Your first Tamiya

[El Gecko 1344]

This started as a tangential thought from @DeadMeat666's "how many RCs do you own" thread. I must admit, I struggle to connect with the "buy everything brand new now, with all the fancy hopups" consumer mentality and I think it contributes to some of the burnout we see in the hobby these days. If everything is planned out in the beginning to be optimized exactly perfect, and that's what you're familiar with, anything less will generally seem like a disappointment. If you start from the top, you have nowhere to go but down. (I similarly don't get the collector/investor "never unbox it" mentality but that's a whole separate conversation).

I understand that you need the best of the best for racing, and I myself would probably go all out due to my competitive streak, but I've never raced RC and I've never been able to "spare no expense" on RC, so my cars have just evolved slowly over time as funds have allowed. I try to keep my hobbies within my means, which means waiting for years and possibly never truly "finishing" a car. But over the long run I've had a lot of fun, even if my cars have been a little lacking.

I know I can't be the only one in this situation? If you still have it, let's see a pic of your first car, or whichever Tamiya you have owned the longest. And tell us its story. What has drawn you to keep it all these years? What kind of upgrades have you done to it, and how has it evolved over time? Do you consider it finished yet?

I'll kick it off with my Frog. My cousin gave it to me over 25 years ago now, when I was young, and it was the first Tamiya and the first hobby-grade RC I got, but it was in rough shape, essentially bone stock, and it has never had a body (just the driver figure, which was lost in my parents attic for 20 years apart from the car). At least it came with instructions! The reason I've kept it so long is because it's the first RC I ever (re)built, and I always had an idea to make it better--to "finish" it or at least make it more reliable so I can drive it more often. The family connection is a significant one, too.

As you can see, it's had many upgrades over the years (still running the original diff gears though). The rear shocks are Trinity, which were in the parts bin that came with the car. Luckily there was a full set of ball bearings in there too, so it has had bearings the whole time (replaced occasionally). The Trinity shocks were one of the first upgrades I made back in the day after breaking one of the stock shocks, and they really made a positive difference in the handling when coupled with Mud Blaster shock extensions. The front bumper, side nerf bars, and front shock setup are CRP, migrated over from the Brat when I was in high school. The bumper is not the Frog/Brat version, but my cousin modified it to fit. Also around that time, I got the Trinity motor from a different cousin, and the rear wheels/tires came in the box with my used Hornet.

Over the last year and a half it has had a few significant upgrades: high amperage ESC (with a fan!?), 2.4G Rx and a ball bearing Futaba servo with a Kimbrough saver and some super strong tie rods. On pavement, it does the one-wheel-in-the-air-under-power drift when it corners, like a stadium super truck (which I LOVE), and on dirt it's quick and precise and really just a joy to drift around.

It's so nice having an ESC in it FINALLY for once in its life. I remember when I first built it as a kid... it was fast in a straight line on the pavement, but it was a handful and would spin out at the slightest provocation. Bald tires and an MSC with the resistor ripped off for full throttle everywhere! Who wants donuts?! I gave it a reworked dual-resistor MSC in high school and it had been doing well in that configuration, but as expected, the ESC is a total game changer.

It's come a long way since it dropped into my life so many years ago. At this moment it's the best it's ever been, and it's still getting better. Maybe one of these days, now that it finally drives properly, I'll see about finding a proper body for it

[TRF201-Driver 14]

I have owned my TRF201 since 2013, which is the longest i've owned any RC Car.  I still run it from time to time and recently added the TA06 gear diff which I love.

 

[Juggular 4964]

I cannot remember which I got first. 

My first Tamiya, the 80s' Grasshopper was long gone. When I re-started the hobby back in 2000, I bought 3 in quick succession.  I think FAV was the first one.  I put on Wild One shocks and Grasshopper II wheels.  This gearbox made noises, but it felt so fast with a modified stock 540.  And this was my first time trying an ESC!  Driving it slow was like magic!  

