Tamiya On-Road Nitro Kits

[Siclick33 215]

I have recently got back into the hobby and have been solely acquiring Tamiya kits. Back in the day, I used to have a really nice HPI nitro kit but, disappointingly, it isn't available any more (and there is no equivalent on-road kit from HPI). Not only that, but there doesn't seem to be that many nitro kits for sale at all. I understand that Tamiya are unlikely to release any more in the future. I'm primarily still staying electric but would like one nitro model in the collection.

With that in mind, and also taking into account my almost exclusive collection of Tamiya, I started looking around to see what older Tamiya nitro kits might be lingering around. They do occasionally come up on eBay but I have no idea if I would be able to get spares, or which of the Tamiya nitro chassis' are the best to look for.

This search led me to the Kyosho FW-06, which appears to tick my boxes; I'm just slightly disappointed that it won't be a Tamiya but it looks good value and hopefully spares would be easier to come by. Do you think that I'm better off going for the Kyosho, or is there benefit in continuing to look for a TG10 or a TGX (or something else Tamiya)? It would only be for occasional leisure use and not racing.

I think I've made up my mind but just wanted to double-check with the experts before I part with my hard earned cash.

[Re-Bugged 11901]

I’m in the same sort of boat as you @Siclick33, I have a 12 year old Thunder Tiger Nitro buggy that I love when I get to take out. But parts (and fuel) are a problem now.

Kyosho are really about all that are out there for non racers I believe. The Inferno 3.0 would be a good substitute for me.

I’ve been on the lookout for a suitable On-Road Nitro for a Mustang body I have, the FW-06 is getting thin on the ground here now though. I just don’t think there’s enough interest in Nitro for casual use anymore for hobby shops to stock them. Which is a shame.

Sorry I can’t help with the Tamiya side of Nitro but @acprc might be able to?

 

Edit :- I could also never work out if the FW-06 chassis came with electric’s and Transmitter or not??

[guggles 340]

@Siclick33 Tamiya does still make a TG10 kit but its pretty much only available import from japan. And its pretty expensive for a 4wd touring car to just play with

Does it have to be a 4wd touring car? And what manufactures does your local hobby store get?

Like @Re-Bugged said the Kyosho nitro touring car and 1/8 buggys are good options. But unless you can guarantee good parts support I would shy away from.

 

I think Hobao makes a 1/8th scale nitro 4wd chassis, or they did until relatively recently. I think its based off the hyper platform, not a bad option.

If it were me? I would just get a nitro rustler, because they are simple, can get all the parts cheap and are still pretty good at just running around onroad. You could get some onroad 2.2 tires and stiffen up the suspension up a bit. As much as 1/10 nitro touring is so cool and alluring, really they are best for a track or a really clean and smooth surface. Id only take mine out on a freshly paved lot. And you cant always find a clean fresh parking lot. 

Atleast the nitro truck gives you some options to run on. 

 

 

 

[scoobybooster 391]

If you really want to stay onroad, it will be rather difficult with Tamiya:
TG10 MK1 is long gone, so hard to find. Prizes are high as meanwhile collectible and spare parts are largely no longer available.
TG10MK2 is the follower- here the most important spare parts are still available new, but here too collectors have long since started to secure the rare parts and cars. There are also numerous variants, which does not exactly simplify the management of spare parts.
The TNS Series is still spurned by the collectors, but there are only few models and spares are not widely seen. Cars and parts pop up on auction sites from tome to time, but bargains are rare.
It should also be noted that the electric variants such as TT-01/02 etc. have virtually no parts compatibility.

The TGX /TGR Series has long since risen to the collector's Olympus,  and the cars are also larger (1:8). While some chassis are still to be found for reasonable money, spare parts and bodies have become rare and are accordingly high prized.

If you want to stick with Tamiya and drive nitro, I recommend looking at something off road. Unlike the touring cars, there are still a relatively large number of spare parts available, and complete cars such as TNX and TGM can be bought for relatively little money from time to time. 
An insider tip in my eyes are the NDF buggies. These are very robust and relatively inexpensive to operate, even if they have long since been discontinued, most parts and cars are still available at an affordable price.

