Anyone doing some Tamiya or other R/C stuff during the lockdown?
Yup, I have a Carisma SCA1E kit to build - have had it for a year or two. Somewhat fortuitously I spent a tenner or so on a bearing kit for it a few weeks ago... have several high turn motors and a few ESC's to play around with too so should have some slow-speed, long battery life entertainment as and when.
i have a very modified Axial Bomber thats been shelved for the last year, can see it getting dug out & the garden dug up to allow me to play
can someone give me some battery charging advice?
I've just made a lockdown purchase of a couple of FTX Outback Mini 2.0 cars for some small garden fun, and ordered some spare batteries. They are 600mAh 1s LiPos. The kit comes with a USB charger but I wondered if there is a way of mains charging them, and if it's worth it over USB. I've tried Googling it but it's a minefield and most balance chargers seem to be for 2S and higher.
Any advice would be appreciated.
I've always wanted to race F1: cars. Ideally with motor and tyre restrictions to even the field, but allow relatively free reign on body work and aero mods.
Some of the fantasy F1:liveries would look amazing!
I'm doing another Quattro.
Started today..
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Shout for help - My sons Maverick Ion XT has stopped working. I charged up the battery for him, when switched on the receiver flashes 3 times but then nothing, doesn't respond and doesn't auto-trim which it used to (if thats the correct term- set the wheels in a straight line...).
Any ideas? I've checked the connections best I can and they seem fine? What would stop it working all of a sudden? Says he's not crashed it.
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Paint and stickers..
I have a few Tamiyas:
an original Fox
a CC01 Landfreeder, built up as general trail truck, essentially just bigger wheels
a Rising Fighter - This should be for my 6yo to drive, but he is not interested.
My oldest lad has a Lunchbox, and we have couple of MN D90s for trail bashing.
Now I'm locked in the house I am getting a hankering for a 4wd buggy. My 1980s school boy memories say "Hotshot", but I am aware that this is flawed in many ways. What else should I look at , ideally sub £200?
I am quite tempted by an HG P407. EDIT! I am aware that this is not a buggy.
The p407 is apparently outstanding for the cash (especially compared to the Tamiya it's compiled from) but the electronics are, allegedly, junk. That design is not the best crawler, but it's a fun trail truck. Again, apparently - I don't own one. I would love to, though 😉
From a retro buggy perspective, the Terra Scorcher is just about to be re-released. The Boomerang is also pretty good. Of more modern ones the TT01-B looks OK, but I've got no experience of that (I restored my brother's old Terra Scorcher, and I used to on a Boomerang though 🙂 )
Mind you, the Hotshot is *the* iconic Tamiya buggy IMO - and tinkering to fix the issues (primarily the bump steer from what I remember) is part of the fun 😀
Mind you, the Hotshot is *the* iconic Tamiya buggy IMO – and tinkering to fix the issues (primarily the bump steer from what I remember) is part of the fun
No way, it's nothing like as iconic as the Grasshopper/Hornet, Lunchbox, Wild Willy, just to name a few.
Edit: suppose the last two aren't buggies, of course...
I was making progress but with Covid I’m busier than ever so the Rally Bug is in a box at the moment - boo! I’ll use this as a spur to push in a step or two
Kyosho Tomahawk just arrived. 🙂
No way, it’s nothing like as iconic as the Grasshopper/Hornet
I did say "IMO", you'll note... I wasn't presenting it as an indisputable fact.
I'd also happily make a case for the Sand Scorcher. And very possibly the Grasshopper. But none of your other suggestions. Soz.
IMO, natch. 😉
IMO, natch
I had a Rough Rider, same chassis as the Sand Scorcher IIRC. And surely more iconic 😀
(IMO!)
