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FromageTheDog

Ultra 4WD Buggies!

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As the title suggests, 4WD buggies have always represented the epitome of R/C for me.  Been sorting through the various cars I've amassed ever since Tamiya figured out how to reach into my pocketbook (all re-res):

  • Kyosho Javelin -- classic Kyosho quality; charmingly noisy chain
  • Schumacher Cat XLS -- classic finicky Schumacher assembly; stupid fast 
  • Tamiya Avante -- the ultimate Tamiya buggy
  • Tamiya Top Force EVO -- the other ultimate Tamiya buggy

Definitely on my "must-buy" list:

  • Kyosho Optima Mid -- "the" car when I was a kid -- can't wait for the re-re

On my wish list:

  • Yokomo YZ-10 (I think it may have been called the "Super Dogfighter" outside the US) -- buddy had one; super quick car that seemed so exotic
  • Hirobo Jealousy -- never seen one in the flesh but am in love with how they look; not strictly a "kit" but I'll look past that...

Curious what folks would add to the above list, especially those outside the US that might have been exposed to machines that would have been rare or unavailable here.  I'm only sorta-kinda interested in the derivatives (e.g. Egress, Pro Cat, Turbo Optima), and the list definitely skews hard towards my childhood years (late eighties to early nineties) when I lusted after but could not obtain this class of kit... 

Hoping for some lively discussions!

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I dont own a re re car, the only 4wd buggy that I raced was a losi xxx4, I bought it new in 2002 and I still own it now. I have a kyosho optima or something that looks like one, in bits in a box. I was more into touring cars and 2wd buggys.

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AYK Viper, AYK/Race Prep Radiant, Hirobo Alien Mid4, Hirobo Zerda, Mugen Bulldog (I and II), Marui Samurai, Kyosho Lazer, probably others I'm forgetting...

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Tenth Tech Predator, and maybe on a more modern note, the Jconcepts BJ4/Associated B44

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Marui Shogun, the Nikko Brat, Tomy Intruder, Academy/Mugen Mercury Xi4 maybe. In the early days, the Hotshot was of importance as was the Yokomo 834b.

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Is Avante the ultimate Tamiya buggy or the Egress?  Because I thought I read the Egress was the modified version of the Avante so in essence Egress > Avante, no?

(I could be wrong, I'm not much of a buggy guy so..)

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2 hours ago, markbt73 said:

AYK Viper, AYK/Race Prep Radiant, Hirobo Alien Mid4, Hirobo Zerda, Mugen Bulldog (I and II), Marui Samurai, Kyosho Lazer, probably others I'm forgetting...

AYK Pro Radiant for sure!  The bright orange suspension arms and just generally tough look -- cool as heck.

Also a fan of the Zerda.  I preferred the Mid4 to the Invader, but the Jealousy blows them all away in my mind.

Never seen the Mugen Bulldog -- neat!!

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29 minutes ago, Willy iine said:

Is Avante the ultimate Tamiya buggy or the Egress?  Because I thought I read the Egress was the modified version of the Avante so in essence Egress > Avante, no?

(I could be wrong, I'm not much of a buggy guy so..)

You're totally right that the Egress was the ultimate evolution of the Avante platform...  But the Avante was "first," and had a lot of unique, overly-complicated bits that made it (for me) more desirable.  But yeah, Egress was the more competitive buggy for sure.

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1 hour ago, Saito2 said:

Marui Shogun, the Nikko Brat, Tomy Intruder, Academy/Mugen Mercury Xi4 maybe. In the early days, the Hotshot was of importance as was the Yokomo 834b.

Totally forgot about the Intruder, and had never heard of the Nikko Brat.  Neat!

Agreed on the Hotshot -- I just built one of the re-res, which was interesting.  The mono shock rear suspension is "huh, neat!" if tragically over-complicated.  I love how it looks, though! I would dearly love Tamiya to re-re the Hotshot-II, which I think was the best-looking of that platform.

