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Kyosho Optima re-release coming!

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Won't be easy for a trf503 to shake an Optima off either. Kyosho ain't forcing anybody to buy.

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By the way...the above wasn't meant as a criticism of the Egress. I have two NIB Egress kits, am a big fan of the buggy and think it has a charm of it's own. But there cannot be any doubt that it is an inferior buggy to the Optima in almost every way. The only thing that could be debated is which is the better looking of the two...my opinion on that one is that the Egress chassis is the more beautiful but the Optima is the better looking of the two when they both have their bodies fitted.

Let's also not forget that Tamiya's supply of parts for the Egress has been extremely poor. And to this day it is still unclear whether the kit was properly put into production after the fumbled manner in which it first hit the stores.

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Won't be easy for a trf503 to shake an Optima off either. Kyosho ain't forcing anybody to buy.

I am actually really curious to see how the re-release performs up against the modern racers. It would be quite amusing if if embarrasses some of them.

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I am actually really curious to see how the re-release performs up against the modern racers. It would be quite amusing if if embarrasses some of them.

I've not seen one of the original optimas driven, but I do remember that Optima Mids and long wheelbase Schumacher CATs seemed to be the out of the box race winners back in the 80's. I think a MID would certainly give a modern racer a run for it's money with a good driver.

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I've not seen one of the original optimas driven, but I do remember that Optima Mids and long wheelbase Schumacher CATs seemed to be the out of the box race winners back in the 80's. I think a MID would certainly give a modern racer a run for it's money with a good driver.

Without a doubt. Back in the day, when racing at my local club, I regularly finished last with my Bigwig. Then I replaced it with a Turbo Optima Mid and won my very first race with it, lol. The difference was like night and day.

Up to that point I had been a fiercely loyal Tamiya fanboy but in the end I just couldn't resist the calling of the Kyoshos.

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These will definitely compete with modern cars on the club scene at least. I sometimes think that the developments in car technology are overstated. New tyres and batteries quickly bring the older cars a whole lot closer. A friend and I often go to clubs and race our vintage cars with the modern. He's placed in many A finals with his Astute and I have shown up many modern 2WD buggies by placing in the mid-pack with a box-stock Scorpion re-release. The reason you don't find many spares being carried for the Scorpion is probably because they don't break. Apart from the wing wire ;)

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I've not seen one of the original optimas driven, but I do remember that Optima Mids and long wheelbase Schumacher CATs seemed to be the out of the box race winners back in the 80's. I think a MID would certainly give a modern racer a run for it's money with a good driver.

One of my friends got an Optima in 1986 or 87, shortly before the Mid came out. The thing I remember most about it was how it turned corners. While my Blackfoot was lumbering and flopping around like an excited dog, and my other friend's Boomerang plowed wide at every turn, the Optima turned in hard, and right now. It was like watching one of those light-cycles from "Tron" (or so it seemed at the time). We had all laughed at the "Super Suspension System" decals, but boy, they meant it. It was my first real understanding of the importance of a vehicle's handling.

How it would stack up these days I don't know, but back then, it was really impressive.

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Without a doubt. Back in the day, when racing at my local club, I regularly finished last with my Bigwig. Then I replaced it with a Turbo Optima Mid and won my very first race with it, lol. The difference was like night and day.

Up to that point I had been a fiercely loyal Tamiya fanboy but in the end I just couldn't resist the calling of the Kyoshos.

Absolutely!

Loved tamiyas for having fun and bashing,Kyoshos for racing (Schumacher if you had the money!)

Wheelspin also showing £299, with uk RRP of £327 !

Best uk price I've seen so far is £289

Still cheaper (just) than they where BITD.

I found an old mag a while back,equivalent of around £355 today and £72 extra for the bearings!

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=77749&view=&hl=&fromsearch=1

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Are the shocks the same size?

I spent ages looking for intact Red collars for my ultima,think I've bought 4 sets,just to get a complete set!

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Are the shocks the same size?

I spent ages looking for intact Red collars for my ultima,think I've bought 4 sets,just to get a complete set!

