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Mad Ax

Tamiya Coffee Pot Avante Build

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Let me start with a bit of backstory.

Many years ago, probably over 15 years, in fact, I went to a local RC meet arranged through Tamiyaclub, where I met a man who would go on to become one of my closest friends.  Without wanting to dilute the story with all the wishy-washy bromance, a few years ago he gave me a Christmas present: an NIB Jun Watanabe Hornet.  They weren't fetching big sums back then, but we both knew it was only a matter of time.  It was the kind of gift that I couldn't get over.  I'm not really much of a gift-giver, if I'm honest, and because of that I don't expect to be a gift receiver.

A couple of weeks ago, he asked my wife if she would make him a dragon.  She makes and sells them online, and sometimes she'll do custom commissions.  His only request was that it be in Tamiya pink, as that was the colour he raced in for many years (he earned the nickname Mr. Pink at our local indoor club, where we always sat in the corner on the naughty table and called ourselves Team Biscuit, because we did silly things like gluing party rings to my touring wheels during a one-day championship).

My wife asked if I had any inspiration, and I said, wait a minute, I think I've got just the thing!

Sure enough, a quick rummage in the back of the Scaley Bits drawer revealed this:

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Now this is a real blast from the past.  A long time ago I bought an NIB Calsonic Primera from someone on here.  I say a long time ago, I have the photos from the build dated early 2008, but I think I bought the car a few months before that.  When I opened the Calsonic Primera box, that little thing was rattling around in the bottom, along with a few other goodies.  I guess back then these things didn't have much value.

I confess, I have no idea how much value they have today.  I haven't looked.  Don't tell me, I don't want to know.

Anyway, I opened the box to show my wife the rough size, so she could scale her dragon properly.  She also borrowed my vintage Futaba Challenger transmitter, for...  Well, you'll see why.

You've guessed already, haven't you?

So, on Friday, after I got back from my weekly walk around the hills, I had a few hours to kill before bedtime.  A good Tamiya build normally takes a fair few hours, so I thought I'd get stuck into this one.  My friend was due to visit the following day for a takeaway and a game of Cards Against Humanity, so I needed to have the Avante built ready in time.  It looked like I was going to have to pull an all-nighter to get this one ready.

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This is the top of the box.  It has a Frog logo on it.  I've always assumed this is a generic logo, as I think you're not supposed to know what's in the box until it's opened (like a Kinder Surprise but without the horrible chocolate) but I could be wrong - maybe it was made up out of parts?

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If only every Kinder Surprise had a filling like this.  The little data sheet lists all the available cars, but shows the Avante to be the rather special secret car.  Possibly rarer than the others?  Who knows.

You even get a neat little patch of dirt to display it on.  It isn't real dirt, though, just a piece of laminated paper.  It's all quite well-thumbed, it's been opened before.

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The back of the data sheet has the build instructions.  Even without an English translation, they are as clear as anything from Tamiya, and easy to follow.  That's just as well, as I had an epic build ahead of me.

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Parts come in a neat little parts bag.  I carefully opened it with some scissors so I could save it for posterity.  It will be handed over as part of the package.

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Here are the parts contained within.  The wheels are actually different widths (two slightly narrower ones for the front), but I had to lay them on their sides and crouch down to view them edge-on to prove this.  Decals are pre-applied.

Attention to detail on the chassis is rather good, with the motor being installed where one would expect on an Avante.

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I began by adding the shock towers.  At first it wasn't obvious which way round the rear went on (the front will only fit one day due to a shaped moulding) so I had to test-fit the body to check.  Once push-fitted, everything feels solid and secure.

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Body and wing installed.

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And finally the wheels.

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Here's a few more post-build pics.

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Our friend came over on Saturday.  His girlfriend is visiting from the USA, so we treated her to her favourite English cuisine - fish 'n' chips.

I didn't have fish 'n' chips, because if I'm going to have a dish that pretends to have two distinct foods, I like those two foods to look and taste different enough to one another that I can tell them apart, which is not possible with any English fish 'n' chips not made within 5 miles of the coast.  It's typically one homogenous yellow gloop with a vaguely potatoey, fishy sort of flavour somewhere beyond the taste of grease, which one must mask by adding copious amounts of salt and vinegar strong enough to take the enamel off the sink.  Instead I ordered a chicken fillet burger with cheese, bacon, onion rings, jalapenos and mayo, and a side of fries.  It was delicious, even if it was slightly yellow and had a vaguely fishy taste.

We also found a moment to unbox the dragon.  Here he is, in all his glory.  Our friend was over the moon, and has named him Jeff.

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Such an awesome write up and build.  Always great (and refreshing) to see something new, fun and creative.  Great story.  Great Dragon!

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