Which tamiya for beach day fun

[AndyjcClod]

I know the seaside isnt kind to R/C cars but what would you recommend as a Tamiya beach use car?

 

[alvinlwh]

.

[simalarion]

Sand Scorcher 

[Busdriver]

Blitzer Beetle or Stadium Thunder. Or if it’s a flat beach with hard packed wet sand what about a Wild One. There’s something about them that shouts wet beach!!!!

[AndyjcClod]

47 minutes ago, simalarion said:

Sand Scorcher 

I has a sand scorcher a few years ago but was really disappointed with it on the beach (it kept getting stuck when the front wheels dug in)

[Busdriver]

4 minutes ago, AndyjcClod said:

I has a sand scorcher a few years ago but was really disappointed with it on the beach (it kept getting stuck when the front wheels dug in)

No wheels to get stuck in with this🤣

[Juls1]

Any DT03, 4000kv sensorless brushless on 7.4v with sand paddles on the back (proline slingshot 1/16 2.2” if you can find them) Makes an epic sand rail. and you can go around filling people in with sand flinging about. Such an epic sight 3+ metre rooster tails. 
 

(here is the motor combo I use,  https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/115528455688?hash=item1ae6085608)

[Busdriver]

Or try 6 wheels  

[BuggyDad]

Sticking bigger wheels (and as far as possible waterproof electronics) on a DT-03 is a pretty solid option. Ours are fairly regular beach runners. They can take a fair bit of power, I haven't had anything get in the gearboxes (although some have) and they run well with truck wheels. Whatever you go for, I'd suggest keeping things fairly cheap and simple because sand and salt aren't kind to stuff. With buggy sized wheels you need just the right sand, truck sized and bigger and you can get away with some soft stuff as well (albeit not a dune). 

I'm secretly hoping my son suggests another beach run tomorrow, we've got favourable tides.... 

[markbt73]

Lunchbox/Pumpkin. Big tires to float over the sand, light weight, solid rear axle and simple suspension so there are fewer moving parts to get sand in.

[Dan1891]

How about Wild Willy 2? Or maybe it will wheelie to much to be usable on the beach sand?

[Saito2]

Lunch Box is always my answer to this question.

[87lc2]

I'd go with a Blackfoot or Clod.  Blackfoot is big enough to not get stuck even with 2wd, but a Clod is an absolute blast in the sand.  Keep it stock on 3s and it will be fun.  

[Frog Jumper]

1 minute ago, 87lc2 said:

I'd go with a Blackfoot.  

Totally agree with the Blackfoot on the beach…

[SuperChamp82]

Probably my favourite local run - despite the clean up 😂

Soft wet sand - Sand Rover or Holiday Buggy / has to be super light 

Soft dry sand - Lunchbox or Blackfoot / has to have tyres that bite

Hard wet sand - Frog or any ORV / chassis just loves it 

Hard dry sand - Sand Scorcher or any SRB / purely for a fan tail pic 

My eldest eventually grew out of it - and her younger sister prefers road / crawlers - but amazing fun for a while !!

[twaleta]

probably a buggy or a lunchbox 

[El Gecko]

4 hours ago, Frog Jumper said:

Totally agree with the Blackfoot on the beach…

That's only half a Blackfoot though

Blitzer chassis?

[Frog Jumper]

3 minutes ago, El Gecko said:

That's only half a Blackfoot though

Blitzer chassis?

Its a Bush Devil, hence the Super BF rear end...

Terry

 

[El Gecko]

30 minutes ago, Frog Jumper said:

Its a Bush Devil, hence the Super BF rear end...

Terry

 

Ah, of course! I'm not familiar with the rear end on that iteration of the ORV I was trying to figure out why the motor is where it is!

The wider arms really give it a wide stance, and I'd guess it's probably pretty plush too eh? Looks like a nice setup. I've read that parts are extra hard to find and/or expensive for that gearbox/drivetrain though?

[Frog Jumper]

32 minutes ago, El Gecko said:

Ah, of course! I'm not familiar with the rear end on that iteration of the ORV I was trying to figure out why the motor is where it is!

