Ferris

not Tamiya I know... My SG Columbia Mk2 (I used to race them in the early 80's). Tamiya = my racing Rough Rider, comes with a full set of period racing bits, including a Thorp wing (never seen one except in Phil Greeno's 80's adds) and a Thorp diff :-) My PB Mustang X3 has a place in my heart too.... oh not forgeting my Kyosho Land Jump 4x4... Ferris

I used to work in a model shop in Bristol, UK in the late 70's and early 80's. I gave up RC in 84/5 and never thought about them again. One day, 18 months ago, I logged onto Ebay and typed PB (as in PB Racing Cars) and found some old 4x4 buggy (turned out to be a Mustang X3), I won the car for £65 and that was the start of something... My woman, who knew nothing of my RC hobby as a kid, didnt know what his her, or our office in our tiny house.. :-) At one point I had about 20 old 1:8th buggy's and circuit cars stacked in her office. I have sold most of them now baring the ones I really want to keep. At the moment I am still looking for a couple that I owned back then (Ishimasa Rat Buggy and a Sigma BMW M1), but all but my new Mugen are going to be banished to the loft until we have the space for me to have a workshop :-( Ferris

Hi, a friend of mine had one. Yes it had a Porker shell but it was something like a 917. It was a hard plastic, like Sand Scorcher. It was 1:10th scale and the Sanwa radio gear is the give-away about the name... It was Sanwa badged and yes imported by Irvine. I worked in a model shop in the late 70's and early 80's and this car was a cheap way into RC. I am sure under the hump-back there is a battery tray that accepts 4x D cells?? Ferris

yeah thats the only ref I have ever found. Being so early it will be the RB with no sus I bet. I was offered one of those through a dude in France, but I would love a later version.. :-)

Re: Ishimasa Rat Buggy Anyone out there have any photo's or even a real car? I had one in about 1979, it was the version with the full metal double wishbone suspension. It weighed a ton and had a really stupid idea that you piped the exhaust through the gearbox so it got all nice and rusty! I have been offed a earlier version with zero suspension but the same gearbox and body shell, but I would love to see the version I had. Ferris

Looking at those links LSM... My RR (in my showroom), has almost all of them :-) Thorp Diff; Thorp Rear Wing; Top-Hat Bushes; MIP Radio Crate (new - never fitted); Front Bumper (not fitted at the moment); and the HD Track-Rod set. I am waiting for the time to restore the car.. plus I have some CRP coil over conversions to go on too. So what grease should I put in this Thorp diff? Ferris

Hi, I have the instructions for my Thorp diff on its way this week (from the original owner), so mail me and I will send you a pdf or copy of it. cheers, Ferris

If you could scan it in you could put it in the vintage media section of TamiyaClub. I can send you a jpg if you want, I have just tried to email you but i am un-sure if it was sent sucessfully. Also tried to add to the Vintage Media section but cant see it there now...? cheers, Ferris

quote:Originally posted by WillyChangPlus modern kids seem to have stopped "playing outdoors". Be it stranger danger & security concerns... many are growing up to be couch spuds. Houses these days don't even have lawn anymore. id="quote">id="quote">wonder what they do during the summer six week holiday now with no lawn, cos I spent most of mine led out watch clouds drift by.... I rencently wanted to buy something new rather than running 'vintage'.. I thought about all of the options but it all came down to 1:8th Rally Cross as i see its best bang for my buck! [^]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-R-C-BUGGY-GA...1QQcmdZViewItem This is the first of these I have seen.. They were availible in the uK late 70's.. They were dreadfull..[]

what a great idea..

I wonder how many basket case SRB's have them in without anyone knowing.. I bet a few of you have had a nice surprise when you buy a £50 SRB on Ebay to find you have a £100 Thorp diff sat inside [][][] I did see one in the States a few weeks ago with one fitted.. Maybe we will just have to buy every SRB we see just in case it has a diff lurking inside...

