The Tamiya RC car thread
Discussion
HPI did a GT2 race car shell so I bought one of those and cobbled together a sort of home-brew M3 GTS with an old TA-02 chassis.
Anyway, long story short, the TA-02 kept breaking (20 years old and brittle I suppose) so I recently built a TT-02D chassis to allow wider rear track among other things.
As it stands at the moment with a few aluminium upgrades an 9mm offset wheels.
Anyway, long story short, the TA-02 kept breaking (20 years old and brittle I suppose) so I recently built a TT-02D chassis to allow wider rear track among other things.
As it stands at the moment with a few aluminium upgrades an 9mm offset wheels.
Edited by Lubi325 on Saturday 13th February 10:02
Like many of us of a certain age I started off with a Sand Scorcher. I had the kit for Christmas and had to save up to buy the radio gear. I'd just joined the RAF and had fun building it in a 17 man room (it was still during my training). It nearly got launched out of a 3rd floor window as during one bull night I went a bit mad with it and left tyre tracks all over our shiny, freshly polished floor!
After I was posted I picked up a Fast Attack Vehicle, although mine was a 'civvy' version. I painted it red with black and silver wheels. My first bit of tuning involved buying a RX 540 motor with an end bell you could twist to give it drive shaft snapping torque!
During one of it's many rebuilds I fully assembled the car complete with fully charged battery, but didn't connect up the motor. Somehow the speed controller moved and the ceramic resistor thingy that mounted on the roll cage got so hot it set fire to my kit bag complete with my gear for a weeks stint on duty! We had the fire brigade out and everything, all whilst trying to deal with visiting aircraft!
All it needed was a complete new body shell /tub which I had to replace with another new one a month later after my receiver batteries went flat and the car hit a curb at the edge of the aircraft pan head on at full speed!
I went all posh then and got a 4wd Hotshot, again great fun followed with plenty of mishaps.
Having an aircraft pan and an airfield to use the cars on in the evening and at weekends was great fun. The Sand Scorcher got retired after hitting a Raf Phantoms undercarriage door and taking to roof off, all the way back to the roll bar! I bought a complete new body for it, assembled and painted it, but never used it again, and ultimately I gave it to a friend who is a lifelong VW fan, before I realised quite how much it was worth!
Move on to a couple of years ago and whilst at a boot sale I picked up a Ferrari Enzo complete with radio gear. The kit had been built but not run and the body needs paint, all for the princely sum of a tenner! All I've done so far is buy a new battery and charger to see if it works, ran it into a few chairs in the living room and now it resides up the loft!
Not sure how much it's worth but I expect it will end up on ebay at some point.
After I was posted I picked up a Fast Attack Vehicle, although mine was a 'civvy' version. I painted it red with black and silver wheels. My first bit of tuning involved buying a RX 540 motor with an end bell you could twist to give it drive shaft snapping torque!
During one of it's many rebuilds I fully assembled the car complete with fully charged battery, but didn't connect up the motor. Somehow the speed controller moved and the ceramic resistor thingy that mounted on the roll cage got so hot it set fire to my kit bag complete with my gear for a weeks stint on duty! We had the fire brigade out and everything, all whilst trying to deal with visiting aircraft!
All it needed was a complete new body shell /tub which I had to replace with another new one a month later after my receiver batteries went flat and the car hit a curb at the edge of the aircraft pan head on at full speed!
I went all posh then and got a 4wd Hotshot, again great fun followed with plenty of mishaps.
Having an aircraft pan and an airfield to use the cars on in the evening and at weekends was great fun. The Sand Scorcher got retired after hitting a Raf Phantoms undercarriage door and taking to roof off, all the way back to the roll bar! I bought a complete new body for it, assembled and painted it, but never used it again, and ultimately I gave it to a friend who is a lifelong VW fan, before I realised quite how much it was worth!
Move on to a couple of years ago and whilst at a boot sale I picked up a Ferrari Enzo complete with radio gear. The kit had been built but not run and the body needs paint, all for the princely sum of a tenner! All I've done so far is buy a new battery and charger to see if it works, ran it into a few chairs in the living room and now it resides up the loft!
Not sure how much it's worth but I expect it will end up on ebay at some point.
I'm another one righting the wrongs of my childhood vicariously! Had a friend at school with a Wild Willy that I was insanely jealous of but I don't think I even dared ask for one from my parents.
Got a Rising Fighter for my son's birthday in LD1 and now daughter wants a green Land Rover...
Tamiya do a Defender but it's quite pricey (£300+) so I'm wondering about a Frog or Wild Willy with a Defender body from somewhere else. Or is this just a crap plan??
And I need some oil shocks for the Rising Fighter as our garden is a bit lumpy...
