled to his/her opinion. USA is still free, eh? We like your stuff so lighten up! :tongue:

EOM, NPB

Joez

Insults? Who's insulting who? I was making a valid point comparing the reaction to a product I announce to a very similar product announced by someone else. I get wierd comments, he gets kudos... Strange... If you took it as an insult, you read way too much into it.

Like I said, why should I bother? I post somethig here and it gets essentially laughed at. Fine. This variation won't get built because I don't have excess cash to burn on 'science experiments'.

Now I can understand why other manufacturers don't post here. It's just not worth the effort.

Now go ahead and flame me for this, too...

Dan


I can't be bothered flamming somone who is doing a fine job of doing it himself. How did you get weird coments? One guys says hey cool add the clear chassis and instant science project. I think that was a very valid post and a very cool idea. And as for speaking for other manufacturers you speak alone my friend. I love seeing new stuff by I won't bow down and grovell at your feet as you seem to think we should. Anyone as much as suggest someone else did something similar is always attacked grow up and stop shooting yourself in the foot. I for one was looking forward to buying your vapor ware but now that I see you really just want to have people tell you how great you are and not for the pure joy of the hobby I somehow doubt I will be puchasing anything from you.. BTW I am 44 and retired from buissness and I didn't make it this far by annoying every customer I have by being flippant.. In a nut shell take some valium and start treating others as you would like to be treated and stop trying to convince us how great you are.


~SNIP~

that's it...

I won't be buying either.

HI all,
I have no idea what this is all about, since I just found this thread after most of the topics were edited and deleted already.
But there were few things I would like to suggest anyway:
First of all, this is a hobby, and no serious business for most of us, so there is supposed to be fun in here and nothing else. Then I cannot understand why there were people suggesting not to buy from a certein person. Then its up to anybody to do whatever he wants of course.

In the end there were not too many persons around, who were spending real money to make others happy by providing new and rarely seen stuff. Surely these guys were intending to make money to some account, but they have had to use their personal money up front, with no idea when and if the profit will come back. In my opinion this is such a small number, that I try to get something from everybody, to show respect of their work, and hope to help them going on with their venture.

But then again, maybe I am totally wrong, these were just my 2 cents....

Michael

I'm not concerned with who buys or doesn't buy from who. I was excited about possibly getting some new stuff and was planning to. The attitude that I percieved and I am no longer planning to buy.

Hi Michl,

I don't think anyone said don't buy we just got tired of being insulted for having a opinion and stated he had lost our sales for being so bloody uptight, I as most guy know will support anyone I can any way I can for our hobby. But I don't think I should worship at thier feet. I get down on my knees to only one being and none of us are him.. LOL..Too bad as most guys are awesome on here and I can pretty much say everyone who sells on this board and produces stuff is straight up and a great buissness person. And most do not get all bunched up just because we disagree to use a product the way they foresee it. Think I will try that on my next editor and see how long it takes for me to never sell a piece again.. DOH!

(Mind you if a editor ever logs on here and see how much I really don't care about grammer I would be sunk anyways..lol....)


Be Good, Think Positive and be Kind and most of all be Blessed.

Coach

Lenny - I think you need to get a thicker skin mate! This is the second really good product that you have 'pulled' because the reaction was not totally what you wanted.

If you hit the boards, you are going to get good and bad feedback - fact of life. Besides even if everyone here praised you all the way that wouldn't be enough people to prove you will have a succesful product.

These clear bodies and the motors you have lined up should both be produced IF that is what your gut tells you. Seeking glowing validation on one board is not a good litmus test, even if you had got it.

It is very clear you have what it takes to bring out some amazing stuff that people will be interested in once it is out there. Go for it!!


dw

funny thing is, there was no "negative" feedback posted about the clear car. don't be so jumpy Lenny/Dan.
I am too kind hearted to let out alot of steam here, so i'll just shut up. (but don't provoke me)

you know i think the clear chassis would be cool to do like a cutaway car

funny thing is, there was no "negative" feedback posted about the clear car. don't be so jumpy Lenny/Dan.


agreed... and with you too, Deane. There's a pattern here... Lenny, when you post an idea, some guys say "hey that's cool" and some say "hey, what if...?" At the first sign of a "what if", you seem to get real upset. I have yet to see a thread of yours where anyone said "bah, that sucks." But you take it as if that's what was said, and I don't understand why...

A while back you posted about chassis you wanted to do, and I asked (innocently I thought) if you were considering versions with stock Tjet specs (wheels and gearing). I don't remember who else posted, but your response was along the lines of "it's obvious you guys all want lame slow crap, not my cool stuff, so I'm not gonna even bother." We all like little cars, but some of us like lots of different kinds of little cars, and we like to do things to our little cars that make them different from everyone else's little cars. I think everything you've posted here (Speed Racers, Mclarens, new chassis, Studebakers, Super Mods, chromes, clears) has been great ideas and would do well in the market. I'd buy most of it if it came out. But h@$# if I wanna try to have a conversation with you and get jumped all over. I mean, you ARE posting this in an open discussion forum. People are gonna have ideas about how they'd do it, and they're gonna post them. If you tell us we're all unappreciative and unworthy and you're not gonna bother with this crap any more every time someone suggests a variation or modification, we're gonna have a hard time being enthusiastic about your stuff...

