Second batch is better but, still needs some qc

[dshuld]

Let me start by saying I have been a "lurker" here for some time. My first revolt had a void for lack of a better term on the bottom.

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After being told twice by tech support that hadn't received either of my two emails I had my lhs (not really local to me at two hours away) contact them for a replacement.

The replacement boat must be batch two as the tape has changed, the rudder pick up is widened, the alignment of the motor and tube looks good (to me as a noob anyway), the decals seem to be placed on better and lastly they have added support to where the stuffing tube enters the transom.

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Now why they still need some qc. This one arrived with a few spots in the glass not completely epoxied, no big deal to fix as the second hull seems less rigid than the first anyway. I know seems weird but the hull with the void in it felt stiffer than this one. There are only two small areas that still has soft cloth but as I said I'm not overly concerned as this one I think I'm going to re-enforce this one anyway.

The other thing for the replacement is the right side turn fin is missing the backer plate. I'm not sure how you could miss one of the six plates but whatever there. I've emailed boat support to see how much hassle I will get this time. Hopefully at some point I'll have a complete new revolt but so far my $320 will still be sitting until I go get some nuts and steel plate or they mail me a backer one.

Please don't take this as I'm bashing aquacraft but this my first "new" boat. I have a sv27 I got of ebay I'm in the middle of gutting and re-doing to but by no means is it a new boat. Mostly this was just to say they have cleared up some of the problems with the first batch. Hopefully I'll be able to get her wet soon. , the revolt of course.


Don

[dshuld]

The two pics that needed to be moved

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[stadiumyamaha]

It's a shame that the first batch was as bad as it was. For that fact I have bought my last aq product. I've had nothing but neg experiences with aq products othe than the motors.
I can't think of another industry that can get away with such horrible quality control. The first run excuse is a bad one too. If its not right, don't release it.

[dshuld]

Thanks Mike. I have kintec replacement shaft and thrust bearing that should arrive tomorrow . I had cut a piece of lexan to double up the transom with for the first that i need to check the fit on the new one as it definitely going in this one.

The other thing I noticed different between batch one and batch two. the first one with the clear tape had no lube as other have said. The second with masking tape has so much lube it almost seems as though they over compensated for batch one. Mind you I haven't pulled the shaft to see if its the entire cable or just around the drive dog.

As for the comment on never buying aquacraft again....I will admit, in my email to aquacraft I kinda eluded to the same thing after getting very irritated that I was told two emails about ten hrs apart in time hadnt gone through. All I can say is I know new product lines will have issues and it takes time to sort all of the issues out. I'm not saying that if I do end up liking rc boats as much as I enjoy bashing my slash around or flying my micro planes and heli's that I wont buy another aquacraft. I would probably buy another but I will give them plenty of time to solve the issues. While I'm a little that the first and replacement boats from two different batches both have issues keeping her dry for now I would give them one more chance. Third strike maybe out just like baseball but keeping an open mind for now.

[gyrotron]

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Hello DShull,

I am also a Revolt 30 owner and I recently had an incident with the stuffing tube getting loose while running the boat. I fortunately brought the boat ashore before something worse happened. I think AQ should implement a well designed stuffing bracket to fix this on future batches and also send it for free to previous batch owners so they can properly fix their Revolts . My Revolt was sent back to AQ for warranty repairs due to this issue. I have contacted AQ warranty service showing the picture you posted with the transon fix and requested they do the same to my boat on the repair they do. Lets see how the repair goes and what answer I get from AQ regarding their latest fix for this issue.

[dshuld]

I agree. I think the front end still needs something to help hold it in place as well. I have been tossing around with if I want to do something like mikes fix or just order kintec's. I'm honestly thinking about kintec's as stuffing tube replacement down the road would be easier.

[dshuld]

Gyrotron...good luck. Im starting to get the impression the consumers money and time is not of much concern. Its apparently going to take 5 / 7 business days for that backer to get here. Guess ill be going to homedepot for a piece of bar stock for a quicker fix. Starting to feel like stadium more and more. If I have to go through this every time not sure i'd ever stay in boats. Starting to see with the sv27 I'm redoing that a scratch build may not be as bad as I thought it would be. I might have to hit fightercat's sale on bare hulls.