Apols for not crawling through the thread for this, but can someone recommend something;
1) That will run well on grass - so I guess a truck of some type rather then buggy
2) is a kit (half the fun is building)
3) not a crawler - does not have to be madly fast but at the speedy end of the scale rather than crawling
4) don't mind spending a bit more up front to avoid having to upgrade things straight away
I have a 1/8 nitro buggy (Kyosho Inferno 7.5) that I haven't fired up for a few years but am after something more suitable for the garden
DT-03? Comes with a couple of hop ups. CVD oils shocks and a Torque Tuned silver can.
Does a 2WD 1/10 Tamiya buggy not get bogged down a bit on grass that's not super short? I thought they weren't great on a lawn? I'm probably wrong as it must have been 1986 when I last saw one running!
How big is your garden? My 35 turn CC01 is fast enough for mine. There is no way the Fox or the Rising Fighter can reach or run at full speed in mine. No Massive though. I might start to build a trail/crawl course. Plenty of time...
In February we had the 2wd Buggies blasting around on the short grass at the carparking for the beach at St Andrews. Fantastic running surface.
Shout for help – My sons Maverick Ion XT has stopped working. I charged up the battery for him, when switched on the receiver flashes 3 times but then nothing,
My nephew has got a Maverick - 1/10 something. He had the same problem - we couldn't get it working, so ended up just getting a £30 2 channel 2.4GHz controller with receiver from Amazon & that sorted it.
timmys
Does a 2WD 1/10 Tamiya buggy not get bogged down a bit on grass that’s not super short? I thought they weren’t great on a lawn? I’m probably wrong as it must have been 1986 when I last saw one running!
Yes, it does in all honesty. It's not too bad depending on the length of the lawn obviously. But running my Neo Fighter around the garden, there is a noticeable slow-down as it transitions from the paving to the lawn.
They do a DT-03T version, which has basically got bigger wheels & a few other bits to facilitate these - I kinda wish I'd gone for one of those; the Aqroshot it's called.
The madbull can do better on grass, sometimes. But if it's longer than "overgrown lawn" it still struggles.
That said, there are many tamiya buggy issues that can be resolved with a cheap brushless kit
An excercise in patience and steady handyness.
I'd recommend a Tamiya self build kit to anyone.
The chassis and drivetrain anybody could do, the body is the tricky bit.
Today's work stops at 5pm for a beer, only managed an hour. Let's face it theres no rush..
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I've got a fully original boxed, run say twice, Tamiya 1/12 RC Toyota Celica GRB Rally Special if anyones interested?
Good paint skills Merak.
Want one of these to build every time I look at this thread, but the painting puts me off. Anyone do kits with pre-painted shells?
So tempted by a Blitzer Beetle just for fun. Been spending more time on the Tamiya Club forum browsing through the numerous projects.
I had a Grasshopper back in the day followed by a Kyosho Optima Mid which I intended to race but never did.
Want one of these to build every time I look at this thread, but the painting puts me off. Anyone do kits with pre-painted shells?
When I built my Tamiya Madcap (like 30 years ago!) the bodyshell and rear wing were just solid blocks of colour, all the detail came from transfers. I can't paint to save my life and it was a piece of wee-wee. I'd guess you don't have to do all the clever paint jobs that Merak et all are coming up with?
Speaking of which,
Is there any value in my old Madcap? I dug it out a little while back, astonishingly it still runs though the shitty NiCads have a running time of about 2 minutes now. It's all stock aside from replacement shocks as the standard ones were, erm, shocking.
In all honesty it was a bit crap when it was new - at full tilt it's near impossible to steer, an issue I never really got to the bottom of. But it seems a shame just to chuck it out?
clubby
Want one of these to build every time I look at this thread, but the painting puts me off. Anyone do kits with pre-painted shells?
I'd never done one until I got my Neo Fighter.
I just chose two paints, cleaned the body thoroughly & masked it up using decorator's frog tape.
I used a large cardboard box cut up & re-stuck together to make a 'spray booth' and pre-heated the paint in hot water for 5 mins or so.
The result was surprisingly good with several thin coats & I kinda wish I'd put a bit more effort in to do something fancier. A single block colour would be even easier.
