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Saito2

Parts availability and insomnia

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My name is Saito and I have a problem. I have an utterly ridiculous fear. It is the fear of not being able to locate spare parts for all my runner Tamiyas for the rest of my life. I lose sleep over this (kidding). There, I've said it. Its irrational for the most part but it is still there to some degree. The thought of driving my Tamiya, breaking a part that can't be sourced for REASONABLE money and then shelving it as a paper weight bothers me.

I know Tamiya usually provides some form of parts support. But Tamiya doesn't plan on people like me (and many others here, likely) who will be knocking around with the same buggy 20 years or more later. There's a safety factor running an ORV, Lunch Box, Clod Buster, Hot Shot etc. because they have been in the rerelease pipeline for soooo long that parts are everywhere.

What I don't care for is rereleases that come and go quickly like the (Nova)Fox. I love running my old Fox but there isn't a glut of spares for them because they don't hang around all that long. Associated has been axing spares of late making RC10 parts more scarce. I can't really fault them as you could still get an original RC10 body up until recently. Tamiya never did that with a Super Sabre (for example). While some are opposed to it, I'll run whatever re-re part it takes to keep my old cars going. I am working class poor so those are the concessions one has to make at times. I know if I wait long enough, the part may pop up too. I just sleep better knowing I can get any part for an runner at anytime, even when I'm 60 and still messing about with these things. Crazy, I know. 

 

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It is something worth worrying about, for sure - spares availability is so hit and miss, even on items that are fairly consumable on a runner. I have a bent front damper piston on an Egress short hicap. 

Been on back order since september....still no sign of it.

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I worry more about paint availability when I finally get around to building certain kits in the distant future...

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I bent a tie-rod on my CR01 and figured I'd better get the upgraded part since it's clearly a weak zone for the chassis.  Nope, they don't sell it even though CR01s are still in production.  I understand not selling expensive bling parts after a while, but a basic functional part?

I wanted a Super Astute however it seems like there's little chance of having a decent supply of spares even a few years from now.  I'm not willing to pay what is already a fairly exorbitant cost for a 2WD buggy just to have it shelved.

Running a chassis until they're only good for parts in a couple of years because something broke that can't be replaced is what I expect from some of the other brands.

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4 hours ago, speedy_w_beans said:

I worry more about paint availability when I finally get around to building certain kits in the distant future...

This.

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I went a little overboard with several GF-01 Heavy Dumps and it's cousin the Heavy Metal. I'll build them out slowly, and run them as long as I can. Then if parts dry up, they enter the quickening, Highlander style. As one falls it's parts live on with the others - until only one remains.

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4 hours ago, speedy_w_beans said:

I worry more about paint availability when I finally get around to building certain kits in the distant future...

As in discontinuation of the specified paint (eg PC bottles)?

Or the actual banning release of VOCs from rattlecans & other non aqueous solvents... because the way the Greenies & climate change scaremongers are going, that ban might be coming sooner than we'd care to anticipate.

Everything might need to be prepainted at factory or repairshop with approved fume extraction that traps and collects all the VOCs etc etc

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6 hours ago, Saito2 said:

My name is Saito and I have a problem. I have an utterly ridiculous fear. It is the fear of not being able to locate spare parts for all my runner Tamiyas for the rest of my life. I lose sleep over this (kidding). There, I've said it. Its irrational for the most part but it is still there to some degree. The thought of driving my Tamiya, breaking a part that can't be sourced for REASONABLE money and then shelving it as a paper weight bothers me.

Well, that's one of the reasons I'm cheerleading DIY 3D manufacturing. :)

Also don't forget RIGHT TO REPAIR... all of you better start championing Right To Repair real soon if you aren't already. Big Corp & their minions are chomping hard to stop you Repairing the goods you already own, you'll soon lose Right to Repair. They won't sell you parts, they won't sell you schematics, they'll try hardest to make it illegal for other 3rd parties to sell you parts or repair services... so much for Reduce Reuse Recycle - it's all BS vs $$$. 

 

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7 hours ago, Saito2 said:

What I don't care for is rereleases that come and go quickly like the (Nova)Fox. I love running my old Fox but there isn't a glut of spares for them because they don't hang around all that long. Associated has been axing spares of late making RC10 parts more scarce. I can't really fault them as you could still get an original RC10 body up until recently. Tamiya never did that with a Super Sabre (for example). While some are opposed to it, I'll run whatever re-re part it takes to keep my old cars going. I am working class poor so those are the concessions one has to make at times. I know if I wait long enough, the part may pop up too. I just sleep better knowing I can get any part for an runner at anytime, even when I'm 60 and still messing about with these thing. Crazy, I know. 