[JrValente]

And thus the life of our rtr hobby. Brought to you by traxxas, buy em rebuild em and drive em. Ok that was a bit harsh on traxxas but they have pushed rtr rc,s the hardest of all manufacturers. Product is in a sense is cheap compared to labor, so to have an affordable rtr something is going to have to give, and sometimes its on both ends. When I was running 1/8 scale for me to build a mugen kit would take me a good 8-12 hours for a mrx-4 and to pay someone to build it precise and in a quality way would cost a fortune and production would be slooooow. No money in it so it will never happen. It sucks.....

If you want quality but aren't handy to build it, ask someone like Keith Bradley to do it and you will have a great boat that should keep you in the hobby.

[dshuld]

Lol...I think its funny when people bash on traxxas so much. I will give you the fact they all but shot themselves in the foot with the spartan from what I've read. On the other hand I have beat the snot out of my slash 4x4 and it keeps coming back for more. When castle first put out the sct setup for $99 i put that system in and havent looked back. Even in the florida heat running 18t pinion and 52t spur on the center diff I never reach above 110° according to my temp sensor.

So I get the buy and upgrade deal I really do but for someone like me just getting into boats having two boats in a row (the original and the replacement) this is a bit of a drag. Im very much a tinkerer and dont mind building my own stuff at all. Wasnt sure on the boat building part thats why i bought an old sv27 hull to try with. Thats also why I said I may have to hit fightercats sale going on right now.

[JrValente]

I am not bashing on Traxxas for their products as much as their way of marketing their products. They single handedly created this buy it and run it right away type of hobby. I cant tell you how many Pro .15's, 2.5's and 3.3 engines I have seen killed from lack of experience. RTR's, especially with nitro, require no prep work to get someone's hands on it and melt it into the ground. Look at the RTF(ready to fly) segment. A total newbie sees a ducted fan jet buys it, and bam, they stuff it into the ground in about 10 seconds. Sometimes they will read and educate after the crash and stay with the hobby but I bet most say F it and is gone forever. Hobby grade rc's need a bit of education before releasing someone with one and having a good possibility of injuring a bystander. Thankfully the internet is here and people are getting educated before, during or after they struggle with the hobby so we are able to save some and keep them interested, but many with the "instant gratification" the rtr brought them when new are lost when an issue arises. I hope I explained myself well as my mind holds a lot of feelings with how this hobby has progressed in the past 20+ years good and bad. I will say most has been a positive progression!

[dshuld]

I gotcha. That's one reason I never got into nitro even though I love the way they sound. Was always afraid of burning one up and electrics were cheaper with recharging batteries and all. My first "hobby grade" was a rustler way back when mechanical esc's were what was included with rtr's.

Anyways back to the topic.....I guess I just feel let down or I have some seriously bad luck. You would think since A big company (Great Plains) is have to send a replacement for a defective product that they would make sure the replacement isn't defective as well. All though this isn't a serious defect it is a mistake that could chase people away as others have stated. The carbon/ kevlar for the sv should arrive today along with a couple of goodies for the revolt.

[gyrotron]

Gyrotron...good luck. Im starting to get the impression the consumers money and time is not of much concern. Its apparently going to take 5 / 7 business days for that backer to get here. Guess ill be going to homedepot for a piece of bar stock for a quicker fix. Starting to feel like stadium more and more. If I have to go through this every time not sure i'd ever stay in boats. Starting to see with the sv27 I'm redoing that a scratch build may not be as bad as I thought it would be. I might have to hit fightercat's sale on bare hulls.

I must say, I have received a great service from AQ/Hobbico regarding my Revolt30; they are providing me with a new Revolt and new fix like yours. I am very happy with those guys and cannot complain about their service.

[stadiumyamaha]

I've never had a problem with aq customer service and understand buy and upgrade. It's the buy and fix before it will run that I have a problem with. Call it a ready to fix.
I have no patience for poor quality control especially on a craft as well designed as the revolt.

[gyrotron]

I've never had a problem with aq customer service and understand buy and upgrade. It's the buy and fix before it will run that I have a problem with. Call it a ready to fix.
I have no patience for poor quality control especially on a craft as well designed as the revolt.

Stadiumyamaha,

You are well right on target with your comment. The Revolt is such a good ship that I only would have hoped the production guys would have spent on a better battery tray, stuffing tube support bracket, cowl waterproof, and stickers/paint solution along with a tighter QC on the Chinese execution side... I would have happily paid the extra buck required to achieve such product.