Dante Can’t Hold the Fury

Introduction

My Fury finally disappointed me. My son slaved away at building a snow track in the back yard. He had it packed, and it was beautiful. You could run the car without kicking up snow and still get some traction. He spent time packing it down. I call this being a dad and using an opportunity, but maybe you think this is child labor. Hey, I let him run a truck in the snow from 9:00 PM to 9:05 PM. The unfortunate thing is that his bedtime is 9 PM. Bummer for him, huh? I kid…. I kid people. He did a nice job in building a fun track with two jumps. We did some test runs, and finally, the day had arrived for the grand finale.

The Event

We spent days prepping a showdown so that both Furys could shine and battle it out. The track is built, and the day comes when it is time for us to face off skill to skill. We were going to shoot the Furys or is it Furies? Or maybe it is the Furiexesss because the kids misspell things 6 or 7 times. What is with that 6 or 7 thing?

I attached the GoPros to the trucks. I set my 360 max out in the yard, and we're ready to race. My son was talking smack about where he was going to pass me because he built the course and ran the course. I poo pooed it because I have way more experience with RC cars, but I was a little scared because I knew he had the hometown advantage. Oh man, it was going to be the epic race of the season. It was father against son. We bet our two dollars on the race to see who would win.

In my mind, this event was so significant that it deserved Howard Cosell coming back from the dead and grabbing a mic. Can’t you hear Howard Cosell? “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is truly a sight to behold. What we are witnessing is a historic moment in the RC backyard bashers contest. This is not merely an RC competition, but a clash.

There are two mechanical gladiators lined up and ready to battle it out for the title of the ultimate backyard basher. The blue one in the right corner, brushed, bone stock, is clearly the underdog in this competition. Will its anger and pilot be able to overcome its fiercer rival?

Next to it might look like a sibling, but it is the Red Fury. This might look like the same beast, but under its hood is no ordinary brushed motor; it hides a secret with an upgraded receiver and speed control. Truly, it is favored to win. The real issue is whether or not the pilot will be able to drive it to victory. Who will claim the title today?

Which Gladiator will leave the arena as a champion, and which one will be left to a failed destiny! Today their future fate is determined, and you’re watching history in its making.” Maybe I watched too much Better Off Dead as a kid, and the race wasn’t that dramatic.

It was more like, “Dad, you have time to run the fury with me over lunch?” “Yeah, I will be down in a second.”

So while Howard Cosell is playing in my mind, I grab two LiPO batteries to get the trucks ready. Oh, it was going to be great. I had the cameras set up in the backyard. I had the GoPro clipped into the back of the Red Fury. It was going to make an entrance chasing the blue fury. This was going to be epic.

Then, I grabbed the blue truck, plugged in the battery, and the event started. I thought the main event was Howard Casell’s race. However, the blue Fury had a different idea. The blue Fury decided it was going to drive all the levels of Dante’s Inferno at once without leaving our kitchen.

I had no idea the truck was that fast. The truck smoked so much that even Dante sent it back. It was like the Arrma Fury smoked a carton of Marlboros, leaving the Marlboro man feeling very unaccomplished. The truck beat all nine levels of hell, spooked the Marlboro man, and was still there smoking in our dining room. Yeah, there was a LOT OF SMOKE! This Fury was either scared of the competition or just that eager to go.

I thought a LiPO died and so I quickly disconnected the battery and threw the battery outside into the snow. This was a reaction without thought, and I just wanted to remove the threat. The truck stopped smoking, but then we saw that the stock Arrma speed control was the tour guide on all 9 levels of Dante’s freakshow. The Marlboro man had no idea the outcome of his peer pressure. The speed control was cooked. I mean, really cooked. Remember that Turkey in Christmas Vacation? Well, this speed control would make that turkey look moist. This speed control was done.

Dang! This is disappointing! We set everything up for the trucks to find success, and then the moment they had the chance to shine, one croaked. Now we will not know how much of a difference the upgrades made to the red truck. Well, at least today.

I told my son after the fact that it was a pretty stupid thing I did. Yes, it was wise to cut the power, but if the LiPO really went up, my hand could have gone up. I remember that the LiPO was not hot so maybe I was more rational than reactionary. If I had thrown the whole truck outside, then the truck probably would have been toast on the fresh LiPO.

