the last tamiya kit you would buy

[topforcein]

i am planning on getting a new tamiya rc but seeing the price of rc kits at the present time i am almost certain it will be my last one i will buy

i am not pleased about this but what can u do. know i want it to be sumthing special.

i cant make up my mind as to a 3 speed pickup or a truck and trailer or a buggy (would love a topforce evo).

any ideas or help

also what would u do in the same situation

[Sayer]

i am planning on getting a new tamiya rc but seeing the price of rc kits at the present time i am almost certain it will be my last one i will buy

i am not pleased about this but what can u do. know i want it to be sumthing special.

i cant make up my mind as to a 3 speed pickup or a truck and trailer or a buggy (would love a topforce evo).

any ideas or help

also what would u do in the same situation

I'd suggest the bruiser, but as price seems to be an issue, I doubt that would be a viable option.

[bromvw]

I can only speak for myself . I wanted a buggy that had great performance , cheap parts and scale looks . My solution was to get a used blitzer and mod it . With brushless power - 4370kv 9t it gos well . As to the scale looks i fitted a Buggy Champ shell . IMO it now out performs almost every other buggy i've seen it terms of being all round fun and useable without having to worry about breaking anything . All up cost was under £200 and that was with all new items .

[Singleseven]

i cant make up my mind as to a 3 speed pickup or a truck and trailer or a buggy (would love a topforce evo).

any ideas or help

also what would u do in the same situation

If I were, you a topforce evo, if that's what you would love, but then a 3-speed will probably have more longevity with regards to what it can do and what you can do to it, i.e. scale accesories etc.

[Kevin_Mc]

i've only ever had one NIB kit, a TL-01 Focus WRC when i was 12. The rest have been runners bought second hand and rebuilt with new parts and shells. I'd like to buy another NIB kit but i can't justify the expense for anthing i fancy at this moment in time.

[Hibernaculum]

but seeing the price of rc kits at the present time i am almost certain it will be my last one i will buy

This is perhaps a sensitive topic, but...(without accounting for personal circumstances) aren't Tamiya kits cheaper now than they've ever been?

Cheaper and, frankly (if you are interested in performance) better than ever.

With online sellers fighting an aggressive price war, some Tamiya kits can shipped for under $100 (eg. Grasshopper), and of course electronic speed controls are standard inclusions these days.

Compare it to the 80s...

Grasshopper - $100

ESC - $100

= $200

Inflation x 2 (approx)

= buying a Grasshopper for $200 back then was the equivalent of spending $400 today.

That's not to say anyone should be buying stuff, just because it's better value than in the 80s. Just mentioning that in a broad economic sense, things really have never been better We all suffered much worse in the 1980s (and 90s).

H.

[taliesin]

I'd get the one that revs you up the most, regardless of the price. If you are totally happy with the buy, the build and the owning/driving/having part, it might keep the love for the hobby alive.

Every time I walk past the shelf there are a few models that just make me grin. Even when they are looking a bit tatty around the edges, it reminds me of the good times that made them look so tatty and worn out.

[berman]

This is perhaps a sensitive topic, but...(without accounting for personal circumstances) aren't Tamiya kits cheaper now than they've ever been?

Cheaper and, frankly (if you are interested in performance) better than ever.

With online sellers fighting an aggressive price war, some Tamiya kits can shipped for under $100 (eg. Grasshopper), and of course electronic speed controls are standard inclusions these days.

Compare it to the 80s...

Grasshopper - $100

ESC - $100

= $200

Inflation x 2 (approx)

= buying a Grasshopper for $200 back then was the equivalent of spending $400 today.

That's not to say anyone should be buying stuff, just because it's better value than in the 80s. Just mentioning that in a broad economic sense, things really have never been better We all suffered much worse in the 1980s (and 90s).

H.

Dont forget though in respect to re-releases, for the most part the cost of design and tooling was paid for in the eighties

On another note, good to see you back Hiber, I have missed your posts

Since the OP said 3 speeds etc implying that the last kit purchase was going to be an "all outer", I would pick a truck and trailer, or a tank for buildability, plus the lights and sounds add much more realism.

There is also buggies, touring cars, and many more to consider, it depends what you are into, and nobody can answer that but you

I doubt I will ever be buying much more NIB kits, all I want is a Juggernaut, a Tank and a F1 car to build from new and i would be happy. I have to admit though, so far my Knight Hauler and Trailer are one of my favourite RC's, for building and running, (another nomination would be my Baja 5B SS), also I have never built a Clod Buster from new which would be cool, but that's a personal thing for me as I've stripped and built second hand ones multiple times.

[speedy_w_beans]

If I was buying one last Tamiya kit, and it had to be a Tamiya, then I would buy something where the company really shines, which is on-road. I'd probably go get a TB03 or TA05V2 kit, build it up, throw in a moderate sensored brushless system, and then if there's still some budget left over go shopping for some HPI bodies, wheels, and tires. At least that way it could be driven in some club racing situations, or driven in the street, or converted to drifting with a spool in the rear. You could have 3-5 nice HPI bodies and associated wheels, spend some time meticulously painting them, and have several fresh looks for the same chassis.

