So which Tamiya kits do you not like?

[Boothy 58]

I keep seeing threads on which Tamiya's people like and I know some of those kits people do not like have been covered there but I thought it would be interesting to see peoples thoughts in a thread of their own

So come on guys, which kits do you look at and just not get? Even if you feel like you should and just can't work out why not

And which kits have won you over?

You have to give reasons too, so we can all understand what's wrong with you

I'll start you off with a couple, firstly the Bull Head. I just can't love it and I don't know why I love Clods but the Bull Head just does not sit right with me. I think maybe its too tall in relation to its length and it looks a little to toy like for my taste but I just don't want one

Then the frog, there is something about the lack of any visible front suspension that offends me

The midnight pumpkin, I should love... I love pick ups and I love monster trucks but its that rounded bonnet that puts me off, its no blackfoot that's for sure and if I walked into the shop with the money to buy a MP I'd just walk out with another lunchbox

But the one that has won me over is the Big wig, it has a stupid name and looks only it's mother could love. Once upon a time I would of said it was the worst looking buggy Mr T has produced but now I want one badly

I have my fingers and toes crossed for a re re, I have no idea what turned me but I am in love

Andy

[Will16 45]

I never got to like the Blitzer type chassis. It was probably more to do with my configuration, but it seemed to break a lot and wast as fun as I expected. It also burnt out one of my ESC's.

I always thought I would hate the Lunchbox/MP chassis, but I have been changed and now own a few and they are great fun!

[i_am_scarecrow 913]

To be honest I am hard pressed to find cars I don't like! If I had to chose I'd certainly agree with the Bull Head, it isn't a looker! The other one that doesn't really float my boat is the new Tumbling Bull tractor, that is an odd looking thing with the creepiest looking driver ever! Also, I cant see the driver lasting too long in that position!

[markbt73 5316]

Any of the modern all-plastic entry-level cars (alphabet-soup chassis: TT, DT, DF, etc). They're just too easy to slap together, feel too cheap and wobbly, and don't seem worth the money. I'd rather spend $100 on a vintage wreck and some new tires.

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

LIKE

Looks and simplicity:

JPS Lotus 79 (F104W)
Wolf WR1 (F104W)
Mazda 787B No. 18 (RM01)
Mercedes Benz C11 (Group C)
Mazda 787B (Group C)
Nissan R91CP (Group C)
Toyota GT-One TS020 (F103RS)

Looks and standard equipment (ball bearings, turnbuckles, oil dampers, ball differentials, glass-filled plastics, etc.):

EBBRO 350R (TA05IFS)
Eclipse Advan SC430 (TA05IFS)
Raybrig NSX 2007 (TA05IFS)
ARTA Garaiya (TB03)
Xanavi Nismo GTR R35 (TB03)
ORC Amemiya SGC-7 (TB03)
Takata NSX 2008 (TB03)
Calsonic Impul GTR R35 (TB03)
Cusco Dunlop Subaru Impreza (TA05V2)
Motul Nismo GTR Tokachi (TA05V2)
Castrol Honda Civic Vti (FF03)
JAS Motorsport Honda Civic (FF03)
Petronas SLS AMG GT3 (TA06)
LaFerrari (TB04)

Metal content and attention to details:

XR311
Rough Rider (SRB)
Sand Scorcher (SRB)
Mountaineer (3-Speed)
Mercedes Benz Unimog 406 (CR01)
'73 Ford Bronco (CR01)

Performance:

TRF201
DB01R / RR
TRF801X / XT
FF03R
TB03R
TA05V2R
TB EVO V
TRF416X

No-care bashers:

Grasshopper
Mad Bull (DT01)
Mad Fighter (DT01)
Plasma Edge (DF02)
Lunch Box (CW01)

Purely looks:

Wild One
Tumbling Bull
Ford Aeromax
Russian KV-1

DON'T LIKE

Funky suspensions:

Hot Shot - mono shock
Fox - mono shock
Frog - front springs
Hornet - rear shocks

Complexity and design tradeoffs:

Almost any TA06, except TA06MS - extra belt, IFS rocker angles, battery compartment, space for electronics

Durability:

Any DT02 buggy - screws come out with use
Any DF03 buggy - chassis cracks, screws come out with use, soft metal gear, ball diffs need lots of love

Purely looks:

Holiday Buggy
Thunder Dragon
Fire Dragon
Saint Dragon
Fighter Buggy RX
Farm King

Don't feel special:

Black Editions
Blue Editions

Whew!

