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Problemchild

Modern Classics - your thoughts

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I was watching some YouTube vids around some of the non Tamiya cars and how fast and powerful and tough

got me thinking 

in 20yrs time, do people think there will be a whole genre of youtubers who will be restoring the more modern models (e.g. TRAXXAS) and displaying them on shelves?

thoughts?

 

JJ

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Currently "restoring" my 30 year old Traxxas trucks so I guess it's happening already :D (but they'll be bashers, semi-shelfers at the most)

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I don't think there will be.  A) Most of them are 4wd double wishbone suspension jellymoulds that bear little similarity to anything in real life. Tamiya R/C for the most part are a half way house between detailed static models and jellymould racers. Plus with RTR cars i think there is a different mentality from that of kit builders. It's more a case of the 4 B's

Buy it

Bash it

Break it

Bin it

I don't think kids will form the same nostalgic attachment to something that they haven't built themselves, or with their Mum / Dad.

Having said that some people will collect anything. 

There may also be a generational difference in attitude towards collecting in the future with the new generation being far more aware of environmental damage being caused by excessive consumerism, so they may put less importance on the collection of 'stuff'. 

Then again, who knows what the future holds ? I was about to write 'who would have predicted the coronavirus pandemic', but then realised the makers of '12 Monkeys' called it in 1995......

 

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I don't see why they wouldn't.  Toys (calm down :lol:) from the past are always something that inspire feelings of nostalgia.  Just because someone buys a Traxxas RTR and thrashes it to death doesn't mean the memory of it is disposable.

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Interesting views 

So traxxas do RERE?

what’s the spares availability like both new out of the box and after say 5yrs?

 

JJ

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Yes Traxxas has re-released many of their kits multiple times since the early 90s. I'm not sure on the dates, but the Sledgehammer was released in at least 3 distinct versions over the years--all directly compatible with each other, just different color/types of plastic and anodizing on the aluminum.

I got my trucks from my older cousin when they were already over 5 years old, but parts do seem to be fairly available for the old kits nowadays. I recently got some half shafts and stub axles from Amazon, for example.

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That’s a tough one. I think some may based off the rarity of the bodies (Bigfoot, Monster Energy, Snap On).

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Again v interesting 

I’ve never really looked into traxxas let alone how long they have been around 

there are many RTR companies out there 

I guess every company will produce future collectibles - based on rarity, survivability, branding etc 

JJ

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Do kids love their Traxxas or whatever? I honestly do not know, one way or the other.

If they do, they may retrace Tamiya's path.

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People collect the toys from McHappy meals, so anything is possible.

For me, RTR is about instant gratification. ( not trying to start a kit vs RT war, each have their place :) ). More and more things are going down the buy it, use it, bin it approach. I have a hard time parting with any of my kit built cars due to the amount of time/money invested in them. I am not so attached to the RTR ones.

 

 

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Modern classics?

I can see the Traxxas Funny Car, UDR, Slash 4x4 Ultimate, and (maybe) TRX4 becoming collectible. The UDR and Funny Car are both really nice, no matter what brand is on them.

Arrma Neros are already collectable, the Losi LMT is a stunner, people are looking for Vaterra Glamis Unos and HPI Blitz ESEs. 

A lot of modern race cars are beautiful, too, but the desirability is so subjective.

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FWIW my 3 Traxxas trucks originally came as kits--indeed, I have the assembly manual for one of them. In the mid 90s, I was given a junk lot by my older cousin, which included those 3 Traxxas and 3 Tamiya, which were all in pieces. So I have nostalgia for them all the same, but not really for anything newer. In my eyes the old Traxxas stuff is just as cool and worthy of restoration as anything else, regardless of whether it came RTR or not. The white plastic and gold anodized aluminum on the old chassis gives them an RC10 vibe.

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On 1/26/2021 at 3:12 PM, Problemchild said:

I was watching some YouTube vids around some of the non Tamiya cars and how fast and powerful and tough

got me thinking 

in 20yrs time, do people think there will be a whole genre of youtubers who will be restoring the more modern models (e.g. TRAXXAS) and displaying them on shelves?

thoughts?

 

JJ

In 20yrs people will go back to what they played with when they were young. Nostalgia never gets old. 

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13 hours ago, Mrowka said:

Do kids love their Traxxas or whatever? I honestly do not know, one way or the other.

If they do, they may retrace Tamiya's path.

