A while back I found a wholesale liquidation store about an hour from the house that carries a bunch of name brand tools and various electronics and home goods. They normally don't have any R/C cars or anything like that. I just so happened to find them when they got a small batch of R/C cars for the first time. I picked up a brushed Granite blx for $100, an Infraction 6s for $300 and a Rlaarlo Terminator alloy version for $40. All new in the box. I swapped a hobby wing BL120 ESC and 3660 3700kv motor into the Granite along with the expected upgrades in the gear train. Ended up with a significantly faster Granite for less than retail stock brushless option. Cheap options are out there if you look hard enough.
Wow what a deal. Seems to be a damaged goods or overstock situation considering the box damage. They probably buy large quantities of damaged boxes. I got a brand new unopened losi king sling for $300 once. Amazon overstock. The box was smashed but the truck was perfect.
Yeah it's probably something like that. I was surprised at horizon's willingness to warranty it but they're usually really good with their warranty stuff so maybe I shouldn't have been
Yeah I can't guarantee all of them will be but I think for the most part they're legit. Someone else had mentioned something about a $300 X-Max. That's probably a scam
ALIEXPRESS ROCKS!! I've ordered a lot of x-maxx parts there but never a car yet been waiting for somebody to do a video like this great job!! Thank you not so worried about ordering one now I had my eye on the Big Rock off there site..🤟👍👏
Yeah ordering from AliExpress is always going to be a little more risky than something like Amazon but given the amount of options you have for recourse if something goes wrong I think it's fine.
Great video as usual, I saw those an a few more an was wondering the same thing how can they sell so cheap. You have answered alot of my questions. Thanks
I built a pretty dope ebike thru AliExpress. I also get most of my mini crawler parts and builds from them. Rarely have I had an issue and they've always made things right by me.
Wow..I have seen these on Alli and seen posts on FB groups of people getting them but I found it hard to believe. Thanks for taking the risk to find out!
I’ve been running my granite for over a year now on 4s with a hobbywing setup and m2c motor mount. Plastic spur, stock axles and I’ve been very surprised with how things hold up. I just recently stripped the rear differential of all things which I found weird but I haven’t had to touch it until that happened. I’ve been impressed to say the least
@@DoRC that’s typically my problem too. My sledge has over 3k in upgrades into it. I remember the days of the tmaxx where if you looked at it wrong the arms would break 😅
@@AMM0394 absolutely. That was my first serious basher back in the day and it's amazing how far we've come from breaking things landing jumps perfectly to being able to do double backflips 15 feet up out of the box
Yup those plastic diffs last about a season of average bashing. My big rock blew the rear as well, then i just upgraded to the 4s kraton/ outcast metal gear diffs after replacing the ring gear and imput gear on the rear twice.
@RcPlayer-tt2vw I wasn't trying to say that they take a lot of vacations I was mostly trying to say that when they do take a vacation they take it really seriously. I don't know of any other country where the entire country shuts down for a week every year.
I have never bought from Ali express. I've been curious about exactly this kind of deal so thank you. The only reason I have not bought from ali is I don't know if it ends up being an international transaction or a US purchase.
I never had a desire to get the Granite...but had to get one a few months ago when it was on sale at HH for what...$230? My boys and I love it. Another great vehicle added to our lineup.
If you wanna talk about expensive center diffs, get a load of the mini maxx. It’s not just $70 for the all metal diff itself, but another $10-$14 in additional parts as you need a new center drive shaft and rear input gear. I can’t really imagine anyone buying the $4 plastic shaft when the $8 aluminum shaft is available, so effectively it’s an $84 center diff upgrade. Sure, there’s also the $45 plastic center diff, but I would be fairly confident that it would melt just like the hoss and new stampede diff cases are known to do. On top of all that, they’re making a slipper for it. Granted, it’s just the same 1/10 scale slipper like the center diffs are, just with new spur gears, but it seems awfully wasteful to make us replace 3 parts when they could’ve just given it the slipper out of the box and not bothered with the extra part numbers. Then again, this is the company that makes like 13 different standard size servos when they could narrow it down to 4 and save massive on manufacturing and logistics.
@@dylanwhite6539 For sure. I think it's a great opportunity for aftermarket manufacturers. I bet we'll be able to get decent steel CVDs for half the price.
There really is no maximum. The motor will draw what it can, the ESC should be able to supply what it needs and then the battery should be able to supply at a minimum what the ESC needs.
Yeah I bought from quite a few times now and I had a couple of minor hiccups which we were able to resolve. In general as long as you are reasonable and make sure you're buying from mostly reputable sellers it should be fine
I ordered a big rock from the same store that wouldn't ship to your address and I ended up cancelling it and got my money back. What store did you order this from?
This one came from XW Green sports store. I suspect the other place sometimes has stuff in stock and sometimes doesn't and they just don't bother to update the listings when they don't.
i got a vorteks brand new with the box being in better condition than yours for 240$ this is my second car and i was a bit sceptical but it turned out good
I have purchased from aliexpress many, many times. I use paypal, which is an extra layer of security against bad buys/sellers/products. However, I have only had one or two bad experiences with them, and those were for minimal item issues, which, paypal refunded me for before I was aware of the problem. That said, it looks like this model recently went on sale here in the states, so I'm thinking they just got access to the sale a bit early. Excellent video, nice upgrades, and thanks for sharing! With the holidays near, a great RC at a great price is an excellent gift!!
Maybe though from what I've heard the sale price in the US was 250 and they would have to get these for a bit less than $200 to be able to eat the shipping AliExpress fees deal with returns etc and still make a profit.
I believe the V4s are on the way very soon. Arrma has been doing limited run sales on all of their 3S trucks. I'm assuming they're cutting down on stock. Including their MEGA trucks and discontinuing the BOOSTs.
Hey mate, great video! That's one Hell of a Deal you just got there!! I think AlliExpress has gotten an unfair view in the public's eyes. Yeah they can be Dodgy, but 99% of the time you get exactly what you have ordered for a far more reasonable price. Quick question, is there any way of getting into contact with you that's not on a public message board? There is something that I would like to discuss with you if that's okay?
Yes. I have an email address available in the about section of the channel though you have to view it on desktop in order for the address to show up. If you're in any of the Facebook groups you've probably seen me post my videos on there too. You can PM me through the one of those.
Yes it's stock. Motor temps are okay though it was pretty cool out. I've run the same motor on 4S plenty of times before and as long as you're careful with it it's fine just keep in mind that you will technically be over revving it if you allow it to come up to full speed on 4S so you could blow the rotor apart.
