Which Beetle to pick for the holidays at the beach?

[WhteRbt 103]

Another „What if“ question, as I am currently in the mood…

What if you would have a NIB Sand Scorcher, a NIB Blitzer Beetle and a NIB Monster Beetle Black Edition (all Re-Res). What if you would go to the beach in May – which one would you build before and take with you for a spin on the beach?

You can only choose one of the cars. Expect them to be run stock, maybe with a Torque or Sport Tuned brushed instead of the silver can…

So, dear Tamiya fans – which one would YOU pick?  And… WHY?

(I never had any of these cars before)

[Frog Jumper 4447]

Blitzer

[Saito2 8433]

Blitzer.

I look at things from a practical/clean-up point of view. Of the trio, the Monster Beetle is my favorite. Its also probably the worst to clean. Sand gets everywhere (even worse when there's a little moisture in it) and I can just envision the Monster Beetle's more "busy" suspension pivot design slowly grinding to a halt in damp sand.

The Sand Scorcher is probably the most iconic beach machine. Its lack of rear diff is beneficial on beach sand. The radio gear is tucked away in a clear radio crate. Some sealant added to the gearbox halves helps keep the gritty stuff out of the gears. But, it also has a more complicated series of suspension pivot points (the front mostly). While salt water will attack all metal fasteners, this can be more of an issue with the Sand Scorcher as those metal fasteners screw into metal parts as well.

The Blitzer is the most basic and "modern" of the three. Its the easiest to take apart and clean and doesn't have all the nooks and crannies where sand can hide like the Monster Beetle. I prefer something even simpler, the Lunch Box, but a monster van does not a Beetle make.

[markbt73 6222]

Blitzer. The flat-bottom tub won't get hung up on the sand, the big tires will keep it from sinking in, and the light weight will help too. Look from some big paddle tires for the rear if you really want to rip around in the sand. And use either rubber-sealed bearings, or stick with the plastic bushings. Metal-shielded bearings will get all gritty.

[Tamiyastef 3073]

Blitzer for all the reason's mentionned above 

[Twinfan 2443]

Yep, Blitzer but not the Sport Tuned if you're running on sand 

[Grumpy pants 5565]

Blitzer 100% everytime from personal experience.

[WhteRbt 103]

Wow, thanks a lot for this crystal clear voting at the moment, I appreciate all your votes and comments!

@Saito2 A very scientifically approach to answer this question, I like it! I never thought about cleaning or damaging the metal parts of the Scorcher; this would indeed be a big drama. I have a diff available for the Scorcher, but this wold be contra-productive for the beach environment and my Scorcher lacks (better: will lack) the radio box, as I will do a Scale interior and get rid of the old style radio box (but will keep all other „quirky“ features, like the rear torsion bars.  

@markbt73 Thanks a lot, you don't have by chance any vendor for paddle tyres at hand? The paddle tyres of the Scorcer and Grasshopper will not fit the rims, as far as I see – but I am also willing to update the rims, as I am not a huge fan of the neon orange/red; but I may change this opinion when I see them live (as mentioned, I only know the Monster Beetle and Blitzer Bettle from pictures). And of course I will add bearings, the right ones, with the rubber-seals. I have a huge amount of them laying around…

It's funny. I really never liked the Monster Beetle that much, until I saw the Black Edition. Now I am fully into this 80's monster truck thing… and keep an eye on the budget at the same time, as I already blew up my RC budget for 2025… 😳😁

To keep this poll interesting, I will wait for more votes until Monday morning, 9 a.m. – the car winning this vote will be the car I take to the beach!  Why Monday – and not Sunday (tomorrow)? Well, the Tamica Offer of the Week changes in the night, and I have to admin I am hoping for a Super Clod Buster Black Edition offer… THAT would be another option but I don't think this will happen…

(And if this happens, my budget would be really bursted… 😂)

Thanks to all of you! 😊

[Frog Jumper 4447]

Front.  Unfortunately only one in this sale, but this is the style you want.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/126503957762?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=iz0w83PsSvG&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=-IHU6wS3Qt-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

Rear paddles.  There are a few brands.  HPI makes a nice 2:2 paddle too.
 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/197077342560?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=zeTLRjcJTzm&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=-IHU6wS3Qt-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[MadAnt 856]

It depends on how loose the beach sand is. If the sand is very loose and less compact, go for something with bigger/wider tires. 

For me, it's a coin flip between the Blitzer Beetle and the Monster Beetle.

The Monster Beetle has large chevron tires and is geared for torque.

The Blitzer Beetle will handle better and will be less likely to rollover.

Traction is going to be the issue, so factor in what tires will work best.

 

 

[Frog Jumper 4447]

No foams in your tires.  They act like sponges when they inevitably get wet driving on the beach.

I left my beach tires unglued so I can pull them off of the wheels and dump out any sand.

[Mad Ax 11371]

I agree why not to run the Monster Beetle for all the reasons stated, but the decision between Blitzer and Sand Scorcher is much harder.

I appreciate all the good reasons for running the Blitzer.  The flat bottom, the wide tyres, the light weight.  Mostly the parts are plastic, so they won't corrode, but the tub will fill with sand and the salt will get into your electrics if it's wet.  So you'll want to bag your radio and ESC and use a waterproof servo.  Also in my experience, the springs will corrode if salt is left on them.

The worst part (and easiest to overlook) is the suspension screw pins.  These are not stainless and will corrode if salt water gets into them.  Then they'll swell and lock up the suspension and be hard to remove.

I actually run my Blitzer and my Bear Hawk (same chassis) a lot on the beach but both have stainless suspension pins.  They're both very capable on flat sand, and lots of fun.

However, there is only one true car for the beach.  The clue is even in the name.

The Sand Scorcher comes with paddle tyres, locked rear diff and a waterproof radio tray.  The instructions (IIRC) even advise you to put some sealer on the transmission.  Well, if they don't, you can anyway.  And there's even a cover over the motor endbell, you don't get salt in the can.

Plus there's something about the way a Scorcher drives on sand that no other car can match.  Especially if it has that perfect, slightly damp consistency and rippled surface, where the suspension can work and the car can slide but still soft enough to throw up some rooster tails as you power out of corners.  SRBs don't really make sense on astro, grass, dirt or tarmac, unless you modify the suspension and fit a ball diff, but on the sand they are perfect.

I don't even worry about the metal parts.  The majority are brass, stainless or pot metal, which doesn't corrode like mild steel.  You don't even have coil springs to worry about.

Just bring a paintbrush to dust off all the sand after your run before you take off the radio cover, change batteries, and go out again.

[Nikko85 4388]

Not sure if it helps, but sand scorcher paddle tires will fit m chassis wheels, which might then first the blitzer beetle hex?

[Pizza Frog 786]

I've run a blitzer beetle on the beach (on damp sand)

The sand gets everywhere, inside the drive cups, and inside where the front joins the bulkhead, and will corrode some screws overnight unless parts of the car are washed under running water afterwards.   

I voted for the Blitzer, but I might be tempted more by a Sand Scorcher in certain situations.   I made a sand hopper (Grasshopper with Scorcher body) with the intention of running it on sand.  

[Gruntfuggly 581]

(Blitzer + brushless + lipo) / Smooth sand = FUN

Some more hints (lots have already been covered):

- make sure the battery is weill strapped in
- replace the suspension pins with shafts and e-clips
- replace self tappers with stainless steel machine screws
- put rubber o-rings inside the drives cups (wheel side and gearbox side)
- get a cheap and nasty shell because the sand will wreck it
- get a few spare dogbones because they will wear out 

 

[Krustybus 233]

Kyosho Beetle is the answer ;-) 

[WhteRbt 103]

15:4:2. Relatively close. 😅 There shall be a Blitzer!

@Krustybus: I think it is a great, great car and superior in every way, but I can’t stand the body… 😪

@Gruntfuggly: Thanks for the advices. I already thought about going bonkers and add a Brushless combo to it just for fun. Every of the three Beetles should have a kind of „special capability“ ans the Blitzer could be „the fast one“. Any recommendations for a cheap combo?

Will check out the other suggestions as I build it. Already planned to use stainless steel (hex) hardware where possible and will add a Lexan body for bashing (another gift of a friend for building and painting his Sand Scorcher 🥰).

@Pizza Frog: Good to know, thanks! I will clean it after every drive und just to be clear: I don’t want to drive it directly near the water. Will try to stay on the sand (which may be damp, as you correctly pointed out).

@Nikko85: A great idea! Can someone confirm that? This should allow me to use the Grasshopper tyres (which are the same as the Sand Scorcher ones) on the Blitzer. I would also be able to just print an adapter as the front wheels should fit directly. 

