Tamiyaclub and your purchases

[Saito2]

In being part of this online community for 12 years or so I've made some observations on how it's affected my purchases. They seem to fall into two categories. First, a new model approaches production and there's quite a buzz about it. I remember when the DF-03 Dark Impact was first introduced. There was a great deal of interest here on the forum. It was far better in many respects than the DF-02, despite the fact the later intro of the DB-01 kinda of seemed to kill it. As details emerged, people (including me) got swept up in the excitement. One finds oneself saying "I've got to get me one of those". I wonder if the excitement being spurred on by fellow Tamiya enthusiast help sell more cars? The second way the club affects purchases is research. Often times this concerns a model that's been out for a while. For instance, when I considered getting a CC-01, I searched the forum for people's opinions, stories, etc. This makes the club a wonderful resource to make informed purchasing decisions. How about you? Has Tamiyaclub played a roll in growing your collection?

[Fuijo]

It certainly has. I thought I'd only be buying cars that I personally remember well from when I was a child. My RC budget was diverted to beer and chasing girls a little after the Hornet was released. The

only other car I remember from back then was the 959 that I saw when I was passing Beatties model shop one day and thought I'd pop in for a bit of nostalgia. I can't even recall what else was for sale at the

time as the Porsche commanded all my attention. But I wouldn't even have considered paying that kind of money for one, even if I'd have had it to spend.

I now have a Novafox, a Hotshot, an Egress and an R91cp thanks to the excitement I got caught up in just lurking before I even joined. I saw a Hotshot once from a distance as a kid , the remains of the front end of

a Fox that a friend had; very much at the end of it's life, and with no pictures of what the complete car looked like. Then I read a bit in a newspaper about the Egress, but never saw one in the flesh. And

I have no memory of the R91cp at all. But thanks to this site I decided that I must aquire them regardless. Regrets? Not really, no. But I'm a bit scared of that Nissan paint job!

[Dojo Dave]

I believe yes, I have considerably less money and a lot more cars in part because of Tamiyaclub. The group shares such impressive skills and enthusiasm for the hobby, that you cant help but get caught up in the frenzy. I had little interest in owning another Porsche let alone the Ta02 sw, however the info on what is included that I found only by reading the forum  convinced me to order. Enough said. 

[TurnipJF]

The forum was a significant factor in my choice of a Mad Bull as my first model. Reports of its resilience, ease of maintenance and suitability for beach running, as well as a first-hand recommendation from a colleague who was active in the forum at the time, gave me the confidence to lay down my hard earned cash and buy one.

 

 

[njmlondon]

Tamiyaclub has been responsible for huge amounts of cash leaving my wallet!

It started with seeing a 959 in a showroom about 12 years ago, which like Fuijo was my last memory of Tamiya and became my first purchase on ebay as I returned to the hobby.

Most of the cars I have bought since then have been due to reading the forums and trawling the showrooms and not due to Tamiya releases or advertising.

It is also said that "time is money" and in that area, Tamiyaclub has bankrupted me! I have no idea how many hours of my life I have spent drifitng around the forums and showrooms and I probably do not want to know!

[Theibault]

I love RC and have been non stop since 1985. I love this forum as Tamiya is a huge part of my RC passion, even though I have kits from almost every major brand. I buy what I like at the time, so TC really has no effect on what I buy, but I love this site for the resource it is. So, no, TC has very little to do with what I purchase, but it's a great place to talk and share about what I have and see what others are up to with the hobby.

[MadInventor]

I don't think it has had a major influence on what I buy kit wise, but certainly when I've been scratch building models, the comments left by club members in my build threads are what has spurred me on to finish something that I would otherwise probably have given up on and left part finished in a corner of the loft.

[Mad Ax]

I think it's been a massive influence on me.  My return to RC in the early naughties with DF03 and a Midnight Pumpkin would probably have ended there if I hadn't stumbled upon Tamiyaclub.

Mostly, I think being on TC has normalised the desire to buy more and more cars.  Some people have huge collections, some people are always talking about buying the next thing, so it makes it normal for me to consider adding to an already big collection.

Also seeing great builds, paint jobs, and other custom things really inspires me to do better and to focus on getting my custom builds just right, rather than making them "just good enough" or giving up and selling them on.  It's a shame in that respect that TC has fallen behind a little in terms of custom building - don't get me wrong, we have some very skilled custom builders on TC, but in terms of sheer quantity of custom builders the scale 4x4 forums have taken over.

As for influencing what I buy - sometimes I get really excited by the hype over a new model, but often by the time it's released I've gone past it.  I'm no longer interested.  I was hugely excited by the Brat re-re, but I waited ages after it was released before getting one.  I wanted a Fox as soon as I saw the re-re announcement, but then I forgot all about it.  In fact I only bought one in a real rush because someone said they were about to be discontinued and they were going cheap on a German web shop.  I'd already overspent my RC budget that month so it very much was an impulse must-have-this-before-it-goes-forever purchase.

