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Hibernaculum

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Everything posted by Hibernaculum

  1. The kit numbers were expanded from 4 digits to 5 digits sometime (I think) in the mid-late 1980s, but I would have to double check the exact timing. But it is true that the earlier kits had 4 digits (for example on the kit box) Of course, the very earliest kits actually use the RA numbering. Tamiya's original numbering system for R/C kits was RA-1001 and onwards. This numbering system lasted as far as kit 31 aka "RA-1031" Brabham BT50 BMW Turbo. Beyond that point, Tamiya switched to the "58" sequence using 4 digits, and later 5 digits. Yeah it's true of course... everything was just old, unwanted, out-of-date stock for many years. Nobody considered it vintage...because vintage wasn't even a term we used. And not enough years had passed for people to really think in those terms. And those were great days too if you started collecting early. The first time I can honestly say I went to hobby shops looking specifically for old, leftover stock related to cars from the 1980s was in 1992. I know that sounds incredibly early... why would I have even thought of it, at that stage? Well, having grown up mostly in the 1980s, I was somehow acutely aware and/or obsessed with the R/C models of that time (and the rest is history). I also didn't have access to a lot of the things I had wanted during those years. So I was somewhat starved for access (and money) and the ability to own some of the great toys of my childhood. As early as 1992 I visited a hobby shop about 1 hour from where I lived, with the specific intention of trying to find parts/bits/anything related to the older Tamiyas that were out of production. And I was very happy to find a large plastic container there full of boxed Sand Scorcher original tyre sets, which were "on sale". I bought a couple of them, and also got an original Tamiya Hornet body set, which cost me AU$45. I knew these cars (as new in box kits) were no longer available by then... and I had developed a sense of "I need to stock up on spare parts when I can afford it" because I sensed they were becoming scarce. I remember the store owner telling me that a new "Hornet" was coming out soon, called the Super Hornet. Shortly after that, I also visited Sydney's Hobbyco hobby store - a store that has now been around for some 80 years or more. It's one of the last great hobby stores in Australia. And on that day, I remember they still had original issue sets of rear Super Champ tyres for sale on the shelf. But I remember they were about $30 or so. I didn't have a lot of money at that time, so I bought a few other small things from an "old stock" parts/sale bin they had. I was pretty pleased because back home I had begun restoring an old Hotshot (a wreck - found through a newspaper ad), and I got an original set of Hotshot front tyres in packet for $10, and some other little random little bits like Tamiya bearings and so forth. I told myself I'd go back to the store for the Super Champ tyres the next time. That was a mistake - and something I really regretted later. Because the next time I went to Hobbyco, the Super Champ tyres were all gone. And I ended up ringing around every hobby store in the Sydney region - to no avail. Nobody had the Super Champ tyres any more. And no amount of back-ordering was able to get them either. This was in 1993. At this point, I had to admit - I felt a bit crushed, thinking I would probably never obtain spare sets of those tyres. Little did I know that in years to come, the Internet would appear. And then eBay. In 1994 I decided to make an attempt to see what, if any, whole new in box "1980s" era Tamiya R/C kits might still be lingering in all the hobby stores in Sydney. So I rang around every store in the phone book. And I got lucky - there was one store that had one (just one) Monster Beetle kit left. I had some money, so I swooped and purchased it. A lot of my enthusiasm for the "old" items during this time was also being inspired by the sense that Tamiya had changed direction - releasing mostly touring cars in the early-mid 1990s. Or otherwise less interesting (less real looking) off-road vehicles, compared to the past. They just didn't do it for me, like the 1980s ones did. And combine that with the "fear of missing out"... and it meant I was inspired to start searching very early. And so began... a lifelong obsession. When I first got home internet access in 1996, there wasn't really even anything much on the web about Tamiya - let alone vintage Tamiya. And at first it never even occurred to me that the internet would eventually become a tool through which you could trade (safely). It was all very new and daunting at that time. If I could a website about Sting or Pink Floyd to appear on my screen, or download a 2Mb video clip, it was a revelation. Even MP3s didn't exist at first. eBay didn't really gain much attention from the mainstream until 1998, but most people were still pretty cautious about buying anything online. So for a while I looked at eBay but thought it was still too "risky". By 1999 though, I joined, and tried my hand at sending a Western Union money order to buy something from a seller in the USA, in the hope that the eBay "feedback system" would work and that people really were honorable. To my relief, it worked. And as my confidence grew, my bank balance diminished What followed from there, was the stunning discovery that old Tamiya stock actually existed in the world. Not just Super Champ tyres. But whole kits. Even the earliest kits - many of which I had previously never seen before in unbuilt form. Some sellers were selling them via their websites, but most were on eBay. And everything - and I mean everything - was a bidding war. Because every listing was an auction, and there was no such thing as "buy it now".
