Jump to content
wintersdawn

Tamiya QD - Love them or hate them?

Recommended Posts

For me?  They pollute the Tamiya for sale listings and sometimes (much to my chagrin) make me think it is the 'real' thing, only to discover it is a QD that is most probably broke.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am not very familiar with QuickDrives, but are they like Tamtech?  I owned a few of the Tamtech's in the past.. like F40, F1 car, and some tiny Testarrossa back in the late 80's or early 90's.

I thought they were cool for what they are.  I think one can bring even more value to them either in original clean form NIB, or modify it into a kit-level RC..(?).  Like the only sort of QD I have is my Willy's Pumpkin Head F100.. :lol:

 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Willy iine said:

I am not very familiar with QuickDrives, but are they like Tamtech?  I owned a few of the Tamtech's in the past.. like F40, F1 car, and some tiny Testarrossa back in the late 80's or early 90's.

I thought they were cool for what they are.  I think one can bring even more value to them either in original clean form NIB, or modify it into a kit-level RC..(?).  Like the only sort of QD I have is my Willy's Pumpkin Head F100.. :lol:

 

QD's were toy grade rc vehicles that had the tamiya touch added to them (toy version of the blackfoot, monster beetle, thunder shot etc etc)  just slightly better than tyco rc and other manufacturers an rc car with everything in the box to get you going straight away you could say the first ever RTR but I'm lead to believe they weren't actually produced by tamiya 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Love them.

Although I'm sure some of them stop working, they are actually pretty tough things, it's usually the electronics that stop working, but then how many 1989 Grass Hoppers still work with the full electronics they came with? I've had quite a few examples clearly driven hard, with lots of wear on the chassis, but mechanically working perfectly. They were not designed to be maintained like a hobby grade car, so I'd say it's impressive any are still going.

Similar to the best Nikko or Taiyos, but had more spares available a few hop ups and could take bearings. The electronics were also very very easily swapped with hobby grade stuff. Whereas Nikkos and Taiyos are now quite collectable, the QD series stay under the radar, so bargains can be had, especially the buggies.

There are quite a few different QDs, the only ones I know well are the 1/14 scale buggies and monster trucks. 

The buggies are essentially a smaller grasshopper II. Simple and tough, the gearboxes are super sturdy and can take much more powerful motors than supplied. They can take bearings front and in the gearbox on later versions. Well made diff in the back.

I've got two, one is wearing a QD Beetle shell, and the other a Taiyo body made to look like a King Cab.

g6Gp8Zu.jpg

Qx3iWgQ.jpg

20XtUxQ.jpg

With a small brushless motor the beetle is easily faster than a stock MF01x or basic Tamiya. The King Cab has a 370 motor and is a hoot to drive too - pure nostalgia. Some members have made these go really fast. Handling is ok, like a small Grasshopper really. Lighter, so seems to bounce over terrain easily. Being so small I'm less worried about rolls and tumbles. 

The monster trucks are rugged and very simple, and again made of very few parts with solid front and rear axles. The rear is very CW01, but it also has a solid front axle, and avoids some of the issues of the CW01 handling. 

I've got a couple, again both with brushless motors and they are fantastic runners. Personally I prefer them to a lunchbox/pumpkin in terms of weight distribution and handling. They take CW01 tires, full bearings front and back, and look fantastic. At 190 mm wheelbase they are easy to throw in rucksack and take to the park.

iXlO49Z.jpg

(the left is not strictly a QD body, but just look at these guys!)

They don't handle as nicely as my GF01 or MF01x, but for old school fun they are hard to beat. One of thing I forgot the mention is the two speed gearbox, which is actually a brilliant idea. It means you can play between two gear ratios for rough or smooth surfaces, something very few "hobby" grade cars let you do easily or effectively. 

 

  • Like 5

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Cheers Nikko85 for the info about the QD range, I may have judged the range unfairly and with ignorance.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
7 minutes ago, wintersdawn said:

Cheers Nikko85 for the info about the QD range, I may have judged the range unfairly and with ignorance.

To be fair, if you were looking for a Super Sabre or Thunder Dragon and kept on getting your hopes dashed by mislabelled QDs, I could see how it would be annoying. 

They are nothing like as refined as many Tamiya, but I think for a RTR range for kids they were pretty great. I believe they were made under license by Asahi based on a few stickers I've found. 

I took my nephews and nieces to the park yesterday with a QD and an MF01x. The MF01x has 4WD, CVA dampeners, etc, Torque Tuned 2S li-ion. The QD was running 8 x aa batteries and a tiny brushless motor - my nephew was much more interested in the QD! 

chk8xZJ.jpg

I wish they came in more types, a GH, hornet or even sand scorcher QD would have been great. We got the Dash-1,2 and 3! 

 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

40mph+ rocketships toughest car I've ever owned.

Skids down the street at 40mph regularly and hardly breaks at all.

