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The first Tamiya you ever saw run?(pre1990)

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I remember being 11 and talking to my mate from school on a monday, he invited me round for tea to show me his birthday present which was a Hotshot (i think it was 1985 or 1986). He let me have a go after running it for 3 batteries worth (his parents bought him 4 batteries!). I really liked it and requested one from my mum and dad for Xmas, but ended up getting a something else. I waited another 2 years and then remember the spoilt kid across the road coming to brag about how he was getting an RC car for Xmas, little did he know that another freind of mine showed me a magazine with some pictures of a Thunderdragon inside and he told me he was getting 1 for Xmas, i said i would ask for an RC car for Xmas also, and we both agreed to keep quiet to the spoilt kid, anyway turns out my Mum and dad had been saving up as me and my brother were both taken to a well known Model Shop (cant remember if it was Bagnalls or Otley MS?) i immediatley gazed at the Thundershot i seem to remember and my little bro whose birthday is 3 days after xmas was eyeing a Terra Scorcher!!!, not to be outdone i begged my dad to let me have one also on the grounds that it would form part of my birthday present too (in April!!!), so we both left with Terra Scorchers. The best part was me my bro and my mate all went out playing with our cars and the spoilt kid turned up with this crappy Nikko jeep thing, oh how we laughed as we ran rings around him and more than once ran over his jeep!!. He ran off home crying and the next time we saw him about a month later he had a Vanquish!!!!. We still wind him up to this day about his crying and how spoilt he was (he is now a Manager in a big London Hotel). I still have a Terra Scorcher now, sadly not my original i part exchanged it for a Mud Blaster (which i sold to the son of the postmaster). Well there you go!!.

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When I was on holiday in the uK back in '79 (I guess) we were at a shopping center where some guys were driving their Sand Scorchers in front of a LHS.......I was hooked immediately.....I got a RTR car then, which were pretty rare back then...I was the only kid in the area with a RC car......after that one I only had kits.

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quote:Originally posted by raemin

On my side he offered me a toy that was pretty similar to the sand rover but yellow and ready to run, if anyone as some clues about this one I would appreciate.

Raoul


id="quote">id="quote">

I'm a newbie to Tamiyaclub, and this is actually my first post....although I'll have to introduce myself better next time.

Sorry to digress a little, but I just had to answer this post, even though I am 3 years too late :P

The car you saw Raoul, might have been one simply called the "Dune Buggy" by Radio Shack, released circa 1982. I have one. It's quite large (40 odd cm in length), but not of course of Tamiya speed or quality. But a fascinating old attempt at an RC car. It was Digital Proportional too.

So if you're still active on this forum, and want a picture of it, just let me know. When I get my gallery going, I might include it. Alas I'm probably alone on this, but I'm actually a fan of the old Radio Shack (aka Tandy) cars as well, despite their inferiority. We all know they were often cheap knock-offs of Tamiya cars, but I just love retro toys from my childhood and nothing holds as many happy memories as my first ever RC - the Radio Shack Jeep Renegade :) Still got it, and it still goes.

Getting back on topic though...the first Tamiya I saw? That was most definitely a friend's Hornet. He was an older kid, and he was with his friends, so I (being smaller) missed out on having a turn. But he was launching it off a ramp in the backyard, doing jumps, and it was a stunning thing to behold. I couldn't believe how fast the thing was.

Years later, another Hornet, beaten up and worn out, became my first ever Tamiya car when it was given to me. I set about restoring it with my pocket money, and soon learned what all the fuss was about.

Hibernaculum.

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Or this?? http://www.tamiyaclub.com/getuserimage.asp...30753_1_350.jpg Kyoshos Eleck Peanuts... this one courtesy of Wldnas.

The first Tamiya car I saw run was my dads Renault 5 Turbo... that was one cool car, remember him building and painting it before running it up the street. The ****** sold it and bought a Sand Rover to run when I took out my Holiday Buggy.