If you do multiple colours do dark first, then light. If you do it the other way round, the dark can show through the lighter colours where it oversprays.
This was the result of my attempt:
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/4523/38253328912_a6ae258c1d_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/4523/38253328912_a6ae258c1d_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/21hjiXE ]DSCN8525_zpsu2hb6jtr[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/me96kka/ ]STW stumpy01[/url], on Flickr
Cougar
Speaking of which,
Is there any value in my old Madcap? I dug it out a little while back, astonishingly it still runs though the shitty NiCads have a running time of about 2 minutes now. It’s all stock aside from replacement shocks as the standard ones were, erm, shocking.
Has it got the mechanical speed controller, or an ESC?
You could get some new batteries for not a lot of cash & get it running in no time.
A colleague runs an RC shop & sorted me out with my Neo Fighter & bits to go with it.
I've got one of these batteries:
https://www.fusionhobbies.com/product/ep3000s-ep-7-2v-3000mah-ni-mh-battery-pack
and you can get 20 mins or so of runtime out of it, easily. That's with an ESC.
If it's running the old mechanical speed controller you could stick an ESC in it for not a lot of money.
Does it have bearings or plastic bushes? Upgrading to bearings is always worth doing.
I always thought the Madcap was one of their better looking cars.
Manual speed controller, so essentially three speeds in both directions. Standard (nylon?) bearings.
It looks great, but it handles like a whale, which is why I never spent any more money on it. I didn't want to be randomly buying parts for it if I couldn't get it to go round corners. Oddly, it's surprisingly nimble going backwards.
New batteries = new charger also, yes?
Cougar, they're still broadly collectible, and somewhat sought after, but you're not sitting on a goldmine, if that's what you mean. They're loosely based on the Super Astute IIRC, which was recently rereleased so (some) spares are available - and what there isn't you can most likely jury-rig.
Get some bearings for it, and give her a complete strip down. Tyres will be the main thing which will help your steering (well, obvs) - what surfaces are you running on, and with what tyres? The other main thing you can do to help it steer at full chat is to put some weight over the front - over the servo, or better yet, even further forward. You can also pick up an ESC for less than £20 these days which will be a huge improvement on your old manual one.
Oh, and new Nimh batteries (probably the cheapest and most sensible option to start with) will need a new charger, although new chargers can also charge old nicads in most cases.
Oh go on... what bundle for under £200 as I'm saving close to that a month on not buying diesel?
I want one that I can build rather than out of the box.
Cougar, they’re still broadly collectible, and somewhat sought after, but you’re not sitting on a goldmine, if that’s what you mean.
Yes and no. I mean, I wasn't thinking I'd be tossing out a fortune. Just that there's nowt wrong with it other than what I've already stated and, well, I'm a bit of a hoarder. I still have a Big Trak FFS.
They’re loosely based on the Super Astute IIRC,
Correct, yes. It's the same chassis / running gear as far as I'm aware.
Get some bearings for it, and give her a complete strip down. Tyres will be the main thing which will help your steering (well, obvs) – what surfaces are you running on, and with what tyres? The other main thing you can do to help it steer at full chat is to put some weight over the front – over the servo, or better yet, even further forward. You can also pick up an ESC for less than £20 these days which will be a huge improvement on your old manual one.
I rather suspect that weight on the nose might be a big help. Dunno as it needs a teardown beyond maybe greasing the axle joints, I looked after it maintenance-wise back in the day and it ran fine (previous caveats aside) when I last dug it out.
They're the stock tyres that came with it, albeit with the knobbly bits long worn away, running mostly on tarmac last time I used it.
But yeah, this was my problem back in the day as well. I could buy a new set of tyres, replacement shocks (which I did and thought would solve the issue), ESC, new battery and charger, bearings, maybe a modern receiver and remote rather than the old analogue crystal system... and then be in a position where I've outlaid the cost of a new car and still be in the same state. If I could guarantee a fix I might be more inclined to throw some money at it.
