Introductions/Re-Introductions

[RichieRich]

Hello Team! Recently, there have been a few brave new members that have posted intro threads which is nice. I thought it might be a good time to start a thread where new members can introduce themselves as well as long-time established members. So, if you'd like, take a moment to write a brief introduction. Maybe include your rc origin story, how long in the hobby, your rc focus (TT02s, crawling, vintage, or whatever). This also might be a good time to update your location on your profiles. Obviously, location info can be as specific as you're comfortable with. Though, I would recommend not putting your home address. 

Anyways, have at it. I will add mine once this thread has a few posts. I just don't want to be first in this case. This is me flopping from extrovert to introvert. 

[markbt73]

All right, if nobody else will start, I will...

Hi, i'm Mark, 52, semi-retired, part-time blogger at The Autopian. Been posting here since 2007. RC addict since 1986 when I spent the summer mowing lawns and walking dogs to save up for a Grasshopper. I've raced competitively (carpet oval, dirt oval, spec M-chassis, modified Clods) but I never really was much good at it. These days I just mess around. I'm starting to build a track/play area/scaler trail course in my back yard. If it's slow, poor-handling, chain-driven, or some combination thereof, I'm into it. Currently have 60 models, give or take, mostly pre-1995 off-roaders or re-releases thereof, plus some scale trucks, rally cars, and a few other odds and ends. I'm partial to the Grasshopper/Hornet, Clod, TA01/02, ORV, Kyosho Optima, and Associated RC10 platforms. Starting to dive into 3D printing and CNC machining to make my own parts, and eventually, whole cars.

[ThunderDragonCy]

Now then team. As you might guess from my forum name, a Thunder Dragon was my first tamiya, for my 12th birthday in 1988. I have been slightly obsessed with Tamiyas since seeing a Grasshopper that my friend had a couple of years before. I still have that Thunder Dragon, albeit with almost no original parts, and after a big break I got back into things in 2017 with a cheap DT03. 

I am 49, based in North of England, Mechanical Engineer by trade, hence my inability to leave anything alone without trying to "improve" it.

Mostly a big fan of the shells no one else likes : Thunder Dragon, Saint Dragon, Grasshopper 2 etc. 

[Aerobert]

That's a good idea. I would like to re-introduce myself. I'm not sure if I would call myself a longtime member, even if I recently noticed that I had my 10th Tamiya-club anniversary last week. The last 15 - 18 month I had kinda lost completely my Tamiya-mojo and didn't done anything on my Tamiya cars. No maintenance, no purchasing or new build. And also no running on my Tamiya cars. I had lost completely the interest. Instead I was more into crawlers. In the last few weeks and especially days the interest came back slowly and I started to make a list what projects and maintenance I have to do on my cars. So I hope I will do some long overdue maintenance and finishing some projects when I'm back home.

A little bit to my person: I'm Robert, 47 and from Germany. I was relatively late to the RC party. When I was 27 I bought my first hobby-grade RC, a Kyosho Mini Inferno buggy. In my childhood I only had toy-grade RCs but was always fascinated by the 'real' RC cars in the catalogues. After that Mini-Inferno a lot of cars came and went. Today I have a little collection of about 15 cars, a wild mix.

Even if I wasn't active member on Tamiyaclub for the last year I like to welcome all the new members. 

[Saito2]

Hello. I'm 48 and have been fascinated by RC vehicles since age 4 or 5. In 1986, I saw a Monster Beetle kit during a trip to a hobby shop my grandfather frequented and promptly became hooked on Tamiya for life at that point. I scrimped and saved for a year to finally afford my second favorite Tamiya model, the Lunch Box. I still have it, although my collection has grown to over 75 vehicles now, 90% Tamiya with some Kyosho, and even vintage Losi/Associated thrown in. I try to collect Tamiya models from their first 100 offerings to keep the collection size manageable (good luck with that! lol) I love all the early monsters from the diminutive Lunch Box up to the mighty Clod Buster along with all the early 4wd families (Hotshot series, Thundershot series, Avante series). I've been here on Tamiyaclub since 2005 under my original "Saito" screen name and its still the nicest place on the internet.

Most of my life I restored antique cars professionally but have switched careers to one less physically taxing on the body. Now I assemble relatively complex machinery in a nice, clean, air-conditioned shop. I've always been driven create and work with my hands as it brings me the most satisfaction in life. I write fiction, draw, play guitar poorly and read old Marvel comics in my spare time

[JimBear]

I started up at Christmas Eve 1980 with a (toy) RC Corvette (red, with chrome rims) which I loved. Fast forward a few years, I spent my first paycheck by going into town, walked into the hobby shop, pointed at a Tamiya Monster Beetle and said: "that one, please". Had a lot of fun building and driving it for a short while. Went to University, studied and forgot about RC.

30-ish years later, fed up with little Junior wrecking "cheap" RC cars (30-40 euros a piece), we bought an RC LEGO Buggy. He loved to build it, but cheese in the sky, was it clunky and slow. Dad then vaguely remembered the name Tamiya and ran off to Ebay. Found a crusty clunker (DT-01). Since I got stuck about two minutes into trying to wake the clunker from the dead ... I looked for advice. And found Tamiyaclub. "Hello? Is the light on here?"

