speedy_w_beans

I was checking the actuarial life expectancy tables this evening as I'm contemplating an earlier retirement and wanted to think about the household budget and savings in those terms. I feel pretty good overall but was shocked by how few years my wife and I have left, statistically speaking. Between the two of us the issues are accumulating, including cataract replacements, bone spurs, and high blood pressure. Historical family medical issues suggest this is just the beginning. Despite buying body shells and a few additional kits, I haven't touched RC hardly at all in the past four years. It may be time to start downsizing, something along the lines of Swedish death cleaning.

I went through this a few times as various free photo hosting sites started posting ads on top of my photos, started charging or deleting, or migrating photos to new frameworks breaking the links. Alas, all my build threads are now missing the photos on TC. I've reached the conclusion the only way to preserve images and maintain stable links is to pay for it. Eventually I may register a domain name and pay for some low-level, minimal hosting just to keep a stable set of links for my photos and videos. After a decade of this I don't see a better way to guarantee access to the content.

May as well buy from AMain then if you're sourcing from a US retailer...

Hi folks, I stopped maintaining this thread awhile ago. There is a part 3 with a different maintainer you should use to enter speed runs. Thanks.

Shipping costs have been a pain point. It's almost better to advertise locally and remain patient.

No regrets selling off my DT02/DF02 gear. Some regrets selling bodies that took time to mask, paint, and decal. Instead of getting bored with them, I should have saved them for runners. I plan to never sell my TRF201, DB01, CR01, TA, TB, Group C, F104, or RM01 kits, or other brands with comparable specs.

I've mistakenly swapped M3x10 and M3x12 screws from time to time. At later steps I'm missing the right screws and am not sure which earlier step I used them...

Not my entry and not a Tamiya, but this guy generated an impressive 208 mph in his Hobao. Here's a goal to shoot for:

https://www.autoblog.com/2023/05/16/the-little-car-company-previews-final-tamiya-wild-one-max-launch-edition/ Fun!

A Reddit thread on this subject... "If you are spending close to the $300 mark or higher on a Tamiya kit, you're better off with something like the Arrma Typhon or Senton. It will be far more durable than any Tamiya kit." "Tamiya’s good for retro/nostalgia. They’re not generally competitive when it comes to actual performance or innovation, but if you like old-school RC it’s hard to beat Tamiya." "Tamiya vehicles are more like expensive model kits with electronics, the plastic feels more more brittle than other manufactures and they will break far more easily and often. They do not make for good bashers or racers. They are fun to build, but the overall quality isn't near as good and I think they are overpriced." "i was out of the scene for a bit, then my 4 year old and my buddy wanted to get into it, so i bought a tamiya 2wd buggy. 2 weeks later i bought something else. i put a 2500kv brushless in it and it was fun, but not remotely competitive to be fast or strong enough to take a bigger motor or even do a decent jump properly. I got a 2wd rustler and it's night and day better. i took the buggy out last week just to shake the dust off and it broke. tamiya discontinued it recently or else parts are impossible to find. just skip the tamiya step is my opinion." "Tamiya is more for the model train/plastic model building types imo. Tamiya has been around forever and jas great stuff for a certain person. Traxxas, Aarma is probably where you want to be. Problem I (and many will agree) have with both brands is the proprietary batteries and charger." "Stock Tamiya kits are great but I'd say they have a durability and performance threshold. If you wish to go faster than 25mph or take jumps/do vertical falls greater than 5 feet, you will need to upgrade parts."

I've been watching this Youtuber named Metal Complex lately, and his videos about the knife collecting hobby sometimes strike a chord with me. What I find interesting is some of the thoughts he expresses are very similar to thoughts (at least thematically) expressed here for RC cars, and similar to thoughts my wife shares from women she sews and quilts with. I know we're here for the RCs, but to me it's fascinating to see the parallels in distinct hobbies. The production runs, limited editions, clones/knocks, secondary markets, forms of enjoyment, hoarding/collecting, rationalizing, customizing, etc. are the same in most hobbies it seems. Trying a little bit of everything, and finding a favorite niche... Mistakes like collecting too quickly... The joy in simply collecting... I also watched, "The PEZ Outlaw," the other night on Netflix, and there was a critical turning point in the story where the smuggler's original candy dispenser designs were copied by the company he was sidestepping, and they devalued his investment. This sounds very parallel to investing a lot of time and money into vintage kits only to have Tamiya re-release the kit again. It was an intentional strategy/tactic by PEZ USA to stop an overenthusiastic gray market importer; in Tamiya's case I think the high values of certain vintage kits were simply an indicator to the company there was pent-up demand for certain re-releases. Regardless, there's money to lose when a manufacturer or importer decides your high-value collectibles are a little too valuable. Anyhow, it's simply fascinating to see these patterns in other areas of life and relate them back to the hobby we love.

Always consider a person's motivations: Say hello to the estimated $165 million destructo-economy Seems to be combination of factors on the parts of the content producer and the content consumers. The producer sees a notoriety, popularity, financial reward. The consumers can't seem to stop consuming the content.

I'm going to take a contrarian position and suggest you take nothing, @Saito2. If it's been 10 years since you've taken a vacation, and it's 5 days long, then use every moment to take in the scenery and make some memories with your wife and daughter. Bring a blanket, some picnic food, a camera, Frisbees, shovels and tools for making sand castles, etc. Make that vacation special for your wife and daughter; who knows when you'll get a chance to do it again. You can drive RC cars anytime around the house or at a local park. Just an opinion.

Nice card, and happy birthday!

I recently bought a copy of the 510 body and was disappointed to find it didn't come with the chrome bumper/wiper/mirror parts the original body had. I guess this body came in two versions originally -- one with chrome detail parts, and one that is more of track version missing those details. As far as I can tell only the track version is available at the moment.

