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4x4 Chris

Kyosho Optima or Associated Rc10

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Hi everyone, sorry for this non-tamiya question. Can anyone tell me from personal experience which car performs better straight out of the box between the Kyosho Optima and the Associated Rc10? The Rc10 I'm talking about is the one with fewer gears in the gearbox. However, I would also like the comparison between the Optima and the other Rc10 also. I owned an Rc10 when I was a youth but never had a chance to see nor drive an Optima. Also which setup is better on the Optima chain drive or belt drive? Thanks a lot for any input.

Chris

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I've always wanted both when I was a kid so.... I ended up picking up both!  The re-re Optima and the re-re- world's edition RC10.  I haven't built either yet though.  Regarding the Optima, I have heard the belt performs better and chain is for nostalgia?

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I have the Re-re Optima, and Re-re RC10 worlds cars, both built up with brushless systems and lipo's. You do understand we are comparing a 2wd and 4wd chassis? Anyway, the RC10 worlds was the pinnacle of the original Gold pan released back around 1985. It has the stealth 3 gear transmission, wide front a-arms, and black lightened chassis. It drives nicely, and can even compete with today's newer cars. That being said if you already own a 2wd buggy such as a RC10B4, Tamiya TRF201, it will drive similarly and may not be exciting after a few runs, but overall handles very well. The Re-Re Optima is a fantastic piece of engineering. Kyosho did a fantastic job updating the chassis for today's electronics. I think the Optima has the name recognition similar to what a Tamiya Hotshot has, almost everyone has heard of them. I will say I was most surprised by the performance of this kit. I guess I had low expectations because it doesn't have a rear wing, nor modern tires, but man was I wrong! I guess I can sum up its performance by saying it stays nice and tight to the ground, steering is fantastic, and jumps just as well. IMHO, if I had to choose only one between these 2 again, the Kyosho Optima would win hands down.

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Face it... you're gonna end up with both eventually. But if you're trying to choose now which re-re to buy, get the Optima. Then, look for a used RC10 Team or Worlds (original) car. You'll have the best example of each car that way.

The Stealth gearbox parts in the re-re RC10 Worlds cars have been problematic. The original gearbox parts are much better fit and finish, and seem to be higher quality. My re-re RC10 Classic (six-gear gearbox) is quite nice, but I have heard many complaints about the new Stealth. And while original Worlds cars are scarce, original Team and Championship Edition cars are all over the place, for not much money, and can easily be upgraded to better than Worlds spec.

The re-re Optima, on the other hand, seems to be superior to the original in just about every way. I have yet to see one in person, but I have an original, and I have a re-re Kyosho Scorpion, and based on those two I can see where they went with it, and it looks brilliant. (I don't have one yet because I'm holding out for the Javelin.) My original is way cool, but the drivetrain upgrades and other minor tweaks really make the re-re Optima something special.

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Oh thanks Hobbimaster, I've resisted the re re optima as I've got a mid custom, now I'm struggling! 😯 🤔

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I was in a similar situation tossing up between the two, I went for the RC10 Worlds and ended up disappointed, it just doesn't feel like a vintage car, it drives like a modern buggy and I have only run it twice, I should have bought the Optima, but I am not too upset as I will wait for a Javlin

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I am building my RC10 re-re now...so can't comment on experience but my understanding that they fixed whatever issues they had w/ the stealth...at least I hope so. The Worlds car is super cheap on Amain $159. That price by itself is worth buying one (or two). I'm not sure what price you'd pay if you're abroad though. I also looked at the Optima but chose the Worlds because I wanted to learn how to drive a 2WD (new to racing) and love the aesthetic (nostalgia is big for me). I may never race w/ it but it will sure be fun learning! Ton's of hopups and parts for the RC10 too.

Agree w/ others, can't go wrong w/ either.

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6 hours ago, Hobbimaster said:

 I think the Optima has the name recognition similar to what a Tamiya Hotshot has, almost everyone has heard of them.

Lol, you just had to mention the Hotshot... I'm so close to getting one right now..... Ugh.  I've already got queue of kits to build as it is.  Hopefully the re-re isn't discontinued anytime soon.

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Khyzersoze, Sorry had to mention it! I think the original Hotshot will be around for a while. Its a great build and a great lawn runner.

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26 minutes ago, shenlonco said:

RC 10 much better if you want to go fast and do some big jumps.

With all due respect, but I think that's a major simplification of facts and rather biased. Just stating that the RC10 is better is hardly helping the OP or anyone else who is considering the RC10 vs. the Optima.

