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What is the best Tamiya Beach runner?

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I often day dream of running a Tamiya on the beach, it very rarely happens these days but the prospect that I will find time to again helps keep me sane.

In the past my most enjoyed beach runners have been a Blackfoot Xtreme and my rere Sand Scorcher.

I have a Blitzer Beetle in my wardrobe that I think would be great for the beach and I have bought countless Wild Ones and then not wanted to run them as I didn’t want to spoil them.

So my TC friends my questions are-

1. Best budget beach runner

2. Best money no object beach runner

What do you run and what would you buy? 

Gratuitous sunny beach shots welcome 😊

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I had a rere Scorcher and I wasn't satisfied when I run it on the beach. After watching this wild willy video I started thinking about buying a SJ30 wheelie to run on the beach, they're affordable and they look lightweight. Maybe someone can share their experience with them here.

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No idea my self but for me I would probably also have the criteria of;

3. Most resistant to sand getting inside the gears and motor.

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My rising Fighter with large wheels and tyres is my beach runner.

Cheap model

Easy maintenance

Fix diff easy if required

Cheap parts if need replacing

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I haven't run on a beach myself, but having put Mad Bull wheels on a Rising Fighter i can agree with @taffer and vouch for its 'floatiness' in soft conditions. Of course the Mad Bull would be another great option. 

 

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Interesting answers guys.

I hadn’t considered a wheelie for the beach!

And the Rising Fighter and Mad Bull are really good value Tamiya.

 

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This question comes up every so often and I usually give the same answer, the Lunch Box. If you logically go through all issues that playing at the beach entails, its the Lunch Box that fairs the best. 

Its mostly plastic which is unaffected by the salty water/air. Its simplistic which means easy tear-downs if necessary. With simplicity you also have a minimum of pivot points to worry about wear on. IRS vehicles with their control arms and dogbones have so many more wear  points. Speaking of the Lunchie's rear, its a well sealed, bullet proof solid axle. If any small amount of sand does make it in (mine never has), it with tolerate it.  The big tires help and lighter weight help it float over dryer sand. While the Madbull has many of the same benefits, the Lunch Box sits even higher to help keep sand out of the chassis tub. The tires being well below the tub also helps keep the dry sand from being flung over and into the tub too.

The beach is rough on vehicles despite the fact Tamiya showed their vehicles on it in many of the promos. I love my Monster Beetle, but the thought of what sand could do to all those pivot points, driveshafts and metal parts makes me shudder. With the Lunch Box, you could literally pull the electrics and hose the thing down after a run. I know there's a love affair with running SRBs at the beach but when it comes down to it, simple is best.

 

 

 

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Not a Dual Hunter, for the points  raised by @Saito2 despite its sealed gearboxes!

Double the gearboxes mean double the weight and twice as many screws when you strip it down after a run.

The shell was also plastered inside and out.

I would have taken my WW2 but didn’t have time to swap a new motor into it.

The Dual Hunter is el kid’s though so he wants to take it on the beach next time!

IMG_20191029_122441.jpg

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1 hour ago, Saito2 said:

This question comes up every so often and I usually give the same answer, the Lunch Box. If you logically go through all issues that playing at the beach entails, its the Lunch Box that fairs the best. 

Its mostly plastic which is unaffected by the salty water/air. Its simplistic which means easy tear-downs if necessary. With simplicity you also have a minimum of pivot points to worry about wear on. IRS vehicles with their control arms and dogbones have so many more wear  points. Speaking of the Lunchie's rear, its a well sealed, bullet proof solid axle. If any small amount of sand does make it in (mine never has), it with tolerate it.  The big tires help and lighter weight help it float over dryer sand. While the Madbull has many of the same benefits, the Lunch Box sits even higher to help keep sand out of the chassis tub. The tires being well below the tub also helps keep the dry sand from being flung over and into the tub too.

The beach is rough on vehicles despite the fact Tamiya showed their vehicles on it in many of the promos. I love my Monster Beetle, but the thought of what sand could do to all those pivot points, driveshafts and metal parts makes me shudder. With the Lunch Box, you could literally pull the electrics and hose the thing down after a run. I know there's a love affair with running SRBs at the beach but when it comes down to it, simple is best.

Agreed on all points.

Lunch Box is my go to for beach running. Its a simple case of run, rinse, repeat.

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The only cars I have run on the beach were a ta02 Chevy s10 and a King Blackfoot .... the Blackfoot was  the best as the s10 needed a complete strip to get the sand and rust out.

i would have thought the mad bull and lunchbox would be good beach runners as the gearbox parts are cheap to replace if they get munched by the sand and even after sand gets in they run for a long time before they are destroyed.

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My dt03 fitted with proline sand paddles and a 4000kv brushless, and firm putty in the diff is quite capable on the beach, never ending wheelies and rooster tails everywhere. 
 

really most kits fitted with the right sand tire will work ok. If it’s only 2wd you’ll want to dramatically firm up the differential so you don’t get bogged trying to get through car tire ruts. A fully locked diff is less than ideal as it makes it difficult to turn.
 

My G601 basically stock runs on the beach well never gets stuck. 

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6 hours ago, Juls1 said:

My dt03 fitted with proline sand paddles and a 4000kv brushless, and firm putty in the diff is quite capable on the beach, never ending wheelies and rooster tails everywhere. 

This ⬆️

DT03 running intimidator paddles on FTX Mauler wheels, 3800kv / 3s lipo.

Soft sand sucks the power out of a car, so you need something with a bit of go.

