markbt73

Most people would look at my cluttered workshop and think it's a mess. But the thing is, I know where everything is. It's just not organized in a way that I could explain to anyone else. In my mind, however, it's all in order. Need the little plastic tub full of Tamiya 0.6 mod pinions? They're in the box labeled "Tamiya Spares." Naturally. Need a 10 tooth Blackfoot pinion? They're in the box with all the leftover Hopper/Hornet/ORV/Striker/FX10 parts with the blue lid on the shelf on the left. Need a 48 pitch Robinson pinion? They're on one of those old Paragon gear organizer things, in the divided plastic box labeled "Gears And Springs." Wheels and tires? They're all in those two white plastic drawers under the workbench, except for the ones that are earmarked for a specific project that has its own box, in which case they're in the box with the other parts for that project. Hardware? It's sorted into divided boxes, except for that one old sour cream tub that's just full of random screws and bolts I never got around to sorting through. Or, again, hardware that goes with a specific project. Tools, of course, are meticulously sorted into a big wooden machinist's toolbox, and carefully returned to their proper drawers when I'm done using them. I'm not a savage.

I don't really give it much thought; I buy what I like, and I'm by no means limited to Tamiya. My big thing is that I don't want to have 2 of the exact same thing; I don't really see the point. So quite often I do one stock and one modified, or one super-clean shelfer and one beat-up runner. Easy to do if you're restoring something; just keep all the ugly but functional parts left over from the restoration and fill in the gaps, and boom - you've got another car. It occurs to me, however, that I now have ten Grasshopper/Hornet/Lunchbox variations on a theme - eleven if you count the Hornet Evo. But the point is, none of them are the same. Future collecting will probably be limited to '80s/90s monster trucks, of various manufacturers. I'd still like a Big Bear, and I keep looking at project Traxxas Sledgehammers on eBay. Spotted a Royal Crusher the other day, too; that could be fun. Oh, and I should get a Monster Beetle eventually, because I already have a Blackfoot and a Mud Blaster. Gah - it never ends.

And yet, the ink was barely dry on the first JR-X2 boxes before racers started changing things. The 5-link rear end, the coolest aspect of the entire car and the most sought-after aspect for collectors, was scrapped in favor of lower arms/upper links like an RC10, because it was easier to tune and had better travel. The LRM gearbox gave way to the XX retrofit after only a couple of years, and again, a lot of LRM gearboxes probably went straight into the trash. It seems, in retrospect, like you could be cool and unique, or you could win races - but not both. So yeah, not quite the end, but definitely the beginning of it. The XX and B2 were the final nails in the coffin for unique buggy designs. Argh, just thinking about that makes me want a JR-X2, but they're stupid money now. C'mon, Horizon; give us a full re-re kit instead of that dumb little 1/16 version.

"Handling" is a pretty grand term to use for either one, but I concur, the Frog turns tighter and also jumps a lot better.

All the crazy... but nothing more than a basic 540 or vintage stock/mild modified motor. I actually drive the good handling cars less often; I have to be in the mood for precision. Wheelies and jumps and donuts I can enjoy any time. Seriously thinking about the old '80s "Monster Truck Conversions" for some of my buggies, to liven them up.

My good old CC-01 Pajero. I honestly don't know how it's still holding together, much less driving. I've been beating the stuffing out of it pretty much continuously since I built it in 2010. Tub, rear axle, front suspension, gears, and driveshaft are all original. I treated it to some new shocks and an aluminum steering set a couple years ago. It's on its fourth body. I have a Grasshopper and an RC10 that could probably lay claim to more miles driven, but they're both complete ships of Theseus at this point, so I can't really count them.

Is it just me, or does that DT-04 kinda look like a Lego version of a BBX? That's not to say I dislike it; more roll cages is always a good thing. EDIT: Never mind, someone beat me to that observation. I should learn to read the whole thread before commenting...

Honestly, it doesn't matter much what they bring out - I just spent $500 on a new turntable, so that's my fun money for at least a few months. Unless Marui gets back in the game with a Samurai or Big Bear re-re. Then all bets are off.

Well, that sounds like fun. Still won't get me to set foot in Vegas again, though. Can't stand that town.

I just want Marui to re-re the Big Bear.

I know I sound like a broken record, but... any standard Tamiya buggy or on-road car is best steered by a simple, standard, REAL Futaba S128/148/3003. They fit, they work, they last, and they are more than strong enough, and you can still get them for less than $15. Wasting money on alphabet-soup-named Chinese garbage with inflated specs is only going to cause you problems.

I have a small account of my own, which is my earnings from freelance writing. It's mine to do with as I please, with a few exceptions like quarterly taxes, and I never let it get below a certain amount.

I found a file on Thingiverse for some skis for a 2WD RC car. Printed them out, they came out OK. Stuck them on my Stampede, along with some rear sand paddles... ...and went out to my back yard for some fun. It works! The only real problem is that the skis are nose-heavy, so they tend to flip over upside-down if it hits a jump or does a wheelie. I think I can make some kind of limiting straps from zip-ties to keep that from happening. Otherwise, it's a ton of fun! I might try making a smaller set for a Hornet next. Video here on my Bluesky profile: https://bsky.app/profile/markbt73.bsky.social/post/3lfd5wk3w722p

Took a chance on a HUGE job lot of Testors and Pactra paints on eBay. Lots of the old enamels, tons of Pactra RC Racing Finish (both solvent and acrylic), and some other stuff. 105 bottles in all. I've already found a couple that were dried out, but most of them still sound liquid when you shake them. $56 for everything. I'll go through it all tomorrow and see what's still good.

Very much so. In fact, I write about them professionally. I write this column every weekday. https://www.theautopian.com/about-as-cheap-as-they-get-these-days-1998-isuzu-amigo-vs-1985-olds-calais/ I have a 1971 MGB GT that I've been fixing up for years, and an old Chevy truck that I love dearly, in addition to the Chrysler 300 that I inherited from my father a couple years ago.