  2. Apologies to @nowinaminute as I just realized I have repeated some info he already posted - but you get the idea We are both nerds for some of these lesser known models.
  3. Aristocraft was Korean. An early example of Korea trying to get in on the action, and I have to say, they did ok too. They didn't simply rip off and counterfeit everything. And the Aristocraft buggies (Kangaroo, Dolphin and Koala) were at times.... raced in some competitions. Also... Yeah, so... Yonezawa is the original manufacturer of these. The Land Dash and Missiler (both released in 1984) were the original incarnations of them. Here's a Land Dash in box I sold a while back. I actually love the action photo on the box of this model. https://rctoymemories.com/items-for-sale/for-sale-2-yonezawa-land-dash/ Monogram bought them from Yonezawa, and sold them in the US an elsewhere under the other names - like "Lightning" etc. The Red Arrow meanwhile, was manufactured in Taiwan by a little known company called Radcon. It was in fact, the Radcon Wild Fox... Tandy/Radio Shack purchased this model, and re-sold it under their branding as the Red Arrow. This complimented the naming of the "Golden Arrow" they already had, which had in fact been custom manufactured for Radio Shack, by Nikko. Red Arrow... https://rctoymemories.com/2017/01/28/tandy-radio-shack-red-arrow-buggy-1988/ Golden Arrow... https://rctoymemories.com/2013/04/29/tandy-radio-shack-golden-arrow-1987/
  4. Also, the "old dates" on "Re re" parts are often new stampings. Or to explain another way - just because a part has an old date on it like "1985" or something, actually does not mean it's even using the exact same mould and same stamping, as the original 1985 part did. Often the old moulds were reworked and modified. Sometimes they were revised entirely. Early parts from the 80s can easily be identified because they had very simple embossed details. Times were simpler... there were less regulations. All they usually had written on them was one or all of these: Model name (e.g. "RCC Grasshopper"), year (e.g. "1984"), and "Made in Japan" Modern remake editions of those parts, have new stamps consisting of: EU compliance material stamps with alphabetic codes, e.g. “ABS” (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), “PS” (Polystyrene), “PA” (Polyamide) or “PC” (Polycarbonate). These never appeared on vintage parts. Tamiya name, e.g. “© Tamiya”. This never appeared on vintage parts. Year, e.g. “© 1979”. While year did also appear on vintage parts, the use of the “©” symbol proves a part is a remake part. Vintage model number e.g. “58047”, PLUS product code e.g. some 7 digit number like “0984071”. Even though a vintage model number like “58047” refers to a car from the 1980s, such numbers never actually appeared on vintage parts. Likewise, product codes never appeared on vintage parts. Have this info here also.