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growing up in Australia, whenever we went to see a movie we had to head from the suburbs into the city (pre mega malls with cinemaplex's). We would catch the bus home from outside of a hobby store. There was a TV in the window and I always remember seeing the Sand Scorcher promo. I was too young at that point to get an RC car. Over the years I remember seeing the Wild Willy promo and also the Willy's Wheeler. It was not until 1985 when a friends neighbour got a Hornet that I really caught the bug. I desperately wanted a Wild Willy but they were very expensive, so I ended up getting a Grasshopper. How did it influence me? I now have two original Wild Willy's, Grasshopper a Hornet etc. I basically buy the kits that I could not get as a kid and then anything else that I fancy. I buy the kits for the fun of it and if the perform well that is a bonus

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My mate told me about these great radio controlled cars that were in our local 'Beatties' toy store and told me he was getting one for Christmas. "Tam-yas" they were called apparantly. That was his pronounciation of it anyway! So one Saturday we went into town and 'Beatties' and up to the R/C section where a video was playing showing all these buggys being thrashed around in the sand. I was instantly blown away and knew I wanted one. They all looked mean but for me there was only one that I knew I wanted. The Hotshot. The promo video sold it for me. The way that demo car is thrashed on that video still thrills me, so much so that I managed to get a copy of the tape from Ebay last year, featuring the Hornet, Grasshopper, Frog etc too.

My mate wanted the Frog but although that was a nice buggy the Hotshot was the one for me. That was July 1985 and I literally counted the days and weeks up to Christmas that year when I got my baby.

Incidently my mate ended up getting a Fox, which he got built for him by the toy shop. I was very proud of myself that I was able to build my 'Shot myself, especially since it was probably the most complex Tamiya kit of the time, and on Boxing day we raced our cars in the snow. Needless to say my car left his standing in that environment and I felt rather smug! Funny thing is I didn't really rate the Fox then but I would love a one for my shelf now cos looking back it was probably Tamiya's best 2WD.

Ironically my mate quickly lost interest in his car but I went on to get really involved in the hobby, joining my local R/C club and moving onto a BigWig and then a Turbo Optima Mid!

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Tamiya FAV in Uncle Petes Toy shop on the promo video back in ....1984 I think, purchased the kit for AUD$99.00 and drove it to death .

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January 1983,I got invited to a friends place, his grandmother had come to Australia for Christmas from the U.S, brought him the latest and greatest.

Just laying eyes on the car blew me away, I begged and pleaded for him to charge the battery, eventually he caved, and started to charge a pack, 3 hours I think it took, finally it's ready.

We head out to his large driveway area, and he hands me the controller, I haven't even seen the car run yet.

I think my jaw hit the driveway when the M38 SWB launched into a wheelie, and held it for 30 feet :o

I will never forget that day.......

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For me it was 86 in New Zealand when a School mate had been on a family holiday to Australia and when he came back he brought his brand new The Frog to school with him :o I remember the whole class going out to the tennis courts to watch him race it around B) It only took another 2 years of bugging my father to buy me one that he finally caved in a got me a Striker :) I now have 5 grey ORV chassis cars and the 3 red ones :D

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First proper RC car I saw run was my Uncles AYK Racing Buffalo Bobcat.

Then my uncle and grandfather both bought Grasshoppers which I remember watching them build. When my grandfather passed my Nan gave them away. What I would give to have my Grandfathers grasshopper and his Moto Guzzi which was also given away :(

I then got the Hornet, only a handful of school mates had RC cars around that time must have been '86-'88, there was a Boomerang, Bigwig, Hotshot II, Thunder Dragon. Then I got a Turbo Optima in '88 and my friend with the Thunder Dragon (or was it a Super Sabre?) got a Marui Ninja but we both went back to Tamiya (I swapped the Optima for my friends Technigold powered 8.4v Hot Shot II) as the others were too unreliable/fragile by comparison. My mate out of school had a Wild Willy with the illegal frequency transmitter, it was from the states I think. 8.4V was the rage back then. I think the Bigwig ran an 8.4v too :)

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The first Vintage Tamiya I saw run was the very well used Avante with technigold motor & MSC I bought with my hard earned savings in 1990. I was saving for a brand new Mudblaster at the time but knew the Avante was a much higher end Tamiya so I bought it instead as soon as I saw it advertised in the local paper. I was 15 at the time and in my home town in Australia. I was glued to the RC mags of the time like RC Cars for Dirt & Track and the US Radio Control Car Action but none of the guys I hung around with actually owned a Tamiya in town. There was Matt who lived on a Station and relayed stories of his Monster beetle though.

