Snake Plissken

Shodog, I totally agree with you about the 1:1 suspension on the wild one. as I found out recently (http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...d=31385&id=1147) the fun of driving the wild one is its scale looks and its scale performance. it bounces over the ramps just like a real buggy would (and not like an Associated/Losi buggy that jumps more like a motocross bike). The problem with today's market is that it is only racing/performance oriented without any consideration to scale realism. Scale simply does not sell enough in the off road department and thats something tamiya realised some time ago, (probably after the wild one release, as it was the last scale buggies) and since then all its design went towards performance. However, I do believe that there is a market today for scale racers, that is buggies that look real and can handle a scale track (ie: no 3 foot jumps..). I think that perfomance oriented design made today's buggies, unimpressive in looks and that a lot of people would be thrilled to see (and buy) a more scale looking buggy. For example, take a look at the beetle body that Losi offer for its mini-t, although i have no numbers it seems as if it sold quite nicely because people were looking for something more to scale than a stadium track body (by the way: has anyone ever seen a real stadium truck that resembles the bodies offered by associated and losi??). Bottom line is: I think tamiya should reconsider designing a scale buggy, there is a market for it out there!!

My King Cab shocks (the yellow cvas) leak from the upper seals. I decided to upgrade them with more modern (and eaisier to rebuild) shocks. After some research I decided to go with associated shocks (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXVH03&P=7). Lengthwish it seems to replace the long cvas without a problem, plus, I could use the extra four shocks for my upcoming clod. I was wondering if anyone had experience with these shocks? any comments will be welcome.

WOW!! the Fonz is driving your go-cart...

Karl, I know it may look short, but ta02 dogbones should fit, if i remember correctly. even if they don't, you can use the ta03 or ta04 longer dogbones. as for part number, take a look at the bush devil manual at tamiya club (same as super blackfoot, different body), you should find the part number there.

you can use ta02 drive shaft together with super blackfoot axles: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGG15&P=7 I should note that I once test-fitted this setup but never tried to run with it.

I noticed that Tamiya released these two buggies almost together (one month apart). That means that at some point during 1985 Tamiya had on the drawing board two distinctly different designs: the Fox, with it's high performance handling but not-so-scale looks, and the Wild One, with it's high scale realism but not so good handling. I wonder what was the reason for this double release: Did Tamiya try to appeal to the racing crowd AND to the scale people (realizing that a scale buggy can't be competitive enough)? If so, did the low sales of the Wild One compared to the Fox (just an assumption here...) discouraged Tamiya from releasing more scale buggies since? I wonder how successful a modern scale looking buggy would be these days, say based on the new DT-02 chassis (Super Fighter G) but with a Rough Rider/Wild One type body…

I believe tamiya's closest color is briliant blue

I'm using the novak xrs ($45) and am very satisfied. It has a motor limit of up to 15 turns and is very small. i'm sure it would fit in a hotshot.

can someone please tell me what is it used for (part # is LA118), it is part of the slipper clutch assembly but whats its advantge over previous models? can it be installd on the lazer zx-r?? thanks.

avante rerelease sounds interesting.. I do agree that tamiya should use the avante 2001 as it is more simple and easy to manufacture and has better handling, however, the name might not attract the wide crowd.. I just looked at the recently released mini 4wd avante RS http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/180...te_rs/index.htm which got me thinking- maybe tamiya is laying down the ground and will release an avante 2001 (maybe with some modifications - hmmm..) with the name avante rs. this name sounds much cooler than 2001 and tamiya will not be obligated to release exact replica of the original avante. just some wild thoughts...

I think that the real question should be the future of rc batteries. Personaly, I don't like the Ni-Mh batteries- they're too 'gentle' you have to treat them real nice otherwise their life cycle would deteriorate, The Ni-Cds are much better in that respect. But no matter if its Ni-Cd, Ni-Mh or Lithium polymer, it should be as robust as the the Ni-Cd, with a big charge capacity and should weight less. The battery that supply these demands would conquer the electric rc market.

I was wondering if there is a real performance difference between these buggies. If I remember correctly the turbo optima mid custom was the last of the optimas with long wheelbase, carbon chassis and shock towers and a single belt driving the front and rear diffs. The lazer zx-r had carbon chassis and shock tower as well, but had two belts, one for each diff. the only noticeable performance difference I can think of is in the handling – did the lazer had better suspension geometry? If anyone out there had the chance of driving both cars - I'll be really happy to hear comments. Avi

I sometimes have nightmares about all the cars I want that people threw away.. I recently got goosebumps when my mom asked me incidently if she could throw away a box of parts I had stored in my parents house. That box contained monster beetle parts ready to be restored!! I wonder how many tragedies like these happened (the son goes to collage, the parents clean the attic and throw away all the 'garbage' ie: 1 sand scorcher, 1 blazing blazer, a frog and a hotshot...)

looks to me like a kyosho optima with some hop ups and truck body mounts

I should add that these are the newer, black plastic cvas. i'm not sure if its the latest edition ('cva 2') since I dont now what the difference should be

I recently received new cva short shock set in bulk packaging (no instructions or box) in a lot from ebay. All the parts seem to be there, but the included rubber o rings (that are suppose to seal the shock shaft) are black colored rather than red. I have assembled several cva shock sets in the past and all had the red seals. Has anyone encountered black seals in cvas before??

I think tamiyaclub should have an inside man in tamiya. Not only to let us know what cars ar being in the works but mainly to let out all the interesting stories about developing & testing of the cars. for example: how tamiya released the Juggernaut 1 with its half-baked transmission (I wonder if someone has lost his job because of that..). Maybe Chris should rise the membership fees so that we could hire a spy...

I recently bought a tamiya screwdriver from an ebay hong kong seller (sorry can't remember who). The reason I bought was because of the ridiculous price - about $2. This driver must be my best purchase ever - it fits tamiya screws really well. I must have gone through 5 drivers before and thats just the best! I highly recommand!!

They're available at tower: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXSK72&P=7

one important thing to remember when soldering deans connectors is not to leave the soldering iron on the connector for long, otherwise the connector's plastic part would melt. It happend twice to me before I mastered the soldering technik.

YGM

looking for rear body mounts for madcap (part B2). I'm also looking for madcap BD1/king cab BB1 screws (new or used): that's the 3x15mm screw that has a 'cone shape' at its end. Thanks a lot, Avi

terry, thanks for your answer, I do find that picture helpful, but I'd still like to have a look in the pro manual, so if anyone has one please let me know..

Hi, I recently aquired a repro optima pro body for my turbo optima. I am having some difficulties trimming the body and mounting it on the car (since this is a reproduction body, the trim lines are not visible) and am not sure how to attach the undertray to the chassis. I would be gratefull if someone who has the optima pro manual could scan the relative pages and mail them to me at: anavon@gmail.com Thanks, Avi

Just took a closer look at tamiya's Nitro Thunder [urlhttp://www.tamiya.com/english/products/43514nitro/index.htm[/url] WOW, look at the front wishbones - not only do they have crush proof protection, but the connection between the wishbone and the hub carrier is quite complex (reminds me a bit of the hotshot actually). not sure though what benefits this set up has over the regular hinge pin setup all other buggies have.