Jump to content
max69vk

Is this real? GF01 Monster Beetle...

Recommended Posts

22 hours ago, TDanny said:

Konghead, Dancing Rider, Lunch Box mini, Comical Grasshopper and now this beauty.

Dunno. To me, this list suggests that Tamiya, unable to keep up with or even take on the world's newer, faster, meaner, mostly American, top dollar, ultra high performance grown men RC cars, is about to retreat into some fantasy world where all RCs are friendly, colorful, harmless toys. 

This thing looks like they crossed the QD MB with the Mini 4WD MB, and in my book, toy + toy = toy. Yes, this is going to be fun, the kids will love it and I can see the market, but do I want one? Absolutely not.

 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, S-PCS said:

Dunno. To me, this list suggests that Tamiya, unable to keep up with or even take on the world's newer, faster, meaner, mostly American, top dollar, ultra high performance grown men RC cars, is about to retreat into some fantasy world where all RCs are friendly, colorful, harmless toys. 

I think this has been mentioned in other threads, but that just doesn’t seem to be Tamiya’s target market. Look how they’ve dialed back on TRF to focus more at the club level (at least in the US). 

Others have speculated that Tamiya has recently chosen to focus on the Japanese domestic market. Quirky cars that work well in a small area would seem to fit the assumption.

Or maybe they think they can earn more by mixing up parts from the back catalogue rather than trying to penetrate a saturated premium marketplace. 

The piece I don’t understand is hardbody + high center of gravity + hard suspension. Hopefully they’ve added something to the equation that lands it on its feet more often than not. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, S-PCS said:
On 5/17/2019 at 3:10 PM, TDanny said:

Konghead, Dancing Rider, Lunch Box mini, Comical Grasshopper and now this beauty.

Dunno. To me, this list suggests that Tamiya, unable to keep up with or even take on the world's newer, faster, meaner, mostly American, top dollar, ultra high performance grown men RC cars, is about to retreat into some fantasy world where all RCs are friendly, colorful, harmless toys. 

This thing looks like they crossed the QD MB with the Mini 4WD MB, and in my book, toy + toy = toy. Yes, this is going to be fun, the kids will love it and I can see the market, but do I want one? Absolutely not.

 

Count me in this camp. My interest in Tamiya, aside from the re-releases, has dropped off a cliff. Hey, at least the old Q.D. Monster Beetle had some nifty boxart. Here we get another stupid photograph. I like the original Wild Willy (and even the WW2) Willy's Wheeler and Pajero. They were quirky little outliers in a dynamic Tamiya range that were once grounded in some form of scale reality. Now, "wheelie vehicles" are a whole segment in the Tamiya lineup that wound up dragging in the Lunch Box and retroactively naming it the CW01 chassis. I still like all the chassis, WR02, GF01 etc. but am so tired of seeing odd bodies slapped on them over and over just to push more units. A bear on a wheelie tractor? I know, its Japanese but still, a bear on a wheelie tractor? And I don't mean to insult any owners out there, but the Unimog body does not fit on the Lunch Box chassis properly.

The G601 is interesting as a 6x6 but design-wise is just a simple extension of the GF01 chassis concept. The Dancing Rider is also new and interesting but like all these wheelie vehicles, seems toyish. I can't fault Tamiya for not developing new things like the portal axle (again, neat concept, but appears plasticy and toyish in photos) but like stated earlier, its another part to get mixed up with existing equipment to come up with a "new" toy out of old parts.

Its also tiring to see "the return of "blank" touring car". What this really means is they're dragging out "blank" touring car body from the archives and throwing it on the the TT02 chassis. I'm not a touring car guy, but I'd want to see it on the original chassis with the original boxart. I'm sure we won't see the demise of the CC01 until every 4x4 utility vehicle ever made has been done up in lexan and slapped on that chassis, regardless if it has IFS or not.