@@DoRCI've run a spectrum 3900 kv on 6s in my VENDETTA with multiple 100mph+ back to back runs before I let it chill and it still hasn't GRENADED and I've had it since 2022....VERY SURPRISED TO SAY THE LEAST
Thank you for this video. That is something I was very curious about. Thank you for taking your time to answer such an interesting question. I wonder what other top brand cars can you find on there?
@@DoRC oh okay. I did a little aliexpress search and found some cool options from Traxxas and so on. But I didn’t check the sellers out to see if there is a chance they would actually arrive. But this video opened my eyes, that’s something to consider
@@familyrc777 That's cool. As long as the seller has a fair amount of decent reviews it'll probably be fine. You have enough options for recourse if it isn't that I'd say it's worth a chance.
Do rc , I have to change my chassis on my sledge. I saw a video of yours last year where you switch all the parts on this one rig and you made it look orderly and fast. Almost like a trick. What’s the best way ? The video was a year ago. I need to find it
Best way to swap out a chassis is to flip the car upside down with some room on a table behind it and then starting from one end of the chassis take every single screw out putting them in order behind it take some pictures as you go so when you inevitably knock into the screws and mess them up you'll still know where they go. Once you have all the screws out you should just be able to pull the old chassis off and put the new chassis on. You can put a wadded up towel underneath the car before you flip it upside down which will kind of support everything better than it just sitting on the table. Not perfect but it's the fastest way I have found
I have ordered off aliexpress never bought a rc off them jus parts. And ive always wondered about that if the arrma ones would be the real deal instead of a knock off brand. Thats really cool that u got it that cheap. Thanks for the video as always
I have a 3s granite, senton,and typhon i love them all. Prying out the gear part is super hard took me a lot of trys to actually get it out. Videos made it look easy, so i was confused thinking mine was broken 😅
Yeah depending on the tolerances it can be pretty challenging to remove. Also depending on the type of terrain you're bashing on it can get easier or harder over time
I’ve never had a seller offer part of my cost back on AliExpress, even when it would have been the best option. A seller send wrong parts, that was cheaper than what I paid for, I could still have used 80% of what was sent. I just wanted the price difference between what I paid for over what I received. I had to either eat my loss, or return for a refund which I did. Ali refunded the money the next day after I dropped the item off at the post office to ship back. With all of that said, I’ve only had 3 purchases out of 100’s of them that was a bad experience and I always get everything corrected, just adds extra time to whatever project I was ordering part for to begin with. I’ve bought a few RC cars on there that wasn’t supposed to be for sale outside of one of two countries I wasn’t included in or with special features I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise usually at least half off msrp.
Yeah obviously that's going to be up to the seller's discretion. I've been able to come to satisfactory agreements with the seller each time I've had a problem but my experience definitely won't inherently represent the median experience.
That's possible though I don't think the sale price was quite as low as they are selling them for and they'd have to get them for quite a bit less than what they are selling them for in order to make a profit. Between shipping a big box dealing with the aliexpress fees taking into account a certain percentage of returns etc they would probably have to get them for less than 200 bucks to even be close to making a profit.
Maybe though if they bought them for $230 and sold them for $230 and had to pay for shipping AliExpress fees etc I don't really see how they could be making any money.
Sry for the disappearance life’s been tough.. how have you been? the motor mount is a downfall of the 3S lines from bending.. BUT you can use the v2 4s mount and it fits and works great at a budget price compared to m2c parts..
@@DoRC oh I could of sworn it was slightly bigger, but regardless I will say that I have my granite on 4s and beat it to death and the 4s motor mount hasn’t bent when I went through a few of the 3S and hot racing mounta
Same here. I probably use them a couple dozen times over the years and even when I've had issues they were resolved to my satisfaction. I do think that it carries a little bit more inherent risk than something like Amazon but overall seems good
Well even if it was fake if upgrades bolt on and it takes the bashing well like it seemed to then a good deal since about every basher ends up with broken parts it just matters if can get replacement parts that fit to get you back to tearin it up again
In general it's fine. Just make sure you check the sellers reputation before buying. There are obviously going to be some scams on there but overall it's not a problem
Haha , nice bro 👏. I’m going to throw a 4s in mine and run both and a 6s in the 4s outcast and run 4s to start . I think you said it’s worth it to stay there cuz 6s is too crazy . Stuff don’t jive . I found the sweet spot for my k6s with that HW Max6 1650kv combo is a 19 or 20 tooth pinion . 18 wasn’t bad at all either but you know 😊. Thanks for the help . Appreciate it . Have you ever had a battery cable break at the esc ? There was a stub so I cleaned it up and will use the steel from a 10ga bullet splice cut in half so there’s half a cup sticking up . I hope it works . It should if it’s clean and I can get it done quick . Getting it done quick will be the key and a damp cloth to cool it down . Is there another way ? When the fan plastic came off there was red heat sink plate that didnt come off or does it come off ? It’s a granite esc . I ll make it work but I always like to know a different way or at least check , thanks .
I've seen these on aliexpress as well, but shipping to germany is over 200$ so not worth it. I think they only ship from the usa because from china its free, most of the time. Probably some packaging damage returns or other strange stuff.
Yeah it's got to be something like that. Someone else pointed out something interesting. The label on the box I got appears to have come from Amazon. Who knows why that is or what angle that comes from :-)
I JUST got into the hobby because my son got the granite, then I got one, got another one for my daughter AND got one for my husband. Hey, the family that plays together, stays together ami right? 😂 I got the brushed motor version….within 3 days, I upgraded to the brushed motor lol. ANYWHO, I know NOTHING about rc cars, but quickly learning thanks to your videos!! Ps. I wish I would’ve seen THIS video before I spent close to $1000 😂 I’m actually surprised they were willing to refund you some. That’s awesome!! Pps: I’ve ALSO never ordered from aliexpress.
Welcome to the hobby! It's definitely a lot of fun though it can be addictive. I wouldn't say I was surprised at the offer of a partial refund but it is always kind of a crap shoot as to what the seller will offer if there's an issue. Fortunately there are quite a few different avenues of recourse if you do have an issue so I think for the most part it's a pretty safe bet.
Be careful about purchasing any warranty, those warranties don't take effect until the manufacturer warranty expires so of you buy a 2 yr warranty it doesn't take effect until the manufacturer warranty is up, so your paying for a year you cannot use. I've since quit buying warranties, their really a waste of money.
