My first ever Tamiya... how the addiction began

For a long time I thought about how I should start to fill my showroom. Searched for photos of all the models I have built, restored or improved and then came across photos of my first Tamiya in still good condition and then remembered how that was.

My Tamiya story doesn't begin until 2020, more specifically October 2020 when we were all forced to spend evenings at home due to lockdowns. So to pass the time I bought a Monsterbeetle in the Black Edition, a remote control and two batteries. This Monsterbeetle was to become the first of many Tamiyas in my basement.

Looking back, what was so great about this set was that really every step of the assembly was insanely fun. I had no pressure to build the model 'perfectly', it just had to look great and be good to drive. No poser photos, no brushless, no high speed servo....

Just build it, drive it, fix it, drive it, improve it a little and then drive it again.

Not putting any pressure on myself and just enjoying the build and later every ride is unfortunately a little lost on me. That became clear to me today.

Installed a Torque tuned motor and a Kimbrough servo saver (after the original was broken). In the winter I have then made the Tble-02s waterproof with Plastidip to be able to drive in the snow and installed LEDs in the headlights.

Today everything still works wonderfully, but no longer looks so good because the Beetle had to go through quite a lot. From toddlers who had sat on it or had played with the pliers 'car workshop' to wild jumps and flips, the Beetle has hardly ever let me down.

However, a defect in the Beetle was then also the reason for my second Tamiya....