As for the real life, outside of RC, I've been doing ... what? Theatre, Ethnology, History and Linux (since about 1995, when that came in fat books and on CDs). I have relocated to Germany from Sweden, raising a family and trying to find a decent job. Which being 53 years young, in a different country is a fun ... challenge. 

I can't drive to save my life, so I am mostly looking at Junior zipping around with his cars (TT02, CW-01 Pumpkin, DT-01s and the Mercedes C11 - most impressive when it comes around the curve at an amazing speed). Me, I am more into being head mechanic and driving crawlers/trail trucks. 

 

[Nick-W]

Hey-up! I’m Nick. I live in a small village on the Essex border about 7 miles south of Cambridge. I’ve been kicking about the forum for about 3 years. I got back into the hobby after my wife brought me a Df-03 Dark Impact for my 40th birthday.
Back in the nineties I ran a TA-02sw Porsche Taisan GT2 with a far too powerful Infinity motor and a M-02 Mazda MX-5 in lurid metallic purple with alloy shocks (one set of bearings that I would swap between the two!).
These days, I’m interested in most kit based RC cars with a particular soft spot for the Tamiya XV-01 and the much maligned TD buggies. I recently received my first Kyosho as another present. I don’t really understand crawling and whilst I love the look of the vintage Tamiya monster trucks I never actually enjoyed running one. 
I raced a TT-02 for over a year during  2023 into 2024 at the Stevenage track but following change at work and a decline in my wife’s health that just hasn’t been possible lately. 

[Misterp180]

Hi everyone, I am Craig and I am from Worcester. Some of you might know me as the voice of The OAG RC over on YouTube and the Talks Tamiya Podcast (links below).
I got back into RC after a long break during lockdown. Originally I received a Kyosho Raider for my 9th birthday which we raced as kids against a second hand Grasshopper. We had so much fun with those RC buggies and I am lucky enough to still have them both.

In 2021 I built a DT03 and documented a restore build of a Raider on YouTube. Before I knew it I had a bunch of people watching me weekly and I was encouraged to keep building.

Each year I drive most of my RCs in the garden on a very small oval track called the Orchard Raceway. I run a time trial series each summer to see which of my RCs is the fastest and best to drive.

I love catching up on all the chat on Tamiyaclub. I wish I was more active in the community but life often gets in the way!

https://youtube.com/@theoagrc?si=btV6q0okHguZ1Wxk
 

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/talks-tamiya/id1791438380

[toyolien]

Great thread.

I'm also 48 and my RC interest began in 1986/7 when I attended a local carnival. In the field where the trucks finished there were all sorts of activities and stalls etc. One of these was a model car club that had put on some racing. I spotted what I later learned was an Optima Mid and CAT XLS. Those two bodies stuck with me.

Then, in 1988 I received a fully built and painted Boomerang for Christmas. I was hoping for a Grasshopper (as that was the cheapest for my folks to buy), but they went all out and managed to get me and my brother a Boomerang each. That Christmas has stuck in my mind ever since. The following year I got a Midnight Pumpkin kit which I enjoyed racing with my cousins Clod Buster. I then started swimming training and one of the guys there did RC racing. Me and my dad went along and I spotted a bright yellow XLS. I just had to start racing. I saved up and bought a second hand Manta Ray, then the following year, after getting hooked, I bought a second hand Procat. I raced with various vehicles including RC10, Cougar 2 Works and Cougar 2000. I gave up racing about 1998 after a year racing an RC10GT. I got into building and off roading full size Land Rovers instead.

Then, around 2008/9 my cousin sadly passed away and I was gifted his 1980's Clod Buster. The body was in real bad shape, but the chassis was fine. I then went down a rabbit hole with my Dad looking into turning it into a rock crawler. We decided against it and then began our 5 year long journey competing with competition rock crawlers and scale trucks. I also managed to get my dad into short course racing (Associated SC10's) and vintage 2wd buggy racing. Our last race was at our local club in 2018. I raced a Frog, and he raced my Wild One with Frog gearbox. The sun was shining and we both had the most amazing time racing each other. I didn't know that that would be our last race together, and he sadly passed away in 2019. Since then I've continued dabbling in RC and now enjoy the odd vintage race, building all sorts of Tamiya and Kyosho buggies as well as making stuff for my scale garage.

I'm pleased to be a member of this wonderful forum. Long may it continue.

[mtbkym01]

I’m Kym from down under, just turned 53 last week. I first got into RC when I was a young teenager in the 80's. Watching the promo videos in the store, flicking through the pages of my well read guide book, and finally getting a hobby grade RC (The Fox) after having a few toy grades. Started racing offroad back then after attending a Tamiya Challenge event, then moved to 1/8 nitro onroad for a while then went racing Motorcross for a few years. Around 2007/2008, a mate at work suggested we get a couple nitro offroaders to muck around with on our days off (shift worker at the time). Well didn't that reignite something deep inside, which bought back all the memories of when I was a kid, and the joy I got from my original Fox, which eventually led me to Tamiyaclub, the rest as they say is history.