@Mad Ax: Thanks a lot for taking the time and the long and detailed answer! 👍 I definitely will try to get some stainless steel suspension pins, a good advice!

About the Sand Scorcher. Yes, you're absolutely right with all your points. I should have mentioned that my Scorcher is not built yet and I will definitely not use the original electronics box. The „special capability“ of this car will be the scale look. I plan to add 3D printed parts to it which allow me to use a regular battery and an optimized steering. So this advantage isn’t the case anymore. With the motor and the non-existing diff, you are right. I have a diff laying around for the Scorcher, but this would be contra productive for the sandy environment. On the other hand, I could find a way to lock the diff on the Blitzer and use a closed Brushless motor to avoid sand getting into it…

The only thing I really gonna miss is the look. You have had described it so well, I will think about this on the beach. Maybe I get the Scorcher finished until then and if we have room left (it is a camping trip), I may add it as a bonus car… 🤔🙂

@MadAnt: Good point with the tires! I formerly thought everyone would recommend the Monster Beetle exactly because of the environment of loose sand. As far as I remember, it is loose, but not very loose. I don’t plan to drive in the dunes for example. 😉

@Frog Jumper: Thanks for the links and the hint about glueing. If I am able to fit the Grasshopper/Scorcher wheels, there would be no need for any glue, as they are fixed with screws…

[Krustybus 233]

3 minutes ago, WhteRbt said:

15:4:2. Relatively close. 😅 There shall be a Blitzer!

@Krustybus: I think it is a great, great car and superior in every way, but I can’t stand the body… 😪

 

@WhteRbt I know what you mean, it's not a patch on a Tamiya body but the chassis is great. I have both a Blitzer and a Kyosho, I need to offer the Blitzer body up to see if there's any possibilities...

[Nikko85 4388]

2 minutes ago, WhteRbt said:

 

@Nikko85: A great idea! Can someone confirm that? This should allow me to use the Grasshopper tyres (which are the same as the Sand Scorcher ones) on the Blitzer. I would also be able to just print an adapter as the front wheels should fit directly. 

 

Fit quite tight so no need to glue. IIRC I needed to cut the ribs off the Abarth wheels which run transversely across the two ribs, as that's where the tires fit. The beetle wheels were simply pop on.

I think it was @OoALEJOoO who first showed me this.

 

[OoALEJOoO 3611]

Indeed, the Sand Scorcher paddle tires (and therefore I guess, also the spiked versions) fit into M-sized wheels as @Nikko85 points out. They fit quite naturally on the center slot, which some wheels have ribs that need to be trimmed. I think paddles are among the best looking tires Tamiya has released.

@WhteRbt although the Blitzer does have 12mm hexes, you might want to check if the upright hubs interfere with a M-size wheel given they have a much smaller diameter than the Blitzer's 2.2 inch.

[WhteRbt 103]

Very cool idea, thanks a lot to both of you!

That would be a very cool option to add paddles to the front and rear of the Blitzer — they look sharp! Could go with the VW Beetle rims, remove the chrome and add some hubcaps – or the rims posted by you, @OoALEJOoO, which look also real nice.

I may borrow the tyres for the holidays from both kits (thinking about getting another tyres for the Scorcher anyway) and purchase a set of M-Chassis rims, just to try them out… 🤠

[WhteRbt 103]

Update: I just noticed that the Blitzer doesn’t have a 12 mm hex at the front – the rims contain bearings… 😪

[OoALEJOoO 3611]

@WhteRbt It's ok if they don't fit in the front since paddles perform their function best on tractive wheels. On the Blitzer, putting them on the front might actually make it understeer since its RWD.

[WhteRbt 103]

Good to know! 👍

So on the front you would recommend something like the front tires of the GH/SC?

May find a set of matching rims anyway to keep a consistent look. I know there are outer inlays available for the original GH/SC wheels which look like VW steel rims… could be an option to print something (and a hex adapter)…

[Frog Jumper 4447]

One last blurb of advice for beach driving.  Wipe down the car with an oily rag first.  Polish every little bit, especially the metal parts.  Wipe off excess with a dry rag.  The minimal oil will help prevent rust and corrosion.

After driving, give the car a good washing with clean fresh water to get all the sand (salt) off.  Hand dry with clean towel, and then wipe with oily rag.

I take my Bush Devil ORV to the beach every year and this is knowledge gained from learning from my mistakes.