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Should I buy a Kyosho Scorpion?

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Putting aside that fact that this is a Tamiya zone, I though I'd ask this on here as everyone seems friendly and knowledgable, so here goes.

I've never owed a Kyosho but really fancy a Scorpion. They passed me by when they came out in 2014 but now they're doing another run I thought I'd pick one up. What I'd like to know is this:

 

- How durable are they? Any real weaknesses? (I've got a Hobbywing Justock 10.5t and 2s)

- In general, how are Kyosho with spares back up? Particularly for older cars/Re-releases.

- Is the Scorpion a good choice for a general runner on grass, dirt etc... I'm nowhere near a beach!

 

I really like the look of the Tamiya Fighting Buggy, but suspect the Scorpion would be the better runner?

 

Thanks for any help.

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A mate at school got a Scorpion when they originally came out (1980 something)  . I remember being impressed with it , obviously not a patch on my Sand Scorcher :D but very good. All joking aside, I do recall it being pretty good so I dont think you will be dissapointed with one.

 

Nick

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I have personally built all of the Kyosho re-releases. They are fantastic kits, dare I say better than Tamiya in most cases (Which I also build). The fit, and finish of the parts is fantastic. The Scorpion is a great buggy, so is the Turbo Scorpion, and Tomahawk. The Justock 10.5t is perfect, I have that combo in my Turbo Scorpion with a 2s lipo. Its very quick and agile. As for spares, here in the U.S. there are plenty, but to be honest, I have never broken anything yet. As far as the Fighting Buggy, it does look good, but is a poor runner. I had 2 once, but sold them off. They are heavy, under powered, expensive, lack a diff, too many things I didn't like about it. That being said, they were one of the first R/C's available, and did a adequate job for its time....They do look cool though.

 

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Yes, buy one.

Next :P

In all seriousness, I've posted a few times on here about the Kysosho Beetle (which is basically a Scorpion). The reason being, I really like it, it's a great vehicle. Nicely engineered and fun to drive. 

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The rerelease Scorpion series is fantastic. Its like having all the awesomeness of the metal that the SRBs have in a buggy that actually performs well. I don't know if the original Scorpion was much poorer than the rerelease (I'm aware Kyosho made improvements when they remade the buggy) but I can't fathom how people considered the Super Champ (Fighting Buggy) to be a viable competitor to the Scorpion back in the day, as I've read in the past.

The Fighting Buggy is heavy, particularly in the rear. That, plus the lack of diff mean wide turning circles in my experience. Even with the radio plate, the chassis is too flexible. That said, I still love it. The rear suspension really does seem to work at keeping the drive wheels planted, even if they do flop around strangely with wildly changing camber. I actually prefer its performance to the other SRBs. Still, I believe the whole Super Champ concept was just a hold over attempt to get a bit more mileage out of the chassis. Tamiya did legitimately try to improve it but by the time it came out, the next gen ORVs were standing by to move Tamiya off road forward. I think much of the SRB success back then was up to them having much of the market to themselves (though not exclusively) and having a great deal of hop-ups (which often times completely re-made the whole buggy) available. It was probably hard to jump ship to a new car when someone had so much plowed into their SRB racer.

The current Scorpion somehow manages to be mostly metal, yet very light. The suspension arms are forged rather than Tamiya cast pot metal. The suspension is lightly damped out of the box but its trailing arm design seems to eat up the rough stuff. The new version has a diff (I don't believe the first regular Scorpion did) a slipper, and the Ultima RB ball diff as an upgrade. The gearbox seems very very quiet and efficient. The chassis rails are nice and ridged. I haven't had any breakages. Not only is it a great general runner but I wouldn't put it too far off the pace of the original RC10. I don't think the Fighting Buggy could beat an RC10 with a lap head start. I can't overstate what a great job Kyosho did and all for well cheaper than the Tamiya SRB stuff.

Reading all that might make one think I hate the SRBs. I don't. The Scorpion, even back then, had a few years advancement on the SRBs. Nowadays its not about racing. They both have their place and I enjoy running both for the respective experiences they provide. Its just for all-around use, not so focused through the prism of time, the Scorpion comes out on top in a big way.

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Well, what a response. Fantastic, thank you. I'll order one for my Christmas present. Be a nice surprise for my wife on Christmas morning when I open it and she's no idea where it's come from👌😁

  • Haha 6

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I built a Scorpion and a Beetle for my wife and daughter. (I'm the pit crew for their backyard shenanigans.)

The chassis and front suspension is not as durable as new cars. I think for bouncing around the lawn and small jumps with calculated landings are okay. I definitely wouldn't take them to a modern off road track. The cars are definitely "at home" in a baseball diamond or school playground.

The drivetrain is robust, particularly when paired with the optional U-joint axles and a tame 25t motor.

Tuning the front suspension angles is voodoo, unlike any other car I've worked on. You'll need Loctite, as components frequently loosen and go wonky.

Are they great cars by today's standards? Not a chance.

Are they nostalgic and fun to drive? Absolutely! Watching the unique suspension design soak up bumps is mesmerizing. 

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can not advise on that particular car but back in the day I had several Lazer varients and thought they were as good if not better quality than Tamiya at the time.

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My only Kyosho left now is a Turbo Scorpion,   Buy the scorpion, you wont be disappointed 

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I don't know anything about the Scorpion, but parts support for the Optima/Turbo Optima/Javelin has been very good to awesome, in spite of the COVID.

I haven't needed many spares, but they have been available. Availability of factory hop ups has been much more hit or miss. 

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After several re-re Tamiya builds (Monster Beetle, Fox, Grasshopper, Wild One, Blackfoot) I decided to grab a Kyosho Tomahawk.  Same chassis as the Scorpion but with smaller shocks and steering servo location.  As others can attest, Kyosho quality is as good as it gets these days.  Instruction manual is very clear and quite detailed as well. 

I've added weight to balance the chassis and changed the shock oil to my liking, but I think the Scorpion won't need as much fiddling as it comes with slightly larger shocks. 

The steering set-up isn't conventional, when you get to the that part of the build if things seem a bit odd I suggest watching a few online builds and compare your results.  

Overall however, I absolutely LOVE my Tomahawk and enjoy driving it both on and off-road.  You won't be disappointed.

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I’m starting to have a look at Kyosho stuff now, after not really knowing anything about them until stumbling across them on the Tamiya Legends and RC Kicks You Tube channels. The rereleases look amazing, and the quality and engineering stunning. I can’t decide which to go for first though - and having only recently gotten  back into the hobby this year, am still not very clued-up on servos, motors and ESCs. 

I love the build process and the aesthetics - but definitely will run what I build - albeit gently- and then clean back to perfection(!).

So...  I’d like an interesting kit and having looked at them, kind of want all of them... but what’s a good entry point? Gavin on the RC Kicks You Tube Channel did a great looking Tomahawk - but I’m not sure whether it would look too similar to my Hot Shot (I’m a box art man. And have no imagination.... so would copy the colours it says to use in the manual...!). Turbo optima looks technologically interesting - four wheel drive and chain between the gear boxes - but maybe a bit too modern in looks (despite being a retro car....). Ultima, Optima.... Turbo Scorpion.... not so much in to the beetle or scorpion I don’t think, but where to start first?
 

Grateful for some views - it looks like a few on here have built a lot of these kits. 

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It's definitely worth getting it. Perhaps take a break and skip a Tamiya kit. I'm not biased but I'm always impressed with what Kyosho can do for the price of their kits. I built one recently and I was very impressed. Enjoyed it a lot—and now I'm building a Blitzer Beetle and although their price difference isn't that far off, the Scorpion just makes me think why can't Tamiya do the same. It is a smooth kit to build. As for parts, I think it depends where you are located. I'm in the US and recently, it's been a bit tougher getting particular parts and maybe it's due to the pandemic. I recall holding off when the parts were abundant and now it I regret doing that. 

I also agree with @SupraChrgd82...

On 11/26/2020 at 10:49 AM, SupraChrgd82 said:

The chassis and front suspension is not as durable as new cars. I think for bouncing around the lawn and small jumps with calculated landings are okay. I definitely wouldn't take them to a modern off road track. The cars are definitely "at home" in a baseball diamond or school playground.

But I did see someone hook it up with a powerful motor while doing jumps and seemed to be ok.

I know I already posted this and it's a shameless plug but if you're curious, here is a video of the build I did:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3HRmkSYAs4

And here are some pictures (sorry if most of you have already seen this). Just love the kit a lot (but I do like the Javelin more):

 

 

MechanicAfterHours-1030475b-2.jpg

MechanicAfterHours-1030409-3.jpg

MechanicAfterHours-1030438-5.jpg

MechanicAfterHours-1030444-8.jpg

MechanicAfterHours-1030457-4.jpg

scorpion.jpg

MechanicAfterHours-1030453-1.jpg

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Wow. That looks amazing - I think the black wheels in particular transform the car - amazing build. 
 

However - probably the most unhelpful post ever - as I was trying to narrow down what to buy - and now I want one of these too!

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On 12/18/2020 at 1:16 PM, Mechanic AH said:

It's definitely worth getting it. Perhaps take a break and skip a Tamiya kit. I'm not biased but I'm always impressed with what Kyosho can do for the price of their kits. I built one recently and I was very impressed. Enjoyed it a lot—and now I'm building a Blitzer Beetle and although their price difference isn't that far off, the Scorpion just makes me think why can't Tamiya do the same. It is a smooth kit to build. As for parts, I think it depends where you are located. I'm in the US and recently, it's been a bit tougher getting particular parts and maybe it's due to the pandemic. I recall holding off when the parts were abundant and now it I regret doing that. 

I also agree with @SupraChrgd82...

But I did see someone hook it up with a powerful motor while doing jumps and seemed to be ok.

I know I already posted this and it's a shameless plug but if you're curious, here is a video of the build I did:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3HRmkSYAs4

And here are some pictures (sorry if most of you have already seen this). Just love the kit a lot (but I do like the Javelin more):

 

 

MechanicAfterHours-1030475b-2.jpg

MechanicAfterHours-1030409-3.jpg

MechanicAfterHours-1030438-5.jpg

MechanicAfterHours-1030444-8.jpg

MechanicAfterHours-1030457-4.jpg

scorpion.jpg

MechanicAfterHours-1030453-1.jpg

Looks great but I have to ask why such camber and toe on the front?

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9 hours ago, mtbkym01 said:

why such camber and toe on the front?

"Stance, innit bruv?"

As us youths* doth say... ;)

 

 

* Stretching the definition of youth to almost breaking point since the late 70's...

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What's the difference between the Scorpion and the Turbot Scorpion please?

Is it just the colour of the body/shock bodies and the slightly different wheels?

I keep looking at these, then back to DT-03's which are less than half the price. The Kyosho's look like they've been designed and manufactured with love though. I've also heard that the gearboxes on the DT-03's are quite fragile too. Hence why I keep looking at the Scorpions... 

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11 hours ago, mtbkym01 said:

Looks great but I have to ask why such camber and toe on the front?

Thanks. Yes, like what @EvilSpike mentioned it's just for stance. I happen to have spare springs and I trimmed it down just for looks, but not to run with. 

@EvilSpike I believe the Turbo Scorpion upgrades from the Scorpion are: different shocks (TS uses Optima's while Scorpion is a beefier version of the older Scorpion's), TS has a little bit longer wheelbase, wide front tread (about 20mm), and then larger wheels and tires at 2.2. Scorpion's is 1.7 I think. Also maybe the TS tire compound is grippier. But there might be other things (aside from cosmetics)?

  • Thanks 1

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