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kasparov

What's Tamiya's most iconic and famous rc car?

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I cant help but think the hornet and hotshot are the most famous rc cars of all time.

Slightly leaning towards the hornet as it was more affordable than the hotshot.

So was the hornet the most popular ever? Or something else?

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Those are iconic but I would say scorcher, frog and blackfoot would be in the running

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Maybe add Clod and Lunchbox to that list for breaking into the mainstream.

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I'm with the scorcher for the most iconic of the tamiya rc but I agree with you Kasparov the hornet was good and affordable which probably meant it sold in the bucket load but that doesn't mean its the most iconic fantastic rc buggy though!

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It depends on the audience. To Tamiya fans, vehicles like the Sand Scorcher or Bruiser fit the list. However, there are a bunch of non-Tamiya RC people that barely or never knew about the Sand Scorcher (until the recent re-release that is). You could then expand that group to people that just dabbled in RC. Considering those larger groups, common names like the Hornet, Grasshopper and Frog (and probably Hot Shot) would come up. I think even my mother in her 70's (who wouldn't know an RC car from a doorknob) has heard of a Grasshopper.

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First you must defin what you understand when you say "iconic" and what period you are focussing. I think everyone has his own understanding of what is "iconic" for one self.

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Hornet holds the sales record, at least I think I read that somewhere. Something like 750,000? You could make a case for the Hornet/Grasshopper/Frog trio, because they often appeared in non-hobby-themed (ie Sears) catalogs together.

Among my non-RC friends, my Blackfoot and Hotshot seem to be the ones they are most often familiar with.

I'd say the big sellers from 1983-1987 era are, as a group, probably the most iconic of the brand to the general public.

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Avante

if you has seen one, heard of it at the time, you wanted one. don't say you didn't ... lol

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I'd say it is a toss-up between the Grasshopper and the Hornet. Even those shool buddies of mine who knew nothing of Tamiya had heard of them, and wanted them.

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So probably the hornet.

What was the best value tamiya ever?

Best performer and best looking?

Most difficult to build?

Also easiest build?

Max

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Best value ever? Probably the DT-03. Hard to say in terms of vintage though.

Best performer ever? Probably the latest TRF. In terms of vintage, probably the most recent TRF that is old enough to qualify for your given definition of vintage.

Best looking? That is a hard one as we all have such different tastes. Being an engineer, I find beauty in the technical aspects, so I'd say a buggy with its interesting parts on show, such as the Hotshot or Avante.

Most difficult to build? Probably a full option tank or lorry.

Easiest build? Maybe one of the RC Boys 4WD Racer series, or maybe a Grasshopper?

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Best performer and best looking?

Most difficult to build?

Also easiest build?

Max

Best performer and best looking: Tamiya cars are known to be lousy performers if you're into serious RC racing (and that's for both, on and off roaders). Myself, the one chassis that I think it's the best stock Tamiya I've ever ran is the TA-02 chassis. I don't know about the long-arms in buggies like the Manta Ray, but the ones with short arms are the nicest cars I can remember. Now, I guess you'd have as many Tamiya models pointed out as "the best looking one" as people pointing them out. Like, what is really your favorite model-there's thousand and one reasons to name some specific cars we just can not come to a precise model. It's a subjective matter! Now, if you ask ME, I would have to include in some sort of list as the best looking vehicles the Lamborghinis (Cheetah and Countach), Toyota 4x4 Bruiser, King Hauler, Clod Buster, and Jeep Wrangler. I don't know... this is SO subjective!

Most difficult to build: From the first 50 Tamiyas it would have to be the Hot Shot. And from all of the catalogs I tend to think the 1:14 tractor trucks or the High-Lift pick-up trucks should pretty much be the most difficult ones to build.

Also easiest build: I feel tempted to mention the original Grasshopper, but looking at the first 100 photo I do believe the easiest build must be the Porsche 956 from 1984. It's got very few pieces and it is so simple, even more than the humble --but gorgeous- Grasshopper!

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I have another interesting question..

If you lined up every model from 58001 to 58150...

And had a simultaneous race with say a standard nimh battery and 3300mah.

The race being around 50m, what would come first and what would come last?

Max

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Great question! I'll add my take on this if possible.

In 1983, I was 11 years old, my dad, me, and a couple of buddies walked into a Toy Store/Hobby Shop and were blown away. There in a glass display case sat a Frog, Super Champ, Blazing Blazer, Wild Willy and a Grasshopper. We couldn't believe the scale realism and overall awesome look & feel of these cars.

From that point on, me and ALL of my friends lived & breathed Tamiya cars. Having said that, during the time frame of 1983 to early '87, I would say the Frog would be the most popular/iconic. At the time, they were not as challenging as the Hotshot to build and were more affordable. They ran better than the Grasshopper or Hornet, but didn't really handle all that well. I had around 5 or 6 friends who had one, all of them had hop-up options done to them, and the funny thing was, NO ONE painted them like the box art. Painting that lower stripe on the bottom towards the front was very tough to mask off...

I guess The Frog was the most iconic for a few years, but once the Hotshot gained popularity, I think it might have taken over. So, I vote for The Frog or The Hotshot to be Tamiya's most iconic buggy.

That's just my .02 cents, being a kid during this time truly was a blast playing with our Tamiya cars. Out of all my friends, I seem to be the only one who is still into them... :D

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I think I have to say the Hornet, Frog and Grasshopper if I look at it from a non-educated/enthusiast view.

Its a bit like Superman and Batman being the most two iconic Superheroes. If you did a snap poll would get the most hits from non comic/superhero people

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1980s: Clod vs everything

1990s: Clod vs USA1

2000s: Clod vs EMAXX

2010s: Clod vs ?

To me, only the RC10 comes close to the Clodbuster for rc historic significance

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I think the sales numbers of the Hornet ends this discussion :)

Personally, I have to agree that when growing up here in the 80's of Southern California, the Hornet, Grasshopper and Frog were the most common. My dad at the time had a Sand Scorcher which we all knew was pricier, more detailed and was off-limits. haha

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Demographics also play a part. Monster trucks are popular here in the States. The original Blackfoot sold by the ton. Everybody had one. The Clod Buster was also highly regarded as seen by its longevity. Certainly an equal to the RC10. But consider that in other counties, monster trucks do not have the appeal that buggies have. I first joined Tamiyaclub in the early 2000s and was interested to find the people in other countries often found trucks like the Clod to be poor performers and even vulgar in their excess.

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For me growing up it was Blackfoot/beetle, hornet, frog and everyone's dream Avante. my friend had one which looked awesome but wasn't that great. I actually purchased one out of rc car action about a year after release on sale without the technigold motor for I believe $150. I had to have it which I quickly sold after it constantly broke and purchased an astute with that money

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