I got bitten by the Tamiya bug...

[Beena 253]

A couple of weeks ago I bought my first RC car.  It was one that I used to drool over as a lad in the toy section of my mum's catalogue but we could never afford one.  That was the venerable Hornet.  I had a random recommendation for a video of it on my YouTube homepage and it bought it all back to me.  So I bought one and put it together in a couple of days over a weekend.  I absolutely loved the build and it was incredibly satisfying getting to the end of it and having a working model to bash around the garden.  I enjoyed it so much that I had ordered ordered the other classic that I have always wanted, the Lunchbox, before I had even finished the Hornet.  This one got built in the just a day and boy does it not disappoint in the fun stakes - what an absolute hooligan of a car!

I enjoyed those two so much that I fancied doing something a bit more sophisticated and more modern, so I got myself one last model to build and that was the TT-02BR.  That one took me around two and a half days to build and another day to paint and I now have something to fettle with and upgrade as time goes on.  

Thank you to the people who have answered my newbie questions in the latest build. I have so much to learn and it is all a bit baffling at times.  I'm sure that I will be speaking this foreign language fluently in no time.  Anyway, I just wanted to share my excitement for this new hobby and I guess I need to add a picture of my new babies, so here they are in the garden this evening.

The Hornet and Lunchbox are both stock and the TT-02BR has the Tamiya aluminium motor mount and a Super Stock BZ motor in it.  I'm waiting on the Tamiya aluminium motor heat sink to arrive too.  Running on 7.2 NiMH because I'm too scared of LiPo batteries right now 🤣

[Busdriver 6551]

1 minute ago, Beena said:

A couple of weeks ago I bought my first RC car.  It was one that I used to drool over as a lad in the toy section of my mum's catalogue but we could never afford one.  That was the venerable Hornet.  I had a random recommendation for a video of it on my YouTube homepage and it bought it all back to me.  So I bought one and put it together in a couple of days over a weekend.  I absolutely loved the build and it was incredibly satisfying getting to the end of it and having a working model to bash around the garden.  I enjoyed it so much that I had ordered ordered the other classic that I have always wanted, the Lunchbox, before I had even finished the Hornet.  This one got built in the just a day and boy does it not disappoint in the fun stakes - what an absolute hooligan of a car!

I enjoyed those two so much that I fancied doing something a bit more sophisticated and more modern, so I got myself one last model to build and that was the TT-02BR.  That one took me around two and a half days to build and another day to paint and I now have something to fettle with and upgrade as time goes on.  

Thank you to the people who have answered my newbie questions in the latest build. I have so much to learn and it is all a bit baffling at times.  I'm sure that I will be speaking this foreign language fluently in no time.  Anyway, I just wanted to share my excitement for this new hobby and I guess I need to add a picture of my new babies, so here they are in the garden this evening.

The Hornet and Lunchbox are both stock and the TT-02BR has the Tamiya aluminium motor mount and a Super Stock BZ motor in it.  I'm waiting on the Tamiya aluminium motor heat sink to arrive too.  Running on 7.2 NiMH because I'm too scared of LiPo batteries right now 🤣

I gather you might like black!!!

[Beena 253]

Just now, Busdriver said:

I gather you might like black!!!

I am quite partial to it 🤣

I realise that this might be heresy saying this here but.....I'm not a big fan of decals, hence the solid colours and no stickers in site.

[Busdriver 6551]

Just now, Beena said:

I am quite partial to it 🤣

I realise that this might be heresy saying this here but.....I'm not a big fan of decals, hence the solid colours and no stickers in site.

Sometimes less is more and black is a great colour choice

[toyolien 6118]

8 minutes ago, Beena said:

I got bitten by the Tamiya bug...

Don't worry, you're in good company here....

[bRIBEGuy 3383]

5 minutes ago, Beena said:

I realise that this might be heresy saying this here but.....I'm not a big fan of decals, hence the solid colours and no stickers in site.