At one time there was a certain maturity level to Tamiya products. They started with quality and realism and went from there. I won't say the Fox or the Top Force were actual cars but there was a maturity about them that made them RC models. What we perceived as Japanese culture "quirkiness" only seeped though with things like the Saint Dragon. Now, the direction seems full-on "weird plastic toys the kids'll love". Only in the big rig/semi line do I see a glimmer of what Tamiya used to be about. Oh, and the occasional dwindling rerelease to remind me of the great stuff they used to make. All my opinion, no offence intended if you feel different.

  • Like 7

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
31 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

Count me in this camp. My interest in Tamiya, aside from the re-releases, has dropped off a cliff. Hey, at least the old Q.D. Monster Beetle had some nifty boxart. Here we get another stupid photograph. I like the original Wild Willy (and even the WW2) Willy's Wheeler and Pajero. They were quirky little outliers in a dynamic Tamiya range that were once grounded in some form of scale reality. Now, "wheelie vehicles" are a whole segment in the Tamiya lineup that wound up dragging in the Lunch Box and retroactively naming it the CW01 chassis. I still like all the chassis, WR02, GF01 etc. but am so tired of seeing odd bodies slapped on them over and over just to push more units. A bear on a wheelie tractor? I know, its Japanese but still, a bear on a wheelie tractor? And I don't mean to insult any owners out there, but the Unimog body does not fit on the Lunch Box chassis properly.

The G601 is interesting as a 6x6 but design-wise is just a simple extension of the GF01 chassis concept. The Dancing Rider is also new and interesting but like all these wheelie vehicles, seems toyish. I can't fault Tamiya for not developing new things like the portal axle (again, neat concept, but appears plasticy and toyish in photos) but like stated earlier, its another part to get mixed up with existing equipment to come up with a "new" toy out of old parts.

Its also tiring to see "the return of "blank" touring car". What this really means is they're dragging out "blank" touring car body from the archives and throwing it on the the TT02 chassis. I'm not a touring car guy, but I'd want to see it on the original chassis with the original boxart. I'm sure we won't see the demise of the CC01 until every 4x4 utility vehicle ever made has been done up in lexan and slapped on that chassis, regardless if it has IFS or not.

At one time there was a certain maturity level to Tamiya products. They started with quality and realism and went from there. I won't say the Fox or the Top Force were actual cars but there was a maturity about them that made them RC models. What we perceived as Japanese culture "quirkiness" only seeped though with things like the Saint Dragon. Now, the direction seems full-on "weird plastic toys the kids'll love". Only in the big rig/semi line do I see a glimmer of what Tamiya used to be about. Oh, and the occasional dwindling rerelease to remind me of the great stuff they used to make. All my opinion, no offence intended if you feel different.

In a perfect world I bet Tamiya would continue producing only high grade RC masterpieces like in the past... However the world have changed in a not soo good way. Today manufacturers have to come out with new products every single month or they will get boring. Today if you spend a year developing a new model there will be a chinese company which will copy your product in a week. 

I think these new model lines at Tamiya are not about putting less effort in developing. They are more about trying to keep up with the trends while saveing some time for developing their high grade rcs.

Making fast and high performance cars is not Tamiya. Tamiya is making vehicles with soul. 

And dont forget that while for example Traxxas can focus on their vehicles Tamiya have to focus on eighter their plastic model market and their paints, and their many other product lines...

Maybe Tamiya wehicles dont seem to be high performance but I remember my HPI WK blown its diff in a day on the track Tamiya cars still going strong. And if bigsquid rc rates the new Tamiya Comical Grasshopper as great and durable than I think Tamiya models are still great. 

 

 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 hours ago, S-PCS said:

Dunno. To me, this list suggests that Tamiya, unable to keep up with or even take on the world's newer, faster, meaner, mostly American, top dollar, ultra high performance grown men RC cars, is about to retreat into some fantasy world where all RCs are friendly, colorful, harmless toys. 

