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@Mrowka That's a memory shot of your kid right there!   Beautiful picture.. reminds me of some anime scene.  

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If you look closely, the buggy can also be seen.

You can see that his buggy is well-loved. (I also chose a Tamiya for him because it is slow, in hopes that he learns to actually drive.....)

20220717_194912.jpg

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On 7/3/2022 at 4:35 PM, cantforgetthe80s said:

I'm just asking whether there seems to be less people interested in them overall... like a smaller group still active in them than say 5 or 10 years ago... and thanks, I edited the question to be more direct.  

Well if you go to any local hobby store, it's all new school stuff.  You ask about Tamiya and they look at you like an alien.

The economy has been in the crapper here state side since Jan 21, predictably and will be until at least January 2025.

There def is a niche market of old guys who are looking for ways to burn their money on Tamiya, and frankly too many hoarders in this crowd which sort of drive prices through the roof for the rest of us.

I make zero distinction between "re re" a phrase I can't stand - and the vintage stuff.   Yes I understand there are some differences, but they mean nothing to me.  A BRAT is a BRAT, a Frog is a Frog to me.  There's the sticklers out there who have to have the original models.  I could care less about that.  A BRAT on my shelf makes me happy regardless of when it was produced.  Or any Tamiya for that matter.

But the younger generation has no clue about Tamiya for the most part and occasionally you run into a 40 something who has lit a fire in his kid for them, but that's rare.

To me, the new RC stuff just isn't that exciting, the detail is less, and the passion is not the same.

But I digress :)

 

 

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6 hours ago, JeffSpicoli said:
6 hours ago, JeffSpicoli said:

and frankly too many hoarders in this crowd which sort of drive prices through the roof for the rest of us.

 

Lol. I have to agree with this. But in their defense,  I think we all feel a but of the same thing - we couldn't afford them when we were young,  so we're trying to fill an emotional void now.  Emotional security in numbers? That one guy though who passed (was it in Australia?) Had a ridiculous amount of stuff he was never going to get to in his lifetime.  

I also agree,  the detail of the new stuff isn't as interesting, I would reserve that exclusively for modern racing buggies,  and not in terms of engineering, but just the lack of realism.  

But I do notice a lack of popularity,  especially on EBay,  in accessories, vintage hop ups,  etc, even trades I have posted,  that sit now that didn't 5 or 7 years ago.   To me it indicates those "old guys" are getting older and less interested.  

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The Hobby is totally dieing out, it’s no way near what it was when we were kids in the 80//90s. Most kids are different now and have the same lack of attention span that their parents have.  Half the fun of the hobby was building the kit, and than running it with your friends. The other issue is that it was expensive then and now even crazier. 

Is the hobby a complete niche like airplanes and helicopters no, will it ever be what it was, also no.

My son loves it because of me, we got attracted to it as kids because kids use to build models, play with trains, and go to the local hobby shops weekly. None of that happens in the same scale anymore sadly.

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After 20 years on TC I now mostly quietly observe, which I think goes for several of the members that have been on here for a while. I still work on my long list of vintage projects when time allows, competing with other hobbies and interests. The need for info is less, and thrill of the hunt for old "barn finds" was lost (for me) with the re-releases and modern day eBay - and possibly the fact that I obtained my "critical mass" of cars before this point - resulting in a less active profile in the forums.

 

As with all generational waves of nostalgic interests, naturally there will come a time when vintage Tamiya RC cars also will age out - however, for many of the other reasons mentioned above I don't believe that time is now. 

 

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On 8/20/2022 at 11:37 PM, simensays said:

After 20 years on TC I now mostly quietly observe, which I think goes for several of the members that have been on here for a while. I still work on my long list of vintage projects when time allows, competing with other hobbies and interests. The need for info is less, and thrill of the hunt for old "barn finds" was lost (for me) with the re-releases and modern day eBay - and possibly the fact that I obtained my "critical mass" of cars before this point - resulting in a less active profile in the forums.

 

As with all generational waves of nostalgic interests, naturally there will come a time when vintage Tamiya RC cars also will age out - however, for many of the other reasons mentioned above I don't believe that time is now. 

 

This. 

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The problem isn't just videogames, phones, or poor attention spans. Its also the costs associated with RCs, the push for Lipos, brushless, expensive batteries, and the fact that once you have your 70+ fully upgraded Xmaxx you have nowhere to run it.

Tamiya kits don't really fit the instant gratification "jump break upgrade deplete wallet" basher scene. And they don't make a reasonably priced smaller scale crawler afaik. 

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7 minutes ago, Kowalski86 said:

And they don't make a reasonably priced smaller scale crawler afaik. 

I think my CC02 does alright…

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18 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

The problem isn't just videogames, phones, or poor attention spans. Its also the costs associated with RCs, the push for Lipos, brushless, expensive batteries, and the fact that once you have your 70+ fully upgraded Xmaxx you have nowhere to run it.

Tamiya kits don't really fit the instant gratification "jump break upgrade deplete wallet" basher scene. And they don't make a reasonably priced smaller scale crawler afaik. 

