xstuning wheels what happend to them?

[rmg313]

werent they going to release 18" two piece wheels sometime last year?

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Originally Posted by rmg313

werent they going to release 18" two piece wheels sometime last year?

Yes, they were saying they would introduce 18's shortly after they launched the 17's. The problem is that they were counting on sales of the 17's to fund the 18's.

This is one of the saddest stories in model car history. If you're bored, take a look at the sad tale of XS Tuning.

The concept of XS Tuning wheels is awesome. The detail and styles are second-to-none. The way they are designed is clever, they'll fit nearly every model. The extra brake details are nice. Had they made the rims in 18" or 19" sizes in the first place, we'd be seeing a whole lot more from them. You can tell by the rims they did make that they invested a lot of cash to get into the market. They were designed, produced, and packaged professionally and could have been a great success. Could have...

The problem is they didn't do their marketing homework. Instead of really researching the market (which they clearly didn't understand), they took the easy way out and figured their success would ride the coattails of Revell's popular tuner kits. They introduced great wheel designs in sizes too small for most models at a time when the custom/tuner wheel trend was going for 18's and up. XS Tuning wheels are slightly smaller than Revell's 1/25 tuner rims. And Revell wheels look small on anything but the small 1/25 kits that Revell makes-to this day, Revell could care less that the world of imports/sport compact kits is 1/24th, Revell will never ever change from their flawed 1/25 scale formula for everything across the board because of the lame excuse of Monogram's use of 1/24 back in the 80's and earlier was "a mistake". Revell already offers a lot of optional rims for their tuner models. XS Tuning didn't think past this and give the builder something better/different that Revell didn't offer. Because they didn't have a clue what the market really was after. Had they been actual builders/enthusiasts/buyers of the aftermarket rims for their own models (or did some research w/potential customers), there is no doubt they'd have made the critical decision on wheel size differently. You don't create cool. You either are, or are not. Tuners want more/better. XS gave 'em more of the same...or actually less, since the wheels were smaller than Revell's. They're model cars...model cars always look better w/at least a +1 setup. "Properly sized" wheels always end up looking a tad small.

When XS first announced the wheels, I emailed them and also gave them some advice on the sizes-I told them the 17's looked great, but was really interested in 18's or larger since they'd fit not only Revell kits but the vast majority of import kits and muscle cars. I told them how impossible it was to get imported 18's and 19's as the ones w/the right designs sold out constantly. I told them that IMHO 18's and larger would sell much better than 1/25 scale 17's. They promised the 18's were coming "in a few months". Great...because 1/25 scale 17's look an awful lot like 1/24th scale 16's. Or basically too small on anything but the smallest of models.

Well now the story is (two or three years down the road) there won't be any 18's until "the wheels we already have start selling". Well, if they aren't selling now, there's nothing magic that's going to start selling them.

The biggest FU in model car aftermarket history?? Who knows. It's a blunder that cost someone big. So damned close, so damned far. Great product, wrong size. Go figure. Someone other than XS Tuning needs to take the basic concept behind their wheels and do them in the proper sizes, and they'll be the ones to make the money. Aoshima/Fujimi/Pegasus figured that out long ago. Anyone who has seen Aoshima/Fujimi rims in sizes below 18" languish on the shelves would have known better.

[Honoturtle]

I remember emailing them when they started. I was looking foward to their new line that was promised, but didn't think much of it till now. I guess I forgot.

I have to agree, the rims/tires are small for any other model besides Revell tuners, and a few others.

[Amazon]

Sad story, but it tells how important market research is , from global biljondollar companys to basement aftermarket firms..

[SteveK2003]

Yeah, that is sad. It wouldn't even have taken a ton of work to see what was going on: Revell makes about 5 kits in 1/25th scale (At the time I believe they had only released the Integra, but the Civics were announced), and Tamiya, Fujimi, Hasegawa, and Aoshima make a couple hundred kits in 1/24th scale.

Oops.....

[tardster]

Well they all cant be brain surgeons now can they. LOL...