
RC body reinforcement and repair stories
・Introducing how to reinforce the body and how to repair it if it is damaged.
Touring tire story
・Introducing the types of tires, wheels, and inners for touring cars.
The team behind TamiyaBlog loves the Tamiya Comical and Fun models. It is not a secret. And secretly, we have been hoping for a 4WD comical buggy based on GF-01 for a long time. When the Comical Avante was actually presented at the Nuremberg Toy Fair 2020, we could hardly believe that Tamiya really did it.
The Avante, a Tamiya design icon of the 1980s, as a comical model. Can it go well?
In short, yes !
The original Avante has such an elegant, slim and technical design that I could hardly imagine how even a comical body could fit on the current and relatively wide GF-01 chassis.
Tamiya mastered it with flying colors. For the wanted comical look, the body was of course compressed as usual. Nevertheless, the body adapts wonderfully to the chassis, like the body of the original Avante. The already well known beautiful driver figure from pdc designworks, which is already included with the kit, fits so perfectly under the pilot’s cockpit, and literally cries out to start driving right away. Exhaust pipes now come in a carbon look and underline the professional Hi-Tech look of the Avante. But let’s take a look at the technical side.
It is very interesting to see how Tamiya adapted the well-known GF-01 chassis to the comical buggy set up. The main frame, which also serves as the gearbox, has been provided with additional fastening points on the rear for the new body bracket. The wishbones were of course adopted from the WR-02CB Comical models. A new slim bumper rounds off the concept harmoniously. A number of headlights can also be mounted on this bumper. But we decided against it. For a clean look. Oh, i almost forgot. Tamiya donated new tires to the Comical Avante. And how we love this design. Let´s hope for more models using this type of tire.
As with the Comical Grasshopper, we also donated a few sensible Tamiya Hop Ups to the new Avante. Starting with the complete ball bearing set, via the Sport Tuned motor, in combination with a 20 tooth motor pinion. Although the Tamiya Comical models are all already equipped with CVA oil shock absorbers, the Avante is no exception, we have again installed the great GF-01 aluminum damper set. It just looks fantastic and it works that way. GF-01 steering arm and Tamiya Hi Torque Servo Saver with aluminum servo horn make steering much more precise. Incidentally, we highly recommend installing the 50808 TG10 wheel axles, also recommended by Tamiya in a supplementary sheet. These cause a widening of the track. The thicker hex adapters, which are required for this are already included with the kit. As a result, the Comical Avante does not tip over so quickly and simply looks even better. The optional Wheelie Roller Set in blue rounds the thing off perfectly to the rear. This time, we did the original paintscheme, because the body comes already pre-painted with this kit. But you have to cut it out. And application of the stickers is needed too. The original color scheme can only be called truly brilliant. For those who want to create their own color scheme, there will be an unpainted/clear bodyset available soon.
But no more words now. Enjoy the Comical Avante !
With our Set Up, it´s a blast to drive. And with any doubt, it´s the best performing Tamiya Wheelie/Fun car, we have driven so far.
Upon requests from some of our valued readers. This is a list of genuine Tamiya Hop Up parts, we´ve used on this car:
54924 GF-01 Ball Bearing Set
50808 TG10 Long Wheel Axle
53509 Hard Flourine Coated 0.6 Aluminum Pinion (20T/F201)
54670 Aluminum Oil Damper 4pcs Blue For GF01 WR02
53974 TRF 501 Front Spring Set
54588 GF-01 Aluminum Steering Arm
54586 Lightweight Gear Shaft 5x50mm For GF-01 WR-02 WT-01
51000 Servo Saver Hi Torque Type (Black)
54121 Aluminum Horn for Hi Torque Servo Saver
54473 Aluminum Wheelie Roller Set for WR-02 WR-02G

