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Bruiser 2012 (spy photo from Nuremberg Toy Fair 2012

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Just to add to the RC4WD Bruiser discussion 2 pages back... Yes, it is more than the new "genuine" article will sell for, but.... Excluding the rerelease price, if you wanted to buy a new Bruiser, you had to pay $2000 ish from someone on here or ebay, so, when it was released 4 or 5 years ago, it was good value for money if you wanted a new runner and didn't care about the fact it wasn't Tamiya.

Just saying...

Anyway, now you can buy a real Bruiser for a realistic price, you probably will see the RC4WD version slip away.

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No this is not a limited edition. The only thing is that you get the Tamiya Toothbrush with this kit for the first batch. Subsequent batches will not have the colorful item.

Bonus points to the first person to post pics of themselves using it as a toothbrush.

- James

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As for the First Batch-Spec brush: for those who are really into it B) -i've noticed in the Nuremberg promo vid that the brush will come with the Super Clod Buster as well.Not 100%sure about this but at least it showed up in the vid

So if you miss the 1st batch Bruisers there's another chance to get your brush from some Super Clod owners maybe :P

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I can't wait until a few people get their kits built so we can stop talking price and start talking performance...

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Nah be more use as a dish cleaning brush looks more like one, tamiya got s job lot of 5000, dish brushes and had there name stamped on them lol!

In all seriousness im hoping im goin to get one from first batch from stella!

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I can't wait until a few people get their kits built so we can stop talking price and start talking performance...

Me too :) !

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I would like they re release the Toyota 4x4, my favorite. The Bruiser itself is too much expensive for who still need to look for proper wheels, enlarged rear fenders and stickers. I saw the body alone on ebay for more than $700 today

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I would like they re release the Toyota 4x4, my favorite. The Bruiser itself is too much expensive for who still need to look for proper wheels, enlarged rear fenders and stickers. I saw the body alone on ebay for more than $700 today

+1 , but it will be a similar price

If they don't re re the hilux, it will have to be a vintage hilux with those re-re bruiser axles with diffs for me

Nice

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So has any of the TC members that have got the re re bruiser , Built it yet ? . I know there are three of them so far , that have them .

Thanks .

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If I get one I doubt the build will start for a while if others are like me I have about 3 diff kits on the go at moment lol really need to finish them first. I cant wait to have a good look around the kit if i manage to get one! Im hoping it will be a kit i can leave pretty much standard as it has bearings and all metal etc, maybe some scale accesories be good and a decent brushless system for more control!

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Does anyone know what radio system / battery tamiya are recommending to use with the Bruiser?

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For transmitters suited to the Bruiser, Dickie-Tamiya Germany recommends the Carson Modelsport Reflex Stick 6-channel 2,4GHz, for batteries regular 7.2V NiMH batteries.

Though I'm not sure if these are perfect choices.

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maybe some scale accesories be good and a decent brushless system for more control!

A good brushed system would be my pick (it is actually, I've got one ready and waiting :) )

This gives extraordinary low end torque and control with about all the speed you'll ever want for the Bruiser: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti00...=LXBJEL&P=7

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Does anyone know what radio system / battery tamiya are recommending to use with the Bruiser?

On the side of the Bruiser box it recommends the 4VWD, which doesn't make sense as it has been discontinued for some time now.

I wonder if this is part of the reason they are not recommending the MFC-02 for use with the bruiser (along with lack of space, metal parts etc).

You could try the 4GWD and 4YF models...

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I wouldn't use the 4YF 2.4 if you are planning on stuffing an MFC-02 in there (don't know is there is room)...

It doesn't work well with the MFC-01, so don't think it would work with the MFC-02..

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For transmitters suited to the Bruiser, Dickie-Tamiya Germany recommends the Carson Modelsport Reflex Stick 6-channel 2,4GHz, for batteries regular 7.2V NiMH batteries.

Though I'm not sure if these are perfect choices.

Are both the left and right sticks self centering / spring loaded ? It seems only the 4VWD and the 4GWD from futaba are equipped that way !

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Are both the left and right sticks self centering / spring loaded ? It seems only the 4VWD and the 4GWD from futaba are equipped that way !

Unfortunately, I don't know if the transmitter has a self centering feature and couldn't find yet a manual for download either. But it's possible to ask Carson Modelsport by e-mail or I can check the transmitter at my LHS (though I'm not planning to go there this week).

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I just got a Hobbyking HK-T4 on Mode 2 and swapped the springs around- $23 for the tranny $6 for 3 channel RX- analog trims so maybe it will work with the MFU, if you need the right stick sprung it is probably cheap enough to get a spare and cannibalise it. I don't want to go back to am radios.

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Just looking at PayPal's currency rate and if the total price of US$758.50 from Stella is correct this converts to £496.35 for us UK buyers.

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No, there is a very specific and good reason for why this is.

The TamiyaUSA store is not intended to replace normal distribution channels.

You are "supposed" to purchase Tamiya products from your local hobby store or from online stores like Tower Hobbies.

Tamiya USA purposely sells kits near or at retail price in order to not compete with the regular distribution channels.

There are very complicated selling agreements between TamiyaUSA, distributors (like Great Planes), online stores (like Tower Hobbies), and local hobby shops (like HobbyTown USA).

There are rules that are designed to prevent competition between entities that are not supposed to compete, like TamiyaUSA competing with your local hobby shop or an online store.

TamiyaUSA relies on those shops to make the bulk of the money for the company, so undercutting them would be, to put it bluntly, stupid. Biting the hand that feeds you and all that.

