TOPIC:

Hi, new to the forum...I’d like to have a RC car with a few different interchangeable body shells that I could paint myselfI have a 1972 VW beetle, which I’d like to create a model of. I’ve come across the 1/10 beetle shells on eBay, which has led me to watching a few youtube videos and now here I am!
Looking at kits online, I come across the Tamiya RC VW Classic Beetle M-06 Model Kit. They're more expensive than I would have thought!
Would the M-06 chassis be good for what I intend? Can anyone recommend any UK/Ireland sites online for buying 2nd hand even? I don't mind buying 2nd hand chassis and then painting new shells myself

My brother had a monster beetle in the 90s which was great fun, so I'd like some RC models for my own kids now, plus I'd quite enjoy building them

KD1984 wrote:

Hi, new to the forum...I’d like to have a RC car with a few different interchangeable body shells that I could paint myselfI have a 1972 VW beetle, which I’d like to create a model of. I’ve come across the 1/10 beetle shells on eBay, which has led me to watching a few youtube videos and now here I am!
Looking at kits online, I come across the Tamiya RC VW Classic Beetle M-06 Model Kit. They're more expensive than I would have thought!
Would the M-06 chassis be good for what I intend? Can anyone recommend any UK/Ireland sites online for buying 2nd hand even? I don't mind buying 2nd hand chassis and then painting new shells myself

My brother had a monster beetle in the 90s which was great fun, so I'd like some RC models for my own kids now, plus I'd quite enjoy building them

You think 135 GBP for the M06 Beetle is expensive, for the love of Pete don't look at a Sand Scorcher then

Kits have got more expensive, especially recently, even the cheaper all-plastic ones have overtaken inflation. Most everything else including radio gear, NimH batteries, brushed motors cost the same as they did in the 80s though, so much, much less proportionally. Bearings were an impossibly luxury for me the 1st time around, now I'll buy a full set for cars that'll never turn a wheel.  

An M-06 is not a bad choice, it's the current Tamiya entry level, small on road, rear drive chassis and there are a few other current Tamiya models (& therefore bodies) for it, Lotus Europa, Karmann Ghia, Type 2 bus, Alpine A110, Alfa Guilia + some older ones (tamiyabase.com/...06-chassis) that will be a direct fit although you will probably have to move body posts & possibly even dismantle the chassis to change the wheelbase. There are lots of "M-chassis" size bodies from Tamiya (including the NSU TT, which was inexplicably released on an FWD chassis :whistle:) and other makers.

Buying 2nd hand on a current model is a false economy, by the time you've bought a used chassis fixed up what's broken/worn out, bought a new body and the fittings it will cost more than a new kit. If you really want to do it, eBay will give you the most choice, there are no end of Facebook Tamiya sales groups too.

 
 For the kids - unless you've got a really smooth bit of tarmac you can use without getting moved on, I can't help thinking you'd be better off with something capable of off road use. I don't think anyone ever regretted buying a Lunchbox, they can cope with roads, the beach, slag heaps, waste land, the garden, a bit of snow or ice - and when two or more meet, hilarity tends to ensue  

Well, maybe I share the statement "Tamiya M-06 chassis is expensive". I would even say most of the Tamiya kits are expensive for what they are compared to others similar kits on the market.
That being said, Tamiya Bodyshells are nice, and if you take any competitor equivalent chassis with bodyshell, accessories sprues, rims, tires and insert from Tamiya, it would likely be more expensive than the M-06 chassis kit...

On the other hand, if you want to bring the M06 chassis to something equivalent to the competition in terms of handling, you would probably have to add the price of the kit in hop-ups, while for the competition maybe none hop ups is required... At the end it is depending what you do with it:
- leisure running without taking care of handling : that's ok
- running seriously, forget Tamiya and take something else (there is a lot of smaller names that gets much better handling chassis kit for very much less than the Tamiya kit)

There is lot of alternative out there. I have a M06 chassis, full ball raced, and it handles like not sure what word to use but it is pretty bad: there is too much slop in all the joints of this chassis. Take some low cost alternative and you would not have all of this. But it has a nice bodyshell, and it looks good on the track. It doesn't feel good in terms of handling as too much imprecise for this exercice (and that even when you put a direct aluminium servo horn without servo saver and you remove the slop of the Ackerman by adding some M5 washer), which means it is pretty deceptive.

But at the end, if it is your first track car, you won't be unhappy about it, it is the same principle as a Grasshopper : the car goes by itself where it wants and that will dramatically improve your driving skills because you'll spend your time to correct the direction, and when you will get a sane car with better handling all will feel easy .

NB: those statement are likely not true for a M05 (front wheel drive) chassis, which is by design easier to handle...

And as for the kids: the best pick is probably a Lunchbox :
- almost indestructible
- low maintenance
- much fun
- huge possibilities of decoration of the bodyshell - and even alternative bodyshells are possible (Lexan from Kamtec)

Statement from my kids to other kids : "If you can get only one rc car, it has to be a Lunchbox". As matter of fact, this is probably the only car I can run decently on any type of ground : it works well on an offroad track, a beach, on the street, in the garden and so on.... And yes, I'm a Lunchbox fan too


 

Tamiya bodies is one of the best regarding details.
I recently did the Escort Mk2 body, but I did not want the M size chassis, so I fitted it to a modified chassis.
You can almost fit any body as long as the wheelbase and width is correct.
The good thing with the M06 and most of the other M chassis variants is they can swap between 3 different wheelbases (short 210mm, medium 225mm, long 239mm) dependig on the body with adding or removing bits.

The cheap chassis kits that I know of is the two Hot Rod chassis kits from Kamtec
www.kamtec.co.u...asc&page=3
But bare in mind these these do not come with motor, motor pinion or speed controller. Tamiya kits do.
On top of that the Tamiya bodies will not fit so you need to fit Kamtec body of some sort.

With Tamiya kits (non XB ones) you need to supply, radio gear, battery, charger and paint for the body.
A good JIS (NOT PHILLIPS!!) screwdriver, hex drivers, body reamer (to make holes in bodies) and lexan scissor is recomeded, along with scapel for the decals.
Tire glue is also recomended if you intend to drive the model.

All in all, Tamiya kits is not that bad regarding value, but the factory bushes needs to be replaced by bearings.
Via this link tamiyabase.com/bearings you will a coupon code for bearings on Rcbearings.co.uk.

I begun the rc with grasshopper 1 but I was too young. And my real rc beginning was with vanessa's lunchbox. And after 35 years I still have it almost complete. And I have the rere version as runner in my "in case " bag in my real car. The lunchy is the best rc for children and their parents.

Apologies if you already know this (which you probably do!), but also bear in mind that most kits come with transparent polycarbonate bodies which you paint on the inside using special paints. They're pretty resilient and can flex rather than breaking when they get impacts.  Old designs like the Lunchbox and Monster Beetle have rigid plastic bodies which you paint on the outside using different paints.

L&L Models have a offer of M06 kit in bag at very low £79. Wheels, tires, body and radio gear is needed to be supplied by yourself.
This is a good offer and only 1 remains, so be quick!

landlmodels.co....in-the-bag