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1 hour ago, Sir Crashalot said:

1993104070_IntheAugust87DevelopmentsinModelCarstheDDSMantisplustheadvertsfromtheAugustandSeptemberissues4.thumb.jpg.805cf996bb9efb3d1025b5501e26b81d.jpg

"IT'S BRITISH!"

I love it.  I have never heard about this one -- wild!  Any other photos out there?  Google links to an oOple forum post, but that's about it.

This one seems like a true unicorn!

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PB Mini Mustang, PB Maxima were 2 I recall as at the top end back alongside CAT’s, Optima Mids, Dogfighters.

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rc_old.6.jpg.863985a71c652eb9f717294a4f30601e.jpg

 

On 2/19/2022 at 1:06 PM, Saito2 said:

In the early days, the Hotshot was of importance as was the Yokomo 834b.

1985 IFMAR Worlds.

03b7f83e.jpg.fecaddf278e97147757358e4834c7f89.jpg

 

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I remember that MIP conversion for the RC10!  The driveline losses due to the flex-cable drive must have been tragic, especially in the days of 1200mAh SCR / 1700mAh SCE packs...

That is an awesome pick from the '85 worlds.  Hard to believe the HotShot was ever that competitive.  The change in toe angle as the front suspension compresses is breathtaking.

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21 hours ago, mtbkym01 said:

PB Mini Mustang, PB Maxima were 2 I recall as at the top end back alongside CAT’s, Optima Mids, Dogfighters.

Don't forget the PB Ace ! The rest of the world seems to have ....

 

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On 2/18/2022 at 7:55 PM, Sir Crashalot said:

1993104070_IntheAugust87DevelopmentsinModelCarstheDDSMantisplustheadvertsfromtheAugustandSeptemberissues4.thumb.jpg.805cf996bb9efb3d1025b5501e26b81d.jpg

I have never even heard of that thing. I wonder if it ever reached production or if the prototype had any success.

I'd grab one in a heartbeat if I came across it.

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Finally had a chance to look more carefully at the Coyote...  The battery and motor installation are really out there.  Interesting solution to centralizing the mass at all costs, but it must have been quite "tippy" on the throttle (and maybe at all other times too!).  Would pick one up in a heartbeat if I ever had the opportunity!

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5 hours ago, FromageTheDog said:

The battery and motor installation are really out there.  Interesting solution to centralizing the mass at all costs, but it must have been quite "tippy" on the throttle (and maybe at all other times too!).

Yeah my quick and dirty battery solution was to split a standard 6-cell and solder on a long enough jumper wire. Nowadays I'd just build a whole custom pack for it.

I don't remember it being prone to rollovers, but then I didn't drive it much. IIRC the steering lock was terrible and the turning radius was huge, plus there was a lot of slop in the linkages and flex in the arms, so it wasn't very "precise" to drive. Those flexy suspension arms and strange shock positions didn't really allow the shocks to work correctly either, and the springs were way too hard. It was a very fast and beautiful car, but it was just too odd in too many ways to be a reliable racer.

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As re releases go, I can't think of any to add.

But, vintage 4wd's on my wishlist include PB mini mustang (one came up on Facebook the other day ,for £200.....🤔), Kyosho Rocky and a Tenth Teck Predator X10.

One I've got, which I love, is a resto modded LWB Mid (started life as a Mid Custom). Fit a modern slipper and they lap up modern electrics, but not sure how it'll compare to the Modern Mid to land very shortly....

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I kept my Mini Mustang that I got around 87/88 which I've stripped ready for a refurb. 

20220302_222609.jpg

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@FromageTheDog I decided that my interpretation of Tamiya's ultimate buggies are Hotshot, Avante, and Egress.

I shall have my Hotshot later in the week to decorate my pretend RC shop. 

IMG_2022-3-2-164622.jpg.dae454cc206867c95b4109037bc52143.jpg

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