@@DoRC not to any degree, it's just that I've been through this scenario with Affirm several months back and they denied me until the manufacturer warranty is up and the manufacturer won't help me cuz the plane is several months old so I got the 2 yr warranty in the beginning and the plane has to sit until I can get a refund or a replacement. It's really a hoaky deal and misleading.
@@RCPoor ah. Yeah unfortunately extended warranties are always like that. They can be a good deal depending on what you're buying but they often are not the best.
@@DoRCthat’s crappy this was my first job lol at sears selling extended warranties & how we got all of the leads was from sears sales slip’s 😮rarely sold any but now I’m glad 😂😂😂
Unbelievable price. Did the price include shipping and taxes? Well, it doesn't seem to be anything sketchy besides a damaged box. And I think most can live with that 😊
Entirely possible though looking at the label after someone else pointed it out to me I think this may have come straight from Amazon so who knows what's going on
I suspect it will. It was pointed out to me that the labeling on my box actually came from Amazon and yours is probably will too. I'm not sure what scheme they have going on but I guess it works for them.
The last 4 months I’ve ordered a lot off Ali Express ,everything real and I had a few things shipped from the United States one thing out to me in 24 hours. I was thoroughly impressed. I would just stay away from the things that are too good to be true but if it’s only 100 $150 less also stick to one with plenty of reviews.
Exactly. Someone else had mentioned seeing an X-Max for $300. That's probably going to be a box of rocks but in general as long as you're reasonable it should be fine
I bought a lot at Aliexpress, buyer protection is great so far. I did purchase a Typhon last year just to see what happened, but they never shipped it and I had to file a claim to get my $ back. I am surprised you actual got one in a few days. Maybe these are stolen products, who knows
I suspect it's more likely that they are returns or something like that. But yeah it's definitely a bit more risky than Amazon though like you said there are multiple ways to get your money back if you don't get what you ordered So in general other then it being a pain occasionally it's not too bad.
IDK I tried to order an arrma 4x from Aliexpress and never got the truck. Was trying to get a Vortek and had to file for a refund every time. Then just gave up.
You were probably trying to order from the same place I tried to order my first one. It seems like they sometimes have stock and sometimes don't and just don't take the listings down when they don't have stock.
Same here. I have had a couple of problems but I was able to get them taken care of to my satisfaction. It's probably inherently a little more risky than something like Amazon but in general as long as you are reasonable about who you buy from on there it should be fine.
Yeah I was trying to install upgrades that would test as many different parts of the truck as possible for fitment and the differential and slipper clutch pretty much did the same job in that area so I went with the much cheaper slipper clutch. I do get the irony though :-)
@BobBob-dx1tv gotcha. Those sales usually sell out pretty quickly. The nice thing about this is that not only are the prices lower than I've ever seen them in those sales but it's pretty consistent.
It was probably salvaged from shipping containers that fall off ships there are lots of boats that follow shipping lanes looking for lost containers that haven't sunk yet
It is. Someone else pointed that out to me and I actually think the package itself came from Amazon. I'm not sure what deal is between the two but I know I have gotten packages from other retailers than I purchased from in the past so they must have some sort of scheme worked out
I had the same problem when I tried to order a big rock. It went like 7 days and there was no movement on the order what so ever so I messaged the seller and they never responded so I just cancelled my order.
Yeah I think the first seller I tried either doesn't actually have them or goes in and out of stock on them so it's kind of a crap shoot. The second seller was fantastic though. I think that's kind of the inherent game you have to be willing to play though to get the deal. AliExpress is always going to be a little more flaky than something like Amazon
This is likely a factory over run. I highly doubt horizon owns the manufacturer in china. They probably just make more than horizon orders to sell themselves. 40% is a typical retail markup so this is probably the wholesale price which meams the cost to produce it is likely $150
V4 3s line will be nice but what i really want from Arrma is a 5th scale 8s Typhon or Talion EXB. I'd also take a Vigilante based 8s basher buggy from Redcat or a updated electric 5b from losi.
Yeah I heard that several different people have tried buying from different countries and had no luck. Apparently the stock is here in the United States.
its ether made in chaina or tawain so why not.i never cared about warranty if if it works for a bit only worries is ESC lots of garbage units out their
I agree. The two year warranty is nice but personally if it's not DOA I probably wouldn't invoke the warranty just because whatever happens is at least partially going to be my fault :-)
After seeing your video I checked out the Granite and saw it priced on many other platforms for around the same price so I don’t understand why your saying it was to cheap. AMain hobbies has it listed for $219 ??
I tried first ordering a kraton v5 for $320 and they held up my money for over a month. I then tried again and ordered two Typhon TLR rollers for $250 each from two different sellers. One arrived and the other never shipped. It came in a Amazon box
Yeah mine came from Amazon too as it turns out. I didn't realize it until someone else pointed out the label to me. Not sure what scheme they have going on the back end but I guess it works for them
@@DoRC Did you only order once? I received one out of my three orders. Unlike your box though, mine came in a brown Amazon box... Like Amazon tape and everything.
I don't think it's really necessary. At this point I'm convinced that as long as the seller has reasonable ratings you're probably going to get what you're buying.
Yes there are definitely scams on AliExpress but as long as you look at the reviews from the seller and our reasonable with what you think the deals are it's usually fine. Even if not AliExpress has buyer protection and you could always just do a chargeback on your card if you absolutely had to
@@DoRC The arrma rc listings in particular are hot for scams. They just dont ship anything usually and hope you don't refund I guess. Also seen where they send a cheap toy rc and refuse refund.
I wouldn't want to give you a link because they're always changing on AliExpress but if you search Granite 3S you should be able to find something. That being said from what I've heard availability varies wildly depending on what country you're in and it just might not be available in Canada
I've used them probably a couple dozen times now over the years and so far I've never had an issue. I've had a couple of problems that needed to be resolved but they all ended up being resolved to my satisfaction. That being said I do think it carries a little more inherent risk than something like Amazon
I didn't actually notice that when I got it but yeah I think this might have actually come from Amazon through AliExpress. I've had this kind of thing happen before where I order from one retailer and it comes from another. I have no idea what scheme is being worked on the back end but I guess it works.
