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Kyosho beetle info

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Hi just wondering what information any of you guys might have on the kyosho beetle. they intrigue me[;)]

I missed out on one a couple of years ago, and now just figured I may try to find one.  what is the going rate$$$.  anyone making a repro body??  just any general info would be appreciated. what to look for etc. i have no idea what the market or availability on Kyoshos are, the only kyosho I have is my skyline body[:D] and it sits on a top force chassis.

thanks

matt

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well i made  trade for one[:D]

i would like to use the scorpion wheels anyone have a set?

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I assume you are talking about the nitro Kyosho Beetle (Super Bug)?

If so, one just showed up at our hobby shop today. It looks to be complete and in excellent condition except for a little road rash on top of the body. The guy wants $195 for it but I'm sure he would accept less. If you are interested contact me and we can set something up.

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Until recently i thought there was only one kyosho beetle, then i saw a different model (both electric) but the second one i saw was very standard beetle looking.

I know that the original one is this one, which i love and want one.

kyoshobeetle.jpg

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Technically there is another Kyosho Beetle too, the Kyosho Super Bug. It was a lexan shell on a nitro powered (GS .11X) 4WD chassis the same as the Wild Dodge Ram. Our LHS has a used but good condition one on consignment right now for $175. I could get pics if needed I suppose, or if anyone just has to have it let me know. [:)]

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There were 3 different Baja Bettle's. The one with the yellow wheels pictured was the first, the second had zig zag stickers in green and purple, the third is the nitro Baja, my personal favorite basher, it has a larger body that is really close to the HPI Baja body. The Nitro has electric start and the QRC reverse system and is a really easy buggy to run and keep running. On the down side it has exposed parts like the steering servo underneath the chassis and even though it has a protecting bar and I have never hit one, I have ripped off a servo saver and broken one of the uprights due to bad driving. I have the one pictured here boxed and paid around 150.00 US for it, there is a gentleman in Asia that runs one now and again for 300.00 US and hasn't sold it as far as I know. I did enjoy mine in the snow with paddle tires and everything waterproofed and it went great, really nice 4 wheel drift slides and enough power to pull pretty deep snow. It has step type adjustable shocks like the early Honda's did and is in general a blast to drive. They used the same chassis under several trucks and parts are not too terrible yet, again I have purchased 3 or so for spares, non-runners cheap. I like the design and the simplicity of the car and the fact they routed the exhaust off the chassis and away from the suspension, keeps the castor oil down, mine has even been in the ocean when the servo saver broke, that's the way she turned, right into the drink. Needless to say it had to come clear apart after that which is a relatively easy task. If you can find one without a body, the HPI body works well, SBJ

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Reviving this old thread (which looks like it went off track) to ask a couple of questions about the vintage Kyosho Beetle...

1) Who wants one? I love the look of them.

OK the body is not as detailed as the Sand Scorcher was, but the chassis is still classic and just as cool for it's vintage style. And yes I know it's the Scorpion chassis and the Scorpion came first. But if you look at it another way, in a sense it's a bit unfair to think of any Beetle as being based on a buggy. Yes it was in the Kyosho sense, but in the 1:1 world the whole buggy phenomenon started with modified Beetles. So perhaps in a sense there's more "authenticity" about a Beetle body on a buggy chassis, than a buggy :rolleyes:

2) Only 20-30 examples of this car in the Tamiya showrooms? Are these cars quite rare, even as runners? If you own one, how hard was it to find/restore? Is it impossible to restore without using repro parts?

3) Am I correct in saying the kit originally came with a yellow tub chassis and black lid, but that later kits probably came with a black tub and black lid? I'm just wondering why most running examples of the car seem to have the black (not yellow) tubs.

Lastly, for some reason I love yellow beetles. Yellow just works very well with the classic beetle shape (just look at the original Bumblebee in Transformers), and over the years I've even started collecting random yellow beetle toys for that reason.

So yeah, this is the all time greatest yellow beetle toy to me....

6348ae70.jpg

cheers,

H.

