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Saito2

Sometimes, I don't like where this has gone

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I love to go into my hobby room and see the Tamiya models I have lined up, looking like they just came out of one one the early guidebooks. I mean, I never dreamed I'd have a Big Wig or a Bruiser someday let alone both. For those that see run time though, I see a disturbing trend : multiple kits. The Egress is probably the worst offender. I have the holy trinity of re-releases and that's excessive and shameful to me in a way. I know the Egress was probably, in my mind, the top Tamiya car from my era. I also know other collectors have far more multiple models than me so having one NIB, one shelfer and one runner of one model isn't that crazy (ok, its somewhat crazy). The fact is, I still can't bring myself to run the runner, even after buying another spare body and wheels/tires (since these items see the most abuse).

There is a certain fear I have as an adult when running some models. When I was young, I was lucky enough to score a Vanquish on closeout for $99.00, normally $224.99. I assembled it and ran it. The underside got scratched to heck, the body got a little rashed and the spikes went flat. I was lucky because if I did break some thing major, or if I needed a new body, I probably couldn't find them. Some Tamiya models were here and gone very quickly in those days and parts support with them. Still, as a kid, I didn't think about that. I didn't overthink. I just ran it.

Now, there's the realization Tamiya discontinues things all the time. How can I recommend a Manta Ray if its here today and gone tomorrow while a Hot Shot stays around forever? You never know with the Tamiya lottery. There's the fear of screwing up the work put into the body. There's the big fear of "never meet your heros" to contend with to. Do I lose sleep over this? Not at all. Still, it does get in the way of a good time sometimes. I can't bring myself to run my Super Astute because it may or may not have a faulty transmission. Fear of disappointment.  Strange, I know.

 

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Those things all sound fairly reasonable.
I dunno though. The things you are worried about are all part of the hobby.
 

edit: that's a bit contradictory of me. Yeah your feelings are quite justified, I feel like that too sometimes, but most of the time I just look at it as part of the hobby.
I got a Monster Beetle re-re knowing the drawbacks of the model even with the improved drive shafts at the back.
I ran it a bit stock and it was fun. But almost immediately set about improving it.
So, never meet your heroes....yeah, to an extent. But it's also part of our hobby to re-work our heroes if we want to.
This is coming from someone who tends to use al his cars at some point or other. May as well have a picture of them otherwise.

I'm not sure I've made any point here at all.

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I know what you mean, although my collection is small, and they're all runners - even if only occasionally in many cases, and usually on a track. I built a couple to race with, and I've got a carpark basher, but the power of eBay means that spares are never too hard to come by - sometimes the internet is a wonderful thing. Personally I can't understand keeping things NIB (they were meant to be built after all) and runner bodies are cheap and available for most things these days. But hey, YMMV :-)

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I think i have a similar problem, only instead of "problem" I like to call it "common sense" ;)

I can give 2 examples from my collection - the Uber Boomer and the Astute.

The Uber Boomer was purchased with the intention of it being a runner, but as the restoration got a "little" out of hand there is probably no way I will run it now - it's got some really expensive parts and rare bits and I've spent loads of time building it, I'm not keen on destroying any of those rare and/or expensive bits.

Same story with the Astute - you try and find a set of diff parts for one of those - or front tyres. The last thing I'm going to do is run it and wear them out with the real outcome that it will reach a stage where it can never be run and restored back again.

I see these things are pieces of mechanical art - Tamiya had the ability to make something incredibly fun look incredible too (unfortunately they seem to have lost their way) so I'm more than happy to sit them on a shelf and just enjoy looking at them, moving things, poking things, tweaking bits. I used to be a fan of keeping things BNIB (not Tamiya, but Transformers and Gundam) but I have to say I've reached a point in my life where I want to get enjoyment from feeling these things in my hands rather than through plastic wrapping.

But that's just me.....

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I quite often build something with the intention of running it, then I look at the effort I put into the body and other parts and tell myself I'll only run it gently.  That usually lasts until the first outing.

Recent case in point is my G6-01.  I modified a used King Blackfoot body to fit, by cutting out most of the rear sides to make a giant flat-topped arch.  I was going to leave it bash-worthy, but the roof had a big crack, so I spent a few weeks repairing that by letting in new ABS.  The result wouldn't please a concourse judge but it's great for a runner.  I had intended to clean the body and paint it.  I bought it as a used example, it had been decalled but never painted.  Then I took it to a Tamiya Junkies meet, and...  Well...

