Blazing Blazer Aluminium Roof
Status: Extra info
Date: 26-Apr-2012
Comments: 25
Iv'e not posted anything for ages so thought i would share this with you all .
Iv'e been making these alloy roofs for the Blazer for a long long time now .
Iv'e never kept any records so to speak of how many are actually out there across the planet but a good guess would probably be around 30? who knows. If you have one i would love to hear from you.
They have changed somewhat from the very early original few.
As an average i reckon they take me around 16 hours start to finish including polishing. Sadly this will be one of the last i make due to spare time issues. :(
Every single part is custom hand fabricated, bent/ heated /welded / tap threaded etc, all from a series of jig's i made about 6 years ago. :)
I love the Blazer for many reasons, one of them being the in your face size of the thing, it really is an awesome scale model.
With tamiya's recent re release of the Bruiser it would be interesting if they re re the Blazer to say the least. I know many people would very much welcome the Blazer as a re release and i know that many of you would say a big fat NO DON'T DO IT TAMIYA..
well which ever side of the fence you are with that topic , my view is that you can't beat original's , the re release Bruiser is a truck that look's similar to the original and carry's the same name and that's it !..
I must point out that i am not critisizing the new Bruiser ' I would actaully love one for a runner' if they were not so damned expensive , and i understand that many of us will never have the opportunity to build an original example so the re release fit's the bill for a lot of people.
There is also the affect of price on an original's value, but i would still maintain that if it's NIB and original over time when the dust settles an original will still be very highly desirable even if it does have old design flaws .and that for me is what makes them special :)
Just my opinion, i'm not here to start a WAR :) The fact is the Bruiser re re is here wether we like it or not? All comment's are very welcome thanks john
Comments
lupogtiboy
I must applaude your skills in making that spoiler! A thing of beauty! As for the re-re argument, I can't afford either of the Bruisers be it new or old, but I am happy that it may get some more interest in the hobby and help keep it alive. Some people are very nostalgic, and to own a new version of something that got broken and thrown away as a child can always stir the heart-strings (I am a sucker for it!) I just wish they would re-re the Fox though....
j-man
@lupogtiboy
Thanks for the comments, i'm sure the fox will come in time, i think the truth is that tamiya like all manufacturers worldwide are struggling, i suppose it's the safe option to re re?
stickerbod
Excellent skills John, I think you make a fair point re the re re's. I'd definitely go for one of these roofs if I ran my Blazer more.
j-man
Thank's stickerbod
gr2fltp
Classic work John, it must be more than than 30, I think I had variants of about 8 of them over the years What makes me sick (here we go ) are the rich on here who cough up for the overpriced bruiser when they could buy two genuine original runners for the same money. Still, there always have been and always will be modelshop showrooms on here and not genuine collectors at all.
ShayD
I will be astonished if Tamiya re-re the Blazer, I don't think it has the mass appeal that Tamiya appear to be exploiting at the moment - it's just too quirky, which is why it's so beloved of Tamiya die-hards. BTW I shall be after one of your Blazer roofs, when I get mine sorted ...
swedishwiking
Amazing piece of work! Never did drool over these back then, can´t even remember seing one IRL, but over the years they have really grown on me. I must say the Blazer is by far the coolest of the bunch, it´s just soo funky with that huge wing on top of the box-shaped body. A true seventies desert racer! I do think the hobby benefits by the rereleases. Hopefully their scalelooks appeal to kids used to cars shaped like a rockets or submarines on wheels and that a new generation can discover the magic of Tamiyas models. Sure, the rereleases has lowered the prices of many of my vintage models, the SRB`s have really hit the rock bottom, but I´m perfectly ok with that, never was into this hobby to earn some cash on my buggies anyways. Keep them coming Tamiya!
SRB Bloke
Hello Buddy, good to see you the front page again. As with all your work, this cage and spoiler look superb.. I have to say I agree over the re-re issues. But if the BB does get re-re'd I'll have to see how much I can get for the wife..
Is this for you, or someone else.
MAD-BEE
Sweet job!!!
j-man
@mike, hello fella, hope you are well? fair comment on the showrooms. maybe if i were rich i would indulge a bit more..lol
Never realised you had that many roofs? the old brain struggles to remember what i did yesterday..lol...it won't be long before my children are deciding which nursing home i'll be going in to..