Aliexpress They do what amazon does and have storage centers in America and I have been using it for years and you mainly have great experience you just need to read all details of things your buy because pictures show one thing but they could be selling a part for object in picture
I had a negative experience on Ali. I bought 6S Typhon for $350. Then Ali gives 9 business days to seller to ship the item. On the 8th day seller emails apologizing that they expecting delays on the delivery boat for uncertain time. On the 10th day Ali automatically refunded due to the seller failed to ship.
Yeah unfortunately that's kind of the inherent downside to AliExpress. Usually it's fine but you will experience things like that more frequently than on someplace like Amazon.
I've always figured that a big chunk of the retail price was built in for the "free" shipping we get. Even getting a discount for shipping so much it's still not cheap to ship a big RC car across the country.
A while back I found a wholesale liquidation store about an hour from the house that carries a bunch of name brand tools and various electronics and home goods. They normally don't have any R/C cars or anything like that. I just so happened to find them when they got a small batch of R/C cars for the first time. I picked up a brushed Granite blx for $100, an Infraction 6s for $300 and a Rlaarlo Terminator alloy version for $40. All new in the box. I swapped a hobby wing BL120 ESC and 3660 3700kv motor into the Granite along with the expected upgrades in the gear train. Ended up with a significantly faster Granite for less than retail stock brushless option. Cheap options are out there if you look hard enough.
Nice!
Wow what a deal. Seems to be a damaged goods or overstock situation considering the box damage. They probably buy large quantities of damaged boxes. I got a brand new unopened losi king sling for $300 once. Amazon overstock. The box was smashed but the truck was perfect.
Yeah it's probably something like that. I was surprised at horizon's willingness to warranty it but they're usually really good with their warranty stuff so maybe I shouldn't have been
Deal with AliExpress a lot I’ve been wondering if there arrma vehicles were real, I’m so glad you got one.
Yeah I can't guarantee all of them will be but I think for the most part they're legit. Someone else had mentioned something about a $300 X-Max. That's probably a scam
@@DoRCThat's most likely a scam indeed. If it sounds too good to be true, then it is. $300 Xmaxx? Nope
I got the v5 6s notorious from Allie express for $350. Brand New shipped from US warehouse. Awesome
Yeah they have some amazing deals.
@brianwatkins8071 that's what I paid for H8H, great trail truck! I'm not a big basher.
I just saw that deal SMH - I gotta go find it again -
@@jaceSHO good stuff!
can you share a link?
@1:10 "smells fine" 😂😂
:)
Fakes usually stink excessively
@@davidh5429 in one way or another yeah :-)
beat me to it that was legit commentary gold..
@@rogueFactor :)
ALIEXPRESS ROCKS!! I've ordered a lot of x-maxx parts there but never a car yet been waiting for somebody to do a video like this great job!! Thank you not so worried about ordering one now I had my eye on the Big Rock off there site..🤟👍👏
Yeah ordering from AliExpress is always going to be a little more risky than something like Amazon but given the amount of options you have for recourse if something goes wrong I think it's fine.
Love the way you’re not scared to pull it apart and show how it made, great job 👏 😊
Yeah I would be doing it whether I was recording it or not so I love to share it with you guys!
Great video as usual, I saw those an a few more an was wondering the same thing how can they sell so cheap. You have answered alot of my questions. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it thanks for watching!
I built a pretty dope ebike thru AliExpress. I also get most of my mini crawler parts and builds from them. Rarely have I had an issue and they've always made things right by me.
Same here. I've had a couple of problems over the years but it's never been something I couldn't get resolved.
Wow..I have seen these on Alli and seen posts on FB groups of people getting them but I found it hard to believe. Thanks for taking the risk to find out!
I would say overall the risk is pretty low on these.
@DoRC have you seen the price on Groms on there? It is a lot different lol.
I’ve been running my granite for over a year now on 4s with a hobbywing setup and m2c motor mount. Plastic spur, stock axles and I’ve been very surprised with how things hold up. I just recently stripped the rear differential of all things which I found weird but I haven’t had to touch it until that happened. I’ve been impressed to say the least
Yeah I'm always so quick to upgrade things that I often forget how far stock bashers have come. I'm having a lot of fun with the granite.
@@DoRC that’s typically my problem too. My sledge has over 3k in upgrades into it. I remember the days of the tmaxx where if you looked at it wrong the arms would break 😅
@@AMM0394 absolutely. That was my first serious basher back in the day and it's amazing how far we've come from breaking things landing jumps perfectly to being able to do double backflips 15 feet up out of the box
Yup those plastic diffs last about a season of average bashing. My big rock blew the rear as well, then i just upgraded to the 4s kraton/ outcast metal gear diffs after replacing the ring gear and imput gear on the rear twice.
Did they fall off the back of a truck 😂 Got me rolling 😂🤣
:)
@@EJ-74 the Chinese take a lot vacations or something to that effect got me 😆
@RcPlayer-tt2vw I wasn't trying to say that they take a lot of vacations I was mostly trying to say that when they do take a vacation they take it really seriously. I don't know of any other country where the entire country shuts down for a week every year.
@@DoRC I know just sounded funny and we live in world people get upset over everything 😆
@@DoRC actually interesting how other countries work compared to us . For instance Italy pays for there honeymoons .
I have never bought from Ali express. I've been curious about exactly this kind of deal so thank you. The only reason I have not bought from ali is I don't know if it ends up being an international transaction or a US purchase.
I genuinely have no idea how that would be handled. I don't have any relevant situation personally that would make me need to know.
US transaction. Unlike Bangood where you have to pay international transaction fee from credit card but no tax, hint, some cards offer zero fee
@customtoyrevolution thanks
Great upgrades - I got a 10208 for $170 on ALI
- That's the best deal on ALI express - that truck is twice as sweet as a granite and 4s...
Nice!
I got an email about this deal weeks ago and was very tempted. The only reason why I didn't buy it is because I purchased a TLR Typhone instead.
Yeah I was torn between that one and a granite but decided to go with this instead :-)
I have plenty. So far me everything has been as advertised. Make sure read descriptions ,and you will be fine.
My overall experience has been good as well. I've had a couple of problems but was able to get them resolved.
I was curious as well , granite is a legendary Rig , it’s a good rc to become a good driver , get one with spare parts and practice daily .
Absolutely. I haven't driven a stock V3 Granite in a while and I really like this one
I never had a desire to get the Granite...but had to get one a few months ago when it was on sale at HH for what...$230? My boys and I love it. Another great vehicle added to our lineup.