I think Blackfoot came next. (please excuse the dyed wheels)  I had so much fun running it on the roughest concrete pavement that was all broken up.  Yet, my Blackfoot didn't have the gearbox problem.  After I painted the shell, I didn't run it as much for fear of damaging the shell.  So, having a nice shiny shell didn't work out well. It's prettier, but it doesn't get run as often.  Sitting pretty is nice and all, but I liked it more when it had gray primer on it because I ran it like I stole it everyday. 

I always liked Wild Willy 1.  Back in 2000, only Wild Willy 2 was available. So that's what I bought.  I remember being surprised by how advanced WW2 was when compared to the Grasshopper, FAV and ORV.  Wheelie was so much fun.  Some time after that, I bought a used M38, which is physically older than WW2. 

Without oil shocks, M38 was even more fun.  So yes, having the best equipment doesn't make it fun. Sometimes clumsy and funny ride is better. (I still think Tamiya should re-release Wild Willy 1 with some improvements. Would that make it WW3? And give us a girl driver this time!!) 

So these are my 3 Musketeers (er, 4...) that started all. You don't need the most sophisticated engineering to have fun. 

 

[BelknapCrater 179]

Like in the "First RC You Bought" thread, my first Tamiya was a Frog, a gift from my parents for my twelfth birthday in January, 1986. It was a starter pack with kit, Futaba two stick radio, nicad six cell pack and a trickle charger for $115!

I stared at the box for the entire drive home. My step dad was smoking cigars at the time, trying to get off cigarettes (strange logic, but okay). To this day, I associate the smell of cigars with hobby shops and Tamiya Frogs!

No pictures, though. If any existed, they're lost to time, like the car.

[Willy iine 18806]

@Juggular Like this?  

M38’s rock and yes, I have several and NIB.  The finished ones are considered complete.   I don’t think there is anything wrong with having a NIB in the collection.  I usually buy 2 kits at a time, one for building & driving, one NIB for collection & conversation.

I started RC in the early 80’s with the Brat and I’m a guy that frequently sold stuff so I sold everything up to 1995 when I bought the Al Schnitzer M3.  That I still have, but not working.. and no interest to get it to work.   Kind of in my closet for archiving..?     

I also raced sedans seriously in the late 90’s which I also sold.. The only car I have left from that era is an old HPI Pro touring car I used for bashing.. I kept the JRPropo R1, however.

I’ve been on and off the hobby and the last cool Tamiya I have that still runs is the WW2 I bought in 2000.  You might have seen this one in my other posts with the fully restored body as it has gone though some serious crashes..

My favorite will always be the original Wild Willy however.  It’s just cool.  

 

[cambragol 152]

Thinking about it, I realise it was this one:

(Not my actual car or image)

Got this for Christmas in 1977 I believe.

Car number 2 would be a Boomerang in 2019, 42 years later. So...that would be my first Tamiya then.

[alvinlwh 5895]

My first Tamiya RC was a Lunchbox bought in 2009 when I was 31. It was something I had always wanted when I was younger but could never afford. In 2009, I lost my job in London, moved to Stevenage for a short time while waiting for my new job in Shetland to start, I went to the (original) TTM shop and got the LB. It was swiftly followed by a TT-01 (original).

Both got badly crashed by a friend where I was storing the cars at and got left forgotten in storage for the next 12 years as I did not know how easy it is to get spares to repair them. Also new job, new homes and new babies got in the way. 

Then this summer, while out in the park, I realised that I can get the kids running without needing to move much myself. So I dragged them out of storage, bought parts off ebay to repair them. The Lunchbox did not even get painted this time as previous experience shows that it will be pointless. I did not even buy the stickers for it, using some free ones from KH instead. The TT-01 got a new bathtub and the rally hack to make it more suitable as a park basher. 

Needless to say, all the digging on eBay found me a M-05Ra Suzuki Swift 1600 (the old one), which is something my wife always wanted, perfect excuse for another car that will be approved. 

A SU-01 "for the kids" swiftly follow that one. Then I found a "cheap" SW-01 and way over spent on that and ended building that out of hop up parts and I am left with enough spares to build a second one. 

Now I have a Thunder Dragon coming in soon and then a TA03R-S planned after that. 

[Nikko85 3454]

My first Tamiya was a QD midnight Pumpkin, bought at the age of 35, having got back into RC cars after a 20 year gap as something to do in lockdown.

