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Bruiser 2012 (spy photo from Nuremberg Toy Fair 2012

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Finally, I have a NIB and get to build one of these after more than 30 years ... cost me my year's budget for RC but I don't care ... love it!!!

Get yours soon guys ...

I like your attitude.

Thanks for the pics.

Enjoy!

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I didn't see anything on the box regarding an MFU.

I guess the demo videos with brake lights were triggered from a TLU?

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This was exactly the same with the 2011 Avante. Lots of members stamped their feet in protest i remember, a futile effort to somehow 'serve Tamiya right', how dare they charge so much for this kit. It was pathetic especially when most of them then went out and bought one.

;-) i have to agree with you

cheers!

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This was exactly the same with the 2011 Avante. Lots of members stamped their feet in protest i remember, a futile effort to somehow 'serve Tamiya right', how dare they charge so much for this kit. It was pathetic especially when most of them then went out and bought one.

Make no mistake, this is one of the most expensive kits from Tamiya.

It outstrips anything from TRF and is probably only eclipsed by a Leo2 full option. Not everyone will be able to afford it and not every store can afford to stock a lot of them.

I would think that if they sell enough, then they could move production out of Japan and maybe even re-re the Mounty, and then prices should fall.

With the Avante, they started releasing the black special but I do see a lot of stock left in the stores these days, like the Scorcher and Buggy Champ at promotion rates.

Maybe they might release one of those metallic special editions (*yuck*) for the Bruiser to increase sales?

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Maybe they might release one of those metallic special editions (*yuck*) for the Bruiser to increase sales?

oi!! DON'T GIVE THEM ANY FANCY IDEAS now... B)

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This was exactly the same with the 2011 Avante. Lots of members stamped their feet in protest i remember, a futile effort to somehow 'serve Tamiya right', how dare they charge so much for this kit. It was pathetic especially when most of them then went out and bought one.

I've already started to re-think my position on this........

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This was exactly the same with the 2011 Avante. Lots of members stamped their feet in protest i remember, a futile effort to somehow 'serve Tamiya right', how dare they charge so much for this kit. It was pathetic especially when most of them then went out and bought one.

Worked for me. I saved up enough for an Avante, decided it was a total rip off, bought a G-made R1 instead, discovered the joys of crawling and have never looked back. So thank you Tamiya your ridiculous over pricing and my own futile protest in not buying from you has made me enjoy the hobby even more!

Anyway why is it pathetic for people to want value for money in this day and age of austerity? Tamiya sure don't provide it, though I do confess this can be an expensive hobby right across the board. Tamiya are probably the worst offender.

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To me, the Bruiser's wheels and tyres are its biggest let-down. I can't help hoping someone comes up with a simple hex conversion. I think a nice set of 1.9's and scale tyres would set it off beautifully.

No horse in this race, as I'm too poor to get one, but if a Bruiser's draw is its charm, then those wheels and tires are absolutely part of the charm.

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Maybe they might release one of those metallic special editions (*yuck*) for the Bruiser to increase sales?

Wouldn't mind... as long as Jun Watanabe keeps his paws off it! B)

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This idea that the Bruiser, or any other Tamiya re-release kit for that matter, hits your wallet harder now in 2012 compared to when first released in the 1980's is simply not true.

As has already been pointed out earlier in the thread, put the respective price of each kit into an historic inflation calculator and you will quickly see that the hobby has been significantly cheaper to be involved in this time around than it was back in the day.

According to this calculator http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/a...anged-1900.html a Hotshot kit that cost £109.95 in 1985 should have cost £278.17 in 2010. It's not even anywhere near that price two years later.

I can't remember the Bruiser's 1985 price but if the quoted figure of £399 earlier in the thread is correct then the 2012 price is a bargain. It should be setting UK buyers back by a cool £1K.

Kits have become a little more expensive than the rate of inflation should dictate but not by very much. And this is probably to do with the price of oil affecting transportation costs. The idea that Tamiya has decided to start "screwing" the collectors is paranoia at best and pure nonsense at worst, and the Bruiser's 2012 price is the same in relation to the plastic kits as it was in 1985.

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Worked for me. I saved up enough for an Avante, decided it was a total rip off, bought a G-made R1 instead, discovered the joys of crawling and have never looked back. So thank you Tamiya your ridiculous over pricing and my own futile protest in not buying from you has made me enjoy the hobby even more!

Anyway why is it pathetic for people to want value for money in this day and age of austerity? Tamiya sure don't provide it, though I do confess this can be an expensive hobby right across the board. Tamiya are probably the worst offender.

How on earth can you say this when RC4WD's own Bruiser rip-off costs the same as the Tamiya real deal, yet it comes without even a body or motor???

http://store.rc4wd.com/Bruiser-3-Speed-110...k-Kit_p_48.html

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How on earth can you say this when RC4WD's own Bruiser rip-off costs the same as the Tamiya real deal, yet it comes without even a body or motor???

http://store.rc4wd.com/Bruiser-3-Speed-110...k-Kit_p_48.html

I said 'probably' the worst offender Wandy, there are obviously other contenders, that's why I acknowledged it can be an expensive hobby generally. And I was talking about their entire range of high end RC vehicles, not just the Bruiser.

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I said 'probably' the worst offender Wandy, there are obviously other contenders, that's why I acknowledged it can be an expensive hobby generally. And I was talking about their entire range of high end RC vehicles, not just the Bruiser.

