Tamiya Rally 959

[steve997 0]

When I first started going in to Beatties in the mid/late 80's I was in awe of the tamiya models on display and on a rolling feed to the store tv. A Bigwig with a technigold was as out of reach as ferrari is to me now!

I stumbled on some Porshe 959 clips on YouTube and the memories came flooding back! What a car and what a technical masterpiece. I had a falcon and vanquish back in the day, but neither I of my RC buddies were able to get the 959 or celica. I am surpised that Tamiya dont have a simplified 1/12 scale car in its range? Other manufacturers have smaller models (like the 1/16 slash etc) so there must be demand?

I am tempted to get the 1/10 scale DF03 ra (subaru or evo) , is this model the closest current Tamiya model in spirit to the old 959/celica ?

[loaded 4]

You could get a vintage 959, they are still available from time to time!

Paul.

[steve997 0]

Good point. I bought a shelf queen falcon last year, but I just cant bring myself to run it just yet. I do get immense pleasure having it in my book case though. I really want a car that I can get spares for as runner and a 959 !

[loaded 4]

To run 959s you would need a few old cars as donor parts, thats for sure :-)

Paul.

[WW-nut 0]

I am surpised that Tamiya dont have a simplified 1/12 scale car in its range? Other manufacturers have smaller models (like the 1/16 slash etc) so there must be demand?

Tamiya do also make smaller scale rc cars, their range is called Tamtech Gear. For example, http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/567...champ/index.htm

[steve997 0]

Oh yeah I forgot about them, sorry. The beauty with the 959 was that it could take a full size 540 motor.

[Tamiya on the Brain 0]

I agree with loaded - if you happen to buy a 959 you may need a twin for spares ( if you wish to use it as a runner)

I too went through the exact same thing - wanted one soooo badly back in the day - but way out of my monetary reach. I now own two - my shelfer and then a runner.

Nothing compares to having the original - however you may want to look at Tamiya's Castrol Celica '94 Rally Race Car, Tamiya Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV MC World Rally, no idea how this compares as I have never run any of these two or a DF-03Ra for that matter. However, nothing really will compare to the handling of the original 1/12th 959

G

[Casper171072 0]

I have had two of the 959/Celica cars and they are very fragile, I sold one and lasted only a month before I had to get one back!. Dont know what it is but the poastic goes very brittle. My latest car is is a Celica Ive been rebuilding and Ive replaced the most fragile bits with alloy hopups from team Blue Groove. Cant say its been cheap, if id realised how much it would cost I would probably just left it as a shelf queen rather than try to relive my unatainable youth with a runner. Ive done it over time so Ive not noticed the cost as much, more importantly neither has the missus I think the US government used the same trick to get the space program past the public in the sixties ha ha. There is just something about these cars that makes them as special as the SRB's to me. I think Beaties is also at fault, along with those great videos. I have to view them on youtube at least once a week!

[fabolousRC 0]

I have had two of the 959/Celica cars and they are very fragile, I sold one and lasted only a month before I had to get one back!. Dont know what it is but the poastic goes very brittle. My latest car is is a Celica Ive been rebuilding and Ive replaced the most fragile bits with alloy hopups from team Blue Groove. Cant say its been cheap, if id realised how much it would cost I would probably just left it as a shelf queen rather than try to relive my unatainable youth with a runner. Ive done it over time so Ive not noticed the cost as much, more importantly neither has the missus I think the US government used the same trick to get the space program past the public in the sixties ha ha. There is just something about these cars that makes them as special as the SRB's to me. I think Beaties is also at fault, along with those great videos. I have to view them on youtube at least once a week!

+1

I just found mine after I left it sitting in my cupboard for the last 15 years. It was a pain to build and found it was nearly useless in the off-road as in on-road. Had Tamiya reinvent the car in either the TB01 Rally or DF03Ra (I rather have it in TB01), it would have been a much better performer. The suspension was overly done yet there is no travel. The combination between the original spring and the stock shock piston made the car floaty. I had the fronts changed to a coil over shock for Striker. That help a bit but not a wee much. That tiny little rear arm holder are easy to misplace (I lost one of them; replaced it with...a screw?). Basically, a mess. It is better as a shelf queen, though.