kasparov

Wow that's awesome!

Gorgeous Big Bear!! I want One!

Wow awesome! Had no idea your collection was so big, so they're all NIB's? Very nice Mate.

Hey bud, Where is the Supershot NIB I sold you? Max

One of my earliest memories of Tamiya Boxart was going with a friend into a neighbour's house at age maybe 9 or 10, and seeing in one of the bedrooms a Hotshot box on top of a cupboard. I was in awe looking at that thing, it was at the time like looking at a Ferrari. Uncle Pete's in Australia at the time had it for sale for $600Aud, well out of reach for myself. Tamiya boxart is what sets it apart from all the other brands, the boxart Is just so memorable and fun, it gives you this emotional bond to the car/truck like nothing else, it's like you were experiencing what it was like to drive it before you even had the chance too, which was part of what made the whole thing so alluring. Honestly Tamiya hit a home run with the box art and the names given to the vehicles, they're branding/marketing was genius.

Did you sell it for 500?

I bought a NIB Technigold a month ago, there was some kind of rust in a place above the technigold sticker which I didn't see when I purchased it due to limited pics, so I polished that rust mark off with a dremmel, but now there is a polish mark there. So the motor is unused, umrun but not perfect looks wise.

Does the appearance have to be mint?

Ok I found a solution, I filed down the area where the rotor was not sitting in on the tower with a dremmel and some filing roundish attachment, so now the rotors fit, and I've managed to skim 4 rotors tonight for the first time ever, a technipower, 2 x technigold and a pink actopower rotor from the no label pink motor. They all came out well and I tried the technigold rotors and they work great. So if you don't mind damaging your tower a little that's an option, you can always paint over the area that you filed down. I too was looking at the Hudy last few days it's a little pricey and was wondering if I'd have the same issue. These Cobra Lathes I picked up on ebay 2nd hand but brand new not used so it worked out ok, I didn't feel bad filing down the tower. Max

Ok I've found one, basically we can only use a No Limit esc, they are a bit pricey at 57 pounds from a UK manufacturer. https://www.mtroniks.net/prod/car-speed-controls/tio-Storm-X.htm Mtroniks No Limit ESC.

Hi I have a paid of new Reedy motors coming a 7x1 and a 9x1, does anyone know of an esc that can support these low turn brushed motors? Max

Hi Does anyone have experience with this comm lathe? My Tamiya rotors technipower, technigold and 02h don't seem to fit on the towers where the rotor spins, the small circular thing behind the windings on the opposite side of the comm gets in the way, it's like 1mm too long. Any ideas?

I tried editing previous message but it wouldn't let me, what I forgot to say was that I've actually just finished a Vintage Hotshot NIB build, and I have sold many NIB's over the years and when I asked the buyer what they were going to do with it they said 'build it'. So the Vintage supply is going down all the time. There are a fixed limited number of each type of kit remaining, the scarcity should drive the prices up over the years.

Not that simple, but the value is very likely to increase. There will never ever be those vintage kits again with the old msc's. And they are a collectors dream. I'm a bit of a collector but have sold my kits in recent years and only have 4 NIB's left. One of which is the ultra rare MK1 Hotshot NIB, which was released by Tamiya in 1985 for a month before the Mk2 with the more traditional front bumper took over. You think those Hotshot prices were crazy? You should see what I paid for this thing 4 years ago, almost 8 times that original hotshot price you mentioned. There are not too many left, possibly less than 15. So there are collectors out there willing to pay big $$$ for specific kits, maybe they are drawn to the nostalgia or just want a whole collection or something. Good question regarding when we get old, and I had this exact conversation on here a few months ago, and basically there is a good chance that if you have children, and you play around with them with Tamiya cars/trucks vintage or not, they will remember when they get older and feel the same Nostalgia that you did. This may or may not happen, but I'm willing to bet that it will. Certainly in my case when I have kids, they will be flooded with Tamiya on a daily basis lol. And I'm planning on passing on that Mk1 Hotshot kit to my son if I have one. Hmmm interesting regarding price increases over next 20 years. I guess as the years go by, the ones that appear more and more rare. For example if you don't see a Toyota Hilux NIB 58028 on ebay for 10 years and then one suddenly pops up, you can bet that person will be commanding big $$$ for it. Probably over $10,000usd. Which reminds me, now that you mention the first 10, the Black Porsche 58001 NIB I have been told has exchanged hands for over $10,000usd. It remains to be seen how prices and values are going to change. The next 5-10 years will be interesting. Are you looking to buy any NIB's?