I’m not a kid now, or when I bought it, but have had my Stampede for nearly 22 years, though there isn’t much, if anything left from then since I’ve been constantly modding it right from the get go. Same for my 1st Gen 4-Tec with the full graphite kit, nitro arms and diffs, and aluminum front carriers.......had to stop driving it due to lack of parts availability on that one though (One of the few TRX vehicles with that problem). Even though I built an all new Bandit, I kinda with I had my 1st one back since it was my 1st hobby grade R/C too.

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I have a ta02 and m03 I want to rebuild. I bought my first tamiya stadium blitzer back in the early to mid 90's. I wish I had that one. Th traxxas cars are pretty solid. I currently only have the trx4 crawler and it is very solid. Previous were first gent stampede and emaxx. Also had a 2wd slash. I also have an old rc10 buggy.

Most of my collection are tamiya though. TA02,TA06,TA07, FF04 EVO, M03 and M07. had a CC01 but ended up using it in a partial trade for the trx.

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It’s a great question JJ / @Problemchild - and one that @Saito2 has also tested 

The fact a lot of us think Tamiya are currently bereft of ideas / innovation doesn’t mean there are no future classics - just that they’re less deserving than our day 😂

20 years is also possibly too narrow a window for a fair view - maybe because classics (and their value) will be largely driven by people who are currently 7 - 16 coming back to the hobby when they’ve time and wealth ... probably in 30 years time, with kids ?

Either way, Traxxas have to be up there - and original examples will likely be rare / valuable given the way they’re marketed / driven !

Tamiya too - probably introductory re re, Comicals and the odd gem for teen racers ... like the recent TA05.

Ditto similar from Kyosho - or racers from Associated / Losi.

If I’m around in 2051, I’ll undoubtedly be the old fart with twinkly eyes in the corner - pointing out to anyone interested, it was (legitimately) better in my day, proving it by back building my stash of vintage NIB and pretending to be deaf to all other views with a bottle of fine brandy in my tea 😇

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@SuperChamp82 hahaha

well lets hope that no matter what, our collections don’t depreciate anywhere near as much as our 1:1 scale ones do 

I wonder where in the hobby a line is drawn for future collectibles 

JJ

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On 1/26/2021 at 9:54 AM, El Gecko said:

Currently "restoring" my 30 year old Traxxas trucks so I guess it's happening already :D (but they'll be bashers, semi-shelfers at the most)

I  have ‘94 era Stampede full of modern parts that gets plenty of use 

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I don’t know any other car than Tamiya so I’m not going to comment. I’ve got brand loyalty and I’ll only be buying Honda motor bikes and Tamiya R/C cars since those are both what I grew up with 

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35 minutes ago, Exit13 said:

I don’t know any other car than Tamiya so I’m not going to comment. I’ve got brand loyalty and I’ll only be buying Honda motor bikes and Tamiya R/C cars since those are both what I grew up with 

I've ridden some Honda motorbikes that I like, but I do love my Kawasakis and Yamaha. I do drive a Honda car though.

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Anybody else think that the classic Tamiya trucks and the Traxxas 2wd trucks will be like has been said about the B-52 and still be around  and in regular use when the platforms reach 100 years old😅

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1 hour ago, Exit13 said:

I don’t know any other car than Tamiya so I’m not going to comment. I’ve got brand loyalty and I’ll only be buying Honda motor bikes and Tamiya R/C cars since those are both what I grew up with 

I hear this a lot (not only in RC) and have to wonder why.  Not only does the brand not have any loyalty to you, but you're missing out on a lot of great things and for what reason?  Don't take this as an insult by the way, just posing another point of view.  Tamiya is definitely my favorite RC brand, but there is a lot of great stuff out there.  Not only in quality but perfrormance and fun.

I was (and mostly still am) guilty of this in 1:1 cars, not so much by brand but in that I only drive American made cars.  And yes, I know that not all are literally made here anymore, parts are from elsewhere, and a lot of foreign brands are made here, etc.   Putting that aside I always felt better buying a car from an American auto maker.  Early in 2020 I came across a great deal on a 2003 Jaguar XJR and just couldnt pass it up, it has since become one of my favorites.  I would have never even considered this or any other foriegn car if it didnt fall into my lap (and may never again, who knows), but I'm so glad I went out of my comfort zone.  

To answer the original question, the only thing determining if something becomes a "classic" is if people in the future have a desire for it.  It is nice to know that Tamiya has such a great following and are considered classics when the time comes to sell my RCs, and it will be interesting to see if others have any value.  I sure hope someone wants them, otherwise my I'll be stuck with a whole bunch of expensive, worthless toys.

