no Pred, that's for sure.
The lack of parts-service AND communication about it did it for me.
But the, after I sold all my gear, the new shop: InsideLine was created and the service went Ok again.
However I have stayed in touch as one of my best racing buddies kept on racing a predator.
I run an 2wd Kyosho RB5 MCS and that car rocks! My results have improved significant since I run this car.
Also, I have bought a 4wd Tamiya DB-01 (Baldr) for my oldest son ... and just to test it, have also raced it with almost stock setup: right out of the box ...
and Q'd immediatly one finale higher then i did before with the Pred.
That Tam DB-01 is much more forgiving then the Pred was. I still feel that my Pred could go sharper and faster .... but have now much more fun with the DB-01 (a plastic car) and will certainly improve with it and get better results then with my Pred.
The Pred is great when in the hands of a Top-driver, of someone who knows how to tune the car ...
Out here, I was alone (allthough with help of one good pilot Bat Feniks Van Echelpoel when we met at meetings) ... and my very strong motivation and love for the Pred got broken down to - 20% after having to deal over and over with parts-problems.
"need new blades for my outdrives??" --> "Sorry, don't have any in stock" ... and this for months! blades!?
Having some urgent orders delivered 1,5 months later.
Having promised help/maybe even a car for an endurance-race for a special international Pred-team we organised ourselves... and never recieved any parts/car nor respons on all our mails on what happened ....
AFter having been on the barricades defending the car on more then one forum.
Even after defending the people from Team Xtreme against people offending them for their lousy support ... to having to discover later on that these people very probably were right. :$
And then one day, it was enough, and I sold everything.
Well, not everything ...
I still kept some preciousssssss parts
and some tyres .... one may never know.
Happely those days are over now with InsideLineRacing doing an excellent online shop-job.
I really hope that one day the Pred can become a every-day racer-car, with decent backup (over here on the continent).
I'm sure those Pred-tires in my basement will become handy again then
But for now? ... well the DB-01 has convinced me again that 4wd can be fun after all.
For some time I didn't want to touch a 4wd no more. I was so fed up with it.