@shay hello mate hope you are well? I don't think we will see the blazer released either but only because the start was the hilux and they seem to have started with the bruiser , so maybe the mountaineer next? with tamiya who know's.
@swedishwiking, nice to hear from you, Blazer's rule , i never was a big fan either back when you could actually buy one in the model shops but probably because they were too much money for a young teenager back in the 80's, either that or the srb buggy's just looked the business!
Thanks for all the comment's
j-man
@steve..LOL, it's incredible how many of us are willing to sell body parts and people just to satisfy the hobby...lol
It's for a good friend fella thanks for the comments.
@mad-bee , thanks very much really appreciate the comment's cheers john...
Challenger-RT
Excellent work John. You know I also have one of your awesome alloy roofs And I will put it on my orange-red Blazing Blazer.
j-man
@Challenger-RT...Superb
TA-Mark
Brilliant custom work as always mate.
j-man
thanks mark
TIMECMDR
Superb looking custom part as with all of your work buddy
blackfoot dave
Hi John, I've always applauded your talent with the alloy. My only comment on the re-re's is......new is great but vintage is better!
superchampjohn
I must say, everyone who leaves comments on TC regarding re-releases has their own reasons for feeling the way they personally do, so we as a group can't really bash anyone for what they say. Now, I recently did a trade and got myself a vintage, original working Bruiser complete with radio system. I love it, and since it has been run I will be running it carefully at some point in time. In the same week as when I did that trade, my new Bruiser arrived in the mail. It is quite a thrill to open up a box and see all those parts packed so carefully in there. I will be building the new Bruiser as well, so I guess I will have the best of both worlds. I guess I'd have to say that I'm lucky to be able to have the 'new vs original' experience..... Anyway, enjoy your Tamiya models whether they are new or vintage. Also it is great to see people like J-man on here, using their skills to make things like these roofs, so we can keep our rc models looking good. Thanks!!
RallyeBaz
Your ally roofs are stunning and would snap one up if I got another original Blazer. I can see your point about the Re-Releases and don't like the lower front chassis look on the new Bruiser model. I have always loved the Blazer but cannot justify ragging an original model about due to the cost of repairing it these days. Would love to have a re-release Blazer just to experience the fun of giving it a blast without spares costing an arm and a leg. Then just keep an original as a Shelf Queen.
Dirt-540
Absolutely fantastic post, brilliant work yet again! I love the Blazing Blazer its so funky and looks like fun to drive, that aluminium roof and cage is a bit special and goes like a crown to a king. Really loved your writing in the post too, theres nothing like a good coffee and reading such stimulating posts on TC. Come on TC members!, get writing!, the standard has been set! Top one J-man!
slimmy
John, I love your alloy roof for the blazer. I have one as you probable already know. It is beautiful! On the issues of the re-releases, I personally spent an enormous amount of money building the best SRB collection I could. Then WHAM! They rerelease them and the value of mine went straight into the crapper. So maybe some of you can understand my feelings on rere's. But I can also understand liking them as well. Like if you never had the chance to own the originals. Then A rerelease would be like heaven. So I agree with both sides of this issue and I disagree too. Lol, Does that make any sense? I still love tamiya and especially all my lighninggraphic alloy's
j-man
Hey guy's thank you so much for your kind word's and input / views .
I really like the bruiser re re ,it does put a new spin on things for a couple of generations that never will see the real thing.
But for me it's original all the way, The re re seem's to tick a lot of box's apart from price, and that's why it seems so hard to part with such a lot of money for a car that is almost twice the price of a hi-lift and for what? the cost of 2 die cast axles? That's the bit i don't understand.
Vintage Nut
John, I have been lucky enough to buy several items from many places and have ended up with 2 of your Blazer Roofs and only wish I had a couple of more. I wish I could get some of your SRB parts but I understand the time you spent on your fantastic custom products.
I hope Tamiya stays away from the Hilux and Blazer re-re because I have taking a beating on my NIB Bruisers.
Wish you were still making parts we sure miss the perfect workmanship of your creations.
Brads442
Beautiful work. Absolutely beautiful. If you ever decide to make more, please let us know, would love to have a roof for my Blazer!
j-man
Thankyou chap's for the great comment's
Want to leave a comment?