The wider arms really give it a wide stance, and I'd guess it's probably pretty plush too eh? Looks like a nice setup. I've read that parts are extra hard to find and/or expensive for that gearbox/drivetrain though?

Yeah those tranny parts are hard to find.

And I’m using 15mm (I don’t remember exactly) axle extensions in this photo. I needed them to run HPI mud thrashers and I left them on when I switched to my beach wheels.  I can really lean into turns with that extra width.  It’s lots of fun at the beach.

[Frog Jumper]

And yes one of the tires was on backwards. I didn’t notice until after running all afternoon at the beach…

[Kowalski86]

10 hours ago, markbt73 said:

Lunchbox/Pumpkin. Big tires to float over the sand, light weight, solid rear axle and simple suspension so there are fewer moving parts to get sand in.

To add to that, you've got a "bucket" shaped chassis with tall walls to keep crud out, a sealed transmission, and they're silly easy to re-build.

[Re-Bugged]

I ended up making my Stadium Blitzer for Beach purposes after some trial and error along the way.

It started out as a basic kit with silver can, painfully slow though. Upgraded to a Sport Tuned and that was much better (on road at least.)

As it was starting to get a bit more second hand with lots of use I took it to the beach. Both Sport Tuned motor & NiHM battery got seriously hot in no time on its stock tyres and was a little disappointing speed wise anyway, sand is a power sapping terrain for sure.

Changing to LiPo and a13.5t brushless was heaps better. Then a bigger sensorless combo went in it (as the 13.5t went in my Wild One) and Paddle tyres on the back.

This is where the Stadium Blitzer is at now..

It’s been great and still going strong.

[Mad Ax]

When I go to Brean Sands, I always take the Sand Scorcher - it's made for it.  The sand there is fairly compact and usually damp, so I've never had trouble with it digging in.

My favourite points about it for beach running are, in no particular order:

• rear spool allows better traction on sand
• sand paddle tyres as standard, work better here than anywhere else
• sealed radio box keeps salty water and sand away from the electronics
• sealed gearbox and motor cover keeps the motor dry
• sport tuned power is plenty when there are lots of children and dogs around
• most metal parts are non-ferrous so they don't rust
• a few steel screws are easily replaced with stainless
• scale looks get more positive attention from other beech-goers than generic RC buggies
• somehow it just drives best and looks right on the beach

When the going gets faster, my second-favourite is the Bear Hawk with a fast racing motor.  I run basic Tamiya 2wd buggy tyres on Star Dish wheels - it would probably handle better with sand paddles, but it's an expense I've ever bothered to pay.  The tub chassis collects sand but mostly keeps the electrics dry, the motor is exposed but doesn't seem to get much salt.  I also use stainless steel shafts in most places.  Worst parts for corrosion are the springs - I think they're generic from my spares box but they've rusted all over.

If your sand is soft then bigger wheels may be necessary, monster truck or stadium truck tyres (sand paddles on the rear if you can get them).  The Blitzer Beetle seems like a good shout, but whatever you get, the exposed steel parts will turn crusty if you don't wash and oil them after.  That's where I fail miserably, I can never be bothered to clean my cars when I get home, hence why the Scorcher is top of the pile.

[BuggyDad]

We were back on the beach today with our truck wheeled DT-03s. They ran well. From this discussion I thought I'd test out the soft dry sand a bit and they get over it fine, albeit you wouldn't choose to run on an expanse of only that. They pretty much only get stuck if you deliberately spin the wheels. We also have some big cheap sand paddle tyres, bigger than truggy sized, maybe they're for a monster truck. They're fun, but unfortunately I've only got one pair of wheels for them so we can't both run them together yet. And they need really good gluing because they can balloon out. The one thing that I think would really improve my DT-03 for beach running is an enclosed motor, so I might fit a bluebottle which doesn't have vent holes. 

Another thing I remembered I do is put a run of tape around wheels before mounting tyres to cover the vent holes so sand doesn't get in. 

Love a beach session, a couple of hours with my 9 year old, intermittently ragging RCs about, sitting on a towel, reading a book while he builds a sandcastle and then a cafe lunch after. It's been a challenging day, I've had to go home to put my feet up.