If I could go back and make the decision again I would have bought the new Mudblaster as the Avante needed a lot of attention I was unwilling to provide (full rebuild & new parts) so it was sold to a friend a few years later. It was over ten years before I got back into the hobby. A reliable new kit to build and run would have been a much better investment and a better introduction to Tamiya RC. The only non-toy variety kits I saw run previous to this was my friends Nikko Bison and the Hirobo Zerda that was scooting around the smooth floors of the local Big W store back when they stocked Tamiya and Hirobo kits.

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Holy thread resurrection batman - a decade skipped in the blink of an eye!

Mine was a Holiday Buggy - I saw my mates and knew I had to have one. Got my dad to buy me a second hand Sand Rover which I promptly ripped the screen and rollcage off by driving under a gate. By then of course, I'd become aware of the Sand Scorcher...

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The first Tamiya RC car I saw was a grasshopper that my best mate had, his father worked overseas and picked it up when it first came out around 1984 (not one of the Mk1 GH though). A couple of years later I bought it off him and kept it for years, it was quite cool to own the first RC car you ever drove! But recently I restored it and gave it back to my mate so he could give it to his boy as his first RC car, three firsts and two generations!

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Glad someone revived this thread it's been great reading peoples stories. The first tamiya I saw running was a hornet about the mid to late 80's. I remember on my way home from school and a mate said do you want to see my remote control car. I remember him bringing it out and thinking that looks pretty cool.

When he set it off though! Wow!!! I hadn't seen an rc car shift like that before. It was zooming up his avenue like crazy, hand brake turns, donuts, the lot. The hornet was the hook that got me.

I can't remember the time frame after that but the first tamiya I got and drove was an avante. I think I chose well.

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I remember about 1990 I desperately wanted an rc car and don't recall how it happened but my dad borrowed a Hornet from one of his mates and I was hooked. Shortly after that I got a Bigwig for xmas and many happy memories over the local park followed. It had a technigold motor but was heavy..... I remember having my nose put out by my mates Thunder Shot which ran rings round it.

The love affair didn't last long and I sold it on and got into something else. Then I was in Hobby Store about two years ago and saw some Tamiya kits and it recaptured my imagination all over again.

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I remember about 1990 I desperately wanted an rc car and don't recall how it happened but my dad borrowed a Hornet from one of his mates and I was hooked. Shortly after that I got a Bigwig for xmas and many happy memories over the local park followed. It had a technigold motor but was heavy..... I remember having my nose put out by my mates Thunder Shot which ran rings round it.

The love affair didn't last long and I sold it on and got into something else. Then I was in Hobby Store about two years ago and saw some Tamiya kits and it recaptured my imagination all over again.

So you're started your RC life with a BigWig, WOW! :)

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The first Tamiya I've seen was a hornet, I was totally amazed of the speed, because I've only known toygrade RCs.

The first car I've had driven was a fighter buggy RX that my cousin gave me for free, the buggy broke because it jumped a little bit too far, so I've got a blazing star and was totally frustrated about the speed, so I began to mod it.

Years later I got me a Dualhunter and putted a stadium raider shell on it and putted better motors in.

I've sold all the stuff and missed it a lot, I've decided to never ever buy a RC again....

....but than I discovered the 1/32 micro losis....

Now I have a lot of the micro losis and much more Tamiyas.

(1 Grasshopper, 2 Hornets, 1 Dirt Thrasher, 1 Blazingstar, 2 Sand Scorchers, 2 DT-02 -Holidaybuggy&Scorcher, 1 Blackfoot, 1 Monster Beetle, 1 Lunchbox, 1 Montero, 1 Clodbuster, 1 Wild One, 3 King Cabs with only 2 bodies...)

I think I'm addicted since my childhood and every time I give up that RC thing it gets worse and I need a bigger fix of it.

So my advice:

Do not quit RCs, they will haunt you in your dreams till you get back into the hobby and the wost part is, its not hard to find d dealer who sell you all kinds of rereleases not even caring 'bout your past.

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My first tamiya I seen run was the ford ranger xlt at the beatties model shop at Christmas about 1979/80(ish) they had a little display and a big TV with the tamiya promotional video playing that was the Christmas I got totally hooked on anything tamiya rc and still totally hooked to this day!

