TOPIC:

Inspired by A thread Tamiyanut started, I thought I'd start a list of boneheaded design/flaws on Tamiya cars... I reckon that every car will have something that breaks easily, or something that just doesn't work in practice - it doesn't mean they're a bad car...

Feel free to post your own so I can add them in - but NO URBAN MYTHS - just "features" you have direct experience of, please

If you can honestly say "none" about a particular model, I'll post that too



*** First 150 ***

58001 Porsche 934 - "Dual MSC" for no apparent reason, very flexible chassis, ridiculous fragile body. (larbut)

58002 Martini Porsche 935 - Very flexible chassis, ridiculous fragile body(larbut)

58003 Tyrell P34

58004 XR311 - Torsion bars difficult to set up & laughably weak, wayward steering, fragile body that's difficult to fit (Jonny Retro)

58005 Lamborghini Countach LP500S
58006 Martini Porsche 936

58007 Cheetah - Torsion bars difficult to set up & laughably weak, wayward steering, fragile body that's difficult to fit (Jonny Retro)

58008 Lamborghini Countach LP500CS
58009 Celica LB turbo
58010 Ligier JS9 matra
58011 Ferrari 312
58012 Ligier JS9 matra CS
58013 March 782 BMW
58014 Martini Mk.22 Renault

58015 Rough Rider - Roof lamps break off, threads in front suspension strip, inadequate & leaky damping, uneven rear tyre wear (Jonny Retro)

58016 Sand Scorcher - Wing mirrors break off if you so much as look at them sideways, threads in front suspension strip, inadequate & leaky damping, uneven rear tyre wear (Jonny Retro)

58017 B2B Racing Sidecar
58018 Ralt RT2 Hart 420R
58019 Williams FW07
58020 JPS Lotus 79
58021 Can Am Lola
58022 Datsun 280ZX

58023 Holiday Buggy - Open gearbox, fragile gears, fragile front shock tower mounts, fragile front bodymount slot on chassis, no damping, uneven wear on rear tyres, roof struts fragile (Jonny Retro)

58024 Sand Rover - Open gearbox, fragile gears, fragile front shock tower mounts, fragile front bodymount slot on chassis, no damping, uneven wear on rear tyres (Jonny Retro)

58025 Golf Racing Group 2
58026 Renault 5

58027 Ford F150 Ranger - Boneheaded chassis choice, threads in front suspension strip, inadequate & leaky damping, uneven rear tyre wear (Jonny Retro) On mk.1 models of the Ranger the front wheels touched the rear of the wheel arch when turning. (hence the redesign of the mk.2 body) larbut

58028 Toyota 4X4 pickup (3 speed) - Too stiff leaf springs combined with plastic inserts in the tires made it bounce all over the place. Plastic tabs on radio box lid for securing front cab broke at "first" roll. Too many components in steering linkage made steering floppy. (larbut)

58029 Blazing Blazer - Too stiff leaf springs, (but luckily foam inserts in tires.) Too many components in steering linkage made steering floppy. (larbut)

58030 Honda Formula 02 (CS)
58031 Brabham BT-50 BMW Turbo
58032 Tornado RM. MK. 03
58033 Ford C-100 RM. MK. 04

58034 Super Champ - rear third of body breaks off, threads in front suspension strip, inadequate & leaky damping, uneven rear tyre wear (Jonny Retro)

58035 Wild Willy M38 - Any knock on the front end will break the grille, undamped suspension, wheelie bars wear through, pressed on motor pinion & only the correct period black endbell Mabuchi motor can be used. (Jonny Retro)

58036 Audi Quattro
58037 Opel Ascona 400 Rally

58038 Subaru Brat - Front axle stubs fall out of kingpins, suspension wears rapidly, escaping driveshafts, expanding diff & gearbox casings, metal antenna make crashes worse. (Jonny Retro)

58039 Willy's Wheeler - Undamped suspension, wheelie bar wears through, pressed on motor pinion & only the correct period black endbell Mabuchi motorcan be used. (Jonny Retro)

58040 Lancia Rally

58041 Frog - Front axle stubs fall out of kingpins, suspension wears rapidly, escaping driveshafts, expanding diff & gearbox casings, metal antenna make crashes worse, fragile rear wing (Jonny Retro)

58042 Porsche 956

58043 Grasshopper - Assymetric steering, ludicrous bump steer, undamped suspension, rear wing section breaks off shell, rolling rear axle acts as hinge, battery cover falls off, fixed pinion gear size (Jonny Retro)

58044 Pajero - Assymetric steering, ludicrous bump steer, undamped suspension, front bodymount breaks off shell, rolling rear axle acts as hinge, battery cover falls off, fixed pinion gear size (Jonny Retro)

58045 Hornet - Assymetric steering, ludicrous bump steer, barely damped front suspension, rear wing section breaks off shell, improved rolling rear axle still acts as hinge, fixed pinion gear size (Jonny Retro)

58046 FAV - No Damping on front, cramped battery compartment (Jonny Retro)

58047 Hot Shot - Ludicrous bump steer, suspension has two settings - too hard or too soft, limited steering lock, overweight (Jonny Retro) Impossible to access radio gear without dismantling the model (larbut)