So why do they bother selling at all? Surely they'd be better off just saying 'find your nearest hobbystore. Plenty of other companies do that. I'd be a pretty disgruntled customer if I bought from them only to realise every single other shop in the world is way cheaper.
Good point, and one that I cannot answer with authority.

Back in the 80's it was MRC (Model Rectifier Corporation) that imported Tamiya into the US. MRC never sold directly to the end customer, only to mail-order (like Tower Hobbies) and dealers (local hobby shops). Every kit came with a sheet that said "Take this to your dealer and use these stock numbers to order replacement parts." If you needed a part, you ordered through your local hobby shop or called up Tower on the phone. MRC made tons and tons of spare part bags over the years for all Tamiya kits. You still see thousands of them for sale on eBay today. Back then I think the rules were different: If a hobby shop wanted to sell Tamiya, they had to stock spare parts, too. It was part of the deal that MRC made with all hobby shops. The problem with that was the shops had thousands of dollars worth of spare parts that were like dead weight and they weren't selling. Business-wise, the shops couldn't afford it in the long run. I think a lot of dealers learned a hard lesson: Don't order parts until the customer needs them, except for common and often-replaced parts.

Nowadays it is a bit different. Tamiya opened their own US distributor called TamiyaUSA and MRC went away (from Tamiya). TamiyaUSA bags parts just like MRC did (white bags with clear plastic instead of clear bags with yellow), but hobby shops are not required to carry parts, at least I think this is the case. So you don't see nearly as many spare parts around as in the old days. Sure, some shops will carry Tamiya spares, but a lot of them don't. Even Tower Hobbies doesn't sell all Tamiya parts. And since Tower gets its stock from Great Planes, which is one of the largest distributors in the US, and a lot of hobby shops also get their parts from Great Planes, you can see how getting spares could be a problem. Now, it could be the case that a hobby shop is allowed to order a part from Great Planes that we, the end customer, cannot order from Tower Hobbies because they don't offer it for sale. I don't know why this would be the case, but I suppose it could be true. Anyway, I think the reason TamiyaUSA is allowed to sell parts to end customers like us is because you can get parts from them that nobody else carries. You might pay more, but at least it is available. For kits, many times TamiyaUSA's web site will say "check your local dealer" instead of showing a Buy button and a price. They really do want you to get your stuff from the dealers. If you don't do your due diligence, then yes, you might pay too much for a kit or part. As always, buyers should check local prices first before ordering.

It’s basic Retail versus Wholesale. Tamiya’s website is a Retail Website and contains items at Full Retail Price. As Champ85 stated, this is done so that Tamiya is not competing with its distributor chain. Distributors purchase items from Tamiya at wholesale (usually 50% off) , mark it up and sell it to us to make a profit. This in fact shows Tamiyas commitment to the local hobby stores and online hobby stores. If they decided to sell items at “street price” they would be cutting out the local distributors.

1. So why do they bother selling at all? There is an advantage for Tamiya selling items on its site. Often distributors are out of stock. In this economy, most business runs with very light inventories. So if you are in a hurry to purchase a part, you can buy it direct and pay full retail. Otherwise you can, ask an LHS to special order the part for you.

This practice is not limited to the RC industry. It is quite common in multiple industries. I myself run a retail store which is a single brand. Our brand however is sold in departments stores. Department stores have sales and at times offer deep discounts, where as I am not able to. However, having the store lends stability to the brand, because we have a presence in major markets.

Back in the 80s there was no TamiyaUSA. You had to depend on MRC to import the parts. Having a site and offering parts for sale on the site, shows their stability in the US market.

2. I'd be a pretty disgruntled customer if I bought from them only to realise every single other shop in the world is way cheaper. If you are not savy enough to know that you’re paying full retail by buying directly from the manufacturer, you deserve to be disgruntled, for lacking common sense and not knowing how to better utlise your spending power.

Well put!

Like Tamiya HPI has a strong distributor chain and sell parts on their site as a back up source at full retail. Even though Kyosho does not have a strong distributor chain, they to sell full retail on their site.

Ok lets get the facts straight...

Tamiya America, inc. is in business as the USA Tamiya agent. Our job is to supply our customers with Tamiya goods. We sell direct to Distributors which then sell to stores. We also sell select products direct to dealers, and we offer all products direct to consumers. We are not in business to be in direct competition with our dist channel, so we price our web at MSRP unless it is on sale. We know that not everyone is within driving distance to a hobby store, so they can purchase direct or find another online store. Just like any product really you as the consumer need to shop around for the best deal, we consider our online store as a last resort to get Tamiya, as we would prefer you purchase from a store. All stores and dist can special order from us on products they do not normally carry.

We are the USA agent for Tamiya goods.

We are not here to sell direct.

We sell direct to make sure anyone in the USA can get Tamiya goods.

Our online prices are at MSRP unless an item is on sale.

We would rather you purchase from your local store.

Hope that all helps...

Joe

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We sell direct to make sure anyone in the USA can get Tamiya goods.

That's pretty important to me. There have been several times when I needed a part, and the hobby shop or online store I bought the kit from didn't stock the spare parts.

-Paul

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Well, I think the size and weight of the box may cancel out the low cost from Hong Kong / Japan in shipping costs.

Picked my two up today from the Local Hobby Shop (Well, 2 hour drive local - ha ).

Size comparison to Tundra 3 speed box.

post-8889-1331597747_thumb.jpg

post-8889-1331597754_thumb.jpg

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