This thing looks like they crossed the QD MB with the Mini 4WD MB, and in my book, toy + toy = toy. Yes, this is going to be fun, the kids will love it and I can see the market, but do I want one? Absolutely not.

 

Personally, I think the world is fast and mean enough as it is. I'm glad to see a company taking a different path.

  • Like 7

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
23 minutes ago, markbt73 said:

Personally, I think the world is fast and mean enough as it is. I'm glad to see a company taking a different path.

I also think a lot of people have taken for granted how many iconic vehicles Tamiya have produced over the years & seem to think that it’s something that can be pulled off every time. So of course when something that isn’t all new or revolutionary comes along, it gets dismissed as being sub par.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
28 minutes ago, max69vk said:
54 minutes ago, markbt73 said:

Personally, I think the world is fast and mean enough as it is. I'm glad to see a company taking a different path.

I also think a lot of people have taken for granted how many iconic vehicles Tamiya have produced over the years & seem to think that it’s something that can be pulled off every time. So of course when something that isn’t all new or revolutionary comes along, it gets dismissed as being sub par.

Mark has a point. I, in no way, want to see Tamiya head down the "jump the house", "70mph out of box!", "tribal graphics", "hold my beer and watch this" Traxxas way of doing things. Traxxas is great at what they do but its not what Tamiya needs to do.

Its also too easy to look back with rose tinted glasses and see all the old Tamiyas as classic icons. As much as they were loved by their owners, the world didn't stop when the Striker or Grasshopper 2 came out.

Its honestly not that the GF01 Monster Beetle is subpar. Tamiya always swelled the lineup through parts swapping to come up with new models. Its just that those models seemed to have some distinction. A Striker is a Striker and a Sonic Fighter is a Sonic Fighter despite being similar. Sisters maybe, but each their own. The GF01 MB might be a mix of GF01 + those new portals + that old QD beetle body but it leads to another trend I see Tamiya starting.

There's obviously value in the Tamiya back catalog. The success of the rereleases proves that, but the back catalog is finite. This GF01 MB along with the comical releases are Tamiya trading on past glories while plying with their current parts toybox. I'm sorry to be jaded but the comical releases are no more fun then any of the other WR02 cars. I'm far more intrigued by the magnificent @JennyMo creations than Tamiya trying to slyly lure me into buying another WR02 because the put a stubby retro body on it designed to make me remember the good ol' days. There's so many places Tamiya could have gone like scalers, trail trucks or even modern day Baja 1000 buggies that would carry on the tradition. Again, only my opinion. It doesn't mean I'm right or I know better than Tamiya. I don't feel Tamiya should or needs to change just because I'm not ecstatic with it current direction. Whatever keeps the lights on. 

  • Like 5

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 hours ago, Saito2 said:

Mark has a point. I, in no way, want to see Tamiya head down the "jump the house", "70mph out of box!", "tribal graphics", "hold my beer and watch this" Traxxas way of doing things. Traxxas is great at what they do but its not what Tamiya needs to do.

Its also too easy to look back with rose tinted glasses and see all the old Tamiyas as classic icons. As much as they were loved by their owners, the world didn't stop when the Striker or Grasshopper 2 came out.

Its honestly not that the GF01 Monster Beetle is subpar. Tamiya always swelled the lineup through parts swapping to come up with new models. Its just that those models seemed to have some distinction. A Striker is a Striker and a Sonic Fighter is a Sonic Fighter despite being similar. Sisters maybe, but each their own. The GF01 MB might be a mix of GF01 + those new portals + that old QD beetle body but it leads to another trend I see Tamiya starting.