Hard to go wrong for that price.
yeah, its not always the cheaper option, just had a look and there is a Talion on there for AUS $1,956.69, mine cost AUS$ 1200 from a local hobby shop
For sure. Like I said in the end of the video there are some pretty crazy prices out there on AliExpress so you definitely have to be careful.
@@DoRC yeah, might have to get lucky cos all i can find are normal or more expensive options of everything i typed into the search
If you wanna talk about expensive center diffs, get a load of the mini maxx. It’s not just $70 for the all metal diff itself, but another $10-$14 in additional parts as you need a new center drive shaft and rear input gear. I can’t really imagine anyone buying the $4 plastic shaft when the $8 aluminum shaft is available, so effectively it’s an $84 center diff upgrade. Sure, there’s also the $45 plastic center diff, but I would be fairly confident that it would melt just like the hoss and new stampede diff cases are known to do. On top of all that, they’re making a slipper for it. Granted, it’s just the same 1/10 scale slipper like the center diffs are, just with new spur gears, but it seems awfully wasteful to make us replace 3 parts when they could’ve just given it the slipper out of the box and not bothered with the extra part numbers. Then again, this is the company that makes like 13 different standard size servos when they could narrow it down to 4 and save massive on manufacturing and logistics.
Yeah the upgrades seem pretty crazy for The minimax. I can't believe the steel CVDs are the same price as the ones for the regular Max.
@@DoRC I’ve got a feeling some upgrades like that will be going down in price once the aftermarket catches up.
@@dylanwhite6539 For sure. I think it's a great opportunity for aftermarket manufacturers. I bet we'll be able to get decent steel CVDs for half the price.
I scored a vorteks for $230 and yes it's not a scam. I don't get how they do it either but it's the best 1/10 arrma I own
Nice!
I still have the V2 Granite. Do you know what maximum C rating this truck can handle with a 2S and 3S lipo ?
There really is no maximum. The motor will draw what it can, the ESC should be able to supply what it needs and then the battery should be able to supply at a minimum what the ESC needs.
Top notch RC content bro👏
Thanks!
Nice! yeah ive been seeing TLR 6s typhon for $270, Typhon 6s for $350, Kraton 6s for $380, etc. too bad i already have all of them
Definitely good prices!
Best RC channel on the net. Thanks for the excellent content.
Be well.
I appreciate the compliment! I will try to keep filling those very large shoes :-)
Man thanks for the video. I was curious as well. I saw a x maxx for 300 ish. I would not trust that but still interesting that your truck was legit.
I think that might be a little bit low to be legitimate. I would be suspicious of that.
I buy almost everything on AliExpress, Household items, filters, appliances, etc, I buy all my extra RC Bodies as well. Never had an issue.
Yeah I bought from quite a few times now and I had a couple of minor hiccups which we were able to resolve. In general as long as you are reasonable and make sure you're buying from mostly reputable sellers it should be fine
I ordered a big rock from the same store that wouldn't ship to your address and I ended up cancelling it and got my money back. What store did you order this from?
This one came from XW Green sports store. I suspect the other place sometimes has stuff in stock and sometimes doesn't and they just don't bother to update the listings when they don't.
i got a vorteks brand new with the box being in better condition than yours for 240$ this is my second car and i was a bit sceptical but it turned out good
Yeah I figured the hole in the box was probably just bad luck. Car inside was fine though and that's all I care about
0:10 "inflatable loaf of bread" I just about died.
:)
I have purchased from aliexpress many, many times. I use paypal, which is an extra layer of security against bad buys/sellers/products. However, I have only had one or two bad experiences with them, and those were for minimal item issues, which, paypal refunded me for before I was aware of the problem.
That said, it looks like this model recently went on sale here in the states, so I'm thinking they just got access to the sale a bit early.
Excellent video, nice upgrades, and thanks for sharing! With the holidays near, a great RC at a great price is an excellent gift!!
Maybe though from what I've heard the sale price in the US was 250 and they would have to get these for a bit less than $200 to be able to eat the shipping AliExpress fees deal with returns etc and still make a profit.
I believe the V4s are on the way very soon. Arrma has been doing limited run sales on all of their 3S trucks. I'm assuming they're cutting down on stock. Including their MEGA trucks and discontinuing the BOOSTs.
Makes perfect sense to me. It's been a long time since the v3s came out
Hey mate, great video! That's one Hell of a Deal you just got there!! I think AlliExpress has gotten an unfair view in the public's eyes. Yeah they can be Dodgy, but 99% of the time you get exactly what you have ordered for a far more reasonable price.
Quick question, is there any way of getting into contact with you that's not on a public message board? There is something that I would like to discuss with you if that's okay?
Yes. I have an email address available in the about section of the channel though you have to view it on desktop in order for the address to show up. If you're in any of the Facebook groups you've probably seen me post my videos on there too. You can PM me through the one of those.
Was that still the stock 3200KV motor on 4S? How hot did it get? I have a V3 Typhon and I'm curious how the motor would handle 4S.
Yes it's stock. Motor temps are okay though it was pretty cool out. I've run the same motor on 4S plenty of times before and as long as you're careful with it it's fine just keep in mind that you will technically be over revving it if you allow it to come up to full speed on 4S so you could blow the rotor apart.
@@DoRCI've run a spectrum 3900 kv on 6s in my VENDETTA with multiple 100mph+ back to back runs before I let it chill and it still hasn't GRENADED and I've had it since 2022....VERY SURPRISED TO SAY THE LEAST
Thank you for this video. That is something I was very curious about. Thank you for taking your time to answer such an interesting question.
I wonder what other top brand cars can you find on there?
I actually looked when I was making the video and couldn't really find any other brand names.
@@DoRC oh okay. I did a little aliexpress search and found some cool options from Traxxas and so on. But I didn’t check the sellers out to see if there is a chance they would actually arrive. But this video opened my eyes, that’s something to consider
@@familyrc777 That's cool. As long as the seller has a fair amount of decent reviews it'll probably be fine. You have enough options for recourse if it isn't that I'd say it's worth a chance.
