Super Champ
Model Number: 58034
Released
15-Dec-82
Drive
2wd rear
Suspension
Swingarms rear with coilover monoshock, trailing arms front with hairpin springs, oil filled metal dampers
Chassis Description
fibre glass plate, with a similar top deck
Body Type
Highly Detailed ABS Plastic
Motor
540
The Super Champ was Tamiyas first true attempt at making a racer. This car had a monoshock rear suspension system with an oil reservoir making it handle the bumps much better than it's predecessors. Came with new spiked rear tyres and several uprated parts. Also dispensed with the radio crate in favour of a lighter tray assembly.
Reviews
Ampex456
I own two of them, one restored/hopped up, and one built but never run, was a store display as I understand. Overall the same car as the other SRB's except for the rear suspension. The mono shock works pretty good and adjusts as expected. Unlike the SC and RR, the Super Champ uses an interesting travel limiter (wire tie length) that also changes he camber so you can have a severe at rest camber like the real car or set for zero camber and then adjust out any acceleration squat with the rear mono shock spring adjustment collar. Front end is the scale VW front end from the other SRB's. I remember seeing these cars racing at a local race track and it was a blast. The one I restored was fast and took some driving adjustment as there is no differential, uses a posi lock type of rear drive. In loose dirt, easy to turn with a quick pop of reverse and it spins into place. Easy to also make slide into a turn. In the street, not a big deal, still turns nicely. I imagine if the new SRB ball diff was added, the Super Champ would probably drive closer to today's cars out there. But the SUper Champ is not a RC10 or other current race car. But it was the leader of the pack in the day and led to the development of the RC as RC Racing was gaining popularity.
LOL
The Super Champ for me is more scale and aggressive looking than the Rough Rider. The upper deck is more like a RC Racer than the SRB water proof boxes. it also should stiffen the chassis with its connection points. Maybe new it does okay. But the innovative aspect of the upper deck is that it was easy to remove with all electronics for full car cleaning after a night of racing or backyard bashing. So maybe not as water proof, just as easy to remove as the SRB water box but different. I would have to look at the two side by side again to see why. However if the top decks were bolted to posts on the chassis plate, that would really stiffen the car up.
The gear box is the same with no adjustable motor mount. Uses the same gears as the other SRBS and includes the same gear ratios. One really cool thing was the new MSC versus the micro switch included with the original SRBs. It mounted to the servo and had a special arm that wiped over the different pads for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd speeds. This was a true accurate speed controller. It also included an adjustable resistor for 1st and 2nd speeds. That was pretty cool as those 'gears' could be set for different track conditions. The resistors were pretty small so staying in the lower speeds with load and extended running would break the resistors which meant a new speed control. Obviously this lead to the newer MSC Tamiya released later. My original one still works pretty good. These though are hard to find today. I was lucky enough to score one a few years ago but sold it as one of the two cars was going to get a ESC. Should have kept it.
Would be interesting to weigh it agains a Rough Rider. Can't do that as I sold mine. LOL I think the last time I weighed it, the Champ came in a 3.75 pounds ready to run. I think that is heavy to todays cars so running against a current RC Buggy might prove to be a disadvantage. Also parts availability is an issue. While most of the car's parts are available, there are some unique ones like the shock body, body/decals, rear bumper mount, upper deck and rear bumper. Some of these parts are out there in both aftermarket and OEM used, but not new/OEM accurate and the body is not even close to being available. I am sure a lexan body could be found, but what fun is that. If Tamiya ever re-released this kit, the body sets would be a big seller. If someone made performance minded parts that were both easily available and lower the weight of the car, more would come of the shelf and be runners. I know mine would.
But until that happens, Super Champs sit on shelves as trophy cars and remain highly revered. New cars on Ebay get 1000.00 or more and some runners get that too. Good condition runners with no body are mostly what is found lately. But when a body does show NIB, they can sell for up to 500. Is it and SRB? I think so. Any of the parts from the Super Champ could be used on a Rough Rider or Sand Scorcher and improve the handling of the car in its own way. For me there is something special looking about the car both in its manual/box art and sitting on the ground. Running it brings back memories, especially when running the restored one as that was the first RC Car in our family waaaaayyyy back in 1982/83. Maybe that is why.
sunnyjai
Upon acquiring an NIB of this coveted SRB classic I decided to check member reviews to find inspiration on the desirability of this model to gauge how much I should be willing to spend but surprisingly find a lack of reviews! I do concur on BeetleLovers' comment and decided to contribute a few words. Firstly from reviewing and speaking to a few collectors have confirmed an ongoing debate whether the Super Champ is truly an 'SRB' Special Racing Buggy. According to Tamiya it is an attempt at a pure racing buggy over the Sand Scorcher and Rough Rider with the patented FFPDS suspension system, a lighter chassis design, spike tires and so on seem to confirm its intentions. But because it is not stated on the kit box that it is an SRB thus precludes it as a highly desirable collector's piece when compared to the two aforementioned kits. From a personal point of view I reckon it is a significant classic, something like an Egress among the SRB's so to however can't give a driver's perspective as i've never driven one of these, only a Sand Scorcher as a kid so I have no clue as to its performance. All in all a great kit, full of quality details, historical significance and it's after all the 1st 100 kits, so if you don't have one get one while it's still affordable!
BeetleLover
I'm a little disturbed that no one has written anything about the Superchamp! Why has a review of this great car been neglected, I encourage anyone who knows more about this car than I to write something! This is the only one of the early metal cars I own and I absolutely love it! To my mind it has much in common with the Rough Rider and Sand Scorcher in terms of it's construction, looks and I'm guessing performance. I haven't ever run any of the SRB's including my champ and can only comment from what I learnt whilst performing a complete strip and rebuild on mine. Rear suspension is pretty cool and I guess was the initial design that led to numerous cars with the mono-shock design - Hotshot, fox etc... Something I discovered was that this car by design does not have a differential so I was a little bewildered to find mine actually did (hopped up) I initially thought that Champs had diff's and was the racing point of difference over the SC and RR... Diff's would be along soon tho :$ As much as I love this car and it's general looks one thing that is a little off is the look of the driver, the car just seems to swallow him up and he looks so tiny in there! I have my champ sitting next to my Wildone which even polarises the scale of the cockpit... Eventually I hope to get in there and put on a WO's head... Great Car and completely under rated car otherwise!!!