Tamiya RC cars - 1st one
Discussion
So – speaking to a good friend at the weekend and finally, at 40, deciding to have a mid life return to boyhood crisis I’m wanting to get back into RC cars having had the Midnight Pumpkin and Hornet as a kid. We had a good play about on the beach & shingle with his 4WD Neo racer and went through a few good and bad models to choose from and came up with a 2 car shortlist;
4WD - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/p-12258-tamiya-r...
2WD - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/p-17388-tamiya-r...
Just after opinions on these and/or alternatives for something quick, fun and able to cope with a few bits of rough and tumble. Also, any cheaper places to buy (will be the entire pack rather than just the car – though prefer the standard shape controller)
I love the Grasshopper and Hornet though believe these are crappy chassis compared to the 2 above. I’ll say hello and thanks for planting the seed now John as guess you’ll be along soon
4WD - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/p-12258-tamiya-r...
2WD - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/p-17388-tamiya-r...
Just after opinions on these and/or alternatives for something quick, fun and able to cope with a few bits of rough and tumble. Also, any cheaper places to buy (will be the entire pack rather than just the car – though prefer the standard shape controller)
I love the Grasshopper and Hornet though believe these are crappy chassis compared to the 2 above. I’ll say hello and thanks for planting the seed now John as guess you’ll be along soon
I bought a pair of Tamiya Neo fighters for my kids from Jadlam Racing. They use the DT02 chassis.
They were used at the weekend for the first time and are great for the kids, but don't seem as fast as the Wild One I had as a youngster was.
The slower pace is great for them as it means that they have a better level of control, but as an adult unless you can upgrade the motor they may seem a bit slow.
I would recommend Jadlam as I have had nothing but exceptional service from them. Both when I purchased them and subsequently when I had a query.
For further recommendations you could contact the owner Russ via his profile on this forum as I am sure he could point you in the right direction, he did with me when I wanted to buy the cars for my boys.
I am considering getting my Wild One up and running so I can join in the fun with the kids as they had a great time racing them around the garden.
They were used at the weekend for the first time and are great for the kids, but don't seem as fast as the Wild One I had as a youngster was.
The slower pace is great for them as it means that they have a better level of control, but as an adult unless you can upgrade the motor they may seem a bit slow.
I would recommend Jadlam as I have had nothing but exceptional service from them. Both when I purchased them and subsequently when I had a query.
For further recommendations you could contact the owner Russ via his profile on this forum as I am sure he could point you in the right direction, he did with me when I wanted to buy the cars for my boys.
I am considering getting my Wild One up and running so I can join in the fun with the kids as they had a great time racing them around the garden.
Both the Midnight Pumpkin & Hornet are available if you want to revisit your childhood
http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/p-5754-tamiya-rc...
http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/p-5951-tamiya-rc...
With Tamiya make sure you get the ball bearings to go with the kit.
Also consider the terrain you want to run on - buggies are good for smoothish dirt or sand but will struggle with grass, tree roots and deep mud. A MT or Rock Racer will do better on those types of terrain - the Pumpkin will be better than the buggies, but 4x4 would be better but more expensive. If you can increase the budget my personal pick is the Axial Wraith, but it is over twice the price of the tamiyas.
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/axial-wraith-rock-race...
The third option is to go for more of a scale look - Tamiya CC-01, Axial SC10 or similar
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?search=1&...
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/axial-scx10-dingo-buil...
All this is assuming you want to build it yourself - the RTR (ready to run) market is a lot bigger, but as I'm a fan of building the things I avoid them.
My Wraith, slightly modded plus an extra helping of mud
P1010640 by MBBlat, on Flickr
http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/p-5754-tamiya-rc...
http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/p-5951-tamiya-rc...
With Tamiya make sure you get the ball bearings to go with the kit.
Also consider the terrain you want to run on - buggies are good for smoothish dirt or sand but will struggle with grass, tree roots and deep mud. A MT or Rock Racer will do better on those types of terrain - the Pumpkin will be better than the buggies, but 4x4 would be better but more expensive. If you can increase the budget my personal pick is the Axial Wraith, but it is over twice the price of the tamiyas.
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/axial-wraith-rock-race...
The third option is to go for more of a scale look - Tamiya CC-01, Axial SC10 or similar
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?search=1&...
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/axial-scx10-dingo-buil...
All this is assuming you want to build it yourself - the RTR (ready to run) market is a lot bigger, but as I'm a fan of building the things I avoid them.
My Wraith, slightly modded
plus an extra helping of mudP1010640 by MBBlat, on FlickrThe Grasshopper and Hornet are only crappy if you want to go racing. For bashing they are very fast
out of the box, due to light weight, and are more or less indestructible. Hardly crap.
Also check out Tamiyaclub.com for some seriously inventive and interesting mods to both.
charm and character and enough of a nod to at least superficial scale proportions that for me nothing save some very expensive RC4WD stuff comes close.
Additionally, most of their early cars are very much designed to cope with running on sand at the expense of abilities on other surfaces. And they run on sand very well.
2 examples -
https://youtu.be/Kl_AUykH9VM
https://youtu.be/fBe09sV6xD4
I will concede that if you're after speed alone at the expense of everything else, then yes, there are cheaper ways of going fast than with Tamiya.
But the closer you get to a groung-to-ground missile, the less your wallet will thank you with the cost of the inevitable repairs.
out of the box, due to light weight, and are more or less indestructible. Hardly crap.
Also check out Tamiyaclub.com for some seriously inventive and interesting mods to both.
rhinochopig said:
Personally I think there are better value RC models out there than Tamiya these days. You have to be really driven by the nostalgia to buy one instead of something like an HPI or similar.
Couldn't disagree more. The quality of fit, parts and instructions are second to none. While not really up to modern racing, TRF aside, they do have a uniquecharm and character and enough of a nod to at least superficial scale proportions that for me nothing save some very expensive RC4WD stuff comes close.
Additionally, most of their early cars are very much designed to cope with running on sand at the expense of abilities on other surfaces. And they run on sand very well.
2 examples -
https://youtu.be/Kl_AUykH9VM
https://youtu.be/fBe09sV6xD4
I will concede that if you're after speed alone at the expense of everything else, then yes, there are cheaper ways of going fast than with Tamiya.
But the closer you get to a groung-to-ground missile, the less your wallet will thank you with the cost of the inevitable repairs.
I've just bought a Tamiya Dark Impact and slipper clutch. I really wanted a TLR 22-4 because I remember Losi cars being amazing back in the day, but I just can't justify the £300+ it will cost (car, batteries, spare batteries, tyres, etc. all adds up).
Originally I was just wanted to clean up and play with an old Manta Ray but I hit a metaphorical wall in that both of my radio sets are knackered or incompatible. Ended up buying a new radio set and an £85 motor and ESC which reminded me how much fun it was so I decided to get a car too! The motor is a brushless sensored 17.5T job to fit the regulations at my local club in case I want to go racing.
Originally I was just wanted to clean up and play with an old Manta Ray but I hit a metaphorical wall in that both of my radio sets are knackered or incompatible. Ended up buying a new radio set and an £85 motor and ESC which reminded me how much fun it was so I decided to get a car too! The motor is a brushless sensored 17.5T job to fit the regulations at my local club in case I want to go racing.
Zippee said:
Thanks all for your advice.
Love the Axial Wraith but at £400 notes I can have both the Tamiyas and change (most likely what I'll do).
Any thoughts on where to buy? Any cheaper places than Jadlam?
If you havent bought them then get on there this weekend, 15% off Easter sale. Bargains....Love the Axial Wraith but at £400 notes I can have both the Tamiyas and change (most likely what I'll do).
Any thoughts on where to buy? Any cheaper places than Jadlam?
russy01 said:
Zippee said:
Thanks all for your advice.
Love the Axial Wraith but at £400 notes I can have both the Tamiyas and change (most likely what I'll do).
Any thoughts on where to buy? Any cheaper places than Jadlam?
