Tamiya RC Cars

[drcarlos]

LOL, i'm running a 5.5t in my 4wd. Given enough grip and boost i can get it to wheelie when i'm already doing 50+ kph.........

Not going into detail on the TCs and the 8th scale

I converted a hobo hyper mini st to brushless and lipo, it’s currently running a 3.5t team Orion motor, on 2s it’s a bit mental to say the least, I don’t have anything more than that though.

Carl

 

[Falkster]

LOL, i'm running a 5.5t in my 4wd. Given enough grip and boost i can get it to wheelie when i'm already doing 50+ kph.........

Not going into detail on the TCs and the 8th scale

I converted a hobo hyper mini st to brushless and lipo, it’s currently running a 3.5t team Orion motor, on 2s it’s a bit mental to say the least, I don’t have anything more than that though.

Carl

I was heavily into rc whether that’s Schumacher cat racing, Kyosho turbo burns/inferno or 1:4 FG but I literally didn’t understand one word of that last post.

 

[drcarlos]

LOL, i'm running a 5.5t in my 4wd. Given enough grip and boost i can get it to wheelie when i'm already doing 50+ kph.........

Not going into detail on the TCs and the 8th scale

I converted a hobo hyper mini st to brushless and lipo, it’s currently running a 3.5t team Orion motor, on 2s it’s a bit mental to say the least, I don’t have anything more than that though.

Carl

I was heavily into rc whether that’s Schumacher cat racing, Kyosho turbo burns/inferno or 1:4 FG but I literally didn’t understand one word of that last post.

I’ve had electric and nitro over the years and loved nitro for years as the run times were so much better and a small can of fuel would last ages. Times have changed though and brushless motors along with lipo batteries have turned things around. Nitro is dead, beaten by electric power. The 2s and 3s refer to cells, each cell hits 4.2v when fully charged and only drops to about 3.7 when flat. So a 2s is basically an 8.4v pack and will hold 8v for most of it run. In short they are much more powerful and last longer.
The brushless motors are more efficient and run lower turns in general than the old brushed motors, where 27 turns was what was known as stock. In brushless I think the stock class runs about 17 turns or 17t. The 5.5 turns and 3.5 are just low turn high speed motors and generally the lower the turns the higher the speed (less torque though). I guess they can get away with lower turns and less torque as there is less drag from no brushes and no loss through resistance.

Carl

 

[mattr]

I was heavily into rc whether that’s Schumacher cat racing, Kyosho turbo burns/inferno or 1:4 FG but I literally didn’t understand one word of that last post.

what's Schumacher cat racing? Some sort of local one make series? (and when did fg make 1/4 scale, they're all 5th and 6th now)

 

[drcarlos]

I was heavily into rc whether that’s Schumacher cat racing, Kyosho turbo burns/inferno or 1:4 FG but I literally didn’t understand one word of that last post.

what's Schumacher cat racing? Some sort of local one make series? (and when did fg make 1/4 scale, they're all 5th and 6th now)

I guess that back in the late 80s cats dominated the club racing scene where now they are one of many competitive 4wd buggies.

Carl

 

[mattr]

Still wasn't Schumacher Cat racing. It was 10th 4WD, Mod or Stock. I was racing a series of Kyoshos, Optima, Optima Turbo, Optima Mid sort of thing, even had to assemble the chain on the first one! Stopped in 87 or 88, must have been half a dozen competitive manufacturers/models in both 2wd and 4wd at the time.

 

[Falkster]

Still wasn't Schumacher Cat racing. It was 10th 4WD, Mod or Stock. I was racing a series of Kyoshos, Optima, Optima Turbo, Optima Mid sort of thing, even had to assemble the chain on the first one! Stopped in 87 or 88, must have been half a dozen competitive manufacturers/models in both 2wd and 4wd at the time.

Maybe I should have put () around the racing or specified which type of racing. It was 1:10 buggy racing in which I raced a Schumacher CAT XL then XLS. My mistake on the FG, it was 1:5 rather than 1:4.

 

[mattr]

Only decision i have to make is if i either add a couple of 10th buggies to my collection and start racing them again (the wheelying one up there is pretty much retired since Team Durango were run into the ground by "new owners", so are both the 2wd Durangos.)

OR, get a couple of cheapish 10th scale set ups and get the kids involved, they both enjoy driving my race cars (with the throttle turned down to 10-20%) but want their own.........

TBH, i reckon racing 10th TC (Serpent 4x) and 8th Electric (X-Ray XB9e) Buggies is probably enough for me! (just keeping them in tyres keeps a steady flow of cash out of my bank account!)

 

[clubby]

When I was a kid the local newsagents had a hobby shop in the back. Used to lust after the Tamiya RC cars but was never allowed one. There's been an ongoing thread on Singletrack about them, and with lockdown in effect it's had a resurgence and a load of middle aged men who should know better have been indulging their inner 12 years olds. If you can't beat them, join them.

Some assembly required by Steven Clubb, on Flickr

Chassis by Steven Clubb, on Flickr

Paint and body by Steven Clubb, on Flickr

Paint and body by Steven Clubb, on Flickr

Finished by Steven Clubb, on Flickr

Finished by Steven Clubb, on Flickr


Build was really enjoyable, the design that's gone into it is amazing. Proper oil filled shocks with adjustable preload and damping shims. Even got a miniature diff with proper sun and planet gears. Research into it was also good fun, very easy to get sucked down the You Tube rabbit hole. Spent a good few Sundays just browsing internet crap about them.

Reminds me a lot of the mtb world. Basic kits are pretty reasonable.........then you add on the electronics............. then do you really want the standard battery......... why not get a bigger one.......... and a faster charger............ bearings kits are better then than the standard bushing...........ooooooh, blue anodising........


Have drawn a line at the anodised parts, so far.


Still to get out for a proper shakedown test, feel a bit self conscious with it in the garden with all the neighbours home. Luckily it should fit in the luggage compartment of the wee mans trailer and there are lots of empty dirt car parks at the moment, plus an entire championship golf course
Under no illusions I'll use it all that much, but kind of feel I've got my moneys worth already and it's scratched a very old itch.

 

[al-onestare]

Tamiya have just re-released the Terra Scorcher which after the Falcon, was my second and probably most used (and abused) RC car. Well worth a look as long as you make sure you get some after-markets alloy front and rear suspension braces. I'm amazed they didn't improve the design or change the material.

Also down the YT hole with RCKicks (the guy is a prat but he's got some very nice machines) and Tamiya Legends (nicer guy, perhaps not the best quality but he knows his stuff) meant I asked the folks if I still had my old and final car in the loft, Kyosho Lazer ZX Sport. Sadly I sold it many years ago (had completely forgotten). So I took a quick look to see if my all time fav, the standard Lazer ZX, was available second hand.

As you said, just like these bikes, they are...if you've got a deep wallet! :shock: