Avante 2011 (58489) - I told you it was coming back!

[Twinfan]

I've just seen this on Tamiyablog:  https://tamiyablog.com/2024/04/items-on-display-in-the-tamiya-booth-at-the-62nd-shizuoka-hobby-show-2024/

I assume as it's being displayed there's a run coming. The Fast Attack Vehicle is there as well for those who are interested.  I'm looking forward to getting the Avante for my NIB collection!  

EDIT: also on Tamico's Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/Tamico.Shop/

[skom25]

I do not have any knowledge about this, so I need to ask:

Does it mean, that all people who have Avante NIB, thinking that they have something nice and unique, now will start to shout and scream?  

[Twinfan]

Probably not, there have been enough re-runs of the 2011 kit so that it's not super rare.

The ones who are trying to sell them for inflated prices on eBay may be more worried...

[moffman]

I think anyone who buys an rc car, buggy, truck etc for financial gain should really think twice about those things as an investment especially anything tamiya!  the avante is a beautiful piece of miniature engineering and that’s what it should be celebrated for and tamiya are going to pump them out for year’s weather that’s in small batches or sustained runs like the sand scorcher simply because they do sell worldwide so it’s no surprise it’s on a future release date! So just enjoy it for what it is an iconic fantastic model rc buggy

[toyolien]

4 hours ago, moffman said:

I think anyone who buys an rc car, buggy, truck etc for financial gain should really think twice about those things as an investment especially anything tamiya!  the avante is a beautiful piece of miniature engineering and that’s what it should be celebrated for and tamiya are going to pump them out for year’s weather that’s in small batches or sustained runs like the sand scorcher simply because they do sell worldwide so it’s no surprise it’s on a future release date! So just enjoy it for what it is an iconic fantastic model rc buggy

Absolutely. Despite it's reluctance to win on the track, I'd say it's easily in the top three most iconic buggies of all time. I will hopefully be ordering one.

[BuggyDad]

5 minutes ago, toyolien said:

Absolutely. Despite it's reluctance to win on the track, I'd say it's easily in the top three most iconic buggies of all time. I will hopefully be ordering one.

Its looks have really started to grab me recently. I've been trying to buy a used Avante body for my TD4 and I'm temped to buy an Egress kit and stick an Avante 2001 body on it, so alongside my TD4 I could have a pair of "Not Avantes". I can't quite bring myself to buy a kit and build it as it should be. 

[Nick-W]

1 hour ago, toyolien said:

it's reluctance to win on the track,

This is how I'm going to refer to losing a race from now on

"How did the race go Darling?"

"Not great. The car was decidedly reluctant to win"

[skom25]

2 hours ago, toyolien said:

Absolutely. Despite it's reluctance to win on the track, I'd say it's easily in the top three most iconic buggies of all time. I will hopefully be ordering one.

I think it is the best sentence I read today or even this month

[Wandy]

It's the 2001 that they need to bring back, rather than another re-re-re of the 2011.

All the parts are there to bring back the 2001 so I have no idea what is stopping them from doing so.

[markbt73]

Huh, I knew there was a reason I didn't buy a Black Special last winter. Maybe I'll see if I can make this this year's Xmas gift...

[Twinfan]

4 minutes ago, Wandy said:

It's the 2001 that they need to bring back, rather than another re-re-re of the 2011.

All the parts are there to bring back the 2001 so I have no idea what is stopping them from doing so.

Lack of demand, probably.

[Wandy]

Just now, Twinfan said:

Lack of demand, probably.

They go for big money on ebay so I don't really buy that. A NIP set of 2001 wheels and the bodysets from 10 years ago go for crazy money.

[Twinfan]

Its there enough demand to sell thousands of kits though which would justify a production run? That's different to demand for parts for collectors and shelf queens. I'm not sure the 2001 has that kind of pull for many?

[GToddC5]

9 hours ago, Twinfan said:

 . . . I'm looking forward to getting the Avante for my NIB collection!  

OR instead of the long wait, I'm willing to offer you mine for the low cost of $700 US! 

 

Oh well, at least I remained on the fence for a FAV and will certainly watch for that one.

[toyolien]

4 hours ago, BuggyDad said:

Its looks have really started to grab me recently. I've been trying to buy a used Avante body for my TD4 and I'm temped to buy an Egress kit and stick an Avante 2001 body on it, so alongside my TD4 I could have a pair of "Not Avantes". I can't quite bring myself to buy a kit and build it as it should be. 

Sounds like some good ideas. Avante and Egress are so iconic looking.

2 hours ago, Nick-W said:

This is how I'm going to refer to losing a race from now on

"How did the race go Darling?"

