“The one that got away”

[Maverick74 63]

mtbkym01,  such a great story and you are so right,, for us it is a direct link to our childhood that we will hold on to.  The days of good ol COD.. I felt your pain and can imagine the joy you felt getting to build your dream car which btw holds a special place in my heart too which is why I have 3 of them lol.. our generation is very much different than today’s.  We all drooled over the first commercials of the “Turbo Hopper” and when we found out there was a whole world of mechanized art it was game over.  I’m so glad to be a part of that generation and not the generation of “Fort Night” or “PC gamers”

we are the lucky ones..

[Maverick74 63]

Killajb,  nice story and actually felt your pain.. the good Ol days of COD.. I think we all have been burned by it once or twice. It is a direct link to our childhood and for me my most happiest times.  The Fox has a special place for me too.  Thank you for sharing. 

[El Gecko 1343]

1 hour ago, Maverick74 said:

not the generation of “Fort Night” or “PC gamers”

we are the lucky ones..

Your generational markers are miscalibrated. I am also a PC gamer and I would most likely fall closer in age to your generation than to what you consider the Fortnite generation.

[Willy iine 18804]

3 hours ago, El Gecko said:

Your generational markers are miscalibrated. I am also a PC gamer and I would most likely fall closer in age to your generation than to what you consider the Fortnite generation.

But do you know where’s the beef?  

[Maverick74 63]

Having read all these wonderful stories I came across a deal I could not resist and got “the one that got away”. Knowing how pricy and limited parts are today I am going to take my time to restore it and add it to my collection of memories.. Then I’m gonna “stretch some plastic”!  I cannot wait to share the pics with the group!

[Willy iine 18804]

@Maverick74 Congrats!   Looking forward to the pictures.  

[J@mes 2326]

The one that got away from me will always be the HotShot.
 

The 8 year old me in ‘85 was adjusting to a new life after my mum remarried & we moved from Brighton to Surrey. I spent an occasional weekend staying in London with my wayward father.

 

He had 3 Tamiya RC vehicles & the Hotshot was the one that captured my imagination. I wasn’t allowed to ‘play’ with it & there was always an excuse as to why not, like the battery needs charging or it needs fixing first, all true at the time no doubt!

 

A few years ago I asked what happened to the old collection to which I got the reply ‘oh I gave them away about a year ago’. So as far as I’m concerned that specific  Hotshot definitely got away from me!  

[Willy iine 18804]

@J@mes Ouch!  

I see a vintage one going for $1400 and the re-re's still going for .. wait, only $240?  That's a super deal, yes? 

I can't imagine the stress you went through at the time..

[J@mes 2326]

I was surprised at the time, I didn’t see it coming & had assumed if he’d kept them this long then he’d still have them. Nothing in life is guaranteed! I get the idea of giving them away though, it can be rewarding & freeing experience.

Back in the 80’s my parents (Mum & new Dad) saw how in to RC I was and got me The Hornet for my birthday, which was amazing. Fast forward 34 years & I bought myself a rere Hornet, which sat nib in the stash until I recently gave it to a buddy for his 40th which really was a case of better to give than receive.

[Willy iine 18804]

I wonder if my kid even remembers he has a low-use Wild Dagger sitting in the basement storage with box art I did for him.. I guess I will let it sit till the day I die and he can come and get it hopefully bringing back some fun memories we had together.   I found out my kids have no interest in RC.

[GeeWings 2830]

Wild Willy for me. 

I got in to RCs via my brothers. They got in via the grasshopper and moved up to hotshots, hornets and eventually the boomerang and avante.

With each purchase my brother got better and better cars, which I loved, but the craziness of the Wild Willy was so intriguing.

I will pick-up a WW2 shortly but it won’t be the same!

On another note I still have a boomerang in my dad’s loft/attic in London. The problem is he now lives in France and I live in Oz!  I really hope to be reunited with it one day…

[Maverick74 63]

Hello Geewings!  Awesome story but I think that is worth a trip to see the old man lol

[GeeWings 2830]

10 hours ago, Maverick74 said:

Hello Geewings!  Awesome story but I think that is worth a trip to see the old man lol

 

Yes, just have to wait for the small matter of Covid to settle first I think!

[Original Jardasius 97]

For I it was the Christmas of 1987 I was 12 years old and every christmas all of my family would pound the mall for presents.... I remember following my older cousin and uncle into the local hobby shop and watched his dad forkout the cash for a grasshopper and everything he needed to build and drive it...  I proceeded to leave with them then I seen it.... The Clod Buster... What a beast... 4 wheel drive check!, 4 wheel steering check!, heart racing check! I stood there as they all said "Are you coming/" and I said "comeback for me later..." Drooling and eyeballing the big boy I wanted it so bad but knew no way my folks could helpout on cost or even gift it to me..... I had always wondered if the rest of my family on my fathers side would have spread the love they gave to the rest of their family maybe I would have had some hope in getting it... Sadly that christmas no Clod Buster for this lad......  Christmas eve of 2011 I was deployed to help find some lost hikers & was in a mobile command center and got the call my father was taken to the hospital and then said "Ok Mom, keep me posted" sat down my phone and was going to finish my shift when I was ordered to go home so I did..... As I came to my place and had just unlocked the door I got the worst call of my life... He never made it home... Shocked, stunned & crying I dumped my bags on the floor wentin and drank a bit till I passed out... Yea I know a weebit eh... Well christmas after that was never the same when my mother about 10 days to christmas died in 2015... a double christmas  whammy.... Well this last year I seen that tamiya released the Super Clod  Buster Black Edition so I bought and built it for my christmas... The only year since their deaths that I didnt drink heavily on that day....

[Maverick74 63]

Original J,  what a story having all to well know what you went through.  I lost my mother right before Christmas as well and it never was or will be the same. There’s something to be said about missing an opportunity early in life to come back full circle and not have life repeat its story.  It’s a healing moment more than anything else.  God bless you and your family and thank you for your service.  The world needs more hard individuals like yourself.  CHECK!