I bought at a pretty low price as the car was trashed, but it was a nice project to cut my teeth with. New brushless motor, tires and upgraded electronics. It was a fantastic lesson in how a cheap car ends up getting lots of ££££ put into it.

But, it doesn't matter. The car is awesome. It's tough, fast (the little brushless really goes) takes bearings, and one day I'll even stretch to oil filled dampeners. 

I've now got two more Tamiyas (GF01, MF01x) but that little Pumpkin is still my favourite.

 

 

[Grumpy pants 4485]

3 Speed Hilux back in ‘84. 

[hIghQ 149]

First Tamiya was the Toyota Celica Gr.B

 (not my image or my car)

back in...'89 I believe... Was a very fragile car, so didn't get used much (if at all), after I got my second Tamiya. No idea what happened to my first three Tamiyas though, or how long I had them (maybe 3-5 years?). The next 3 (in Star Wars that would have been the Prequel trilogy) came at least a good decade later, these all got sold sooner or later. So out of my currently 16 RC cars, ony 2 are Tamiyas. The oldest of these (in time of posession) is my M-07R (so not very old at all). My oldest car over all is a Yokomo touring car from 2003. Race ready condition. Just needs motor and ESC and it would be to go. Basic parts even still available as Yokomo did a re-release as a low budget racer (with plastic instead of all the carbon and aluminium goodies of the high class car of yesteryear). Still haven't used it again - yet.

[mike in pa 64]

Well I ventured into r/c back in the late 1970s and always wanted the cheetah, but did not have the money. After seeing my buddy's Rough Rider and Sand Scorcher, I had to get one.  So, in the spring of 1980 I bought a Rough Rider when I was in the 11th grade. The kit was $150, cox sanwa 2 stick radio $75, battery $25, and $15 for the charge cord for charging from the car battery. I had to hustle and work my butt off to get that money together. Add in for a can of paint and misc for a total of $280, corrected for inflation would cost just over $900 today.  

I found it in a box in the basement late last year, tore it apart and restored it. Just need to paint the body.

[ImALlama 1370]

Back in the early nineties my father got himself a Blackfoot which meant I got his big bear. I can’t remember how long it lasted but eventually it broke, so for Christmas (if I remember correctly) my parents got me my first Tamiya, this super Blackfoot.

 

[Tex76 43]

First Tamiya and first RC car: a Grasshopper as a family Christmas gift in 1986 IIRC; I was around 10 and the box was bigger than me... I spent all day with my technical-minded uncle building it; when I finally ran it in the evening I couldn't believe it moved on its own power

It was followed by a ThunderShot and a Porsche 959 (family Christmas gifts, as well, somewhen between '87 and '89).

Last family funded RC was a nitro Mantua Model Dingo that never worked: the LHS persuaded me to get it in place of the Avante I had ordered months before and which never turned up

 

[Shodog 1835]

My first Tamiya was a frog bought for me on my 13th birthday.  Below are some vintage 80’s pics of it.  As you can see I was in love with the super champ. I made that rear cage out of arc welding rod and the wing made from sheet metal. 
 

 

 

 

[GeeWings 2830]

I grew up ‘sharing’ Tamiya cars with my older brothers. That really translated to getting a brief turn once they were bored 😆 Over time they had a grasshopper, hotshot, super hotshot and Boomerang. 
When my eldest brother moved away he left me with the Boomerang. I loved it but pretty much destroyed it. It’s now in my dad’s attic in his apartment in England. Unfortunately he lives in France and I’m in Australia so not sure when we will be reunited! Desperate to get my hands on it though and to restore it.

[Juggular 4964]

12 hours ago, mike in pa said:

I found it in a box in the basement late last year, tore it apart and restored it. Just need to paint the body.

I want to see that, please. 