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Thanks for the info :D

I recently bought a NIB Kyosho Beetle. It seems to have the yellow radio tub with a black lid, which from what I can tell is the original colouring (though I'm still not 100% clear on whether we know if this actually changed during the kit's production run?). It also has the yellow wheels. To me this kit is Kyosho's answer to the Sand Scorcher. And there's just something magic and cute about 70s/80s off road Beetles. I'm actually a little surprised the Kyosho Beetle isn't more sought after than it already is - given how crazy people are for the Sand Scorcher. It's a lot rarer than the Sand Scorcher and is pretty much the only other really interesting off road Beetle R/C car from the early 80s. I suspect there are quite a few VW nuts out there who don't actually know about it, as it wasn't as popular back in the day as the Sand Scorcher.

Like I said, it's not as realistic looking, but is still a gorgeous boxed kit with those yellow wheels, parts and the yellow box art photo - classic 1980s stuff there.

And the car is on a nice metal chassis and, well....it's the Kyosho Beetle Off Road Racer TM:D Just deserves a lot more love.

But then I guess the same can be said of Kyosho's entire vintage lineup....

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There are so many kyosho Buggies out there which are better than their Tamiya counterparts but then they dont have "Tamiya" printed on them do they lol, so are not as loved.

They are a great Model and your lucky to have one NIB, maybe one day for me!.

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Do the Beetle and Scorpion share mounts or is there a different front post and rear mount?

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They were sold under Cox & Graupner too, these rebranded units get the black radiobox more often imho.

You stock any bits for the Scorpion & Beetle, T-Man?

There are so many kyosho Buggies out there which are better than their Tamiya counterparts but then they dont have "Tamiya" printed on them do they lol, so are not as loved.

K's Beetle will trash the pants off any Tamiya SS... even a SuperChamp in VW drag.

Had one as kiddy since new 1982, its been run until the the shocks can't even hold in grease.

Pretty impossible to rollover these things, so the shell survives well. Can't say same for any used SS.

Tyres are rockhard but still grip; they'll outlive the car.

Main casualty for my kiddy car was the spool with spur inside the oil sump - nylon keeps divorcing the ally spool.

Have had to replace this several times (mailordered from some UK HS!); otherwise everything has survived on the well-worn buggy.

At one stage even bought a gear diff for it, could be a Scorpion or Tomahawk part. Fitted fine but the original gear had a

chunkier pitch so pinion on the layshaft couldn't drive the diff gear. Dunno if Scorpion has a different pinion gear.

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They were sold under Cox & Graupner too, these rebranded units get the black radiobox more often imho.

Ah, thanks for this. Gives me some possible explanation as to why so many in the showrooms have the black, not yellow, radiobox. The Cox version also features less interesting kit box / boxart/photo (imho).

Still fascinated as to why the Kyosho Beetle is not sought after by more Sand Scorcher fans. Surely fans of RC baja beetles are getting bored with just the Sand Scorcher? :( Nearly everybody has one.

cheers,

H.

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Ah, thanks for this. Gives me some possible explanation as to why so many in the showrooms have the black, not yellow, radiobox. The Cox version also features less interesting kit box / boxart/photo (imho).

Still fascinated as to why the Kyosho Beetle is not sought after by more Sand Scorcher fans. Surely fans of RC baja beetles are getting bored with just the Sand Scorcher? :P Nearly everybody has one.

cheers,

H.

Hi Willy, I do have some bits for beetle yes, they are in my ebay shop at moment under SC- section (best to check the whole shop using search for SC parts just in case i put some in wrong category lol), the website is under construction and im adding items but webmaster is still working on it yet.

As for collectability unfortunatley if it does not have the Tamiya name stamped on it, its neither as valuable nor cherished lol, seems that even winning races (which Kyosho was/is famous for) does not help, so I suppose we all supported the "Toy" Underdog of Tamiya ;-)

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Different body posts.

Thanks for letting me know, I'm tempted to build my Scorpion back up as a Beetle........

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You got mail. I see you don't respond back. :P:P

Sorry not had any email from you that i have not replied to, was it direct email to me or via TC?.

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Still fascinated as to why the Kyosho Beetle is not sought after by more Sand Scorcher fans. Surely fans of RC baja beetles are getting bored with just the Sand Scorcher? :P Nearly everybody has one.

No scale hardbody.

Suspension didn't look anything like off a VW.

Wheels & tyres weren't anything recognisable in 1:1.

Kyosho weren't as widely distributed and their marketing dept didn't do much more than print colourful catalogs.

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No scale hardbody.

Suspension didn't look anything like off a VW.

Wheels & tyres weren't anything recognisable in 1:1.

Kyosho weren't as widely distributed and their marketing dept didn't do much more than print colourful catalogs.

True, but to be honest the market they were aiming for they did not really need to adverise much as the trophies kind of did that for them lol.

Where Tamiya woin very little and the marketing dept worked overtime time to market to certain types of people (Static modelllers with some interest in RC, leisure market for back yard bashing and kids), thats tru until they got seriosu anyway and started getting top drivers and actually developing their cars with drivers in mind.

Cheers

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No scale hardbody.

Suspension didn't look anything like off a VW.

Wheels & tyres weren't anything recognisable in 1:1.

Kyosho weren't as widely distributed and their marketing dept didn't do much more than print colourful catalogs.

Yes, yes, but that should all be forgiven now :D

Now it's a vintage classic, and the nearest thing to the Scorcher (ie off road electric Beetle from early 80s with old fashioned metal chassis and radio tub) in another brand. With 50 million Scorchers in the showrooms, you'd think more people would be turning their gaze to the Kyosho Beetle, but I suspect a lot still don't even know it exists. The Tamiya tunnel-vision, that even I was guilty of having once.... ;)

H.

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^^ maybe its due to lack of advertising during Saturday morning cartoon ad breaks :D

True, but to be honest the market they were aiming for they did not really need to adverise much as the trophies kind of did that for them lol.

Where Tamiya woin very little and the marketing dept worked overtime time to market to certain types of people (Static modelllers with some interest in RC, leisure market for back yard bashing and kids), thats tru until they got seriosu anyway and started getting top drivers and actually developing their cars with drivers in mind.

don't remember Kyosho winning anything "big" before the Inferno came along... and that debuted 1990.

the Mids were probably their most popular kit amongst racers in 1980s but Kyosho was very much into the 'scale' modeller too...

like their Garden Offroader series, the mini Baja Bugs, the chain 4WD Hilux, the Honda ATV trike with the pumpup tyres etc.

Then again Tamiya didn't win anything either until Surikarn came along.

I find it more interesting that the Scorpion had a Beetle brother, but the Ultima didn't.

Certainly something to ask chief designer Akira Isogawa if i ever get to meet the man in person.

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I thought the Optimas were winning everything in the mid 80's until Schumacher brought the CAT out of the bag?.

Also the Burns was A winning (What Tamiya might call winningest LMAO) car well before the Inferno, only need to look through some OLD rc mags and look at the top ten placings to see what was winning regularly, as far as i can tell the Burns pretty much dominated with ease throughout the 80's and then toe Inferno took over from it.

The mid did change things up a gear (in response to the cat i assume) and thre did ok in late 80's early 90's.

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depends where you were i guess

original Optima chaindrive were pretty effective when there was only Hotshot for competition,

but most of those successful machines had to be highly-modified before they ran well.

In Asia where i was they weren't as reliable as the contemporary Yokomo Dogfighters

and PB Mini Mustang before the Mid came out.

Burns was a revolution compared to antiquated Landjump but on local tracks the

machines to win with were mainly european Gepard, Garbo, PB XR3i, SG etc

the Ultima might not have a VW brother, but it does have an IFMAR to its name :D

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Its funny all the Burns literature i have states World championship winning car and all the RC cars mags i have show Burns usually 1,2 and 3 in placings, I even know one of the burns drivers from back in the day and my cousin went to school with another one and they (as they told me) were the 4wd buggies in 1/8th to have back then, nothing else came close apparently.

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