If you havent bought them then get on there this weekend, 15% off Easter sale. Bargains....Love the Axial Wraith but at £400 notes I can have both the Tamiyas and change (most likely what I'll do).
Any thoughts on where to buy? Any cheaper places than Jadlam?
Starting tomorrow?
Get the Neo mate. Have shown mine zero sympathy and driven it into walls, off stupidly high jumps and have done little maintenance since first build other than to change wheels and tyres. Still going strong (gluing tyres to wheels this weekend so I can mess about with it between races on Sunday and Monday!) and a very happy camper!
Yes there are faster and better things about but for cost,logical instructions, reliability and ease of getting spares there is little to beat Tamiya IMO.
With 4wd you have less top speed but much more off road ability on shortish grass and mixed surfaces. I get bored just bashing tarmac and the flat after a while so am a bit 4wd biased. I might strip it down and fit a better motor and different gear to up the speed a little but only if I cba. That's what I like so much though as there are lots of options.
This Christmas I also got a Super Clodbuster and have added lights to that. It isn't very quick but will run on almost any ground and there is a massive ability to up grade almost ever part if I want.
Whatever you get should put a smile on your face, just make sure you get 3 or 4 batteries though. The technology is better than in our youth but I can still get through at least 3 batteries before I feel like a break. LiPo and brushless upgrades are available but I've not bothered exploring those as what I have does just fine atm.
Yes there are faster and better things about but for cost,logical instructions, reliability and ease of getting spares there is little to beat Tamiya IMO.
With 4wd you have less top speed but much more off road ability on shortish grass and mixed surfaces. I get bored just bashing tarmac and the flat after a while so am a bit 4wd biased. I might strip it down and fit a better motor and different gear to up the speed a little but only if I cba. That's what I like so much though as there are lots of options.
This Christmas I also got a Super Clodbuster and have added lights to that. It isn't very quick but will run on almost any ground and there is a massive ability to up grade almost ever part if I want.
Whatever you get should put a smile on your face, just make sure you get 3 or 4 batteries though. The technology is better than in our youth but I can still get through at least 3 batteries before I feel like a break. LiPo and brushless upgrades are available but I've not bothered exploring those as what I have does just fine atm.
russy01 said:
id suggest neo fighter for 2wd or neo scorcher/dual ridge for 4wd (same chassis different body). Cannot go wrong with Tamiya for your first car..
As I said above sale this weekend will be the best price you can buy a package with everything you need on the Internet.
Just ordered the neo scorcher kit As I said above sale this weekend will be the best price you can buy a package with everything you need on the Internet.
Thank you
LunchBox - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/showproduct.aspx...
Works out at about £143 including delivery. Bargain as thats the package with 2 batteries and a fast charger!
Works out at about £143 including delivery. Bargain as thats the package with 2 batteries and a fast charger!
Spent many a happy day fixing, breaking, upgrading the old Tamiya kits.
a good few years back i bought a Kyosho Inferno TR15 nitro and loved it.. sat in the garage at the moment needing some TLC and at 38 still chomping at the bit to get it up and running again. although wouldnt noe know where to start with a new engine or replacement pull start thingy
a good few years back i bought a Kyosho Inferno TR15 nitro and loved it.. sat in the garage at the moment needing some TLC and at 38 still chomping at the bit to get it up and running again. although wouldnt noe know where to start with a new engine or replacement pull start thingy
Milky400 said:
Spent many a happy day fixing, breaking, upgrading the old Tamiya kits.
a good few years back i bought a Kyosho Inferno TR15 nitro and loved it.. sat in the garage at the moment needing some TLC and at 38 still chomping at the bit to get it up and running again. although wouldnt noe know where to start with a new engine or replacement pull start thingy
Hooe you get it sorted, I am a bit younger than you but remember fantasising about a Turbo Burns, the forerunner to the Inferno I believe. Sadly I've not been in the scene for 20+ years so can't really help you.a good few years back i bought a Kyosho Inferno TR15 nitro and loved it.. sat in the garage at the moment needing some TLC and at 38 still chomping at the bit to get it up and running again. although wouldnt noe know where to start with a new engine or replacement pull start thingy
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