[Gratuit]

I'm Didier from a small village in a beautyfull area in Belgium, between Liege, Aachen (in Germany) and Maastricht (Netherlands). I'm 43 and like many others, I first got a second hand Tamiya when I was around 12, a Monster Beetle. I really liked it, but soon had problems with the hex dogbones slipping. So I bought a new Porsche Taisan (TA02SW) and took part to some "races" organized by a shop near my place. I also got a TA03F-Pro. 
The shop also organized a 24 hours race in which everybody had to run standard TL01's (with only bearings, CVD's and CVA's allowed as hop-up's) with Citroen 2CV bodies. We were driving them on a small track in the pits of Spa-Francorchamps while the real 24 hours 2CV race took part. The only difference was the start time, that was 15:00 for us instead of 16:00 for the real cars. I took part to several editions (even winning one with the team, we could climb on the highest place of the real Francorchamps podium, that's something when you're 18!).
Then I went to high school, slowly lost interest in RC cars and sold a big part of the collection. The only car left was a TL01 that had been used for a 24h race, that was stolen during another race.
That was the end of part one... I went into 1:1 cars, mk1 and mk2 golf GTI's. I got 5 of them over the years, then made a "car burnout": I had to drive around 70 to 80 thousands km a year for my job, 6 years of this made me turn almost crazy. So I sold everything again and went walking for 3 months (to Santiago de Compostella). Now I still own a 1:1 car, but it's a 23 years old Renault Twingo that cost nothing and that I almost never drive (I'd say 2000km a year...) as I'm working at home. 
My job now is to repair ebike batteries, and I also build some bikes "a la carte" like solar powered cargo bikes. So now I almost always get where I have to by bicycle (even to the RC track that is only 25km from here  )
When my son-in-law turned 10, I wanted to buy him an RC car. The idea was to buy a cheap second hand one that could evolve over the time. I remembered my old days and started looking for a Tamiya. I've found a mash-up between a TL01LA and a TT02T (TL01 long arms with some Sand Shaker wheels and body) that was perfect for him. Then I bought an XV01 long damper for me, so we could drive together. 
2 years after that, he barely drives his one. On my side, I now own 6 cars  
I don't remember how nor when I came to this forum, but I really appreciate the atmosphere of it  

[yogi-bear]

Sorry, this is longer than I intended, but I wanted to be complete.

My name is Johann (aka Yogi-bear) I'm 55 and I come from a land down under, where women glow and men plunder. Brisbane to be precise. I go my first RC car at high school (somewhere around 1986), I'd had a couple of low grade RC cars, but it wasn't until a couple of friends (one had a Hornet and another had a Brat), that I became keen on getting something better.  I was initially looking at a Tamiya, and with my budget, I eventually settled on a Marui Galaxy. I also had the Tamiya catalogue and would dream of getting more cars. About a year or so later I also managed to pick up a second hand Hornet, Renault Martini and Celia LB Turbo in a cheap job lot. And not too long after that my brother and I managed to get a new Fox each on discount at a local supermarket, which the Australian authorised importer eventually blocked from selling.

Not long after high school I stopped RC activities, and didn't pick it up again until I was half way through a Phd in Chemistry and a friend in the same department was also interested in RC. He is the one who nicked named me Yogi and is what I try to use in some form for online forums. Getting back into RC a little, we tried attaching solid fuel rocket engines, initially on the Marui Galaxy, but it was the wrong setup for it, too much rolling resistance so then we tried the Renault Martini and eventually the Celica LB Turbo, this was about 1997. Needless to say, it went too well but I still have it, or rather the pieces of it. Soon after that I lost interest again.

Fast forward to around 2011, by this time I'd well and truly ditched the Phd, deciding that wasn't my future and ended up working with my mother in the film and tv industry as a graphic artist plus we did some general printing. So 2011 was a couple of years after the GFC and business had been terrible and stressful and things weren't going well. I was talking to my friend from uni above about his nitro RC car and decided I needed a hobby to help with the stress and  dug out my old RC gear to maybe restore them. Luckily I still had everything, even most of the pieces of the smashed LB Celica/rocket engine experiment. It was also the year I joined Tamiya Club, the forum has always been pretty friendly and inviting to everyone.

Fortunately/unfortunately I still had that Tamiya 1985 catalogue, and thats when I discovered eBay and realised I maybe could collect the cars I wanted as a kid. Collecting was slow to start with, as money was tight. Eventually the business failed but luckily for me this didn't last too long and the film work here in Australia and particular Queensland has only gotten better each year. So much so, that I now only do printing for film and tv productions in Australia and have 4 staff to help me. Through the business I've been able to buy 3D printers, laser cutters and other equipment which I've used to help me make parts RC parts. 

The last part of my story, a couple of years ago my daughter was diagnosed with ADHD. This was good in some ways, as seeing her traits that I also have now made sense to me as to why I do certain things. One of those is I am very good at starting projects, get very detailed info and then start and it just trails off. This is something in the last couple of years I have tried very hard not too do and stay focused on only a couple of projects. I also find it irresistible that if I have one or two things from a set, I need to collect the rest. So I have around 160 cars now, all of them projects or a few kits and I'd like to think I will finish them all day, well maybe most of them (I can dream!). My work hours is my biggest limiting factor, and I have come to realise that many of the projects will be left for retirement. So at least I won't be bored! And yes I know, at some point I will have to sell many of these projects that I don't end up getting too, but that is a future me problem. I am at storage capacity though, so I have to be selective if I want a new RC car.

I've also discovered what I like about RC. While driving is fun, building is fun too, but I do like the hunt for a car or parts and I like trying to make parts, so that currently is my focus.

[Mo Powah]

I am Scott, born in Leith, Edinburgh. I am a sub-contractor for a construction firm.I am 44 and currently live in County Durham in the North East of England. My first Tamiya was a lunch box which I received for Xmas in 1988 when I was 7 years old, I got my neighbour to paint it in Ford signal orange to match his Mexico. His 15 year old son owned a monster beetle, the dad had a clod buster and we used to run them at the local BMX track. I got a Blackfoot the following year for Xmas, and then a Midnight Pumpkin for my birthday. 

I was given both the Monster Beetle and Clod Buster from the neighbour and his son as a farewell present when I left England in 1990 to move to Scotland as my dad got offered a job up there that was simply too good to turn down. I hated the having to move and make new friends scenario, and having to start a new school. I kind of rebelled during my early teens, losing all interest in all things RC. The Clod Buster and Monster Beetle, as well as lunch box and midnight pumpkin were all sold and I used the funds from the sales of those, some saved up pocket money and paper round money to buy a 1988 Honda CR80 for £500 in 1994.I paid £150 towards it and my uncle paid the rest. I kept that bike for 6 years, it was the only one I have ever owned. It was stolen from a mates farm in 2000, never to be seen again. 

I got back into RC around 2016 when I was in my 30's and wanted to settle down after partying all the way through my 20's. I started a new collection, I started with an  M-06 VW beetle that became a MK2 escort,a  Blitzer Beetle for fun on the sand, Lunch Box for nostalgia reasons,the Blackfoot and my favourite Tamiya- The Monster Beetle. I have had many other models, some other brands (Kyosho, Yokomo,) as well, I didn't hang on to them . I have sold way more than I own as most didn't even get run very often and I don't do shelf queens.  I was either running or racing most weekends with a few close friends on a track we made in a friends field. Once the virus came along that track was simply forgotten about and left to mother nature. I bought a handful of kits after 2021. I kept an MF01X Suzuki Jimny and the other was the Alfa Romeo MB01. 

My most recent purchases are Arrma RTR's, I have a 9 year old girl who is a little bit too aggressive for daddy's Tamiya toys so I got her a Mojave Grom 223 BLX which she runs on 2s and absolutely adores, I have a 2s brushless Gorgon running a Hobbywing set up and it is a very quick little machine, and a lot of fun. Once she gets the hang of 2s she can then use the Gorgon and I go 3s in the Mojave Grom.  

I joined this forum a few months ago. I do like it here, it is a good place for advice, tips and there are some fabulous builds. It seems a friendly place also I will add.. 

 

[junkmunki]

I am known as J to my friends, i am a jouvenile 52 years old, and I live on the south coast in the Uk I've been a member here since 2013.

I started my Tamiya journey in about 1985, when i got my Frog for Christmas. When i left school in 1989, i got a Saturday job at Fratton Bargain model shop in Portsmouth, which meant i was in the ideal place to start collecting. It was a good time  as stuff could be bought for relatively cheap money back then, i remember buying a Blazing Blazer and a Cheetah off of the same customer for £200! I think in the end i had 20 models, which are vintage now, but would only have been less than 10 years old then.

During the 90's i had other stuff going on, and when i started to get into houses and stuff i needed the money so i sold the collection. Fast forward to the mid 2000s and i was buying some parts for a boat i was restoring, and while i was at the warehouse collecting it, i spotted the front of a Hot Shot poking out of a pile of stuff. I bought it for a few pounds, and the fuse was lit again. The collection now consists of over 130 items, all vintage (mostly from the first 100), either NIB, restored or newbuilt, with quite a few vintage body kits. I am building a dedicated room for the collection, but like everything else, it's taking a while. Most of them are posted in my showroom.

In real life i work for a famous car brand with a silver horse logo, and outside of work, i have a classic boat, and a classic car. Oh, thats when the missus lets me off of the house work....

J

[MadAnt]

I'm known as MadAnt here on the forum. I'm from the USA and have been an RC hobbyists for a good amount of my life. My first hobby grade electric car was a Tamiya Grasshopper, I did try nitro for some time, but electric was my kind of pace and my collection of RC cars just kept growing. I did take a break and stayed under my rock long enough to lose track of some things. So, there are a few brands and products that I miss because they are no longer around or have been bought and merged. 

My building/custom making things skills surprise myself sometimes. I guess I can contribute this to my other skills in auto mechanics, which is probably something that helps me learn new things that have some relation. I'm a believer that learning and picking up skills can contribute to learning and picking up other skills. In the past I have worked at a hobby store, were I have dealt with customers who cannot even operate a screwdriver, but will insist that the forty dollar estimate to fix their damage is too high. I've also guided customers on good purchases for a starter RC car, but some of them ignored the valuable knowledge I gave them and regretted it after their terrible Amazon purchase.

Even with the knowledge I have now I still screw up sometimes. Sometimes I'll be trying to explain something and get some things flip flopped because I'm trying to use old forgotten knowledge stored in my brain from a few or more years ago. If I get something like information wrong in a comment, point it out and I'll check it, then correct it if needed.

Anyway, Tamiya club has been a great place to not only show off my basic skill, but see the advanced talent from the other members. Since I do learn some stuff here and use other members projects here as inspiration for my builds and setups, I have no problem sharing my own builds, setups, guides and modifications here for everyone to read and use. I'll even answer questions for anyone who asks for certain details about my projects that may help them with their own.(If I'm available, but I'll try.)

[Rijkvv]

Hi all, I'm Rijk. I live at the Veluwe in the Netherlands. 36 years old. I used to be in the military, but I have a fascination for big equipment and vehicles since I was a kid and that never went away. A couple of years ago I made a career switch and became a telescopic crane driver/operator.

I remember having a few Tamiya catalogs when I was a kid, and was fascinated by quite a number of vehicles in them. The F-14, the battleships, but also the RC models. At the annual Queen's Day, the local hobby shop had a show where RC vehicles were showed. As a boy scout, during summer camps when given the opportunity it also seemed mandatory to visit the local hobby shop if there was one in the vicinity. But for some reason it wasn't until I was in my 30s before I built my first RC kit. Right now I have a couple of onroad cars and a single buggy. Just when I intended to get more into offroad, the terrain I used is getting stuffed with new houses. So it's likely going to stay onroad. According to some, everything in the Netherlands is close by so driving a bit for a nice offroad terrain shouldn't be a problem. I got a baby boy last year however, and the time I have for hobbies is severely decreased. But maybe in the future I can share my hobby with him.

[Twinfan]

Hi everyone - I'm Dave and I'm 50 and from the North West of England.  I've been interested in cars and race cars since I was a toddler.  I always took a toy car with me wherever I went, I watched F1 throughout the 80s and 90s and now I'm fortunate enough to have a 1:1 car that I do 5-6 track days a year in as well as plenty of road miles travelling to circuits to watch race meetings.

I can't remember exactly how I got into RC, but I think they caught my eye via magazines in the local newsagents.  I had the 1988 Tamiya Catalogue back in the day (which I think got recycled as it was trashed!) and a mate had a Hornet.  For Christmas 1988 I received a Thunder Dragon mk1 which I still have and it's almost all original.  I built it over Christmas Day and Boxing Day all by myself, painting it by hand with the old brush paints.

I used the Thunder Dragon regularly but for only a couple of years, alongside my mate's Hornet, until we both really got into music and I spent almost all my spare time playing electric guitar (my mate played bass) and that was my main hobby.  I still play by the way!  So the Thunder Dragon sat in a box for years and years until I was recovering from a hernia operation over Christmas 2021, and during that year's seasonal Top Gear episode there was a section where the guys discussed their favourite childhood Christmas toys.  My father-in-law was with us at the time and he asked me what mine was.  I pretty quickly answered that it was the Thunder Dragon, and that's where my problem started!

As soon as I was back on my feet, I was up in the loft dragging down my old Dragon, and over the rest of the Christmas period it was cleaned up sympathetically and proven to be working with its old radio gear.  I knew that Tamiya were still producing RC kits thanks to Chris Harris on Instagram, and I quickly realised that I needed something new to actually run rather than my old museum piece.  So a Lunch Box was ordered and built because they're iconic, then a DT-03 Neo Fighter to see what a newer buggy was like, then a Hornet X-SA to use up some spare bearings, then.......

I'm very much all about the nostalgia when it comes to RC, so I'm exclusively NiMH and almost exclusively brushed motors and my interest is only in Tamiya, Kyosho and Schumacher.  There are two sides to the hobby for me - collecting and building/running.  For collecting, I have picked up NIB re-re kits that I wanted back in the day or find interesting, and for each one I also try to get all the recommended Hop-Ups - bearings, motors, aluminium parts, shocks etc.  Each one has an appropriate ESC too.  For running I quite like the cheaper kits like the Lunch Box, Grasshopper, Rising Fighter.  For building I've practiced on a lot of the cheaper kits and now I'm moving on to the "good stuff" like the Super Astute, Optima Mid, Cougar Classic etc.  For my day job I work at home and I'm tied to a desk so the physically producing something aspect of building is incredibly satisfying.

This site has been a huge source of info since my return to the hobby and I've learnt a lot from everyone who has contributed over the years.  I try and give back as much as I can which will hopefully keep the community going 

[2qwik]

Hi all, I'm Troy from Queensland Australia.

I got into Tamiya when my father bought me a Hornet from his mistresses son.. I stumbled across a local track when riding around on my BMX at a new town we'd moved near, asked my parents for an RC and got a Nikko frame buggy. It was ok until I accidentally drove it into the dam while trying to do donuts on an ants nest that was on the dam bank....

We moved to another town when I got the Hornet and the only bit of dirt was under a swing in the local park...many a donut was slung on that dirt!

Joined the military at 17, married at 18 and into real cars and bikes by then. Left after 4 years and went and worked for the "right people" in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley.

One wife and one life later I got into recovery from D&A and needed something to focus on after I left rehab. I remembered the fun times with my Hornet and got into it again, and, well having an addictive nature it wasn't long before I had many!

Moved out to the country and that's when I saidd my 1st farewell, and sold my collection( it's in my showroom).

Got back into it once I'd settled and started collecting again...

Wanted to buy a property so sold my 2nd collection to a guy who drove across the country and bought it in its entirety. Fortunate enough to have reconnected with him and been able to buy several back.

I'm married again, am self employed with a small business, have a nice home, a 4 yo girl and 11 month old girl who are our 1st kids (I'm 54, Relles 44). We have Several Aussie muscle cars we've built together and my wife and I each have a triple garage, bikes as well in mine, she gave up all hers after my last major "off"...one wall in mine is my 7 metre Tamiya workbench. 

I buy alot of used as I like to chop (literally) and change them alot, I also still run NiMH and brushed, there's a brushless setup Ive had on the bench a while though.... I'm more into the off road stuff and love the monster trucks like Clods and Jugs, ORV trucks/bugs/brats and the Blitzer series chassis as well as the TA02 trucks. The current nib to be built lineup is a 95 TA02T F150, Squash van and a Lunchbox.

TC has been the constant for me in my many changes in the last 20 years of my life, and weird as it may seem to some, my comfy jamas. It's great to see who's still around (kinda liked my 1st meeting) and see the new people. Alot of knowledge, talent, laughs here and the ONLY internet thing (apart from my wife's eBay) that I have in my life.

Cheers!

 

[RichieRich]

Ok, I’ve let this simmer for a few days so I’ll add my intro. BTW, @markbt73, I love Excrement Box Showdown.

I’ve always been fascinated with cars. My Mom says that after learning to say Mama and Papa, I said Porsche, MGB and Volkswagen. They got me a green Corgi Porsche 911 that I carried around with me everywhere. Fast forward to the mid eighties and I got my first r/c car, a Tamiya Frog. After that, I moved to Utimas and many RC10s.

I’m 52 now, married with 2 adult children in college. I live in Los Angeles county and I’m a huge Dodger baseball fan. I work for a large national health care company doing “data computer stuff” as my girls call it. Recently, I’ve been playing more with my Tamiyas (CC01, CC02, Bruiser and High Lift) because they are slower and easier to run everywhere in the yard. I still have every generation of RC10 as well as some other 3rd party chassis variants. 

Lastly, I joined Tamiyaclub right when it started and this place has always been welcoming and probably one of the best places on the internet. There’s been a few idiots here and there but they are rare. I work on a computer all day so usually have a tab open to Tamiyaclub on my browser. Don’t be afraid to chat as I don’t bite. 

[Elbowloh]

Hey all, I'm Eric,48 years old from Surrey UK.

Could not afford a proper RC car as a kid as they were too pricey, not just the kit, but TXs, RXs, batteries and chargers.  Had a Tandy/Radioshack 4x4 pick up which was the closest I got. I tinkered with it a bit, took it apart, made it 2 wheel drive etc.

Got my first Tamiy a, a DF03 Avenue Mk2 from my wife for xmas when I was 45!

Added some more since then. Have a degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering which explains my need for playing around with things, but work in civil engineering on large infrastructure projects.

[Paranoid Perry]

It's been nice to read about everyone. My turn!

I've got a peculiar affinity with the letter P. My name is Pericles, 49 years old, currently living in Perpignan. My friends call me Peri. I guess this is part of the reason I've always wanted an Avante and eventually landed the username Paranoid Perry here in the forum. I'm also paranoid, for RC reliability that is! I've worked in new product development for a large technology company for 25+ years, designing and inventing all sorts of equipment and devices. Most of them had the key requirement of being extremely reliable, bullet-proof. This kept me from ever getting an Avante since they are known for their questionable reliability.

RC found me during the late 80's with a Lunchbox, followed by a Hornet. After that came too many models to list, mostly touring cars. Unfortunately, I had to sell them during hard times in the 2000's and then a total life change in the 2010's forced me to sell every last remaining RC model. I'm lucky at least I kept my RC notebook back from those days. One thing that I did not sell was my 1/24 static models, primarily because the sale price of a built kit, even nicely built, is often low. Now I've got a nice collection of 1/24 Tamiya's and am planning to add some 1/10 RC models to the mix!

[droidy]

Thank you for this thread!

Hi everyone, I'm Andrew from Sydney in Australia. Also a '77 kid.

My first RC was a Hornet that came assembled via Singapore, and the first one that I bought myself was a Sonic Fighter from Uncle Pete's Toys in Erina Fair on the Central Coast. It came with radio gear, I ordered bearings, and it took me a long time to pay off on lay-by. I loved the look of it because of the fighter jet styling.

I found Tamiya Club in 2020 after I cleaned up and restored the Sonic Fighter which my mum found in her garage. My kids were having lots of fun with toy grade RCs so I started upgrading and now we have a pink Lunchbox and a pink Neo Frog and a pink G Wagon and a couple of cool trail trucks and buggies. For the kids. The drift Supra is yet still to be painted (and have the MRC TT-02 drift steering fitted so it doesn't just look the part).

Work got intense a couple of years ago, and I also lost my Racing by Post spot, so I fell off TC but still hang around. I love parts bin building and modification so it is very dangerous.

@TurnipJF Racing by Post is the most excellent thing ever. @Misterp180 I love the resourcefulness of the Orchard Raceway tucked away in your garden. Everyone else you are all a great bunch with your different skills and imaginations.

[Wooders28]

I'll chip in, have a job trying to keep my trap shut tbh....🤦‍♂️

Tony, originally from the North West of England, but that was a bit warm and dry for my liking, so took a 6 month contract near Glasgow, in 2003.... and I'm still up here 😳

Like some others, studied Engineering, and went into CNC programing/operating as I pictured a world of making one off F1 parts or for rocket ships, but the reality was 12hr shifts of making thousands and thousands of parts that take 45 seconds each...so side shifted into maintenance which is much more my liking, but at 50yrs old, my knees and back are now regretting it, they wish I'd stuck to programming a ZX81 or the BBC Micro ,and would be now sat in my undies sending Emails for a living (or whatever, 'working from home' , is..🙊🤣) 

Again, like others I love cars, or anything with an engine tbh, and have a 1:1 project build in the 'not RC related' section, as only having a dozen RC projects on the back burner didn't quite cut it.

Been into RC as long as I can remember (if you class the wire walk behinds from Tandy...) with my first 'proper' Radio Control being a Porsche 935 out of Tandy again, but ended up booting the rear spoiler off it, trying to get it to go quicker. 

Saw one of the local lads using a car on the school playground near my house, this thing was the fastest thing I'd ever seen, it was a Tamiya Hornet, he gave me a go and that was it, Santa had a revised list, with one single thing on it!!! 

Santa must have looked in the local papers, as a 2nd hand Frog arrived Christmas Day, with no radio gear/batteries or charger, I was to get a job if I wanted those extra 'luxuries '.., so a paperound it was then, and RC has been a drain on my finances since! 

Raced at the club at Southport (still not been back since they moved and switched to Astro though 😬), but mostly at the indoor venue, Aughton Chase (which is now housing estate 😔), that was on a Friday night, easier to get to, served food, (and underage boys beer if you sat around the corner out of sight) and as there where many teenage boys there, the local teenage girls turned up.....good times! 😁

Had a bit of time out, full size cars, motorbikes (off road), Pubs/nightclubs chasing the opposite sex etc etc, and got back into it around 20yrs ago.

Unfortunately I think I sold most of my cars, (although 2 i sold them to, say they've still got them, but haven't got back to me, so), I say 'I think' as I've found bits of my Frog, and of an old Holiday Buggy in my folks loft, and I've no idea what happened to my old Lunchbox..

Currently involved in the RC scene in Scotland, love the open days we have, where I can talk RC to anyone and everyone! (Even if they're not interested, or listening..) 

I'm on Facebook quite a bit, and admin on 5 RC Facebook pages (one I'm admin with someone i met on here) , so the chances are I've 'spoken' to half of you on a different platform.

 

 

[Kpowell911]

Love threads like this!

Im 38, and I live in the Midlands. I am a fire alarm engineer by trade. 

RC started for me when I was 11ish. In the UK we have quiet Cul De Sacs. Mine had a speed bump half way down. I was allowed to play in the street, but not go passed the speed bump. A guy who later became my best friend obviously had the same instructions from his parents. But he was the other side if the speed bump, so we never really interacted. There were more kids my side of the speed bump, so we played lots of games. However. On my soon to be friends side, he had a Tamiya TA02 Repsol Cosworth which mesmerised me. Id stand watching it…. Eventually we interacted, and my parents asked his parents about the TA02, but it was far too expensive for my Mum and Dad at the time. However, he told me his older cousin was selling a used Mini M-01 with all the electronics etc. He let my parents buy it very cheap, so I was now addicted. I wore the chassis through on the M-01. I didnt break it, it just wore through. Id drive my Dad mad asking him to quick charge the battery off his car battery. Id read the 1997 Tamiya Catalogue daily. Looking at all the JDM touring cars! I then upgraded to a TL01 Focus, Im guessing when I was around 13? We then started racing touring cars, and I upgraded to a HPI as that was more competitive. I raced touring cars, poorly for a few years, and then my Nan and Grandad bought me a Traxxas E Maxx for doing well in my GCSe’s. Thats it. Off road was the way forwad. I then got a Saturday Job, aged 15 and 3 months at a Supermarket. Bizarrely, I joined at a time when they were very successful and I randomly got a large bonus one month. It was several times my monthly wage aged around 6 haha. So armed with what I felt was all the money in the world. I bought a nitro Savage .21 and all the gubbins, and got really into mid 2000’s Traxxas Rustler and Stampede’s. If anything, the warm glow you guys talk about when discussing a Hornet or Lunchbox, I get that with Stampede and Rustlers. Forums were a massive massive part of the hobby for me. Without forums, I dont think Id bother with RC. And back then. Forums were busy! Id be up till the early hours on mainly American forums (Traxxas and RC Zone) as well as MSUK. I built a fairly large collection up. I then hit 17, got into girls and real cars. I sols my prized possession. The Traxxas Emaxx my Nan and Grandad bought me…. It had an obscene amount of Unlimited Engineering parts on!

