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The modifications on my first Holiday Buggy 2010 are moderate, and I will let fantasy flow a little more freely on my next. I wanted this first one to be a robust “semi-scale” runner and deliberately only used parts that are readily available. The result is a model built pretty much straight from the box, but with ball bearings, CVA-dampers, steel driveshafts and a Tamiya Dirt Tuned motor added. The wheels and front tires are from the Sand Viper and the rear tires taken from a modern no-name model. The original geardiff was lubricated with Tamiya Anti-Wear Grease to create a certain diffbrake effect, but if this shouldn’t be sufficient on loose sand, I will probably lock the diff up completely using CC-01 G-parts. To protect the driveshafts against the elements, I mounted the very nice rubber boots available from RC-Channel. They offer both scale looks and are made of a very tough material, so will probably last well.

As the Holiday Buggy body doesn’t snug up so nicely against the chassis tub as the other DT-02 bodies, sand and debris can quite easily enter the tub, especially in my intended use. So I utilised a slightly modified Sand Viper body as a chassis cover, just like the Dark Impact body serves as a chassis cover on the DF-03Ra. It clears the driver insert when mounted below, rather than over the standard DT-02 rear body mount, but is still easy to mount and remove.

As my Holiday Buggy 2010 is meant to represent a leisure time vehicle rather than a racer, I mounted a rearview mirror from the Sand Scorcher 2010 and a windscreen from scrap lexan. For the same reason, I kept the stickers to a minimum, and combined the stickers included in the kit with a few Tamiya stickers from other models (primarily from the Hilift Hilux, the Landcruiser and the ’67 Beetle) and repro light cover stickers.

Back when the original Holiday Buggy was released, there were a lot of opinions whether the polytethylene body could be successfully painted or not. This is now repeated, almost 30 years later. For good reasons, Tamiya states that the body can’t be painted, but I know that there are some modelers out there who have tried and claim it to work. I would be happy to hear that the paint still sticks well after having fully hardened and when running the model. However, information from professional and credible sources has been discouraging and a colleague who is a specialist on plastics has confirmed that making fully hardened paint stick to polyethylene requires advanced chemical and thermal preparation methods that are beyond what’s feasible for most of us. In other words, just sanding and a plastic primer will very unlikely be adequate. So I kept my body blue and hope that Tamiya will offer the body molded in some alternative colours.

Furthermore, the front suspension was narrowed for a more authentic look. I first modified the front to make the wheels fit flush with the front fenders, more or less like the original Holiday Buggy, but this looked strange in combination with the wishbone suspension arms, so I chose to make it a little wider again, ending up with a front about 30mm narrower than original. Suspension travel and steering geometry don’t suffer much from the modification and seems to be an acceptable compromise between handling and scale looks. I tried different methods of narrowing the rear too, and was surprised to end up with the opinion that the original width is actually quite alright, at least with the used wheels and tires. So the rear was narrowed just 4mm by using narrower aluminum hex wheel hubs rather than the original plastic hubs.

For fun, I’ve included a few pics of a re-release Hornet that I built a couple of years ago. Of course this was at a time when a re-release of the Holiday Buggy was just a dream, and though I had a few original Holiday Buggys, I wanted a lightweight dune runner slightly inspired by the Holiday Buggy’s look. Except for the sand paddles, Centerline style wheel covers, TA03 dampers and a Tamtech damper replacing the vulnerable original “hairneedle” springs and the addition of a Lunchbox wheelie bar to keep the car from flipping on firm sand, it’s pretty much box stock. Weirdly, this Hornet then again served as an inspiration for some of the details on my Holiday Buggy 2010.

My next Holiday Buggy 2010 will be more colourful and closer to what we at Tamiyablog believe is Tamiya’s intention with this model in the market, and I can’t wait to get started. Being robust and simple, with a very nice combination of quite good handling and nostalgic looks, we simply love the Holiday Buggy 2010. We are very excited to see what Tamiya has in store for the future. The Sand Rover body on a suitable chassis would be fantastic, but whatever Tamiya will do, we are surely in for some fantastic surprises.

●Location ： Makuhari Messe Hall 9 (Chiba-shi, Mihama-ku)

●Trade Days ※Not open to the public.