  5. That's definitely not what is happening. That's definitely not what's happening either. Having collected older kits (even since before eBay began), having been in contact with Tamiya on occasion, and having spoken to other collectors over many years including some who have visited Tamiya in Shizuoka... the old stock you see online on eBay and so forth, has always been old shop stock, or otherwise items owned by private sellers. There is no leftover kit stock with Tamiya themselves. At least not for the purpose of cannibalizing the kits, or secretly trickling the old stock onto the market. They do however, have a nice display in their foyer! The reality is that a lot (millions) of kits were sold in Japan alone even just during the "vintage" era. And there were a lot of toy and hobby stores that sold them. Some stores still to this day find lingering old examples of kits and models of all kinds, then throw them up online for sale. In other cases, Japanese owners (either collectors or just people who never got around to opening the models) list them online. As with any collectible - the radius area closest to the factory where those items were manufactured, has a tendency to have the most surviving examples in the years that follow. The same thing happened around the Kenner factory in the USA, in relation to Star Wars collectibles. When it comes to leftover Tamiya in other countries... As mentioned, there is less chance to find leftover items at the international distributor level, because those companies were more concerned with shifting stock and getting rid of it ASAP. There are relatively few stories around of collectors hitting vintage gold from distributors. Though there were a few here and there who got lucky. Hobby shops however, did tend to be places where a few old items would linger, especially parts but occasionally kits. And there are many stories of hobby shop finds, everywhere from Australia to Cyprus. I have had a number of lucky kit finds from hobby stores. But hobby shops outside Japan were always less likely to yield vintage gold than the stores in Japan. And today, both the stores inside and outside Japan now rarely contain much in the way of vintage items. As it has for years been mined and listed on eBay by probably hundreds of collectors and traders. These days I would suggest that most vintage kits are in the hands of collectors already. With only a small trickle still being "found" either in Japan or internationally. Most of the examples being sold online these days are being sold from one collector to another. Unlike in the early days of eBay, when most listings were still "store finds". Some of you may remember an eBay seller called jr-rc... he was actually an Australian who lived in Japan, and made a business for himself finding and selling old stock of R/C models, parts and other things, on eBay. Business boomed for him, in particular from 2000 to 2005 or thereabouts. I was even told once, that he drove a very nice 1:1 car as a result of the success of his eBay shop. There are few eBay sellers now, who can maintain the type of mass-listings of vintage stock, that stores like jr-rc had during the peak years - when eBay first opened up the opportunity for all that stock to be traded around the world. cheers, Rob.
  6. It's a different kind of treasure hunt these days. 15+ years ago it was still possible to find whole kits as old stock in physical hobby stores. Much less so today. So the only way to find them now, is online. But I do get what you are saying. If you can find something online, and it's a waiting game, is that really a "treasure hunt"? I still think it is. Because even the most popular vintage kits are not always available. Most buyers are not patient and do not have the patience to watch the market all year long. They only try for a few weeks, then give up. Popular vintage kits might come up for sale 5-10 times a year. But you also have to compete with other buyers for them. You could also argue it's "lucky" just to be able to afford them, as most people can't. Then there are the rare kits. Rare kits might only come up once a year, once in five years, or never. And there is no doubt getting one of those is "treasure" - even if you were waiting and watching for it to appear, rather than rummaging for it in a farm shed. Then there is also the aspect that not everything on the internet is plainly visible and easy to find for everyone. A lot of things I have found through contacts met online, which is another dimension to the searching. Or via very rigorous searching on foreign websites themselves, where sometimes things are hidden, expired or just poorly displayed - requiring effort to trawl through, translate, or chase old links or old expired listings. I have found many things this way, over the years.
  7. Holy thread resurrection, Batman! I love all the pictures in this thread. Anyone got anything more to add, to keep it going for a bit?
  8. 😆 True, true. Only difference is: “worst” is very subjective. “Lowest sales” could actually be figured out factually - if only we had the sales figures. All we have are clues though. Solar Eagle is a good guess, due to highly limited play value. But I bet there are other candidates. Look deep in the corners of the “Perfect Album”, and find... “boys racer” series and other oddities that came and went. Some models were featured in corners of the annual catalogues, without even colour pictures. Then of course there’s specifically limited edition releases. How many examples of the original Black Porsche were made? On a measure of miniscule sales volume alone, something like that might actually be the winner.
