Durango Rip Offs

[Alfonzo]

I don't own a Durango, but I'm guessing it looks the same because IT IS the same!? Probably out of the same factory, or at least from the same moulds.

There's no way Durango aren't worried by this.

[Bagman]

Surely anyone who buys one of these things in any of the main western markets is going to get slagged off something rotten and I still can't see the price going below that of a decent entry level car like a Cyber or something like that. These copies are going to be very rare and make the owner a bit of a laughing stock at any meetings they attend. As most new racers either seek advice from club racers before buying or go to their first race with a "toy" rc car then trade up after finding out how unsuitable it is I can't see this thing being an issue. It's not exactly going to be in Toys R Us is it?

[rcdunk]

Originally Posted by DCM

Well, thanks to Durango and Neobuggy, if I wanted one, I now know where to go to get one...... how NOT to draw attention to it....

best of luck with the translation lol

honestly though probably repeating what some people have said real racers wont buy it as its NOT a durango and by the looks of the plastic show it a jumpy brit track and its gonna break wishbones and turnbuckles faster than blinking lol

i would rather go for the real macoy and all the backup and support that you will get at a meeting fron team drivers etc even if it costs more. will probably last twice as long as the copy anyhow

[littlened]

If it's cheap enough, maybe people will buy it, and then replace a few parts to make it like the original, i.e. the front gearbox housing that would normally have the durango logo on it.

To be fair, if someone was to buy it, and they break a wishbone, they'll be buying a wishbone from durango.

It could help Durango in a way, however...if it's made from the same materials and in the same factory, then Durango will have a big problem, because it'll be a Durango without the logos!

[dave g]

is the durango made 'in house' by durango or subbed to be manufactured somewhere else?
if so is it possible the copy durango is from the same place?

the far east has no bones when it comes to copying things,and im pretty sure due to the non existant laws,or seemingly non enforced copyright laws over there,durango wont be able to do anything about it.

[Bagman]

If the DEX410R will be £210 this thing would have to be how much for people to take the risk on it £100 to £150? If they are shipping direct to customers from China you're looking at 10 to 20 quid on top of that. The clincher might be that the R would be with you in a couple of days as opposed to 3 weeks(?) for the Chinese thing. If it works out less than £120 I might even get one as a basher or to give to my son so he has one the same as mine without putting the good one at risk (ask my X10)

[littlened]

Originally Posted by Bagman

If the DEX410R will be £210 this thing would have to be how much for people to take the risk on it £100 to £150? If they are shipping direct to customers from China you're looking at 10 to 20 quid on top of that. The clincher might be that the R would be with you in a couple of days as opposed to 3 weeks(?) for the Chinese thing. If it works out less than £120 I might even get one as a basher or to give to my son so he has one the same as mine without putting the good one at risk (ask my X10)

If its cheap enough that's how some people might see it. Pay £100 or so quid to bash about or start racing, as you get better you can replace bit for original durango parts...eventually you end up with the real deal but without the risk.

I don't agree with the copying mind, if someone copied my website, I'd be furious!

[mark christopher]

Originally Posted by dave g

is the durango made 'in house' by durango or subbed to be manufactured somewhere else?
if so is it possible the copy durango is from the same place?

the far east has no bones when it comes to copying things,and im pretty sure due to the non existant laws,or seemingly non enforced copyright laws over there,durango wont be able to do anything about it.

if i remember correctly durango is a far eastern company and manufactured by a company out there, much like serpents are, so it would be easy to use the moulds, but once you have the parts making the moulds is easy anyhow

on the bright side it has the 2mm pins in the drive shafts!

[Si Coe]

The 410R isn't £210 its provisionally £210 + VAT which means its substantially more. Therefore at £150 one of these is a viable option - if its not total junk that is!

I doubt any one would get slagged off at a track for buying one if its not crap - people would just consider it a bargain. Pragmatism tends to take the upper hand over ethics whatever people might claim. If it is poor the buyer might get laughed at though!

The problem is when people try to pass them off as the real deal. That Schumacher TC clone for example is even called an Mi4 - its only the fact it doesn't actually mention Schumacher anywhere in the details that you know its a knock off. Calling the car a TK410 suggest this may be similar.

[Bagman]

I didn't know it was 210 plus VAT, I'm going right off VAT at the moment.

I'll still be surprised if they can make it for under 150 though. There isn't the demand for it to have a big production run and redesigning the car must of cost them hundreds. Wonder what the box'll look like?

The other question is where will the first one turn up, someone is going to have to take that leap of faith.

Do many people have the fake Schumacher in the UK? I've heard it's well ropey but I've never seen it.

[littlened]

Originally Posted by Bagman

I didn't know it was 210 plus VAT, I'm going right off VAT at the moment.