The problem with chopping out the rear sides is you end up with minimal rigidity.  It rolled hard on the track and snapped where the bed meets the cab.  Fortunately the thin plastic that joins bed to cab horizontally acted as a living hinge and kept it in one piece, but it was clearly bent in the middle.  But I shed no tears.  I'd had a lot of fun with that truck, so I kept on going.

Back home I repaired it by reinforcing down the sides with styrene sheet and box section.  It should add loads of rigidity, but next time out it flipped again a few times.  I heard it when it failed.  A really loud bang.

So back to the workbench.  This time I cut up some M3 threaded bar, heated it with a MAPP torch until it glowed red, then pressed it into the styrene reinforcement so it melted right through.  It hasn't had much running since then but I doubt the rod will come out.  More likely something else will break, or maybe it will revert to type and start cracking at the roof / windows / grille.

There must be a dozen other examples of this.

Should I be sad that I chopped up a reasonable KBF body?  Maybe, it took me a long time to get that one.  I remember when the body sets were still available NIB.  Actually I had one NIB to restore another KBF, which I never finished.  (I gave the KBF to a friend with a lexan Brat body in exchange for fixing the clutch on my car).  I lost the rear tailgate part during a house move (I still go through my parts boxes in the hope it will turn up) - the only reason I bought the used body was to steal the good tailgate off it to complete my KBF CC01 project (which I still haven't finished).

I know what you mean about not recommending a Manta Ray.  You really have no idea what Tamiya will can next.  But the underlying chassis has been used for many things and it still in production in various guises, along with aftermarket support.  I'd imagine parts will be around for a while yet.

Body sets in particular are easier to get than they were because of the number of repros.  I think there are various companies reproducing the Manta Ray body.  MCI probably do the decals.  Lots of out-of-production bodies and decals will be around as long as companies like MCI, TBG, Penguin etc. keep them on file.

Even chassis parts are not the worry they used to be thanks to 3D printing.  A look on thingiverse shows a fair few reproduced parts.  I'm planning on making a few myself.  It's possible that Tamiya would want to stop that, but largely they've let the small-scale aftermarket vendors go unworried.  There was that period a while back when all the manuals were taken down from TC, but that was relatively short term.  It doesn't worry me much.

Just recently I've found myself considering selling off some new-built never-run chassis and keeping the bodies for runners, because everything that goes on my shelves ends up caked in dust after a week - they look worse there than they'd look with some road rash on them.

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My solution is to buy spare parts for everything and run them all without fear.  This pic shows one of two shelves I have like this.

IMG_4198-crop.thumb.JPG.3c51d0379dfc52f87cd7818cf7d3118a.JPG

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Run them if you want. Shelve them if you want.

There are people here who will happily run a Rough Rider, but others who will leave their Buggy Champ displayed on the shelf never to be used.

Whatever gives you the most enjoyment.

Some get a kick out of admiring them on display, others admire them displaying a kick!

I may gingerly run my Org Sand Scorcher one day, but wouldn't take it to my local 1/8th offroad track and race it.

Your cars, your choice.

 

I've personally watched the Touring Car Masters a number of times.

They are RACING TO WIN. Fantastic to watch.

I'd never race an LJ Torana, XY Falcon, HK Monaro, VJ Charger etc the way they do.

But they do, and that's what they love doing.

 

Last weekend the Lake Percolilli Red Dust Revival was on.

There were 100yo race vehicles (cars & motorcycles) cutting laps on the old clay pan track.

Some would say they belong in a museum. The people racing them were having a great time, and using them as they were built for!

 

We can all derive enjoyment from different facets of the same thing.

 

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My childhood experiences still have a big influence on how I treat my toys.  I grew up in a (relatively) poor household; my clothes were patched until I outgrew them; we rode around in $300 beater cars; food was basic and nutritious, not much variety.  For the toys I did have, my parents emphasized taking care of them as there would be no replacements.

Fast forward 30+ years.  Most of my worldly possessions are still treated with care, even the cheap things I tell myself should be expendable.  It's very difficult for me to run a RC car without worrying about cleaning, maintenance, repair, lost value, etc.  I've come to treat them more like oversized static models with a rare gentle run in cleaner conditions.  Regardless of what I say to myself logically, childhood conditioning still has a strong grip on what I really do.

