Re-Re vs Original Quality

[Kowalski86 3036]

Are there any glaring differences in terms of parts quality and design with Tamiyas re-releases? I generally stick to restoring originals, but re-releases usually cost the same and their plastics/rubber are a bit more fresh, ye I've heard that their Blackfoot re-release had some issues that the original didn't. I'm familiar with the sticker/licensing changes.

[bRIBEGuy 3050]

Depends on the particular rere.  Some are almost identical (Thundershot) while some are notably different (Fighting Buggy).

I don't think much if anything has been improved design wise, but I think some of the plastics have been updated/changed in a few cases.  At the very least, the rere's are generally devoid of 20+ years of plastic degradation and abuse... 

I think in general the rere's are on par with the original.  Which either makes them awesome or terrible, depending on which side of the nostalgia fence you sit on.  Me?  I love 'em!

[Willy iine 18806]

If you're going to be driving it often chances are you're better off with the rere.  Plastic and rubber do degrade over time especially if stored poorly in hot/cold/humid/dry attics, shed, garage..  if only for display and you're a collector type, then original all the way..! 

[Kowalski86 3036]

2 hours ago, Willy iine said:

If you're going to be driving it often chances are you're better off with the rere.  Plastic and rubber do degrade over time especially if stored poorly in hot/cold/humid/dry attics, shed, garage..  if only for display and you're a collector type, then original all the way..! 

I generally drive mine, but on top of what you mentioned old stickers don't like dust/dirt I've noticed.

How harmful is it to store RCs in a garage? Thats where I keep most of mine, I keep a spare monster truck wheel under my Grasshopper to keep the tires from developing flat spots.

[Willy iine 18806]

11 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

I generally drive mine, but on top of what you mentioned old stickers don't like dust/dirt I've noticed.

How harmful is it to store RCs in a garage? Thats where I keep most of mine, I keep a spare monster truck wheel under my Grasshopper to keep the tires from developing flat spots.

If you're driving your cars often I don't really see a problem as you are replacing tires and misc parts when necessary.  It's difficult to gauge because a garage in a desert town is different from a garage in a cold snow belt town.. the environment can vary quite a bit.

For the most part if you keep your cars on stands as you are, and away from direct sunlight / inside containers with a lid while in storage, chances are they will be okay.  I am considering getting back to nitro RC next year and keeping the car in my garage inside one of my cabinets.  The garage ambient temp can vary from (looking at my 3 yr log) -4F  to 101F, humidity 15-80%.  But the garage is vented with a powerful exhaust fan so on a normal day it's pleasant.  And once the RC car is inside a container in a cabinet, it is quite isolated.  Right now reading 48F at 43%RH.  I recommend getting a hygrometer thermometer with BLE so you can monitor from your phone.  

My hobby cars are currently in hibernation.  Will come out in April next year.  

[moffman 5752]

The quality of the plastics are probably just the same as the originals when the original were first introduced it's obviously age that dictates that the re-releases feels and looks better quality because even back in the original SRB days tamiya was renowned for its quality of materials and kits but like everyone has commented who's in possession of the two new TD chassis buggies the new generation of plastics tamiya are using for those are very superior to the re-releases!........although!.....

I was at my local hobby shop a few weeks ago and this actual conversation was being discussed and in amongst us in the conversation was someone who should know about different types of plastics in rc manufacturing don't really want to say who but just say a MD of a very British rc buggy manufacturer and he said the new plastic tamiya uses for these new chassis is the same compound they have always used its simply just sprayed with a composite black coating a bit like you would put cling film over a block of cheese for example! Obviously that's just his take on it? But I do think when I was building my TD4 the plastic did feel a lot better now weather that was because of better screws etc in the kit or a mixture of both plastic and screws I honestly can't say? 

[bRIBEGuy 3050]

59 minutes ago, moffman said:

...he said the new plastic tamiya uses for these new chassis is the same compound they have always used its simply just sprayed with a composite black coating a bit like you would put cling film over a block of cheese for example! 

I find this HIGHLY unlikely.  From an injection moulding perspective, it would be WAY more expensive and complex to design and operate a mold tool that "skinned" a part with one material and then filled it with another.

