In the past, Tamiyablog has presented a few “fantasy” models, mostly modern models that had been modified or painted to look like vintage Tamiya models or how we imagine that a follow-up of a classic could look like (like Tamiya themselves have done for instance with the Blackfoot; Super Blackfoot, King Blackfoot and Blackfoot Xtreme).
This time it’s a little different. The pictured model is not intended to be a serious Rough Rider/Buggy Champ clone and also, it’s not something we could imagine Tamiya would ever make. It’s however a model with some of the visual clues of the Rough Rider/Buggy Champ, but with the handling, durability and parts availability of a modern model.
It’s pretty much a stock Sand Viper with the body cut and decorated to resemble the Rough Rider/Buggy Champ as closely as the basic shape allows. The driver figure is a selfmade resin copy of a Rough Rider figure. For a slight touch of the Special Racing Buggy chassis (used on the original Rough Rider/Buggy Champ), I changed the opaque black gear cover for the transparent smoke gear cover of the Super Fighter Buggy. The tires are aftermarket item from a German company. Their quality is inferior to Tamiya tires, but were still chosen because of the slight similarity with the Rough Rider/Buggy Champ tires. Stickers are a combination of purchased repro stickers and selfmade stickers, just like the Tamtech-Gear Buggy Champ presented here some time ago.
So, as much as I look forward to the release of the Buggy Champ 2009, I will still enjoy this Sand Viper for its superior handling and durability when compared to the original.
By the way, we will follow up with further “fantasy” models in the coming weeks.