It's the same in other areas of my life.  Drive a car until it's not worth fixing anymore; keep the same one television 20 years; wait for the cat to die before replacing carpeting...  You get the idea.

I have no heartburn over how my parents raised me; they loved and cared for my sister and me the entire time.  It is kind of funny, though, to recognize later in life how strong their influence is even in things I never had or did as a kid.

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Saving something for later is always a tricky business. When does "later" start? What if it never starts?

Like Speedy, I was raised with the understanding that "if you wreck it, you won't have it anymore," so I never abused my toys. (I disassembled a few and ruined them that way, but my parents figured out pretty quickly to stick with Legos and Erector sets and other things that were meant to be taken apart...) The whole "Beat Your Truck" mentality drives me nuts, as does the trend of buying "cheap" used 1:1 cars to overpower and demolish for the sake of internet fame. Any idiot can destroy something; why not improve it and care for it instead?

And don't even get me started on rock stars smashing up guitars...

But on the other hand, I hate the idea that something is "too nice" to use. Lucky enough to own a Ferrari? Go put some miles on it. Inherited your grandmothre's fancy china? Throw a dinner party. I hate to see useful things being reduced to mere decorations. That doesn't mean you have to use them up, but there is a place for things that don't ever get used, and it's called a museum.

It's a fine line to walk, but I'm trying, as I get older, to err on the side of regretting doing something, rather than regretting not doing it. After all, like the old song says, "We may never pass this way again."

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There’s a number of threads that drift into ‘3 of each’ - NIB, boxed / built + runner

To be fair, I can kind of see the merit - admire as was, build as was, run as was etc - but I also simply can’t justify the expense for the era I enjoy 

So instead, my boxed built all get a run once a year - and I look out for cheap re re to bash 

The NIB will also only stay that way until I build them as a retirement present to myself 😇

I’m with @markbt73 - the only regrets worth having are the ones that make you cry with laughter guys 

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I also took good care of my possessions as a kid. I addition to not getting wrecked toys replaced, I would have been in downright trouble if something was broken under abuse. I never beat on my RCs as a kid. I used them daily, but never in anger. I think I got very lucky with my Tamiyas as a kid. I never broke any of them (ok, my Lunch Box axle springs broke, but they all do that), not even my Lunch Box's body mounts. Partially,  it was down to the models I had. The Lunch Box, Super G, Bullhead, Fox and Vanquish are fairly reliable if driven with care. If I had an ORV monster maybe things would have been different. 

Today, I still drive with care, possibly even more care as I'm always considering the amount of work that goes into them as opposed to the youngster's "race to get it built and running" attitude. But today, they break (many are just old plastic, so it must be expected). I also find defects more often (or hear about them thanks to the internet, the Super Astute being my latest worry). The funny thing is, parts are more available than ever but I fret more about it. To successfully enjoy running an ORV monster guilt-free, I have a massive stock pile of spares built up from over the years. I honestly think sometimes I should just get rid of most of the runners because of all the needless concern I pay them. If it doesn't bring joy and the looming fear of Tamiya discontinuation is ever-present, why bother?

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3 hours ago, speedy_w_beans said:

wait for the cat to die before replacing carpeting

:lol: cats live forever though, and they have nine... your carpets must be ancient....

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Even back in early 2000, these topics would pop up.  I thought, "I wanna see action shots instead!"  Fast forward almost 20 years, I'm one of those who gingerly jump into these topics.  You grow old with the hobby. 

I suspect everybody runs their first RC car hard when they started the hobby.  The more we build, the more we enjoy building it.  Then we admire the beauty.  But imagine if you still had only one.  You started the hobby with it.  You ran it.  It's in tatters.  You can't sit back and admire the "showroom look."  The only option is to run it.  Would you regret running your first ever RC car?  Probably not.  

 

"Perfection-Impairment" (I made that up) is bound to seep into the hobby.  Living creatures are programmed to like perfect things.  Round apples are better than shriveled ones.  Brand new vehicle is better than a beat up one.  We like "new" and we want to keep it that way.   