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87, I feel you. My garage and driveway is strictly fords as I only drive an American 1:1 too. But that’s just how I roll. I know I’m missing out. But what I don’t know, I don’t know. 

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On 1/31/2021 at 2:13 AM, 87lc2 said:

I hear this a lot (not only in RC) and have to wonder why.  Not only does the brand not have any loyalty to you, but you're missing out on a lot of great things and for what reason?  Don't take this as an insult by the way, just posing another point of view.  Tamiya is definitely my favorite RC brand, but there is a lot of great stuff out there.  Not only in quality but perfrormance and fun.

I was (and mostly still am) guilty of this in 1:1 cars, not so much by brand but in that I only drive American made cars.  And yes, I know that not all are literally made here anymore, parts are from elsewhere, and a lot of foreign brands are made here, etc.   Putting that aside I always felt better buying a car from an American auto maker.  Early in 2020 I came across a great deal on a 2003 Jaguar XJR and just couldnt pass it up, it has since become one of my favorites.  I would have never even considered this or any other foriegn car if it didnt fall into my lap (and may never again, who knows), but I'm so glad I went out of my comfort zone.  

To answer the original question, the only thing determining if something becomes a "classic" is if people in the future have a desire for it.  It is nice to know that Tamiya has such a great following and are considered classics when the time comes to sell my RCs, and it will be interesting to see if others have any value.  I sure hope someone wants them, otherwise my I'll be stuck with a whole bunch of expensive, worthless toys.

I have stuck with predominantly Tamiya models for the reason that so much is interchangeable between models and parts were readily available. I forayed into kyosho cars in the 1990s, and felt they were generally better cars (Ultima & Ultima Pro) than the tamiya equivalent. In 2000s I bought a GV Nitro car, but that got traded on as parts were very difficult to trade on. I've started incorporating traxxas parts (Diffs and drive shafts) into my mods and scratch builds, and have so far been very impressed with the strength and build quality of the items, and as I don't have a crawler / trail driver, am slowly becoming more tempted by the TRX4 truck. The top end model comes with portal axles with controllable diff locks, 2 speed box with contra-rotating outputs to prevent torque twist. It has all the design features I'd look for out of the box and only needs a shell to fit. But it's eye wateringly expensive so will probably remain a pipe dream.

On 1/31/2021 at 1:38 AM, BJoe76 said:

Anybody else think that the classic Tamiya trucks and the Traxxas 2wd trucks will be like has been said about the B-52 and still be around  and in regular use when the platforms reach 100 years old😅

I am sure that the last box out of Tamiya's production facilities when they close will be a Clod Buster. :)

On 1/31/2021 at 2:27 AM, Exit13 said:

87, I feel you. My garage and driveway is strictly fords as I only drive an American 1:1 too. But that’s just how I roll. I know I’m missing out. But what I don’t know, I don’t know. 

Well, I live in the UK and I still miss my v8 '86 FIrebird I sold nearly 20 years ago.  Especially when I know I could be picking my son up from school in it in the summer with the T roof lifted out. What you are missing out on is 40mpg, but you've traded it for comfort and that unique american 'cool' factor that comes with big burbly v8.

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Interesting point about the TA05 made by @SuperChamp82.  In the vintage racing scene, the TRF-415 and its variants are undergoing a renaissance, a few were raced in last year's one-day Iconic race and I've seen a few Facebook threads about new builds.  It's not even 20 years old yet but it's got iconic status.  I'm sure in 20 years time, today's racers will look back on the current crop of title-winning cars with fond memories.  For the few who remain in the hobby or who return to it in 20 years, perhaps those cars will be highly collectible or campaigned in vintage race series.

Rarity often affects collectability too.  What is selling in the hundreds of thousands today may well still be around for peanuts in 20 years time because there's so many of them, but what doesn't sell today could have rarity value in two decades.  In 1:1 car terms this usually means the cheaper base models that got sold by the million and then scrapped before they had any historical value (while the top-line models were kept and cherished and survived to reach old age), so fewer of the base models survive and can eventually attain higher values.  I'm not sure the same applies to RC, as there's no incentive to "scrap" an old car, especially in today's world where everybody seems to painfully aware of the "value" of aging collectibles.  So perhaps it would be the oddities that never really sold today (the T3-01 got some love when it first appeared but is anyone still buying it..?) which are the most desirable for the discerning collector.  I'm going to go outside my comfort zone and make a prediction that the TT02-QT is going to fall into that category: it's got all the quirky cool-factor that we love from Tamiya but the high price and niche usage may well mean it doesn't sell in high numbers.

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