Is The Trf501x A Worthy Heir?

[GTodd]

The TRF501X is a great race car, but it isnt realy a genuine clean sheat desighn like the Avante and Top Force era of cars were. Do you think in 5, 10, 15 years it will be looked back upon so fondly as its older brothers are, even if it does have a better race record?

[Shodog]

I think the biggest difference betweent the avante and 501x is that the 501X is actually a good buggy

[secretsg]

They have nothing in common. Avante is built off imaginations and 501X is built from actual research. Different cars for different people.

[Singapore_959]

I think the biggest difference betweent the avante and 501x is that the 501X is actually a good buggy

I love the Avante, but that is a fantastic comment

[Live Steam Mad]

I imagine that it'll be not-much-remembered, just like much of the modern vague looking buggies before it. Just my humble opinion LOL.

Sand Viper is about the only modern Tamiya buggy that I like!

Avante and etc. are beautiful cars because they are so different. When they all look the same it becomes boring (much like Tamiya's present day output). Optima and Ultima are some of my favourites, and wow do they ever look stunningly beautiful.

I am speaking purely from a looks point of view. Of course the 501 etc will beat the Avante no problems.

However I like hearing stories where e.g. Frog is competitive with current or modern cars, it makes me smile, I wish you could make the Avante competitive without seriously altering it's looks... I wonder... ?

Just my 2p worth!

Cheers,

Alistair G.

[[]TEX[]]

I don't think the 501 will stand out in 5-10 years like the Dyna Storm does today. Although different buggies, Tamiya could have just released the Dyna Storm today and it would be right in line with all the new buggies. The 501 was designed to win races, not to be a legacy. It already has a new version out and I am willing to bet one or the other will be discontinued.

The Avant had a lot of strange mechanical linkages that were neat, but not necessarily functional. When I say that, I mean for racers. The Hotshot has bits of that, it's definitely not good.

None the less I still adore my Tamiyas as flawed as they might be at times.

[Shodog]

I have to disagree, I think the 501X will be collectable. While it's design elements are shared with cheaper buggies, The 501X is HOT! with all that carbon and aluminum Case in point is the Ta03 TRF which is a sought after far more than just a regular plasticky ta03. Once the used prices come down a bit, I plan to get one to replace my Losi XX4

[TenzoR]

I have to disagree, I think the 501X will be collectable. While it's design elements are shared with cheaper buggies, The 501X is HOT! with all that carbon and aluminum Case in point is the Ta03 TRF which is a sought after far more than just a regular plasticky ta03. Once the used prices come down a bit, I plan to get one to replace my Losi XX4

The TA03F is sought after due to the whole drifting scene. With the motor in the front, it's the best drifter chassis

[neo]

I plan to get one to replace my Losi XX4

Now theres a car with a great race pedigree Awesome...

[qatmix]

The avante was a proper dog! I dont really have any fond memories of Tamiya buggies after the Top force / Evo. The TRF 501X is the best buggy tamiya have ever made, and it is collectable because its a nice piece of design which actually works. The Durga which is also based on the 501 is also exceptional and on a club level it will put tamiya back on the winners podium. Something the Avante never did.

I just wish I could afford a 501, but my Durga more than makes up for it

[loaded]

Tamiya started as a model company (actually wood, not plastic) so radio control was a reach for them, when they decided to adapt a few of their static kits in 1976. In fact many models which I collect (such as the Sand Scorcher) say 'suitable for radio control'. I take this to mean that first and foremost they were models, which you could also run. This is why, I believe, so many people collect Tamiya and don't run them, because they do look wonderful and come from a pedigree of scale model making, rather than scale model racing. In some ways comparing ostensibly very similar items like an Avante and a pedigree racer from another manufacturer of the same era is like comparing chalk and cheese. They are both cars and yes, the Avante wasn't as good as the others, however, it was so beautifully engineered and looked so wonderful it captured your heart more than the better performers of the time.

Having said all that, despite the fact that many people think Tamiya have lost their edge recently regarding style, I think the 501x is a very beautiful thing and from a design and engineering point of view will also be collectable. I have put my money where my mouth is and bought both a 501x and a World Edition for my boxed collection (as well as a World to build and run). It isn't an investment, please understand, just I don't want it missing from my collection in 10 years time when they could be costing what an Avante costs today (upwards of $2000 for a NIB example). I must say though, that where Tamiya really stood out 20 years ago from a packaging point of view, with beautiful white based boxes with box art and cringingly attractive blister packs, the modern shoebox my 501x is stuffed into won't look that great on my shelf. But then again a NIB Black Porsche box is about as ugly too and that is possibly the most valuable, or at least most coveted kit today.

I don't think taking form over function is a bad thing, plus, as Shodog has already stated, the 501x is also a great performer. They might have just cracked it with this buggy.

Paul.