ddaenen1 278 Posted December 20, 2016 I need some guidance on a possible purchase. I can buy an original fox for a fair price. It fits in my vintage collection but i never paid too much attention to The Fox or it's role in the Tamiya vintage buggy range. Is it worth adding to the collection? some insights on why would be great. Cheers, DD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kasparov 71 Posted December 20, 2016 Fox is a great car. I'm running a dynatech 02h with 10 turn rotor in mine and it flies. Very sleek design. Go for it I say. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skinned 134 Posted December 20, 2016 Yes!...it's 1985...why would you not want that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hudson 53 Posted December 20, 2016 Surely one of Tamiyas best ever buggies, looks great, drives great, fun to build/rebuild, along with the Hotshot it's my personal favourite, of all the 'golden era' buggies it's one of the best if not THE best, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dangerseeker 162 Posted December 20, 2016 the fox is indeed a great car and one of the coolest designs from tamiya. i'd go for it, provided a good price; what does the seller ask? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted December 20, 2016 9 minutes ago, Dangerseeker said: the fox is undeed a great car and one of the coolest designs from tamiya. i'd go for it, provided a good price; what does the seller ask? 65 Euro Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dangerseeker 162 Posted December 20, 2016 take it now! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted December 20, 2016 Just now, Dangerseeker said: take it now! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dangerseeker 162 Posted December 20, 2016 did you buy it already ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted December 20, 2016 56 minutes ago, Dangerseeker said: did you buy it already ? yes sir! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chilihook 51 Posted January 7, 2017 Post pics when you get the chance! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted January 7, 2017 As i was on vacation i only managed to pick up the parcel today. All looks in pretty good condition except for the 2 body stays that seem to have been fixed and unfortunately the FRP rear damper support also has been fixed with some type of glue. The body is actually in pretty good condition with no cracks at all and also the decals. If it wasn't for the fact that it was poorly trimmed, i would consider stripping the paint and repaint it. It will be a challenge to find a new original body and decals so i might still do it. As this will be a shelfer, i will keep all original including the MSC and resistors. Enough said...here the pics. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted January 7, 2017 I immediately have a couple of questions for the experts on my most recent acquisition: 1. this version is equipped with a 6v connector instead of a 7.4v connector. Was that standard? 2. The tie rod guards are not standard as in the original fox manual but are extended to the front and have a ball connector facing front which you can see on the 3rd picture. Does this mean it was equipped with a front stabiliser? If so, does anyone know which version/brand? I can make a close up of the area if needed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mokei Kagaku 2706 Posted January 7, 2017 4 hours ago, ddaenen1 said: I immediately have a couple of questions for the experts on my most recent acquisition: 1. this version is equipped with a 6v connector instead of a 7.4v connector. Was that standard? 2. The tie rod guards are not standard as in the original fox manual but are extended to the front and have a ball connector facing front which you can see on the 3rd picture. Does this mean it was equipped with a front stabiliser? If so, does anyone know which version/brand? I can make a close up of the area if needed. 1. The Fox originally only had the 7.2V connector. 2. Obviously, the optional Tamiya front stabilizer was fitted at some time. The FRP brackets were fragile and exposed and would therefore break pretty easily. That probably happened and the owner removed the stabilizer, but left the tie rod stoppers from the stabilizer kit instead of mounting the original ones again. The front stabilizer improved both traction (during cornering) and handling quite a lot on the Fox and was a very sensible hop-up. Pic of the stabilizer kit here: https://tamiyabase.com/images/joodb/db10/50272.jpg 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddaenen1 278 Posted January 8, 2017 14 hours ago, Mokei Kagaku said: 1. The Fox originally only had the 7.2V connector. 2. Obviously, the optional Tamiya front stabilizer was fitted at some time. The FRP brackets were fragile and exposed and would therefore break pretty easily. That probably happened and the owner removed the stabilizer, but left the tie rod stoppers from the stabilizer kit instead of mounting the original ones again. The front stabilizer improved both traction (during cornering) and handling quite a lot on the Fox and was a very sensible hop-up. Thanks for that! I am still puzzled about the 6v connector as it doesn't seem to have been installed afterwards. In any case, i will leave it on. I have no intention of powering this one up after the restoration. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mokei Kagaku 2706 Posted January 8, 2017 6 hours ago, ddaenen1 said: I am still puzzled about the 6v connector as it doesn't seem to have been installed afterwards. Why, if I may ask? The connectors were (and are) available as loose parts (without cable) and with a decent quality crimping tool, it's no problem to replace the original 7.2V connector and make the 6V connector look as if it was factory installed. At the time the Fox was released, the 6V battery was virtually "dead" in the market The Grasshopper was the last kit Tamiya really intended for 6V. When first released, the Grasshopper came without connector (but with fuse!) with the manual showing to splice in the 6V or 7.2V connector (with cable) supplied with the batteries. Later in production, the kit came with the 6V connector already mounted on the MSC, showing the 5253 (50253) Hornet Speed Controller Set as replacement part when "converting" to 7.2V. Then finally, the kit came with the 7.2V connector fitted. I don't remember at what times Tamiya made these changes in the Grasshopper production, but I do know it was Tamiya's last model seriously intended for the 6V battery. So, I would say that the chance that Tamiya ever sold the Fox with the 6V connector is virtually non-existent. Of course I don't know exactly what was going on at Tamiya at the time and since the 6V battery fits in the Fox, it's not entirely impossible that some were made with the 6V connector. The chance that an owner replaced the original 7.2V connector is however much bigger, especially if the model was sold on the European continental market. Several German hobby companies that sold batteries (for instance Robbe and Graupner), used the 6V connector for their 7.2V batteries too the first few years after 7.2V was introduced for RC-cars, so for owners that didn't use original Tamiya batteries, replacing the connector would actually make sense. I'm not claiming that that's what happened with your model, but it's not at all unlikely. I have seen it many times. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
