Is Tamiya right for me?

[Shazamo]

So I have been into RC for a little over a year now and own 3 Tamiyas. I have 2X TT-02 and one TT02b. 
I really enjoy building them and driving them around with my son. Unfortunately, I am having a hard time justifying their cost. After ball bearing upgrades, brushless paint receiver and transmitter shocks and CV axles, PLUS PLUS PLUS. I feel like the value is not there. Especially with the TT02b I've had to upgrade to metal CV axles and GPM gears and diff just to keep it drivable and not self-destruct after going 3650 brushless power. 
After all the upgrades paint etc... I feel like I could just get an Arrma rc etc... for less money and more performance. 
Is Tamiya just for looking at and driving around slowly? 
My tt02b broke after crashing and parts cost more than a new one. Need U-shaped pin and A parts plus control arms. 
A brushless typhon from Arrma costs 330 which would be cheaper than a tt02b plus upgrades. 
Any advice is greatly appreciated. 

[BuggyDad]

Tamiya is not the cheapest way in, for the reasons you outlined. And they are neither as high performance as race cars nor as tough as RTR "bashers". But you get a build experience, scale shells etc., they are often more interestingly designed and some say they have more character. Therefore, it depends on what you value. 

I would also suggest that although TT-02 is about the cheapest Tamiya kit, it maybe isn't the best value if you're upgrading it. Other kits have both some of the upgrades already, plus far higher quality, for not that much more money when you cost in the "plus plus plus". 

[Albert Attaboy]

43 minutes ago, Shazamo said:

Is Tamiya just for looking at and driving around slowly?

For me that is true, that's why I don't own a Tamiya anymore.

I don't own the 3S Typhon but the 3S Senton and that thing is a blast to drive!

[ChrisRx718]

Yeah, Tamiya are a bit of a cult amongst the hobby and most of our members recognise and embrace that. If you're actually more interested in thrashing something which is radio controlled, doing stunts, jumps etc and speed runs, Tamiya isn't really a good return on investment.

For me they are good looking model cars which happen to be radio controlled, rather than prioritising RC. Form over function if you will. I also love to tinker / modify and I think Tamiya offer that in spades, both genuine "Hop Ups" and aftermarket.

I have dabbled in modern RC stuff (which is mostly RTR - another yucky turn-off) and I've eventually sold them on, despite their obvious performance advantages. A lot of those "basher brands" don't have the longevity that Tamiya offers either, because they're geared at the short-term interested parties, rather than the long-term enthusiast. They definitely have their place and I would never trash them as they have their merits, but for me they're more "toy" than hobby. And it's perfectly OK to have such a Toy on the shelf for when you just want to play outside. 

 

[F-150]

 

 I love Tamiya for the fun fun fun building experience, the extremely creative engineering and ideas they put into them, the body styles, they look real nice on the shelf and driving around .. 

They are really not made for hard core bashing, racing or setting any kind of performance records, lol they are just extremely cool looking and they drive around nice....just real fun. 

I hope they never fade away....it's a unique market in rc, unlike cookie cutter cars that all seem to be the same, associated, tlr, Schumacher, Traxxas, arma.....  All extremely awesome, don't get me wrong, but having the character of a Tamiya?...oh badword no.

Kyosho is the only company that has that similar character like Tamiya, but slightly better quality and performance than Tamiya 

 

 

[bRIBEGuy]

9 minutes ago, BuggyDad said:

Tamiya is not the cheapest way in, for the reasons you outlined. And they are neither as high performance as race cars nor as tough as RTR "bashers". But you get a build experience, scale shells etc., they are often more interestingly designed and some say they have more character. Therefore, it depends on what you value.

^^^ THIS.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Tamiya, but value and performance are not their strong points. 

Note: I apologize in advance, as this is likely about to get "ranty", and while some of this is in reply to @Shazamo, none of it is specifically directed at them.

One of my biggest current frustrations in RC, is how people will try to save money up front by buying the wrong thing, and then complain about how it sucks or doesn't work for them.  Savox servo's are a waste of money, so I bought this 1 million KG servo on amazon for $2 but it blew up after not being able to turn the wheels on my [enter car here]!  People buy a cheap Tamiya buggy instead of an XRay and then can't figure out why the XRay's at the track are faster and more durable.  I just read a post elsewhere about someone freaking out about how "crap" Tamiya rere buggies are because his kept braking under hard running with a high kv brushless setup with LiPo's.  Those cars are not designed for modern "bashing".  They're not designed for brushless.  They are not even designed for LiPo in some cases.  They are a true-to-the-time reproduction of a car that is 25+ years old.  You can throw all the tamiya blue at your car that you want (or likely the off brand version since it will save a few bucks...), but you're not gonna transform a DT03 into a B7.  If your car came with a silver can motor... give some thought to what it was designed for.

The TT02 is what, like 12 years old now?  It's cheap, looks really good with the shells Tamiya pumps out, and is fun for scale driving or spec classes.  Beyond that?  Proceed at your own risk.

So where is this all going?  Probably nowhere productive... into the abyss of the internet to upset some, and make a few nod in agreement.