There's obviously value in the Tamiya back catalog. The success of the rereleases proves that, but the back catalog is finite. This GF01 MB along with the comical releases are Tamiya trading on past glories while plying with their current parts toybox. I'm sorry to be jaded but the comical releases are no more fun then any of the other WR02 cars. I'm far more intrigued by the magnificent @JennyMo creations than Tamiya trying to slyly lure me into buying another WR02 because the put a stubby retro body on it designed to make me remember the good ol' days. There's so many places Tamiya could have gone like scalers, trail trucks or even modern day Baja 1000 buggies that would carry on the tradition. Again, only my opinion. It doesn't mean I'm right or I know better than Tamiya. I don't feel Tamiya should or needs to change just because I'm not ecstatic with it current direction. Whatever keeps the lights on. 

You are right but to be fair if you look at Tamiyas production line there are way way more type of cars-chassis still in production than any other RC manufacturers lineup. And if you look deeper into other manufactuters lineup you realise that they are doing the same thing like reusing identical chassis. You dont have to go far; Traxxas Stampede-Slash4x4-Rustler4x4 or the dozen cars running on the 2wd Slash chassis. Tamiya have more different chassis and cars in production than the whole other rc world together. 

And these manufacturers dont produce tanks, bigrigs, plastic models, etc... etc...

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
23 hours ago, S-PCS said:

Dunno. To me, this list suggests that Tamiya, unable to keep up with or even take on the world's newer, faster, meaner, mostly American, top dollar, ultra high performance grown men RC cars, is about to retreat into some fantasy world where all RCs are friendly, colorful, harmless toys. 

This thing looks like they crossed the QD MB with the Mini 4WD MB, and in my book, toy + toy = toy. Yes, this is going to be fun, the kids will love it and I can see the market, but do I want one? Absolutely not.

 

I'd like to see a bit of both to be honest, I love stuff like this but I don't see why they couldn't make an updated 1/10 off road platform too.

People act like Tamiya don't make bashers out of choice but they seem to have short memories and forgot when Tamiya blatantly copied the T-Maxx. Perhaps if they had copied the E-maxx/E-Savage instead things would be very different. The Levant is also an attempt to get some of that market but falls short due to its reliance on "legacy" parts. And the body shell can hardly be described as distinctive.

 

There's no wizardry going on with the Traxxas Bandit/Slash/Stampede, they aren't inherently more complex or sophisticated than the WR01/WT01, they are the same fundamental injection moulded independent suspension setup, it's just they are just a little more dynamically capable. 

It's not as if the WR01 was deliberately designed to be not quite as good to make it "characterful" or "quirky"

Seems like the biggest issue is that Tamiya are unwilling to introduce enough new parts simultaneously and prefer to pilfer the parts bin for legacy parts.

But they could get a lot of mileage out of a new off road chassis, it could easily be anything from a buggy to an MT and 2wd/4wd/4ws etc and there's no reason it couldn't have Tamiya DNA through and through.

I'd hate it if they stopped making quirky stuff like this but I think people would buy an updated off road platform from Tamiya if they could too. I think a new wild dagger or twin detonator would get tongues wagging.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't mind current Tamiya line up and have now accepted this situation of drip feeding us recycled chassis with new bodies and colours etc.

It's the cost which should come down a bit, the 'popular' cc-01 chassis should really be around the £100 mark, £130 for special versions, chromed parts etc and maybe £150 if led lights inc. as well, for its price to keep going up while all the time getting older seems bizzare, this situation is similar for other chassis's

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, nowinaminute said:

There's no wizardry going on with the Traxxas Bandit/Slash/Stampede, they aren't inherently more complex or sophisticated than the WR01/WT01, they are the same fundamental injection moulded independent suspension setup, it's just they are just a little more dynamically capable. 

It's not as if the WR01 was deliberately designed to be not quite as good to make it "characterful" or "quirky"

Agreed. Traxxas was smart enough in the early 90's to inject some of their race buggy tech (yes, they actually competed at one time, lol) into things like the Stampede. At the time, Tamiya had the King Blackfoot. The KBF was a decent truck with most of the original BF kinks worked out but was still an evolution of the old 80's architecture. The Stampede was the way forward at the time.