  9. I would suggest the candidates for this would be any models that lasted 1 year (appeared in 1 annual catalogue), then were canceled. Surely nothing else is a bigger clue as to lagging worldwide sales, than Tamiya’s cancellation of production itself. By contrast, the most popular models had sales runs that lasted 8 or 9 years, maybe more. Overall (all time) the least popular model is more likely to be from the 1990s or 2000s, when dozens of obscure, forgotten models (rebodied touring car variants and the like) were produced among Tamiya’s large numbers of different kits being sold at once.9 Than anything in the 1980s when the hobby was having its early popularity and Tamiya sold far fewer different kits at once. But I could be wrong. 🤔
  10. Just to add @Juggular - the fact that Tamiya labelled the original body "VW Buggy" has always made me think they literally had no name chosen for Sand Scorcher, when the mold was created. I guess "VW Buggy" was the working title. Just another charming aspect of the early days of Tamiya RC which, despite the remarkable tooling, tolerances and precision of the product you were buying, were in some ways a bit "let's make it up as we go along" - hence also, how so many of the early kits underwent variations during their production. A phenomenon which was to disappear in later years. There are countless examples of this sort of thing, when you go looking.
  11. No worries. A bit more... The embossed writing on the original black bumper is located on the top side of the bumper, so you won't be able to see it while its on the vehicle. As I am lucky enough to have several brand new examples of the original black one, I've just taken some quick snaps for you. Here is a brand new original black bumper... And here is where to look for the writing that proves this is an example from the original production run 1979 - 1985... As you can see, this example even has the misprint of "bugy" which was later corrected. I guess this one is probably the earliest of the early This is the other side of the bumper. As you can see, there is nothing written on that side at all. And overall, these bumpers have a muted shine to them. They are not especially polished/glossy in appearance, and the plastic is sort of matte, if anything. Only the early Sand Scorchers and Rough Riders came with the black bumper. Later vintage Sand Scorchers and Rough Riders (probably 1981 onward) came with the beige bumper instead. As did all other models that used this part, like the Super Champ, Sand Rover, Holiday Buggy and Ford F150 Ranger XLT. Then, fast forward 30+ years after that....came the remake of the Sand Scorcher kit, along with the Rough Rider kit - which was now renamed "Buggy Champ". Both came with a black bumper also, but the newly made bumper has a really high gloss, polished shine to it as shown below. The embossed writing is also different, as you can see - it appears on the underside of the bumper and says "Tamiya Plastic Model Co.". I can't remember if the top side also has writing.
  12. Those (the smaller businesses cited) are good to hear 👍 Even better if they are still able to manufacture locally (though I'm unsure if they do). I support what @Juggular said about Taiwan being "not part of", also. However, if Tamiya was completely sold to a foreign owner like some other brands were, there is a good chance it wouldn't actually be Tamiya anymore in my book. Early Japanese RC manufacture was such an interesting, and diverse history of early ideas and designs, with no brands directly cloning the other. Each tried to come up with something new, even if ideas were copied. And the companies themselves were often run by family concerns. I miss the days when all the great Japanese RC manufacturers (and indeed, brands from other nations too) were owned and operated in their original incarnation. Though to go back that far, means the early 1990s. Still, I feel lucky to have been able to own a few of the original pieces by those companies, from before they changed or disappeared.