--rick

Well said Rick.

~mpb~

Who else is doing clear chassis?Far as I know im the only one.
Chris
Dragjet Resin's

Who else is doing clear chassis?Far as I know im the only one.
Chris
Dragjet Resin's

There was talk (brief) about a clear Super Modified body.
Someone mentioned along the way how it would be cool on one of your clear chassis. (Or something like that...)
And that would be cool. A clear body on a clear chassis. :p
And as a collector peice I would probably buy one or two of the clear body kits.
Later..
Scott

Hello, its people like Lenny that are really good for the hobby, if it wasn't for people like him and the guys at RRR and MEV we would have what?....maybe 3 companies of slot car bodies to buy, I really appreciate the time and effort people put in to this hobby, and people like wierd jack making tires and stuff, they help keep it alive and interesting. I would like a clear body to show people how the slot cars work and maybe get them more interested, my 2 cents.

kevin5797, no one here is questioning Lenny's/Dan's time and effort that he puts in to this hobby (or his talent, which is remarkable), Its just that he seems to be unable to engage in any type of civil discourse. It's as others have stated. He floats a cool ideas or prototype, people react, comment and usually all praise him, but if it's not exactly the type of feedback or adulation he is seeking, He threatens to take his slot cars and go home. I am embarrassed to admit that I bit my tongue on some of his posts for fear of upsetting this very talented yet high strung artisan, but personally I feel he needs to lighten up if he ever hopes to sell slot cars. I suppose some will buy from him no matter how many tantrums he throws. He is clearly talented, but he's not the only game in town and I just wish he would understand that because I really loved all his ideas.

I went to his (Dan's) website, it is clear he is the real deal. But, if he is tetchy with his customers there, no way would he survive.

It must be slot car people, they get under his skin somehow!

He really should follow his gut and produce this stuff, but leave the diva performances at home...


dw

C'mon guys, cut Dan some slack. He's making some very bold moves and laying it all on the line for something he believes in and something we will all benefit from. It's tough to put "your baby" up in front of the world to be scrutinized and evaluated. I have no doubt that when his products do finally ship and get the kind of response that they deserve he will be more comfortable with feedback from both sides of the fence. The fact that he's giving us a peek into the inner workings of his creative process is something quite different from what we've seen before. Keep doing what you're doing Dan, and yeah, we recognize the sensitivity knob is turned up all the way up right now but nobody is criticizing you or your efforts.

I can't wait for his cars to come out. I too think what Dan is doing is great. BTW what is his website address?

Dave

When I float an idea here, or post a picture of something on these boards, I AM looking for feedback. Ideally, I would like it to be overwhelmingly positive, but as I've seen, that's not always the case.

Q. Why do I post ideas on here in the first place?
A. This is the most active HO board that I know, with many of you guys having been in the hobby for ages. With that being said, I post my ideas here because I WANT you to comment, because I value your experience. But doing so is a mixed bag since you can't please everyone, and making 1000 or 2000 of something because 2 board members want it will get me buried in a hurry

You can ask 10 different board members the same thing, and you'll get 10 different answers. That's good and bad. It's bad(for me), because when you use this board as I have in the past, as a 'test market', it has meant that certain products were scrapped because of all the varying feedback. When you're a small time player and you need to make a certain number of something either to amortize your costs and keep the price down, or to satisfy your factory order requirements, you want to be as certain as you can that an idea is good and that the product will sell. I've used you guys for my 'marketing research'. Many times I didn't like, or didn't expect, a certain response. And I told you as much, not always with alot of tact... If I offended anyone with my come-backs, you have my sincerest apologies.


So because of all the stuff I wrote about above, and since posting here has become counter-productive for me, my website will be used as my main tool to communicate my ideas and products. There will be a 'New Products' section where you'll be able to see what's planned for the future. There will be a feedback form that folks can can use for comments or feedback. If I still have any customers, you'll be able to order from the website as well.

The website address is http://www.dash-motorsports.com

The site will be operational in about a week.

There will be pictures of the production test shots of the Speed Racer cars that I just received this week from Round2, as well as their expected release date. It'll have pictures and the release date of all the production Super Modified samples I just received from the factory. In the 'New Products' section, there will be test shots of the T-Jet and AF/X style Cheetah Roadster and first 'cuts' of 4 different T-Jet Lead Sleds, all which are scheduled for early 2006.

Because the site is not up yet, here are a few pics shot by the factory of the assembled production Super Modifieds which will be here in about 6 weeks.

Thank you for all of your feedback in the past, positive and negative.

Dan

Apology accepted, and I appreciate you letting us know where you're coming from... and WOW! the super mods look PHENOMENAL...