(Probably sick of this vid by now, but 😝)

 

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I use a Stadium Blitzer 13.5t Brushless, 2s, Hobbywing ESC and ran really well on the beach a few times so far with Proline Trencher tyres. I’ve got some Sand Paws now on a second set of wheels but haven’t had a chance to use them yet. As said by @wooders though, 3s would is better 👍🏻
 

http://1C158BBB-A84B-4331-BD6F-595E21AF4703.md.

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15 hours ago, Blissard said:

they look lightweight. Maybe someone can share their experience

Wild Willy 2 might be the heaviest 2WD I have.  SJ30, however, is probably a pound lighter than WW2 due to lexan body. 

But with some putty in the diff, it can do sand.   

The biggest problem with sand is diff-unloading (which you see immediately in below video). 

Diff putty @Juls1 mentioned removes diff-unloading.  

I prefer 2WD.  But, GF01 chassis (4WD version of the same chassis) is another option. 

 

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7 hours ago, Juggular said:

Wild Willy 2 might be the heaviest 2WD I have.  SJ30, however, is probably a pound lighter than WW2 due to lexan body. 

But with some putty in the diff, it can do sand.   

The biggest problem with sand is diff-unloading (which you see immediately in below video). 

Diff putty @Juls1 mentioned removes diff-unloading.  

I prefer 2WD.  But, GF01 chassis (4WD version of the same chassis) is another option. 

 

Thank you for the information. I didn't know that Willy and SJ30 has different chassis.

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I've read several recommendations here in TC for the Blitzer series of cars for beach running...  

Get some ProLine Sand Paws...

Terry

 

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I'll confess to being a purist - the SRB is my go-to beach runner of choice.

Back in 2011 we had a local Tamiyaclub bash on Brean Sands, back then I'd never driven an SRB, I had only briefly seen them close up.  One had been on my distant wishlist until the re-re Buggy Champ came along, but even then it was an expensive purchase for an old car.

I took a collection of buggies and monster trucks with me, but the one I enjoyed most was my friend's re-re Sand Scorcher with the Tamiya ball diff.  It was the only car that looked like it belonged on the sand.  His wife had a Buggy Champ with Scorcher rear tyres and a standard spool and that was just as much fun.  We had an epic time swapping transmitters all afternoon.  I vowed then that I had to have an SRB.

Plus points for SRB beach running:

  • stock Sand Scorcher rear tyres work well on sand
  • sealed radio cover and gearbox means minimal cleaning required
  • pot metal chassis parts don't corrode in salt water
  • few steel parts to corrode - screws are easily replaced with stainless
  • spool as standard keeps forward traction in loose sections
  • hard bodies roll well on sand without breaking

Negative points:

  • heavy chassis, thin tyres, low ground clearance and low power mean you'll get stuck in soft sand

So basically, IMO, the Scorcher is perfectly suited to the sand unless it's fine and dry.  As long as there's some moisture compacting it down, they run well.  If you want to tackle the dunes or the big dry expanses then you'll want lighter weight, more power and fat paddle tyres for those epic rooster tails, but IMO that doesn't evoke that oldschool charm of watching an air-cooled Baja Bug sending a spray of wet sand out the back as it hoists itself at a very scale-appropriate speed down the sands

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Thanks everyone for looking in and for contributing 👍

If I was buying then the Lunchbox would probably be my 1st choice now, cheap, reliable and not much metal to rust or corrode. 

Or maybe if the budget stretched to it a SRB that was a little play worn already as they look the part on the beach.

However fortunately I have a decent ReRe Blitzer Beetle sitting in a wardrobe that I didn’t pay much for and it is one of my favourite all round chassis to run.  

Must put some Sand Paws on my Christmas list 😊
 

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Best beach runner has to be the Mad Bull. Certainly not eye-candy, but the thing does the job like nothing else in the RC field. Runs good on loose & wet sand and I believe with some nice custom paintjob you might even make the Mad Bull a better looking car.

 

 

 

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See? Even the dog approves of the Lunch Box and everybody knows dogs are good judges of character.

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It depends on how much work you want to do after really.

The solid axle models like the Lunchbox/Hornert etc are some of the most simple and well sealed so they can pretty much be rinsed off if necessary or even a full strip down can done in an hour. For that reason, they are the most suitable if you want to run in the really wet sand or even in the water a little. You can strip, clean and reassemble in not much time at all which means you can be reckless but not spend hours doing damage control afterwards. One of the great things about running on sand is that even these antiquated designs are quite stable because they tend to slide rather than traction roll.

If you're willing to stick to the sand that's only a bit damp such as when the tide is out and you have a large expanse of flat sand then the DT02 and DT03 have worked well for me. Also the WR02 and GF01 work quite well under these circumstances and once again, the lack of grip allows you take take cornering liberties you wouldn't on tarmac. After a run I blow most of the sand off with compressed air, brush the rest off and then just add a little machine oil to exposed metal parts. 

If you want to run anything more complex in the same circumstances then you'll have to spend more time cleaning up afterwards. That's not to say I wont run stuff like the Hotshot on damp or wet sand but I'll only do it occasionally (maybe once a year) and usually take photos and/or video to make it worthwhile. I'll only run stuff like that when I know I will have the time to stop down and clean afterwards.

There is one other scenario which I tend to favour a lot these days. If you're fortunate enough to have sand dunes near your beach then running on those can result on little to no maintenance being necessary. I live near the South Wales coast and there's several areas of sand dunes that do not come into contact with the tide so after years of being rinsed with rain water, they have comparatively very little salt. On a dry day you can bash all day there and 99% of the sand will just fall off afterwards. I barely have to do any cleanup after running on the dunes and the only vehicles I really avoid using are ones with open gears or at least badly sealed gearboxes.

 

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