  13. For some years now, there have been a certain small number of products with the Tamiya logo, which were either too trivial to be made by Tamiya and were outsourced to China - for example fabric carry bags and souvenir items, etc. Or that involved off-the-shelf electronics - and ESCs are an example there. Many other accessory items, are still made in Japan though, such as paints and most craft tools. Apart from contained electronics like the ESC or perhaps motors that are sourced from outside - I actually doubt this is true. There’d be little economic need for Tamiya to fabricate any other kit parts (which are pretty much all molded parts) by third parties outside their main factories. Anyway, thanks @speedy_w_beans and @markbt73 for the lists. This is good to hear. I mainly raised the question because: a) I just wanted to know. b) Tamiya is a very patriotic, historic company. And it’s history clearly matters more to it, than most other companies. We consumers in western countries admire a company like Tamiya. Some of us love the brand quite a lot. Some of us simply see it as a good product. While some of us, unfortunately, think the company is “nice” - yet ultimately only care about our wallets and buying the cheapest RC cars possible. Which is why some people will even buy illegal Chinese Tamiya clones without caring whether this could harm Tamiya. Tamiya is a deeply patriotic company though. You can sense this reading Master Modeller, or indeed any interview with Shunsaku Tamiya. At some 84 years of age now and still (seemingly since the death of Masayuki Tamiya his son-in-law) running the company, I feel he is one of the last of a breed of owner-enthusiasts and founders - like artisans who established world famous brands that became synonymous with quality, and were driven by extreme attention to detail. He is, himself, just a modeler. Tamiya-san frankly belongs in a category with Leo Fender, Enzo Ferrari, Carl Zeiss and others of that ilk. But most of those other legends are now gone from the world. Brands legendary for quality, are always born and begin from a small factory in their country of origin. That is how they establish and control their quality. And there is ultimately a lot of pride associated with that. And as the years and decades pass, it is always those early examples of their work - from the country of origin - that are the most coveted. I personally do believe that country of manufacture, and more specifically “plant of manufacture” do make a difference. Of course it does. This is the whole reason why manufacturing plant awards are given out in the automobile industry. However, without even arguing about that side of it - history and gratitude alone should be enough reason to appreciate Japan’s role (and continuing role) in RC manufacture. Perhaps we can simply agree that its cool if Tamiya still make products at their home plant - given the history. Because I’m pretty certain Shunsaku would consider it a sad day if the Japanese plant ceased manufacture entirely one day. So I just think we as Tamiya fans should be glad that a company as legendary as this one still exists, still manufactures some items in the very place where the whole legend began decades ago... and still even has its founder and chairman overseeing things at the age of 84. Japan is where the electric RC car hobby really began, and Japanese pride is the reason it affected us all so much that we became not just owners - but enthusiasts. All legendary brands and products have a similar origin story to this. Most others have long lost their founders, or have long since off-shored everything in name only, to mass market plants in other parts of the world. (Most fashion brands are terrible examples of this - witness Burberry and others). Tamiya to a large extent, is still steeped in history and has held onto that manufacturing history and tradition when I am sure they could have done what all other RC brands have done, and outsource *all* production elsewhere. Their products are still easily affordable, hence I admire them for the sense of control they have retained over what they produce. Who knows, maybe one day Tamiya as a brand, will be bought and sold, and it will become nothing more than a logo slapped on products. But as of now, it is still a brand with enormous authenticity and provenance - one of the last perhaps, of a bygone era.
  14. It isn't. My motivation is something else entirely, which I won't get into as this is not a political forum (I probably shouldn't have mentioned China at all). I somehow suspect that even if my first post was one pure sentence: "Which kits are made in Japan?", I would still get answers about how it doesn't matter where they are made. That is not the question. So, to repeat: I am just asking a general question about whether any kits are still made in Japan. Not trying to start a debate about whether it matters to anyone or not. If you've bought a kit recently and it was made in Japan, would be interested to hear it. I think most R/C production is from the Philippines plant. I'm wondering if all R/C production is from there now.
  15. Just curious. Friendly note: I don’t want this to be a debate about whether it “matters” or not. Some people just like owning Japanese made kits, as that’s the homeland of the historic Tamiya brand. There are basically zero other R/C brands left on the market now with even part of their stock made in Japan anymore. (When once upon a time, 80% were made in Japan, and the remainder were made in Europe/USA.) I own some Tamiya products made in the Philippines also. And I’m happy to. But if there were two identical Tamiya kits on the shelf, and one said “made in Japan” - I’d probably take that one over the other one. To support the home factory. Personally, I choose not to buy any RC cars or RC products made in China, at all. So if every RC car is made there one day, I’ll be finished with the hobby as far as new kits go. So which recent Tamiya kits (if any?) have been made in Japan?
