ManyTamiya3

I stand by my post.

Use what fits in the connector, or don't use connectors and put the fattest wire you can. Also, the material to make the wire also affects resitance but it doesn't matter. I see you have 929 posts, and you don't know what gauge of wire to use?

Running.... Probably Stadium Truck, as it can do it all with a tire change.

Big tire = Clodbuster, no? Then there's every part for it you could want I think.

This truck started one era of my RC hobby maybe in '94, I wish I still had it! I raced it with a purple flake Willys pick-up body and monster spike tires, if someone got in my way I could drive right over them, not deliberately but I was the biggest truck... Cool truck from the Traxxas kit days!

A lemon, that's hilarious- but Tamiya might get another idea for a fruit-themed vehicle!

I forgot about the Corvette, wasn't that a rather rare kit?

A Tamiya classic, maybe I need one. Myself, I think i'd leave the chassis stock except for maybe shorter motors and have different bodies. Still, you can't argue with the looks of this thing!

NiMH is another way to go, heck I still run vintage Nicads appropriate for the vehicle. NiMH doesn't have the memory issues of Nicads and you don't have to balance the cells or worry if they'll burn your house down.... And sometimes the extra weight actually helps. Depending on your chassis you can run 6, 7 or 8 cells etc. as there's only a 1.2V difference, not 3.7(nominal) so you have more tuning options. What's the sense of having too much power? I recently bought a Traxxas 7-cell Nimh to replace the Traxxas 3s 5300 monster in my Sledge, now I can use all the throttle. Yet, now we have smart systems so even the regular Lipo is obsolete!

... and don't forget to zap the can and put in some comm drops-lol!

Why one would want a brushed setup is like asking why anyone would be into RC-it's all good if enjoy it, and if you like wrenching (perhaps more than driving) brushed is OK. For a modern car brushless is the way to go of course but for vintage cars, vintage power. I remember the Nicad racing days with all the Competion Electronics gear, cutting coms, motor dynos, dischargers-now that's just silly but the brushed motors, some with efficiencies of 80%, are still valid. Tamiya has several offerings, and I just looked into a real beauty of a brushed motor, the Holmes 400! Wow, that's a motor, check their video. The hobby does evolve, as does the hype, but if you take this "seriously" you've got bigger issues than what motor you run...

The BBX could be the one, as you say a modern high-quality kit, to recapture the old Tamiya glory. Some Tamiyas are pretty much devoid of glory these days... like the 14-gear drivetrains or whatever, why didn't they just use two belts? Maybe it's just the times, like mostly wondering if you'd spend the money on it rather than being giddy about owning it.... Or if you're into mountain bikes, I got a serious one in 1983 and I was the king of the world, now they're $8000 and do nothing for me. Give me 9-speed XTR, that's something!

Truth be told, I run my off-road stuff quite a bit on-road so they don't get dirty-not always but 20 minutes of running equals two hours of cleaning! I also had an F1 car, loved the simplicity of it and like the real thing built for speed. I remember the Durga, that's an option. Too bad I just blew real money on that Nichimo, nice collectable but I'd be almost into a new kit. Well it looks like Willy has taken the "one of everything" route so I shouldn't feel too bad. I did look at the Kyosho Tomahawk, gorgeous aluminium... and of course the Optima Gold, if you have money you're not using. Tamiya makes anything you could want, it's just the deciding.

I'm seeing some amazing stuff here, and now 3D printing has opened up a new universe in custom part making. A sintered titanium bathtub for a Grasshopper maybe? I guess if you owned the machinery... I'm talking about buying a new kit, so I'm thinking Lunchbox #6 with my custom chassis instead of big dollars for a shelf queen!

Yes, Kyosho is an option (had an Optima Mid and Sideways) but this is Tamiyaclub.... The ultimate would have to be one of the TRF chassis to be honest, and a road car I don't have...except my Mini. A TT-02BR? A Neo Scorcher they went to town on apparently, for a reasonable price. To get my building fix maybe just a Fire Dragon and actually run it... lol

I got the bug to buy a new high-end kit, but not a re-release. For a 4WD Buggy I can buy an Avante Black kit that looks amazing but I want something designed within the last five years I guess. That would leave the Super Avante, ignore the name and it's not related to any Avante so there's no point comparing one to the other. I like the sealing of the chassis and the bellcrank front shocks to keep the grit out. Under 300 British Pounds here painted or unpainted. Then the Vanquish VQS, while almost a repop it does again have the sealed chassis but is almost the same price. I lean towards this one for looks maybe.(And I used to own a Vanquish...) In 2WD maybe an Astute? Probably not, but the BBX Buggy would be new, and for something completely different a Dynahead! Hmm, maybe go full Tamiya cornball with a Comical Avante, comical yes but apparently not mini.... So opinions/experience with these or the like? Well if I didn't sell five NIBs I wouldn't have to ask!

I'm so far behind! My most radical stuff is in my Gallery but I'll give you my Sledgehammer here.... Looks like the gauntlet has been laid down and winter in Canada is the time to build.

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm not saying they don't fail, I just would replace it if it does, so what? Generally, the batteries and ESCs that would be a problem don't come with Tamiya connectors so it's usually a case of someone screwing around with things (he said knowingly...). Yes, not the most reliable though, that's the issue.

You need temperature, not power, so look for a quality unit. 100 watts is for a wood burning kit not soldering! From experience I would get a soldering "station" (variable temperature) and a vacuum desolderer too but I find braid works well enough and solder suckers are pretty useless. A dirty tip will not solder, that's for sure! For a general-purpose basic iron 45W is lots if it's good. To recap, don't try to save money on a piece of junk.

I have this on my wish list, as well as a Mammoth Dump, Bruiser, Juggernaut or the ol' Clodbuster. This with 4-wheel steering should be quite fun, it does have a bit of that Tamiya cornball chassis assembly but it's part of the appeal I suppose. Like any kit there's always something that can be done to it! Getting to have enough the old vintage crap to be honest.

Had one NIB about 10 years ago, before I went insane and sold all my kits! Hey there's still almost anything for the money... Mine had the pink motor so it was a repop?

Oh Jesus, maybe the next one will be the "Midnight Cucumber" ! I don't know if that discussion is within the scope of this forum~ ha ha!

Yeah, Squash Van- ooh, I think I stepped in something... lol!

At least a Cucumber Truck would be more aero than this hot turd of a body shape....

So, a simple way to get a 24T pinion gear in a Mini without any butchery- it's as easy as finding a motor with the dual mounting holes and a thinner can/smaller diameter 540. This allows you to use two mounting holes on the front side, moving the motor back for the bigger pinion. With the stock bolts in the 16T chassis holes it just fits, although you might have to slightly enlarge the holes depending on the motor you find and if you use fully threaded bolts that would be .1mm smaller on the shaft portion. That's 20% more gear! Pics are from Aug. 2011 so at least that long ago...