Which Tamiya of yours has the most mileage/driving time?

[Smokescreen38 221]

Curious as to which cars you guys have driven the most.  Is this the case because this particular vehicle was the most fun to drive? The most versatile? Most reliable? 

Mine is the Dynahead. I’ve gushed about this model before so apologies in advance in case anyone may have read my previous blathering. I’ve taken it on several multi mile trail drives, bashed (gently) in dirt lots, blasted through snow quite a few times. I’ve even successfully traversed the competition crawler course at the local hobby shop. 

Despite running a relatively powerful Hobbywing 4000kv sensored motor on 3s, the drivetrain has been bulletproof.  

The Dynahead has been my pick because of its versatility. It has a ton of character, interesting driving mechanics with the four-wheel-steering. It’s surprisingly capable thanks to tons of traction and fair ground clearance.  Also, nobody else seems to have one of these around here so it’s pretty unique too. 

[Saito2 8484]

Probably a tossup between my first Tamiya, a Lunch Box:

...and my Monster Beetle:

 

The Lunch Box, being my first and only hobby-grade RC for some time in my youth, plus the time and energy to run it nearly daily, got a lot of "miles" put on it. It never skipped a beat. The Monster Beetle was the one that got me hooked on Tamiya and I grab it for a run most often. Its somewhat more capable and always brings a smile to my face. Other than those two, I drive Hotshot family buggies a good bit, but those chores are broken up between a Hotshot, Super Shot and Bigwig, so not just one vehicle gets all the mileage.

[Andreas W 3149]

That's without doubt my M-05. Got it in 2013 (but built it in 2022) starting as a (too heavily) hopped up Golf MK1 with a Torque tuned and got rebuilt this year with brushless and high gear set with a Suzuki Swift body, because I wanted a body that could accomodate full size TC wheels. 

 

The season starts some time in March and fades out in late October mostly. It is the car I start every postal racing round with to get to know a new course.

[CMshooter 169]

Of the current fleet, my Clodbuster has to be the one with the most run time.  I bought it used 20 some years ago.  It had a clodzilla chassis and had been run ragged then.  I rebuilt and redesigned it several times.  The current version is dated in some ways, but crawls and trails well.

[mtbkym01 4914]

Definitely my original fox, from back in the 80’s, this poor thing got bashed and then raced to within an inch of its life. Not sure if I have a pic of it running anymore, but here’s how it gets to enjoy its retirement now

[Mad Ax 11447]

Ooh, tricky question.  If we're including racing, then the M03.  I raced it at club level back in the late 00s / early 10s, then it sat idle for a few years until I started racing a few Iconic Cup rounds.  Last year it did all 6 rounds with me, plus a few practice days, but is now retired as I'm taking a break from Iconic Cup this year and the M05 has taken over as the car to run in M-chassis.

Excluding racing, it's hard to say for sure.  My King Blackfoot was a perennial fave for a very long time, but was a close contender with the Blitzer Beetle.  Both are great fun to rag around the garden but also fast enough in bigger spaces.  Both have done race duty and been taken to practice meets.

The Bear Hawk also got a lot of use in the pandemic years, as it was my go-to car for our family beach trips.  My SRB also got some use around that time but probably not enough to surpass the others.

The G6-01 is a strong contender for the crown, though.  I've had it less time than the KBF and Blitzer, but once I owned it, the others never got a look in.  It's the perfect rig for blasting around the garden, super fun to drive and is a very solid thing, but with the right battery it's a hoot on bigger ground and always gets loads of attention.  It's hard to see another Tamiya coming along and getting more solid use.

That said, even the G6-01 has taken a back-seat since I bought the MST MTX-1.  This diminutive monster truck is fast, robust, easy to drive and small enough for the garden, but still has all the solid axle monster truck dynamics of the much-bigger Losi LMT.  I know it doesn't count, since it's not a Tamiya, but if I have 5 spare minutes to kill, it's the one I'll grab.  On the other hand, if I'm going out to bigger ground, I'll take the LMT instead - so it won't rack up the miles as fast.

[ThunderDragonCy 9111]

It's a toss up between two for me. I built my Grasshopper 2 Ultra G back in 2018 about a year after I got back into the hobby, and despite it being a bit of a "see if I can" build, it was surprisingly delightful to drive and remains my comfort blanket "this will be fun" car when everything else is being annoying at all the track meets I go to. In 2018 I started attending the Tamiya Junkies track meets, so the combination of 100s of laps of Robin Hood Raceway plus occasional park running puts Ultra G as top buggy

Despite having owned my Thunder Dragon since I was 13 it doesn't get as much running as my 2wd buggies.

Vying for the prize is my FF01. Despite not racing over nearly three years, I still occasionally get yo the club track to run it for an hour or so, and I did almost a whole season outdoors plus practice days with it in 2021. I just love it!

 

[chris.alex 1944]

Probably my good old DT02 Desert Gator. 

[Mouc-RC 921]

Certainly my Super Blackfoot back in the days. Not Mileage. Light-Yearage would be appropriate. Body finished as a true wreck, but the chassis proved itself unbreakable!

[magnumb 257]

I'd have to say it's MST MTX-1 for me. Overall just a nice sized monster truck to run around with a super smooth drivetrain so you can hear the bigger tires making contact with the surfaces it's running on. The quality of the parts is super impressive, and the chassis is very cool on this model. 

For Tamiya it's between the Fire Dragon and Clod right now. I'll never get rid of them. I also LOVE my GF-01FT for running in the snow!!

