Category Archives: Customized Builds

Tamiya Mini 4WD “High Speed ​​Colors – A new sense circuit created with Sony”


“New sensation circuit” for mini 4WD with sound, light and image will appear in Shibuya on February 13

Author: Toshiya Koketsu ＠DAYS
Sony, with the cooperation of Tamiya, will start a new sense of racing activity “High Speed ​​Colors-A new sense circuit created with Sony-” at the Sony Square Shibuya project from February 13th.

The New Sensation Circuit is a new entertainment experience that colors the mini 4WD running at high speed with Sony’s high-speed vision sensing technology and sound, light, and video. First, the participants select the main color, sub-color, and circuit effects to be mapped to the body of the mini 4WD. The colors and images that are projected will change depending on the design and direction selected, so that the participants themselves can be creators and create the direction.

First, when the Mini 4WD starts running, the body design selected by the participants is mapped to the body. After that, a retro game style stage appeared on the circuit. When a coin appears on the course and the mini 4WD gets through it, a sound is heard, and when a DJ turntable appears on the course and the mini 4WD passes, a sound like scratching sounds. Furthermore, as the mini 4WD progresses, the sound and production are linked together, such as the body turning into an insect in the middle and a huge “eye” appearing. Then, the stage changes to a stage like the near future of science fiction movies, and a light beam comes out from the body of the mini 4WD and appears as a trajectory on the course. Finally, the stage changes to a stage like a different space with various elements. The Mini 4WD cuts the finish line of the race and finishes.

The productions inside and outside these courses were co-created with the creative group “PERIMETRON” led by King Gnu leader Yuki Tsuneda. Producer of PERIMETRON, Shotaro Nishioka, produced the project, two-person creative unit Margt was in charge of direction and design, and Yuhei Kobe was in charge of CG production. The music is made by 20-year-old artist Dr. Pay.

The new sensation circuit allows two people to experience each race. Since there are 180 patterns, you can enjoy it as many times as you want. Participants will also be presented with a mini 4WD with a custom-designed design and an original video of the powerful race.

Source in Japanese language: Response.20th

Video of Tamiya 70236 Curved Universal Arm Set – Construction Idea



★ This handy set includes two types of curved universal arms – use them to add another dimension to your creations!
★ Parts are molded in 10mm-width, 3.5mm-thickness plastic with 3mm holes at intervals of 5mm making them compatible with separately sold universal plates and arms.
★ Arms can be cut using standard modeling tools such as a knife or side cutters.
★ Contains four each of both types of curved arm, plus screws, spacers, nuts and other components used in construction.

Unique Ferrari 512S Berlinetta Speciale on Tamiya RC chassis


We got a fantastic custom model from a reader of ours which we gladly would like to share with you:

I am a big fan of the wedge-shaped concept cars from the late 60s, early 70s coming from Italy. So this time i picked the Ferrari 512S Berlinetta Speciale which was penned by Pininfarina. Originally the chassis for this car came for Ferrari 312P race car.

First a virtual 3D model of the Ferrari body was created consisting of 2 pieces – main body and windshield. Also the original wheels of the car needed to be created in 1/10 scale. Then the 3D data was sent to a 3D printing specialist. The main body with about 2 mm thickness was
printed in a mix of resin and ABS material and the windshield was printed in clear resin. The wheels were also printed from resin/ABS. The special wheel nuts are special production made from aluminium.

In order to make the model look more realistic and close to the real car the rear end of the Tamiya chassis was modified and a setup installed that carries exhaust tips made from aluminium and a gearbox.

The painting of the body was quite time consuming, as when the printed parts come out the surface is not smooth. So putty, several coats of primer and sanding is needed before the body colour can be applied. Several coats of yellow followed and in the final step the surface was polished with 3000 grid sanding paper and then polished to a high shine.

For details like Logos, lights, wiper, intakes I created decals, which were applied in the final step.

This 1/10 model is a prototype from a prototype. But unlike the original car the smaller pendant is running and able to hit the track.

Contributor: Michael Leonhard from Vienna, Austria

Customised Tamiya Rough Rider inspired by the Funco Buggy


One of our readers, Hector Coronel from the Philippines, sent us some photos of his fantastic customised Tamiya Rough Rider / Buggy Champ which we would like to share with you.
He added 16 new panels, scratchbuilt the engine (no 3D print) and narrowed, lengthened and lowered the RR body shell:

Collaborative Monster Truck Collection Tamiya Karfoot from L’Art de l’Automobile


L’Art de l’Automobile preps for Paris Fashion Week with another limited edition vehicular collection. This time, the French label is partnering with Japanese remote control (RC) toy experts Tamiya for a brief monster truck-inspired T-shirt capsule, complete with a matching toy car.
Each of the three special shirts is emblazoned with co-branding and bespoke “KARFOOT” monster truck imagery, dreamed up exclusively for this release. Long-sleeved and short-sleeved shirts are offered in neutral black and white editions, highlighting the prints on the front and rear of each item. The toy KARFOOT truck was created especially for this collection, a natural follow-up to TAMIYA’s 2018 Hornet collaboration with Supreme. Each item is packed inside a special box to drive home the nostalgic nature of the partnership.
Expect L’Art de l’Automobile to launch the exclusive KARFOOT goods will launch via a temporary PFW pop-up shop, though the remote control car will not be for sale.


Source: HYPEBEAST

DT-03 meets Vaillant

With the Neo Fighter on the DT-03 chassis, Tamiya launched a brilliant entry-level buggy a few years ago. The Kit already includes an electronic speed controller TBLE-02 S, a torque-tuned motor and CVA shock absorbers for a suittable price. Many thousands of children and teenager started their RC hobby with a DT-03 buggy or one of the precursor DT-01 and DT-02. Last but not least, the Tamiya Figther Cup is the world’s largest RC car youth racing series.

We only replaced the plastic bearings with ball bearings in our Neo Fighter and exchanged the torque-tuned motor for a Tamiya Sport Tuned motor (the old black one – 53068). A Blue Bird BMS-617 is used as the steering servo. With this set-up, the Neo-Fighter already achieves astonishing driving performance and can still be easily mastered by an RC beginner.

While thinking about how we want to paint our Neo-Fighter, we looked dreamily into our showcase with the old Tamiya buggies and saw the good old “Nylon Parts Coloring Set” by Tamiya (53130). We knew then: the rims had to turn pink! We quickly came up with the “Black Avante” from Tamiya and it was clear that the body should be painted in a combination of silver (Tamiya PS-12) and gun metal (Tamiya PS-23). Looking for suitable pink decals, we looked through our stock and suddenly held the Vaillant Decal-sheet from the 1/10 Porsche 934 Turbo RSR in our hands. The color of the decorative strips was perfect and could easily be adapted to the Neo-Fighter Body.

We are more than satisfied with the result and are excited to see if you also like our Neo-Fighter.

Customizing Mini 4WD Racers For High Speeds On A Small Scale by Ars Technica



Randy Holt, owner of Hobbytown in Toms River, NJ, takes us inside the world of Mini 4WD Racing – a venerable pastime experiencing a new boom in popularity. Randy breaks down the engineering challenges that Mini 4WD drivers need to overcome, and all the tiny gear and tech they use to make it happen. And to help you get started on your own Mini 4WD obsession, Randy unboxes and explains how to assemble a brand new Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Yaris WRC.
Source: Ars Technica