Tamiya can be a GREAT way to get into the hobby if you like building, tinkering, scale details, fun, and realistic driving.  If you are after speed, durability, and your focus is hardcore shenanigans, there are better companies out there who would love your $$$.  Most general RC people would probably be far better off with a Traxxas Slash or an Arrma somethingorother if they're looking for turnkey antics for the digital age.

Just my 2 cents...

[Pylon80]

I have little to add to what @BuggyDad and others have written, but I thought I would mention this: I have found a retro website with scans of all the RC car (paper) magazines of my childhood (in France) and I was reading yesterday an article from '96 on how someone had managed to race a TA-03F at a national championship (not a TCS race). The article begins with "ok, Tamiya is the best brand for beginners and scale enthusiast and a great way to enter the hobby etc..." and basically the article was explaining how bold it had been to enter a TA-03 in serious racing, the many customs mods required and so on. A great read, but I immediately though about how fascinating it was, that almost 30 years later, Tamiya is still there, still making scale shells, still a great way to start in RC cars (...TT-02...) but expensive and a slippery slope when you dive down the rabbit hole of hop-ups. Not much has changed and I like it that way!

I think someone who really wants to race TC will end up with an XRay or similar, someone who really wants to bash will end up with an Aarma/Traxxas, someone who wants to race buggies will get a TLR etc. That does not change the fact that a Tamiya (any Tamiya really) is a wonderful entry into the hobby. The trick is to know when to call it quits with the hop-ups

[toyolien]

5 minutes ago, Pylon80 said:

The trick is to know when to call it quits with the hop-ups

Surely that's when there are no more hop ups for that  particular chassis available?

[F-150]

You all forgot....Tamiya has the best smelling rubber tires when you sniff the box(wow did I just write that) no offense to the ladies....wow...I gotta stop, slap me will smith, wow...ok I'm done.

[F-150]

15 minutes ago, Pylon80 said:

 @BuggyDad trick is to know when to call it quits with the hop-ups

I got a dt03 racing fighter last year and got every and I mean every hop up possible for a dt03.

I fell down that hole from time to time 

[Kowalski86]

 

2 hours ago, Shazamo said:

Is Tamiya just for looking at and driving around slowly? 

Unless if its TRF, I would say yes. I've been gravitating towards Chinese brands since they can do the "looking good and driving slowly" bit, while being significantly cheaper to buy (and upgrade) and still being very "scale". Note the lack of body posts:

And yes Tamiya generally isn't good value, I buy 99% of mine used because it let's me skip bearings and whatever "fixes" that it might need. I tried building a NIB M05 and doing the "big 3" upgrades, I didn't like the experience much.

 

56 minutes ago, bRIBEGuy said:

One of my biggest current frustrations in RC, is how people will try to save money up front by buying the wrong thing, and then complain about how it sucks or doesn't work for them.  Savox servo's are a waste of money, so I bought this 1 million KG servo on amazon for $2 but it blew up after not being able to turn the wheels on my [enter car here]!  People buy a cheap Tamiya buggy instead of an XRay and then can't figure out why the XRay's at the track are faster and more durable.  I just read a post elsewhere about someone freaking out about how "crap" Tamiya rere buggies are because his kept braking under hard running with a high kv brushless setup with LiPo's. 

This is how I feel too, you can't expect to buy a Mitsubishi Mirage, shove a turbo 4 into it, and immediately take on the Baja 1000.

All "entry level" RCs are going to need upgrades as you bump up the power, especially if you plan on jumping curbs or doing crazy stunts.

Just the other day at my LHS, someone bought in an "indestructible" Traxxas Slash with a broken a arm, castor, hub, bulkhead nylon thing. No matter how durable your RC is or how many upgrades you toss at it, you won't defeat physics.

[Kpowell911]

2 hours ago, Shazamo said:

Is Tamiya just for looking at and driving around slowly? 
 

Pretty much yes, and the nostalgia from having them as a kid in the 80’s & 90’s. To own one to use frequently im 2024 when you have no attachment to the brand is silly in my opinion and you’d be much better off with an Arrma, Traxxas etc

[BuggyDad]

I also think Tamiya is not just the entry point. It depends where you want to take things. If that is to tinker, change, solve problems etc then it can be for that person too. I mean I could buy an RTR that wouldn't have these problems but there's only so much joy I'd get out of driving that round and round the yard.

It sounds like I'm saying "worse is better" or some such and, well, I guess for some folk (me included) in some ways it is. 

Eg my DT-03 is now pretty tough and drives pretty well, but out of the box it was neither. Those mods and upgrades are the result of a year of experimenting, breaking it, creativity etc. For whatever I've spent on it I could've simply bought something much better but I wouldn't have got that pleasure and experience, which for me is a big part of it. 

That for me is the other pro-Tamiya argument. Many would think that argument perverse, or just plain nonsense, and I think they're as right as I am right saying the opposite - it's entirely subjective. 

[Kpowell911]

40 minutes ago, Pylon80 said:

still a great way to start in RC cars (...TT-02...)

Im not sure about this. Its a great (only?)  way to get into what the RC hobby was in the 80s/90’s, but surely the normal route now is an rtr with it all in the box?