"Not great. The car was decidedly reluctant to win"

You're welcome. I was going to say that it was rubbish on the racetrack, but thought it's 'reluctance' made it sounds like it could win, but didn't want to!

2 hours ago, skom25 said:

I think it is the best sentence I read today or even this month

Thanks very much 

[moffman]

4 hours ago, Twinfan said:

Its there enough demand to sell thousands of kits though which would justify a production run? That's different to demand for parts for collectors and shelf queens. I'm not sure the 2001 has that kind of pull for many?

I think tamiya got its fingers burned when they re-released the vqs(vanquish) and then the egress black edition (but that was partly their fault because they clearly didn’t put much effort into making it different from the original egress other than the colour) so I think they are going to be a bit reluctant to go for a 2001 any time soon but I honestly hope they prove me wrong!

[Wandy]

6 hours ago, Twinfan said:

Its there enough demand to sell thousands of kits though which would justify a production run? That's different to demand for parts for collectors and shelf queens. I'm not sure the 2001 has that kind of pull for many?

They have re-released far more obscure kits than the 2001 so I don't think it's that. I just think it's Tamiya being Tamiya and throwing darts at board and seeing where they land. A lot of their re-re's have been very logical but some of them really haven't.

Personally I think the 2001 would be a smash. It's the best looker of the LWB Avante chassis kits.

 

[Twinfan]

Look at moffman's post above, he makes a good point about the VQS.  I see the 2001 as similar.  I get that you're a big fan of it but I think you're in a small minority  

But Tamiya can be very unpredictable at times, and I'm wrong plenty of times, so who knows!  

[Snappy1]

As someone who did drop the crazy dollars for a VQS, I am very , very happy with it, I have modded it a fair bit and it’s fantastic, but the price set by Tamiya didn’t do sales a favour.

I would also jump at a 2001……

[Saito2]

The Avante 2001 was pretty obscure and not vey popular here in the States. Perhaps it was because the folks had been stung by the original Avante, which, despite its beauty, was not an effective racer. Maybe, like the Super Sabre, the writing was on the wall that the DF01 was the hot new kid on the block and the expensive Avante series was on the way out. Perhaps it was because off-road was beginning to slow down in the face of the oncoming touring car phase or maybe it was simply the high price, but the car doesn't have a big following here. If none of the Avante series had been re-released, everyone would clamor for the original Avante and the Egress first, then the Vanquish (and only because the Vanquish probably sold in higher numbers originally than the 2001). I'm personally not crazy about it because I find the shape and proportions of the original Avante so perfect that the bigger wing and stretched length of the 2001 never sat right with me. All that's just personal opinion so YMMV and I certainly don't consider its sales performance/popularity in the US to be indicative of worldwide interest.

There's also the issue of where to place it currently. The VQS is overpriced at $371 and the Egress is relatively cheap at $404 at the moment. Where would that put the 2001? $390? Tamiya would doubtless include the Egress's graphite chassis (as they oddly upgraded the original Avante's to graphite as well in the re-re). There's some cost in retouching and modifying the originally box art as well as going through the manual. Since the Avante isn't in constant production, downtime of cleaning out the wheel molds for white over orange probably isn't a factor though. Another 2001 bodyset run with white wheels would probably make more sense in the end, although, I'd wager if properly rereleased, the 2001 might sell better now, with collector demand, than it did originally.  

[Snappy1]

Does anyone have an idea of pricing for the 2001 on original release?  Compared to the rest of its family

[Saito2]

1 hour ago, Snappy1 said:

Does anyone have an idea of pricing for the 2001 on original release?  Compared to the rest of its family

I did some magazine diving and got some answers.

The Avante ran $289 without the Technigold motor and $309 with Technigold included. 

The Vanquish ran $220, roughly the price of a Clod Buster at the time.

The Egress came in at $329

Finally the Avante 2001 sold for $224.

 

I've seen the original Avante, Vanquish and Egress all discounted to $99 BITD. That's how I got my own Vanquish back then as a Christmas present (my only Christmas present my perturbed parents reminded me). By the time they were blowing Egresses out at $99, I was a broke college kid unfortunately.

[Marchie]

Looking forward very much to getting a 2011, this comes as good news indeed.

Originally rather liked to BS when I first saw it, but the more I see the 2011, the more I like it.

 

[toyolien]

12 minutes ago, Marchie said:

Looking forward very much to getting a 2011, this comes as good news indeed.

Originally rather liked to BS when I first saw it, but the more I see the 2011, the more I like it.

 

The obvious answer is to get both 👌

[Marchie]

Obvious, but also dangerous 😉