 

[c64orinoco 667]

My first Tamiya (and first RC car) was a Super Champ, in 1983. I bought it on Norfolk Island - which had no taxes, so it was significantly cheaper than what I would have paid back in Australia. Apart from the cost of actually getting to and from Norfolk Island, which 12-yr-old me didn't worry about. Still, I saved up for an entire year to buy that car. The radio was a 2-stick Futaba (Attack I think?). I raced it at the St.Ives Off Road RC Car Club at the St.Ives showgroound in Sydney. I have memories of having to watch out for snakes in summer, they would hide in the shade under the jump ramps.  I sold the Super Champ a few years later and bought a Hornet. For the life of me I cannot remember what became of the Hornet, I don't know where it ended up. I got rid of a lot of things when I started uni, and about that time I was more into RC gliders than cars, so maybe I sold it.

I still have a car from that era; my brother bought a Sand Rover at the same time I bought the Super Champ. It ended up being given to a friend of mine, who last year gave it back to me. Cleaned up (but not too much, it has patina) I got it running again, but one of the gears is missing several teeth so it tends to skip a bit. One of these days I'm going to get a 3D printed gear so I can drive it a bit more - carefully though, it's a bit delicate! I actually snapped the bumper off just by picking it up one-handed from the front, it was too much force for the old brittle plastic so it snapped off, much to my horror. Luckily I was able to get a spare to replace it.

Of course I had to get the Fighting Buggy re-re this year, so I once again have a Super Champ!

[GermanTA03Guy 1327]

My first one was a Blackfoot from my father, back in the late 80s. He locked the diff with epoxy to make it more durable. It is still/again running strong. I restored and modernised it with a lexan body and Alu dampers last year for my son you can see it in the background. I also painted the rims, got new tires, 2.4 ghz, lipo, etc. I think it's wonderful and amazing that this car has endured over 30 years and gets passed on it drives really well, lots of fun even with the silver can and a slow servo! 

[TurnipJF 9192]

On 9/22/2021 at 3:17 AM, El Gecko said:

This started as a tangential thought from @DeadMeat666's "how many RCs do you own" thread. I must admit, I struggle to connect with the "buy everything brand new now, with all the fancy hopups" consumer mentality and I think it contributes to some of the burnout we see in the hobby these days.

I am not quite sure what to make of this, as I very much like to buy everything brand new including hop-ups when starting a project, especially if it is one based on a lower-end chassis with plastics that get worn out easily with multiple screw insertions and removals. I'd rather install hop-ups at the outset rather than take the thing apart each time I add an upgrade. I certainly don't feel that it contributes to burn-out in any way.

However I can understand if you have an issue with the "buy it now" idea if it involves making impulse purchases, especially if done on credit. To me a great deal of satisfaction comes from researching, planning and saving, so that when the day comes that I can afford to "buy everything brand new", I know I am getting the most effective and best value hop-ups, not just the ones that look "fancy". If someone makes a big impulse purchase and gets the wrong gear as a result of inadequate research, I can certainly see this leading to burnout, especially when the credit card bill arrives.

 

[Collin 1956]

On my 12th birthday I got my first serious RC car, a Tamiya TR-15T, the first nitro vehicle made by them. When I opened the box I thought I never could do it. Three days later the engine fired the very first time.

Some years later the motor did not start well, the clutch was worn out and the front damper stay bent. I had no clue how to bring it back to life so I put it in a cupboard down in the cellar and forgot about it.

More than 20 years later my nephew got his first Tamiya as well and I remembered about something hidden down in the basement. During the next days I striped down and cleaned everything including the motor and put it back together. It took me some more time to get the motor running again but new bearings where the answer.

So I was hooked up and had good fun running the Stadium Truck again. There was only one issue, the availability of spare parts. In all that years between being 12 years old and the rebirth of my TR-15T I learned a lot about mechanics and engineering. Also I became very interested in 3D modelling and new production technologies such as CNC and 3D printing. I took the advantage and started to learn new skills in this fields with the TR-15T as my content and “laboratory object”.