Everything is expensive.  That's life.  That's hobbies.  The prices of things now seems CRAZY to many of us, but that's largely due to the 1980/90 price being firmly (and incorrectly) wedged into our brains as the "correct" price.  I have an OG HotShot box with the original prices as $159 (or something like that), but the rere kit is currently ons ale at a Canadian hobby site for $409.99.  This is where I should go off on a rant about pricing?

A new Sony PS5 is close to $1000 here.  Games are $70-$100 each.

A "cheap" gaming computer is $1500+.  Don't get me going on the "gaming chairs" light setups, etc...

The cost of RC is NOT the issue... if people want something, they can save up and buy it.  But just because Arrma releases a new basher, or Tamiya tints an Egress doesn't mean that you are entitled to own them along with all your other toys.  The average person can't have everything from every hobby that catches their eye.

I was broke AF as a kid, and I made due with Turbo Hoppers until I saved enough for a Big Bubba.  My (much better off) friend had a Tamiya 959 and a HotShot, and I saved for YEARS before I could buy my first Tamiya kit.  When I finally picked it up and built it I was SOOOOOOO excited!

To me, THAT is what has changed.  The internet propagates a belief that everyone should have everything, and that no one needs to wait.  Kids don't focus and save anymore (neither do most adults... ha ha ha). 

Prices have gone up, yes.  But that's across the board on everything.  Inflation is part of life.

Technology has changed, yes.  Lipo's, brushless, 2.4ghz radios..... all of this gets fingers pointed at sometimes, but no one is forcing you to buy these (or any of this..).  Run brushed motors and NiMh packs if you want.  There are lots of people driving around in 1960's air cooled VW vans claiming they are better than modern vehicles.  BUT... there is no real denying that LiPo's are functionally better than NiMh, and that brushless motors are functionally better than brushed ones. 

The "Basher Scene" I feel like could be its own topic/thread... and I feel like it is a very "North American" thing.  Ironically, I think this sort of does link back to video game culture, and the general lack of care/responsibility that is often seen in modern cultures.  Regardless, I feel like it's unfair to think Tamiya (a legacy Japanese modelling and RC company) will fade away just because they're not embracing the smash and bash ethos of Traxxas (proudly rocking their "USA" brand roots thru and thru).

Tamiya is quirky and weird.  So are we.  If all their kits were $50.... if they made indestructible truggy bashers.... if they shifted focus to 1:24 crawlers..... be honest, would you still be here?

I will NEVER be able to afford a Ferrari, but I appreciate them for what they are, and would personally be APPALED if they released a $20k economy car, or a lifted 3/4ton truck.  Those markets should be left to others.

My 2 cents...

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2 hours ago, bRIBEGuy said:

Everything is expensive.  That's life.  That's hobbies.  The prices of things now seems CRAZY to many of us, but that's largely due to the 1980/90 price being firmly (and incorrectly) wedged into our brains as the "correct" price.  I have an OG HotShot box with the original prices as $159 (or something like that), but the rere kit is currently ons ale at a Canadian hobby site for $409.99. 

I beleive that most modern RC stuff is well priced, but I've seen a number of newcomers who'd sooner buy a Bangood special than buy a basic Grasshopper kit.

You are correct that people aren't great at saving up, we all throw $3 here and there into microtransactions, drive thru-food, subscriptions, I call it "debt by a thousand cuts".

The fact that Tamiya doesn't build a small crawler, nor builds an identical SCT basher, is why I repect them. Im far more interested in their Holiday Buggy re-release than the myriads of identical 1:24 scale Jeeps, SCTs, Truggys, etc.

One of these days I wouldn't mind a "basher" thread, since as someone who likes to maintain and repair their toys, I never really cared for it. Its very easy to sink too much money into an RC when you're buying an A arm here and a shock cap there.

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3 hours ago, bRIBEGuy said:

To me, THAT is what has changed.  The internet propagates a belief that everyone should have everything, and that no one needs to wait.  Kids don't focus and save anymore (neither do most adults... ha ha ha). 

This can be applied to every day American life with "Keeping up with the Joneses", having the latest phone/SUV/McMansion, clothes/TV/, etc. etc.

Traxxas and RTR's succeed because of the Veruca Salt "I want it nowwwww" attitude that has infected modern life everywhere.

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On 7/5/2022 at 3:36 PM, Mrowka said:

 

Can you imagine a teenager in 1968 whose favorite music was burning up the charts in 1923? A kid who dug the OJDB would have been seen as a freak. Even the country and blues tracks that Zeppelin and others ripped off left and right were mostly pretty obscure, even when they were first released. 

I think it's the process of turning into a post modern society. The idea of newness and modern being "better" is increasinly largely rejected. Yes, there are always some who listen to the charts, but it's amazing that Green Day are considered as fresh by kids. 