Your cars, your rules!

[Beena 253]

10 minutes ago, toyolien said:

Don't worry, you're in good company here....

I’m guessing a terrible bunch of enablers…

[bRIBEGuy 3383]

52 minutes ago, Beena said:

I’m guessing a terrible bunch of enablers…

We've been called worse. 
 

[Willy iine 18831]

@Beena Congrats on your cars!  That black/red (Neoscorcher is it?) looks good!  Nice job.   I too love black cars in general and at times only do minimal decals for the minimalist look as well.

[Nick-W 1880]

Cool fleet. The Hornet in solid black has a proper Mad Max vibe. I really like it

[OnTheTrail 1369]

7 hours ago, Beena said:

... so I got myself one last model to build .....

 

The last one you say?   Let's see how that works for ya!   LOL

 

Great story hearing how you got into the hobby.   Look forward to seeing your "one more after the last one" builds 

[Sogogi 3362]

What cars do you plan to get ?

[GeeWings 2860]

4 hours ago, Beena said:

I got bitten by the Tamiya bug..

 

Sorry to hear that, there is no cure. Luckily you are in good company!

What a great trio you have started with. I look forward to seeing what comes next.

[Beena 253]

17 hours ago, Willy iine said:

@Beena Congrats on your cars!  That black/red (Neoscorcher is it?) looks good!  Nice job.   I too love black cars in general and at times only do minimal decals for the minimalist look as well.

It is the Neoscorcher body I believe (it came with the kit) on a TT-02BR chassis.

I added some black wheels with some road tyres that arrived today to complete the look (picture taken shortly before I took it out for a spin in the road and one of the wheels flew off losing the nut 🤦🏻‍♂️).

 

[Willy iine 18831]

@Beena  Looks good with the black wheels for sure.  Sorry to hear about loosing your wheel nut.  They can be sourced for pretty cheap on eBay/Amazon if needed.   Might even suggest getting black wheel nuts.  

[Beena 253]

8 minutes ago, Willy iine said:

@Beena  Looks good with the black wheels for sure.  Sorry to hear about loosing your wheel nut.  They can be sourced for pretty cheap on eBay/Amazon if needed.   Might even suggest getting black wheel nuts.  

Thanks.  I was straight on Amazon afterwards getting a pack of 20 for £6.  I’ve had to pinch one from my Hornet in the meantime.

[Andreas W 2745]

Superb looking TT02BR. After I read one of yours entrys last week about that you had a BZ in it I got inspired, fitted my BZ into my Thunder Dragon and made an attempt on the current Postal racing-track on gravel. After the ideal line was clear of the zillion small rocks: Big grin on my face. It was just ripping. This buggy has been in child friendly mode lately (fitted with a well used TT on 7,2 nihm), but because of that inspiration I fitted the internals that normally belongs to it. Thanks for that . 

 

You cannot argue about the looks of a sleek and clean Hornet either. A childhood dream of mine  that never got real - but I got a Grasshopper in 2020 and later got a couple of Hornet bodies and MCI sticker sheets in alternate colors,  but have never pulled the trigger and finished the bodies.  

[Beena 253]

23 hours ago, Andreas W said:

Superb looking TT02BR. After I read one of yours entrys last week about that you had a BZ in it I got inspired, fitted my BZ into my Thunder Dragon and made an attempt on the current Postal racing-track on gravel. After the ideal line was clear of the zillion small rocks: Big grin on my face. It was just ripping. This buggy has been in child friendly mode lately (fitted with a well used TT on 7,2 nihm), but because of that inspiration I fitted the internals that normally belongs to it. Thanks for that . 

 

You cannot argue about the looks of a sleek and clean Hornet either. A childhood dream of mine  that never got real - but I got a Grasshopper in 2020 and later got a couple of Hornet bodies and MCI sticker sheets in alternate colors,  but have never pulled the trigger and finished the bodies.  