Oct. 14th (Thursday) 10:00～16:30

Oct. 15th (Friday) 10:00～16:30

●Public Days

Entrance Fees

Adult：1,000JPY

Junior High School Students and younger：Free

Oct. 16th (Saturday) 10:00～17:00

Oct. 17th (Sunday) 10:00～16:30

★From static models and R/C models to Mini 4WD, the full range of Tamiya’s new releases until the end of the year will be on display. This hobby show gives you the chance to see these beautifully displayed new items in the flesh. Each area will also have product designers on hand to not only give detailed explanations of the items but also answer your questions and listen to your suggestions for new products. In addition, there will be shop corner with limited edition event-only goods. So mark your calendars and come by to visit!

RC Kits

* 1/10 R/C TRF417 Chassis Kit

* 1/10 R/C TRF502X Chassis Kit

* 1/10 R/C M-06 PRO Chassis Kit

* 1/10 R/C Datsun 240Z (TT-01D Type-E) Drift Spec

* 1/10 R/C Endless 370Z (TT-01D Type-E) Drift Spec

* 1/10 R/C Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 (F104)

* 1/10 R/C Raybrig HSV-010 (TA05 ver.II)

* 1/10 R/C JAS Motorsport Honda Civic Type-R R3 (FF-03)

* 1/10 R/C TRF201 Basic Version 【Tentative】

* 1/10 R/C F104 PRO Black Special (Limited Edition)

* 1/16 R/C M-51 Super Sherman Full-Option Kit

* XB Datsun 240Z (TT-01D Type-E) Drift Spec

* XB Endless 370Z (TT-01D Type-E) Drift Spec

* XB Toyota Land Cruiser 40 (CC-01)

* Wrench for 5mm Reinforced Adjusters

* SA TT-01R Type-E Chassis (Factory Finished)

* OP FF-03 Carbon Damper Stay (Rear)

* OP FF-03 Carbon Motor Stay (L)

* OP FF-03 Carbon Steering Link

* OP FF-03 Carbon Stiffener (Rear) 【Tentative】

* OP TRF201 Slipper Clutch Set 【Tentative】

* OP M-06 Aluminum Motor Mount

* OP M-06 Aluminum Gearbox Plate

* OP M-06 Titanium Screw Set

* OP Aluminum Upright (2.0°) Adapter for M-05Ra Chassis

* OP M-05 & M-06 Aluminum Rear Upright (2.0°)

* OP Tamiya Brushless Motor 01 (Sensored) 12T

* OP Tamiya Brushless Motor 01 (Sensored) 14T

* OP Tamiya Brushless Motor 01 (Sensored) 16T

* OP Tamiya Brushless Motor 01 (Sensored) 18T

* Tamiya Brushless ESC 01 (Sensored)

* EXPEC GT-I 2.4G Radio Control System (Basic Set)

Scale Models

* 1/350 Japanese Heavy Cruiser Tone 【Tentative】

* 1/20 Lotus Type 79 1979 “Martini”

* 1/20 Lotus Type 79 1979 Photo-Etched Parts Set

* 1/20 McLaren M23 1976

* 1/12 McLaren M23 1974 【Tentative】

* 1/12 YZR-M1 ’09 Monster Yamaha Tech3

* 1/12 Valentino Rossi Rider Figure (High Speed Riding Type)

* 1/35 Sturmgeschutz III Ausf.G “Finnish Army”

* 1/35 Russian Assault Infantry (1941-1942)

* 1/25 German Tank Destroyer Jagdpanther

* 1/16 Leopard A4 【Tentative】

* 1/48 Macchi MC.200 Saetta

* 1/48 Citroen Traction 11CV Staff Car French Army (Finished Model)

* 1/20 Lotus Type 79 1978 British GP, No.6

(Finished Model)

* 1/20 Lotus Type 79 1978 German GP, No.5

(Finished Model)

* 1/48 A6M3 Zero Fighter Iwakuni Naval Air Group (Finished Model)

* 1/48 A6M3a Zero Fighter 582nd Naval Air Group (Finished Model)

* 1/35 German Panzerkampfwagen 35(t)

(Limited Edition)

For Kids

* Mini 4WD Super XX Chassis Evo.I (Limited Edition)