Something that always strikes me is back to the future. The past the Marty returns too is much closer Marty's time than Marty's time is to today. Yes watching something from 1985 doesn't feel that old, in a way that 1955 really does (and did in 1955). Yes, one could make a film about someone going back to 1985, but what, the kids would be wearing trainers, listening to loud music with headphones, wearing jeans, t shirt and trainers and drinking a beer. 

I did a talk a little while ago at work about Jurassic Park, and what blew me away was that was 29 years old. Compare that film to a film that came out in 1964 (29 years before JP) and it blows the mind. Even comparing JP to films that came out a 15 years before it is outstanding. From 1977 to 1993 (which seems a really long time but was only 16 years) we went from bad stop motion to amazing CGI, and yes 29 years later we've yet to make a better film in the franchise!

Oh, yes, something about Tamiya. Errr, go the Pumpkins! Whoot Whoot.

 

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As a person who recently got back to the hobby, I really enjoy vintage rcs (or rather vintage style RCs) even though I am in my mid 30s. They are not the most performant, but it just makes me smile when i build them / run them. I used to have couple monster trucks with brushless systems + 3s lipos 15 years ago, but those were not as fun.
 

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On 11/14/2022 at 10:21 PM, Sogogi said:

As a person who recently got back to the hobby, I really enjoy vintage rcs (or rather vintage style RCs) even though I am in my mid 30s. They are not the most performant, but it just makes me smile when i build them / run them. I used to have couple monster trucks with brushless systems + 3s lipos 15 years ago, but those were not as fun.

Some people like Ford Raptors, others like Model Ts. Vintage-style buggys do have a look to them thats a bit rare with todays more blobby RCs.

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I like both still. Not into the real older of first Tamiya stuff. I still have a big collection but they just sit. I am more into newer stuff like the trail trucks from multiple brands and Losi large scale stuff. Still flying giant scale plane too. I've got quite a few newer rerelease Tamiya that are awesome to build and drive around.

 

Cory

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I find that retro hobbies like this just ebb and flow with members drifting away and others joining. Some of those that leave will have driven the forum in the past but a new bunch usually turn up at some point and the cycle starts again. Agree that there's been a huge move away from desk top type forums though, moving to social media and hand held devices. Exactly the same has happened over in the retro bike scene.

I'm 45 and was originally a huge Tamiya fan in the late 80's, early 90's so most of the classics interest me, along with the Re-Re's. The Egress always has been and always will be my favourite. I drifted away from RC around the time of Top Force and Manta Ray only to start collecting again in the early 2000's when ebay became a thing and I had a full time job. That period was absolutely golden IMO as ebay had tons of buggies of all condition, with loads added daily. You could pick up all sorts for little money and still be able to find NOS original spares, including body shells which made restorations accessible and fun. I think I had around 6 Egress at one point and built a couple of decent buggies out of the parts. From memory I paid £500 to import a NB Egress AND Avante from America back then. How much would each cost now? By the time I'd finished I'd built and restored pretty much all of the classics I was interested in and had a showroom on here (member Brock Landers, it's still up but I forgot the login!) , although I didn't get around to adding all of them. 

In the end I started getting interested in retro mountain bikes from the early 90's and much like what happened the first time around I started spending my money on those instead and over time sold all my collection to fund lots of old bikes! That was around 2007 and I still have an interest in old bikes but much like what happened with my Tamiya collection, I've owned and restored most of the bikes I'm interested in. That scene followed the retro Tamiya peak + decline but about 5 years later and I often referred to this hobby when the retrobike.co.uk mob were discussing the exact same issues we are here. It's nowhere near as busy over there anymore but there's still plenty of content and I imagine the same will happen on Tamiyaclub.

The same as plenty of others, I'm back now because my 8 year old son is showing an interest. I can't imagine I'll get back in to restorations as the costs are too high and the availability too limited so the Re-Re's are ace for me. We started with a secondhand Lunchbox, have got him a new Midnight Pumpkin stored for his birthday in a few weeks and I'm now trying to decide between a Terra Scorcher, Hotshot or Thundershot so I've been dragged back in and will no doubt sell some old bikes to build up my Tamiya collection again!!

I guess my rambling point is that hobbies evolve and members change but there's always an interest and things can pick up as quickly as they drop.

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On 11/17/2022 at 8:55 PM, Chest Rockwell said:

I find  (lots of good stuff)as they drop.

That is a great username. How is Brock Landers?

 

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I'm only getting into Tamiya RC now i'm in my 40s. Always wanted one when I was a kid, but we couldn't afford those kind of prices. 

My boy is only 3, so a bit too young for it now, but I do hope to build a kit with him one day!

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58 minutes ago, Pablo68 said:

That is a great username. How is Brock Landers?

 

Last time I saw him he was hanging out with Dirk Diggler!:lol:

If you search for Brock Landers in the showroom you'll find my old collection.

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Been collecting for past 20

5+ years since I was 15 ish. I was lucky my dad was into Tamiya stuff and would buy me cars here and there.  I been collecting nibs thinking I would build with my future son but I have 2 daughters so I guess I'll be building 10 scales my self and giving my daughter's the mini 4wds if they are interested. 

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