My inner 10 year old is happy! (Tamiya re-release content)
Discussion
Would quite like to get a few unmolested rereleased Tamiya R/C models... Hornet was my first, had some monster truck thing as well, with maybe a Ford pickup body, then the ever durable, constantly modified Hotshot II... dug it out last summer and took a few photos, needs a battery and a good clean up, well in fact it's pretty battered and those tyres have seen better days...!
It has Bigwig suspension and is fully ballraced, and on inspection I'd downgraded it to the original 3spd servo controlled speed control and a standard 540(?) motor.... In a previous and somewhat self destructive incarnation, it had a fancy electronic speed control and a drag motor made by Parma... Stripped gears and melting battery packs going flat in 2-3mins were a few of the issues with that however!
It has Bigwig suspension and is fully ballraced, and on inspection I'd downgraded it to the original 3spd servo controlled speed control and a standard 540(?) motor.... In a previous and somewhat self destructive incarnation, it had a fancy electronic speed control and a drag motor made by Parma... Stripped gears and melting battery packs going flat in 2-3mins were a few of the issues with that however!
nil points for the paint work though LOL
I had a demon double 15 and 7.2 scr cells + electronic speed control, fully ballraced and it went like stink.
Switched to a triple 19 wet magnet - and it went even better - but suffered from the hot battery pack and lasting about 30% shorter.
one thing i do remember is getting through A LOT of brushes and brush springs!
I had a demon double 15 and 7.2 scr cells + electronic speed control, fully ballraced and it went like stink.
Switched to a triple 19 wet magnet - and it went even better - but suffered from the hot battery pack and lasting about 30% shorter.
one thing i do remember is getting through A LOT of brushes and brush springs!
Rude-boy said:
I'm waiting for the Boomarang re-release (that I am hoping for, I don't know if it will happen) to replace the one that I stupidly swapped with a kid at school for a different car ( 
Oli! )
In the meantime I am enjoying a return to my youth with one of these bad boys:-
Now I have a bit of a bug back for them and trying not to spend far too much on one of the Avante kit's that they have rere'd. It's hard to resist a the minute and so am trying to force myself to hold out until they rere the Boomerang. Add to that that Scalextric have finally go a wireless digital setup coming out this year at about £500 and I'm rather conflicted to say the least. Even had to bail from the Group buy due to pressure on toy funds!
How did you get on with setting up the speed controller? Oli! )In the meantime I am enjoying a return to my youth with one of these bad boys:-
Now I have a bit of a bug back for them and trying not to spend far too much on one of the Avante kit's that they have rere'd. It's hard to resist a the minute and so am trying to force myself to hold out until they rere the Boomerang. Add to that that Scalextric have finally go a wireless digital setup coming out this year at about £500 and I'm rather conflicted to say the least. Even had to bail from the Group buy due to pressure on toy funds!
TobyLaRohne said:
It was all about these 2 when I was a boy!
Grasshopper 2 was my first car...
Then I got this! I changed the sticker on the wing to say "evil soD" and over time I upgraded it to have metal bearings, better battery, a bigger engine and an electric speed controller, I then upgraded to a nitro Kyosho Scooby WRC car and the manta ray was faster! I still have it in my parents loft but it now has a desert truck hilux body and wheels.
My friend had a Manta Ray - I was so envious.Grasshopper 2 was my first car...
Then I got this! I changed the sticker on the wing to say "evil soD" and over time I upgraded it to have metal bearings, better battery, a bigger engine and an electric speed controller, I then upgraded to a nitro Kyosho Scooby WRC car and the manta ray was faster! I still have it in my parents loft but it now has a desert truck hilux body and wheels.
(he never gave me a shot of it though but, in fairness to him, he did let me watch him drive it
)theshrew said:
I don't get the love for this level of Tamiya cars ?
They are the equivalent of driving a Yugo on the road. You can get a far better car for the money.
I'm assuming you weren't born in the '70s?They are the equivalent of driving a Yugo on the road. You can get a far better car for the money.
It's got nothing to do with performance. It's all about the idiosyncratic charm of Tamiya products and the nostalgia they offer those of us that remember them from our childhood.
DoubleSix said:
I'm assuming you weren't born in the '70s?
It's got nothing to do with performance. It's all about the idiosyncratic charm of Tamiya products and the nostalgia they offer those of us that remember them from our childhood.
I was born in the 70's It's got nothing to do with performance. It's all about the idiosyncratic charm of Tamiya products and the nostalgia they offer those of us that remember them from our childhood.
I suppose they do have detailed bodies on them which I suppose is most of the pull towards then.