There's nowt intrinsically wrong with it as a buggy as I recall - the Super Astute in particular was a top thing for its time. The teardown would be required to replace the bushings with bearings. And it's fun! 🙂 Those tyres wouldn't work at all well on tarmac BTW. As you've found.
And if you bought all of these new things, the only thing you'd have bought that you couldn't instantly transplant into something else would be - er - nope, I can't think of anything. The bearings? Even the tyres you might be able to transplant. And if it's in decent nick you'll make enough out of it on eBay to finance most if not all of the cost of a new one...
I'd say the way to look at it is this: Throw some money at getting back into RC. If your existing car doesn't work out, then it's collectible and not junk enough to get something like a DT03 with minimal extra outlay. It's a win win! (kinda ;-))
Ordered a Holiday Buggy bundle today. Charmingly retro looks on a more modern 2WD chassis. I might even let the kids have a go once it’s built.
Edit: for the painting-averse it comes with a solid colour shell that you just add bits and stickers to.
I'd love to build that Celica up.
How much are you after for it @wysiwyg?
Crikey that is worth a fair bit of money to a collector!
It's built. I don't know whether to strip the previous paint, it's yellow, before selling.
All original components. Gotta be £500 I'd guess
Harry_the_Spider
Subscriber
Oh go on… what bundle for under £200 as I’m saving close to that a month on not buying diesel?
I want one that I can build rather than out of the box.
In all honesty, I'm having much more fun with the Lunchbox than with the buggy or the crawler.
I got a faster motor, some nicer shocks and a set of bearings.
It's ace.
No hassle to build because it's so simple and in objective terms it handles like a ruptured ferret, but it's so much fun to play with.
It has personality. Everyone wants a go and the grandkids are crazy about it.
The blocky body lends itself to painting and the stickers are easy to apply.
Good on long grass, fun on tarmac and just a nice thing to build and own.
£90 for the kit, £25ish each for a controller, Tamiya Speed Tuned motor, posh shocks and less for the bearings.
High capacity batteries are a bit more but last for ages.
Just found a few boxes of stuff.
My manta ray:
https://i.postimg.cc/FHzZ072K/20200402-120847.jp g" alt="null" />
Very dirty and in need of good clean and probably a new body shell.
And a few Rough Rider parts:
https://i.postimg.cc/q7HMKZRM/20200402-120448.jp g" alt="null" />
Also found a grasshopper chassis (I think)
Got another rough rider somewhere, its not complete, definitely hasn't got a body shell and possibly a few other bits missing.
Also missing is a slightly battered Midnight Pumpkin, again without a body shell.
I got them all 2nd hand in rough conditions, plus I wasn't very careful with them when I was a kid, so all have had lots if damage and in various states of repair.
Currently trying to sort through all parts and get them organized to see what I have and what I need. Then decide got to what to do with them. Possibly sell once lockdown is over?
Well pictures didn't work! Don't know what I did wrong!!
Sbtouring, if you need parts for your manta Ray give me a shout I’ve got quite a lot of spares that will fit from when I raced a top force.
diz, thanks for the offer. I will keep that in mind 👍
After a while of convincing myself I don't need a car, just bought myself a FTX carnage truggy and my daughter a FTX surge truggy... Both brushed motors.
Hopefully get them in next couple of days, but already looking at upgrades.
In other "weakness news", I have just pre-ordered a Tamiya Terra Scorcher rerelease. Cannae wait...
I'm going to use the Tamiya TBLE 02 ESC. Can anyone recommend an upgraded motor that will work with this, but not detonate the drivetrain on the Terra Scorcher? I have a Sport Tuned, but wondered if there was something else I should try. I'm using 6pack NiMH batteries.
I'm really hankering after a Tamiya Grasshopper because it is the one that I wanted when I was 12 years old.
