RC Boy's. No interest?

[miramar 4]

I'm interested to know your views on the RC Boy's series (Voltec Fighter, Thunder Blitz and Wild Ceptor). Apart from some interest for the Wild Ceptor tires (same as RR and FAV rear, FR and Subaru), the series seem to be neglected by most Tamiya collectors, and I don't really understand why.

OK, the cars don't have very realistic bodies [], and the chassis isn't very sophisticated, but to me these cars have qualities that make them quite interesting for me as a Tamiya-fanatic. Most important, this series was made to fill the void between Mini 4WD's and "real" RC-models in an attempt to recrute some of the (foremost Japanese) Mini 4WD enthusiasts. The body designs, and even the chassises resemble the Mini 4WD cars quite closely, and being without suspension, the chassises are extremely simple to assemble and very sturdy. Almost all screws are the same type, the instructions very thorough and simple to follow, and all parts are very stable with a nice simplistic design. Everything reflects Tamiya's philosophy of easy assembly and high quality more than probably any other Tamiya RC product. Not too many hop-ups are available (a few "regular" hop-ups fit too), which keeps price and complexity down, and to my opinion, fun up. I too love to fit any imaginable hop-up to my cars as long as they make some sense, but just having to spend a few Euros to "max" a Voltec Fighter is also a lot of fun, although with a different perspective.

Even with a hot motor (my max hopped up Voltec Fighter has a 12 turn) the chassis handles surprisingly well, probably because of the wide tread, relatively low center of gravity and long wheelbase. Maintenance is practically not required at all if all bushings are replaced with ball bearings, and it's really a lot of basic uncomplicated and very cheap fun to drive these cars, and run together with similar cars, not being competitive is not an issue.

What's your view?

[sandmann 1]

Hi, Miramar

I sold my daughter's Voltec Fighter (boy series - what a laugh...) recently. She didn't like it and I didn't like it either. As you say, they don't look realistic in any way, they just look like nikko toys and the missing suspension makes them hoppling 'round even worse than a F102/F103 chassis. If you've ever driven anything better - even a FF02 or a TL01, you won't touch 'em again.

btw: you can use the hex wheel mounts of the boy series to mount standard m-chassis wheels to a porsche 959 or a celica gr.b.

[miramar 4]

Well, I have driven and owned almost all Tamiya RC-models, and quite a few of other makes too, and I have about 320 RC-cars at the moment so I believe [] I know the difference between a car with and without suspension!

That's not what my question was about, but when we're at it, I would like to comment on that too. Actually, especially with Ceptor tires, the RC Boy's Series handles much better than one should suspect from models without suspension, and it would definately win any race against any "pre RC10" buggy, both because of the superior handling and the durability. As I pointed out in my first comment, the reason I like the RC Boy's Series is the simplisity, sturdiness and generally the essence of Tamiya philosophy that went into their engineering, and of course the "magnified" Mini 4WD look. OK, so I'm a Tamiya fanatic, but I hate all the really bad models made by Tamiya, but I don't think the RC Boy's cars are among them. Better looking bodies would have been nice though! []

[Mooplea 0]

320!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[:0][:0][:0][:0]

There were some very capable buggys before the rc10 that would spank that rcboys machine.. kyosho scorpion! []

[miramar 4]

Due to the 4WD and quite efficient drivetrain of the RC Boy's series cars, I don't think a Scorpion would stand a chance against a "RC Boy" with Ceptor tires (and similar motor, not the original 380), unless it was heavily modified. Those of you who still haven't driven any of these cars, would be surprise to experience how well they handle. Kind of like a 1/10 pan car, but with the added stability of 4WD. Of course not a match for a touring car or modern buggy, but quite entertaining.

However, even though the comments on this thread has been solely directed to handling, and not the special nature and philosophy of the models, I think I can safely conclude that the interest is very limited or almost non existent among Tamiya fans. It will be interesting to see how they will be considered among Tamiya fans when they once get "vintage". []

[DJTheo 2]

I guess Wild Ceptors with the original tires will be rare in future, as they are "slaughtered" for RRs, XLTs, Pajeros, FAVs and Brats. [][]

[SJoerD 2]

quote:

Originally posted by DJTheo

I guess Wild Ceptors with the original tires will be rare in future, as they are "slaughtered" for RRs, XLTs, Pajeros, FAVs and Brats. [

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Or these tires will be slaughtered from RRs, XLTs, Pajeros, FAVs and Brats to restore a Wild Ceptor... [] LOL

Maybe it is smart to purchase a case full of these tires? They might come in handy - and they are going to be discontinued fairly soon too! [] The last piece of vintage RC still made will be tossed out the window and no longer made... [v] []

[bholio 0]

quote:

Maybe it is smart to purchase a case full of these tires? They might come in handy - and they are going to be discontinued fairly soon too! The last piece of vintage RC still made will be tossed out the window and no longer made.

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Tower shows these tires as 'discontinued'. So maybe they are already gone?

[RETRO R/C 59]

I beleive that you will find the reason for their "lack of success" (in collector terms so far) - would be due to the fact theat they are pretty heavily orientated towards the Japanese market (for the reasons stated above). At the moment - they are practically giving them away in Japan !![:0]

Perhaps they will go the way of the Striker and Sonic Fighter - very much disliked by the majority of collectors - because they look so bad.

I have driven one of these - and while the handling is surprisingly good on road - I certainly would not recommend running off road - as the driveshafts/plastic mouldings would not last very long at all.

Definately no match for an off road buggy of the Scorpions - or Tomahawks calibre - no matter what the mods, especially with a good driver behind the wheel.[]

The cars have alot of "novelty" factor in them - perhaps this will encourage some to collect it.......

My 2 cents

Cheers

Darryn