However, what if the perfectionism is preventing us from doing what we like?  Perhaps we have to be human and enjoy imperfect things.  This is a recent revelation for me.  A hobby shop owner sells T-shirts that says, "Mediocre Modeller's Club."  Somebody called his skills "mediocre."  To paraphrase Andy the hobbyshop owner, you have to start from no-skills.  So just enjoy it no matter what your inner perfectionist says.  

I realized that I wouldn't even start building because I expected perfection.  That seems silly now.  I can't be good unless I start as a noob.  Why look at magazines and let their perfection disable me?  The same could be said of RC.  Why not just enjoy it today?  Thinking how much I wanted this as a child is living in the past.  Thinking how valuable NIB vintage would be is living in the future (or, 'dead in the future,' so some kid would get our stuff dirt cheap at our estate sales).  Why sacrifice today for the sake of the past or the future?  

My parents were like parents of @speedy_w_beans.  A distant uncle gave me Caran D'Ache watercolor pencils 35 years ago.  They were 24 (I think) but my mom still has a dozen to this day.  I figure many people born during WWII were equally frugal.  That carried over to me.  But......  only in the middle of my 40's, I'm starting to realize that I wasn't born during WWII.  I can afford a (used) buggy every month.  

So, I developed "F-it, let's-do-it" philosophy.  Tamiya releases new RC cars every year.  To some child, TXT-2 might look as cool as Bruiser did to us.  Obviously, they are not the same. Many of us grew up on the dream of owning a Bruiser.  But the point is, even Comical Grasshopper will eventually be a vintage like NIB Willy's M38.  If I break Wild One, it will turn into a fun restoration project.  

I loved it when my Grasshopper was thrashing in the dirt.  That's how I got into this hobby.  I admit I cannot run 36 cars everyday.  I have a hobby room that's turning into a museum.  But I did not start the hobby thinking, "I'm going to be a curator of Tamiya cars!"  That seems like an old man's hobby, to me. (I'm not judging because I'm catching that tendency, myself)

Instead of keeping my buggy the way it was in 1987, I want to keep myself the way I was in the 80's.  (I might change my mind as I get older. But for now, I'm going to run them to dust)

 

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Heh - I've been backing off of runners for an entirely different reason: the neighbor's kid. He's four or five, and I've seen how he treats his toys. He has no idea my toys exist, and it's going to stay that way. One day, either they'll move away, or we will (we want to eventually move out somewhere we can own acres, plural), and at that point, I'll start exercising them more. For now, I'm actually really enjoying the bench time, so I don't mind not getting them dirty.

I figure that if I don't leave behind any un-built kits, or un-worn tires, I'll have done the thing right. Between now and then, I'll just take it one kit, one battery pack, one paint job, one wheel nut at a time.

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1 hour ago, markbt73 said:

I'll just take it one kit, one battery pack, one paint job, one wheel nut at a time.

I like that mantra (if mantra is the term).

I think I need to adopt that.

Somehow I seem to have garnered multiples of the same chassis - three (maybe four) M04s, four ORV, two CR01, a few TL01 ( I have lost count) and three Dual Hunters.

I have one shelfer, though I would like to elevate some of my models to the quality levels you see from some people in this forum. Hah! That will take talent and time I don't have.

The shelfer is an ORV, the all metal Frog I bought from Finman. Having thought about it for a while, I have started to embelish an already impressive model. It is a fantastic piece of "desk art' and has started quite a few conversations at work, all positive.

Perhaps that 'keep it for best' mentality comes from the previous generation who saw much tougher times. Now there is FOMO so YOLO, just run what you brung.

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I have 29 (I think) cars in the shed. All of them are runners. Whilst I absolutely get the reason people have shelf queens, I prefer to have cars with memories that extend well beyond the build phase. Painting/detailing is my least preferred part of RC. I go for function over form.

Pre ebay I had to shelve runners as I couldn't get parts. The most memorable was trying to find E parts for a King Blackfoot. Too many jumps had destroyed the rear shock tower. Once ebay gain popularity, I was able to get a set of parts from the UK.

So the runners that are getting harder to find parts for tend to be used lightly... whilst those with plenty of parts availability get used pretty hard.

The beauty of this hobby is that there are no rules.... (unless you want to race of course), so people can do what makes them happy. I just recently dipped my toes into the world of nitro and am really enjoying the learning curve and the time my son and I spend on the car.  

 

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