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Cuiken

Do I want a Monster Beetle?

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Get your violins ready.

When I was 13, I spent a whole year saving up for a Monster Beetle. Come Christmas that year, I came up short and had to get the slightly cheaper Blackfoot instead.

I never loved that truck. Rock hard tyres and friction shocks (along with the sluggish power from the cheap ni-cad I could afford) meant it was always a bit disspointing (though it did look great).

Pack your violins up.

Fast forward to the present day and (with a bit of saving) I could have a Monster Beetle. Is it actually a fun RC car though or would it be a case of 'never meet your heros'?

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For me, Its one of my favorites. For you? Only you can truly answer that. I'm sure you're well-aware the two trucks are quite similar. Dynamically, there are subtle differences in how they drive, although the re-releases versions are more similar to each other with the re-re Blackfoots' inclusion of oil filled shocks (and even the bottom half of the Monster Beetle's rear skid plate). But considering the original BF vs the re-re MB, the MB oil shocks do make a difference. The Blackfoot's body seems heavier that the  MB's, making the MB feel a little less top heavy (to me). When running my original BF in years past, the heavier BF with un-damped friction shocks seemed to bottom out more and rock around on its springs. The MB doesn't seem to exhibit these traits. The MB's tires are slightly softer (though not a squishy as Lunch Box tires) and more grippy.

In the end both are very similar and it mostly comes down to looks. There's also the whole issue of being younger, anticipating a MB (childhood anticipation can be so strong) and having to settle for a BF. How you approach the MB today may be completely different as an adult, for better or worse. Of course many of the issues, with the drivetrain in particular, still stand and are covered in-depth in various thread here. For me, I stick to the 1st 100 cars because the character (and flaws) of the older models make them interesting to drive. Modern stuff is boring to me. Other's may not find those quirky driving dynamics so endearing.

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Thanks! Totally agree this is a subjective choice :) 

I do know the trucks are extremely similar. Aside from tyres, shocks and bodies, there was nothing in it. Even less in it with the re-re BF and MB. I guess my own point of reference remians the original BF vs MB. I do remember driving my mate's MB back in the day and finding that it was an easier car to drive. Of course, I could have upgraded the parts on my own BF but a set of shocks would have set me back 3 months pocket money back then :) 

I also anticpate having to mod or replace the diff to overcome the drivetrain issues. That said, TBF, I ran my original BF for years (with little care or attention) and never had an issue with the drive train. I expect a lot of that would be down to using the stock 540 motor and a cheap ni-cad battery though. I wouldn't plan on using brushless for this truck but a good Li-On battery and a sport tuned motor might still be enough to hurt the diff.

My guess is that it is a fun truck to bounce around in relatively confied spaces. Maybe the question is whether it's defeciencies (handling etc) cause it to end up sitting on the shelf.

Cheers.

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What @Saito2 says sums it up really! The only thing I can add to that is you can mildly tune it by a sport tuned motor and obviously ballrace it? 

I had trouble with my gearbox and driving train on my 2016 MB from the first day (badly vibrating) but I changed the drive shafts for the Subaru brat cups and drive shafts and it cured that problem but I was in a minority lots of people who bought them didn't have that problem! Just go for it and have fun! And you will with the monster beetle because it's all about fun:D!

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On reflection, I wonder if those harder tyres on the BF were deliberately chosen to help prevent traction rolling witht the heavier/larger shell on top?

Either way, I rember my mate being able to out-brake and out-turn me on every corner with his MB :) 

Potentially he was just a better diver though.......

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The MB is a great truck to drive and has its own style and quirks when blasting about. To resolve the drive train issues, fitting the MIP ball diff is most future-proof option (£70) and you can then run pretty much whatever motor you want. I fitted that and am staying brushed for now though (and if I go brushless it will be a low KV), as the older design isn't likely to withstand hard knocks at higher speeds.

So all in with a new kit, MIP ball diff and upgraded motor, you're probably sitting at about £300. Can you get better for less? Sure, something like the Team Associated MT10 can be found for less and is a much more sensible, reliable option...

...sensible doesn't really come into it though does it?🤔😂 Nostalgia is a strong force that when engaged with can bring a lot of satisfaction.

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Couldn't agree more, the nostalgia hit is huge. Plus, the MB has a genuinly distinct handling characteristic and speed that I recall being just pure fun.

Interesting shout on the MT10. When I looked into it though I noticed that it doesn't have a beetle shell, bright yellow shocks or gold coloured wheels. I'm guessing the steering geometry doesn't radically change under front suspension compression and that the rear suspension won't get progressively softer as it compresses. Feels like they really dropped the ball there :) 

 

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Not knocking the MIP diff but cheaper diff-plate strengthening options are available 

 

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Funny this, I was looking at a MB just yesterday, the TR one though.

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So, by the sound of it, I defintely want one and just need to find the opportunity.

It's ages till by birthday :( 

 

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5 minutes ago, Cuiken said:

So, by the sound of it, I defintely want one and just need to find the opportunity.