Source: Andy’s Hobby Headquarters

While waiting for the release of the 47438 Tamiya Super Storm Dragon, based on the classic Tamiya Hornet chassis, another too long ongoing project was waiting to be finished.
The Grasshopper II. Back in the days, the Grasshopper II was not really my cup of tea. But today i see it from another point of view. Especially the “Super G” version, which was available on some markets is a really cool car. So, the plan was to re-create that version. The “Super G” came with a 540er motor instead of the stock 380 motor. Friction shocks were also changed to the cool C.V.A. ones. Yellow Fox/Wild One style wheels and Avante/Supershot Spike tires for the rear and Super Hornet style front pin spike tires. The tires, shocks, and motor (we used a 540 Black Sport Tuned) weren´t really a problem. But the yellow wheels aren´t impossible to find nowadays. So we made our own using the classic Tamiya Nylon Parts Coloring Set No. 53130. The wheels came out very well. Tamiya TS-76 Mica Silver was used for the body, to give the buggy a more professional look. With the modern ESC, Sport Tuned motor, and digital servo, the “Super G” is a really good performer for such an basic entry level car.
Enjoy !

For many, buying and driving an RC car modeled after a real car is a way to get some type of experience with something of interest. I have a Tamiya Porsche GT3 in my collection that I cherish because I want the real car but will probably never get the chance to own one. A lot of Tamiya’s RC models are perfect for this purpose and if you are a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia fan, this latest release from Tamiya will be right up your alley! The Tamiya Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is based on the M06L RR platform so it’s a smaller sedan, but still a ton of fun to drive. Like nearly most of Tamiya’s RC cars nowadays, the VW is a kit that you build and detail, perfect for those who love the modeling aspect of the hobby. We built and painted ours over the past few weeks and are now ready to show it off. We’ll give you the details about this exciting RC car in our full review which of course includes action and our performance thoughts as well.
Source: RC Driver YouTube channel

When you’re looking for something fun to do, turning to a Tamiya model is a great way to spend your time, building, being creative and really enjoying a hobby. There are certainly plenty of RC models to choose from in the Tamiya line-up and although there are plenty of new kits, we wanted to show you a kit that has been around for a bit and is still a great model to have fun with. The Tamiya Land Rover Defender 90 is based on their CC-01 chassis and this 4×4 off-road capable truck is just perfect for looking scale and exploring those dirt paths at your local park. It’s a build up kit that includes a speed control, motor and even LED lights. You’ll need a few more items to finish it up, and you’ll need plenty of free time to build the chassis and detail the body. But when you’re done, you’re left with a simple RC truck that will be a lot of fun to drive around.
Source: RC Driver YouTube channel

Source: Andy’s Hobby Headquarters

Looking for something to do? Want to pick up a fun hobby? Maybe you’re already in the RC hobby, but radio control cars are a great way to pass some time and have a ton of fun while doing so. What’s even better is you can really enjoy the radio control car hobby right in your home. In this video we give you a glimpse into what buying an RC car kit is like and how much fun you can have with one. Our vehicle of choice to show you the aspects of the hobby is the Tamiya Comical Frog Buggy kit. This kit you get to build and detail just like you can with a model and then you get to drive it! We’ll drive it indoors and outdoors. It’s an affordable kit and you can buy the rest of the electronics you need to complete it fairly inexpensively.
Source: RC Driver YouTube channel

This model kit recreates a WWII Soviet subject. It’s considered an important design in the history of armor, as it was developed concurrently with the T-34 medium tank. Armed with a powerful 76.2mm ZIS-5 gun and continually updated to improve its survivability, it served through to the end of WWII.
• 1/35 scale plastic model assembly kit.
• Early 1941 model is depicted.
• Completely new design, with no parts brought over from previous kits.
• Early 1941 features such as welded turret and early production road wheels are accurately rendered.
• Surface textures such as the rough Soviet steel plate and cast areas reproduced with weld lines also depicted.
• Driver and gearbox hatches, plus fender-top stowage cases can be assembled open or closed.
• Simple turret ring construction.
• Assembly type tracks feature one-piece straight sections and recreate upper run “sag”.
• Comes with two marking options and a single commander torso figure.

Source of the video review: Andy’s Hobby Headquarters