Should have done what I did: buy a $20 Raider, take the friction shocks off, steal the collars (fit perfectly, and generally don't break being tightened against plastic), throw some junk shocks on the Raider, sell it for $40. :)

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Should have done what I did: buy a $20 Raider, take the friction shocks off, steal the collars (fit perfectly, and generally don't break being tightened against plastic), throw some junk shocks on the Raider, sell it for $40. :)

Are they the same part number?

I have done that,but swore I could tell a difference putting them side by side.

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Well, they fit.... not sure if they are absolutely identical.

The new ones will certainly be different, because the new shocks are listed as 12mm diameter, and the old ones were 10mm (or 9?). I'm hoping they're comparable in smoothness to the Golds, but in the proper Optima red. I have high hopes; the re-re Scorpion's shocks are fussy to fill and bleed, but very smooth once you get it right.

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Well, they fit.... not sure if they are absolutely identical.

The new ones will certainly be different, because the new shocks are listed as 12mm diameter, and the old ones were 10mm (or 9?). I'm hoping they're comparable in smoothness to the Golds, but in the proper Optima red. I have high hopes; the re-re Scorpion's shocks are fussy to fill and bleed, but very smooth once you get it right.

I don't know much about kyoshos because I've never had one but the tomahawk and scorpion re-re's both have pre-built shocks and that is one part of a build I least like so me hope's that the optima goes that way aswell!!!
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but the new chunky tires just don't quite look... right. It takes away some of the svelte jungle-cat stance of the original.

This.

- Edit: I am a bit sad that the bumper brace is still plastic as opposed to alloy since that bit is a known breakage (bendage?) point - and the reason there aren't very may original Optimas that don't have a tweaked OT-14 part.

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I don't know much about kyoshos because I've never had one but the tomahawk and scorpion re-re's both have pre-built shocks and that is one part of a build I least like so me hope's that the optima goes that way aswell!!!

Actually, that's the part I like the most! So hopefully no pre-build shocks ;)

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There will most likely be HG shocks hop ups as with the scorpion.

The HG shocks will make the gold optima shocks look like plastic shocks that come with the basic kits

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Id suggest you stick up with spares - a lot of HK sellers aren't carrying much in the way of scorpion spares and that's less than 2 years from re release. Maybe can order from Kyosho but what about in 5 years time ?

Not sure I'll bother, got my original to finish, and I've not even opened the shipping packaging on both the RC10 Classic or Scorpion rere kits yet :(

We don't have that problem here in the states, because we are fortunate enough to have a Kyosho America head quarters in California. As to 5 years from now.. We will probably be back to hoarding through eBay lol.

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This.

- Edit: I am a bit sad that the bumper brace is still plastic as opposed to alloy since that bit is a known breakage (bendage?) point - and the reason there aren't very may original Optimas that don't have a tweaked OT-14 part.

The plastic will be much improved with greater absorption characteristics and the aluminium is much stonger.

Radios also no longer suffer from glitches, back in the day, my Scorpion would beam straight for the curb full speed lol.. Then it was time to bend it all back

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Was just looking at Tamico's Optima listing and their price is EUR 359.99 but a note says this includes 19% VAT. So really, it's not so different than the U.S. price of USD 299.99 ~ EUR 265 * 1.19 ~ EUR 315 (but this is routing the currency exchange via USD... which may skew the result vs just the FX between yen and euro).

Still doesn't explain the GBP 299.99 prices ~ USD 435! If you were to chalk the difference up purely to taxes that would be something like 45%... can't be that high, can it?

http://tamico.de/Kyosho-Optima-Buggy-2016-Bausatz

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When you consider what you are getting, a mint Optima, with slipper & chain or belt drive, £299 does not seem expensive - and much cheaper than finding a vintage NIB plus belt & slipper hop-ups!

But it does get to me that the price in the UK is so much more than the US, when shipping to either UK or US from the factory must be about the same cost?

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When you consider what you are getting, a mint Optima, with slipper & chain or belt drive, £299 does not seem expensive - and much cheaper than finding a vintage NIB plus belt & slipper hop-ups!

But it does get to me that the price in the UK is so much more than the US, when shipping to either UK or US from the factory must be about the same cost?

Yeah - it's not so much the absolute cost that's the issue. The relative cost is what's weird.

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Yeah - it's not so much the absolute cost that's the issue. The relative cost is what's weird.

UK or European taxes unfortunately :angry:

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