Avante
Model Number: 58072
Released
31-Mar-88
Drive
4WD , Shaft drive
Suspension
Multi link with anti roll bars
Chassis Description
FRP double deck
Body Type
Lexan
Motor
RX-540-VZ Technigold
The Avante is a classic example of tamiya totaly over engineering a car , It really is a wonderfull piece of engineering but very expensive to restore because of the number of parts that wear , It should prove to be a real classic .
Reviews
sunnyjai
Hi All,
Avante - The big daddy of all Tamiya series buggies! Was a sales flop when released but a collector's dream of current with prices for both built (above 80% restored) and NIB's with Technigold commanding high prices in the auctions and between private collectors. Having regretted not biting the bullet and collecting these elusive kits 10 years ago I too am feeling the pinch having paid dearly to acquire these work-of-art kits in semi-restored and NIB guises!
For a technical standpoint I used to run an Avante 2001 and being an improved and simpler version it was still a little fragile! Imagine trying to keep the original Avante together! Back in the late 80's I almost got one but every Tamiya salesman discouraged me from buying one citing it was either fragile, too expensive or no more stocks as hobby centres didn't make any profit and I ended up buying the Terra Scorcher. Till this day I longed for one! Despite it's weaknesses it was quick, beautiful to look at, and a technical marvel!
As I now get the chance to rebuild them, I do agree it's one very complicated machine but I love the challenge and the end results speak for themselves - Beaudiful!
Despite the rerelease Avante in 2011, vintage prices has still not waned compared to some Tamiya kits and it even commands higher prices than it's more elaborate Egress bretheren clearly shows the respect these kits have with vintage collectors and enthusiasts alike! Heck i've even noticed some pure Kyosho fanatics keep an Avante as an exception says it all!
Hail Avante!
SubaruBrattJunkie
First off, I have always wanted one. I think that it is one of the most attractive cars the company ever made. For not being a 'real' car, it is the best of all of that set. I am not going into it's pedigree here, I did that in my showroom. I would say if you are thinking about getting one and fixing it up or restoring it, forget it. There 121 of these on this site. A few nib's, several new builts and several restored. If you are considering getting one, get the most complete car you can, or you better have done very well in the stocks. Parts for this car in original packaging are as collectable as the car, maybe more so due to the fact that this car, as sexy as it is, did not sell well when it was new. It was very expensive then, and even more so now. From what I have been able to gather, in 1988 these were $350.00, and I was flying planes then and that seemed like a lot of money. A Saito 5 cylinder rotary engine was less than that at the time. I wish I had bought a dozen of them, but thats another story. The build is complicated, especially if you get one that is missing parts as mine was. Most of them are! I stripped it down and went through both the diffs. I was not really thrilled about the length of the driveshaft, reminded me of the TA01-2. Once the boxes were correct and the bearings replaced with blue teflon sealed, I started sourcing the suspension components. It had all 16 ball connectors replaced with Avante 2001 nylon ones. I found 7 in Canada, but never did find the other 9. It was missing the motor mount, wheels and tires and cam locks, along with a handful of the wrong screws and other parts. My friend Chris, Crash Cramer, will tell you that not having the right screws makes the car incomplete. I didn't used to share that philosophy, but I have seen the light and agree with him. So they had to be had. The stock steering linkage is weak and lets the front tires flop from side to side and I found the hop-up ball raced steering set and it improved the mechanical advantage over the stock set-up. It does, however use a servo connecting rod that is longer than I like, but besides the ball end hitting the bottom front of the driver and needing to be shaved a bit, it did act allright on the road test. Getting the battery in and out of these if you are running the bottom cowl is a pain. It also fits very tightly in the frame, and mine had a cracked battery stay as a result. Not the retaining one but the one screwed to the bottom plate. I finally had to buy a parts chassis to get the 9 pieces I was missing for the suspension. I put that chassis back together with the 2001 parts and the body that came with this car and will sell it on the bay. Beware! It will look ok, but would be very expensive to make right! The stickers for this car are high as is everything else. I was lucky and found a set for 52 dollars. I saw a set make a hundred last week. The body is a Kamtech repro, because in 6 months of looking for parts, I never saw an original for sale at any price. I really would like anyone looking at it to tell if it was or wasn't the real thing, Keith has done that good of a job. The stickers fit and went on perfectly. It really isn't that difficult of a set, but at those prices, the pressure to not mess up was there! The car comes with front universal joints and a metal upright that looks like it would break the moment it hit anything substantial. The suspension travel for an off road buggy is dismal. I also understand that the gear boxes are fragile as well. Lucky for this one, it has had it's run and will have the battery removed, and take it's place next to the other shelf queens, all which sport radio gear. Of course it has the obligatory Technigold motor and is using a Futaba 3303 speedo due to it's size, room is another thing there is not, and a lot of cars are missing the Z tree as a result. Would I do it again? I would probably try and get one that someone else had restored and paid more for the priviledge. It would have been a lot less aggrivating. However all that said, I do still find her strangly attractive.
Avante_rnr
With the Avante project, Tamiya tried to make a stab at the racing circuit with the latest, state-of-the-art design and parts. Although the Avante didn't make a big splah on the circuits, it slowly began to be a tramemark of Tamiya's First real (and most expensive) racer which led way for the Vanquish, Egress and Avante 2001.