So many differerent shells fit the same chassis, and wheels/tires are pretty common among touring cars. It might be $50-60 each time you want a new look (body, wheels, tires) versus $200-$300 for a new kit. It just seems like there are quite a few opportunities with on-road -- 17.5 or 13.5 racing, vintage trans am racing, general driving in the street or parking lot, speed runs, drifting, low riders, street vehicles, maybe even some rallying with modifications. I like the realistic looks of on-road shells and wheels, and the combination of Tamiya chassis with HPI shells/wheels/tires works pretty well.

-Paul

[HunterZero]

I keep thinking the last Tamiya kit I'll buy is the one I've most recently bought... Then I buy another... and another...

- James

[Yello]

I kinda wish this quesiton applied to me but then I scan my desires and my addiction tells me that I'm not done. I may be done but more than likely I'm not done buying kits.

I'd like to get a short course truck - but Tamiya doesn't make any good ones so I might jump ship and buy an HPI or something. Then I wish the were re-released. I always wanted one of those and I love the aggressive and yet svelte look of the Nissan (vs something like the Bigfoot). But then again maybe I'm getting bored of vintage backyard bashers. I don't need a shourt course truck or a monster truck. Then maybe I'd gain a lot by stepping into the world of on-road; I'd buy an asphalt "basher" that I'd gear up for speed runs and drifting. But maybe I'll just get another buggy as I'm currently obsessed with those. I am still interested in the DB02. Looking forward, even, to a DB03, presuming it'll come out some day within the next 5 years.

The alternative is that, after all is said and done, my Baldre IS my last buggy. Sometimes I think of buying the DB01R since I already have the wheels, tires, battery, and the Durga shell for it. Which would mean I'd have the opportunity to shop around for a hot brushless motor. And the result would be that I'd be the owner of the DB01 twins, the Baldre and the Durga, and then that, I feel, would complete me.

It's that feeling, man, of not being finished, of driving, and shopping, and building that makes this hobby so **** addicting.

Anyway, I hope you choose a worthy final kit! Make it count.

[Hibernaculum]

Dont forget though in respect to re-releases, for the most part the cost of design and tooling was paid for in the eighties

On another note, good to see you back Hiber, I have missed your posts

Good point. And really, the overhead on Tamiya's current line-up has got to be the lowest in the company's history

And thanks, nice to see some familiar names still here

cheers,

H.

[Thommo]

The endless possibilities of what might be re-released make this question simply immpossible to answer for me.

Right now, I'd say the Bruiser for the OP.

[lindorf]

For me .. if it was the last kit i was going get .. Would have be an Avante .. its one heck of a machine

[Tamiya1/10]

i am planning on getting a new tamiya rc but seeing the price of rc kits at the present time i am almost certain it will be my last one i will buy

i am not pleased about this but what can u do. know i want it to be sumthing special.

i cant make up my mind as to a 3 speed pickup or a truck and trailer or a buggy (would love a topforce evo).

any ideas or help

also what would u do in the same situation

Who are you trying to kid. We all know this will be your last one until the next one comes along. I know because I said the same thing after my 1st kit back in 1995 and the same thing after my current 40+ kits. I know I am not helping.... but if you got to choose than the XC / CC, which you can take it off or on road. Don't expect to perform well in all areas but you can run it anywhere. Put a low turn motor and sponge tires you have a pretty good road car. Put a high turn motor and lock the diff, you have a pretty good trail runner. Better shocks and weights to tire you have a pretty good crawler.

[topforcein]

tbh if i want a good off/on roader i have my traxxas revo for that everthing i have asked of that since i brought it when it first came out in the uk and has never let me down except the gutter incedent seen to the front end in bits

weather i will use this last kit i buy well i dont know yet.

i dont want another on roader as i have my tt-01 for that

im not in a club and dont plan on joining one tbh

i only really ever go for a bash mainly on car parks but having said that i mainly use the ww2 or lunchbox as they are too much fun not to use.

the others i have i dont use that much (topforce manta ray hornet sand scorcher buggy champ)

i need to fill a gap in what i already have

yes i like the avante black special and the bruiser i also like the toyota tundra also but i know there is a fair few i have forgot about also

if i go for a 3 speed or a truck onsider the price of the mfu and the control also.

[teddyt]

I would defo get a bruiser

and it would be my last kit, as the wife would kill me !!!!

[Grastens]

Good point about the state of re-releases; who knows what may emerge? Tamiya had an awesome collection of buggies that may soon see another production run.

Even if the Bruiser is a masterpiece, I would go for a buggy, citing versatility as well as this category having a lot of different offerings to choose from.

[taliesin]

Based on what you said above, it seems like something unusual with a complex build might be the best option, so ... tractor trailer rig with all the extras, a 3-speed with lots of extras like MFU, winch, lights, etc., or maybe even a tank with all the goodies?

Interesting and satisfying build, definitely something special to go out with a bang, and not duplicating anything you already have. Just a couple of ideas to think about.

[topforcein]

for me the best thing is the build and the paint

i just remembered about the f1's what are they like