  16. @john1314 - yep, of course there is still a demand. Almost anything related to vintage Tamiya, is worth something to someone. Even empty kit boxes. Even empty boxes from inside kits. These items are regular sold. As are millions of other things related to vintage Tamiya era production, that a lot of people collect purely for the nostalgia and for their display shelves. This doesn't mean everything "vintage tamiya" is worth a fortune. Some items are worth zero - except that a collector would rather have them, than throw them in the bin. Other items are worth $1 to someone. Other items are worth hundreds. I once paid $200 for an empty kit box. Basic rule - nothing should be thrown in the bin (except maybe the staples from Tamiya parts packets...and even then... ). Someone recently told me that a friend of theirs found a new in box Tamiya Bear Hawk out on the side of the road for "rubbish collection" in Sydney recently. This my friends, is an example of a "big mistake" (thankfully a collector found it) As for complete cars: Value of complete new in box original vintage kits is always the highest price point of any car, obviously. Value of used cars depends on condition, originality, and any extras that may be included (such as kit box, vintage radio gear, spare parts, spare decals etc) How a used car is offered for sale is also a huge factor in value: Rubbish photos, filthy, broken cars = lowest used value. Good photos, clean, tested, working cars = solid used value. Expert photos, fully restored, original cars = highest used value.
  17. Yeah, that's perhaps an earlier version of it (I ended up tweaking the article over time, and adding more to it (I'm terrible that way!) - most current is always here) Unsure which of these is the reality, but certainly the original mold for the Sand Scorcher body has never been used since the original Sand Scorcher ended production. The body used from the Monster Beetle (1986) onward, has molded door handles (instead of separate handles you attach), no holes in roof, no holes for rear vision mirrors, etc. And even beyond that, obviously later bodies came in different colours and have different stamped writing on them. There is also an official part-answer to how much the remake Sand Scorcher differs from the original. In an interview some years ago with Evo magazine for an article about the 1:1 Sand Scorcher, Fumito Taki (original Sand Scorcher designer) said: "We never kept the original molds and tooling." "I had to redesign it from the original in our museum! Measuring it and using CAD, I did it in three weeks. I designed the original model using pen and paper." He is most likely referring predominantly to the chassis here.
  18. I think it's fair to say every collector here would be interested in buying at least something from this collection. Because these items are 100% original/vintage. But if you're sentimental about it and you think you might regret it later, don't make the mistake of selling any of it. It's a truly wonderful early Tamiya collection: 1979-1982 If you think you'll enjoy restoring these cars with 100% original parts, one day in future (perhaps later in life?), don't make the mistake of selling the spare parts either. There are whole threads on this forum, about regretful sales or lost items. In collecting terms, your father's collection is first-rate gold, quite frankly. And vintage original spare parts will only become rarer (and probably more valuable), in the decades ahead. On the other hand, if you're certain you won't regret it later - sell, but note you will get better prices if you sell items individually. That's the most important tip I can give, if you need the money. And I say that as someone who would love to buy it all as a bulk bargain, just like anybody here would. But the dreams of the buyer and the seller ... are forever, different dreams This is the tragedy of vintage Tamiya collecting Incidentally, which car was that? Is it in the photos? Sorry (here I go again @Juggular forgive me, I can't control my fingers on the keyboard...) - just to add - also the body of the remake Sand Scorcher uses the Monster Beetle body mold, which is entirely different to the original Sand Scorcher. (Original Sand Scorcher mold may not even exist at Tamiya anymore, as they have not seemingly used it since the Monster Beetle was created). And there are a myriad other tiny reasons why the remake kits (Sand Scorcher and Buggy Champ) are around $300-$500ea, while original kits (Sand Scorcher and Rough Rider) still fetch $1200-$2000ea
  19. No, actually I meant the black bumper on one of SRB chassis. Only early Sand Scorchers or Rough Riders came with the black bumper. So it is rather sought after. The remakes of those models came with black also, but technically the remake bumper is easily identifiable via different embossed writing on it, compared with original. The original only has either: “1/10 RC Racing Bugy Made in Japan", or "1/10 RC Racing Buggy Made in Japan" The original is also more of a “matte” black in appearance, as opposed to glossy black. Another consequence of Tamiya “remaking” stuff 30 years later, and actually using different plastic compound. Most remake parts have additional product codes, recycling codes and/or just other shenanigans stamped on them - due to the overregulation of modern production. Whereas in 70s/80s, Tamiya just stamped everything with very basic identifiers. If you need any tips, always happy to help ☺️ Hugely fussy about keeping vintage cars, vintage. Even running them 100% vintage now, as I did yesterday.