Sometimes I'll see a picture in a showroom or build thread that makes me really want a certain model I've never wanted before.  I think it's thanks to the CC01 worship thread that I still want to buy more CC01s even though I already have one NIB and one never-run project that's been on the go for years.

[Badcrumble]

I didn't manage to have a Tamiya as a kid. The closest I got was my Mini Hopper (still boxed in the loft).

A colleague of mine bought himself a Hornet for his 40th and that got me thinking...

I stumbled across TC and it has been invaluable teaching me about this hobby.

It hasn't helped my to not buy a load of rubbish on eBay but is has helped me refine those purchases with appropriate hop ups.

It has also helped me see where I might take my hobby, which path I will go down in the future.

In the meantime, still have to to finish my first kit...

[StrokerBoy]

I bought a used WW2 to customise after seeing some of the imaginative builds on here, and a couple of items being sold on here too. But really I just buy stuff I already wanted anyway. You'll have to try harder...

[berman]

I blame Tamiyaclub for everything. My collection... My lack of willpower for needless spending... Stuff I don't need but "Must have"... It's all Tamiyaclubs fault!

 

I say we bandy a mob together, grab our pitch forks and torches and pay Chris and Andy a visit

[Scouser]

I actually think that Tamiyaclub has saved me money in a roundabout way. If it hadn't been for the advice of the members here, I think I would have gone and bought a car that wasn't necessarily right for what I wanted. The members of this forum are the most knowledgeable I have come across and advice is always spot on. 

What keeps me coming back every day is the enthusiasm and amazing talent shown in the builds. Love this place even if I don't post much. 

[JoFan]

I know it's caused me to spend more money than I probably would have. I keep seeing these amazing projects, and just have to try out things for myself. I know I completely blame it for my Egress. And the Frogs. And the Grasshopper. Oh, and the monstrosity of a DB01 on my bench right now. Lol. But it's brought me a lot of joy, that honestly I really can use right now. I don't know what I'd do with myself otherwise at the moment.

[yogi-bear]

I don't know if Tamiyaclub has caused me to buy more cars, but it has helped me in restoring them. Plus it allows me to justify my collection of 60 as normal to my wife 

[Dojo Dave]

9 hours ago, JoFan said:

I knof it's caused me to spend more money than I probably would to save. I keep seeing these amazing projects, and just have to try out things for myself. know I completely blame it for my Egress. And the Frogs. And the Grasshopper. Oh, and the monstrosity of a DB01 on my bench right now. Lol. But it's brought me a lot of joy, that honestly I really can use right now. I don't know what I'd do with myself otherwise at the moment.

Whatever we Think about Expands so IF the site and the hobby shine a little light on life, then excellent. There are always a few Of us out here that are willing to listen to those willing to talk. 80% of a shrinks job IS to shut up and listen... PM IF you need an ear bud, I`m state side. 

[JoFan]

15 hours ago, Dojo Dave said:

Whatever we Think about Expands so IF the site and the hobby shine a little light on life, then excellent. There are always a few Of us out here that are willing to listen to those willing to talk. 80% of a shrinks job IS to shut up and listen... PM IF you need an ear bud, I`m state side. 

I really appreciate that, man. This site has become something I follow far more than Facebook. Nice just to see people doing things they enjoy, and no one seems to flame anyone else for their ideas. Keep figuring someone would think I'm crazy for my DB01 Hilux idea, but to me, that's the fun of Tamiya. They're almost like Legos if you look closely. You can mix and match and make some pretty crazy stuff!

[Saito2]

Yeah, this site is pretty cool that way. Everybody seems fairly respectful. When I venture to some other full size auto forums I'm shocked how rude and unhelpful some folks can be, but that's the internet sometimes.

[Grastens]

Anything after my first car was probably a purchase made in some part due to the forum. In some cases I have bought cars directly from TC members (would not have a Lancia Rally or an Astute without them), but other times their work and my subsequent exposure to other models has led me to acquire new ones. My collection would not be full of re-releases or vintage cars if I had never been a part of TamiyaClub; I was born after the first 100 had passed, and would have seen them all differently if not for this forum.

[Novastar]

On 8/21/2016 at 8:47 AM, Grastens said:

Anything after my first car was probably a purchase made in some part due to the forum. 

Same here, back when I bought my first build in the 90's (Blitzer) and living here not knowing anyone else into Tamiyas it felt pretty lonely to start getting back into the hobby by myself. I enjoyed the build and running it but it seemed pretty empty overall . As soon as I found Tamiyaclub (forums especially) I felt part of a greater thing and was not alone anymore. It has inspired me to continue buying, building & enjoying this hobby immensely. Without this forum I would still continue the hobby but the enthusiasm would dwindle severely and the feeling of being the only person around who loves Tamiyas would return. Not something I want to think about. The only other group of people who I communicate with who are comparable in value to this community are my fellow Archery club members and I see them in person every week. Online forums like this one are a rare thing