Got a Rising Fighter for my son's birthday in LD1 and now daughter wants a green Land Rover...
Tamiya do a Defender but it's quite pricey (£300+) so I'm wondering about a Frog or Wild Willy with a Defender body from somewhere else. Or is this just a crap plan??
And I need some oil shocks for the Rising Fighter as our garden is a bit lumpy...
Back in 1993, my wife bought me a then newish Tamiya Escort RS kit. I’d been going to a few RAC rallies but a new son and promotion meant I had little spare time for days away.
In the end I didn’t use it much. Xmas 2019 and she bought me a Tamiya Defender, the idea being that I would build it in winter with the help of my then 7-year-old grandson and then take him out to play with it in the summer. That went well.
I have just started to recommission the Escort for my grandson. The speed controller has turned into a switch, so I ordered an esc yesterday. I’ve replaced the motor with a 55T in the hope that it will slow it down a bit for the lad initially and then, as he cracks it, I’ll be able to stay with him with the Defender.
I’ll follow this thread with interest.
In the end I didn’t use it much. Xmas 2019 and she bought me a Tamiya Defender, the idea being that I would build it in winter with the help of my then 7-year-old grandson and then take him out to play with it in the summer. That went well.
I have just started to recommission the Escort for my grandson. The speed controller has turned into a switch, so I ordered an esc yesterday. I’ve replaced the motor with a 55T in the hope that it will slow it down a bit for the lad initially and then, as he cracks it, I’ll be able to stay with him with the Defender.
I’ll follow this thread with interest.
Derek Smith said:
Back in 1993, my wife bought me a then newish Tamiya Escort RS kit. I’d been going to a few RAC rallies but a new son and promotion meant I had little spare time for days away.
In the end I didn’t use it much. Xmas 2019 and she bought me a Tamiya Defender, the idea being that I would build it in winter with the help of my then 7-year-old grandson and then take him out to play with it in the summer. That went well.
I have just started to recommission the Escort for my grandson. The speed controller has turned into a switch, so I ordered an esc yesterday. I’ve replaced the motor with a 55T in the hope that it will slow it down a bit for the lad initially and then, as he cracks it, I’ll be able to stay with him with the Defender.
I’ll follow this thread with interest.
I have one that I converted to lipo with, elec speed controller and brushless motor....now it really shifts.In the end I didn’t use it much. Xmas 2019 and she bought me a Tamiya Defender, the idea being that I would build it in winter with the help of my then 7-year-old grandson and then take him out to play with it in the summer. That went well.
I have just started to recommission the Escort for my grandson. The speed controller has turned into a switch, so I ordered an esc yesterday. I’ve replaced the motor with a 55T in the hope that it will slow it down a bit for the lad initially and then, as he cracks it, I’ll be able to stay with him with the Defender.
I’ll follow this thread with interest.
Caddyshack said:
I have one that I converted to lipo with, elec speed controller and brushless motor....now it really shifts.
My reactions have slowed. I need something that walks.Years ago, I had a model plane that I was trying to learn to fly with. It was a modified slope soarer, with a 3cc engine. Not exactly fast, but it still trouble me. I had it flying inerted, deliberately, so I was brimming over with confidence, but it was getting low, so I tried to climb a bit. It began to lose height, so pushed down on the elevator. The damn thing went steeper into the dive and headbutted the ground.
The crank on the engine bent, the printed circuit in the receiver fractured and one servo was busted. I returned the radio control unit to the manufacturer, in Scotland, called McGregor, explaining that I flew it flat out into the ground, and could they send me an estimate of the cost of repair.
They sent a repaired receiver and a new servo, with a lovely letter with it. The woman said, 'I've been with McG since it started and, if other customers are to be believed, you are the first person ever to fly a plane into the ground. All the others suggested that they don't know what caused the breakages. Please accept the repair free of charge just for the novelty. Your letter is stuck on the wall by my desk.'
How nice was that?
I enjoyed flying, but my planes didn't so much land as arrive. It was often a surprise.
Derek Smith said:
Caddyshack said:
I have one that I converted to lipo with, elec speed controller and brushless motor....now it really shifts.
My reactions have slowed. I need something that walks.Years ago, I had a model plane that I was trying to learn to fly with. It was a modified slope soarer, with a 3cc engine. Not exactly fast, but it still trouble me. I had it flying inerted, deliberately, so I was brimming over with confidence, but it was getting low, so I tried to climb a bit. It began to lose height, so pushed down on the elevator. The damn thing went steeper into the dive and headbutted the ground.
The crank on the engine bent, the printed circuit in the receiver fractured and one servo was busted. I returned the radio control unit to the manufacturer, in Scotland, called McGregor, explaining that I flew it flat out into the ground, and could they send me an estimate of the cost of repair.
