Tamiya's commercial 'flops' you wish were still around

[BuggyGuy 1139]

2 hours ago, qatmix said:

The TD2 is very good for the money.. I am going to race it indoors this year over my TRF to see how it performs. Personally I like the original shell, not a fan of the revive ones.. they seem very plain. 
.. 

I tried the TD2 last year indoors and it was good, the biggest issue was the strength of the rear hubs.

It did not have as much steering as a B6 or LD2 etc but that might be overcome a bit by the new Schumacher fusion slim tire thats just come out. 

[Kowalski86 4082]

On 10/19/2023 at 3:02 AM, BuggyDad said:

 taking DT quality (slop, plastics) and essential suspension layout but mid motor (or some other way of centering up the weight), and maybe crank steering(?) would be ace, plus either a beefed up or lower front shock tower and mounts for resilience. Leave everything else, turnbuckles, CVDs etc to the hop up market. 

I like the mid-motor idea, but I can already see Tamiya offering a $50 aluminum bellcrank hop-up if they threw in crank steering.

[El Gecko 1436]

6 hours ago, BuggyDad said:

Or of course just release a more mid range platform, kinda Dirtmaster. "Super Madcap".

DN-01 Zahhak?

[qatmix 822]

The TD2 is the midrange 2WD racer.. there isn't going to be another for years. 

The BB01 is the new 2WD basher.. and its brilliant.

 

[No Slack 520]

Always liked the Zahhak but missed it.

Tamiya put a lot of effort in the TTG range and suddenly let this range of cars die. Parts are still available but there was much potential in this range. St the moment the market is booming with small scale buggy's.

[smirk-racing 254]

Twin detonator (or any of the dual-motor models of that type)

 

Tamiya Mini TLT-1

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/118-little-gear/rc-tlt-1-rock-buster/

 

 

And lastly, if you really wanted an OG TLT, from Japan:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/235202046385?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&srsltid=AfmBOoqNQ0x-9Ojh8oZi7y_H5M3hPNJt8_i4KcAYTfMU1J8wEUtnHTfwjag

 

[Ray_ve 1165]

1 hour ago, smirk-racing said:

Tamiya Mini TLT-1

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/118-little-gear/rc-tlt-1-rock-buster/

A while ago, I saw a TLT-1 on a local trading site, but did not go for it because I found it odd-looking. Only later to realise that it is a small scale chassis that would be fun to have.

So now it's on my wish list too. 

[GToddC5 1705]

2 hours ago, smirk-racing said:

Twin detonator (or any of the dual-motor models of that type)

 

Tamiya Mini TLT-1

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/118-little-gear/rc-tlt-1-rock-buster/

 

 

And lastly, if you really wanted an OG TLT, from Japan:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/235202046385?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&srsltid=AfmBOoqNQ0x-9Ojh8oZi7y_H5M3hPNJt8_i4KcAYTfMU1J8wEUtnHTfwjag

 

I've been eyeballing the Twin Detonator myself, but since my recent buys of a TXT-1 and TLT-1, I'm thinking I "need" a TNX first. Decisions . . .

[Juggular 5081]

I second TLT-1.  

Back in the days, a lot of people got rid of the cantilevers and lengthened the rods to make it full size. (Dare I say up to half of them? I've done that too.)  

I think Tamiya could easily make it into a lightweight crawler.  Center differential needs to be strengthened, though.   The below was when I was testing out the fit of various tires. 

As for the Juggernaut 2, it's a nice looking truck. 

But it was not a good runner.  Short wheelbase with a lot of play + 4WS + balloon tires made it a wobbly driver.  If I remember correctly, the gear ratio was still taller than TXT-1.  Still, I think there is a potential for a revised version.

[TurnipJF 9905]

3 hours ago, smirk-racing said:

Twin detonator (or any of the dual-motor models of that type)

Not sure one could say it was a commercial flop - it came in multiple versions (Twin Detonator, Wild Dagger, Double Blaze, Dual Hunter, etc) and had a lot of aftermarket support in its day. Some parts, such as the extended shock towers, are still pretty easy to get hold of today. 

But I agree about the wishing it was still around part!

[ChrisRx718 4643]

The WR01 Twin Detonator / Double Blaze etc. Was always a tough sell because it had a mechanical speed controller for a long, long time. Then when Tamiya finally produced a suitable ESC the quality wasn't great and you still had the issue that it absolutely ate through batteries if running NiMh. LiPo is different, but of course once that came along the ESC bundled with the kit couldn't tolerate LiPo power. 

Unfortunately it was always plagued with being a bit compromised in one way or another. I built a hopped-up variant with HobbyWing ESC and alloy dampers, reinforced suspension towers etc. It was still a bit disappointing. Too top heavy, cumbersome, not particularly quick. It's a nice modular chassis, but I don't think anyone will miss it. I'm almost certain the upcoming GF-02 will be heaps better out-of-the-box.

Personally I miss all those lovely Group C bodyshells. The Jaguar, 787B and F40. The C11 has made a reappearance recently but none of the others have.

I would also love a Juggernaut. It was like a more grown-up Clod, less toy-like. 

[Saito2 7355]

When are you going to sell me that awesome Juggernaut @Juggular? lol 

[isomer1 175]

Super Levant

Brushless 4wd w/ slip diff 

Wish it had been a kit, and they just killed the marketing with a name like 'Levant'

[Juggular 5081]

On 10/20/2023 at 5:31 PM, Saito2 said:

When are you going to sell me that awesome Juggernaut @Juggular? lol 

lol... you don't have to hold your breath.  I have a feeling Mr. Tamiya would want to sell it to you sooner than me.  

 

[clobbo 33]

TA05 M-Four

Was neat and interesting idea in concept, but it was a flop because it used a 380 motor to drive.  Some aftermarket company in Japan made a 540 mount - I tried to get it sourced and shipped to Canada but it was a no-go.  I raced it in my modified mini-class, it handled pretty well and had infinite adjustability like a proper touring car, but the 380 motor held it back.  Had they made a 540-mount for it, I'm sure it would've done better.

[Pylon80 3482]

13 hours ago, clobbo said:

TA05 M-Four

Was neat and interesting idea in concept, but it was a flop because it used a 380 motor to drive.  Some aftermarket company in Japan made a 540 mount - I tried to get it sourced and shipped to Canada but it was a no-go.  I raced it in my modified mini-class, it handled pretty well and had infinite adjustability like a proper touring car, but the 380 motor held it back.  Had they made a 540-mount for it, I'm sure it would've done better.

I definitely thought about this one too, having seen a few on this forum. But I didn't know it was only compatible with 380 motors... What an odd limitation Tamiya!

[Honza 1127]

Not sure if it was a flop, but TB-03 wasn't certainly as popular as TB-02 or TA-05 was around here. 

I wish they'd re-release it with some modern touches, instead of TT-02 SRXXRC-V2 or whatever variant that Tamiya tried to replace the TB-series with 😀