It's ages till by birthday :( 

 


Alvin will disagree, but I think the ORV chassis is the best...

Terry

 

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I have the rere Blackfoot & Monster Beetle and I much prefer the Blackfoot.  Mostly because of the diff crunch I get in the MB no matter what I do with it.  Installed the ProblemChild braces on both from the start, and even put spacers in the shocks on the MB to try and help but still crunches.  Blackfoot has been perfect from Day 1 and have put a lot of miles on it.  Beetle has gone up the driveway twice and can't put up with the diff, its just sitting on a shelf until I get rid of it. 

That, and the Blackfoot just looks so much cooler.  

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38 minutes ago, 87lc2 said:

I have the rere Blackfoot & Monster Beetle and I much prefer the Blackfoot.  Mostly because of the diff crunch I get in the MB no matter what I do with it.  Installed the ProblemChild braces on both from the start, and even put spacers in the shocks on the MB to try and help but still crunches.  Blackfoot has been perfect from Day 1 and have put a lot of miles on it.  Beetle has gone up the driveway twice and can't put up with the diff, its just sitting on a shelf until I get rid of it. 

That, and the Blackfoot just looks so much cooler.  

I agree the BF is cooler, it's one if my all time favourite Tamiya trucks, along with the Clod and Pumpkin.

What's the difference between the diffs. I thought they had the same gearbox?

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Mid last year sometime i decided i wanted a Monsterized Beetle but didnt want to deal with the possible diff issues of the "real deal" and instead went the way of modifying a CW01 (luncbox chassi) to have the correct wheelbase, front wishbones and swing arm rear suspension (by cutting up the original gearbox, printing some custom bitz and adding tt01 outdrive cups, dogbones and axles), it has been great this far.

For Xmas i got a rere Blackfoot which i have put together, barring the body, gonna see if i get that painted, assembled and decaled up this weekend.

As for which to get, ive built this Blackfoot, with the reres they are both identical except for the body mounts and tires, id guess that the reason for the Beetle having more diff issues comes down to the grippier tires.

But i still say get the Monster Beetle if you want it, issues can be dealt with :)

Since the diff issue on the ORV chassi is known ive designed and printed braces, similar to the ones linked earlier but not sharing the same nuts/bolts as the gearbox itself and instead having its own set of three bolts, more of a pain to assemble or take apart i guess, had i seen the design linked here i might have tried to make mine similar but i see no reason to rework mine at the moment.

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38 minutes ago, Nikko85 said:

I agree the BF is cooler, it's one if my all time favourite Tamiya trucks, along with the Clod and Pumpkin.

What's the difference between the diffs. I thought they had the same gearbox?

Nothing as far as I could tell.  I built them back to back and everything seemed exactly the same but only had issues with the Beetle Gearbox.  Blackfoot was perfect from day one with the ProblemChild gearbox fix.  

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3 hours ago, 87lc2 said:

Beetle has gone up the driveway twice and can't put up with the diff, its just sitting on a shelf until I get rid of it. 

lol, makes me want to buy it just to try to fix it. :lol: I'm a glutton for punishment.

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8 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

lol, makes me want to buy it just to try to fix it. :lol: I'm a glutton for punishment.

I mean, I could fix it but I was annoyed and haven't touched it :)   I don't feel too bad letting it sit since I spent a ton of time on the body and don't want to mess it up anyway.  I do love my Blackfoot rere though, I drive that truck a ton.  

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You need to ask yourself this, "Do I want a REAL VW Beetle?"

Do you like old cars? Do you value reliability and handling? Or do you value fun and the occasional tinkering?

For a time I had a Grasshopper and the re-release Holiday Buggy. The Holiday Buggy handled much better to the point of boredom, while the chassis looked an awful lot like an RC10 (so 80% of all other 2wd buggys), there was nothing unique about it.

The ORV hails from a different time when nobody knew what they were doing, so you get a very different driving experience at the cost of a goofy transmission. It won't win any races nor will it be some super durable extreme basher. But to me, its a mistake to strip RCs down to pure stats.

Theres a reason (well several) why all of my Traxxas stuff was replaced with vintage/re-re Tamiyas.

 

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I really like my Monster Beetle, both as a display piece and a runner, but part of that is probably because it wears a polycarbonate Kamtec Baja shell for running. This gives it a lower centre of gravity, less weight overall, and less worry about messing up the lovely hard shell that came with the kit.

2023-01-12_10-29-28

 

2023-01-12_10-28-25

 

2023-01-12_10-31-39

 

2023-01-12_10-32-11

 

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I built mine to be used and abused! (within the limits that a Tamiya can be abused of course!😂)

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I like the battle scarred look for this one😉

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Make your child self happy and get the Monster Beetle! No matter how many quirks, mods and crunching diffs you may end up going through, I'm sure you will not regret it 👍

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5 minutes ago, Kol__ said:

NCxTsHw.jpeg

 

Fantastic shot this one! 😀👌

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