YGBSM

I love 1:1 cars, love the driving experience and working on them. Been through many phases including Jeeps, American muscle, and BMW M cars. Did road courses and driving schools for about 15 years. I've had a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T for 21 years:

In August 1988 the BigWig was $219– $479.20 today(USD). No way I could afford that as a teenager. But I did just pick up another for $150 from Tower Hobbies. Thanks for the heads up tamiya3speed!

Awesome build. Did the re re Supershot propshaft fit with no modifications? Are you using the stock gearbox cups or is it necessary to change them to fit the new propshaft?

My August 1988 copy of Radio Scale Modeler advertised the Avante with motor for $339, which equals $741.78 in today's dollars. Seeing as how you can get a new re re Avante for less than $500 today, I'd say progress has been a good thing.

Thanks so much for this information. Can't wait for the BigWig to get here. In anticipation of its arrival, my 8 year old and I took out my old Super Hornet for some fun yesterday. I told him the BigWig should be faster and turn better. After yesterday's session, though, I just hope it handles abuse as well as the Super Hornet.

I have a re re Bigwig coming my way. Is the included "GT tuned" motor better or equal to the old Technigold in terms of performance? If not, what would you recommend for a brushed motor to push the heavy BigWig around? Thanks!

Yes, I like the Sand Viper, he doesn’t.🙁. Good suggestion though

Thanks guys this is really helpful. I’ll be helping him build it, it will be a good father-son project. Good to hear the BigWig handles better than a Super Hornet.

New kit to build. BigWig reissue kits are still in stock in a couple of places.

Background: I have a Frog, Super Hornet , and Avante. My 8 year old son has indicated a strong interest in RC cars, but doesn’t have his own. He’s driven my Super Hornet and does pretty well. We started looking at cars for him for Christmas. Styling is VERY important to him and he likes the BigWig, Dark Impact, and Super Storm Dragon the most. He also likes the Avante Black but I think that’s a little too much for an 8 year old😊 Obviously Super Storm Dragon would be my first choice as it is cheapest, fun to drive, and based on the nearly indestructible Hornet. But it’s not his top choice. I like the BigWig for nostalgia, the bathtub frame, and the full width bumper. I’ve read about the need for a hi torque steering servo. Is it easy to build? Easy to drive? I don’t know much about the Dark Impact, it may be too advanced for him. I would really appreciate your opinions on which to get! Thanks!

Just curious what your opinions are- box stock. I had a Frog (still have it) growing up and was interested in the Falcon and Fox but never acquired them. I had heard that the Falcon and Fox were supposed to be improvements over the Frog, but they were never as popular. So, which was the best performer out the box?

Wanted- 1988 Tamiya R/C Guidebook (with Avante on the cover) in like new or excellent condition. English/US version preferred. Thanks!

Thanks. Pulled it out last night and everything works! Even the Tamiya 7.2V "racing pack"! I think I will dissamble everything. I am missing some screws. I still have the original box, blister packs (opened obviously), three motors, and mechanical speed control. I even have the original sales receipt ($109.00 plus $4 shipping) from August 1988. I guess I was somewhat anal even back then. Frustratingly, I cannot find my owner's manual. Pictures from 1988 will be forthcoming- I think they're at my parent's house in another state.

Hi everybody- I recently got my Frog out of storage- it hasn't run since 1989. I'm feeling waves of nostaglia and want to get it running again. If I can find them, I'll post pictures I took in 1988 of me proudly holding my freshly completed Frog! I'd forgotten how much I'd modified it- Thorp differential, Tekin ESC/BEC, Trinity motor, ball bearings all around. I still can't recall how I could afford to buy all this stuff as a 16 year old! I would really appreciate advice on what to clean, lube, and replace. I'm thinking at the minimum I need to disassemble and lube the gearbox and Thorp diff, replace the oil-filled shocks, lube the rear trailing arm attachments and the ball bearings. The chassis and wheels have yellowed with age. Any parts I need to consider replacing? Thanks!