Do rc , I have to change my chassis on my sledge. I saw a video of yours last year where you switch all the parts on this one rig and you made it look orderly and fast. Almost like a trick. What’s the best way ? The video was a year ago. I need to find it
Best way to swap out a chassis is to flip the car upside down with some room on a table behind it and then starting from one end of the chassis take every single screw out putting them in order behind it take some pictures as you go so when you inevitably knock into the screws and mess them up you'll still know where they go. Once you have all the screws out you should just be able to pull the old chassis off and put the new chassis on. You can put a wadded up towel underneath the car before you flip it upside down which will kind of support everything better than it just sitting on the table. Not perfect but it's the fastest way I have found
they have an awesome selection of rc cars. got a great deal on a cross rc 6x6 rtr under $400
Yes some other prices are astronomical but they definitely have some good deals if you're willing to hunt for them
I have ordered off aliexpress never bought a rc off them jus parts. And ive always wondered about that if the arrma ones would be the real deal instead of a knock off brand. Thats really cool that u got it that cheap. Thanks for the video as always
Definitely hard to beat the deal! Thanks for watching :-)
I have a 3s granite, senton,and typhon i love them all. Prying out the gear part is super hard took me a lot of trys to actually get it out. Videos made it look easy, so i was confused thinking mine was broken 😅
Yeah depending on the tolerances it can be pretty challenging to remove. Also depending on the type of terrain you're bashing on it can get easier or harder over time
I’ve never had a seller offer part of my cost back on AliExpress, even when it would have been the best option. A seller send wrong parts, that was cheaper than what I paid for, I could still have used 80% of what was sent. I just wanted the price difference between what I paid for over what I received. I had to either eat my loss, or return for a refund which I did. Ali refunded the money the next day after I dropped the item off at the post office to ship back. With all of that said, I’ve only had 3 purchases out of 100’s of them that was a bad experience and I always get everything corrected, just adds extra time to whatever project I was ordering part for to begin with. I’ve bought a few RC cars on there that wasn’t supposed to be for sale outside of one of two countries I wasn’t included in or with special features I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise usually at least half off msrp.
Yeah obviously that's going to be up to the seller's discretion. I've been able to come to satisfactory agreements with the seller each time I've had a problem but my experience definitely won't inherently represent the median experience.
i think these were actually on sale for a really good price a few months ago so the aliexpress sellers probably bought them to resell
That's possible though I don't think the sale price was quite as low as they are selling them for and they'd have to get them for quite a bit less than what they are selling them for in order to make a profit. Between shipping a big box dealing with the aliexpress fees taking into account a certain percentage of returns etc they would probably have to get them for less than 200 bucks to even be close to making a profit.
You are correct, I snagged a 3s granite from Amain for 230.00 2 weeks ago.
Maybe though if they bought them for $230 and sold them for $230 and had to pay for shipping AliExpress fees etc I don't really see how they could be making any money.
@@DoRC I think I replied to the wrong comment originally. Oops
Sry for the disappearance life’s been tough.. how have you been? the motor mount is a downfall of the 3S lines from bending.. BUT you can use the v2 4s mount and it fits and works great at a budget price compared to m2c parts..
I'm pretty sure the V3 3S trucks use the same amount as the V2 4S trucks. Not certain about that though
@@DoRC oh I could of sworn it was slightly bigger, but regardless I will say that I have my granite on 4s and beat it to death and the 4s motor mount hasn’t bent when I went through a few of the 3S and hot racing mounta
Ive bought all kinds of stuff on ali express.. ive always been satisfied with the process
Same here. I probably use them a couple dozen times over the years and even when I've had issues they were resolved to my satisfaction. I do think that it carries a little bit more inherent risk than something like Amazon but overall seems good
@@DoRC i bought adu racing parts for my xmaxx and notorious.. quality parts up there with m2c and vitivon
@@AVERAGEJOERC Yeah I have a video on ADU Racing. Overall pretty happy with them.
Well even if it was fake if upgrades bolt on and it takes the bashing well like it seemed to then a good deal since about every basher ends up with broken parts it just matters if can get replacement parts that fit to get you back to tearin it up again
For sure but I'm very confident that this is 100% real. It probably is just a return resale or something like that.
Thanks I have wondered about this site.
In general it's fine. Just make sure you check the sellers reputation before buying. There are obviously going to be some scams on there but overall it's not a problem
Haha , nice bro 👏. I’m going to throw a 4s in mine and run both and a 6s in the 4s outcast and run 4s to start . I think you said it’s worth it to stay there cuz 6s is too crazy . Stuff don’t jive . I found the sweet spot for my k6s with that HW Max6 1650kv combo is a 19 or 20 tooth pinion . 18 wasn’t bad at all either but you know 😊. Thanks for the help . Appreciate it . Have you ever had a battery cable break at the esc ? There was a stub so I cleaned it up and will use the steel from a 10ga bullet splice cut in half so there’s half a cup sticking up . I hope it works . It should if it’s clean and I can get it done quick . Getting it done quick will be the key and a damp cloth to cool it down . Is there another way ? When the fan plastic came off there was red heat sink plate that didnt come off or does it come off ? It’s a granite esc . I ll make it work but I always like to know a different way or at least check , thanks .
Best advice I can give is to use good quality flux good quality lead-based solder and a high power iron so you don't have to be there too long.
I've seen these on aliexpress as well, but shipping to germany is over 200$ so not worth it. I think they only ship from the usa because from china its free, most of the time. Probably some packaging damage returns or other strange stuff.
Yeah it's got to be something like that. Someone else pointed out something interesting. The label on the box I got appears to have come from Amazon. Who knows why that is or what angle that comes from :-)
Friend- the warehouse guys popped it open to take a look. Then put it in the basket for the truck or flight.
Yeah that's entirely possible. It also could have been a return that was opened but never used.
Got a Typhon 6S V5 and 4S lipo out the door for $ 399.99 on Ali.
Nice!
I JUST got into the hobby because my son got the granite, then I got one, got another one for my daughter AND got one for my husband. Hey, the family that plays together, stays together ami right? 😂 I got the brushed motor version….within 3 days, I upgraded to the brushed motor lol.
ANYWHO, I know NOTHING about rc cars, but quickly learning thanks to your videos!!
Ps. I wish I would’ve seen THIS video before I spent close to $1000 😂
I’m actually surprised they were willing to refund you some. That’s awesome!!
Pps: I’ve ALSO never ordered from aliexpress.
Welcome to the hobby! It's definitely a lot of fun though it can be addictive. I wouldn't say I was surprised at the offer of a partial refund but it is always kind of a crap shoot as to what the seller will offer if there's an issue. Fortunately there are quite a few different avenues of recourse if you do have an issue so I think for the most part it's a pretty safe bet.
Be careful about purchasing any warranty, those warranties don't take effect until the manufacturer warranty expires so of you buy a 2 yr warranty it doesn't take effect until the manufacturer warranty is up, so your paying for a year you cannot use. I've since quit buying warranties, their really a waste of money.