Tamiya had brought out the WR01 as a twin motor 4wd truck without the huge size of the Clod-style trucks. It borrowed parts from the bin and owes a little bit to trucks like the Kyosho Double Dare. The problem was, when introducing a replacement for the KBF, Tamiya cheaped-out and offered a 2wd WR01 in the form of the WT01. The WR01 (and hence the WT01) does not have the performance idealized design for 2wd. Typical forcing a round peg into a square hole and saying "good enough for a basher toy truck" while "saves money too!"

29 minutes ago, taffer said:

It's the cost which should come down a bit, the 'popular' cc-01 chassis should really be around the £100 mark, £130 for special versions, chromed parts etc and maybe £150 if led lights inc. as well, for its price to keep going up while all the time getting older seems bizzare, this situation is similar for other chassis's

What's bizzare for you is also infuriating for me being in the US and trying to support US businesses. Not only have prices increased (expected, unfortunately) but MAP pricing has kicked things into the stratosphere. My one/two-kit-a-month habit stopped dead a year ago. I know, Tamiya doesn't see a bit of this extra money (that's supposedly increasing the value of the brand) but if people don't buy from US sources (most people circumvent this buy ordering overseas) neither do the US companies MAP was supposedly meant to protect.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'd thought about getting a Dynahead and using the portals to build a lifted Dump Truck, then using the Dynahead as a regular Kong. This 'GF-01tr' variant will shortcut that process.

Meanwhile I'm more excited about:

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/110-trucks/rc-monster-beetle-2015-2/black-edition/

I'm hoping this means we'll get a black ORV chassis =D

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Me I like it, it looks like a lot of fun.

I like the retro QD body on the modern jacked up chassis.

Usual Tamiya quirkiness as well. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, Saito2 said:

Agreed. Traxxas was smart enough in the early 90's to inject some of their race buggy tech (yes, they actually competed at one time, lol) into things like the Stampede. At the time, Tamiya had the King Blackfoot. The KBF was a decent truck with most of the original BF kinks worked out but was still an evolution of the old 80's architecture. The Stampede was the way forward at the time.

Tamiya had brought out the WR01 as a twin motor 4wd truck without the huge size of the Clod-style trucks. It borrowed parts from the bin and owes a little bit to trucks like the Kyosho Double Dare. The problem was, when introducing a replacement for the KBF, Tamiya cheaped-out and offered a 2wd WR01 in the form of the WT01. The WR01 (and hence the WT01) does not have the performance idealized design for 2wd. Typical forcing a round peg into a square hole and saying "good enough for a basher toy truck" while "saves money too!"

Totally, it's only a few subtle things that make a big difference.

I'm not talking about making 70mph beasts either, just stuff that can handle say a 3-4000kv on 2s without becoming a real handful. The buggies like the DT02 and 03 can do that just fine but the the WT01 and WR01 not so much.

They are real fun to drive within their limits with the kind of brushed motors they were designed for, they are versatile and handle well on road and off road, pretty stable and corner nice for a big truck but there's a distinct point where they suddenly become a little out of their depth and stuff like the Stampede or even my HSP Bronotsaurus is still quite composed and planted and while it can be fun trying to keep something upright, it can also become a bit of a chore sometimes too. Other brands just seem to have a bit of a higher threshold before they become a jelly on wheels.

When it's a dump truck or a tractor, I don't mind working hard to get the best from it but when it's a 1/10 truck I just want a little more.

I'm not asking for the world, just a slighty more capable platform with bigger suspension articulation etc. 

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't want anyone to think I hate the WR and WT01, I like them both a lot and in some situations they handle a mild brushless pretty well like on grass, dirt and sand etc but if you add in some on road, they can get pretty flustered, that's where I start to notice a difference to other brands.

I've gone the route of shock towers and bigger dampers which makes a BIG improvement to articulation but I find it makes them roll easier too. If you stiffen the suspension to stop them rolling, you don't benefit from the extra articulation. If you use smaller shocks you lose some of the articulation advantage. Also the wheels scrape the arches. 