 

 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
45 minutes ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

40mph+ rocketships toughest car I've ever owned.

Skids down the street at 40mph regularly and hardly breaks at all.

Square-cube law in action! QD weighs around 1/3 a full size car, yet parts are only 1/2 as chunky so the strength to weight ratio is fantastic.

That TD is insane! 560 mph scale speed

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think they're pretty cool, and as mentioned they can be had for less than Tycos/Nikkos. Nothing wrong with "toy grade" RCs when they're made well, I just wouldn't spend hobby grade cash on one.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

At one point, in college, the only RC vehicle I had (or wanted) was a QD Manta Ray. Small, cheap, no worries about recharging batteries in the dorms, just go play with it when I wanted. I discovered that standard 1/12 lexan bodies (Parma, Bolink, etc) fit right on, and it wore several over the year or so that I had it. I put bearings in where you could, and wore the tires down to slicks.

I've thought of picking up a nice one just for nostalgia...

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 hours ago, markbt73 said:

At one point, in college, the only RC vehicle I had (or wanted) was a QD Manta Ray. Small, cheap, no worries about recharging batteries in the dorms, just go play with it when I wanted. I discovered that standard 1/12 lexan bodies (Parma, Bolink, etc) fit right on, and it wore several over the year or so that I had it. I put bearings in where you could, and wore the tires down to slicks.

I've thought of picking up a nice one just for nostalgia...

Yes - I've just realised the wheelbase (205mm) is the exact same size as the mardave/kamtec 1/12 series. This means you could make a lovely beetle rally  or similar. 

The original wheels also fit the M chassis rally blocks perfectly too, and with a few cheap parts you can you get m wheels on them too.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
13 hours ago, Nikko85 said:

Square-cube law in action! QD weighs around 1/3 a full size car, yet parts are only 1/2 as chunky so the strength to weight ratio is fantastic.

That TD is insane! 560 mph scale speed

I'm aiming for 50mph, I had 48mph once but never recorded it or matched it since.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So who got the thundershot on eBay last night for £24 +post?

I was going to bid but didn't bother in the end.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 minute ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

So who got the thundershot on eBay last night for £24 +post?

I was going to bid but didn't bother in the end.

****, I was watching it, but fell asleep. To be honest as I take off the electronics, I feel less guilty if it's a non-working model. I think my last one was around £7.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 minute ago, Nikko85 said:

****, I was watching it, but fell asleep. To be honest as I take off the electronics, I feel less guilty if it's a non-working model. I think my last one was around £7.

 

If it's a working model, I sell the electronics for almost as much as I pay for the whole cars. Lol. Not on purpose but I'll sell the whole lot including motor and servo for whatever it goes for.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've picked up a few QD models over the years for not much money. As others have said, they are pretty sturdy little things, easy to convert to 'proper' electronics and a lot of fun. I have a modded Clod Buster with a Grasshopper rear gearbox and a 540 motor, esc, and a few other bits and pieces. I also have a Super Sabre, Blackfoot, Monster Beetle, a MIB Clod Buster, and a Thundershot with a brushless motor. 

Hop-ups are also available for most of them, the Blackfoot has uprated shocks, QD Black motor, new shell and stickers and pin-spike tyres. I have quite a few (grainy and old!) pictures in my showroom if anyone is interested of all of them. 

If you can get it cheap enough, then get one...

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So I'm getting more interested...

1. What's the set-up of an original QD, is it circuit board electronics?

2. Does the existing motor simply plug in to an esc?

3. Does the existing steering servo need to be replaced with a hobby grade servo?

4. How well do NiMH or Lipo batteries fit?

Cheers.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 hours ago, wintersdawn said:

So I'm getting more interested...

1. What's the set-up of an original QD, is it circuit board electronics?

2. Does the existing motor simply plug in to an esc?

3. Does the existing steering servo need to be replaced with a hobby grade servo?

4. How well do NiMH or Lipo batteries fit?

Cheers.

It's a PCB. I gut all mine.

The existing motor will plug in to an esc fine, although they are not too powerful. A 370 will fit, but better than that a small brushless will do wonders. I use the ezrun 2030, it easily keeps up with a 20t motor rally car.

Yes the servo need to be replaced, it's not super hard, but it's not quite drop in.

Mixed, I use 8 x aa batteries in two. That's still nominal 9.6 volts, and given the current drain from a tiny motor it's ok although might not wheelie as hard. On another couple I used a 2s 18650 li ion. Lower voltage but more amps available. In general the current drain is low so 2800 mah AA batteries will last quite long.

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, lupogtiboy said:

Lovely. I think the Thundershot and Thunder Dragon both look better in the QD series than the "proper" thing.

I am being pretty naughty and debating another myself. I've actually got a spare 2030 motor + ESC, batteries, radio gear and even batteries and bearings so it would cost very little to get one up and running. 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...