[Dakratfink 967]

My very first Tamiya was a static 1/24 Mazda MX5 in 2020. Followed soon after by the M06 chassis MX5. After that I built a G6-01 King Yellow later that year and I finally knew what I was missing back I the day ( I raced Kyosho and Associated cars back in the day , but never had a Tamiya kit ) 

I haven’t looked back since 

[Wooders28 4723]

On 9/22/2021 at 3:17 AM, El Gecko said:

I understand that you need the best of the best for racing, and I myself would probably go all out due to my competitive streak, but I've never raced RC and I've never been able to "spare no expense" on RC

You definitely do not, need the best of the best for racing!! Even if I was running the best of the best, i recon I'd still get beat by Lee Martin ,if he was driving a stock Neo Fighter! 😏 

At our club, you don't even need a car or any gear, as we'd loan you it!! 🤷‍♂️

Only restriction on running, is it needs to be 1/10 electric, with a max of 2s lipo power. My pit table a few weeks back, Nova Fox, Boomerang ,Lunchbox and a Bullhead 😁

 

 

Back on topic....My first was a frog back in the mid 80's. Got me on the track, but it was just too unreliable,  and spent most of my birthday and Christmas money ,buying diffs and driveshafts!! 🤬🤬

After doing 2 paper round jobs, I managed to save up ,and upgrade to an Ultima from Otley Modelsport, and what a machine that was.

 

 

 

[El Gecko 1344]

Great stories all! And great looking cars, keep em coming!

@ImALlama That's a great paintjob on your Blackfoot, love those HPI wheels!

@Shodog Is that a Super Champ body on your Frog? I always wondered how that would look! (looks awesome btw, I kinda wanna do that now)

 

2 hours ago, Wooders28 said:

You definitely do not, need the best of the best for racing!! Even if I was running the best of the best, i recon I'd still get beat by Lee Martin ,if he was driving a stock Neo Fighter! 😏 

At our club, you don't even need a car or any gear, as we'd loan you it!! 🤷‍♂️

Only restriction on running, is it needs to be 1/10 electric, with a max of 2s lipo power.

Oh if only your club were closer! I still doubt I'd race much (if at all) though. I run my cars hard and have fun with them, and occasionally break them, but they're not something I'd want to race with. The draw for me would be to enjoy driving my old cars around on a new course.

What I mean by best of the best for racing is, let's say I started planning an actual racing campaign. If I wanted to be remotely competitive, I'd need 2 identical brand new cars (primary and backup), probably a newer/better Tx, a tub full of tires, and a full cars' worth of spares (plus some extra springs, bearings, motors, etc). That doesn't include any hopups at the start of the builds for reliability or to correct some design flaw (which would have to be duplicated on both cars and in spare parts), and it doesn't account for all the other random expenses of racing (timing transponders??). Tracks are thin on the ground around here so travel expenses can be daunting as well.

So while I agree that you can indeed go racing with whatever car you happen to have, you'll most likely not be competitive in the field if you're lacking certain things. If I blow a turnbuckle end, I want to know I've got spares for the next race. But if you use the best parts from the beginning, there's less of a chance of them letting you down during the race. I want to know that my equipment is solid--the best it can be--when I start a race, so it will be there for me every step of the way until the race is done, barring any huge fluke like getting tangled in a bad wreck. And I would never have that confidence in any of my current cars, so I'd be pack fodder, which, at that point, what am I doing but driving around for practice getting in the way of the fast guys? I just want to have fun driving my cars around a cool place, and not have to worry about getting hit or being faster than anyone while doing so.

[Nikko85 3454]

Funny thing with racing is every time I see actual racing they look much too fast.

I was watching a video on a popular rc Youtuber where they were racing crawlers as a joke, and it look so much more controlled and scale.  

 

[Wooders28 4723]

2 hours ago, El Gecko said:

If I wanted to be remotely competitive, I'd need 2 identical brand new cars (primary and backup), probably a newer/better Tx, a tub full of tires, and a full cars' worth of spares (plus some extra springs, bearings, motors, etc). That doesn't include any hopups at the start of the builds for reliability or to correct some design flaw (which would have to be duplicated on both cars and in spare parts), and it doesn't account for all the other random expenses of racing (timing transponders??).

Wow, I know national level racers ,who don't carry that much, and they're sponsored drivers! Some parts you'll need, but for the most, it's a good few years of racing you'd need ,before being remotely competitive. 

I did a thread (I was going to say a few weeks ago....😳) a while back -