When I was building my 84264 R91CP kit, I felt that pit-in-the-stomach feeling after laying down all the coats of paint and then realizing I hadn't masked the headlights. I was so angry with myself! Luckily a spare body set was available, so I started over with a fresh body to get a decent final result. But it was a time and money setback, certainly. I messed up a few HPI bodies and had to start over, and I had to replace a portion of a Unimog body where I was overzealous with the trimming. It's rarely a mechanical problem that sinks me, but finishing a body takes quite a bit of concentration to get a reasonable end result.

Not Tamiya, but I grabbed a Losi 22s no-prep drag roller for $125 off Tower Hobbies. I already had a Pro-Line Chevy Nova body waiting for a chassis, so this is perfect to build a complete model. No-prep drag roller: link Nova body: link But eventually I really want a Barracuda body: link Almost as good a deal as the $119 Axial SMT10 builder's kit I picked up last year...

To answer the OP's question, to me the best Tamiyas are TB03 and TA05 onroad chassis and the worst are DT02 and DF03 buggies. The TA05 and TB03 bring a lot of TRF DNA at a budget price. I appreciate the materials and parts included -- glass-filled nylon plastics, machine screws, ball bearings, turnbuckles, oil dampers, etc. are in the box along with really nice Autobacs/Super GT body shells. Driving one these vs. a basic TT01 or TT02, there's no comparison even in the street. The DT02 and DF03 just don't have the materials, parts, durability, or competitiveness to warrant attention. I actually think going backwards to a DT01 and DF01 are better choices, or just jumping to another brand for off-road buggies.

The kit JIS screws are fine if you use a good screwdriver (JIS tip or equivalent). The small suspension blocks are made of very stiff plastic and benefit from running a thread-forming tap through them first. Otherwise the rest of car can be built just fine with the kit screws.

Just visited a local hobby shop yesterday and ran into something I didn't expect -- chained off areas that used to be accessible by customers. I visited the same store a few months ago, and the part of the store that has alcoves of parts and stacks of bodies is now restricted. Any customer who wants to visit that part of the store needs to have an employee accompany him. I asked why, and one of the employees explained they were having problems with people stealing. "It's either this or close shop." My wife and I were surprised and disappointed; the general public doesn't know/doesn't care what's in a hobby shop, so why do some hobbyists have to be that way? A few bad apples make the hobby shop experience less inviting.

If it performs better than stock for him in his application/conditions, then kudos to him for chasing his goal and finding a design that works. At first glance it seems to have an anti-Ackermann steering arrangement with some degree of bump steer, and the total chassis looks like the mass is concentrated at the ends leading to a high polar moment of inertia. Therefore, kind of an unusual steering setup with some sensitivity to bumps and a resistance to turning. It's about as opposite as you can get from a normal touring car with mid-motor, mid-battery, mid-servo layout, standard Ackermann, and virtually no bump steer. But that's just a feeling, not a measured result. Maybe in really low-grip conditions this setup makes the car easier to control overall. If he's winning races and accomplishing his goals, good for him!

A lot of the higher end kits have MSRP prices in Japanese yen next to the item number. For example, the TRF416X box has a price of 79800 yen right next to the item number. At today's conversion rate, that's a $547 USD kit MSRP. Typically the street prices were lower. If you can get a TRF416X in used, very good, complete condition for the price of a new TT02, it is absolutely worth the price if you are planning to freshen it up, protect the chassis plates, and run it / enjoy it for yourself. It is at the opposite end of the spectrum from a TT02 with carbon/aluminum, threaded dampers, bearings, turnbuckles, suspension blocks, lots of adjustability and tuning potential. Other kits with Japanese yen prices next to the item number include TRF201, DB01RR, TB03VDS, etc. If you can find images of boxes for the kits you're interested in, check the sides of the box where the item number is. There's a chance you'll find Tamiya's MSRP printed there.

That's fair. I wasn't thinking about 2WD TRF at the time. I pulled all the manuals for 4WD, and I did make mistakes. DB01 base: 37T ball diffs DB01R: 37T ball diffs DB01RR: 37T gear diffs, *BA25 metal cross pins, GV1/GV2 plastic gears* DB01RRR: 39T gear diffs, *MA24 metal cross pins, GV1/GV2 plastic gears* TRF501x: *36T* ball diffs TRF511: 37T ball diffs TRF503: 39T gear diffs, BB12 metal cross pins, BB18/BB19 metal gears Given the spec of the TRF503, I can't see anything to improve inside the diffs unless there's room for more shims on the spider gears to reduce lash. Outside the diffs, maybe the DB01 double slipper will help *if it fits*. Tamiya hasn't published all the manuals for all the flavors of TRF201/XM/XMW/211, so, another subject for another time I guess. For reference, this is where I'm looking: https://www.tamiya.com/english/rc/manuals.htm

Looks like the TRF503 does not come with the double slipper setup Tamiya offers as an option on the DB01. The idea behind the double slipper is to let the front and rear slip independently, decoupling all that inertia and reducing stress on the drivetrain. If the double slipper fits, I'd give that a try. The TRF503 and DB01RRR both introduced new 39T gear diff cases vs. the 37T cases used on the DB01RR and the 37T ball diffs used on the DB01R/DB01/TRF501x/TRF511x. As such there's much less collective experience on the 503 and RRR. All gear diff cases across the DB/TRF family used metal cross pins and gears; only the TT02B comes with plastic diff gears.

Buy a body set instead of a complete kit. Then buy whatever chassis you like, anything from a low-level 3Racing to a mid-range TA/TB to a high level TRF (insert other brands or chassis codes as desired). You'll get a body without pre-punched holes and the chassis will be equipped to whatever level you like. Use magnetic body mounts to move the body to another chassis later.