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ChrisRx718

2 Year Hiatus! What's New?

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I ummed and ahhhed about making this thread - mods please move (or remove) if deemed inappropriate

This hobby really has a habbit of getting overwhelming at times and I'm sure we've all been in a position of taking a break at some point. My short break has ended up lasting way longer than anticipated, and I was sorely tempted to just sell up everything I had during COVID lockdown and move on.

Fortunately I decided to just put everything into storage.

Almost 3 years later - and for the first time ever, suffering with the aforementioned COVID19 as I type! - I've blown off the dust and started reading through these forums again. There's lots of catching up to do - I have about 400 pages of the "What have you done today" thread to get through!

The added bonus of having put everything into storage is that I forgot how much stuff I had. It's been like Christmas again opening all the boxes. 

So what's new, in a nutshell? I must admit one thing which catalysed this return was the announcement of Tamiya's upcoming new buggy; the BBX.

I've long been a fan of the custom FAV projects on here (particularly the Knight Customs projects with 3D parts) but couldn't justify the cost of another kit - I already own an FAV Shark Mouth, and a Wild One is just too similar. So my want for a "civilian spec" FAV the new BBX should fill that role nicely.

Did I miss any dramas? Was that TD4 buggy, with the mad looking battery placement, any good? Or has it been a flop?

Look forward to reading all of your threads and posts in the coming weeks, and maybe making some updates of my own in due course.

51188405375_ee8b883d91_c.jpg

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Hey, welcome back, great thing about this forum has always been never needing to be here all the time and pitching in when you can or want to. You have a very recognisable avatar, and I’m amazed it’s been a couple of years! Time flies!

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3 hours ago, ChrisRx718 said:

I ummed and ahhhed about making this thread - mods please move (or remove) if deemed inappropriate

This hobby really has a habbit of getting overwhelming at times and I'm sure we've all been in a position of taking a break at some point. My short break has ended up lasting way longer than anticipated, and I was sorely tempted to just sell up everything I had during COVID lockdown and move on.

Fortunately I decided to just put everything into storage.

Almost 3 years later - and for the first time ever, suffering with the aforementioned COVID19 as I type! - I've blown off the dust and started reading through these forums again. There's lots of catching up to do - I have about 400 pages of the "What have you done today" thread to get through!

The added bonus of having put everything into storage is that I forgot how much stuff I had. It's been like Christmas again opening all the boxes. 

So what's new, in a nutshell? I must admit one thing which catalysed this return was the announcement of Tamiya's upcoming new buggy; the BBX.

I've long been a fan of the custom FAV projects on here (particularly the Knight Customs projects with 3D parts) but couldn't justify the cost of another kit - I already own an FAV Shark Mouth, and a Wild One is just too similar. So my want for a "civilian spec" FAV the new BBX should fill that role nicely.

Did I miss any dramas? Was that TD4 buggy, with the mad looking battery placement, any good? Or has it been a flop?

Look forward to reading all of your threads and posts in the coming weeks, and maybe making some updates of my own in due course.

51188405375_ee8b883d91_c.jpg

Welcome back

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TD4 and TD2 are both good handling buggies, not particularly track/race orientated but the do ok with some work.

XV02 is another big release in the last 3 years, a good successor the the XV01

CC02 is about 3 years old now, nice kits, a bit underated IMO - needs a couple of mods to sort out the bump steer, but it's a great quality kit.

On the on-road side of things the last 3 years have seen the TC01 released - which is formula E kit, though the chassis can take a regular 190mm body as well, and the TA08 - which is a fantastic on road car, and the best release in the touring car space (excluding TRF cars) since the TA05 IMO.

 

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Welcome back. I had noticed your absence and missed your knowledge and contributions. I don't tend to post much but visit and read every day, usually multiple times a day and noticed you hadn't been active for a good long while.

Whilst I do still enjoy my rc and tamiya, I also enjoy a number of other hobbies - learning to fly rc planes and other modelling avenues that I am learning and mastering.

Anyway, glad to see you back 👍

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I think this has been a similar topic before about having highs and lows with rc cars as a hobby? It's very good to see your back to give your input and wisdom on the forum but I do know exactly where your coming from when you have a break! I've had numerous walk aways over the years and I think it does you a lot of good to just to put everything to one side and a wise decision was made to just put everything in storage rather than sell it:) I had a big downside with the hobby about 6 years ago and sold everything (avante/egress, Schumacher's, kyosho's etc) and OMG did I regret that:unsure:! The thing was I was convinced at the time I just didn't want to do this anymore but something after a fair few months re-lighted that fire in me so now if I have a "this isn't floating my boat" moment I just close the tiny man cave and walk away (incidentally I'm feeling like that now but probably a lot to do with $#!t work pressures) knowing I'll be back eventually? 

I did the same as you @Silver-Can I ventured into other rc hobby amongst other things and decided to learn how to fly an rc helicopter and was doing ok but quickly released that it's a very unforgiving hobby after a few badly damaged terracotta garden pots and freshly painted fencing and you can only make a mistake once (big and small) but the final "just give up" was the ran out of patience wife with "you just haven't got the hang of that have you!"..........."em not really" when we were both looking at yet another pile of bits on the grass in the garden :(!

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13 hours ago, ChrisRx718 said:

 

51188405375_ee8b883d91_c.jpg

Wondered where you had got to! Welcome back and stuff.

What colour is that MX5 painted in - been looking for a blue like that, that isnt quite as greeny bright like PS-16 is??