I'll still be surprised if they can make it for under 150 though. There isn't the demand for it to have a big production run and redesigning the car must of cost them hundreds. Wonder what the box'll look like?

The other question is where will the first one turn up, someone is going to have to take that leap of faith.

Do many people have the fake Schumacher in the UK? I've heard it's well ropey but I've never seen it.

Who's to say it's redesigned? it could be being built on the same line as far as we know. Tooling is probably their most expensive outlay, and if they have access to the originals, then tooling would be a major issue. As for design etc, they've not designed anything so no cost there.

[Bagman]

Sorry about that, I'm struggling to pull off sarcasm in text form, that's twice it's failed now. Mind you the shocks look ever so slightly different.

To get an idea does anyone know how much the fake Mi4 was? I can't find it.

[littlened]

Originally Posted by Bagman

Sorry about that, I'm struggling to pull off sarcasm in text form, that's twice it's failed now. Mind you the shocks look ever so slightly different.

To get an idea does anyone know how much the fake Mi4 was? I can't find it.

sarcasm did cross my mind, so you got it half right

[Bagman]

I haven't lost it, well maybe half

[Ross]

The HPI Baja was cloned a few years ago,it was something like £750 for the Baja and £250-£300 for the clone, funnily enough the Baja parts fit the clone , this maybe the same

[pro4nut]

The risk of cloning is high, one company i worked for subbed out manufacture of a product to a company in china,
we ordered 50,000 units and had to pay for the tooling and set up etc...
they made 100,000 units and sold the other half as unbranded copies.

This situation has a ring of that situation about it.
We couldn't do a thing about it and the revenue loss was substantial, chinese manufacturers are like any other business only interested in the money they can make, if they can charge you for tooling and then make more after fulfilling your order sadly it is your look out as there laws do not protect you.

Durango decided to manufacture in china/far east i would imagine to keep cost down and profits up, much as people love the car i would imagine a good margin is made on its sale. In business if you make a descision around cost you have to live with the consequence and that morals and ethics can often be overridden with sufficient finance.


edit- couldn't help but laugh their website has the phrase 'copyright 2005-2010' now that takes the biscuit

[Si Coe]

Originally Posted by Ross

The HPI Baja was cloned a few years ago,it was something like £750 for the Baja and £250-£300 for the clone, funnily enough the Baja parts fit the clone , this maybe the same

Some of the Baja clones (the KM for example) are pretty decent. Whilst HPI have tried to stop clone owners talking too much about them on major forums, there is no shame attached to the owners of such clones by other drivers.

[Darren Boyle]

I think that the trouble will be - and the same reason Durango ARE scared of it now - is when you end up with hybrids everyhwere, ie a rip-off that has been fixed with a few Durango parts etc. "IF" the parts are all interchangeable, as it looks like they will be, you will end up with cars floating around that are half and half (half copy half repaired/maintained with genuine parts) which will devalue the price of a "real" one when they are sold second hand etc for less. YOu could end up with all sorts of scenarios - a genuine car with cheap copy gearbox internals - or vice versa....it will be a nightmare for owners trying to sell and potential buyers wanting to be sure what they are getting.

The other thing is, "most" poeple on here are clued up and would spot one a mile off, but the same cannot be said for "all" off road racers at clubs bi and small all over the world and if they get to see this clone running and it is unreliabale and breaks easy, who is to say they dont think it is the real thing and are put off by it.

The sad reality is, unlike what some others have said, although it is made in China it will be sold all over the world (AlienPower who I linked to at the beginning of this thread on the RACER site are in Germany and will no doubt be a reseller or have it badged in their own name, as many of these cheap copies already are) It will be available very close to home I am sure, certainly in mainland European countries and that makes it just 24/48 hours shipping time away and not weeks as has been said.......

We dont stock Durango at DMS, although for the record I think the car looks fantastic and very well made, and it is no hidden secret that we do not see eye to eye with some of the big brass behind RC Disco/Durango over past dealings when they ran Mirage, however I would not wish this kind of blatant copying of products on anyone, reagrdless of their past business dealings.

[pro4nut]

To be clear i do not agree with this copying of anothers intelectual property.
Despite my increasing years i am studying an engineering degree and cost of manufacture, copyright and patent are current subjects.

[Pablo668]

I am actually quite shocked at how close a copy it is.

I hate to admit it, if it's cheap and the quality is ok......I'd find it pretty tempting. If only because I rate the Durango design so highly.

I have a 501x and even with that the only reason I have one is because I managed to luck on to a brand new kit being sold cheap by someone who inexplicably) bought it, never opened it, and then sold it on.

I'd love a Durango and I think they are worth every penny....I just don't have that many pennies lying around.

In a perfect world we'd all support the original designer/company though.