Trout, the TS drivetrain is pretty good. If you want something faster, I'd personally go with a 13.5t speed passion brushless from eg Modelsport. The TBLE02 is a better brushless than a brushed ESC - even if it's non adjustable. But because of the torque that brushless motors generate, you really need to swop out the alloy pinion for a steel one 🙂
Lots of nice cars on here, looking at new car. I have an ecx ruckus 1/18th but would like a 1/10. Want something that can deal with grass and decent offroad.Like the look of ftx outlaw or carnage, other options are ecx amp monster truck or the maverick Strada monster truck. How do they all compare for build/reliability/spares? My reading suggest either the ftx or maverick are better, but can anyone confirm? All have brushed models around 130 and brush less at 200, have not decided which yet!
Would love a kit but it seems most are tamiya. While i always wanted one as a kid the nostalgia thing is not high on the list. Thanks
Oh crap, been half-cut browsing again.
I see Tamiya are doing a green Frog, so that gets over my painting phobia, but so does the grey Plasma Edge.
As far as Tamiya go, are all 2wd pretty much the same apart from the body? Likewise the 4wds.
What give a more satisfying build?
Nostalgia playing a big role for me. Local newsagent/toy shop did them when I was young but was never able to afford one.
In all honesty I’d likely build one, run it for a short while and get bored. The build process and tinkering is part of the attraction. Do I go for a cheaper kit and enjoy it for what it is or is a more expensive kit a “better” build experience.
Do the 4wd drive better of just different?
Had a play with a 1/10 Axial Deadbolt a few months back and enjoyed crawling. In the current circumstances I've decided to dip my toe into the water with an Axial SCX24 Deadbolt. I'll use my one exercise session a day to go and collect some fallen branches to build a course. Fingers crossed it arrives tomorrow.
Got a Grasshopper bundle with extra batteries and bearings in my basket. Umming and Ahhing whether to press PURCHASE.
Why the hell not??? 🙂
Just for a bit of inspiration, have a look at the AMPRO channel.
The build process and tinkering is part of the attraction. Do I go for a cheaper kit and enjoy it for what it is or is a more expensive kit a “better” build experience.
I found the build of the Lunchbox a bit too easy after the Plasma Edge.
I should have done the Lunchbox first, it only takes a couple of hours to finish the chassis.
The TT02 chassis on the Plasma Edge was a more satisfying build, tbh.
In terms of playability and upgrade value, the Lunchbox wins every time. It's fine in longer grass and is much faster with the sport tuned motor. I don't run the buggy that much anymore.
I’m currently supervising my 8yo lad and 9yo lass in the construction of their lunchbox and midnight pumpkin kits as a ‘design and technology’ home school lesson 😎👍🏼
They’re loving it ☺️
Fin.
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👌 merak that is quality, I hope it gets run until it’s cracked and dusty and looks like a proper rally car! 😂
(Although I wouldn’t blame u to not!)
That Audi is very nice!
Do you actually drive those cars? With those body shells?
I work with a guy who builds some of the retro Tamiya models & just puts them on the shelf...
I was gutted when my nephew rolled my Neo Fighter & chipped a load of paint off the wing & that's just a white/pink striped scheme!
Nah, I'm way too uptight to use them! I build the shells up and sell them for people to crack and scuff far from my OCD eyes!
I've got a batshit mental RWD lipo brushless truggy for kicks. It's covered in Heli tape though.😂
OK, I'm crumbling here and I want to buy a kit to build and upgrade!
I've had a few kits in the past (including a few Tamyiya TT01/TL01 stuff). Looking at some sort of rally car or something similar to those. I enjoy the building and painting aspect as much as the using it 🙂
I'd want to go lipo right off the bat and spec a decent value motor and esc, but I need to research that stuff as it's been a while.
Any recommendations on good value kits? Might be better if I can source the electronics separately.