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Nice mini cooper, I hope Tamiya brings that one back. Im surprised that no one has mentioned the one none Tamiya in your collection.

Recently Tamiya has announced a new retro-themed buggy via BBX, and the MB-01 chassis which will replace the M05/M06. Also, a few more reres have been announced like the green Grasshopper.

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@moffman yes this is a familiar experience !! My lad and I are both learning - he is much better than I but have still had a number of 'oh dear, that looks expensive' moments 😁

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2 minutes ago, Silver-Can said:

@moffman yes this is a familiar experience !! My lad and I are both learning - he is much better than I but have still had a number of 'oh dear, that looks expensive' moments 😁

Luckily the parts that you generally have to repair are not to expensive and I found come in multiple numbers in one packet? At least they did when I was trying to fly them! 

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Same.

Got kinda bored of the same 6-10 kits being discussed, and then the resto of a 1:1 stole all my extra money. Thought I was out for good (though wasn't inspired to sell) Moved house recently and both packing and unpacking managed to reignite the spark.

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Thanks for the warm re-welcoming guys!

On 2/11/2023 at 10:04 PM, Kowalski86 said:

Me joining only to realize that somebody else had already chosen Feathers Mcgraw as their avatar!

Sorry, that avatar has been with me since I joined! And when I joined I was working as a Saturday worker at Time Tunnel Models, back when it was based in Stevenage. I would have been 18...now I'm 34!!

On 2/11/2023 at 11:57 PM, BuggyGuy said:

TD4 and TD2 are both good handling buggies, not particularly track/race orientated but the do ok with some work.

XV02 is another big release in the last 3 years, a good successor the the XV01

CC02 is about 3 years old now, nice kits, a bit underated IMO - needs a couple of mods to sort out the bump steer, but it's a great quality kit.

On the on-road side of things the last 3 years have seen the TC01 released - which is formula E kit, though the chassis can take a regular 190mm body as well, and the TA08 - which is a fantastic on road car, and the best release in the touring car space (excluding TRF cars) since the TA05 IMO.

 

I noticed the TD4, looks like another comical battery placement by Tamiya? Is the TD2 just a 2WD version of the same thing? I'll have to study the manuals when I get a coffee break...

XV02? There's a ***** surprise, I had just finished building my ideal-spec XV01 before I took the time off! How typical! 

CC02 was the last new-build I did. Bought the Mercedes G-wagon kit, put on the Defender body. I literally pre-empted Tamiya on this one!

50012562923_3e06663574_c.jpg

TC01 - I liked this but the bodyshell looked like a nightmare and the price-point was not to my wallet's liking. Funny you mention the TA05, I've got a bitsa-build which @svenb was helping me with back in 2020. I think the only thing left to do is fit electronics and a bodyshell, so I'll get onto that ASAP.

On 2/12/2023 at 10:31 AM, Superluminal said:

Wondered where you had got to! Welcome back and stuff.

What colour is that MX5 painted in - been looking for a blue like that, that isnt quite as greeny bright like PS-16 is??

Sadly, that Mazda is painted in a now discontinued colour. Chezoom Teal Pearl made by Pactra(?) I think. Even I used a really, really old aerosol can I found in a closing-down hobby shop. It's documented on here, but as I was painting the bodyshell the can exploded, all the gas escaped and the paint leaked everywhere. I had a teal blue arm, hand and kitchen worktop. It was the latter which the wife really didn't like.

On 2/12/2023 at 12:48 PM, Kowalski86 said:

Nice mini cooper, I hope Tamiya brings that one back. Im surprised that no one has mentioned the one none Tamiya in your collection.

Recently Tamiya has announced a new retro-themed buggy via BBX, and the MB-01 chassis which will replace the M05/M06. Also, a few more reres have been announced like the green Grasshopper.

I think Tamiya lost the BMW / MINI license, with it the license to make anything Rover Mini-related? At least that's how things were back in 2020. Hopefully it'll make a comeback, it's a firm favourite. I remember when you could pick up a Mini Cooper bodyshell for £24.99. I wish I'd bought a container full.

The BBX is really what guided me here. I saw it and decided I must have one. But first to clear the backlog of projects...

4 hours ago, bRIBEGuy said:

Welcome back.  LOVE That Jurassic Park Jeep (and Funko's)!  CC01?

Yes, CC-01 based Jeep. A labour of love which has lasted over 10 years now, still remains unfinished. It's the cosmetic stuff I'm terrible at - all the building / mechanical / electronic side I can do, but a ScaleBuildersGuild modeller I am not.

In fact I'm going to make a point of not looking at those forum pages too much, as it kind of helped me fade into obscurity. I could never achieve those levels of detail, so why bother. That was my (harmful) mindset at the time. I've come to realise that it's not what I build in comparison to others, but what I enjoy building for me. So expect some really terrible paint and sticker jobs in the near future!

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Welcome back Chris, I always enjoyed and benefited from the pearls of wisdom you occasionally added on my build threads. Hope you're doing well, good to have you back 👍

Oh, and I've been carrying the bits-a-build torch in your absence... it started off small and now, well, yeah 🤦🏻‍♂️

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1 hour ago, ChrisRx718 said:

...

I noticed the TD4, looks like another comical battery placement by Tamiya? Is the TD2 just a 2WD version of the same thing? I'll have to study the manuals when I get a coffee break...

...

TD2 has the battery across the chassis and not under the front shocks, you can also do it the same way on a TD4 easily enough as well (though TD4 would need a wider body like the one from Revive RC or the TD2 unless you run a shorty lipo pack)

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