An alternative to Tamiya, #1, Scorpion

[Saito2 6676]

What's all this about an alternative to our beloved Tamiya? Why is a Kyosho being mentioned in the "Other makes" section of the forum? Well, all this came about as I was knocking around with my rerelease Kyosho Scorpion and genuinely enjoying just how great this product is. I posted way down here in other makes because I have the feeling that to some, in our little Tamiya-centric world, everything not Tamiya falls into the category of "Other makes" and thus perhaps disregarded to a degree. The fact is, to those limiting themselves to only Tamiya (whether because of that wonderful drug of nostalgia or blind brand loyalty) are really missing out on a great buggy. There's also those just getting into or back into the hobby that should be aware of great things outside of Tamiya. The Scorpion re-re is just one of those things.

First off, the buggy:

20190824_162016 by Scott Weiland, on Flickr

Just look it in all its awesome retro-ness. There was a big to-do about this buggy when it was (re) introduced (and quite justly deserved), but like many things in the RC world, attention to it wains as we rush to the next newest release. This is simply a reminder, or perhaps news to someone coming into the hobby, that these are great cars and, in this humble poster's opinion, better in some respects that a Tamiya. . Now you see why I'm hiding down here in "Other makes" with statements like that, lol?

I'm not sure any one buggy seamless blends realism and performance better than this. Oh, the vaunted SRBs ooze realism too, but fall a bit short in performance. Great for their time but achingly stuck in that time when driven today. That's not to say the re-re SRBs are bad, just a product that must be driven in context. On the other side we have the RC10. Still looks realistic, to a degree, but definitely moving forward in RC racing development (which sadly means away from realism). The Scorpion? Right in between, the sweet spot. They look real because they were based on a full-size buggy back in the day. They're chock full of nice, bright aluminum that honestly looks and feels better than what we see in the SRB re-releases. Speaking of feeling, despite all the aluminum, they don't feel heavy, but rather light. The nice thing is, after years of ownership (and many more to come) I know the Scorpion will carry on. Many of my Tamiya models have crumbled over the years. Tamiya's (criminal at times) use of ABS means they don't last forever depending on the model and where that material is used. But there's more than just materials. There's how the parts work together.

The shocks are not monstrously oversized yet function quite well (especially compared to re-re SRB shocks). The suspension just soaks up bumps with ease. The buggy glides along over the rough-stuff. Its remarkably quiet, the drivetrain working smoothly and efficiently. They incorporated both a differential and slipper clutch into this new version. Got he itch to make improvements? Kyosho brought a whole host of hop-ups for it (though sadly, not cheap). One can see the care and respect Kyosho put into remaking the basic Scorpion design into something that has wonderful quality and feel.

I had blinders on to the world outside of Tamiya for years and I fear I'm not alone (although plenty of us DO enjoy all things RC). The purchase of an RC10 (now six!) led me to a great respect for what the "other guys" were/are doing. If there's any negative aspect of the Scorpion, its that Kyosho had to bow to the pressures of modern manufacturing and produce it in Taiwan instead of Japan. But Kyosho isn't quite raking it in like a company like Traxxas is. Rather, they are not in the best shape financially. I desperately hope they push forward as they always were a great company. The forthcoming Ultima is certainly good news to hear. So, next time you're in the market for a new buggy (and even though Tamiya is still awesome ) consider this buggy, a great little piece of engineering.

 

[Winniez 8]

I consider older Kyoshos kind of like Mercedes-Benzes of japanese RC cars. They just feel so well made and purpose built, conservative box art and marketing just reinforces the picture about no nonsense engineering and quality.

I assume bulk of Tamiya's business was shifting plenty of fairly cheaply made (but well designed) injection molded kits that would be easy to mass produce (after the SRB metal phase). Tamiya smartly targeted the mass market. The colourful box art and all the cool decals made Tamiya kits really memorable and now nostalgic. I think out of all the other companies Marui tried to replicate the Tamiya recipe most persistently.

[Winniez 8]

Considering the re-releases Kyosho has the benefit of brand new tooling comparing to Tamiya. Don't know if it amounts to anything though.

[Saito2 6676]

10 minutes ago, Winniez said:

I consider older Kyoshos kind of like Mercedes-Benzes of japanese RC cars. They just feel so well made and purpose built, conservative box art and marketing just reinforces the picture about no nonsense engineering and quality.

Although the "lower/plastic end" of Kyosho (Raider, Big Brute, etc.) is similar to Tamiya, I like this comparison. Well said.

9 minutes ago, Winniez said:

Considering the re-releases Kyosho has the benefit of brand new tooling comparing to Tamiya. Don't know if it amounts to anything though.

On one hand, lacking original tooling meant Kyosho had to take more of a gamble when entering the rerelease market (one I'm grateful for). They had to put forth some real investment rather than just grabbing some old molds and start pumping out new/old plastic parts. Tamiya had this benefit and ran with it. Its certainly part of why we have so many Tamiya re-releases to choose from. What Tamiya didn't do, in some cases, was improve much. Not much to improve on a Hornet. The Avante and Egress were blessed with better uprights and the Bruiser was thoroughly and nicely re-worked. The Blackfoot on the other hand, appears to still be a mess according to many members. But, I digress.

The point is not to put down Tamiya. They're great. Even if I don't care for comical releases, for instance, doesn't make them wrong of bad. Plenty love them and that's great too. A lot of folks come to this site. Its a pretty active forum. I guess my long rambling post was more to remind (or let new folks know) that Kyosho makes great stuff nowadays too.

 

[Winniez 8]

Yeah, the re-releases from Tamiya often have a pretty low effort feel to them, especially the strange special editions.

I have noticed that most of the time when they do improvements to the plastics they are still using the same molds, they just machine them bit further, like the roll bar on Hot Shot had added those little support struts for the wing, I think they just machined those into the original molds.

We all love Tamiya here, my intention is not put them down in any way. And after a while of just recycling stuff they are now coming up with plenty of interesting new ideas.

[Re-Bugged 10100]

Well put @Saito2, my eyes were opened after the purchase of a Javelin. And as you say the quality out the box is fantastic from Kyosho. I hope to add another Kyosho to the collection.

I do still really enjoy Tamiya’s and tend to just buy what I like the look of. The basic tamiya kits are a cheap way to have a go and get started though because at least most of them have a motor & ESC included. 

 

 

[Winniez 8]

Javelin has to be one of the best looking buggies of all time along with Marui Samurai. I really like the spaceframe construction because the whole buggy forms a single unit instead of having a separate chassis and covering it all with a lexan body

[markbt73 5311]

The new Scorpion really is a gem. I honestly didn't expect it to perform as well as it does. It's a great build, too; lots of parts, lots of work to do, but very few screws tapping into plastic, which gets tedious on Tamiya models. The finished car has a Swiss watch feel to it, very mechanical, and very precise. And mine hasn't had a lick of trouble since I built it, and I don't baby it. (Granted, it's only powered by a silver-can, but still...)

Here's my original write-up of it from a few years ago, for the curious: https://dustylexan.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/kyosho-scorpion-eighties-metal-revival/

Fiddling around with my old original Optima, fitting a re-re Javelin cage to it, has reminded me how great that chassis is, as well. I don't have the love for the Mid that some around here do; it's too simplistic to be really engaging. And it's irritating to try to fit everything on that chassis. I prefer the original one that's built up from a massive pile of aluminum parts. A re-re is still on the shopping list, eventually, along with a TA02 Lancia kit, because if there's one thing I love about Tamiya, it's those hard-shell bodies.

I guess that's the reason I've never been particularly brand-loyal; different manufacturers have different strengths. You want intricate scale detail or an accurate reproduction of a real racing livery, you go to Tamiya. You want a complex but still efficient chassis that looks fantastic while bombing around the yard, Kyosho. You want to annoy the you-know-what out of everyone within sight by bashing a car into things at 50 mph until something breaks, Traxxas has you covered. (I kid, I kid... sort of...)

The other old manufacturer I would love to seek out is AYK. I had a 566B that I bought cheap at a garage sale in 1988, not knowing what it was, and not appreciating it at the time, but what a piece of engineering that car was! Similar to the Scorpion and the SRB chassis in that it was VW-like and aluminum, but with a few interesting twists: the motor was longitudinal, and drove the axles (no diff) through a brass ring-and-pinion gear. It had the twin trailing arm front end, but with lay-down front shocks that hid under the body. And, best of all... the wheels were held on by four studs and nuts, instead of a big single wheel nut.

I mean, just look at this thing!

Their later buggies were fascinating, too; the Buffalo/Bobcat/etc had a definite Kyosho feel to them, and the 4WD Viper is pure vintage RC eye candy. But man, if I ever have the money to spend, I'm tracking down a NIB 566B Super Trail Baja Bison...