I had a break from RC. Real cars was my passion. I worked on my career and got married etc. Then I dont know why, I bought a TT01 Subaru WRC. Dont know why but I did. This would have been 2015ish? I then bought a few more Tamiya TT01s and started to build a collection up. Didnt really use them. Unfortunately I did own 2x BNIB Tamico 934s that I paid £189ish each for. Id love one of them again! I also bought quite a few Traxxas models, including the X Maxx (the best RC ever in my opinion), and a Rustler 4x4, which Id dreamt existing back in the early 2000’s. I have a soft spot for the 2wd Rustler, so a 4x4 Brushless one was just unmissable to me.  I also amassed a few Tekno’s, and built up quite a collection. I think I had around 30 models. I had Tekno race truggies, nitro monster trucks, 2x X Maxx’s. I even had two 5th scale losi gassers! In 2019, I ended up getting a divorce, and it wasn’t financially necessary I just sold everything RC related. I went in some cool holidays, and just went through life. Got a new girlfriend etc.

Around 2020/21 I logged back into MSUK Forum. Id been a member since 2009 I think. I logged on and saw a member Id recognised selling an unbelievable Rustler 4x4.
 

I had to have it. I had to re buy Lipo’s and a charger, but this was it. I was hooked. But I was bashing. Thats all. Bashing… My girlfriend loved the Rustler and loved RC cars. I looked into it and decided that the Kraton EXB must be the ultimate RC. My girlfriend said she would buy the Rustler off me, so I could get the EXB and we could bash together.  So I went to Wheelspin and spent on an ungodly amount on the Kraton EXB, the best ESC, Best Motor, Best Servo. New lipo’s the lot. Now peoples experiences must differ as everyone seems to rave over Arrma and how tough they are. Mine was absolutely pants. Not just the worst RC Ive ever bought, probably the worst item Id ever bought. It was terrible. I hated it. Now to go full circle, I ended up selling the Kraton to my mate who had the TA02 Repsol Cosworth! I then did what I should have done and bought X Maxx number 5! So we had an X Maxx and a Rustler 4x4. Now I know this is Tamiya Club not Traxxas club but armed with more expendable income than ever before,  between us we bought. 

An Xmaxx, an XRT, a Sledge, a UDR, 3x Nitro Revo’s, an E Revo 2.0, 2x Maxx’s, a Summit, a Rally, a Stampede 4x4, a Slash 4x4, a Rustler 4x4, a Rustler VXL, a TRX4, 2x TRX4M’s, a 1/16th Revo, a 1/16th Summit, a 1/16th Slash and a Mini Maxx….
 

 

So Traxxas fanboys? Well. I then saw an advert on facebook marketplace for a used TL-01 Focus WRC. Exactly the same as my first ever brand new Tamiya from 1999! It was less than £100 and a few miles away. So i went and bought it. I then thought it would be cool to find an absolutely mint Focus, so I did, ironically for around the same price, and he also had a Cosworth TA02 for sale….. you can see where is is going…

We must have a button inside us that makes nostalgia a badword of thing. My Dad has it. He has made a living buying and selling his childhood hobby. Comic Books. But that was it then. My new aim in life was creating that 1997 Tamiya catalogue. I wanted a shelf of Gran Turismo 3 cars. This actually worked out for me. As life got busier with the birth of my beautiful daughter, I cant use RCs anywhere near as often. But shelfers become more justifiable. Slowly some of the Traxxas’ have been sold, and I now have 40 or so 90s Tamiyas. I even found a brand new NIB Mini Cooper M-01. A stark contrast to my childhood one with a holey chassis!

I dont get the time lately for RC, and were down to one income. Selling stuff is more of a reality than buying anything new at the moment. But Ive ticked off 95% of a genuine dream. I never thought id have anything like this again so Im incredibly lucky! Id like a 30th Anniversary 934, a Tamico 934, and I think I need to scratch the 1/14tg Tamiya Truck itch. But honestly im content. Ive missed out loads, Id estimate Ive had 500 RCs, and the hobby has been in my life more time than any thing else Id imagine other other than family. 

 

And hopefully, the circle will grow in a few years time…..

https://flic.kr/p/2rp83bL
 

I’ll add this link if anyone cares. Its to a “competitors” forum, but it contains a lot of pics of my RCs over the years. The first few pages are long gone but, Im not sure if you need to be a member mind

https://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/forums/topic/70252-my-rcs/?page=2

[Kowalski86]

35 Year Old American, I've worked as a car porter, LHS customer service, currently janitorial work.

When I'm not fixing RCs I can be found taking care of pets, feeding birds, or working on art.

As a kid I had a passing interest in RCs, mostly Tyco models, but our choices were either to buy an expensive kit or buy a toy that probably won't even turn left or right. Kids don't realize just how good most modern RCs are.

Later in life I got into restoring real cars, specifically Volkswagens then Volvos. RCs fill that same gap on a significantly lower budget, and free up space for me to own a "normal" car. The majority of my RCs are purchased used.