I love them but they frustrate me too.

I love my heavy dump truck and tractors too, I love 6wd trucks and this Beetle looks awesome as well. I just wish they would update the 1/10 truck platform.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, nowinaminute said:

I don't want anyone to think I hate the WR and WT01, I like them both a lot and in some situations they handle a mild brushless pretty well like on grass, dirt and sand etc but if you add in some on road, they can get pretty flustered, that's where I start to notice a difference to other brands.

I apologize for continuing to run this thread off the rails a bit, but I'd just like to reply to this little bit @nowinaminute added. The difference in dynamics you note between say, the WT01 and the Stampede seem to be down to the utter lack of front kick-up on the former. The WT01 has symmetrical suspension, front and back, by nature because it requires this to allow for the 4wd versions (as Tamiya designed them, using similar front and rear structures). This puts the front suspension arms dead level which, in turn, allows for zero steering axis inclination. As such, at low speeds, the truck comes off as oddly robotic. At high speeds, especially on pavement, it becomes very hard to hold a steady straight line. The truck get twitchy as speeds go up.

The Stampede on the other hand has lots of front kick-up like an RC10 allowing it to handle higher and higher speeds with greater ease. Even something as "low performance" as a Lunch Box has a tiny bit of kick-up compared to the WT01 leading to a more natural feeling vehicle.

 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Here is my two cents on the subject - I certainly agree with much of what's already been said in this thread, and I've posted before (on an MST chassis based build thread as I recall) that it is kind of ironic that Tamiya has the longest history of producing the most detailed and scale hard-bodies (along with all their other static kits of course), and yet they don't seem to have capitalised on that at all really - despite the explosion in interest in 'scale' models/crawlers from other manufacturers, which are increasingly designed specifically to appeal to a market segment that clearly has a lot of money to spend.

As has been mentioned above, Tamiya also have one of the largest and most varied parts-bins available too, so I cannot see why they couldn't create a simple twin-rail chassis based platform (essentially in a 'builders kit' format) that utilises various wishbone/axle/shock combinations from their extensive parts-bin, and which offers an adjustable or/or range of wheelbase options - so it can be easily paired with their current range of scale hardbodies which continue in production (and others that could be re-introduced and/or added).

After all, they essentially already have that concept with the MF-01 chassis for more road-biased vehicles (and to a more specific degree the TRF chassis for club racing) - so introducing a more off-road performance oriented twin-rail 'scale' style chassis (like the Axail SCX10 etc.) would require very little extra R&D; and as long as it matched the Axial OEM specification (ie. a mix of plastic cross braces and metal rails to help keep the initial cost affordable, together with a series of hop-up options in full metal perhaps), I can't see why people wouldn't start to build around a similar Tamiya chassis instead - particularly if the kits came paired with a fully detailed hard-body already.

While I also ended my previous pontification with the assertion that actually, not every manufacturer has to cover every single market segment - and that in more recent years it would appear that Tamiya have decided to focus on the basher/club-racer/entry level market more perhaps (presumably still the biggest RC segment in Japan?); at the same time they clearly also know the value of their heritage with the higher-end/higher-priced ReRe of the SRB and 3-Speed kits too.  

So personally I can't see why they couldn't also capitalise on their own history further, with essentially a 'heritage' range of more detailed and labour intensive builders kits to appeal to the more monied middle-aged market too?

Jenny x

 

  • Like 5

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This body clips on at front and screws down at back.

Why put body clips on? Another 4 holes in a body that didn't need it, could've just put a magnet on back. 

And it still has the big chunk of plastic that was used as a front clip on the qd chassis?