Bought my Sabre in 1987, first batch.

Wasn't planning on buying Sabre specifically, was wanting a Boomerang (because it was cheaper than Hotshot & tub more accessible) but the Super Sabre just appeared that week I went into LHS. Yay me.

Moved to oz. For many years Sabre was my main runner & racer. Broke & woreout most parts :) red bits harder to find than Boomerang bits, so it started turning a bit blue. 

Then this vintage RC obsession started, after 1999 I begun collecting Sabre parts whenever they turned up... thanks to the interwebs have collated all the required bits... ended up restoring it back to all-red. But couldn't bring myself to replace serviceable bits like original body, tub etc... they've got real memories to match the patina.

Along the way before reres appeared, acquired both a used Boomerang & used Sabre, possibly for parts donors... but ended up restoring those too. Again their bodies were still usable... so haven't cracked the seals on my NIB Sabre bodyset.

Hotshot rere appeared... yay fresh arms! Boomerang rere appeared, hoarded more black bits "just in case". Don't know why, heck parts don't take much room when stuffed into empty space inside kit boxes, so why not.

Do I paint a NOS bodyset and use NOS red bits to build a rere Boomerang? Hmm... no, it don't feel quite right. 

How about doing a new-build using all NOS bits? I could... but I don't really need another shelfqueen, do I? :( Let's be honest, it would never be run as I already have used runners. And a built car takes more space than a pile of bits.

 

Rinse & repeat dilemma with every other iconic model I chased :P Bruiser, M38, Avante... to name just a few.

 

 

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7 hours ago, Superluminal said:

I have a bent front damper piston on an Egress short hicap. 

Been on back order since september....still no sign of it.

modellbau seidel have them in stock if you can get someone local to get them for you.

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9 hours ago, Superluminal said:

I have a bent front damper piston on an Egress short hicap. 

Been on back order since september....still no sign of it.

I have a re-re Egress I wholly intending on running. That was several years ago now. It was a childhood dream to run one of these. Having such an expensive model sidelined by a busted part does not please me.

6 hours ago, Blista said:

I bent a tie-rod on my CR01 and figured I'd better get the upgraded part since it's clearly a weak zone for the chassis.  Nope, they don't sell it even though CR01s are still in production.  I understand not selling expensive bling parts after a while, but a basic functional part?

Yep. I can imagine this very scenario. 

6 hours ago, Blista said:

I wanted a Super Astute however it seems like there's little chance of having a decent supply of spares even a few years from now.  I'm not willing to pay what is already a fairly exorbitant cost for a 2WD buggy just to have it shelved.

I have a runner. We'll see if I get it out this spring. Being chock full of hard, unreinforced ABS and PC plastics give me pause. Do we need 4 instead of 3 now? : The NIB, the shelf queen, the runner and the spare parts donner?

2 hours ago, WillyChang said:

Also don't forget RIGHT TO REPAIR... all of you better start championing Right To Repair real soon if you aren't already. Big Corp & their minions are chomping hard to stop you Repairing the goods you already own, you'll soon lose Right to Repair. They won't sell you parts, they won't sell you schematics, they'll try hardest to make it illegal for other 3rd parties to sell you parts or repair services... so much for Reduce Reuse Recycle - it's all BS vs $$$. 

 

Never heard of this and for someone like me who does nothing but build and repair things, its a scary thought. I know most modern devices can't be repaired often times which is why I hold onto ancient tools, devices, etc.

 

2 hours ago, WillyChang said:

Rinse & repeat dilemma with every other iconic model I chased :P Bruiser, M38, Avante... to name just a few.

