Blitzer or Monster Beetle?

[Rich1978]

OK so I'm on to our third car.. I say our, my son has a MBII and I have a Lunchbox which his younger brother seems to have hijacked.

I need a new project and it needs to be beetle shaped! I could get hold of an MB for prob about £60 or I could get blitzer for about double that.

I guess I could spend the difference making the Mb a stronger runner and the resto would be good fun but the full build and the durability of the blitzer is equally appealing.

I would defo only go as far as a 23t BZ in the Mb... Maybe more in the blitzer but not crazy amounts more than the kids who are on 55t motors!

I'm also concerned about the blitzers bump steer but equally about the fragility of the MB.

So.... What should I do, what would u do?

R

[Plopes]

I would choose the Blitzer for a runner.

[XV Pilot]

I would go for a WT-01 chassis with whatever bodyshell it is sold with cheapest, sell the shell on and put a Kamtec Baja shell on it instead, as was done here by Terz1:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=75485

That way you get a very rugged and extremely capable Tamiya chassis with easy spares availability, along with the Beetle shape you are after. More capable offroad than a Blitzer, tougher than a MB, what is there not to like?

[markbt73]

This may be blasphemy, but what about the re-re Kyosho Beetle? More capable off-road than either Tamiya, tons of vintage panache, a fantastic build experience, and nearly all metal underneath. You could even swap on a Blitzer or Scorcher body shell if you want the nice Tamiya ABS body.

[Rich1978]

Mark yes that's blasphemy!

XV, thing is I've already got that chassis so after something else...

[XV Pilot]

In that case, how about a Sand Scorcher lookalike based on a Grasshopper or Hornet chassis, like this:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=74519

Or if it is more of a Stadium look you are after, how about basing it off a M-04L with TL-01B arms fitted? Imagine this, but with a Baja bug shell:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=71838

[Terz1]

^ this would be a good project rich. Plus it would be a different chassis and give a totally different driving experience to the lunchie and MB2. I love my hornet. One of the biggest smiles per minute in my collection.

[Grumpy pants]

I've had both and I've got kids as well and I'd buy the Blitzer for me and the M.B if the kids where going to use it.

The M.B has the all important ground clearance and the gearbox mods seems to sort to the inherent issues.

The Blitzer is close to the ground and when used by my girls would get smashed and banged up kerbs and verges from Tarmac onto grass and the back tyres wear out really quickly. Not deliberate damage, but it does happens and it's quite an expensive kit to buy and hop up imo.

The M.B has so many sibling that parts are readily available as job lots on eBay for next to nothing and the wheel and tyre options are far greater.

Hope this helps.

Simon

[bromvw]

IMO the Blitzer wins hands down as kit build . Durable and easy to modify - and at little extra cost . Flip the steering arms side to side and 90% of the bump steer is cured at no cost at all . Ok so its not as capable off road as one of the custom options above but its a heck of a lot of fun and lest fragile then a MB . The kit tires are rubbish but replacing them with something like Proline Dirt Dawgs once their worn out is not going to break the bank .

[zomboided]

I've never run a Blitzer but I'm doing 2 MB restores at the moment and am really enjoying them both.

My shelf queen restore is costing way too much, but that has to be better than perfect. I've resisted upgrading it too much as it's not going to be run.

For my runner, it's being built to bash and has a lot of mods (which is fun in itself). However, even with a lot of beefing up I can still see things breaking (especially around the front steering/suspension area).

I think bromvw is on the money here. And a £60 MB is probably gonna be a bit of a dog and likely a false economy as you'll put at least the same again into making it really usable.

[pizzachaude]

I would go for Monster Beetle because it looks so much better than the blitzer IMO. Besides they are not that fragile, most parts are easily available and they can go anywhere. Just dont break those body mounts.... Havent broken anything on mine with an 18T brushed, but my kids arent allowed to drive it

[kalsh]

I love the Monster Beetles but for driving experience I would go with the Blitzer. Rear tires are only a problem if run on Tarmac. Mine have lasted a long time on my Stadium Thunder which I only run on dirt and grass. My kids love the Stadium Thunder. Hard body vs lexan body also is an important factor when kids are driving as the monster beetle will end up on it's roof more than once or twice if run hard. If you go monster Beetle route definitely invest in gearbox fix with a screw to hold the gears together as per fellow members suggestions.

http://tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=24674&sid=3142

[Rich1978]

Wow lots of different opinions... Thanls for the responses guys.....

[IBIFTKH]

How about a mix?

(Blitzer with WR-02 wheels and tyres)

[mr crispy]

The Beetle shells drop quite nicely straight into a TL01B with just a few body mount mods. This is a Kamtec Scorcher Lexan body but it's the same as the Sand Scorcher set.

Blitzer looks with 4x4 performance and great handling

[Rich1978]

Now that looks the business! Do u think it would keep up with my brothers df03?

[i_am_scarecrow]

In that case, how about a Sand Scorcher lookalike based on a Grasshopper or Hornet chassis, like this:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=74519

That's my bug right there!

It's a fun little thing but it isn't the best handling car ever. My Blitzer is a much better car for out and out bashing. I just sold my MB as I didn't want to damage it after restoring it and really didn't need another shelf queen.

I'd go for the Blitzer every time!

[mr crispy]

Now that looks the business! Do u think it would keep up with my brothers df03?

Oh yes. The super grippers gave it amazing levels of grip on loose surfaces or grass. You can see how low the COG would be but it would still grip roll if you really pushed it I now run it with 90mm Kongs stretched over the wheels.

[bromvw]

The Scorcher or Kamtec shell also fits the Frog chassis really well so that's yet another option . IMO though the Blitzer offers the best handling if you want a 2WD .

Go custom if you want 4x4 - but that's not a Beetle lol .

[Flerbizky]

Another vote for the Blitzer. Nigh on indestructible once a few niggles have been sorted.