Random Fox question

[Saito2]

So, does anybody have any theories as to why the Fox was Tamiya's only stand alone unique off-roader in the vintage line up? I know shy of corralling an actual Tamiya employee from the period, we'll never have a concrete answer but it could be fodder for discussion. Was the model not a good seller? Because from the outset, the Fox was the best Tamiya offered in 2wd (at the time) did they feel they had no where to go? Usually (but not always) Tamiya tends to offer a base version first and then an uprated version. Why didn't the Fox get a "Super Shot" treatment like the Hot Shot? At the very least I would have figured on a re-body, perhaps with different wheels. Speculate away!

[beefmuffin]

As I understand it, at least I think I remember reading that when the Fox was out the new hotness in the r/c racing arena was 4WD so big T focused on that. Could I be way off? Yes.

[Hibernaculum]

The Fox was a huge seller, that we know.

The R/C scene was evolving rapidly as each year passed, in the 1980s. Perhaps Tamiya needed to move toward different thinking, more quickly after the Fox. Or perhaps they just knew what a PITA it was to tuck all the wires into the upper and lower chassis halves, while screwing it all together.

My preferred theory...

So much innovation in the 1980s. Unique designs and character in each model. Even when a chassis was actually re-used across models, there were still some unique aspects to virtually all cars. Nothing was cookie-cutter and boring, like it became once Tamiya really rationalized all cars into mere chassis numbers. It should be no surprise that whole models slipped through in the 1980s, with very little re-use of parts across other models.

Unique models, and parts, are a key reason why I love the vintage era (and my eyes glaze-over when looking at most of the stuff beyond the first 100).

[markbt73]

As I understand it, at least I think I remember reading that when the Fox was out the new hotness in the r/c racing arena was 4WD so big T focused on that. Could I be way off? Yes.

Well, also, the RC10 sort of rained on the parades of other 2WD cars as soon as it came out. Kyosho chose to mimic it with the Ultima, but Tamiya didn't. Though from what I recall, the Fox was pretty competitive at the local track against everything but those two...

[Shodog]

Foxes were competitive but the RC10 just killed them. The biggest complaint was accessing radio gear required a lot of disassembly. Most of us ran out Esc where the driver would sit

[GregM]

To me, I think of the Fox being the Hotshot's 2WD cousin, in both visual design as well as technical construction. So it is unique, but still has some undoubted Hotshot traits.