58048 Bruiser - No driver figure

58049 Toyota Toms

58050 Wild One - badly shimmed differential (ozipanda)

58051 Fox
58052 Newman Porsche 956 RM.Mk.7
58053 Road Wizard Formula 01

58054 Super Shot - Impossible to access radio gear without dismantling the model (larbut)

58055 Boomerang - steering rack jams if driving in mud (ozipanda)

58056 Falcon - Fragile chassis always breaks at the front (Jonny Retro)

58057 Bigwig - Limited steering lock, overweight (Jonny Retro)

58058 Blackfoot

58059 Porsche 959 - Lower F-parts and lower R-parts break easily. (suspension swing arms) (Larbut) restrictive/ clumsy motor mounting system, fragile polycarbonate body (ozipanda)

58060 Monster Beetle - rear bodymounts very fragile, same rear supsension/diff/gearbox issues as Frog (Jonny Retro)

58061 Striker - weak chassis snaps upon frontal impact (ozipanda)

58062 Hotshot 2 - Impossible to access radio gear without dismantling the model (larbut)

58063 Lunchbox - Same steering/suspension issues as Grasshopper, front wheels break off around bearings, left rear wheelnut undoes itself, fragile bodymounts, fixed pinion gear size (Jonny Retro)

58064 Celica Gr.B - Lower F-parts and lower R-parts break easily. (suspension swing arms) (Larbut)

58065 Clodbuster - Pathetic articulation & steering, nose dives & wheelies break bumpers, balljoints pull out of/break chassis (Jonny Retro)

58066 Super Sabre
58067 Thundershot
58068 lotus Honda
58069 Williams Honda FW-11M F1

58070 Midnight Pumpkin - as Lunchbox (Jonny Retro) Flimsy plastic body posts break every time it rolls, which is often due to its wayward handling... High centre of gravity, crazy bump steer, front tyres rub on shell, front end geometry changes radically with suspension travel and the little springs which are supposed to control the live rear axle always break. Also hard to drive while constantly laughing!!! (vara351)

58071 Sonic Fighter - same as Striker! (58061) (ozipanda)

58072 Avante - Way too complex, known for breaking anything during racing. (larbut)

58073 Thunder Dragon

58074 Grasshopper 2 - Still has bump steer & rolling rear axle issues inherited from mk.1 (Jonny Retro)

58075 Terra Scorcher
58076 Vanquish
58077 Mud Blaster
58078 Fire Dragon

58079 Egress - weak front shock tower (ozipanda)

58080 Astute - Way too fragile and complex rear suspension (for racing), causing racers to replace with Madcap parts. (larbut)

58081 Nissan King Cab - flimsy rear arms, dogbones pop out, fragile polycarbonate body (ozipanda)

58082 Madcap - plastic motor plate melts/ warps (ozipanda)

58083 Saint Dragon - plastic motor plate melts/ warps (ozipanda) Stupid "Engrish" name

58084 Ferrari 189 Fl

58085 Avante 2001 - Way too complex models, known for breaking anything during racing. (larbut)

58086 Hilux Monster Racer - flimsy rear arms, dogbones pop out (ozipanda)

58087 Manta Ray - front plastic shock tower is pretty easy to snap (Edou)

58088 Mercedes-Benz C11

58089 Bullhead - Pathetic articulation & steering, nose dives & wheelies break bumpers, smoke stack tips very vunerable (Jonny Retro)

58090 Tyrrell 019 Ford
58091 Nissan 300ZX IMSA.GTO
58092 Jaguar XJR 12 Daytona Winner
58093 Bear Hawk
58094 Honda NSX
58095 Lotus 102B Judd
58096 Celica GT4

58097 Super Astute -fine pitch gears prone to stripping, useless polycarbonate gear cover

58098 F40
58099 Nissan Skyline GT-R Nismo
58100 Top Force
58101 Bush Devil
58102 Mazda 787B 1991 Le Mans Winner
58103 Jordan 191
58104 McLaren MP4/6 Honda
58105 Williams FW14 Renault
58106 Stadium Blitzer
58107 Top Force Evolution
58108 Mercedes Benz 190E
58109 Nissan R91 CP
58110 Super Blackfoot
58111 mountaineer (3 speed)
58112 Ford Escort RS
58113 Schnitzer BMW M3 Sport
58114 Footwork FA13 Mugen Honda
58115 Terra Conqueror

58116 Dyna Storm - front arms protrude below chassis and wear hinge pin/ lose "e" clips, weak outdrives on first issue kits (ozipanda)

58117 Lancia Delta HF Integrale
58118 Benetton B192
58119 Toyota Celica GT-Four RC
58120 Axia Skyline GT-R GR.A
58121 Mugen Civic
58122 Blitzer Beetle
58123 Dyna Blaster