Wrong wheels, and very bashed up, must be 25 years old now and still works.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49748957086_46d5f7ccbc_4k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49748957086_46d5f7ccbc_4k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2iN9pHq ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/10675959@N02/ ]nickgilling[/url], on Flickr
Way back in the day I had a Rough Rider.
When I saw the re-released Buggy Champ I had a moment of weakness and bought one.
Much better quality build than the original but still very hard to drive being heavy and rear wheel drive. Great fun!
Here are some of mine, the mini is a M03, the Jimny a MF01X and the buggy an RC10 B2, got a box of broken mad bulls in the shed that will be getting looked at soon. 
My parents denied me a Tamiya RC car when I was younger, so now I am 42, I thought I would buy my own, got the Grasshopper. Loving it, but already want to get another.
What 4wd Tamiya buggy would you good people recommend? will drive on grass and stoney carparks mostly.
I like the look of the Avante, but I dont like the look of the Avante price.
If you want to go retro, the re-released Terra Scorcher is a fine piece of kit, and arguably the pinnacle of that particular era (it had UJs, ball raced throughout, turnbuckles etc). The Hotshot is still widely admired, but it suffers from a number of flaws - bump steer being chief among them, as well as interesting suspension performance.
The Avante is utterly *glorious*, but for general bashing it's far from ideal. It is and always was ludicrously over engineered. Things will break, and they'll cost a packet to fix! The TT02b chassis is modern(ish), cheap, robust and spares are readily available: I'd be tempted to get one of those and a bearing kit personally 🙂
https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/58568neo_scorcher/index.htm
The TT02B struggles on anything other than shortish grass tbh.
And the steering on mine is very sloppy, despite it being set up regularly.
I'm resigned to buying some hop ups to make it better.
And so it begins... about time seeing as I've had it since Deecember 2018.
My parents denied me a Tamiya RC car when I was younger, so now I am 42
snap! I bought a couple of mini crawlers to play with whilst on lockdown with the kids, but already got my eyes on something bigger for when we're released...
not too bothered about building kits at the moment but do enjoy fixing them - the driveshafts on these are cheese so I've ordered some new metal ones and fixed these ones to get them back on the road.
Cars
Broken UJ
Drilled through UJ cross journal and inserted a section of nail
had to do that 6 times!
The FTX Surge arrived for my daughter and its plenty fast enough for her, she's only 5, but she's struggling with the size and weight of the controller/transmitter.
Can anybody recommend a smaller and lighter 2.4ghz controller/transmitter for her.
Thanks
Can I get into this for say £150 for a all in set for my lad for messing about in the close/garden? Something nippy, fun but sturdy I guess?
I have an FTX Outlaw brushed and is great fun Reasonably fast but will do a bit of crawling as well, it has a settable ESC for 2 different modes plus it can be set for a 2s lipo battery. Get a 5000mah battery as well and it should come in within your budget. Reasonably cheap to convert to brushless as well. Incredible how much engineering you get for reasonable cash these days
I have an FTX Outlaw brushed and is great fun Reasonably fast but will do a bit of crawling as well, it has a settable ESC for 2 different modes plus it can be set for a 2s lipo battery. Get a 5000mah battery as well and it should come in within your budget. Reasonably cheap to convert to brushless as well. Incredible how much engineering you get for reasonable cash these days
And in English?
Sorry weeksy, it's just a very good fun package for the price. Once you get it all the detail will fall into place as you WILL become addicted!
A large capacity battery is a good idea but you may need to budget later for a good charger.
Impressed with the FTX cars for the money.
The Surge 1/12 is around £80 or for £100ish there's the carnage/bugsta/vantage offroaders or the outlaw which I think is a bit more crawler like.
Got the surge for my daughter and carnage for me, plan to upgrade as and when things break or limit the fun
Got a link to what I need then please. As you may have guessed I'm very new to this as it's just randomly I opened the thread
https://ftx-rc.com/index.php?_route_=rc-kits
Comes with all you need, apart from AA batteries for the transmitter/controller