[Kowalski86 3036]

3 hours ago, Willy iine said:

If you're driving your cars often I don't really see a problem as you are replacing tires and misc parts when necessary.  It's difficult to gauge because a garage in a desert town is different from a garage in a cold snow belt town.. the environment can vary quite a bit.

For the most part if you keep your cars on stands as you are, and away from direct sunlight / inside containers with a lid while in storage, chances are they will be okay.

Mine sit on a shelf far away from any sunlight, I dont live in an area with any extreme cold/heat conditions thankfully.

I can compare re-release plastics and old plastic side by side on my Grasshopper since its a hybrid of the two. The plastics are pretty close, other than the re-release chassis not having 30+ years of scrapes and wear.

Had I known about other online vendors and how easy Grasshoppers/Hornets are to build (wheels aside), I would have gotten a fresh re-release.

[moffman 5752]

5 hours ago, bRIBEGuy said:

I find this HIGHLY unlikely.  From an injection moulding perspective, it would be WAY more expensive and complex to design and operate a mold tool that "skinned" a part with one material and then filled it with another.

Yeah maybe I honestly don't know I can only go by my personal building experience as I'm nowhere near experienced in the art of plastic production! and the plastics did feel a lot better to work on and also the new screws that tamiya use in the TD's are far better than the previously used ones which both together make for a pleasant build? But I have to say when we were having this very interesting conversation and he give his views my instant reaction in my homer Simpson head was to think "yeah you would say that if a rival company tries to sell a new product" which to be honest is perfectly understandable I suppose?

[RushRebel 98]

The only quality issue that I’ve personally encountered was with the re-re Lunchbox I built for my nephew. It got very little use and was kept indoors yet the tires dry-rotted within  2-years.

By means of comparison, my original Pumpkin tires were kept in a humid Florida garage for decades and remained in excellent shape when I finally got  rid of them a few years ago.

[Saito2 6686]

I have heard/seen a few fit and finish issues with the newest iterations of older models, but I think its down to mold wear rather than plastic quality. Unlike Kyosho, which pretty much re-did their vintage models from the ground up with new molds, Tamiya dusted off the old molds in many cases and pressed them back into service (or kept them in service all along). For example, I don't recall the Thundershot series having bevel gear issues with the originals or the first 2005 T-shot re-re but when the Fire Dragon was re-re'd the first time, the issue began to creep up. Now they all seem to have it. I've read there have been issues with Clod Buster parts not quite fitting as good as they used too as well in some cases.

 

[Big Jon 684]

On 10/19/2022 at 5:17 PM, RushRebel said:

The only quality issue that I’ve personally encountered was with the re-re Lunchbox I built for my nephew. It got very little use and was kept indoors yet the tires dry-rotted within  2-years.

By means of comparison, my original Pumpkin tires were kept in a humid Florida garage for decades and remained in excellent shape when I finally got  rid of them a few years ago.

I wonder if there are high ozone levels inside? Ozone destroys rubber very quickly, relatively speaking.

Other than mold wear, the re-release plastics I’ve experienced seem to be of the same quality as the original. I haven’t seen ‘em all, for sure.

I’d really like to see Tamiya do the rerelease line with modern high-strength plastics and corrected known flaws, at least the higher performance ones that are likely to be driven hard. My Super Astute would be so much better with a more durable differential and modern plastics.

[RushRebel 98]

20 hours ago, Big Jon said:

I wonder if there are high ozone levels inside? Ozone destroys rubber very quickly, relatively speaking.

Other than mold wear, the re-release plastics I’ve experienced seem to be of the same quality as the original. I haven’t seen ‘em all, for sure.

I’d really like to see Tamiya do the rerelease line with modern high-strength plastics and corrected known flaws, at least the higher performance ones that are likely to be driven hard. My Super Astute would be so much better with a more durable differential and modern plastics.

I agree 100% on using modern plastics, at least on high-stress parts like suspension arms. I’d also like to see them join the rest of the r/c world and switch to hex screws.

[alvinlwh 5895]

On 10/20/2022 at 12:02 AM, Saito2 said:

its down to mold wear

I agree with this. I recently built a rere Frog and the molding quality is terrible! Not what I expected from Tamiya, and being a static modeller, I know what Tamiya should be capable of.