58124 Super Hornet - mostly same issues as "mk.1" Hornet, chassis breaks at rear (Jonny Retro)

58125 Michelin Pilot Cosworth
58126 Lotus 107B
58127 Castrol Honda Civic VTI
58128 Alfa Romeo 155
58129 Castrol Celica 93' Monte-Carlo
58130 Sauber C12
58131 Toyota Toms Levin

58132 Pajero Metaltop Wide - "brick" on front end of chassis seriously reduces offroad ability(Jonny Retro)

58133 Jaccs Honda Civic
58134 Lola T93/00 Ford
58135 Calsonic Skyline GT-R Gr.A
58136 Toyota Prerunner
58137 Blitz Toyota Supra Gr.N
58138 Renault Clio Williams
58139 AMG Mercedes-Benz DTM D2 - TA02
58140 HKS Nissan Skyline GT-R Gr.A
58141 Jeep Wrangler
58142 Ferrari 412T1

58143 Ford Mondeo BTCC (FF01) - Fixed rear suspension geometry can be swapped over for either oversteer or understeer (Jonny Retro)

58144 Nissan 300ZX IMSA GTS
58145 AMG Mercedes DTM Promarkt
58146 Chevy S-10

58147 Castrol Nissan Primera JTCC - as 58143 Mondeo (Jonny Retro)

58148 Rahal-Hogan Lola T94
58149 Rover Mini Cooper
58150 Opel Calibra V6 DTM


Anything else
58201 Toyota Celica GT-FOUR '97 Monte-Carlo - Overused & totally charmless TL01 chassis; 24 bearing drivetrain sucks a lot of power, narrow & top heavy chassis, limited pinion gear choice & awkward motor access (though that's hardly unique), battery very vunerable, plus the gaps fill with dirt & make it very difficult to remove
58219 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Monte-Carlo - ditto
58222 Pick-Up Truck Ford SVT F-150 Lightning - ditto
58228 Ford Mustang Cobra R - ditto
58233 Castrol MUGEN NSX - ditto
58237 Lexus IS 200 - ditto
58251 LEXUS GS 400 - ditto
58255 Calsonic Skyline GT-R (R34) - ditto
58260 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM 2000 Team D2 - ditto
58263 Opel V8 Coupe - ditto
58264 Castrol Tom's Supra 2000 - ditto
58273 Subaru Impreza WRC 2001 - ditto
58277 Subaru Impreza WRC 2001 (pre-assembled Body) - ditto
58283 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup "VIP" - ditto
58287 Nissan 350Z - ditto
58289 Ferrari 360 Modena Challenge - ditto
58293 Beams Integra - ditto
58296 CLK-DTM 2002 AMG-Mercedes - ditto
84132 TA05-VDF - Has CVD chatter at full lock,rear belt rubs on motor and very small space for ESC and rec. (bajaboy5b)

Nice thread.

The front plastic shock tower from the Manta Ray is pretty easy to snap...
With all the DF01s and TA01s, the top cover of the rear gearbox is held down with only one screw on the motor side.
Put in some real power and it'll start to lift (and break).
Front knuckles are a vulnerable spot as well...

Good thread!
58059 Porsche 959 and 58064 Celica Gr.B - Lower F-parts and lower R-parts break easily. (suspension swing arms)

58080 Astute - Way too fragile and complex rear suspension (for racing), causing racers to replace with Madcap parts.
58072 Avante and 58085 Avante 2001 - Way too complex models, known for breaking anything during racing.

58028 Toyota 4X4 pickup (3 speed) - Too stiff leaf springs combined with plastic inserts in the tires made it bounce all over the place. Plastic tabs on radio box lid for securing front cab broke at "first" roll. Too many components in steering linkage made steering floppy.

58029 Blazing Blazer - Too stiff leaf springs, (but luckily foam inserts in tires.) Too many components in steering linkage made steering floppy.

Did I mention this was a great thread idea?

Edou wrote:

... The front plastic shock tower from the Manta Ray is pretty easy to snap...

I put that it - ta

Edou wrote:

...With all the DF01s and TA01s, the top cover of the rear gearbox is held down with only one screw on the motor side.
Put in some real power and it'll start to lift (and break).
Front knuckles are a vulnerable spot as well...

... but you'll have to give me some more clues here - model numbers/names - I don't think I've ever had any cars with those chassis ...

larbut wrote:

Good thread!
58059 Porsche 959 and 58064 Celica Gr.B - Lower F-parts and lower R-parts break easily. (suspension swing arms)

Ta

larbut wrote:

58080 Astute - Way too fragile and complex rear suspension (for racing), causing racers to replace with Madcap parts.
58072 Avante and 58085 Avante 2001 - Way too complex models, known for breaking anything during racing.

Ta again - even even they do sound a bit "internet myth"-ish

larbut wrote:

58028 Toyota 4X4 pickup (3 speed) - Too stiff leaf springs combined with plastic inserts in the tires made it bounce all over the place. Plastic tabs on radio box lid for securing front cab broke at "first" roll. Too many components in steering linkage made steering floppy.

58029 Blazing Blazer - Too stiff leaf springs, (but luckily foam inserts in tires.) Too many components in steering linkage made steering floppy.

Ta again, again