Day 30 at HPI: "We have established basecamp"
At the beginning of June, we announced that the HPI brand had been purchased by Ripmax (and if you hadn’t heard or want to know the details, please click the link). Well, after a big celebratory party - it was time for the real work to begin.
Despite HPI's 30 year heritage at the forefront of the RC industry and Ripmax's commitment to keep the same awesome staff, products and infrastructure, this didn't mean the new owners could simply “take over” the company...in fact, they had to set up a brand new company (HPI Racing Ltd.) and everything had to start from scratch. We're talking new bank accounts, finance processes, trade agreements with 100's of suppliers and customers across the globe...and once that was complete, we set about making this fresh, newborn company do everything the HPI Racing you know and love used to do. That means things like hiring the staff from the old company, buying all of its stock (we had accountants and lawyers counting every last grub screw, wheelie bar and Ground Assault tire!) While all that was going on, the licensing arrangements for every one of our replica bodies had to be negotiated. This included almost 200 hand-crafted, replica products created in partnership with big brand automotive firms and motorsport legends. Each product had to be carefully approved and re-licensed so you can be sure that when you buy HPI, you're taking home the genuine, bonafide article.
OK, so you’re probably reading this thinking, "This is truly gripping! But where's my damn Venture FJ Cruiser!?" Well, let us assure you – for every minute you've spent wondering about that long-awaited crawler, we've spent a week working to make it happen! And the Venture FJ and our other new kits will happen later this year, but here's the thing: we want to get the new headline kits out just as fast as you do, and if we were happy to cut some corners and make a quick buck for our new owners we could get them to you even faster…but that is not what HPI does. While we love the glory that our new launches will bring, the bottom line is actually this: spares. We believe that every single HPI customer has made an investment and we will not rest until you have the parts available to keep you bashing, racing or drifting.
Getting the core HPI spares and options flowing might not grab the headlines in your favorite RC publication, but spares supply is the firm foundation on which we can build the HPI brand for the future.
Of course, it’s not been all work and no play this month, there's still been a pretty full schedule of RC mayhem...take a look at some of the highlights below! :-D
- Your HPI Team
HPI hosted our own WRX Challenge trackside while Round 4 of the 2016 season was on |
VIDEO: Plus, check out our guide to getting that Rally Classic look on your 1/10th HPI Racing RC Car! |
VIDEO: Quick blast in the Sprint 2 FLUX BMW M3 with you in the driving seat! |
VIDEO: The Guys @ Hobbico made this awesome clip featuring an HPI truck put to great use! |
VIDEO: Quick blast on the RS4 Sport 3 Falken Porsche 911 |
VIDEO: Delivering a truck load of HPI RC fun to the Goodwood VIPs! |
VIDEO: Nothing like a blast up a hill with a Baja 5b to kick-start the week! |
More new products landing and exciting Vaughn Gittin Jr. news! |
Don't forget to connect with HPI! Use the hashtags: #MYhpi #HPIHomemovies & #HPIFriday