SuperChamp82

The one pictured below please. UK buyer / cash waiting 👍 Many thanks, SC

Updated for eBay

Updated again for eBay

Sorted - with sincere thanks to @Saito2 🙏

Hi all, Has anyone built the Chinese SCX10 clone currently available on eBay ? My youngest daughter wants to build a Back To The Future Toyota SR5 and it turns out the NIB Mountain Rider I’d bought won’t look right with the Proline shell 🙄 The Axial ‘basic’ SCX10 II kit then seems to cost over double the clone - and I’m not sure the original is worth it given this will lead a v light (probably short) life given how quickly attention spans last for little people ! I appreciate the clone will have cheap plastics etc but (as ever) it looks otherwise identical ? All views much appreciated 👍 SC

Updated to reflect eBay sales

There were 3 subtle differences in early / mid / late vintage SRB front arms from memory The re re equivalent can therefore be fettled to fit as @Dadio suggests but the materials, geometry and stress points are different So you’ll eventually end up transferring load to other parts of the vintage chassis - like the shock towers or hubs - that it was never meant to bear and which are even harder to find / replace The honest truth is Tamiya deliberately engineered things to break back then Not to sell hop ups - they were pretty much an afterthought until the early 80s - but simply to protect more expensive / harder to replace things from breaking and interrupting run time Example - wrapping cable ties around similar front arms was recommended in SuperChamp Result - hardly any slop and much better front end grip Outcome - the arms either snapped every other race or the ball sockets popped out every hard corner 🙄 My recommendation is you keep everything stock - buying vintage bits from eBay as @Grumpy pants suggests 👍

If you increase 70s / 80s / 90s RC prices - and consumer wages - by inflation today’s kits have never been better value / ‘costing’ roughly a third what they used to And the manufacturers still make a reasonably healthy margin - especially if they tightly control distribution like Tamiya do Put simply, the hobby became a volume game over the years - becoming more affordable for all at the expense of quality, innovation and the unique quirks everyone of of certain age will fondly remember Whether all that’s a good or bad thing has had a healthy contrast of views on here over the years 😂 For me, some brands largely tap into wealthy nostalgia (Tamiya / Kyosho) and others focus on a younger crowd raised on the immediacy of Apple / Amazon (Traxxas / Axial) Each to their own in my book - but there’s no point complaining if we all still buy what’s on offer / because voting with our pockets is the only way we force manufacturers to change 👍

Aoshima sold a 1/10 Knight Rider lexan shell a while ago: https://www.tamiyaclub.com/trades_model.asp?cid=97798 They’re v rare NIP these days - but you can still buy their 1/24 that would fit on a TamTech ? The original 1/10 shells propagated a v cool suite of aftermarket LED / sound sets in the US - which are even rarer 👍

Updated with thanks to @svenb

This question tends to get posted by diff members every 18 months or so Which is actually really helpful - as everyone gets a fresh view rather than being influenced by an older thread The answer is obviously hugely subjective - and the only immediately accurate list stems from searching auction sites (and the off market grapevine) to grade recent sales Unfortunately, that’s wholly reactive to what’s on offer - and when / if people decide to wait / hoard you end up losing sight of everything else So - in terms of trends, I’d suggest 70s / 80s vintage is becoming more focussed - simply because there are fewer of us around who are emotionally tied to those decades Which, in turn, invites investors / speculators - who normally care more about objective rarity rather than the beauty / uniqueness of something we love Conversely, the 90s / 00s are broadening - because younger members are now hitting their peak earning power, having kids and want to relive their own childhoods There are also way more of those kits around atm - although they’re rapidly being hoovered up and prices are aligning with previous vintages There are clearly hot spots in each - and some kits will always appeal regardless - but it’s def not a vintage vs re re question It’s how about how a stroll down memory lane makes us feel 👍

Hi all, Ia there anyone that could help me shipping a $20 part available on Tamiya USA to the UK ? If so, please could you PM me ? Happy to reciprocate from the UK ! Thanks in advance, SC

Updated with thanks to @Badcrumble

Hi all, I’m after a NIP set for a vintage Taisan build when I finally retire. UK based - cash waiting. All help obviously much appreciated. SC

@Pylon80 yes, you have to paint on the outside of the shell Tamiya do make a clear PS - it’s PS55 - and other PS have a lightly coloured semi gloss you can easily / gently layer - PS48 ? You can also use a light full gloss layer in acrylic to finish - TS13 - but it’s best to sit on PS55 to reduce the risk of cracking under strain Personally, I’ve never felt the need - as PS55 looks more like lexan when dry 👍