[skom25]

Tamiya is nice if you want to...

Have some fun with build and like to improve things. You can find own solutions or buy dedicated Hop Ups.

If you prefer to buy kit, build it or just run, Tamiya is no go. 

There are nice kits straight from the box, but they are quite expensive and I am sure that there are better offers on market.

[Pylon80]

8 minutes ago, Kpowell911 said:

Im not sure about this. Its a great (only?)  way to get into what the RC hobby was in the 80s/90’s, but surely the normal route now is an rtr with it all in the box?

To each his own. That is the good old debate of instant gratification vs. the pleasure of seeing something grow evenings after evenings of tinkering, and culminating with a truly unique finished vehicle. You can't buy that. This is what I meant.

[Kpowell911]

Just now, Pylon80 said:

To each his own. That is the good old debate of instant gratification vs. the pleasure of seeing something grow evenings after evenings of tinkering, and culminating with a truly unique finished vehicle. You can't buy that. This is what I meant.

Agreed, but if we were getting into the hobby for the first time today (with no outside help or opinions) Im not sure the kit would be choice most of us would make

[alvinlwh]

.

[skom25]

You have to also remember, that cheap Tamiya kits are... not so cheap. 

You have to buy ESC, because it is still not included in many kits. Then you need servo, radio and receiver. Bearings are MUST HAVE. 

You have to finish body, so Paint is next cost.

There is one advantage of Tamiya kits, over RTR. You have to build it, so there is a chance, that you will be able to service it.

 

[markbt73]

If you're asking the question, then no, Tamiya products probably aren't right for you.

They are, however, very very right for some of us.

That's what makes the world interesting: if you don't like something, you don't need to waste time/money/energy on it; you can look for something else you do like.

[Juggular]

I feel Tamiya isn't really for American style "bashing."  For speed, perhaps Arrma trucks going 50 miles (80km) per hour would be better suited. (That would be the scale speed of 500 miles per hour!) 

Tamiya even steps back when they go too fast. 

The Tamiya engineer of MB-01 said that the original intent of M-chassis was started to 'enjoy the bodies.'  But M-07 and M-08 was becoming a bit too professional. So they pulled back and built MB-01 chassis. Now people can run M-chassis at a leisurely pace.  Literally, they built a new chassis to chill.  Tamiya is model first, RC second.  They are #1 in the world in scale models.  That's why their shells look great. And building experience is an important factor.  So 1) scale, 2) building experience. How fast they run is 3rd for them.  They certainly have the engineering skills to make everything at TRF level, but they don't seem to want to.  

There is nothing wrong with upgrading to the blue max. But my own rule is 15-20% upgrades.  For a $200 chassis, I wouldn't spend more than $40.  (Bearings are like 25 cents, so I don't count them in the price.)  If I wanted performance, I'd have paid $50 more for M-08, rather than upgrading MB-01 to the max.  I only spent about $15 for kingpin balls and $15 shocks.  I am sorry to say that TT-02 is one of those entry level chassis (then again, most Tamiya chassis are entry levels).  

Not everybody should care about the looks or building experiences.  If speed and crash worthiness is important, I'm afraid Tamiya might not be the best in those regards.  

 

[Kowalski86]

17 minutes ago, Juggular said:

The Tamiya engineer of MB-01 said that the original intent of M-chassis was started to 'enjoy the bodies.' 

That's a good point, and one that I often remind myself.

I recall that one of Tamiyas very first RCs (a Porsche 934?), was essentially a motorized model. And they've stuck with that idea ever since for their entry level on-roaders.

The whole hop-up "bling" goofiness came later, and really went crazy with the TT01.

[Rinskie]

Tamiya is not, never has been or never will be anything more than working models. If you have the right mentality to appreciate this then yes, they are for you. 

[toyolien]

1 minute ago, Rinskie said:

Tamiya is not, never has been or never will be anything more than working models. If you have the right mentality to appreciate this then yes, they are for you. 

I think some of their "chassis only" cars couldn't be described as working models. All the TRF cars, and chassis like the XV-02, XM-01 and M-07/8 etc are build to race.

[BuggyDad]

15 minutes ago, toyolien said:

I think some of their "chassis only" cars couldn't be described as working models. All the TRF cars, and chassis like the XV-02, XM-01 and M-07/8 etc are build to race.

Yeah it might be fair to say that they were 'models made to work" foremost, (and certainly they have their idiosyncrasies) but they offer much more than that when you look at the whole range. In many cases they're genuinely good, they're just not backflip bashers or pro race winners. Instead they occupy different positions in a wide market. 

Examples: the BBX is very well liked for what it is (retro but tough enough for modern power and an interesting design). The TD2/4, although a lot of people dislike the looks, are said to be quite fast as racers while being an interesting design in an uninteresting field, the DT-03 is a great entry level buggy kit for the money (kit could be had for £65 at one point), the XVs are competitive in rally. 

To use another car analogy, if you wanted to race around a track competitively you'd do better with a specialist car obviously but for most of us a VW Golf (or whatever; choose your alternative) is a darn good product for our use case. Not many of us want to race a car round a track.