Finally got the Tamiya Lunch Box

[jellon 149]

Just joined the club!

It's no exaggeration to say I've wanted a Tamiya RC for over 30 years. My brother had a second hand Hornet when I was 7 - and I loved everything about it. 

I remember seeing the Vanessa's Lunch Box in the magazines and being desperate to get it - not understanding what 'kit' meant. The box art has always stuck in my head - the lettering, crazy image and all the decals.

I finally bought the re-release recently - and was actually quite nervous about putting the thing together. I've not attempted something like this before - especially something that cost north of £100. I can honestly say the whole experience of building it, painting and driving the bonkers thing around has been an absolute treat. 

I love the fact that the steering is almost useless at speed, and it bounces like crazy on the shocks and keeps pulling wheelies. For me that adds to the feel of it being an 80s monster truck - and makes it more fun to try and wrestle into doing what you want. 

I spend the whole time driving it, grinning and hoping the battery doesn't run out too soon! It's fair to say that I've been hooked into the world of Tamiya RC cars...... just need the Monster Beetle to come back in stock.

I went for the standard paintjob - and tried to get it as close to the box art as possible - you can see some pics below - and of the build. I actually went for the TS-34 Camel Yellow for the shell, which I think has a nicer vintage look than the bright yellow they suggest. Probably because that's how it looks on the old adverts. I did the window frames freehand, so they aren't perfect, and used some cheaper acrylics for some of the tiny detailing. A decent marker pen actually worked better for the very fine black lines around the lights. 

It's already thoroughly scuffed and scratched since these photos were taken, but I've accepted that is part of owning one of these. Tempted to buy another shell to keep smart. 

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has recently got one of these - or finally decided to buy their first proper RC. 

 

 

[jellon 149]

.... the next daft project is to do the same paintjob on this little guy. It's a New Ray pullback with full suspension that I got on ebay for a couple of quid. I think the decals might be a bit ambitious.

[jellon 149]

I can show the build on here if anyone is interested - but I suspect there are enough Lunch Box builds already!

 

[Room335 812]

Congrats on your first R/C kit! The Lunchbox is a perfect place to start...very durable and loads of fun. I recently built 2 of them that my sons drive. May I suggest aluminum body posts. After a couple of hard rollovers you are going to need them. They've also managed to bend the steering rods a few times, so I upgraded those as well. Aside from that, have fun!

[jellon 149]

Thanks Room335. My son is only 4, but he's had a go at steering, and thinks it's hilarious. 

No major damage yet - but I noticed yesterday that the screws on the steering rod ball joints had almost completely unthreaded. 

I'm surprised I haven't already cracked one of those posts - I see the alu ones are a pretty cheap upgrade.

Also tempted to add the light system. 

[KEV THE REV 2368]

Fantastic , another Lunchbox addict ( you are an addict , right ? )  . I love 'em too . I have few of them and kits too . and had many in the past  . Enjoy running it - and modifying it as you will want to sooner or later and look foreward to seeing the little fella in LB livery . Ballraces and metal body posts are mandatory

[wolfdogstinkus 1962]

Bodyshells are fairly cheap, I "helped" my boys design their own cars. 

Think they were 4 and 6 years old at the time. 

Good way to get them involved.

[TartanSpartan 4]

Great rc’s to start you off on, so much fun 

this is my shelf queen shell, I have a beater for running normally 

[jellon 149]

2 hours ago, KEV THE REV said:

Fantastic , another Lunchbox addict ( you are an addict , right ? )  . I love 'em too . I have few of them and kits too . and had many in the past  . Enjoy running it - and modifying it as you will want to sooner or later and look foreward to seeing the little fella in LB livery . Ballraces and metal body posts are mandatory

Yes definitely an addict - but pretty happy with that :) do the ballraces add much? Or are they just harder wearing.

[jellon 149]

25 minutes ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

Bodyshells are fairly cheap, I "helped" my boys design their own cars. 

Think they were 4 and 6 years old at the time. 

Good way to get them involved.

That's a great idea. Zoinks scoob.

[jellon 149]

12 minutes ago, TartanSpartan said:

Great rc’s to start you off on, so much fun 

this is my shelf queen shell, I have a beater for running normally 

Very nice indeed. And the little Felix logo. I like those extra handles and are they monster beetle tyres?

[KEV THE REV 2368]

6 minutes ago, jellon said:

do the ballraces add much? Or are they just harder wearing.

Harder wearing and add battery running time as they reduce friction - a must have

[KEV THE REV 2368]

7 minutes ago, jellon said:

are they monster beetle tyres?

Not Monster Beetle tyres . These are an option tyre with spikes that fit Lunchbox etc . I need to get some

[Room335 812]

1 hour ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

Bodyshells are fairly cheap, I "helped" my boys design their own cars. 

Think they were 4 and 6 years old at the time. 

Good way to get them involved.

Those are great. My boys wanted a USA theme and a Nike sneaker. I think they enjoyed using spray paint more than driving them!

 

 

[bozatron 96]

Congrats dude, I'm pretty much in the same position. My brother was into RC when we were younger but I always had other things going on and never quite got to join in, 30 plus years later and my RC journey just started with a Blitzer Beetle (not a LB but i think that's next) and my 8yr old daughter is loving it. Enjoy the nostalgia and the great time with our kids building and understanding new toys   

[jellon 149]

3 hours ago, bozatron said:

Congrats dude, I'm pretty much in the same position. My brother was into RC when we were younger but I always had other things going on and never quite got to join in, 30 plus years later and my RC journey just started with a Blitzer Beetle (not a LB but i think that's next) and my 8yr old daughter is loving it. Enjoy the nostalgia and the great time with our kids building and understanding new toys   

That's a really nice design - I like the matt finish and the window stickers. Is this based on any specific car? Definitely getting the monster beetle next - that shell is great. 

I wondered, is the Blitzer considered a monster truck or is it more of a buggy with a beetle shell? How does it drive?

[bozatron 96]

1 hour ago, jellon said:

That's a really nice design - I like the matt finish and the window stickers. Is this based on any specific car? Definitely getting the monster beetle next - that shell is great. 

I wondered, is the Blitzer considered a monster truck or is it more of a buggy with a beetle shell? How does it drive?

Thanks I had an idea to try to get something close to the old drag race paint jobs you'd see at Santa Pod, kind of immaculate engineering but couldn't be bothered to finish the paint  which made me think they wouldn't decal the body if the paint wasn't finished. Any ways I'm pleased with the outcome. 

I think the Blitzer Beetle is closer to a stadium truck than monster truck, but its vey subjective I guess. It drives well, not as accurate as a true buggy, but not as inaccurate as a LB. I've done one simple steering mod, to flip the uprights which helps a lot with the steering. Generally it is fast and fun even with the standard silver can. I'm told the gearbox is bombproof so plenty of scope to go faster later.