No, you used the Bruiser & Avante price to take a pop at Tamiya with the insinuation being that they are exploiting their customers by overpricing products because they feel certain that those products will sell no matter what the price may be. The fact is that Tamiya are pricing their products in the same strategic manner that they always have and although the company is in the middle of a nostalgia boom this bears no influence on what the MSRP may be. The price is dependent on development & production costs. The fact that another company produces an imitation (and inferior??) version of a Tamiya product and asks a higher price for it is ample evidence of that.

What is your reasoning then for the exorbitant price of the imitation Bruiser by RC4WD? And why can they not afford to include a good quality ABS body with it for that price?

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No, you used the Bruiser & Avante price to take a pop at Tamiya with the insinuation being that they are exploiting their customers by overpricing products because they feel certain that those products will sell no matter what the price may be.

You're right Wandy that's exactly what I'm doing. And how dare anyone have a go at Tamiya eh?

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You're right Wandy that's exactly what I'm doing. And how dare anyone have a go at Tamiya eh?

:D I'm a fanboy, I admit it. However.....

You have said that the Bruiser is too expensive, but so far haven't offered a critique or explanation as to why it's main competitor costs at least as much and offers an inferior spec.

Can I take it that you also feel that the original Avante & Bruiser were way overpriced in the 1980s?

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...

What is your reasoning then for the exorbitant price of the imitation Bruiser by RC4WD? And why can they not afford to include a good quality ABS body with it for that price?

Because RC4WD sells less than one one-thousandth the kits that Tamiya does. Economies of scale.

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Sorry wrong post

Was gonna say.. that would be good for the adult industry or something. :D

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all peanuts compare to those giant 1/12th static cars with the diecast parts & etched detailing

those "finished" HighLifts & trailer trucks are eyewateringly dear too... wonder how high they'd tag a built Bruiser! 8(

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Because RC4WD sells less than one one-thousandth the kits that Tamiya does. Economies of scale.

So we are agreeing that it's an inferior product at a higher price. So because they are a smaller organisation that's ok?

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So we are agreeing that it's an inferior product at a higher price. So because they are a smaller organisation that's ok?

Not wishing to throw petrol on this argument, but...

Depends on your definition of inferior.

The RC4wd product has stainless steel propshafts, which is a far stronger option than the brass ones that tamiya use.

The billet machined axles will be stronger than the the die cast offerings (Although they don't look as accurate, so which is best is down to personal preference).

The RC4wd machine has both axles the same length, with 12mm hexes to fit a wide variety of tyres on if required.

The rc4wd tyres look a lot more fit for purpose than the bruiser lug patterns.

The down side is that it doesn't come with a shell, and I suspect that the 3 speed is not as sophisticated as the new gearbox, but robably stronger. I wouldn't say that it is an inferior model, just that each model has it's strong points and weak points.

It all boils down to personal preference really. I think RC4wd produced this vehicle to fill a hole in the market, I.e. people who wanted a bruiser type vehicle, but didn't want the problems of running a 20/30 year old vehicle. I suspect that the re-re bruiser will knock their sales of this model considerably.

With regard to cost V numbers produced, anybody involved in engineering will tell you that it costs less per unit to produce something, the more of it you make. Doesn't make something inferior just because the competition is selling something that is cheaper because they have manufactured it in larger quantities.

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Not wishing to throw petrol on this argument, but...

Depends on your definition of inferior.

The RC4wd product has stainless steel propshafts, which is a far stronger option than the brass ones that tamiya use.

The billet machined axles will be stronger than the the die cast offerings (Although they don't look as accurate, so which is best is down to personal preference).

The RC4wd machine has both axles the same length, with 12mm hexes to fit a wide variety of tyres on if required.

The rc4wd tyres look a lot more fit for purpose than the bruiser lug patterns.

The down side is that it doesn't come with a shell, and I suspect that the 3 speed is not as sophisticated as the new gearbox, but robably stronger. I wouldn't say that it is an inferior model, just that each model has it's strong points and weak points.

It all boils down to personal preference really. I think RC4wd produced this vehicle to fill a hole in the market, I.e. people who wanted a bruiser type vehicle, but didn't want the problems of running a 20/30 year old vehicle. I suspect that the re-re bruiser will knock their sales of this model considerably.

With regard to cost V numbers produced, anybody involved in engineering will tell you that it costs less per unit to produce something, the more of it you make. Doesn't make something inferior just because the competition is selling something that is cheaper because they have manufactured it in larger quantities.

All fair points but mobias himself is on record as saying that RC4WD quality with regards to wear & tear leaves a lot to be desired so I don't think the high price is coming from superior ruggedness over a Bruiser.

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My concern on this discussion would be that i get a little tired about justifying its (high-)price because we'll never get this for everybody sorted out.

Why just can't we take it as it is,all this discussion wouldn't change a thing on it anyway...

Tamiya was never meant to be cheap-and all those of us who expected the Bruiser to be cheap maybe are a little naive IMO (don't wanna offend anybody)

Let us take the facts as they are and let's face one thing for sure: Tamiya is making a lot of profits at the moment,not only on distance Bruiser sales! This is good for them and good for us because the more their profits are gaining the quicker they're going to surprise us all with further re-releases such as the Blazer,Hilux whatever :D

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My concern on this discussion would be that i get a little tired about justifying its (high-)price because we'll never get this for everybody sorted out.

Why just can't we take it as it is,all this discussion wouldn't change a thing on it anyway...

Tamiya was never meant to be cheap-and all those of us who expected the Bruiser to be cheap maybe are a little naive IMO (don't wanna offend anybody)

Let us take the facts as they are and let's face one thing for sure: Tamiya is making a lot of profits at the moment,not only on distance Bruiser sales! This is good for them and good for us because the more their profits are gaining the quicker they're going to surprise us all with further re-releases such as the Blazer,Hilux whatever :D

Well said. ;)

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