Baddon

Well I was recently picking up a Fb marketplace item (not RC related) and saw the son of the house had a new RC truck, got talking and turns out dad had a vintage lunchbox that was busted......came away with it to fix up and a new gearbox and a few other bits later a very happy owner came and colelcted it. RAVED about my collection and we spent hours chatting. So took to having a look through my Tamiya build desk /boxes and boxes and boxes and found body posts for mu pumpkin - now fitted. Also loads of the miniature boxes that I thought I had lost - so started on them as well - need prit stick so will get that later today and get these moved on and added to the display cases.

did one in baby pink with a Barbie head for my step daughter.

BITD ......a long time ago in a land far away (N.Ireland) there was a young boy who LOVED to know how things worked and building anything and everything. Started with lego then quickly evolved to technic lego then to wanting an RC car. Got a TYCO toy one then saved up and bough a 2nd hand boomerang from the local 2p a word newspaper adds. Liked it but the batteries were so poor you lucky to get 3min and it was VERY used. Later same year after subscribing to Radio race Care International I decided on a new Thundershot....Massive amount of money for a kid from a relatively poor family but i was good at saving and doing jobs for others. LOVED it, started a club in school and loads of others also got buggies from same family. Local RC shops were practically next to each other in Belfast (Model Shop and Leisureworld) Both ran the old Tamiya Videos basically non stop and what i really wanted was a Vanquish but could not afford it. After a year or so got a Midnight Pumpkin as just love the monster look and fun wheelie nature. It was more fun if on my own but the Thundershot was defo much better for racing with school friends. After I started to drive I forgot RC for a long time then when internet started I looked about and was taken with Traxxas T Maxx - was working so saved up and got one. Great truck BUT nitro was a pig to set up and keep running so got ignored. Got me back interested in RC and only local scene I could find was a local club racing Kyosho Mini Z indoors. NOW that was FUN and relatively inexpensive. not to hard on rules and was at it for several years. Started with F1 then we all migrated to saloon as they tended to not get damaged as easily as the bodies protected the wheels. So no brand loyalty really back then. BUT as I am a hoarder I kept them all. Jump forward 25 years and I started to see items on Tamiya re-re so parts sould be got to restore my old Thundershot.......and away we got again. Brand loyalty yes as sold all the Mini Z and Traxxas stuff. BUT the Tamiys stuff is brittle and lets face it compared to modern stuff its not as robust or as easy to just blast on rougher ground. As such changed the family fleet from Tamiya (2 madbulls for ladies and 3 WT-01 trucks for the boys) to the boys all now running Traxxas Stampede's. Faster, better handling and SO much stronger. Cope better with grass and dirt as well. BUT its vintage Tamiya that make me smile and I now have a display case with over 20 buggies in it. Mostly 4Wd from Hot shot on, 3 of the wheelie trucks and 3 2WD buggies.

TDC, loving your work. Keep posting for the rest of us.

Colmac, you will not believe the differences modern electrics and a motor and decent NiMh can make, JUST be very careful it may so fast the first time you take it out will also wreck it. LiPo are even faster and lighter so make the acceleration just unreal. I fully restored my vintage Thundershot and totalled it first time out, had to totally rebuild again and its now a shelf queen. Old plastic and modern power is a bad combo if you want to have fun.

Personally, a restored car is a thing of beautiful nostalgia, dont matter where the parts came from. Enjoy the buggy for what it is. Value only matters if you wish to sell..

Firstly the Traxxas (have 3 2nd hand Stampede's in the family fleet as bashers) is not a kit, its a RTR that you ONLY work on if upgrading or fixing. Its not a kit you build and its not particularly easy to work on. BUT its as robust as. Brill for bashing and bashing. Tamiya trucks will not handle anything like the Traxxas. I replaced Tamiya bashers that did not handle particularly well, did not do well jumping, rolling or crashing with the 3 Stampede's which are just BRILL fun. Fast, handle well, jump fabulously, and crash with impunity. The two lads actually ran head first into each others trucks at full chat on 8.4V with 550 motors........both trucks spun away and then drove off, nout broken.

sorry been so busy, but this is the vanquish now.

Thanks, lost my RC mo jo so have done nothing for about 6 months or more. keep debating selling then someone will come to the house and chat about them and it keeps me from parting with them.

he sent me a new sticker sheet corrected.

love this thread

nova Fox

Ignore this bottom bit cant remove it. Sorry.

yes , way to easy. must try harder to make them a bit more obscure