EDIT: A few I thought I would like actually lost me, such as the DT02 and DF03 models.

[pizzachaude 130]

The Striker!! Awful suspension, chassis that snaps in half, dogbones that cant handle a modified motor, very little upgrades. And then there's how it looks, half offroad buggy, half formula 1 race car. Just horrible, I restored one a few months back and just dont understand why I am keeping it.

[Grastens 2795]

The Striker!! Awful suspension, chassis that snaps in half, dogbones that cant handle a modified motor, very little upgrades. And then there's how it looks, half offroad buggy, half formula 1 race car. Just horrible, I restored one a few months back and just dont understand why I am keeping it.

I will be more than happy - overjoyed, even - to take it off your hands!

But obviously, I understand why the Striker is so reviled. I do agree there are a lot of reasons to dislike it, and for the purpose of staying on topic I will not defend it here.

That said: there are no models I absolutely hate, but am on the fence about the following models:

- Vajra (strange name, strange combination - not even very effective as any sort of runner, from what I have heard)

- 3-speed High Lift Hilux (not enough like the original - strange proportions; F-350 and Tundra look better)

- XB kits (it is not enough for me to have a cheap car built by a professional - I want to mess it up myself! )

[bromvw 744]

The only one I really hate is the Watanabe Edition Hornet . I seriously just don't get the thinking behind it . To me its just ugly .

[Sayer 742]

The only one I really hate is the Watanabe Edition Hornet . I seriously just don't get the thinking behind it . To me its just ugly .

The thinking is: "ZOMG! DESIGNER!? Take my money!"

[InsaneJim69 1584]

For me I just don't like the look of the Egress at all, strange high body type that just looks fugly (IMO) although I do like the Avante, thats a genuinly nice looking buggy.

James

[Daves956 157]

For performance or lack of it, my vote is for the TT01. Too many things wrong with it to mention. For looks it's the buggies or to be more specific any of them with front shocks a driver couldn't see around. To me they just look stupid. I'm not a big fan of any body that reminds me of a used bar of soap with no lines or details. Most buggies have both those features

[XV Pilot 1936]

While I like the DT01 chassis for its ruggedness and simplicity, I don't like the Mad Fighter or Fighter Buggy RX bodyshells. The Mad Fighter doesn't cover the front of the chassis properly, and the Fighter Buggy RX leaves too much exposed at the rear. IMHO the best-looking DT01 shell is the mildly-reworked GHII shell used on the Mad Bull.

I have tried very hard to like the Holiday Buggy, due to its place in Tamiya history, but (blasphemy I know) I just don't like its lines. I far prefer the Sand Rover.

And then there is the whole Tamiya Mini 4WD scene that I just don't get. I know it is popular abroad, but I just don't see the attraction. Some of the shells look quite stylish, but then their lines are ruined by multiple protruding guide wheels on the corners. And then there is the driving, or lack thereof. You just set them going and hope for the best. No driver skill involved at all. I far prefer slot cars. Faster, better-looking, and requiring real skill to drive fast, they give an experience that is far more like proper racing.

[MadInventor 3884]

I'm just going to lie down in my foxhole and wait for the flak :

SRBs.

I've never been keen on beetles, so the Sand Scorcher is out

The rough rider just looks too old and dated for me to like now, although I did very nearly buy one second hand about 28 years ago.

The F150 shell looks ok on the ranger, but a truck like hat should have solid axles and 4wd

It's really just the chassis and suspension design. It's so old and dated, ok, there's a lot of metal in it, but I just can't bring myself to like it wiht the antiquated suspension and odd motor attachment.

Never thought about buying a falcon, never liked the looks of the bigwig. Don't like the wheelie tractors. If you're going to build a tractor, it should have solid axles, 4wd, and have a transmission strong enough to drag a fence post behind it with a gear ratio to match.

DF-02 is one of the few modern kits I like, it's very tough as long as you don't hit anything with it.

[Gruntfuggly 562]

Striker and Sonic fighter - both just plain minging.

Saint Dragon - too wacky

Bull Head and Midnight Pumpkin - don't do it for me.

