by waaytoomuchintothis » Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:42 am
I felt that the RTRs in 1/32 were fully worth the money when they were $30 to $45. I didn't even look for sale items, I just bought what I wanted and was grateful. Then two things happened almost at the same time. One, stupid decisions in this country ran the value of the dollar into the dirt making an opportunity for the greediest European manufacturers to gouge us far more than their increased costs and our devalued money, and second, a whole new crop of cars that were actually worth more came on the scene. Ninco was the worst and first offender on the gouging scene, making the customer feel like a fool for paying triple price for the same exact car he bought a year before, and the new manufacturers with unusual quality and innovative designs that were truly worth a higher price were Slot.it, NSR, and Pioneer, among others.
Of all the cars being produced, no one is even a close second in value-per-dollar category to Pioneer. Better made parts (and available seperately to improve other manufacturer's cars), excellent detail and paint, very good choices of what to build-- everything. What stands out is that Pioneer still costs what RTR slot cars should cost, and that is the feature. Jules is doing well, and being rewarded well, and it is because he delivers value far in advance of other carmakers, and the combination of excellence in production, coupled with a respect for the customer that is reflected in the price is going to keep him on top for a long time, I'm sure.