Absolutely. I don't think I mentioned extended warranties in the video did I?
@@DoRC not to any degree, it's just that I've been through this scenario with Affirm several months back and they denied me until the manufacturer warranty is up and the manufacturer won't help me cuz the plane is several months old so I got the 2 yr warranty in the beginning and the plane has to sit until I can get a refund or a replacement. It's really a hoaky deal and misleading.
@@RCPoor ah. Yeah unfortunately extended warranties are always like that. They can be a good deal depending on what you're buying but they often are not the best.
@@DoRCthat’s crappy this was my first job lol at sears selling extended warranties & how we got all of the leads was from sears sales slip’s 😮rarely sold any but now I’m glad 😂😂😂
Unbelievable price. Did the price include shipping and taxes? Well, it doesn't seem to be anything sketchy besides a damaged box. And I think most can live with that 😊
Yeah mine end up being about 240 shipped with taxes
dude that box has Amazon written all over it: my guess is that AliExpress is buying these Amazon returns then reselling them.
Entirely possible though looking at the label after someone else pointed it out to me I think this may have come straight from Amazon so who knows what's going on
Should I have bought this or a Tamiya dt03t I'm wondering about the amount I'm spending on upgrades
For bashing this all day long. Tamiyas are cool cars but they've never really made serious bashers.
I bought a big rock 6s off ebay from a retialer and horizon refused to honor my warrantys
Interesting. I suspect you'll get mixed results on things like that based on who you get how persistent you are the alignment of the moon etc.
@@DoRCthat’s funny alignments of 🐮 lol
There are two Slash 2wd trucks for 39$. On that aliexpress. I’ve looked it over and over. Really thinking about taking the chance. I guess. Thoughts?
I have a hard time believing that's legitimate. Most of the deals that are legit on AliExpress are good but not insane.
Agreed.
I just ordered the Arrma Big Rock from the same store today. I hope mine comes in three days...
I suspect it will. It was pointed out to me that the labeling on my box actually came from Amazon and yours is probably will too. I'm not sure what scheme they have going on but I guess it works for them.
@DoRC I had to follow up with you on this. So mine came today but it came from the horizon hobby store.
@alfredmcdaniels639 weird
The last 4 months I’ve ordered a lot off Ali Express ,everything real and I had a few things shipped from the United States one thing out to me in 24 hours. I was thoroughly impressed. I would just stay away from the things that are too good to be true but if it’s only 100 $150 less also stick to one with plenty of reviews.
Exactly. Someone else had mentioned seeing an X-Max for $300. That's probably going to be a box of rocks but in general as long as you're reasonable it should be fine
I saw these on Amazon for $249 a week or so ago. I think they sold out pretty quick.
Yeah. Those sales never last long.
Nice truck for the price, you should install a center diff from the 4s line :)
I was going to but the price on them is still pretty astronomically high so decided to go with the slipper instead on this one :-)
Any truck I have got with center diff has always been pain first step is orange earplugs and have never had to touch them after that 👍
I bought a lot at Aliexpress, buyer protection is great so far. I did purchase a Typhon last year just to see what happened, but they never shipped it and I had to file a claim to get my $ back. I am surprised you actual got one in a few days. Maybe these are stolen products, who knows
I suspect it's more likely that they are returns or something like that. But yeah it's definitely a bit more risky than Amazon though like you said there are multiple ways to get your money back if you don't get what you ordered So in general other then it being a pain occasionally it's not too bad.
@@DoRC looks like they pulled all those listings after your video posted
IDK I tried to order an arrma 4x from Aliexpress and never got the truck. Was trying to get a Vortek and had to file for a refund every time. Then just gave up.
You were probably trying to order from the same place I tried to order my first one. It seems like they sometimes have stock and sometimes don't and just don't take the listings down when they don't have stock.
Top notch video as always💥
Thanks :-)
I have had nothing but good luck even Temo has been good to me. Can't complain so far.
Same here. I have had a couple of problems but I was able to get them taken care of to my satisfaction. It's probably inherently a little more risky than something like Amazon but in general as long as you are reasonable about who you buy from on there it should be fine.
Don't want to put a center diff because this was a budget truck then 3 minutes later loads it with around $100 of m2c parts lol
Yeah I was trying to install upgrades that would test as many different parts of the truck as possible for fitment and the differential and slipper clutch pretty much did the same job in that area so I went with the much cheaper slipper clutch. I do get the irony though :-)
"Serious vocations"😂😂. Definitely don't order anything late January early February
Yeah there aren't very many other countries where the entire place goes on vacation all at once for a week :-)
These were just on sale last week or two on Amazon for that price.
Yeah they go on sale occasionally a close to that price but it usually only lasts a short time.
@@DoRC yeah I think it was three days
@BobBob-dx1tv gotcha. Those sales usually sell out pretty quickly. The nice thing about this is that not only are the prices lower than I've ever seen them in those sales but it's pretty consistent.
It was probably salvaged from shipping containers that fall off ships there are lots of boats that follow shipping lanes looking for lost containers that haven't sunk yet
Entirely possible though this one came straight from Amazon
Sometimes one is lucky and comes across a good thing at a good price 👍
For sure! Fortunately it seems like these are priced similarly on AliExpress pretty much anytime you look. It's not really a super sale thing.
Ain’t that an amazon label ? DLF3 (Gainesville)
It is. Someone else pointed that out to me and I actually think the package itself came from Amazon. I'm not sure what deal is between the two but I know I have gotten packages from other retailers than I purchased from in the past so they must have some sort of scheme worked out
I had the same problem when I tried to order a big rock. It went like 7 days and there was no movement on the order what so ever so I messaged the seller and they never responded so I just cancelled my order.
Yeah I think the first seller I tried either doesn't actually have them or goes in and out of stock on them so it's kind of a crap shoot. The second seller was fantastic though.
I think that's kind of the inherent game you have to be willing to play though to get the deal. AliExpress is always going to be a little more flaky than something like Amazon
This is likely a factory over run. I highly doubt horizon owns the manufacturer in china. They probably just make more than horizon orders to sell themselves. 40% is a typical retail markup so this is probably the wholesale price which meams the cost to produce it is likely $150
Yeah entirely possible!
What company was it on Ali Express?
Yes
V4 3s line will be nice but what i really want from Arrma is a 5th scale 8s Typhon or Talion EXB. I'd also take a Vigilante based 8s basher buggy from Redcat or a updated electric 5b from losi.