Is this Tamiya USA doing this?. Or   Tamiya Japan?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Saito2 said:

The WT01 has symmetrical suspension, front and back, by nature because it requires this to allow for the 4wd versions (as Tamiya designed them, using similar front and rear structures). This puts the front suspension arms dead level which, in turn, allows for zero steering axis inclination. As such, at low speeds, the truck comes off as oddly robotic. At high speeds, especially on pavement, it becomes very hard to hold a steady straight line. The truck get twitchy as speeds go up.

That's definitely a big part of it, the Stampy, slash and bandit etc all have prominent kickup along with the aforementioned HSP. Even the ancient Stampede forerunner, the sledgehammer has it. The symmetrical chassis system was a cool idea but it they had no choice but to give it totally level arms. And like you say, it gets squirrely at high speeds on the grey stuff because it lacks the inherently stability that kickup can offer. It also effects things at higher speeds off road because the lack of kickup makes it more prone to leaving the ground when it hits bumps. I guess maybe they could have given 2 different mounting angles for the entire gearbox so that the front could be mounted at a slight angle and the rear straight, maybe that would have helped.

Interestingly, my tl-01b suffers the same issues but for different reasons, because it started off as an on-road chassis I assume they logically decided that responsive steering and agility was a higher priority than stability and bump handling. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

As long as Tamiya continue to also bring out innovative racing chassis like the M-07 and M-08, I don't mind if they also bring out parts bin toys like this. I'm not going to buy one, but I'm sure many people will, and if that means that the company continues to survive in the current economic climate, that can only be a good thing for all of us.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Surely the WT chassis could have had a sliding fitment on the chassis for more adjustability. Not sure it would provide the angles needed but did think about it when building the 6x6.

So you could slide the whole gearbox inside chassis, then tighten in desired position, or have different mounting holes for different terrain.

If any of that makes sense.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 5/18/2019 at 11:49 AM, S-PCS said:

Dunno. To me, this list suggests that Tamiya, unable to keep up with or even take on the world's newer, faster, meaner, mostly American, top dollar, ultra high performance grown men RC cars, is about to retreat into some fantasy world where all RCs are friendly, colorful, harmless toys. 

This thing looks like they crossed the QD MB with the Mini 4WD MB, and in my book, toy + toy = toy. Yes, this is going to be fun, the kids will love it and I can see the market, but do I want one? Absolutely not.

 

You do realize ALL RCs are toys right? ;)

  • Like 2
  • Haha 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

Surely the WT chassis could have had a sliding fitment on the chassis for more adjustability. Not sure it would provide the angles needed but did think about it when building the 6x6.

So you could slide the whole gearbox inside chassis, then tighten in desired position, or have different mounting holes for different terrain.

If any of that makes sense.

That's what I was thinking, either sliding or just two lots of screw holes and using one lot gives a straight angle and the other gives a little kickup.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Interesting views here. If you look at Tamiya's releases over the last few years they have completelt refreshed their onroad line up, TA07, TB05, M07, M08, TRF419XR, TRF103, TB Evo 7, TA07MS (really is a new chassis). Thats pretty impressive to have come out with 7 (or 8 counting the TA07MS) new models in that time, all of which are competitive at their intended level. They don't follow the XRay naming convention where they release a new model every year, when in reality there are minor changes on the XRays and Tamiya have done this anyway with TRF419, TRF419X etc.

Then they have the very successful TT02,  and lets face it, the only way to really change these cars is with a new body. Yes they have the S, R, Drift, RR variants too. While I'm not a fan it is getting people into the hobby, and here in NZ its been adopted as an entry level race class which is well supported.

They do need to refresh the off road line up though, no question. The TT02B and DT03 platforms are very basic, and DB01 and TRF cars are old and who knows when the parts will dry up. 

So all the comical releases, wheelys and parts bin specials are in addition to the development of their onroad line up, so they are doing a lot and appealing to a wide range of people.

I won't buy the comical releases etc but the TA07MS, TRF419XR, TRF103 and TB05 are all appealing. Not that they will ever get signed off.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...