Scoobies - yawn.

[Shodog 1835]

I don't care for the buggies from the big wig on. Pretty much all the thunder shot series and Avante series buggies. At one time I had a beautiful Avante that was slower than a piece of fecal matter. I also had bought every NIP hop up for it to build an entirely new buggy. After running it I decided to sell it all and buy a full option Knight hauler

[Boothy 58]

Some good ones in there.

Its funny to see how what one person loves another cannot understand, I think I am not far of on my own in liking the thundershot series

I have to say SRB's don't really cut it for me either but I can see what people like about them.

Am I on my own in not really having any desire to own a Willy? *cough* you know what I mean

[Gruntfuggly 562]

You're not too far on your own - I'm quite a fan of the Thundershot series too - not great lookers, but they were pretty robust (apart from the flippin' A5)... and I'm not that tempted by any of the 'wheelie' type cars either.

I do like SRB's though...

[XV Pilot 1936]

I wasn't a fan of the wheelie cars either, primarily because they are mostly 1/12 scale or thereabouts, while everything else in my collection is 1/10 scale. However with the release of the Farm King in 1/10 scale, I thought the time had come to add a wheelie chassis to the collection, and I daresay it has been a lot of fun!

[mongoose1983 3335]

This thread made me think a lot. Now, this is going to sound funny, but seeing how many RC cars Tamiya has released since 1974, I think I can say I do not like Tamiya cars.

It is not that I like other brand better (actually I have no other cars in my collection), it's just that I like some of the first 100 cars they've released, and from 1990 on I can think of very few ones. You see I feel nothing for lexan, or onroaders, plus the new kits have some cheap feeling onto them, although some of them are very expensive. So, for a company that has put out hundreds, maybe a thousand RC kits out there, I like the exceptional number of 30, maybe 40 of them. I guess that means I do not like Tamiya cars. Heck, that is quite a curious thing for me to accept!

Now, here's some photo for the Big Wig haters out there

[sidewaysdave69 188]

just like the MadInventor its the srb's for me I have never really seen the appeal for them.

also sorry booth I know you like them but the monster beetle. should of been called the monster disappointment.

I wanted one when I was growing up. at the time it was a very close call between the monster beetle and the blackfoot. but I ended up with a hornet (I didn't get much say in it I was 10) thank god I did as I got a beetle a couple of years ago and was so let down by it that it didn't stay long.

[Sayer 742]

Ok I'll toss my hat in. I don't like the ORV chassis. It looks the best on the frog, but even that is a bit of a weird lumpy design. On the other models like the Blackfoot, Monster Beetle or the Brat, I can't unsee what is essentially a buggy chassis wearing the wrong body like an ill fitting hat.

[JeepnMike 150]

No matter how you slice it, that is a cool pic Mongoose... Way cool. Reminds me of a pic of myself... Tooting my own horn here.. LOL:

[Champ85 609]

Never liked the Holiday Buggy or Sand Rover. Original or re-re. That body style doesn't do it for me.

Do not like the Bigwig. The snorkel and rounded edges on the body turn me right off.

I also did not like the Saint Dragon, but after having restored one, I don't mind it as much.

I was not a fan of the Thundershot, but I recently purchased a NIB re-re for a reasonable price. I have no idea what came over me. Fear of missing out on something that could be cool I guess. I did get the aluminum A5 part from Pargu2000 if/when I build it.

[bromvw 744]

I've being giving this some more thought . To me it comes down to one thing . REALISM . Tamiya has its routes in making scale model ' suitable for radio control '

To my mind in order to like a RC car it has to look as close to the 1:1 its modelled on as possible - while accepting that the suspension can not be faithfully reproduced .

Any of the Spaceship looking Buggy's just do nothing what so ever for me . That rules out quite a number of the Tamiya Kits .

Personally to sum up to if it don't at least appear real - i'll not buy it .

[zomboided 374]

I haven't gelled with the WR02 chassis (which to be fair I only bought to get the Willy Jeep body for a different chassis). It just seems less fun than the Lunchy (with the same set of basic hop ups) and more prone to rolling.

Purely based on looks, like Champ85, I'm not into the Holiday Buggy either. Don't get the love there at all!

Dunno what the Bullhead hate is about though, that's so ugly and ill proportioned it's gorgeous!