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UPDATED: Completed Photos - My First Hornet Build... but not last

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UPDATED WITH PHOTOS OF COMPLETED CAR

My first post, my first build... And I loved it.

I'm 44, so I grew up in the heyday of 80s RC cars, and local hobby shops. I used to ride my BMX bike up to the strip mall and spend hours at the LHS, one of a dozen that were nearby me and my friends houses in Northern Va. 

But even though I drooled over Tamiya box art and kits from the Frog to the Lunchbox...I never got my hands on a kit. I ended up getting into winged Slot Cars instead..and D&D of course. But the desire for a "real" RC car never faded.

Fast forward and now I've got a 7 and 5 yr old at home and they are interested in things I am😀 which gave me an opportunity to finally get my first Tamiya kit... A re-re Hornet.

I found a proper LHS that is husband/wife owned and actually stocks Tamiya and Kyosho kit, it's like a dream come true! 

I had a ln absolute blast building the Hornet recently and I can't wait to get into my next build...I already have a Hotshot on order (it's all about nostalgia baby).

I painted the Hornet sky blue and ordered a set of custom decals to complete the over-the-top 80s look. Just need to get those on.

A few things I learned:

- I should have read every page of the instructions first...I had no idea the parts were drawn 1:1 scale until page 5! 

- as detailed as the instructions are..the translations are not 100% accurate. Especially talking to you- instructions for setting up the tamiya ESC!

- the right tools are immensely helpful

- a cheap desk light sucks balls for building kits in your basement. I spent more time trying to see where to put a screw into a hole than I did turning screws. A proper light and magnifying glass cannot arrive soon enough for build #2!

- I knew I didn't tighten that pinion gear correctly the first time...but now I know how to drop the motor and reach the diff without taking the entire rear suspension apart!

- I spent way too much time stressing about how to setup and charge a NiMH battery ... Sucks to have an over thinking 44yr old brain instead of a just roll with it 10yr old one🤪

- building this kit was therapeutic on multiple levels. I relieved stress at the end of long work days, I felt good about using a diff part of my creative side, it was surprisingly confidence inspiring and I bonded with my kids in new ways. I love it.

Sooo then...should I get a Sport Tuned 540 motor for the upcoming Hotshot?

Thanks for having me as part of the club .

Chris

 

 

 

 

Hornet 1.jpg

Hornet 2.jpg

Hornet 3.jpg

Hornet 4.jpg

Edited by metalheadDad
new photos
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Welcome aboard, and thanks for sharing pictures of your buggy. You know we all love Hornets here! Or so I'd like to believe. Anyway, you story sounds familiar, age, the therapeutic side of dealing with these things, and the BMX experience. Oh, and if you like Heavy metal (the old school type), I like that too. :)

You don't need no hot motors with these. But if you want to see some serious improvement you really need to check the AMPro Hornet axle bracket. It's a tiny plastic bit that will change your Hornet experience for good! ;)

Stay safe and have a good Friday!  

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I grew up in VA. Alexandria and Norfolk/VaBch. It’s good to see another Virginian here!  Welcome!

Im in Raleigh NC now. Where are you???

Good looking Hornet!  I like the decal colors!

Terry

 

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36 minutes ago, Frog Jumper said:

I grew up in VA. Alexandria and Norfolk/VaBch. It’s good to see another Virginian here!  Welcome!

Im in Raleigh NC now. Where are you???

Good looking Hornet!  I like the decal colors!

Terry

 

No joke...I'm in Raleigh NC also now! My family and I just built a house in Wendell Falls which is 15min east of downtown. 

I'm headed to see Anna and Otto over at RC Hobby in Fuquay today actually 😀

Whereabouts are you?

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6 hours ago, metalheadDad said:

No joke...I'm in Raleigh NC also now! My family and I just built a house in Wendell Falls which is 15min east of downtown. 

I'm headed to see Anna and Otto over at RC Hobby in Fuquay today actually 😀

Whereabouts are you?

How I wish there's more Tamiya enthusiasts here in NoVA... I'm in Leesburg and the LHS nearby mostly carries Traxxas and the likes... while I am not anywhere close to being considered an "enthusiast", having people nearby that shares the same interests has its advantages... 

I wonder where those LHS you referred to are now? 

Welcome to the forum!

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32 minutes ago, burakol said:

How I wish there's more Tamiya enthusiasts here in NoVA... I'm in Leesburg and the LHS nearby mostly carries Traxxas and the likes... while I am not anywhere close to being considered an "enthusiast", having people nearby that shares the same interests has its advantages... 

I wonder where those LHS you referred to are now? 

Welcome to the forum!

Burakol

I grew up in Chantilly VA ..and moved to Raleigh from Purcellville VA..so I know Leesburg very well!

When I grew up the LHS was in Chantilly sub division called Franklin Glenn. Then there was like one in every sub division through Chantilly, Herndon, Oakton, Fairfax, Manassas etc. I assume most of them just went out of business.

Have you been to Hobby Hangar in Chantilly? It's in a business park, been there forever. Their site is horrible but it is a big store and might offer more selection than the one in Leesburg.

http://www.hobbyhangarva.com/index.php?aux_page=contactus

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Small world...I'm in fairfax county. Hobby Hangar is a great place (even if Traxxas, etc are the "thing") but the owner is selling it so it will slowly be going out of business soon unless someone buys the business from him. Sad because besides HH, there is no other good LHS nearby.

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some Hornets..Tamiyas..iron maiden or priest...mongoose or JMC bmx bikes..I'm all for that 😁

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3 hours ago, howaboutme said:

Small world...I'm in fairfax county. Hobby Hangar is a great place (even if Traxxas, etc are the "thing") but the owner is selling it so it will slowly be going out of business soon unless someone buys the business from him. Sad because besides HH, there is no other good LHS nearby.

That's unfortunate...  I've been there several times just to look around but I'm not impressed with their customer service... plus, they dont really cater to Tamiya stuff... I feel that when I go into a hobby store, they always try to upsell their stuff... never the less, I feel bad that another local business is going out of business... 

@howaboutme - where do you run your RCs? 

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34 minutes ago, burakol said:

That's unfortunate...  I've been there several times just to look around but I'm not impressed with their customer service... plus, they dont really cater to Tamiya stuff... I feel that when I go into a hobby store, they always try to upsell their stuff... never the less, I feel bad that another local business is going out of business... 

@howaboutme - where do you run your RCs? 

Yeah, they cater to mostly fixed wing people and the hard core rc car racers that tend to spend $$$. The rest is Traxxas. I used to just go there and browse and every once in a while pick up an odd thing or two but never anything big. No Tamiya's for sure.

I actually don't run my cars too often. I guess I prefer to wrench more but when I do it's usually at the local school grounds, baseball diamonds. In Fairfax County, RC cars are not allowed in the parks so I shy away. People do it but there's enough schools nearby to get a good run or two. If you want to race onroad, there is Radio Control Racers of Northern Virginia. They are on facebook mostly. It's a group of people that get together to race over the summer (pre Covid) at a high school parking lot in Manassas. I think you can bring some Tamiya's there. They have GT racing, spec and mod. Those same group of guys get together to crawl at Hemlock and other parks nearby. For on road, if you want to run on a track, there is Adrenaline in Winchester, VA. The other big off road racing place that hosts regional/national events is the Track in Gaithersburg, MD. I believe they are trying to get a 1/12th track in too. Check them out if you want to be competitive.

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41 minutes ago, howaboutme said:

Yeah, they cater to mostly fixed wing people and the hard core rc car racers that tend to spend $$$. The rest is Traxxas. I used to just go there and browse and every once in a while pick up an odd thing or two but never anything big. No Tamiya's for sure.

I actually don't run my cars too often. I guess I prefer to wrench more but when I do it's usually at the local school grounds, baseball diamonds. In Fairfax County, RC cars are not allowed in the parks so I shy away. People do it but there's enough schools nearby to get a good run or two. If you want to race onroad, there is Radio Control Racers of Northern Virginia. They are on facebook mostly. It's a group of people that get together to race over the summer (pre Covid) at a high school parking lot in Manassas. I think you can bring some Tamiya's there. They have GT racing, spec and mod. Those same group of guys get together to crawl at Hemlock and other parks nearby. For on road, if you want to run on a track, there is Adrenaline in Winchester, VA. The other big off road racing place that hosts regional/national events is the Track in Gaithersburg, MD. I believe they are trying to get a 1/12th track in too. Check them out if you want to be competitive.

Nah... I'm like you, I mostly enjoy wrenching and building it... Maybe when all this is over, I'll bring my son to Winchester to check Adrenaline... 

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The hornet was the first tamiya buggy i built back in 1988,great buggy and fast.For looks,easy to build,speed and price its probably the best buggy of the eighties.

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This is my re re hotshot,it has the sport tuned motor and gold wheels which look great.

20200523_200301.jpg

Edited by Super ally
Spelling mistake.
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1 hour ago, metalheadDad said:

Where can I snag a set of gold wheels? That looks killer.

I bought this newly built on ebay with gold wheels and white with it.I would look on ebay for a set,should be able to get some.

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3 hours ago, metalheadDad said:

Where can I snag a set of gold wheels? That looks killer.

Luckily the Super Hot Shot release brought Gold Wheels back to the market. Certainly search eBay for kit splitters that are selling  them

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On 5/21/2020 at 8:59 PM, metalheadDad said:

UPDATED WITH PHOTOS OF COMPLETED CAR

My first post, my first build... And I loved it.

I'm 44, so I grew up in the heyday of 80s RC cars, and local hobby shops. I used to ride my BMX bike up to the strip mall and spend hours at the LHS, one of a dozen that were nearby me and my friends houses in Northern Va. 

But even though I drooled over Tamiya box art and kits from the Frog to the Lunchbox...I never got my hands on a kit. I ended up getting into winged Slot Cars instead..and D&D of course. But the desire for a "real" RC car never faded.

Fast forward and now I've got a 7 and 5 yr old at home and they are interested in things I am😀 which gave me an opportunity to finally get my first Tamiya kit... A re-re Hornet.

I found a proper LHS that is husband/wife owned and actually stocks Tamiya and Kyosho kit, it's like a dream come true! 

I had a ln absolute blast building the Hornet recently and I can't wait to get into my next build...I already have a Hotshot on order (it's all about nostalgia baby).

I painted the Hornet sky blue and ordered a set of custom decals to complete the over-the-top 80s look. Just need to get those on.

A few things I learned:

- I should have read every page of the instructions first...I had no idea the parts were drawn 1:1 scale until page 5! 

- as detailed as the instructions are..the translations are not 100% accurate. Especially talking to you- instructions for setting up the tamiya ESC!

- the right tools are immensely helpful

- a cheap desk light sucks balls for building kits in your basement. I spent more time trying to see where to put a screw into a hole than I did turning screws. A proper light and magnifying glass cannot arrive soon enough for build #2!

- I knew I didn't tighten that pinion gear correctly the first time...but now I know how to drop the motor and reach the diff without taking the entire rear suspension apart!

- I spent way too much time stressing about how to setup and charge a NiMH battery ... Sucks to have an over thinking 44yr old brain instead of a just roll with it 10yr old one🤪

- building this kit was therapeutic on multiple levels. I relieved stress at the end of long work days, I felt good about using a diff part of my creative side, it was surprisingly confidence inspiring and I bonded with my kids in new ways. I love it.

Sooo then...should I get a Sport Tuned 540 motor for the upcoming Hotshot?

Thanks for having me as part of the club .

Chris

 

 

 

 

Hornet 1.jpg

Hornet 2.jpg

Hornet 3.jpg

Hornet 4.jpg

How’s the suspension? Oil filled shocks right ? 

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2 hours ago, rwordenjr said:

How’s the suspension? Oil filled shocks right ? 

Correct oil filled rear suspension. It has some wheel hop in certain on pavement driving but seems great off-road from what I've done so far. 

Bear in mind I have very little experience to compare to 😀

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1 hour ago, metalheadDad said:

Correct oil filled rear suspension. It has some wheel hop in certain on pavement driving but seems great off-road from what I've done so far. 

Bear in mind I have very little experience to compare to 😀

Nice. I’m wanting to get the super storm dragon (same chassis, different body) when it comes out. 

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