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Mechanic AH

What Tamiya kit/car have you regretted purchasing?

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I just thought about this today because I've been working on a Blitzer Beetle and it's taking me quite longer than usual to finish. Not that it's a difficult kit (it's actually quite the opposite, it's very easy to build), but it doesn't give me as much joy and I've just been lazy about it. I bought it for personal reasons but half of me regrets it and wish I bought a Frog or blue Brat when it was available, instead. 

Anyone had/have any kit regrets? What are those kits/cars? And why did you regret getting it? Perhaps I'm not the only one...

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No regrets here. Some models have been brilliant out of the box, such as my TB-03. Others have been projects that have become brilliant over the course of successive modifications, such as my CC-01. I have yet to find a Tamiya that I regret acquiring.

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My most dissapointing were my db01 durgas... I bought one brand new for racing started building it then decided I needed all the hop ups to run a 10t brusless turbo so then had to dismantle it to install everything.... by then I was already fed up by how finnicky it is to work on, then the screw started stripping.... to make a long story short I managed to race about 5 times with it, wasn t competitive at all, couldn t get a feel for it and broke about 3 rear suspension arms. I sold it and it still gives me nightmares to this day.

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Well lets see.......

in the 80s a brand new Grasshopper, could have bought a 2nd hand rough rider for the same price.

Then got a hotshot, loved it, sold it and always regretted it.

Regretted buying the hornet after that, mainly because I missed the hotshot, and the hornet was rubbish by comparison

Then a 2nd hand frog, worn out rubbish.

Thundershot, grip rolled really badly, and geared too high. (mostly in hindsight my poor judgement in the handling setup)

Mud Blaster, bodyshell disintegrated during use, quickly followed by the gearbox.

Tl-01 Porsche - Just bought it because it was cheap, but far inferior to my tt-01

Wild Willy 2 (x2) Rolled too much and should have been 4wd (Got a GF-01 years later and really liked that)

G6-01 - Konghead - Built it and ran it twice, just not that fun to drive, doesn't inspire me to stick a battery in it and run it. The GF-01 is more entertaining to drive.

 

Cars I've really liked:

1. Hotshot - Just a classic, and the re-re is very robust and reliable.

2. Clod Buster - Just runs and runs, year in, year out, with plain old silver cans it's pretty much indestructible

3.TXT-1 Great design, but put more power in it and it's easy to damage the suspension and axle guard frames.

4. GF-01 Dump truck - Another really reliable car that handles well and is a robust design.

5. Mad Bull - Great cheap car that will absorb a huge power upgrade.

6. Fast attack vehicle and Wild One - Just like the classic design, and they're fun to drive, especially on 3S silver cans.

7. Kyosho Ultima Pro - Just a really well designed 2wd car.

 

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Cars I could let go if someone would buy them:

Egress, bought a second one for a runner since these were the tops when I was young. Never ran it. I became too paranoid about Tamiya's lackluster spares support and there's always the danger of meeting ones heroes. I was primed to sell it but knew I'd take a beating on it, even new-built. It will be converted to a Avante 2001-esque shelfer,

Madcap, brought used with a melted chassis. I replaced the chassis but never ran it. Later, no one would buy it so it collects dust. Maybe in the distant future, If I track down red shocks, I'll make it a Saint Dragon shelfer, or it will continue to sit.

Grasshopper 2, bought recently to recreate my old Super G my folks tossed in the trash while I was at college. Somehow, it just wasn't the same. Never ran it and it just sits because I couldn't even get $40 for it, new, unused.

M05RA Alpine A110, the body was beautiful, but I have no where to run a rally car and on-road does nothing for me. Again, probably worthless at this point, so it sits in a box.

TRF201, I bought 2 of these cheap on Tamiya USA with the crazy idea I'd go to a track. I'm far too introverted for that so I have no idea what I was thinking, sold both of them on.

CC01, bought a Pajero years back but had to sell it for money before driving it. Bought the Unimog version only to discover it wasn't my thing so off it went. I just can't understand the allure but that's all on me.

TA02T, looked neat but rolled constantly. I'm too stuck with how buggies react to change I guess.

Twin Detonator, debated putting this on here because I did have fun with it until it became very boring for me. I've narrowed down what irks me about its geometry that affects its nature of running at least. The worst part is I was dirt poor when I bought it around the great recession and stupidly sold off my RC10T to fund it thinking I's strictly be a Tamiya collector. That was well over 10 years ago and my taste have grown far past Tamiya. Maybe that's why I have 8 RC10s to make up for my utter idiocy of letting the 10T go.

