Tamiya/ Kyosho/ Radio Control Cars

[DRD]

Does anyone on here know about these things ?

Years since I last had one. Am thinking ...

Off road buggy 2wd or 4wd
Well engineered
Pretty to look at

Reliability/ robustness / low maintenance is key - I don't want to be replacing steering joints/ snapped struts every half an hour.

Absolute performance is not an issue as it will never be raced, it will not be a shelf queen.

Sand Scorcher ? With 1970s robust chunks of metal build and no rear diff

Seriously pretty like an Avante ?

The new BBX looks pretty but also quite fragile ?

Kyosho Optima Mid ?

Thanks

 

[Calimori]

I built an optima mid and bought the conversion kit to make it a pro. It was good fun and robust enough for a kid to race, repair and race some more. Slower than the Schumacher Top Cats of the same period as they were clever and balanced 2 to 4 wheel drive.

 

[Spandangler]

I’ve got a few Tamiya. They’re not that robust. It’s more nostalgia for me rather than function. I think Kyosho and Team Associated etc… are the choice for racing. Or if you want a big bash toy the Traxxas ones a pretty good.

Pretty much guarantee after a little bash round the garden something wil snap on the Tamiya.

 

[Deleted member 5505]

Think my first conversation with Jim @myPinballs was about RC shiz, think he's built lots of them.
I had the Tamiya Toyota Celica in the early 90's was ace, one of my school mates was very competitive with it up here in North Wales and had the original carbon fibre Predator chassis kit which cost a pretty penny back then.

 

[FinalFight]

If you want a cheap buggy from tamiya that's quite decent look at the racing fighter/ neo fighter (same chassis DT-03) it's a more modern one but its fun and similar drive to other buggys that cost alot more parts cheap quite well built

 

[SeikoKid]

my experience with Tamiya has been great. I picked up a lunchbox kit 4 years ago. Did a few simple mods and upgrades to it
Since then it had 2 motor upgrades and a few replacement parts
My 4 year old at the time learnt to use it and still enjoys it now even when he smashed a wheel and steering arm.
A before an after
pic. It still running well albeit the shell is a bit worn ( not in shot sorry )
Power switch bypassed due to above of muddy puddles

Given the hell this has been through i’m really impressed it’s still working perfectly with both original batteries

We built it to match my work van at the time

 

[myPinballs]

Built loads of these in recent years. Threads on here if you search. Mostly just for fun:/nostalgia

Tamiya has a great range these days , plenty of remakes from the 80s for shelf porn. But also lots of decent racing ones to . Back in the day it was Schumacher pro cat for me all day long..

This is one Tamiya kit that fits what you are after for outside use

Tamiya Dark Impact - DF-03 58370

58370 - Tamiya Dark Impact - DF-03

www.modelsport.co.uk

pro cat vibes from it to

 

[DRD]

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions.

I've done some internet research and discovered an underground sect of men who film themselves with models.

I've gone heart rather than head and opted for a BBX, a totally new 2023 chassis with strong reviews. Looks like the platform will be around for a while so I have taken a punt on one of the prettiest kits out there ....

I really wanted to go for an Avante Black but it obviously has design flaws and is grotesquely over-engineered and heavy. These were stupidly expensive in the late 80s. Folk have masses of problems setting them up and still complain about their complexity and handling.

 

[myPinballs]

2WD or 4WD can be a long discussion to or it was in the early 90s

 

[AlanJ]

And there was me thinking pinball was the top of the tree hobby for sad old men.

 

[DRD]

I have been reading up on Ni-Mh v Lipo and I was stunned by the scare stories. So I bought some bits from a model shop and spoke to the staff. The manager saw a Lipo fire while charging at a recent race !!! He said all charging batteries had to be pouched during events.

He said - must charge in a pouch. Must supervise the charge. Must never risk overcharging. Must discharge prior to storage......

So I'm probably going to go Ni-Mh as I don't need ultimate performance and I don't want to burn the house down.

Do you think I can run Ni-Mh with brushless pls ? I am thinking more about longer run time and the greater efficiency of the motors.

Thank you

 

[kev a]

I tried a mild brushless ez run combo with NI-MH..... according to the specs it was all compatible but I ran into problems on full power where the esc would cut out and restart, think it was on the limit of the current the battery could supply.

 

[Rob zombie]

I had the Hornet remake many many years after seeing it as a kid at Hambley's. Fast as hell.

When I was selling my house it was in a trunk and the buyers kid opened it and was smitten. So it actually ended up being a bargaining chip in the proceedings. I said he could have it if it was a nice smooth house sale. Sure enough I left it hiding behind a bedroom door for him.

Would quite like another one