--rick

Dan,

As I stated in my previous post in this thread I beleive you just read something into what was written that wasn't there. Apologizing as you have really shows your good character and I hope smooths things over with everyone as I think it should. I would hate to see that you abandon the practice of sharing your ideas with us on the board
as it does give us a chance to see what else is really out there and are other peoples ideas.

And, Yes those Mods look awesome...

I'm smoothed over. Apology is accepted. It is nice to here where you are coming from. I am really looking forward to your stuff being released. The Supermodifieds look great.

Dan, I really envy your talent and your knowledge of what it takes to bring a slot car idea into reality from start to finish. We all appreciate the risk and effort you are putting into this hobby. At times some of us will playfully joke about something that is posted here, but I'm almost positive that all of your ideas have been universally loved and accepted. It's just like a family here and sometimes family members can get on our nerves, but don't take it personally. As long as you continue to put out the same great stuff, I would not worry about trying to please everybody because your work speaks for itself.

I'm just glad to see this post carry on in a more positive note. I never did get to see the clear chassis since it was pulled from the board.

Good luck with the new lines.
Jim

The clear chassis was posted last year by Dragula, I think this thread started with clear bodies but then Dan/Lenny edited his posts.

Thanks Dan,
Now that took some good princables to post. Now Can I please see the clear body? And on the subject of past posts, If you recall I was totally excited on the new chassis you where looking into creating, any new word on that project? We totally need it. as I bought 12 new xtrac and thunderjetsthis week and 5 of the bloody things where JUNK. two stil are not running and I doubt they ever will ( Tjet hammer UP!). So I for one am happy to see you in a more relaxed mood and awaiting the new stuff, bring it on...

Coach

Dan,

I think you should still use this board as a bouncing board for your ideas, sometimes bad feedback is actually good feedback if you follow me. Maybe someone will suggest something that you currently don't do but can do and it will make the products better.

Generally you ideas have gone down well here, but I do think you should hit all the forums or at least ask the guys here to spread the word for you. This is what I did for SlotCarsInnovations (http://www.slotcarinnovations.com/) and boy have they been busy ever since!

I know I have used the feedback on my chassis, be it good, bad or indifferent.

http://www.bglawns.com/Mk%201%20(35b).JPG

T-jetjim, if you click here (http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=99604&highlight=clear+chassis) you can see a picture of the AFX clear chassis that Dragula makes. hth

Jeff

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/attachment.php?attachmentid=14094
Kind of strange looking, eh?

well, that didn't work out as planned...

as I bought 12 new xtrac and thunderjetsthis week and 5 of the bloody things where JUNK. two stil are not running and I doubt they ever will
Coach

Interesting...
I have a few that run bad..
But the only ones that I have seen that would not run at all had a stuck brush...
Did you open them up?

Thank you for your efforts Dan..
Keep them coming...
Scott

Hey Dan, can you tell us what your relationship is with Round2?

There will be pictures of the production test shots of the Speed Racer cars that I just received this week from Round2, as well as their expected release date.

Also, a while back you mentioned you were working on some new chassis ideas, Round2 is also developing some new chassis I think.....Coinisidence..????????

Hey Dan, can you tell us what your relationship is with Round2?

There will be pictures of the production test shots of the Speed Racer cars that I just received this week from Round2, as well as their expected release date.


There really isn't a relationship. I approached RC2 early this year, while they still owned the slot line, about doing some exclusive slot cars. The Speed Racer cars were started by RC2, then when Round2 bought back the slots, my contract was transferred to them. Unfortuneately, there were a few contracts that I didn't get RC2 to approve in time (before they sold the slot line to Round2) which included 4 new Mopar molds and 3 new Studebaker molds.

So my relationship with Round2 at this time is that they are finishing up a contract handed over to them by RC2.




Also, a while back you mentioned you were working on some new chassis ideas, Round2 is also developing some new chassis I think.....Coinisidence..????????


Pure coincidence. And now that I'm focusing on bodies for the near term, any chassis plans are on hold (too many ideas, not enough time and money).

Now if I have a good sell through on my current projects and it frees up some cash, some of the 'vapor-ware' I've talked about might get done next year.

Dan

Thanks Jeff!

I liked it. Even has the AFX logo on it!

Jim

as I bought 12 new xtrac and thunderjetsthis week and 5 of the bloody things where JUNK. two stil are not running and I doubt they ever will ( Tjet hammer UP!). So I for one am happy to see you in a more relaxed mood and awaiting the new stuff, bring it on...

I assumed that everyone had problems with the JL products. I have purchased a few cases of the XTraction and each one had only 50%-60% of the cars that worked right out of the box. Most often, I had to fix the gear mesh between the crown and drive gears. The drive gear would pop up and not engage with the crown making a wonderful gear stripping noise. This was resolved through adjusting the gear plate clamp or squeezing the rivet on the final drive gear with a pliers to reduce the play.

Some I had to detune because there was too much pressure on the commutators, so I would pry back the brush tab a little.

I did get all of them running without replacing parts.

I have been fortunate with the JLTOs. I have had to detune some because they ran full throttle or off, but overall they worked out of the box.

Jim