I've been down this path as well. I have enough Monster Beetle/Lunch Box/Clod Buster spares hoarded to last a lifetime probably (but I still collect more when its feasible, lol)

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3 hours ago, WillyChang said:

Well, that's one of the reasons I'm cheerleading DIY 3D manufacturing. :)

TBH, microfacture may well be the future for low-volume spare parts of discontinued products.  Especially 3D printed plastic parts.  Right now I have the option of re-designing a stock part in CAD and printing it at home or sending it to a service like Shapeways, but it's a steep learning curve, a time-consuming process, has some trial-and-error and is a costly setup.  Plus, if I choose to share my hard work on line, for free or for reward, I might be at risk of violating a copyright law.  It's even possible that some external print services could begin refusing some jobs if they think the design is copyrighted*

However - if companies like Tamiya got on board with this - it would be comparatively easy to set up.  All they have to do is make available the CAD files for parts through an online ordering service.  Customer logs on, chooses the part they need and pays by credit card.  CAD files are sent digitally to a third-party fulfilment company (e.g. a Shapeways contractor) local to the customer.  The CAD file never hits the outside world so the risk of it being stolen is minimised.  The fulfilment company prints the part and sends it to the customer.  Thereby solving many of the problems of maintaining discontinued stock - having to keep tooling in working order, operating machines to maintain old stock that could be used to make new stock, warehousing, shipping, and all the admin involved with that.  Microfacture means you can maintain 0 stock and still fulfil within a matter of days (or, theoretically, hours).

End-to-end cost per item would be a lot higher than e.g. traditionally-made plastic parts, but I think those of us who run old cars wouldn't care about that.

The only drawback to this is that Tamiya may not actually have CAD files for the earlier models if they weren't originally designed in CAD - so there is the added initial cost of CAD reproduction or 3D scanning.  But I'd be surprised if they don't have CAD files for all the current production stuff.

Right to repair is an interesting one (as is the point about VOCs and home painting).  The environmental problem is something we're all going to have to deal with sooner or later.  It's less of an issue with vintage RC because running a 1980s car is not necessarily worse for the environment than running a 2020s car, whereas running a 1980s fridge or washing machine or motorcycle or freight vehicle is.  And for those things there will be a point when repair and reuse becomes less environmentally friendly than recycle and replace.  I personally see the concept of 'ownership' for those sort of things changing, so that the private individual is less impacted by obsolescence and less responsible for timely replacement, and a system of leasing with regular upgrades by the manufacture being applied.  There again, there are more efficient ways of re****erating food or washing clothes or heating buildings than individual households each having a private device - but that would require a change of culture that I'm not sure the West would readily accept just yet.

I digress...

*way back in 2011 we had a Tamiyaclub Birthday Beach Bash, and one of the participants brought along a birthday cake.  They had taken a JPG of the Sand Scorcher boxart to have it printed on the cake top in edible ink, but the cake shop had refused to print it because they believed it was a copyrighted image (indeed, it was).  So they had to take a photo of their own SRB instead.

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I’d never even considered future environmental issues in sourcing correct paint for my NIB or restorations 🙄

Very, very good point though ...

Are you stockpiling @speedy_w_beans @Hibernaculum ?

If so, are you hoping rattle cans aren’t banned or trying to buy pots where the right colours exist ?

@WillyChang is probably right re the number of factory models with EB / QD painted bodies being extended but - aside from mayor prompting a similar cottage industry for aftermarket paint jobs ? - that won’t help anyone who enjoys doing that part of a build themselves ?

Or preserve the value of vintage NIB ...

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Honestly, this isn't something I think about with RC cars at all. I have 20ish cars, and very little time and space to use them. I think they'll last me just fine. And if something breaks or wears out on a car, and I can't find (or make) a replacement, then it will get retired to the shelf with honors, as a reminder of time well spent, and I'll run something else. Better to have bashed and broken, I think, then never to have bashed at all.

Besides, if my eventual estate sale contains anything other than a bunch of broken, used-up, worn-out junk that no one wants, I'll have done something wrong. I don't have kids, and I don't care in the slightest about collectors of the future. If my stuff lasts me until my hand-eye coordination goes, then that's enough.

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9 hours ago, SuperChamp82 said:

Are you stockpiling @speedy_w_beans @Hibernaculum ?

If so, are you hoping rattle cans aren’t banned or trying to buy pots where the right colours exist ?

Confession: So I have a vintage 6ft tall metal Tamiya paint stand in my hobby room. It's the earliest type (metal) not the plastic ones you see in hobby stores now. It has a large Tamiya backboard sign, colour chart card, and even a side rack for "paint pens". Many of the paint slots are filled with paints now (each shelf/slot is labeled) though not all. Bit by bit I add more paints to it, so that it will eventually be filled - much like a hobby shop circa late-1980s which I think is when these paint stands were made. The labels on it only cater for the colours that were available back in the 1980s too - but that's fine for me, because all I really have are 1980s models.

So I have two motivations - the fact I like my hobby room to be a little bit like a hobby shop. And making sure I have spare paints for the years ahead - just in case there is a paintpocalypse after some kid inhales a rattlecan directly, turns into a zombie, and all our paints get banned.

As for vintage parts, I have drawers and containers... I have sold many hundreds of spares over the years, but still have what I think I need. Sometimes you end up with parts for cars you don't even own... but I can't bear to sell them, because as soon as I do, I know that particularly car will end up in my possession somehow!

3 hours ago, markbt73 said:

Besides, if my eventual estate sale contains anything other than a bunch of broken, used-up, worn-out junk that no one wants, I'll have done something wrong. I don't have kids, and I don't care in the slightest about collectors of the future. If my stuff lasts me until my hand-eye coordination goes, then that's enough.

Funny. I don't have kids either. But I think some of my vintage stuff could be donated to museums in the end. 🤔 So I do think about preservation...

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19 minutes ago, Hibernaculum said:

Funny. I don't have kids either. But I think some of my vintage stuff could be donated to museums in the end. 🤔 So I do think about preservation...

Your stuff is nice enough. Mine isn't. ;)

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@markbt73 you’ll still want your vintage runners to sprint in box art colours right ? 

So you’re not immune to paint obsolescence ... even if you like most of it to end up on smeared on a track 😂

And @Hibernaculum - that paint stand sounds truly amazing sir but not all period correct pigments were released in pots right ? 

So what about the others ? 

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18 hours ago, Hibernaculum said:

This.

Not sure if you're worried about specific colors that are released and discontinued periodically, but I'm worried about the state of the hobby as a whole and how to match decal sheets to paint if Tamiya stops selling their unique colors.  It's less of an issue for some of the generic kits, but racing liveries on some of the TA and TB bodies demand several colors...

18 hours ago, WillyChang said:

As in discontinuation of the specified paint (eg PC bottles)?

Or the actual banning release of VOCs from rattlecans & other non aqueous solvents... because the way the Greenies & climate change scaremongers are going, that ban might be coming sooner than we'd care to anticipate.

Everything might need to be prepainted at factory or repairshop with approved fume extraction that traps and collects all the VOCs etc etc

Discontinuation of all spray paints.  It's not something to worry about now; I'm thinking about 10-20 years down the road.

11 hours ago, SuperChamp82 said:

I’d never even considered future environmental issues in sourcing correct paint for my NIB or restorations 🙄

Very, very good point though ...

Are you stockpiling @speedy_w_beans @Hibernaculum ?

If so, are you hoping rattle cans aren’t banned or trying to buy pots where the right colours exist ?

@WillyChang is probably right re the number of factory models with EB / QD painted bodies being extended but - aside from mayor prompting a similar cottage industry for aftermarket paint jobs ? - that won’t help anyone who enjoys doing that part of a build themselves ?

Or preserve the value of vintage NIB ...

Nope, not stockpiling.  I'm trying to use up as many fractional spray cans as I can now.  I'll buy paints for a half dozen bodies at a time, or make some opportunistic buys at the local hobby shop.

Again, my concern is mostly 10-20 years into the future...

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2 hours ago, SuperChamp82 said:

@markbt73 you’ll still want your vintage runners to sprint in box art colours right ?

They're not box-art now, for the most part...

And please don't think I'm going to just thrash all my cars into the ground tomorrow. I just don't mind using them, even if it means using them up eventually. You can display mine as "artifacts" alongside the pristine NIB examples in a museum somewhere when I'm gone. :)

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9 hours ago, SuperChamp82 said:

And @Hibernaculum - that paint stand sounds truly amazing sir but not all period correct pigments were released in pots right ? 

So what about the others ? 

Oh, the Tamiya paint stand has special racks for Tamiya enamel bottles, Tamiya acrylic jars, Tamiya rattle cans, Tamiya pens, and even other Tamiya accessories. ;)

 

7 hours ago, speedy_w_beans said:

Not sure if you're worried about specific colors that are released and discontinued periodically, but I'm worried about the state of the hobby as a whole and how to match decal sheets to paint if Tamiya stops selling their unique colors.  It's less of an issue for some of the generic kits, but racing liveries on some of the TA and TB bodies demand several colors...

For me, I am genuinely amazed that in a world where backward compatibility in any industry is usually limited to 5 years, maybe 10 years, or 20 years in extreme cases... Tamiya still manufacture the exact kit paints that are listed in their toy models from 40+ years ago.

It's just not to be taken for granted. And so, when I can, I try to remember to buy spare paints and keep them. Call it "Tamiya Prepping". :)

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I make it a priority to buy extra parts at the same time that I am buying a kit.  Then I put those parts into a labeled (most of the time) Sterilite shoebox size or larger parts bin.  The bins are stored on metal shelves in the basement.  I have over 60 small bins and 20 larger bins now on two metal shelving units.

The phrase "I am my own hobby shop" often comes to mind.

Shoebox sized smaller bins hold spare parts, upgrades and hop-ups:

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Larger bins fit 3 to a shelf and can hold more and larger parts and parts trees (along with tiny Aukey/Revell rc cars):

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Empty bin space waiting for more re-releases from Tamiya and Kyosho to hold more parts:

IMG_4371-1600.thumb.JPG.07f2b781ad3f8715bafdec3d4b5559bf.JPG

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1 hour ago, Champ85 said:

The phrase "I am my own hobby shop" often comes to mind.

Now that's what I'm talking about!:) If I particularly love a platform, I'll hoard spares. I have a good amount of Clod and ORV monster parts and am working on Hot Shot and RC10 parts collections. There's a certain satisfaction when a part breaks and I just wander back to the "parts department" and grab a spare I have on hand.

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10 hours ago, CoolHands said:

Wow. That’s expensive though

Yes, it is expensive.  I am lucky enough to be able to support this habit (no wife, no mortgage/loans, good job).  And perhaps what I do is even "overkill".  But the very strong desire to not be prevented from running any of my cars, plus the rather unpredictable nature of Tamiya (and Kyosho) spares availability keeps me doing this.

9 hours ago, Saito2 said:

Now that's what I'm talking about!:) If I particularly love a platform, I'll hoard spares.

Exactly.  From your first post in this thread, I can tell you think very much like I do.   In my case, this is a learned behavior from events a long time ago.  Back in 1984 when I was a young kid, I received a NIB Super Champ kit as a gift from my parents.  I built it carefully and ran it like crazy.  Then parts started to wear out, even though I oiled and greased things appropriately.  Finding replacements was not easy for a young kid with practically no money and few hobby shops in the area.  The hardest parts to find were the white plastic "ball plates" that mounted in the front suspension arms. 

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The originals kept popping out, even with wire wrapped around the front arms (the plastic zip strips gave way and broke too easily).  The plates were simply worm out after years of use and dirt/grease wearing out the cups.  They were already rare and expensive back in 1985/1986 when I finally found spares at a hobby shop (remember, by that time everyone had already moved on to the Scorpion and then RC10, so the SRB chassis was no longer relevant to racers and hobby shops).  And then there were the tires which were an expensive wearable item ($40 for a pair of rear tires w/wheels = a fortune to a kid in 1986).  But then, once THOSE parts wore out after 2-3 years, then what?  I shuddered to think...

I learned to conserve what I had, but it also meant I couldn't run the cars like I wanted for fear of wearing out parts to the point that the car could not be driven any longer.  I vowed to get spares for my vintage vehicles once I was older, had money, found eBay and reasonable prices.  Then, much later when the re-re's started coming out I made sure to get spares of parts I thought would wear out first or be broken based on both guesses and from forums like this one where suggestions were made as to what parts were going to wear out or break first. 

I knew then, and still know today, that Tamiya spares (and Kyosho too) are only available for a limited time.  Once they are gone, they are either hard to find or much more expensive when you actually need them, or they are really gone.  So I try to buy them while they are still available.

In my re-re Buggy Champ/Sand Scorcher parts bin I have 3 or 4 spare sets of ball plates (they are not the same as the vintage ones).  And my very large tires parts bin has a few sets of front and rear tires.

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There was this guy at Bridgetown hobbies, in Portland Oregon.  I want to say his name was Matt, but it's been 25 years, I can't be sure.  When the topic came around stocking up, he said, "that's not wise."  His reason was that it'd quickly add up to a lot more than I could build.  Instead of building, I'd turn into a collector.  This was about scale models.  I have to say I was impressed with his honesty.  He could've sold more kits.  

But did I listen to him?  

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Having a hobby shop of my own, I am in no position to say "don't do it."  I tell myself, "buying is my hobby." (I'm trying to be honest here)

All the different ways of enjoying RC is valid.  If somebody wants to build a Michelin Man out of Tamiya tires, that could be fun too.  

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We all have a lot of attachment to our childhoods.  I still remember the first time I saw a FAV jumping.  No matter how many times I see real rally cars jump 15 feet into the air on youtube, that 1 foot jump was the most impressive thing to my 13 year old eyes.  My Grasshopper with its motor attached to the axle, it just didn't jump as nicely.  I finally got my FAV when I was 26.  I didn't break anything, but I feared I would.  I accumulated a lot of FAV parts when they were not available.  Yes, these bath tub chassis don't have the hole for the wires like the re-issued version.  

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But now that I'm 46, I'm starting to wonder why focus so much on FAV.  Why I shouldn't I be impressed with new stuff?  

These vintage stuff represents our youth.  Nothing is wrong with that.  But what happened to myself who was easily impressed?  Instead of remembering my youth, why can't I be young instead?  I sure am middle-aged.  Older retirees, like 60-70 year olds see me as their friends, but I'm closer to their kids in age.  Young people see me as a "father figure."  I've never been a father (not that I know).  Some of those young people are impressed with the fact that I do have a clear hobby. 

I think that's fortunate of us.  We don't realize this, but vast majority of the humans don't have a hobby.  They say they ski, snowboard or deep water fish, but they go once every 5 years. Most of the times, they park themselves in front of the TV and that's their practical hobby.  We know what we want.  We eat, sleep, breathe this stuff (don't breathe glue though).  Why couldn't I expand to new stuff without limiting myself to the 80's?  

So, I got myself M06.  I was impressed.  The last on-road car was this.  I vaguely remember thinking, "how great RC would be in the future?" when I was 13. I did see the limitations of this chassis.  I'm living the future through M06.  

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As a child, I couldn't wait to be an adult.  Now that I'm an adult, all I do is think of the past.  Being adult is much different from what I thought.  I thought of adult as somebody who could do all the fun stuff.  The adult I thought I'd be was more childish-adult.  Why couldn't I be that "fun" adult?  

The child-me I would have gone nuts over Konghead.  I would have enjoyed a Dancing Rider tricycle too.  I'm getting these new "kid's stuff" as if I'm still a child.  That way, I'm teleporting the 13 year-old-me, to 2020, instead of me trying to project adult-me back to 1986.  That child still lives in me, instead of being just a memory.  

I'm sure somebody famous said something about maintaining "childlike wonder."  I want that childlike wonder.  Dancing Rider doesn't even have a 380 motor.  The motor is tiny. 

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The adult-me immediately thinks of getting a brushless motor with a steel pinion.  When I was 13, I took out the 540 and put in a 380 to control better.  That child wouldn't have been impressed with a 3000kv on a Dancing Rider. (obviously everybody is different) 

So, I'll try to live it now.  If something breaks, so be it.  I didn't stock up in 1986 (that was too adult).  If I break something I had a hobby shop order it for me (sadly most hobby shops are gone, but I can get parts from all over the world instead).  

Obviously we all have a few special ones we want to preserve.  Nothing's wrong with that.  But for the most part, I'll try to break stuff.  I'm sure I've gotten cars or parts from estate sales after somebody died.  Just like @markbt73, I don't want to be them.  

Miyamoto Musashi was an undefeated sword duelist of Japan (16-17th century).  Modern Japanese worship pristine swords (they can't use them, can they?)  But Musashi didn't insist on his swords being perfect.  He'd duel, he'd toss the swords that lost their edges. He bought another pair for the next duel.  Sword was a tool, not a symbol.  

cPkgRBJ.jpg

I'm not saying we should be wasteful.  Just that to me, running and fixing is the bigger part of RC.  Storing some parts does come with the hobby, but no need to sweat lack of parts.  I would pay more for rare parts, but considering all the unused parts I didn't have to buy, it might be cheaper to get only the things I need. (Says the guy who built a hobby shop in his house... I'd also grab rare metal part like that king pin part.  I'm just saying that my point of view changed over the years; fun became more important than comfort of having parts)  

 

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