TOPIC:

So after misusing several other threads I think it is time to get this little rabbit in its own.

Will start with some pics and later on after doing some google research try to post some history details.

I got the car in a bigger lot with an EVO and two other cars



the one who packed was apparently fond of ducktape


managed to get most of with not to much damage


Some Boxart





Bouncing Bunny


Manual


Some usefull hop-ups

waterbok wrote:

...
the one who packed was apparently fond of ducktape

....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Sorry, I hate to see boxes damaged by ignorance like that

You all will be familiar with the following process



et Voila



now got to find some ballbearings....

Never heard of that one.... Looks like Mad Bull running gear.
I sympathise about the taped box - my Mk1 Rough Rider arrived like that, I nearly cried!

It is actually the forerunner of the Fighter Buggy line. (includes the MadBull right?)
It was a factory build limited release (91/92), includes a CPR unit (P60N) and a Finespec remote, at the time a real RTR Tamiya.
Just tested the electronics they appear to be working but the wires are a bit chewed on (bloody rabbits ) and the servo sounds sandy.

best part are the adviced hop-ups in the manual, ballbearings ,bigger pinion and hi-caps front and rear

I am not sure but this model could be the first XB only thing needed to get it rolling were batteries for the remote.

The shell looks remarkably good ... but then bits often look so much better in a photo than they do IRL (or is that just on eBay?) ... any work needed on that ?

The Rabbit is not new but the shell is pretty much ok for its age, has some scuff marks on the rear spoiler.

This how it looked when it arrived.


The car itself is not really exciting (compared to a avante or top force) but the history of its release (91/92) as a ready build and that it came out as a kit (fighter buggy) only a couple of years later (96) to become a big succes evidently makes it a unique kit.

Guess hat a lucky find with this one makes it almost more interresting than the Top Force Evolution it came with.

Some build Pics, no comments should all be somewhat familiar.















run out of ballbearings , so later more

waterbok wrote:

The Rabbit is not new but the shell is pretty much ok for its age, has some scuff marks on the rear spoiler.

This how it looked when it arrived.

The car itself is not really exciting (compared to a avante or top force) but the history of its release as a ready build and that it came out as a kit (fighter buggy) only a couple of years later to become a big succes evidently makes it a unique kit.

Guess hat a lucky find with this one makes it almost more interresting than the Top Force Evolution it came with.

Hmmm ... tricky.

In an ideal world, new old stock sticker sets (or decent repros) would be freely available for every car, then you could strip it, repair any damage & spray ... I don't know if you've already got any plans to fix it up, but if that was mine I'd be thinking about getting the sticker off the wing off in once piece (easier said than done I know), scanning it & "repairing" any damage in Paint Shop Pro, then printing my own replacement, while repairing the damage to the wing & respraying down to the hard line where the wing joins the body.

I agree the Rookie Rabbit is an interesting car - it does seem to have quite a few fans - it's a bit odd it that it was only ever an RTR car, rather than as a kit that was later released as an "XB" ...

Structurally it's interesting as it's got some of the flaws of its forebears (I guess the Grasshopper is closest in terms of concept), some new ones, and some improvements. The remote servo saver I would class as an improvement, but the fixed length steering rods are a backward step. Undamped shocks I would expect at the level it was aimed at, but at least you can upgrade them. It also suffers from the same rolling rear axle as it's forebears, and the I see Tamiya went for the more fragile looking "Frog style" gears for the diff ... hexes are a more modern touch though.

Thanks for posting the pics - I always find build pics more interesting than simple "before" & "after" posts - and I hadn't seen one of these in bits before

Jonny wrote:

waterbok wrote:

...
the one who packed was apparently fond of ducktape

....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Sorry, I hate to see boxes damaged by ignorance like that

badword, fortunately you got the box almost without any damages ! I think i would have cry by seeing that box arriving like that awwwwww

Btw nice pics.