 

 

[MadAnt 887]

My first hobby electric, my old vintage grasshopper that I still have is probably one of if not has the most mileage in my collection I would assume. It lived a hard life of abuse and has had many evolutions through the years. From buggy to truck, to monster buggy, back to buggy, then on-road car and back to buggy again, it has been a cheap form of fun. It does not get much use anymore, I now take it easy on the poor buggy.

 

[Pylon80 4308]

7 hours ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

It's a toss up between two for me. I built my Grasshopper 2 Ultra G back in 2018 about a year after I got back into the hobby, and despite it being a bit of a "see if I can" build, it was surprisingly delightful to drive and remains my comfort blanket "this will be fun" car when everything else is being annoying at all the track meets I go to. In 2018 I started attending the Tamiya Junkies track meets, so the combination of 100s of laps of Robin Hood Raceway plus occasional park running puts Ultra G as top buggy

Despite having owned my Thunder Dragon since I was 13 it doesn't get as much running as my 2wd buggies.

Vying for the prize is my FF01. Despite not racing over nearly three years, I still occasionally get yo the club track to run it for an hour or so, and I did almost a whole season outdoors plus practice days with it in 2021. I just love it!

 

Totally off topic but I like the stick Tx with the travel limiters Cy. Simple but effective!

@Andreas W same for me, the M-05 is the most nimble, best driving of all my cars and the one I drive the most. But the B7D, being driven at least an hour at a time to make the trip to the track (and entrance fee...) worth it might take the lead soon though.

[donfilippo 762]

My DT-02 gets the most usage of all my cars. Somehow it became my go-to car for all occassions. Just like this afternoon when I needed a bit of RC after a home-office day. It started raining soon, but I didn't care.

 

[Exit13 780]

Definitely my GF01

https://imgur.com/a/SGwcidP

[Hypoxic 818]

Lunchbox. It makes me laugh every run even if the servo saver gets busted (I have a small stock now and can change them out like a Jackrabbit on a hot date).

[Nick-W 2058]

My DT-03 in terms of hours or carpet TT-02 in sheer abuse. Both have proven exceptionally reliable given the state of my driving. 
 

[ThunderDragonCy 9111]

4 hours ago, Pylon80 said:

Totally off topic but I like the stick Tx with the travel limiters Cy. Simple but effective!

Thanks! Few quid on a regular 3d printer. Can send you the file if you like. Can't get on with triggers and wheels!

[Collin 2145]

1 hour ago, Nick-W said:

Yes this looks llike after 24h endurance : )

Mine is my oldes and most beloved in my collection, the TR-18T

[Pylon80 4308]

4 minutes ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

Thanks! Few quid on a regular 3d printer. Can send you the file if you like. Can't get on with triggers and wheels!

Thanks. I went overboard (as often) with a 4GRS last year 🙄 mainly as I was obsessed with having antenna-less receivers. Doing it again I think I would just get the Flysky radio

[Rally! 155]

The 959. 

[ADRay1000 745]

definitely my Lunchbox and Minis I had late 80s / late 90s. like most things, the memory is that I would spend all day driving my LB when I was 10.

as for the current collection, probably the CC02, only because it’s been so reliable and fun to take on short hikes. It has never given me an ounce of trouble. 

my Frog (2005) gets run less, but it’s a different thing. I’ve lost the front upright pins on both sides more than once. easy fix but takes a day. 

my Monster Beetle (2015) has spent the most time on the bench. 

[markbt73 6271]

My good old CC-01 Pajero. I honestly don't know how it's still holding together, much less driving. I've been beating the stuffing out of it pretty much continuously since I built it in 2010. Tub, rear axle, front suspension, gears, and driveshaft are all original. I treated it to some new shocks and an aluminum steering set a couple years ago. It's on its fourth body.

I have a Grasshopper and an RC10 that could probably lay claim to more miles driven, but they're both complete ships of Theseus at this point, so I can't really count them.

[Eric Bloodsmith 27]

23 hours ago, Nick-W said:

My DT-03 in terms of hours or carpet TT-02 in sheer abuse. Both have proven exceptionally reliable given the state of my driving. 

 

How are those half spike/half rib tires? I've wanted a pair since I saw them on the shelf at my LHS. I have a nice grassy area I think they'd do well on.

[Nick-W 2058]

3 hours ago, Eric Bloodsmith said:

How are those half spike/half rib tires? I've wanted a pair since I saw them on the shelf at my LHS. I have a nice grassy area I think they'd do well on.

Better than the ribbed ones that came with the kit but probably not as good as a modern spike tyre. They look really cool though! 

[TurnipJF 10969]

The car with the most mileage in my fleet would be this, my TL-01LA NSX.

My father bought it used from another racer who had campaigned it for a couple of seasons. He then raced it himself for a few years before passing it on to me. I now drive it in the postal races from time to time as well as in the racing league we have at work which specifies plastic chassis and 27t brushed motors but is otherwise unrestricted. 

Based on the box it came in, it appears to have started life as a Mercedes CLK-DTM, but that body was long gone when my father acquired it. He raced it with a Tamiya NSX shell, than a Blitz Alfa 156 when that met it's demise.

I set it up with a Matrixline Subaru WRX shell when I first acquired it, but my strongest memories of it are as the NSX my father raced, so when the opportunity arose to acquire a factory finished Tamiya NSX shell for it, I did so. This is purely for display though. It wears a generic race blob for running.