Please take note: we noticed that sometimes the switch would not turn off the speed control. We thought it was weird, but we thought that maybe the switch was not working properly. We dismissed it. Well, that was a mistake. Thankfully, we just saw the results of Dante’s Inferno without living the full 9 levels. So, I count my blessings. I will note that when the switch stops working on the joint speed control/receiver that the unit is going bad.

So, I go to Tower Hobbies to start the warranty process. Thankfully, this is the truck that is still under warranty.

The Warranty Process.

I am still in the process of trying to get something worked out with Tower Hobbies. I have reached out to them twice. Yesterday they were slammed! They passed along my query to the tech people. I am waiting for them to get back to me.

I tried several times to work with Tower Hobbies, and the results have been disappointing. I took a screenshot of the message that I keep receiving. The problem: I never receive an email to resolve this warranty issue. I might just have to text them that I want my two dollars. I know they are running incredible sales, and I can imagine that they are slammed with work.

I understand that things break! The truck comes with a two-year warranty. I reached out to Horizon, and within 10 minutes, I received an email, directions on how to file the claim, and I was done within a minute. So, if you want a warranty issue resolved, reach out to Horizon Hobby. I am guessing that most people buy through Tower. I know I normally place orders through Tower Hobbies rather than Horizon. So, I assume that Tower is just overwhelmed with customer service right now.

My desire is that I can get a store credit for their cost of the new speed control and transmitter. This might be the opportunity to do the brushless against brushed and see how close they can get to each other. I am not sure if they will go for that offer, but it never hurts to ask. Time will tell. I am still waiting for them to get back to me. I am disappointed in that my truck could have completely burned up, I did not abuse the truck, and I never even put a 3S LiPO in the truck. So, mechanically it is sound, but the ESC/Transmitter combo seems to be the Achilles heel.

What I learned

LiPO batteries can be dangerous. Thankfully, nothing happened with this battery, and the event mostly just made a bad smell, but nothing more than that. Make sure that you always inspect your LiPOs. Then they start to swell, and then stop using them. The battery is done! Also, always use the LiPO bag. This event reminded me how quickly things can go wrong. I am thankful for the dean’s connector because all I had to do was pull the battery straight down and chuck it in the snow. The battery was not the problem, but it was supplying the power for the problem

I learned that things are temporary. No matter how reliable they are, whether this is perceived or real, they will eventually break down. This can be a setback if you rely on it for your identity or mood, but you can also see this as an opportunity to grow in patience, emotional intelligence, and learn how to work when you are disappointed. This transfers to life because many times, people will eventually let you down. This is a reminder to find contentment in who you are and not in the things you enjoy. It is great to have an outlet, but don’t let the outlet define who you are. Wow! Who would have thought that hobbies help with emotional intelligence?

I learned to value relationships, even if it is a client relationship. Some companies make people feel like they are a burden. The clients are just making work for them. However, please remember that we are your clients and customers. The majority of us want to see your company succeed. I want to encourage companies to reach out to their customers to take care of them. A sale is great! However, sometimes people will pay more to know that they will get the A+ treatment. Think about your brand and its perception. Yes, I like bargains, but I also like it when companies show that they care about how you enjoy your product. You can do this during normal business hours as long as you establish a rapport that this issue will be resolved. It is disappointing when you discover a new brand, get excited about the brand, and then feel like it is an uphill battle to get a warranty issue resolved. I need to be patient and not continually ask for my 2 dollars. (Extra credit if you get that reference.)

Conclusion

Things break, and that is the way life is. The difference between a bad company, a good company, and a great one is how they take care of their customers. Tower Hobbies will eventually get back to you. I would not say that they are a horrible company. I have used them for many years. They have been square with me, and they ship items really fast. So, that is great. However, it would be nice to call someone and talk to them on the phone. I still sign up for Tower Hobbies loyalty club, which has been pretty nice. I am thankful that Horizon kept them around. I just wish that Tower would be a little more accessible.

In the meantime, we will have to wait for more snow, we will build a new track, Howard Cosell will be channeled, and the Gladiators will go to war. I can’t wait to see who ends up being the Camaro and who is the Falcon. In the meantime, I will be patient and not demand my 2 dollars.

Thank you for reading! Remember to look for opportunities to be generous and encouraging.