Super Astute, planned to make this a runner but was not pleased with all the shortcomings the buggy still had in it. I see-sawed about plowing the extra money into it for alloy shocks (let alone the ability to bottom out the front end) and a chassis that wasn't a springboard but gave up and let it be a shelfer. I'm grateful to Tamiya for the experience to be able to build it but it didn't live up to expectations. Debate about the car on the forum got very heated which didn't make me love it anymore, culminating with a member calling me a clueless idiot. I am an idiot, but I don't need it pointed out to me, lol. My Ultima filled its position in my 2wd line up and its great.

 

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Only thing i regret is that i cant buy more, i enjoy building them and i get a personal attachment to them in the process, and that is what i care about, not so much bling or rare mint condition parts and that stuff. 
 

Started this hobby again with The Grasshopper (i had a Blackfoot as a boy but i always liked the look of TGH), the plan was that my  5 year daughter should drive it but it was far to fast for her and i did not want the perfect looking Pearl white TGH getting scratched, i was personal attached to it :). 
 

Think Santa will need to make a cheaper Nikko car she can practice on this christmas :)

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36 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

M05RA Alpine A110, the body was beautiful, but I have no where to run a rally car and on-road does nothing for me. Again, probably worthless at this point, so it sits in a box.

Like the Brat, the Alpine is disappointing because the drive configuration is different than the original 1:1 car. At least the Brat is still fun to drive, though. I would never buy a FF RC car.

 

36 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

Grasshopper 2, Never ran it and it just sits because I couldn't even get $40 for it, new, unused.

WUT :o

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3 minutes ago, simalarion said:

Only thing i regret is that i cant buy more, i enjoy building them and i get a personal attachment to them in the process, and that is what i care about, not so much bling or rare mint condition parts and that stuff. 
 

Started this hobby again with The Grasshopper (i had a Blackfoot as a boy but i always liked the look of TGH), the plan was that my  5 year daughter should drive it but it was far to fast for her and i did not want the perfect looking Pearl white TGH getting scratched, i was personal attached to it :). 
 

Think Santa will need to make a cheaper Nikko car she can practice on this christmas :)

If you want to get her a “decent” toy grade one I think Jada and New Bright are the go to brands of discount store got grade these days 

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3 hours ago, Mechanic AH said:

I just thought about this today because I've been working on a Blitzer Beetle and it's taking me quite longer than usual to finish. Not that it's a difficult kit (it's actually quite the opposite, 

After the Kyosho Javelin you’ve just finished, the Blitzer will feel a bit Bangers & Mash after dinner the night before with Nigella Lawson 😉...

I don’t have any regrets myself yet with anything I’ve bought. I still enjoy sitting among the models I have at the moment and seeing how they have turned out.

The Stadium Blitzer was my first NIB Tamiya, and I must admit was disappointing on its first run with a Silvercan and NiMH. But now on 13.5 Brushless 2s LiPo, and a choice of Sand Wheels or Road wheels to put on I enjoy it immensely 👍🏻

 

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I have only owned a single RC (Tamiya or otherwise) that I did not get some sort of enjoyment out of...the CC01.  For some reason it didnt do anything for me, I actually really dislike them.  No real reason, just the way it is.  

 

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1 hour ago, Saito2 said:

Grasshopper 2, bought recently to recreate my old Super G my folks tossed in the trash while I was at college. Somehow, it just wasn't the same. Never ran it and it just sits because I couldn't even get $40 for it, new, unused.

You couldn't sell a Grasshopper 2 for $40?  I'd jump on that if I saw it for sale, for some reason I really like the GH, not exactly sure why.  

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3 hours ago, Saito2 said:

I am an idiot, but I don't need it pointed out to me

I need this on my t-shirt.

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7 hours ago, t3garett said:

My most dissapointing were my db01 durgas... I bought one brand new for racing started building it then decided I needed all the hop ups to run a 10t brusless turbo so then had to dismantle it to install everything.... by then I was already fed up by how finnicky it is to work on, then the screw started stripping.... to make a long story short I managed to race about 5 times with it, wasn t competitive at all, couldn t get a feel for it and broke about 3 rear suspension arms. I sold it and it still gives me nightmares to this day.

That DB01 Durga sounds like a nightmare and expensive. Must've been really frustrating. 

6 hours ago, MadInventor said:

Cars I've really liked:

1. Hotshot - Just a classic, and the re-re is very robust and reliable.

Hotshot keeps coming up. I don't have one but maybe one day (or maybe the Super Hotshot) but when Im ready for it, it probably will be hard to attain by then. And speaking of cars that keeps coming up, the Ultima. Have it on my list but It always takes a back seat. I've never heard negative things about it and just positives. So maybe an Ultima before a Hotshot.

5 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

After the Kyosho Javelin you’ve just finished, the Blitzer will feel a bit Bangers & Mash after dinner the night before with Nigella Lawson 😉...

That analogy made me laugh! Might be. But sometimes you can still enjoy some bangers and mash :) — I think it's also that I have a Kyosho Outlaw Rampage and it was a complete RTR kit but $40 less than the Blitzer Beetle, yet when I took the Rampage apart to work on and re-assembled it back, the chassis felt like so much more than the BB's chassis. The quality difference was just so apparent. Definitely understand that the BB is an older kit. Maybe once I run it,  I might enjoy it. It's not going to have a fast brushless like yours, just a black can Sport Tuned.

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2 HPI Baja 5b's (back in 2007/8?), Bought with the intention of transitioning from tamiya to 1/5 scales but never ran them, was able to get 99% of the money back, sold them as a pair 6 months after.

Any other manufacturer I have tried except Tamiya....from losi, axial etc in the past I have dipped in to try the latest models etc but end up back at Tamiya.

They don't have either the long term support of Tamiya or the same allure like Tamiya did for me as a teenager.

I don't regret it in the way that it let me realise I'm Tamiya through and through, but the time wasted on buying and selling you can't get back!

Sometimes it's got to be done!

 

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Out of the 50 or so I've owned I think I only regret buying one, the clodbuster. In stock form it just didn't really do much for me, my home made crawler was superior at crawling and mud bogging, my king Blackfoot was a nicer looking and better driving truck and my monster sand scorcher was more fun. No regrets of purchases other than that. I do regret selling a few though!

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Not really regretted any purchases, I don't buy many kits and often build a car from parts / hop-ups, spending more in the long run, which can be regrettable! :lol:

I'm also the guy who bought a Grasshopper kit, decided the best colour for it would be a nice candy green like an actual grasshopper.

2 months later Tamiya obviously had the same thought process and the candy green edition came along :lol: so much for being unique.

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The TT02B, first back in years and they are awful buggies BUT without them I wouldn't have all the rest, so I don't regret them because of that. Haven't used them in ages now.

The TA07 took ages to get right, but was worth it in the end. Its now far from a TA07Pro and doesn't have a Tamiya chassis but if I knew then what i know now I would've bought a TRF419.

9 hours ago, Saito2 said:

Super Astute, planned to make this a runner but was not pleased with all the shortcomings the buggy still had in it. I see-sawed about plowing the extra money into it for alloy shocks (let alone the ability to bottom out the front end) and a chassis that wasn't a springboard but gave up and let it be a shelfer. I'm grateful to Tamiya for the experience to be able to build it but it didn't live up to expectations. Debate about the car on the forum got very heated which didn't make me love it anymore, culminating with a member calling me a clueless idiot. I am an idiot, but I don't need it pointed out to me, lol. My Ultima filled its position in my 2wd line up and its great.

 

I love my Super Astute. Sure our Ae B6D are better but not as cool. I recall the issues on this forum where a few members were saying how bad the SA is but really, thats their issue not ours. It is an expensive kit (but I found a killer deal, stoked!) and the car is fantastic, even in stock form. Mine has Top Force hi caps and a Dyna Storm front shock tower but is otherwise stock and its great.

8 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

After the Kyosho Javelin you’ve just finished, the Blitzer will feel a bit Bangers & Mash after dinner the night before with Nigella Lawson 😉...

I use Nigellas bangers and mash recipe and its fantastic!

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My only regret was Clodbuster.  It took me 3 years to sell for half the price I paid for it eventhough I added new Chevy grill and tailgate. I literally gave it away on ebay and paid the shipping myself to HI.

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I regretted buying the SW-01 Lunch Box Mini... because now it is my all time favorite tamiya... oh lord, how? :blink:

And I regretted buying the Full Op Leopard at the first time... than I regretted buying another... 

And I regretted buyin any of my Tamiyas when I take a look at my bank account...:unsure:

 

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Lots of regrets most are onroad. Just a few.

F104 v2, No idea why I bought this it was so low to the ground and couldn't find a track anywhere close. sold for cheap.

Tb04, Read too many negative posts about it. Sat in a box for 3 months then sold it.

Dual rider trike, Had idea to make into a rally motocross bike never did and sold.

M05, looked cheap and sold it.

Wr02 Jimmy, too many wheelies. Sold.

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10 hours ago, Saito2 said:

culminating with a member calling me a clueless idiot. I am an idiot, but I don't need it pointed out to me, lol.

According to Dunning and Kruger, one should never call anybody an idiot. 

Only the person who has reached the pinnacle of human intellect could call others idiots.  Even Einstein was wrong about the Quantum physics. That proves nobody is smart enough to call others idiots.  Those who do, thinks he is smarter than others. Which means he will not try to be smarter anymore.  He'll likely end up at the bottom of the barrel when others are striving.   

I never called anybody an idiot. By not doing that, I'm desperately hoping that I might turn out not to be an idiot!  If you think about the whole psychology, those who say that they are an idiot might actually be quite smart!  (In hindsight, Dunning-Kruger effect is part of the Sicilian logic! The Princess Bride had figured it all out back in 1987!)  

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Going back to the topic, I was quite disappointed with Juggernaut 1. 

w4sOCjS.jpg

But I don't regret it.  Tamiya USA sent me an upgrade kit to Jugg 2.  It was one and only time I remember that Tamiya did sort of a "recall" by shipping out upgrades for free.  That was a good support from Tamiya.  I ended up getting 2 dozen more, so your support worked, Tamiya!  

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Terra Crusher was also disappointing. .18 engine couldn't handle the weight of 5.7kg (TXT-2 weighs 4kg).  But just by slapping on HPI tires, it got quite fast. So I don't regret that either.  It baffles me to this day why Tamiya thought putting on lead tires was a good idea.  The 2 tires you see in below background?  Those 2 tires weigh more than 1 Hornet!   (I wonder if these costly flops made Tamiya shy of new products, and focus more on re-releases?)

np2Btzc.jpg

But you only live once. You learn, and you move on. (or...I might be too slow to regret. If I got nothing in my head, I can't regret!  But having had two of the heaviest Tamiya 4x4s give me headaches, I'd be weary of heavy weights... if Tamiya ever sells 1/5th buggy, I'm going to wait for real reviews)  Not waiting for reviews resulted in this.  

Y3tQxCB.jpg?1

Mad Bison looked good.  But Tamiya decided to go cheap and put the counter gear at the bottom.  Seriously?  For a buggy?  There is room for it above.  It would have taken 3-4 more parts.  That counter gear will catch tree roots on rough ground (which is why a home-made brass shield was necessary).  On smooth ground, it will bottom out when landing.  Which kinda limits it as an on-road car with unreasonably high center of gravity. (unless you've got sandy or grassy field free of tree roots or rocks)   If Tamiya moves the counter gear up, they could sell it again. But after the sales flop which was Tamiya's own fault, they probably won't get into nitro truggy again. 

So this was a disappointment, but I learned a lot about nitro with it, so I could be prepared for the Terra Crusher.  (I didn't wait for real reviews of Terra Crusher either)  

xlw53ak.jpg

"Wise men say, only fools rush in."  My life lesson is; not to buy stuff before reading plenty of real reviews.  All 3 above are my problem kids (I mean, kits), but I suffered and grew with them, so I can't say I regret them.  I still love these things, with all their faults.  

 

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Tt-02b I really think tamiyas approach to the drip drip effect of releasing upgrades etc doesn't do it any favours...

It's a poor chassis for anything but stock motor and once again Tamiya took years to offer any upgrades that would benefit it properly (steel gears).

The tt-02ms was released too quickly it seems, still lacking all the hopups.

Why they can't offer a full option kit or hopups more quickly, they do for some chassis!

I'll never buy another tt-02 regardless

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9 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

I love my Super Astute. Sure our Ae B6D are better but not as cool. I recall the issues on this forum where a few members were saying how bad the SA is but really, thats their issue not ours. It is an expensive kit (but I found a killer deal, stoked!) and the car is fantastic, even in stock form. Mine has Top Force hi caps and a Dyna Storm front shock tower but is otherwise stock and its great.

And I'm honestly happy you love your Super Astute. I enjoyed building it and seeing the evolution from the original Astute. Its not that the SA is bad, it just didn't live up to my personal expectations and that is all on me. I wouldn't know an AE B6D from a snack machine myself, but compared to the gold tub RC10 of that era, the Ultima or the JR-X2, it wasn't quite there in my eyes (my opinion). I'm sorry if my opinion about an RC car offends any of its aficionados. My opinion isn't necessarily fact so please forgive me. I really don't want to be a pariah because I wasn't satisfied with it.

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