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Unfortunately, I cannot credit Tamiya as the first car I saw run...Back when I was about 5-6 years old in the mid eighties, my father purchased a Kyosho Optima. I thought it was the most amazing (coolest) car I've ever seen....super fast and just beautiful. I knew he loved it too as he spent months meticulously building and painting it. I think he also hopped up the motor with a Lemans 360 Gold....man that was a fast motor at the time. He wouldn't let me run it until I got older, but I recall the pure excitement of watching it whizzing by.

A few months later, I got a Marui Big Bear for Christmas....being quite young at the time, it was the perfect first R/C. It was heavy, slow and handled like a garbage truck, but it was also virtually unbreakable...I remember the ancient MSC he put in it that worked about 50% of the time and the huge resistors mounted on the rear tray. I beat the snot out of that truck but had a grin on my face the entire time!

As I grew older, I had several Tyco 'Turbo Hoppers' and a few Lobo 2's, but they don't really spark my memory like those 2 cars....If Kyosho ever re-releases the Optima, I'll definitely be all over it!

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As I grew older, I had several Tyco 'Turbo Hoppers'

I had the nikko version of this called the turbo panther. Great little buggy.

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The first Tamiya r/c's I ever saw was a neighbour with a Clodbuster & a Bruiser.

He had them all out in the spring, tuning them up.

Since the moment I saw them I've been hooked.

I was around 12 years old, then I saved birthday & Christmas money to buy my first, the Hornet :).

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My Dad's Sand Scorcher was the first Tamiya I saw and that was back in 1981 when I was 4. The first time I saw him run it was at a local club race and then I was hooked. It wasn't long before he bought a XR311 for us to share driving duties.

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The first I've seen run was mine, a Boomerang in the far 1986 or 1987.

I was impressed by its power, its torque, its speed and its dampers.

Max

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I was 15 at the time and in my home town in Australia. I was glued to the RC mags of the time like RC Cars for Dirt & Track and the US Radio Control Car Action but none of the guys I hung around with actually owned a Tamiya in town. There was Matt who lived on a Station and relayed stories of his Monster beetle though.

Australian "Dirt & Track" magazine... the first R/C magazine I ever bought.

I think I have every issue from the beginning through to the early 1990s.

The only non-toy variety kits I saw run previous to this was my friends Nikko Bison and the Hirobo Zerda that was scooting around the smooth floors of the local Big W store back when they stocked Tamiya and Hirobo kits.

I can see the Nikko Bison being there. But did Big W once also stock Hirobo? Seriously amazing if so ^_^

Nowadays many of the things sold at places like Target, Big W, K Mart etc aren't even a brand at all. For those unaware, they are basically budget department stores - ok if you need a quick toaster for $15 or some blankets for $10. But they have very little in the way of premium goods.

Imagine seeing something as complex, engineered and inspiring in the toy section, as a Hirobo Zerda.

But then, times were different.Even at K Mart, the Lego was often all on display - built and in cabinets that ran along the top shelf of the Lego aisle, so I'd be on tip-toes trying to see it. And a whole aisle of ready-to-run R/C cars from quality brands like Taiyo and Nikko, and maybe Shinsei and Yonezawa. Not just the cheap, flimsy, underpowered chinese cannon fodder you see today from landfill makers like "EZTec". (Or toys with no brand name at all because the manufacturer finds it safer to have "no fixed address" in case there's a scandal involving kids choking to death on lead-filled R/C cars).

The R/C market was so eclectic, and the boom in popularity so big in the 1980s. And it was all widely available in more than just hobby shops. Tamiya kits were even sold at places like Woolworths, who also sold HO scale model train items, slot cars, etc.

The Mugen Bulldog II (and a couple of other 1/10 cars) were available at D i c k S m i t h stores in Australia. And Grace Bros departments stores also stocked quite a few Tamiyas. I have the proof in old catalogues and newspaper archive research ^_^

I had the nikko version of this called the turbo panther. Great little buggy.

They were. Extremely hard to find now, in new in box condition and unbroken. Great little car, perhaps as popular (worldwide) as the Jet Hopper, despite a bit of a weak point in the rear wing area (you often see it broken on examples today).

cheers,

H.

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