Are You A Shelf Queen Collector Or A Rc User?

[Bearhawk_Boy]

So are your cars Shelf Queens or are they used?

With a lot of older kits being built to look good (and Im not gona argue, some look stunning) I totally agree some should be kept to be looked at but does that take away from what they are meant for at all?

Should RC cars be made and run?

My car is no classic compaired to some of the older, rarer kits but Ive decided mines gona be more of a Shelf Queen, so I can see both sides of the coin.

Also I know alot of people own more than the one car which means you could own at least one Shelf Queen and a few Usable cars.

So if you could state the model and weather its a Shelf Queen or Usable car

[Bearhawk_Boy]

Tamiya Bearhawk - Shelf Queen (Work in Progress)

Schummacer Touring car - Usable if I can find it lol

Kyosho Sierra RS500 - Shelf Queen

[Butler]

M03, car park racer

Lunchbox, basher for everything else other than a dry car park.

[lupogtiboy]

i am a strong believer that they are made to be used, not sit on a shelf looking pretty. if i wanted that, i'd buy static kits. Mine get dirty, used and abused whenever i can, some, if they are lucky, get a clean or even a rebuild occasionally.

tho having said that, i have one shell i rarely use, my lamborghini, buts thats only because it sits too low to the ground to go over even the slightest bump!

[HereBeMonsters]

Everything I have gets bashed (thrashed) to within an inch of its life, then washed and put back on show.

Might as well just have static models if you're not going to drive them!

[loaded]

I do everything. The true vintage early cars were all labelled 'suitable for radio control' this includes the Sand Scorcher. Many used whole body sets, or at least parts from static kits and I believe that some fine examples should be displayed. The beauty is, you can also restore old ones, using all your skills and run these as much as you like.

I don't bash, however, I run my cars ;-)

Paul.

[Bearhawk_Boy]

Its always nice to see a good example not nessary a unused Shelf Queen but its nice to see a Clean example in all its glory but its always nice to see a car being used. With harder to find kits and classic kits shelf queens do make more sense, also BNIB kits I can see the point of not building but depends on your point of view.

This also brings up different disscusions about re-pro/re-issued kits but thats for another time.

[taliesin]

I run everything I have. Its a mark of honor for my cars to wear out tires, motors & gears. I do not believe in intentionally destroying anything though, that is just plain stupid.

I drive mine knowing that it will probably wear out some parts, so I try to keep spares handy, and it always causes a bit of pain when you get the 1st battlescar like a crack in the front of the shell, or a decal gets road-rashed. However, I promptly repair any damage as best I can and always clean the cars with compressed air, a fine brush and a soft rag before putting them away.

I want them to last as long as possible, but to have been run the way they were designed to and have as much fun as possible while running them. Some do get run a lot more "gently" than others though, especially the ones that are difficult to get parts for.

[adam1973]

They were designed to be used, not stuck upon shelves so I use them. I have Tamiya static kits for the shelf.

[skip665]

Everything I have gets bashed (thrashed) to within an inch of its life, then washed and put back on show.

Might as well just have static models if you're not going to drive them!

+1 - I haven't got anything without a scratch/mark/scrape on it

[CR-01nut]

"shelf queen" the two words make me cringe. But my cars are always cleaned after use.

[loaded]

I too prefer the term new build.

Shelf queen just sounds....wrong, that's all.

Paul.

[civilguy]

All my RCs get used with the exception of my JG Dart bodied Hotshot restoration. That was my first real RC and it has a special place. But even that said I think it may become my entry into this year's Vintage Off-Road Nationals in Connecticut.

I don't "bash" either. Most of my running is done at the track as it's only 25 minutes away and I have no desire to shoot for 30-foot air.

When the kids and I go out we hit the local ballfield or a nice park. No industrial park or anywhere they could find granite curbing.

(Also, I do clean them with compressed air, hose off bodies and repair as needed-- but I stop at q-tips. )

Vintage runners (in no particular order):

3 Tamiya Grasshopper/Hornet hybrids

1 Tamiya Hotshot

1 Traxxas Rad2 (getting bearings now)

1 Marui Samurai (in progress)

2 Associated RC10s (1 offroad & 1 onroad)

Modern runners:

1 Tamiya Rising Storm

1 Traxxas Rustler

1 Traxxas Slash

We also have 3 Micro-Ts that the kids & I run indoors only. So far we have not broken anything, but we also run stock motor & batteries so speeds are normal (not lipo/brushless insane).

As a side note: to each his own!!! What I like to do with my hobby and my gear is up to me. When others start buying things for me I will obey their bidding.

[skip665]

Shelf queen just sounds....wrong, that's all.

I guess that comes from the derogatory term for a car that's taken to a car show on a trailer and expects to win prizes next to one that is as good but actually got driven there. A "Trailer Queen".

I agree "New Build" is much nicer

[secretsg]

Depends on the car I suppose. Personally it's probably a 30% new build to 70% runner ratio. Some of the "shelf queens" gets a test run inside the house.

I don't really get a kick out of using most of the older cars. Tried to run a super champ once and was shocked how bad it was. It also makes no sense to me to run something like the 934 anniversary when the TA-05 MS is available.

[*Topcat*]

most of my collection are projects and the restoration of these models gives me more pleasure than running them. that said though I love taking my revo out andabusing it to within an inch of its life as it always comes back for more I used to race many years ago and qiute fancy getting back into it but i also enjoy tc meets where you get to put names to faces and see everyone elses models. Plus after running my schumacher xtr3e how could i possibly get any pleasure out of a re-re grasshopper?

[Jonny Retro]

I'm more of a user than a looker - I do have cars that are sitting fairly pristine on the shelf, but only because I haven't used them yet.

I do draw a line at sand though - I have some cars that'll never get exposed to it ... but I do have 4 or 5 that do see it, and I'm happy to trade off the increased wear for the fun

[trucknut]

My rc trucks are driven and get bashed around. My tamiyas are used the most such as my clodbuster, midnight pumpkin, 4wd ford race truck, and 4wd pajero. However I clean them whenever they get dirty, I even put amor all on the lexan bodies and tires, the injected molded bodies just get washed. My clodbuster has a speacial spot since it is the king of rc.

[HereBeMonsters]

I guess that comes from the derogatory term for a car that's taken to a car show on a trailer and expects to win prizes next to one that is as good but actually got driven there. A "Trailer Queen"

I hate that. Thankfully most shows I go to have a section for "driven here, driven home". It always makes me laugh when I go to a trackday and see some rich guy with a "track" car on a trailer behind his Range Rover or Cayenne, carefully lowering it off, then tiptoeing it round, only to end up in the wall with the rest of the "more money than skill" brigade.

I turn up in my 20 year old shopping hatchback,

(overtaking a lot of much more expensive machinery), then drive it home. Then drive it to work on Monday morning.

[mymonsterbeetleisbroken]

I enjoy just about anything to do with this hobby, so I've got shelf queens, ones that are run gently, and ones that are thrashed to their limits

I couldn't decide which aspect of enjoying tamiya RC I like best. So in some cases I've got a shelf queen model, and a runner of the same model. That way I get to enjoy the looks of the finished article, but also the experience of using it as it was intended.

I think the cars I like best however, are my Sand Scorcher and Bruiser, which are both runners, but are only used sensibly.

Some cars are best appreciated in action. There is no shelf that can display a Sand Scorcher quite as well as racing one across a sandy beach, with rooster trails from the rear wheels

[HILUXMR]

Hi, I have both runners and shelf queens.

Runners

Baja champ

Frog

RC10 B3

Hi-lux Monster racer

Carbon hotshot clubman racer

Shelfers

King cab

Hi-lux Monster racer

Mk1 hotshot

first issue frog

Of my runners the Rc10 and Hi-lux get the most use.

[retroman]

All of mine get run at some point or another.....I haven't got enough recievers to go round all of them!

My Runners are;

Blazing Blazer

Sand Scorcher

Super Champ

Hotshot I

Frog - original

Frog - re-re

King Blackfoot

King Hauler and Pole Trailer

Associated B4

TL01 - Peugeot 406

All the above are ready for action. Just fit a crystal and a battery

The rest listed below, have been run, and will get run again, but need electrics fitting;

F201 williams

Brat

TL01 Mercedes CLK

Hornet

X-Ray FK04

Losi XXXS Graphite +

Losi XXXS sedan kit

Yokomo SD SSG

Mardave Mini Stox

Well, that's my collection! Always room for one more. Be nice to round it up to 20 I say use them how you most enjoy them, but personally, I like running them, stripping them, cleaning them, and generally looking after them

[Bearhawk_Boy]

I think its clear that in this world theres room for both the braging rights of a pristine classic rare Shelf Queen model and the models that get used and used well just like they where designed to be run.

I sopose there is also the more extreme unbuilt NIB/BNIB ect you need to be super hardcore into you stuff to be able to search for that ultra rare classic kit still in its box, pay whatever it takes to secure said kit then fight off the urge to build the kit. But like mentioned each to their own and good luck to anybody and everyone however they want to collect and enjoy this and any hobbie

[loaded]

You said it brother, the urge not to build the kit :-)

This is another reason for owning multiple NIB kits. When the urge is too great, you can crack one open and still have more NIB!

P.

[Bearhawk_Boy]

You said it brother, the urge not to build the kit :-)

This is another reason for owning multiple NIB kits. When the urge is too great, you can crack one open and still have more NIB!

P.

So you've been in for a while and you've had a bad day at work, the car broke down and the missis burnt the dinner, so off you go to the pub......

Sometime the next afternoon you wake up to find a mass of ripped up Tamiya boxes, bits of plastic all over the place.... and the strong smell of spray paints....

Oh My God .... You've done a Drunk NLBIN (No Longer Brand new In Box) and the cars not to mention more than one room looking like a acid trip in space lol

A collectors worse nightmare