The 380 motor's place in Tamiya history

[Toolmaker72]

I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that a 10 tooth monster beetle pinion is the same pitch as the pressed on 380 motor pinion.

[alvinlwh]

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[Toolmaker72]

On 11/12/2021 at 8:53 AM, alvinlwh said:

You had, and I actually got one on my ebay watch list. But a non Tamiya 10T 32DP is about 1/2 to 1/3 the price of the MB pinion from Tamiya. It is not true 0.8M but works OK. 

The midnight pumpkin and lunchbox is also the same pitch and cheaper than the monster beetle version, you will need to shorten it though and then drill and tap for a new 3mm grub screw.  It’s what I do for my brushless 380 conversions 👍

[alvinlwh]

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[Juggular]

On 10/22/2021 at 11:19 AM, Dakratfink said:

someone had a backyard course and they turned quicker lap times around their little circuit with 380 powered Grasshopper than a 540 upgraded one

I can attest to that.  

When I raced in the 80s, the local circuit was like 10m wide. Not big.  Everybody slapped on a 540. They'd zip straight, go off the track, and try to recover the lost time by trying to run faster and spin out. I did too at first. But soon I craved smoother driving experience. Going slower was simply easier to control. Even if you lose a quarter second slower on the straight line, you were faster on all the curves.  So I downgraded.  I took the 3rd place on that race. I think the second place had a 380 also. The first place might have been an older kid with a 540. But he had like 7-8 batteries. (Which was a luxury back then.) He practiced a lot to manage his 540's power. 

I feel the question shouldn't be what's the fastest I could have. it should be what's the fastest I could actually make use of.   

 

[Yalson]

On 10/12/2021 at 8:26 AM, mongoose1983 said:

Am I wrong or all of the 380-powered cars had no differential?

I remember seeing one interesting video on youtube of a F-350 with a 380 motor. The thing was no wimpy at all! Too bad they removed the video. I might be able to locate my copy of it somewhere in the external drive but that might take me some time.

Well the Grasshopper definitely had one.

[Yalson]

As others have pointed out, there was a lot of appeal to driving the 380-powered Grasshopper back in the mid 80s when I first started out, as it got nearly 30 minutes out of the low-capacity 1200mah Nicad packs available at the time (depending on surface) as opposed to the 7-10 minutes from a 540. It also fitted within the standard GH's performance envelope, as the undamped beam axle rear suspension with no lateral flexibility was incapable of handling anything more powerful. The Hornet was a different beast, as the rear oil dampers and floating axle allowed it to stay on the ground more and deliver the increased power. It was still a fidgety thing and wouldn't stay in a straight line over anything but billiard-table flat surfaces, but it was a vast improvement over the Grasshopper, which wouldn't stay in a straight line on any surface.

I imagine a 380-powered Grasshopper might have a very slight advantage on a very tight and technical tarmac circuit, where its rear suspension will not be so much of a hindrance, but the original Grasshopper is really is the closest Tamiya ever got to making a toy and it is very compromised on road and hopeless off road. There the Hornet will beat it every time due to its better suspension, increased power and better traction.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Grasshopper. It was my first ever RC car and I love it dearly, for all its flaws. But it's not the motor that decides how quick it goes, but the rest of the car. Having owned and raced both, I cannot imagine any but very specific circumstances under which a proper Hornet with rear oil dampers and 540 motor wouldn't beat a 380-equipped Grasshopper.

[mongoose1983]

On 12/6/2021 at 9:16 PM, Yalson said:

Well the Grasshopper definitely had one.

That's right. Somehow it slipped my mind, I have two now and had others in the past

[alvinlwh]

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[mongoose1983]

1 hour ago, alvinlwh said:

My Holiday Buggy (DT-02) is 380 powered and have a diff. In fact, my 370 motor cars (SW-01 and SU-01) also have diffs. The only cars I have that do not have a diff are 130 powered Mini 4WDs.

I was talking about early 80's.