[acprc 1590]

I think most has already been said above. Tamiya has pretty much ditched nitro from its range now and the on road car parts are hard to find and expensive. I agree though that the TNX, TGM and NDF-01 buggies are a good alternative. Even these though have some really hard to find genuine Tamiya parts. The TNX and TGM fuel tanks are difficult to find and demand a premium, genuine TNX range wheels are equally difficult. However, these are vintage and part of the fun is finding the parts and restoring the cars.

One other kit to consider is the TNS-B range of buggies. A few about and pretty robust. Also they are engines with Tamiya branded Force engines so parts are very much easier to find. 

[Siclick33 215]

Thanks for all the replies.

I occasionally see TG10 Mk1's (even NIB) come up at affordable prices, so I'll have a think to see if I want to go down that route. If I do, then it might be a slower restoration project rather than a new build. NIB TG10 Mk2's are expensive but also available on the mighty auction site.

The Kyosho might fit me best at the moment. It looks like they are also getting harder to find now but they're still available for £330ish including engine, so it might be one to put in the stock before they disappear forever. 

[Jonesy924 240]

Maybe consider a Kyosho pureten, Superten or GP spider chassis. I've rebuilt a pureten chassis this year just waiting on body and wheels to finish. Parts are still available either nos or good used parts. 

[Siclick33 215]

So it's not Tamiya, but this has arrived 

I have also started to slowly acquire some TG10Mk1 and Mk2 parts, with a view to trying to get enough spares to make it worth building up one or two Tamiya nitros.

[guggles 340]

Beauty! Let us know how the build goes please! What body do you want to fit?

[Siclick33 215]

I have this Kyosho body for it, although mine is the clear version that I will have to paint!

The build looks pretty straightforward but the instructions on oil/grease for the diff aren't completely clear. It mentions that you need oil AND grease, but my understanding is that it is one or the other. I have diff oil ready for the build, which will mostly take place over Christmas.

[Rijkvv 88]

Sorry for the topic kick, but I think it's dealing with the same subject so no reason to open a new topic I'd say.

After some thought about tinkering with rebuildable brushed motors I'm now considering starting with nitro. If I don't want a carefree chassis anyway, why not go for the full experience of a combustion engine? With the noise (music) there are not a lot of offroad places where I wouldn't get into trouble, so I think onroad would be my best bet. Most buggies look boring IMO anyway.

HPI is about the only nitro brand I'm interested in supported by the LHS (the Losi 8ight looks decent to me, that brand is supported by a slightly less local hobby shop), and thought about getting a WR8. I would've liked to build a kit, but I wonder if I should start with a RTR, and one supported by a LHS at that so I could get back to them if I run into difficulties.

If local support isn't important, I could order a Kyosho, I have to read a bit more into those to decide which one. 1/8 is more for buggies? Do 1/10 onroad nitros fit standard 1/10 bodies? That's what worries me a bit about that HPI, which seems like an oddball to me dimensions-wise. Last but not least: should I start with an RTR if it's my first nitro, or would a kit be no problem?

[Siclick33 215]

I'm not going to be much help here, as I'm not the most knowledgeable on this subject, but some thoughts from me.

I have a background in rc airplanes and helis so I was used to nitro engines. That said, if they are new to you then local support (either a LHS or a club) would be beneficial. My first nitro kit was a HPI RS4 and it was a really nice kit. I actually looked for an HPI kit before I bought this Kyosho but they only seem to do RTRs now, which isn't my thing. The Kyosho FW06 is also really nice and isn't that hard to build (but possibly very slightly more difficult than an electric model).

As for bodyshells, I'm not an expert here. The AMG body that I bought for the Kyosho FW06 was recommended for this model, which is why I bought it as I knew it would fit; there are also other recommended options (which appear to also be compatible with the electric Kyosho Fazer). The Kyosho FW06 is 1/10 and used to be sold as RTR but it is now only available as a kit - the bodies are not easy to find and they are expensive. Kyosho has recently released a 1/8 on road nitro RTR which looks nice, but it isn't cheap.

In summary, if you're happy with RTR then maybe go with what your LHS has. If you want the fun and satisfaction of building a kit (and, therefore, also knowing how to take it apart if you need to fix it) then I would highly recommend the Kyosho FW06, as long as you can get a body for it!

[Siclick33 215]

All finished.

It looks better in real life! This was the clear body and not the finished one available from Kyosho. It was a lot of work (although it doesn't look like it, there are 5 different colours as well as all of the stickers) but I'm pleased with how it came out. Maybe next time I might consider the pre-finished body but it's a lot more expensive.