  20. Great vintage gold you have there. These are the kinds of vintage threads I enjoy the most. Here's hoping you restore with vintage parts, to keep them original There's even an original black bumper there I assume (will be identifiable from the embossed writing), which looks like it needs a straighten but is otherwise a nice bonus. Original kit boxes are also valuable. You can wipe down the box. And if you want to restore it further, straight the box sides by spraying water to dampen them, then placing flat weight on them for several days. The Acoms Techniplus is also my favourite radio type. I found two very poor condition ones recently, which I managed to combine into this one working, clean example. I have several of them already, but they're just so 80s in design - boxy, angular, big. They remind me of equipment from the movie "Aliens" or something...
  21. Indeed, feel free to run the remake Lunchbox without fear Our earliest impressions have a huge impact on us. I still remember a tiny hobby shop that existed near where I live, and closed over 25 years ago. The owner there had a Wild Willy on a shelf in the store behind the counter. It was his, and not for sale. But as it was the only example I had ever seen in my life, apart from the pictures in the Tamiya catalogues, it was like seeing something "famous" whenever I walked in - I could hardly believe it was right there on display. And I was amazed at how heavy it was. Another kid at school once told me that a mate of his had one, and they used to jump it and run it around on a vacant lot that my school bus used to drive past each afternoon. Each afternoon on the bus, I'd pass by, probably staring idly out the window. And I'd often imagine the Wild Willy Jeep running around there. But of course, I never saw it. It's often those kinds of early, fleeting experiences that cause us to shell out for these cars, in adulthood
  22. You probably already did this, but I just want to add a last snippet of (probably obvious) advice for others, especially newcomers... Always use brand new spray cans at the beginning of any valuable project. No sense re-using a previously used can to try to get the last bit of paint out of it....on a model worth hundreds (or maybe thousands) of dollars. It's not worth the risk
  23. @Juggular I had never thought to file the ends of the pin - good idea! Every removal and refit of the body does have me press the body down carefully - below the level of the pin hole - to ensure the pin has plenty of room to gracefully slide into place with scraping the decal it sits over.... However, filing them sounds in keeping with the Tamiya rubber seals I put under the pins on my Bear Hawk (they came in the Bear Hawk kit I think, but were leftover... and seemed appropriate for this). "What did you do on the weekend, Rob?" "Well, I..." Tiny details. But what is R/C, if not a world built from tiny details? Stunt doubles is very accurate
  24. Did the 956 ever come with Rothmans decals? I didn’t think it did. 🤔 That change-up was in the 959. Which not only switched the decals mid-production due to cigarette sponsorship laws, but also dropped the Porsche logo from the box-art, mid-production. I’m an off-road guy, and usually only end up with on-road models by accident... but I restore them all the same, and the 956 would be a nice shelfer as it epitomizes the classic, simple lines of 1980s Group C sports cars. Unlike the rather less attractive LMP-1 beasts of today. I’ve never particularly liked the handling of 540 powered F1s and Le Mans R/C cars though, as they seem so fast and zig-zaggy (unrealistic at scale, compared to off roaders). Its just the physics of miniaturization that works against them. But I’d still buy one, to keep as kit or build for display. As I do adore 1980s Group C/Le Mans.
  25. @barneys66 That's a nice collection there. Nice to see the vintage examples, and they're also painted well. The "SWB" (Short Wheelbase)* Wild Willy is interesting, since you specifically went for that at the start of your collecting. Most people only discover it a bit later, once they become more versed in the variations in the earlier Tamiya kits. Did you have a memory of it, or did you become interested after reading about it? Hotshot II looks ready for a restoration. Seems as though the paint is voluntarily removing itself in preparation for proper Tamiya PS-5 👍
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