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Sunsanvil

Whats the current status if the 3-speed family of trucks?

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Returning to the hobby after a very VERY long hiatus (like almost 30 years!). As a kid in the 80s I always dreamed of the original HiLux. I'm at a point now where I might actually be able to affords something like that but I'm a little confused as to the current state of Tamiya's proverbial 3-speed transmission models. Can someone bring me up to speed (no pun intended). Bruiser replaced the original HiLux I guess with larger tires etc, but that too was discontinued way back only to be re -released in 2012 but its already gone again? Tower is showing the Mountain Rider as "coming in July". Other than body-style is there any functional differences between the two? Are the shocks oil filled? I could never seem to get a solid answer on that one. :) Thanks.

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1 hour ago, Sunsanvil said:

Tower is showing the Mountain Rider as "coming in July". Other than body-style is there any functional differences between the two? Are the shocks oil filled? I could never seem to get a solid answer on that one. :)

The rerelaeses are basically the same except for body styling between the re-re Bruiser and Mountain Rider (formerly know as the Mountaineer). The original Bruiser and Mountaineer did have few more differences. The original Bruiser was capable of using the old , huge 6V 4000mAH battery Tamiya made and a conventional 7.2v stick pack but the later Mountaineer only used the 7.2v stick pack. IIRC the original Bruiser used 3 piece wheels while the Mountaineer used one piece wheels. The rereleases both use one piece wheels and accept stick packs.

In the time line, there were two early variants, the Hilux and Blazing Blazer. These were replaced with the later Bruiser and Mountaineer. The early and later original 3 speed trucks are actually quite different despite using the same basic design. Many years after all of them were discontinued, Tamiya launched a new breed of 3 speeds that share nothing with the originals call the High Lift series. They include the F350 High Lift, the Hilux High Lift (not to be confused with the original) and the Tundra High Lift. Much of their design was based roughly around the Tamiya big rig trucks. They have plastic axles, straight steel frame rails and a 3 speed transmissions with full time 4wd.

Now Tamiya has releaseed the original Bruiser and Mountaineer/Mountain Rider, but again with key differences over the originals. The transmission, while still being 4 low, 2 med, 2 hi, is a new design. You also build the transmission yourself as opposed to the pre-built one in the old kits. The frames are now painted black. The axles now incorporate differentials which the originals lacked, though they can be locked if desired. There are other smaller changes too, but, as a whole, they do improve the performance of the truck while still being very much in the spirit of the originals.

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Red and Blue has the same gear ratio.  But the surfer dude don't play by the rule....  

There are 5 models in the 21st century.  The first 3 has the same bodies (I think), while the last 2 have different bodies. 

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Hilux/ F350 High Lifts and Tundra come with smaller 93mm tires and they seem to be using a different chassis. 

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The red Mountain Rider has bigger 125mm tires, same as blue Bruiser. Their gear ratios are 55 (1st): 40 (2nd) : 28 (3rd).  These two seem to be the same as the classic chassis.  

Hilux High Lift / F350 High Lift / Tundra have even lower 1st gear ratio of 64 (1st) even though they have smaller tires.  But 2nd and 3rd are higher at 35 and 21.  The motor mounts differently, ladder frame is straight, red shocks are friction dampers, and the wheelbase and the width might be different too.  

So they are not all the same. According to internal gears, there are 2 different models.  High Lift (HiLux / F350 / Tundra) should be noticeably slower in the 1st gear.  But 2nd and 3rd should be similar to Bruiser/Maintain Rider.

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Thank you both for the great information. The contemporary High-lift series is definitely not what I am after.

Am I right in thinking that the Mountain Rider is being re-released in the next month or two? That would suit me as I actually prefer the roll bar and light over the cab extension on the Bruiser.

Whats the outlook on spare parts? Good for the foreseeable future? Is there anything notoriously needed which one should stock up on?

Any tips on scoring the best possible price on one? :)

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If you take care of them and drive them within their means they should last fine. The key is to remember that they are very scale vehicles and perform as such. They don't leap and jump like typical buggies or monster trucks. This kind of use leads to bent axle housings.

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I have original Mountaineer (shelfqueen) and NIB Mountain Rider and two High-lifts , The Tundra is shelfqueen and the Hilux highlift is runner. 
Having many Bruisers runners in the past, I would say I like running my Hilux highlift a little more. It’s very reliable ,easier to mod , it can pull my 112lbs son on a skateboard easily. I also bigger tires installed and MFC-02 installed which give you engine sounds, lights , horn etc.. all controlled via the transmitter. Which heightens the overall experience.

i would go through the manuals (Tamiya site or do search here at TC) so you can see the difference.

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