PS - After more than 21 years since playing with RC cars, I got of my car at Mendip Race Track (nr WSM, uK) to the noise and smell of those little 2-strokes. I am hooked again [8)]

quote:I love the smell of opening a kit. al the rubber and plastic smells along with the manual, brings back memories when I was a kid working in a hobby shop building kits for christmas presents id="quote">id="quote">Me too!! [] I think my record was about 25 mins for Holiday Buggy and .. cant remember what a SRB would take. One day I was working in the shop leading up to Christmas, I spent ages with a guy and his sons trying to sell them a bunch of SRB's. When they left, the shop owner told me off for wasting too much time and them. Anyway and hour or so later they were back with the cash... 4x RR and 4x SS and 2x Rangers! Plus cash for me if I could build them in 48 hours. Now that was boring!! Now did I have a smug face on when I stuffed the cash in the till [][]

quote:Originally posted by SteveH quote:Originally posted by FerrisAhh forgot to mention... There was another diff availible for SRB's at the time. Nodis (?) made a geared diff, I have a review in a old mag at home. id="quote">id="quote">You're spot on there Ferris. I used to use one 'back in the days'! id="quote">id="quote">Has anyone seen one for real??

Ahh forgot to mention... There was another diff availible for SRB's at the time. Nodis (?) made a geared diff, I have a review in a old mag at home. Ferris

Hi guys, I have a Rough Rider that has a few 'mods' from the time. One such item is a Thorp Diff. I have the original instructions. If I was to sell it any ideas what is worth? Is it worth more with the RR? Or is it better to split?? The Rough Rider is the one in my showroom. Mark Ferris

I am looking for a decent race car. I have a Picco 21 Buggy engine that Ron Paris has played with, so keep costs down i will slot that one in, as my first engine. I fancy doing a bit of club racing again, and from there you never know ;-)

Anyone have any views on what 1:8th RC car to buy? I am thinking of doing the odd race, and then only time will tell, maybe I will start racing again.. So I want a descent model. Who imports ThunderTigre by the way? Ferris

It really seems to me that the Bulldog, and Mugen in general, were an underrated 80s brand who at least tried to be innovative during the 1/10th Buggy boom period, rather than copying Tamiya and others. When the popularity of 1/10th electric buggies dipped in the early 90s, Mugen quit altogether, and have condemned themselves ever since to churning out 1/8th Gas performance buggies that (frankly) all look the same and all look like every other 1/8th gas performance buggy made in the past decade or more. []. Ok, I'm guilty of generalising a bit. But style-wise and realism-wise, I think innovation was thrown out the window. Sadly, Mugen's own website recalls nothing of their 80s cars. No company history. They went, almost overnight, from being innovative medium-players in the 80s, to something of a niche scale bore. Hard to believe it's even the same company. IMO. I agree 100%. I have come back to RC cars after a 20+ years break. Every car design looks the same in each class!![:0] Circuit 1:8th is dull to watch, 1:10th buggys are cool to watch but how much! 1:8th Rallycross, all the cars are same, all the circuits are all the same. What about the early 80's fast grass circuits that 2wd cars could kick-###, and what about all the different sizes and types of cars, way to confusing for me... I think I will stick to my old stuff for the time being.. []

As my Profile lists, I got up to all sorts of running and racing RC in the early 80's... After a 100% break of over 20 years i am back :-) My real love is early 80's 1:8th IC, Buggy's and Circuit. I am just finishing my 'never run' SG Columbia Mk2 and I also have a new PB Nova. Next spring i am promising myself a day at Mendip Race Circuit (WSM, nr Bristol, uK) to give them a blast, if anyone else has similar era cars (and type) and fancies to give their shelf queen a burn around a decent circuit let me know, I will try and organise something. I cant wait :-) Ferris

Oi netsmithUK! I think that is terrible! A busy man!! Not to busy to buy the stuff in the first place. Akemag, my advice is nag the death out of the blighter :-))

who can remember the dude who first starting running the Remote World Farm Buggy Circuit in Goring, Berks? I know the club continues, but this guy does he still race?

Same here! I cant believe ready made Ni-Mh 'bump' packs are not availible. I have different problems to most above, I can solder well, I just dont have the time.. :-( Looks like its time to make the time... Any suggestions on what cells to use, I would love a cool run-time.. Ferris

Sigma Panther and BMW (M1), we really nice clones of the Kyosho 240z etc, so quite good, but heavy 2wd items.. The Sigma Ace was a total pile of rubbish, another rubbish one that I had was a Ishimasa Rat Buggy, now that was really bad. I would love one now :-) Sigma Ace: had (i think) single trailing arm sus front and back, no dampers at all. Engine waaaaayyyyy out back and a beach buggy style body. Rat Buggy: had double wishbone sus all round, no shocks I think... A very heavy gearbox, engine inboard, that ran its exhaust through the gearbox!! Started of a airplane spinner type thing that was springloaded off the flywheel, and of course a beach buggy body. Weighed a tun!! Both were dreadfull in their own sweet ways.. If anyone has either the above, I would love to see some pics Ferris