Yes, the RC10 will normally take more abuse (ie. insane jumps) than the Optima before something breaks and in a straight line on a high traction surface, the RC10 will most likely reach a higher top speed than the Optima if both cars are identically equipped. But that's about it. Everything else will depend on the driver, builder, the surface and the intended use. If somebody wants a car to jump as high, far and hard as possible and for the highest possible speed, neither the RC10 nor the Optima would be a good choice.

Also, the re-re Optima is a significantly better car than the original release Optima. Most of the weak points are gone, making the re-re Optima a much tougher competitor for the RC10 than the original was. Comparing the RC10 and the Optima is a bit like comparing apples and oranges and there is no simple "absolute truth" that's valid for everybody in the answer. Personally, I like them both and would never choose one of them over the other. But then again, I wouldn't use any of them for thrashing over insane jumps or for Speed runs either.

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Thanks for all the insight. I think I'm going with the Optima. I enjoy building the vehicles the most so 4wd in most cases trumps 2wd. Thanks again, tamiya club members are the best.

Chris

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Chris let us know the best price you can get your Optima for.. it does look sweet!

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8 hours ago, Mokei Kagaku said:

With all due respect, but I think that's a major simplification of facts and rather biased. Just stating that the RC10 is better is hardly helping the OP or anyone else who is considering the RC10 vs. the Optima.

Yes, the RC10 will normally take more abuse (ie. insane jumps) than the Optima before something breaks and in a straight line on a high traction surface, the RC10 will most likely reach a higher top speed than the Optima if both cars are identically equipped. But that's about it. Everything else will depend on the driver, builder, the surface and the intended use. If somebody wants a car to jump as high, far and hard as possible and for the highest possible speed, neither the RC10 nor the Optima would be a good choice.

Also, the re-re Optima is a significantly better car than the original release Optima. Most of the weak points are gone, making the re-re Optima a much tougher competitor for the RC10 than the original was. Comparing the RC10 and the Optima is a bit like comparing apples and oranges and there is no simple "absolute truth" that's valid for everybody in the answer. Personally, I like them both and would never choose one of them over the other. But then again, I wouldn't use any of them for thrashing over insane jumps or for Speed runs either.

The OP states what one performs better out of the box and it's simple ? The  RC10 does heck it used to beat the 4x4 optimas on the race track back in the day and it was 2WD!

The RC10s suspension is much better and will absorb up any imperfections on the surface unlike the optimas suspension it's not in the same league. 

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1 hour ago, shenlonco said:

The OP states what one performs better out of the box and it's simple ? The  RC10 does heck it used to beat the 4x4 optimas on the race track back in the day and it was 2WD!

The RC10s suspension is much better and will absorb up any imperfections on the surface unlike the optimas suspension it's not in the same league. 

No, it's not that simple. What you obviously don't consider at all is that the re-re Optima is a lot better than the original Optima. Also, with modern batteries, ESCs and Motors, the drawback of the higher loss of a 4WD drivetrain is a lot less significant now than it was 30 years ago. Furthermore, even back then, drivers with moderate driving skills would mostly be faster around a track and drive more consistently with most any 4WD than they would with the best RWD. 

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1 hour ago, shenlonco said:

The OP states what one performs better out of the box and it's simple ? The  RC10 does heck it used to beat the 4x4 optimas on the race track back in the day and it was 2WD!

The RC10s suspension is much better and will absorb up any imperfections on the surface unlike the optimas suspension it's not in the same league. 

I humbly disagree, the re-re Rc10 worlds comes with threaded shock bodies that are simply horrid. They would have been better off including original style worlds shocks. The shock springs constantly rub the bodies and need the addition of big bore springs and cups to correct this. Yes, its 2wd and is lighter and will "float" over jumps, but the new re-re Optima has updated big bore shocks that soak up big hits. Steering goes to the Optima hands down, it carves corners like a hot knife through butter. I'm not trying to bash the RC10 worlds, since I do have both on hand. What I'm suggesting is that Associated put in the least amount of effort to update the RC10 line when re-released, old wort's and all in the original design. Kyosho went the total opposite way, almost a complete overhaul and update of every part in the kit. Unless you have driven a new Optima you can't say it anything like the 1980's Optima.

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As a comparison can anyone comment on how in general driving for a light user ( not racing) be it better/worse/different does this RC10 Worlds Re-Re compare against a modern basic 2wd buggy (like a DT-03 for example?

Or similarly, how the new Optima fares against, say, a DF-03 for light fun use?

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