Since this is Tamiya re-release, and I fancy adding to my collection, need to decide between a Frog and a FAV.
I want something to run, not a shelf queen, and I'm finding that the body on the buggy champ is a bit delicate for bashing, especially if my nieces get hold of it.
FAV - always wanted one growing up, scale looks, but a solid body (durability?) and no shocks.
Fog - lexican body, tougher, never really crossed my horizon growing up.
Wildcard - something more modern, but don't race and I want an interesting build.
I want something to run, not a shelf queen, and I'm finding that the body on the buggy champ is a bit delicate for bashing, especially if my nieces get hold of it.
FAV - always wanted one growing up, scale looks, but a solid body (durability?) and no shocks.
Fog - lexican body, tougher, never really crossed my horizon growing up.
Wildcard - something more modern, but don't race and I want an interesting build.
theshrew said:
I don't get the love for this level of Tamiya cars ?
They are the equivalent of driving a Yugo on the road. You can get a far better car for the money.
I had a schumacher cat along with my tamiya boomerang and a marui super wheelie.They are the equivalent of driving a Yugo on the road. You can get a far better car for the money.
The cat was indeed a better car - but a b
h to build and a bh to keep in good working order. The belt drive tensioner arrangement was 4 or 8 pk's into the chassis - which didnt work well then the belt would jump and strip. The diff was a a plastic disc with ball bearings in it and the driveshafts were driven via a plate and friction material - very adjustable, but ultimately it would melt.The boomerang was very tough, needed no adjustment (shaft drive through normal couplings and and normal geared diff), so was ready for action ALL the time. I wouldnt say Yugo, I would say Quattro if anything.
The marui had a very detailed body shell , rear wheel drive and did wheelies.
Each to their own - yes you can have a faster car for competition but as with the ral ones the level of complexity and risk of component failure is a lot higher.
hman said:
I had a schumacher cat along with my tamiya boomerang and a marui super wheelie.
The cat was indeed a better car - but a bh to build and a bh to keep in good working order. The belt drive tensioner arrangement was 4 or 8 pk's into the chassis - which didnt work well then the belt would jump and strip. The diff was a a plastic disc with ball bearings in it and the driveshafts were driven via a plate and friction material - very adjustable, but ultimately it would melt.
The boomerang was very tough, needed no adjustment (shaft drive through normal couplings and and normal geared diff), so was ready for action ALL the time. I wouldnt say Yugo, I would say Quattro if anything.
The marui had a very detailed body shell , rear wheel drive and did wheelies.
Each to their own - yes you can have a faster car for competition but as with the ral ones the level of complexity and risk of component failure is a lot higher.
The Cat uses a ball diff which are miles better because you can adjust them, that changes how the car handles and also how the power is delivered. If you were melting stuff you had something wrong. I'm not sure of how the belt is done on them but sounds like you had that wrong to. The cat was indeed a better car - but a b
h to build and a bh to keep in good working order. The belt drive tensioner arrangement was 4 or 8 pk's into the chassis - which didnt work well then the belt would jump and strip. The diff was a a plastic disc with ball bearings in it and the driveshafts were driven via a plate and friction material - very adjustable, but ultimately it would melt.The boomerang was very tough, needed no adjustment (shaft drive through normal couplings and and normal geared diff), so was ready for action ALL the time. I wouldnt say Yugo, I would say Quattro if anything.
The marui had a very detailed body shell , rear wheel drive and did wheelies.
Each to their own - yes you can have a faster car for competition but as with the ral ones the level of complexity and risk of component failure is a lot higher.
Stuff like a Cat is a top end race car and they do take more maintenance and don't take as much punishment as one of these Tamiya chassis. As you say the higher level the car they are certainly a hell of a lot more complex. When I was racing parts for Tamiya's were expensive when you did have to change things.
If someone was to ask me what car to get now for messing about with id point them in the direction of one of those 1/18th buggy. Cheap as chips and you can get them to go a lot quicker than a Tamiya + if you wanted you could go and race one of those.
I used to race a Procat and Cougar, never heard of a melted diff and they were always as ready to run as any of the Tamiya kits I had at the same time. I did strip the things totally after a weekends racing though and rebuild them from scratch. Setting the belt tension with the eccentrics was very easy too, I just wish I'd kept them as replacing them for old time sake would cost a fortune these days!
The early diff or "integrator" as they called was a bit odd in it's operation and you could dial in as much bump steer as you wanted to keep you on your toes - or fingers! The Procat back end was much easier set up - my old Cat started life as a short wheel base and "evolved" as each version was launched.
Gassing Station | Scale Models | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff