Re-release nostalgia

[Saito2 6686]

Story time. I was in a strange place when Tamiya brought back the Lunch Box, Hornet, Grasshopper and Frog in the 2000's. I had been "back" in the hobby for years since graduating college in the late 90's but never really got involved with what was currently out at the time. Even in my 20's, I clung to the old stuff. Freshly divorced and handling car and house payments on my own meant money was not freely flowing. I was ecstatic to see Tamiya re-releasing kits at the time though. The restoration shop I worked at went belly up after 27 years in business in a spectacular fashion (fit for a TV movie) and I had started my first job in manufacturing, learning the ropes in CNC. The company I worked for offered me overtime to help install an AC system for their offices which I took with dreams of saving up for some of these re-releases. The Frog was the one I settled on as I didn't have a vintage one yet. I had the promo tapes on DVD back before they were plastered all over Youtube and began watching the Frog one as I put away extra money. I still remember whistling the weird tune from the Frog promo as I assembled AC ductwork, lol.

I remember finally getting the funds and the day I found the box from Tower Hobbies sitting on my doorstep. It was great fun, just like the "old days" (which weren't as distant back then). Later, when my parents pressured me for what I wanted for Christmas, I asked for a Hornet. They grumbled, but capitulated. Of course getting the Hornet for Christmas wound up its own little story, but within a week, I had it ready to roll. What I remember most about those lean days was how my girlfriend, at the time, and I took the Frog and Hornet everywhere with us on our Saturday jaunts. Usually we found ball fields to race the buggies around.

The girlfriend is long gone but that re-re Frog is sitting on my workbench in front of me. It hasn't seen use in a few years now, but it does bring back the memories and its "just" a re-release. My collection has grown immensely since those lean years and I love it. Sometimes though, it nice to recall the simpler times. I think I might put some radio gear back in this Frog and give a spin....just for "old" times sake .

[markbt73 5316]

This is what I meant in the other thread about the re-releases becoming classics in their own right. They're getting old enough to have their own histories and memories, above and beyond being nostalgia pieces from an even earlier time. It occurred to me the other day that it has been 13 years now since I got his-and-hers re-re Lunchbox kits for my wife and me for Christmas, and we spent Christmas Day assembling them on the kitchen table of our crummy little apartment in Pasadena...

[moffman 5752]

Makes me feel very old when I can remember the rough rider first release and sand scorcher they came out together then the Ford ranger ( from what I remember) then this topic is talking about re-release nostalgia but you forget that the likes of the re-re frog was 2005 which is 16 years ago OMG?

My first re-release was the hotshot 2007 I remember like saito2 I had mortgage, kids, low wages at the time so could only sit and look at the newly released hotshot on the back of model cars monthly!. Then one day talking to my cousin (who I used to go to the local rc club with when we were kids) having a discussion about how cool the hotshot always looked and I bet its popular and I couldn't justify buying one because things were financially difficult so if I suddenly walked in with that under my arms it wouldn't be the wisest move! Then he said I buy all my rc gear (because he was still into rc racing) from over in the far east a trader called stella models so we looked on his website and he had a hotshot with a damaged box but I honestly can't remember how much I paid but it must of been cheap because I bought it without hesitation and it got through customs and when I opened it stella models had put a free set of ball bearing in it I just sat and looked at the box art for ages! You definitely appreciate things like that when you don't have two pennies to rub together?

[Pablo68 1049]

I can't actually remember which re-re I bought first.....actually this will sound strange, but my brother bought my (our) first re-re, a Monster Beetle.
I'd had an original back in the day, he was a toddler and loved it. He bought the kit, I had the rest of the gear lying around to get it going. It was a combination of nostalgia and wanting to impress a 2 year old nephew we were besotted with.
It did all those things.

I also have a re-re Fox, Frog, Wild One and Blitzer Beetle.

[Chunky_ 0]

My first re re was a Frog in 2005... as someone said... 16 years ago!  

[Killajb 1546]

My first re-re was the Monster Beetle.  Kinda late to the game I'll admit (as far as re-re's go).  But I'm still as happy today about it as I was back in 2017. 

I waited until my MIP ball diff arrived before opening the box and then went and did a meticulous build complete down to lubricating the front and rear plastic-on-plastic pivot points with anti-wear grease. 

Then I screwed up the body during prep by accidentally using super glue REMOVER instead of super glue on the nose.  I'm in Japan and sometimes I miss a few very important details when trying to read labels and translate on my own..  EGADS!!

Took a day away from the project and turned a curse into a blessing.  I ordered a new Sand Scorcher body kit and properly prepped and painted that, then finished off the Monster Beetle livery with stickers.  I repaired (with actual super glue time time.. doh!) the original body and painted in primer, then asked my wife to decorate with paint pens as she liked.  I use it as my runner body now.  Wifey loves to drive it because she has a hand in the design, and actually prefers the MB over the lunchbox that I bought her..