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DrGoatboy

No love for Willy?

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Just been idling browsing new kits and wild Willy 2 pops up. I don't know anything about them but it appears they are similar in ethos to a lunchbox but a better chassis design (double wishbones etc)?

Now everyone universally seems to love a lunchbox and it's a regular topic of discussion. But I see hardly any post on wild Willy 2. 

Just wondering if there was a reason it doesn't get talked about much? (Maybe it does and I just missed it?)

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Searching for 'Willy' brings up 358 pages of results, 143 in the 'General' forum, which are probably most relevant to the WW2 - How many were you expecting?:lol:
It's safe to assume all the posts refer to the Wild Willy by Tamiya, and not medical issues

 

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/search/&q=ww2&quick=1

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/search/&q=Willy&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=3

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The Wild Willy 2 is beloved, but it was released in 2002 and not as a reissue of the legendary Wild Willy. The Wild Willy 2 was the model that got me back into Tamiya collecting as I always wanted a Wild Willy as a kid. It was soon apparent that I needed to get the original one - well, quite  a few actually - as there were too many differences from the iconic first release. It is also reasonable to say that there were not that many vintage Tamiya collectors in 2002 as there are today, and with all the rereleases people opted for the cars they once had or wanted, as i.e. the Lunchbox that you mention. Still the Wild Willy 2 has a huge following as fun runners, so saying they do not get that much love is somewhat incorrect. From my knowledge, it has the longest running model in Tamiyas production? I might be wrong, but at least i do not know of any models that was in production for close to 20 years.

The waves of reissued kinda killed my enthusiasm for vintage Tamiyas, but I still love my Wild Willy 2, albeit I've customised i to resemble the original Wild Willy.

 

simensays_gf01_wheels_02.jpg

 


 

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In fairness, we used to have a lot of willy posts on here - arguably the original Wild Willy is one of the most iconic vintage Tamiya designs around, and barely a month would go by without someone mentioning their willy or posting pictures of it in the forum.  However, I don't recall seeing all that many willies since @DrGoatboy joined a little while ago, so it's understandable for the OP to have overlooked it as a much-loved thing.  Although the classic "show me your willy" thread was still being updated in June, and that's not an easy thread to miss.

There was a bit of a Willy explosion just a few years ago when Tamiya started putting Willy in everything - Honda City Turbo, Suzuki Jimny, Land Cruiser 40 and a VW bus all got Willy in them in the space of a few years.  Then it all went quiet on the Willy front - it was around that time that we all realised we could have just as much fun playing with a Dual Ridge or a Pink Edition Scorcher.

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Thanks all. Indeed looking at search does show quite a lot of Willie's. But looking for lunchbox and lunch combined gets you more. Maybe it's being a noob that has caused my confusion.

It just feels like every time someone asks the inevitable "what RC" question someone always says lunchbox (rightly so too!) But I don't think I have seen a post where someone says wild Willy. 

Personally I have always liked the idea of having a Willy to Wang around the garden and generally get it stuck into all sort of places it shouldn't be. But it probably isn't that different in experience to my lunchbox to warrant the expense... Maybe combining Vanessa's lunchbox with nice shiny new Willy is the way to go though? Thoughts?

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I do also wonder if the hit count for wild Willy is so high because whenever people post about it they feel the need to say Willy a lot. (Like I do) 

:blink:

 

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LOL, yeah not very original, half the WW threads has one or two jokes on that theme :)
But yeah, get yourself a Wild Willy, both original and WW2 - you probably won't regret it!

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I love my Willy. 

Seriously though, the WR-02 is probably my favourite Tamiya chassis, followed by the GF-01, G6-01 and CW-01. They are all just so much fun to drive. I have other vehicles that are faster and handle better but if I could only keep one of my Tamiyas, it would probably be a Wild Willy.

Drive it how it was intended to be driven. Don't expect competition performance and don't put a massively fast motor in it, and go have hours and hours of fun.

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I like my WW2, so does my 6 yr old. It takes so much abuse - currently out of commission as a result!

411D0598-10EC-4D58-B451-88C48E0693C1.jpg

Willy is also great for Tamiyaclub competitions (not that I have ever won but he’s great fun to play with)

638D8ED4-C955-4931-8C72-6180C9339683.jpg

B0CF5591-D651-45E9-AB84-C3C361C04535.jpg

AB469FCF-9B54-4427-A7EE-373887733336.jpg

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8 hours ago, simensays said:

 From my knowledge, it has the longest running model in Tamiyas production? I might be wrong, but at least i do not know of any models that was in production for close to 20 years.

.

 

 

 


 

Thee CLOD Buster would be up 1st , as that's still going . ????  :D ..  

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The clod buster is not the same as the original one. The wild willy 2 is. Only the esc has changed in 20 years of production I think. From the TEU esc to the TBLE. 

There are some excellent Wild Willy videos on youtube too. Like this one:

 

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My perspective. I never owned a Tamiya “back in the day” when I first got into hobby grade racing in the late 80s Recently,, I got my first 2 Tamiya Kits. A m06 replica of my real 1:1 Mazda Miata and a G6-01.

i have been trying to win a Wild Willy 2 auction. I love the G 06 CHassis and love the idea of a replica of the Classic Willy wheelie truck based on a 2wd version of that same chassis  I  have continually been priced out or outbid .  I ended up getting a deal I could not pass up on a Midnight Pumpkin.   
I am looking  forward to the build and fun and mayhem of Pumpkin. When my dad and I raced I always kind of wanted a Lunchbox or Pumpkin ( even though we had a “serious” Optima Mid and later Yokomo 4wd Buggy ) 

Truth Be told, I think I still kids want a WW2 or Comical Buggy in my collection. 

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In all seriousness, while all the wheelie chassis are great, I still prefer the WR-02 to the CW-01 and would recommend a WW2 or similar over a Lunchie or Pumpkin.  The fully independent double-wishbone suspension and lower unsprung weight means it handles better out of the box, and with a set of oil shocks and a torque tuned motor it's unstoppable.  The lexan body options on WR-02 / GF-01 variants make it more robust and reliable too.

IIRC, the comical variants add slightly wider arms for better stability too.

Iconic RC events usually have a wheelie race during the lunchbreak (IMO the most tragic non-human casualty of the pandemic so far) which is the highlight of the weekend.  40+ wheelie cars all struggling to stay on track.  I usually play it as a "last man standing" race and on that basis I usually win despite inevitably losing a front upper arm step screw within 10 minutes.  To be fair, nobody else plays by my last man standing rules so I can't really claim victory over anyone but myself.

Here's one.  Mine is the WR-02 with the red mini body.

 

Apologies for the lack of innuendos in this post.  I figure I'd use all the leeway I've got in my last post.

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No love for Willy? Blasphemy!!!!

Of course not everyone likes them, but then you get people like Simensays, me and others who always seem to be, in classic TamiyaClub style, playing with our Willys!

If you're not finding enough Willy action in the forums,  go have a look through people's showrooms on the main site or search there (home page - Resources - Car Database - and then type Wild Willy in the search box) - you'll find hundreds!

Personally I think the Wild Willy and Wild Willy 2 are some of the most iconic models Tamiya ever made (and don't get me started on the Willy's Wheeler/Honda City Turbo!!). 

cheers,

Rob

 

 

DSCF3189.JPG

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WW2 is the only car I ever sold, I never had loads of cars but I sold it (well actually swapped for an N64 😂), it was also only my second brand new car (mad bull was my first, midnight pumpkin metallic special was my third and that was very recently purchased after getting back into the hobby) and I regret it so much, I think my kids would've loved it, they're the reason I got back into the hobby after they found my small collection (mad bull, thunder dragon, TL01, FF02) I ended up buying them a mad bull each on an ebay bargain and added the midnight pumpkin to maybe fill the WW2 shaped hole in my heart 💔, back to the point, I loved it, I'm sure you could back flip it but I just wanted to go fast back then and someone wanted my willy (I had to say it 😂) and I wanted an N64. 

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On 8/11/2020 at 2:51 PM, simensays said:

From my knowledge, it has the longest running model in Tamiyas production? I might be wrong, but at least i do not know of any models that was in production for close to 20 years.

King Hauler? Released in 1993

On 8/11/2020 at 4:51 PM, DrGoatboy said:

It just feels like every time someone asks the inevitable "what RC" question someone always says lunchbox (rightly so too!) But I don't think I have seen a post where someone says wild Willy.

The Lunchbox has a far simpler body, so it's less likely to get wrecked as fast by an inexperienced driver - Despite the WW2 having roll bars etc, it's still quite easy to trash the body, especially the windscreen surround

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On 8/11/2020 at 3:51 PM, simensays said:

The Wild Willy 2 is beloved, but it was released in 2002....

A little hiccup there. The WW2 was released in 1999, and I'm sure you know. :)

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21 hours ago, BP2411 said:

WW2 is the only car I ever sold, I never had loads of cars but I sold it (well actually swapped for an N64 😂), it was also only my second brand new car (mad bull was my first, midnight pumpkin metallic special was my third and that was very recently purchased after getting back into the hobby) and I regret it so much, I think my kids would've loved it, they're the reason I got back into the hobby after they found my small collection (mad bull, thunder dragon, TL01, FF02) I ended up buying them a mad bull each on an ebay bargain and added the midnight pumpkin to maybe fill the WW2 shaped hole in my heart 💔, back to the point, I loved it, I'm sure you could back flip it but I just wanted to go fast back then and someone wanted my willy (I had to say it 😂) and I wanted an N64. 

I wonder if there’s someone on a Nintendo forum saying the same thing about an N64...

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7 hours ago, Mokei Kagaku said:

A little hiccup there. The WW2 was released in 1999, and I'm sure you know. :)

Haha, you are correct about the hiccup - I meant 2000 - I got mine in 2002, but I was still mistaken either way then... :D

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8 hours ago, TWINSET said:

King Hauler? Released in 1993

Andy, you knowledge is broader than mine - I know absolutely nothing about the big rigs, awesome as they are... :)
 

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10 hours ago, simensays said:

Haha, you are correct about the hiccup - I meant 2000 - I got mine in 2002, but I was still mistaken either way then... :D

Maybe not so weird that you meant 2000 although 1999 is correct. When Tamiya first informed the distributors about the upcoming release of the Wild Willy 2, it was named Wild Willy 2000. This information found its way to shops too, and you will find webshops out there who still offer the Wild Willy 2 as the "Wild Willy 2000". I don't know why they changed their mind at Tamiya, but the initial name got stuck for so far more than 2 decades!

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21 minutes ago, Mokei Kagaku said:

This information found its way to shops too, and you will find webshops out there who still offer the Wild Willy 2 as the "Wild Willy 2000".

I always wondered about that. To this day, Tower still refers to it as the Wild Willy 2000.

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