For starters, every year that passes by, there are less and less of these NIB's. As they are being bought and some of them built. So the Vintage supply is going down. Imagine what the very last Hotshot's will be worth? The market generally dictates what something is worth, so if you see something for example the HS2 for $1300USD, and it hasn't sold for months and months, well it's safe to assume it's not really worth that. But again this heavily depends on the condition of the kit, I mean if its the world's best HS2 kit and its immaculate then it may very well go for that price, or if someone really wants one they may fork out more than the usual market price. I've noticed prices fluctuating and varying all over the place the last 5 years. Some sellers price higher and try to get some sucker to purchase the kit. There was a guy here in Australia recently selling a whole bunch of NIB's, but I'll give you an example, he had a sealed grasshopper for $3000AUD!! That's maybe 2400usd. And with the price tag came some nostalgic story about how the kit was bought in person in 1987 just to add to the value, but it ended up being bull**** as I actually recognised one of my old kits a HS2 that he was selling with the same story, so people lie just to add value to kits. As the years go by there will be less and less vintage NIB's out there, and eventually only a few left of each type of car/truck, which then should translate to big values, but I think there is a limit to what someone will be willing to pay for a kit. Time will tell.

Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

Hi I'm in the middle of a build and was wondering how loose or tight the switch plate needs to be screwed up against the switch servo? I've noticed that mine is a little loose so when the servo arm is trying to engage with the plate the plate also moves around a little and it doesn't make for good contact. Is the switch plate meant to be tightly screwed? It looks like a loose fit and can't be screwed anymore. When I accelerate with the tramsmitter it only engages right at the top of the throttle. Any hotshot experts out there?

I have a restored supershot runner, and was considering upgrading from the technipower motor. It's already run on a 2s lipo, What's the most powerful combo brushless I can run on this thing without breaking the internals?

Thanks! Bought it much appreciated for that!

Does anyone have a spare switch spring? I have lost mine doing a hotshot build and need one. I'll pay 25usd posted to Sydney Australia for the small spring. thanks

I have been doing the build very slowly over many months, so I don't know when I lost it exactly. Would you know does this spring come in the window net bag 100% And thanks for your help.

Hi guys Silly question but I'm in the middle of my first vintage hotshot build and I lost the switch spring. What role does this spring play and is it even important? I saw it in the manual. thanks

But what if the 15 year old has a father that was into Vintage Tamiya? And as a young kid, the father gave him a hornet or a hotshot to play with? Then that too will give the next gen some nostalgia. The only difference is it has been passed on. So when that kid grows up he will remember the RC cars that his father gave him and it should stir up feelings of Nostgalgia I think this would happen in many cases. Though the vintage side of it will die down in 20 years there should still be some enthusiasts that have had the vintage hobby passed on to them when they were young. And hopefully they will pass it on to their kids, I certainly will if I have a son in the next year or two.

You can always go smaller, atleast that way it will fit for sure.

Exactly right, you can't pinpoint the exact value but there are value ranges that we have to work with that the market has shown us the last 5 or 10 years. Rarity and condition of the kit or car play it's role. Sometimes when a collector really wants a rare kit they may pay huge sums of money for it, that others would not. I did for a Hotshot Mk1, and I have heard that Black Porsche NIB in mint condition have exchanged hands for over $10,000usd, which would make it by far and away the most expensive Tamiya kit. Would others pay $10k for a kit? No chance, usually because it's simply not affordable, and they could go buy a real car with that kind of money. I really wonder what all these kits will be worth that make if unbuilt in say 20 years time or longer. Will the next generation care that it's vintage?