* Magnum Saber Premium (Super-II Chassis)

* GP Double Aluminum Rollers w/Rubber Rings (13-12mm)

* GP Super-II Chassis Gold Plated Terminal Set

* Manta Ray Mk.II Polycarbonate Body (Violet Plated) (Limited Edition)

* Neo Falcon Polycarbonate Body (Blue Plated) (Limited Edition)

* Avante Mk.III Race Ready Set (Limited Edition)

* Mini 4WD Setting Gauge (Blue) (Limited Edition)

* Mini 4WD Oval Home Circuit (Two Level Change) Special Color Edition (Red/Blue) (Limited Edition)

* Wall-Hugging Ladybug

Tool & Paints

* Fine Craft Saws (For Line Curving) 【Tentative】

* Modeler’s Knife Pro

* Modeler’s Knife Pro Straight Blade (5pcs.)

* Modeler’s Knife Pro Curved Blade (3pcs.)

* Modeler’s Knife Pro Chisel Blade (10pcs.)

* Diorama Texture Paint (Soil Effect, Dark Earth) 250ml

* Diorama Texture Paint (Grit Effect, Light Sand) 250ml

* Tamiya Weathering Master F Set (Titanium, Light Gun Metal, Copper)

* 15 Well Palette (5pcs.)

* Mini Motor Set

* PS-59 Dark Metallic Blue

* Trigger Airbrush (w/Integrated Cup) 【Tentative】

* Display Turntable (Black) (Limited Edition)

07.09.2010 Update

Static Kits:

12044 1/12 Wolf WR-1 1977 (w/Photo-Etched Parts)

12637 1/20 Seat Belt A Set
12638 1/20 Seat Belt F Set
20064 1/20 Wolf WR-1 1977
21086 1/12 Honda RC166 Grand Prix Racer No. 8 (Finished Model)
21087 1/12 Honda RC166 Grand Prix Racer No. 66 (Finished Model)
26548 1/48 Citroen 11CV Staff Car French Army (Finished Model)

RC Kits:
58460 M-06 Pro Chassis Kit
58469 Ford Bronco CC-01
84159 TA05 Ver.2-R Chassis Kit

RC XB:
46605 XBS Subaru Impreza WRC07
46606 XBS BMW 320Si
46607 XBS Schnitzer BMW (E30 M3?)

57807 XB Alpine A110 (M05Ra)

84161 XB Ferrari F60 (without RC-Equipment)

Spare Parts:
51420 Alpine A110 Body Parts Set
84142 Mach Five 408R Body Parts Set

Hop-Ups:
54253 M-05Ra Aluminum Front Upright
54254 TRF201 Aluminum Rear Upright 0 Deg
54255 1/35 RC Land Mine Simulation
54256 Reinforced Tire Type C 24mm (2 Pcs.)
54262 TRF201 Reinforced 52T Ball Diff Gear
54263 TRF201 High Traction Lower Deck

54265 TRF201 Reinforced F-Parts (Front Suspension Arm)

*54262 Should also fit FF03, as orig.part is the same in the TRF201 and FF03

Mini 4WD:
15412 Carbon Reinforced Rear Double Roller Stay
94769 11mm Aluminum Bearing Roller (Ball Type)

Tools:
74095 Drill 1.0mm
74096 Drill 0.8mm

Lee Martin dominated the 2wd and 4wd classes winning TQ in both, as well as the 1st and 2nd legs to secure victory in both classes. In 2wd, Martin drove his 201x to victory in Leg 1 after a close battle with Hupo Honigl and Paul Bradby. Mistkes by all 3 drivers kept them close throughout the race. Martin made no such mistakes in Leg 2, and quickly pulled away from the field to wrap up his overall victory in the Euros.

Lee took the Leg 2 of the A final in Austria to go along with his win in the opening leg to win the 4WD title in the same manner as his win earlier this week in 2WD. In a damp rain-effected meeting, Lee Martin won the only two qualifiers that managed to run to completion to TQ the event. Only Jorn Neumann was able to challenge Lee Martin in both legs 1 & 2 of the A final but wasn’t able to make a pass or be as consistent – making errors that cost him time.

Source: Tamiya, INC.