The BZ is a great little motor isn’t it.  I’m glad you’re enjoying it.  Unfortunately it got me into a little bit of trouble a couple of days ago and I had a slight  argument with the edge of a curb, which resulted in me breaking a lower arm, lower suspension bracket and bending the metal U pin.  Spares are arriving tomorrow to fix it.  I wasn’t even mad as it means I get to fettle with it some more 😊

[simalarion 2552]

"slight  argument with the edge of a curb"

My nemesis number 1 !😠

[Andreas W 2745]

The BZ(and TZ for that matter)are lovely,  but are setting a new standard in battery consumption. When you have to replace the brushes I suggest you get theones for Yeah Racing Hackmoto. They last longer and are cheaper. Not that the Tamiya ones are that costy, but it's nice that you can get a little more runtime between every rebuild. 

 

If I have read right I understand that you are german. Then parts for a high end TT02 is no problem, as Tamico is a superb shop with good stock. This will get fixed in no time (and you have a healthy attitude to it. Good luck repairing and bringing back the lovely car.

[simalarion 2552]

In find the Kits itself to be very good priced at Tamico but Hop-Ups etc not so much (im not saying they are the worst but not the best prices on hop-ups). I find Plaza Japan to be Superior in Hop-UP/Spare part prices, regarding third-part parts RC Jazz have Very good Quality parts in my experience, the once i got for Top-Force was superb and fitted like Tamiyas own Hop-Up parts :).

Edit: Same situation regarding  Hop-UP parts prices in the web-shops i have checked in Norway as Tamico even higher though

I bought Super Stock TZ/BZ & 10.5 TBL brushless dirt cheap from Plaza Japan (especially SuperStock TZ that slipped through Vat)

 

[Beena 253]

4 hours ago, Andreas W said:

The BZ(and TZ for that matter)are lovely,  but are setting a new standard in battery consumption. When you have to replace the brushes I suggest you get theones for Yeah Racing Hackmoto. They last longer and are cheaper. Not that the Tamiya ones are that costy, but it's nice that you can get a little more runtime between every rebuild. 

 

If I have read right I understand that you are german. Then parts for a high end TT02 is no problem, as Tamico is a superb shop with good stock. This will get fixed in no time (and you have a healthy attitude to it. Good luck repairing and bringing back the lovely car.

I’m not sure where the German thing came from as I am a Brit 😉 

Thanks for the advice though.  I got the parts reasonably cheaply from a retailer in the UK and from eBay so it wasn’t too costly a mistake thankfully.  They should all be here by tomorrow and I’ll be back on the road (away from the curbs!) again over the weekend.

5 hours ago, simalarion said:

"slight  argument with the edge of a curb"

My nemesis number 1 !😠

Looks set to be mine as well apparently 🤣 It was annoying as I was coming up onto a driveway up and it just clipped the edge of the curb as I accelerated up it.  I was surprised at how much damage it did to the lower arm - it split it almost two thirds of the way down and the metal u pin was bent nearly 90 degrees on one side.  

 

 

[simalarion 2552]

The Curb!

It is using is Suck superpower to suck the RC Car towards itself combined with his Ninja Skill and then hit the RC right in the dogbone section where it hurths!.

**** YOU Curb!!

[Beena 253]

She lives again 😀

Ironically after a bash around the garden the rear left got stuck on and I had to use a rubber mallet and some brute force to get it off again. Same side that fell off a couple of days ago.

Anyway - really pleased to have her back working again.  I think I'm going to have to get a larger capacity battery than the 3300 I am using as that BZ motor seems to chew through it in a few minutes.

 

 

[simalarion 2552]

Nimh in general also have a fast Volt drop, that is why Lipo batteries are so popular. 
 

A 3000 mah Lipo battery would keep the “punch” for a much longer time in other words. As long as you learn a few steps to take care of them there is no problem at all (basically put them back in storage mode when not using them, which means they are ca 50% charged of the max capacity).