Yeah I'm about ready for some new big scale stuff.
Too bad that on the AliExpress site in Italy the granite at this price does not exist...😢
Yeah I heard that several different people have tried buying from different countries and had no luck. Apparently the stock is here in the United States.
its ether made in chaina or tawain so why not.i never cared about warranty if if it works for a bit only worries is ESC lots of garbage units out their
I agree. The two year warranty is nice but personally if it's not DOA I probably wouldn't invoke the warranty just because whatever happens is at least partially going to be my fault :-)
Um asbestos in my slipper 😮 ah yeah I’ll be hopping on hot racing if they still have the upgrade 🇬🇧
Believe it or not Horizon had the same problem a couple of years ago
Yeah I ordered my Arrma MOJAVE 6S for $350 at AliExpress still solid to this day.
Nice!
After seeing your video I checked out the Granite and saw it priced on many other platforms for around the same price so I don’t understand why your saying it was to cheap. AMain hobbies has it listed for $219 ??
That's for the brushed granite mega. The brushless granite which was in this video is currently 329 plus tax on a main
@@DoRC my bad. You have great content which I really enjoy thank you
Thanks for watching :-)
I tried first ordering a kraton v5 for $320 and they held up my money for over a month. I then tried again and ordered two Typhon TLR rollers for $250 each from two different sellers. One arrived and the other never shipped. It came in a Amazon box
Yeah mine came from Amazon too as it turns out. I didn't realize it until someone else pointed out the label to me. Not sure what scheme they have going on the back end but I guess it works for them
@@DoRC Did you only order once? I received one out of my three orders. Unlike your box though, mine came in a brown Amazon box... Like Amazon tape and everything.
@keldonator Yeah I only ordered one.
Can you test the cheap fireteams and I even saw a kraton for like 380$…. I also saw santons for 240$
I don't think it's really necessary. At this point I'm convinced that as long as the seller has reasonable ratings you're probably going to get what you're buying.
@@DoRC thanks ! Great vid btw
@@BHT556 I'm glad you enjoyed it :-)
I've seen alot of the arrma cars on aliexpress be scams, i think it's hit or miss.
Yes there are definitely scams on AliExpress but as long as you look at the reviews from the seller and our reasonable with what you think the deals are it's usually fine. Even if not AliExpress has buyer protection and you could always just do a chargeback on your card if you absolutely had to
@@DoRC The arrma rc listings in particular are hot for scams. They just dont ship anything usually and hope you don't refund I guess. Also seen where they send a cheap toy rc and refuse refund.
any links? can't find anything searching from Canada
I wouldn't want to give you a link because they're always changing on AliExpress but if you search Granite 3S you should be able to find something. That being said from what I've heard availability varies wildly depending on what country you're in and it just might not be available in Canada
@@DoRC I only recieve parts listing when searching "Granite 3S"
@@TMUR11 must not be available in Canada then from the sellers I'm seeing
@@DoRC can you PM me a link so I can confirm that
@@TMUR11 I don't think you can do private messaging through RUclips
Ali express has been real kind to me (I only use it for very niche parts for my super Baja Rey)
I've used them probably a couple dozen times now over the years and so far I've never had an issue. I've had a couple of problems that needed to be resolved but they all ended up being resolved to my satisfaction. That being said I do think it carries a little more inherent risk than something like Amazon
IT'S GREAT to go budget and save some $$$ !!! 🔥🔥🔥
Absolutely! Especially given that it seems like Horizon will honor their warranty.
OMG is that like your real voice, dude? 🎉
It is. Obviously if you and I were having a sit-down conversation I wouldn't be yelling at you the whole time but that's my real voice :)
Great vid!
Thanks and thanks for watching :-)
Who was your seller? Want a fireteam and I see ones on sale also for wholesale.
Unfortunately I don't think that the place I got it from still has them. Do a search on AliExpress for granite 3S and you should be able to find it
looks fantastic and rips 😃👍👍😎😎
Yeah I forgot how good a stock granite is.
I've had good luck buying on AliExpress for many years. Most sellers will honor warranty depending on the products. Great bargain!!
Yeah it's always a risk but I think with as many options as you have it's not much of a risk.
I also bought the mjx10208 at first they told me it would be a v2 it never shipped but i did order and recieve it
Did you get the updated version?
I know you got from aliexpress but why does it have Amazon labels
I didn't actually notice that when I got it but yeah I think this might have actually come from Amazon through AliExpress. I've had this kind of thing happen before where I order from one retailer and it comes from another. I have no idea what scheme is being worked on the back end but I guess it works.
@@badspyder77 yep!
Aliexpress They do what amazon does and have storage centers in America and I have been using it for years and you mainly have great experience you just need to read all details of things your buy because pictures show one thing but they could be selling a part for object in picture
Actually mine and some other people's came straight from Amazon so I'm not sure exactly what they're doing.
So i guess the site for the 40x40x28 fans worked well for you, right?
That thing is tough as nails! I bought my H8H from them! Great deal!
Not sure what you mean about the fans.
@@jhrubicon1470 hell yeah u can get 3.0amp fans cheap there!!! That's where hyperflow gets their fans and Jacks the price up...
@brucebaker0316 i shared it with "do rc" but he never told me if it helped him out or anything.... just likes my comments
I just ordered 5 for $20.00 still in the plastic wrap. They're 1 amp, but I think that should be plenty, right?
@@DoRC I sent a link to you for some 40mmx28mm for 3x $9.00 with pics.
Which seller is it
I got mine from XW Green sports store
I had a negative experience on Ali. I bought 6S Typhon for $350. Then Ali gives 9 business days to seller to ship the item. On the 8th day seller emails apologizing that they expecting delays on the delivery boat for uncertain time. On the 10th day Ali automatically refunded due to the seller failed to ship.
Yeah unfortunately that's kind of the inherent downside to AliExpress. Usually it's fine but you will experience things like that more frequently than on someplace like Amazon.
Alot of usa top of the line products are just rebranded chinese engineered products.
Yes China engineers a lot of things too US companies specifications and they make a lot of their own stuff too.
The shipping is where the price comes in man
What do you mean?
I've always figured that a big chunk of the retail price was built in for the "free" shipping we get. Even getting a discount for shipping so much it's still not cheap to ship a big RC car across the country.
In my experience they are damaged boxes / factory returns.
That sounds reasonable
In the UK Arrma are always more expensive on AliExpress.!
That sucks. You guys always seem to get hosed on prices.