They sent a repaired receiver and a new servo, with a lovely letter with it. The woman said, 'I've been with McG since it started and, if other customers are to be believed, you are the first person ever to fly a plane into the ground. All the others suggested that they don't know what caused the breakages. Please accept the repair free of charge just for the novelty. Your letter is stuck on the wall by my desk.'
How nice was that?
I enjoyed flying, but my planes didn't so much land as arrive. It was often a surprise.
Just coming up to the point where I can (just about) legitimately buy my kid a kit.
Quick question, my dad bought me a frog when I was about 5. (I now question his motives) and looking at the listing it’s ‘exactly’ the same as I remember.
Should I just repeat history or are there better options out there these days? I’m more interesting in the building and painting than the driving probably.
https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/tamiya-1...
Quick question, my dad bought me a frog when I was about 5. (I now question his motives) and looking at the listing it’s ‘exactly’ the same as I remember.
Should I just repeat history or are there better options out there these days? I’m more interesting in the building and painting than the driving probably.
https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/tamiya-1...
Lim said:
Just coming up to the point where I can (just about) legitimately buy my kid a kit.
Quick question, my dad bought me a frog when I was about 5. (I now question his motives) and looking at the listing it’s ‘exactly’ the same as I remember.
Should I just repeat history or are there better options out there these days? I’m more interesting in the building and painting than the driving probably.
https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/tamiya-1...
If you want a 2WD Tamiya go for the great-grandson:Quick question, my dad bought me a frog when I was about 5. (I now question his motives) and looking at the listing it’s ‘exactly’ the same as I remember.
Should I just repeat history or are there better options out there these days? I’m more interesting in the building and painting than the driving probably.
https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/tamiya-1...
https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=...
It even comes with decals to make it look like the Frog's ancestor (that's how I did mine).
<<Edit>> Posted on this thread 28.07.20:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Edited by generationx on Wednesday 24th February 13:26
I got her to choose. (A Lunchbox, but she wants it green...)
The Frog does looks good and various other cars use the same chassis (Subaru Brat is one.) but are you going to be happy when he crashes your carefully painted car? One thing I've found with son's Rising Fighter is the stock friction dampers are crap on rough surfaces, so oil shocks (which the Frog has) are essential IMO.
The Frog does looks good and various other cars use the same chassis (Subaru Brat is one.) but are you going to be happy when he crashes your carefully painted car? One thing I've found with son's Rising Fighter is the stock friction dampers are crap on rough surfaces, so oil shocks (which the Frog has) are essential IMO.
If you want something that looks like a buggy, the DT03 chassis is pretty bombproof. The Racing Fighter version of the DT03 includes oil dampers and a torque tuned motor. Just add a set of bearings and it's a great value starter kit.
Otherwise the Lunchbox is tried and tested. It won't handle anything like a DT03, but it will be a load of fun.
Otherwise the Lunchbox is tried and tested. It won't handle anything like a DT03, but it will be a load of fun.
generationx said:
Lim said:
Just coming up to the point where I can (just about) legitimately buy my kid a kit.
Quick question, my dad bought me a frog when I was about 5. (I now question his motives) and looking at the listing it’s ‘exactly’ the same as I remember.
Should I just repeat history or are there better options out there these days? I’m more interesting in the building and painting than the driving probably.
https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/tamiya-1...
If you want a 2WD Tamiya go for the great-grandson:Quick question, my dad bought me a frog when I was about 5. (I now question his motives) and looking at the listing it’s ‘exactly’ the same as I remember.
Should I just repeat history or are there better options out there these days? I’m more interesting in the building and painting than the driving probably.
https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/tamiya-1...
https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=...
It even comes with decals to make it look like the Frog's ancestor (that's how I did mine).
lufbramatt said:
generationx said:
Lim said:
Just coming up to the point where I can (just about) legitimately buy my kid a kit.
Quick question, my dad bought me a frog when I was about 5. (I now question his motives) and looking at the listing it’s ‘exactly’ the same as I remember.
Should I just repeat history or are there better options out there these days? I’m more interesting in the building and painting than the driving probably.
https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/tamiya-1...
If you want a 2WD Tamiya go for the great-grandson:Quick question, my dad bought me a frog when I was about 5. (I now question his motives) and looking at the listing it’s ‘exactly’ the same as I remember.
Should I just repeat history or are there better options out there these days? I’m more interesting in the building and painting than the driving probably.
https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/tamiya-1...
https://www.modelsport.co.uk/index.php?product_id=...
It even comes with decals to make it look like the Frog's ancestor (that's how I did mine).
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