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Friday, October 4, 2024

Sweet New On-Road Options From Tamiya

Tamiya XB

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You can count on Tamiya for their constant efforts in releasing great vehicles for us throughout the year…year after year. To date, we have been blessed with some sweet new on-road options from Tamiya. The on-road offerings are always attention grabbers for us at RC Driver since we love realistic, scale accurate RCs. Following are five new vehicles that are based on three different chassis including the BT-01, MB-01 and TT-02.

Toyota Supra JZA80—#58733

ABOUT THE BT-01 CHASSIS

Tamiya BT-01 chassis.

Kicking off the sweet new on-road options from Tamiya is the Toyota Supra JZA80 which is paired with the newest chassis in this list, the Tamiya BT-01. This chassis has been specially designed to have the capability to choose between two types of wheelbases and front- or rear-wheel drive system. By simply changing the attachment directions of the final gears and steering linkage, without removing the battery pack, motor and RC gear setups from the center chassis frame, you can switch it between front- and rear-wheel drive. Additionally, Tamiya gives you the option of running front (FR) or midship rear (MR) motor position when the chassis is setup for rear-wheel-drive. In order to make maintenance and assembly easier, unitized sections such as the motor mount, suspension and final gears were developed. Easy-to-build and affordable friction shocks sit at each corner with a 4-wheel double wishbones suspension that features symmetrical structure.

As illustrated here, the BT-01 can be assembled in 3 different setups, each offering 2 wheelbases: 251mm and 257mm.

ABOUT THE BODY

The first Tamiya body being offered with the BT-01 is accurately modeled after the iconic Toyota Supra JZA80. It is the fourth generation Supra which was announced as the Toyota flagship sports car in 1993. At motorsports races it achieved unparalleled success thanks to its high-spec performance and its muscular form helped to make it a fan favorite. The top grade RZ model was spec’d with a 3-liter inline 6 twin turbo engine capable of 280-horsepower. Bolted onto it is a 6-speed tranny while a 4-wheel double wishbone suspension and ventilated disc brakes for the front and rear nicely compliment it. The RC version comes as a one-piece polycarbonate shell that is further detailed with ABS plastic side mirrors and its telltale rear wing.

SPECS

Chassis designation: BT-01
Scale: 1/10
Type: Build-up kit
Chassis: Molded bathtub-type ABS plastic frame
Drive Type: 2WD
Drivetrain: Enclosed gearbox, shaft-driven RWD
Differential: 4 bevel gear rear diff
Bearings: Metal and plastic bushings
Suspension (F/R): Upper and lower symmetrical A-arms
Shocks: Molded plastic, friction type
Steering: 3-piece steering tie rod
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Tamiya ESC (electronic speed control)
Wheels: Silver 10-spoke plastic
Tires: Treaded semi-pneumatic tires
Body: Polycarbonate
Length: 457mm
Width: 186mm
Height: 125mm
Wheelbase: 257mm

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

  • 2-channel radio system
  • Steering servo
  • Battery pack
  • Battery charger
  • Paint for polycarbonate

Citroen DS—#58734

ABOUT THE MB-01 CHASSIS

Tamiya MB-01 chassis.

Next up is the Tamiya Citroen which is the newest of the five on-road cars featured in this article and comes equipped with the MB-01 chassis. The 2WD MB-01 chassis shares many of the innovations found on the BT-01 chassis that comes with the aforementioned Supra. It gives the choice of three wheelbase options and front- or rear-wheel-drive system. Specific to the Citroen, the chassis is built with the front-wheel-drive setup and the long wheelbase (239mm). The 4-wheel double wishbone suspension features symmetrical structure and friction dampers that are quick to build and super simple to maintain. Just like the BT-01, you can change between front and rear-wheel-drive without touching the electronics, motor or battery pack.

This versatile chassis can be assembled into three wheelbases and two drivetrain layouts.

ABOUT THE BODY

By far, the Citroen DS body is modeled after the oldest car in the group that dates all the way back to 1955. It was first released in Paris and was frequently dubbed the “spaceship” due to its dramatic aerodynamic shape. Again, Tamiya stayed with high-quality polycarbonate to mold this unique body and gave it all the details that made the real car a stand-out. Molded plastic details like the chrome-plated front and rear bumpers boost its scale appearance and Tamiya made sure that the wheels were spot on to be period correct.

SPECS

Chassis designation: MB-01
Scale: 1/10
Type: Build-up kit
Chassis: Molded bathtub-type ABS plastic frame
Drive Type: 2WD
Drivetrain: Enclosed gearbox, shaft-driven FWD
Differential: 4 bevel gear rear diff
Bearings: Metal and plastic bushings
Suspension (F/R): Upper and lower symmetrical A-arms
Shocks: Molded plastic, friction type
Steering: 3-piece steering tie rod
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Tamiya ESC (electronic speed control)
Wheels: Scale chrome-plated plastic
Tires: Tread pattern radial tires
Body: Polycarbonate
Length: 419mm
Width: 198mm
Height: 137mm
Wheelbase: 239mm

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

  • 2-channel radio system
  • Steering servo
  • Battery pack
  • Battery charger
  • Paint for polycarbonate

1998 Honda NSX Racing—#58739

ABOUT THE TT-02 CHASSIS

Tamiya TT-02 chassis.

Tamiya’s proven TT-02 chassis has been utilized for numerous touring car kits including the newly released 1998 Honda NSX Racing version depicted here. It is a great option thanks to its very easy-to-build design as well as it great out-of-the-box performance. Designed with a 4WD shaft-driven drivetrain offers the chassis a longitudinal layout where the battery is housed on the left and the motor, speed control, steering servo and receiver are installed on the right to give excellent stability. Dependable gear differentials sit at the front and a range of 10 possible gear ratios add plenty of tuning to the driveline. Other tuning options include two different wheelbase choices, two ground clearance settings and two tread set-ups. Friction shocks help keep the cost down and identical left and rear suspension arms and uprights keep the TT-02 chassis from becoming over-complicated.

ABOUT THE BODY

Back in 1990, the NSX, a midship engine sports car was released to the world and soon achieved racing success around the world. It was a contender throughout the 90’s and the 1998 version, which this Tamiya model is based, employs a powerful 3.5-liter V6 engine. Other improvements were added like enhanced aerodynamics, a lower center of gravity, an upgraded brake system and maintenance that was easier to carry out. Like its predecessors, the 1998 version was a winner at the track. The Tamiya build-up kit comes with an aerodynamically efficient polycarbonate body along with plenty of detail stickers that will make it look like the full-size NSX. Good-looking 6-spoke gunmetal wheels add to its appearance and are wrapped with semi-pneumatic slick tires.

SPECS

Chassis designation: TT-02
Scale: 1/10
Type: Build-up kit
Chassis: Molded bathtub-type ABS plastic frame
Drive Type: 4WD
Drivetrain: Enclosed shaft-driven 4WD gearbox
Differential: Bevel gear diffs
Bearings: Metal and plastic bushings
Suspension (F/R): Lower A-arm w/ fixed upper / Lower H-arm w/ fixed upper
Shocks: Molded plastic, friction type
Steering: 3-piece steering tie rod
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Tamiya ESC (electronic speed control)
Wheels: Gunmetal 6-spoke plastic
Tires: Semi-pneumatic slick tires
Body: Polycarbonate
Length: 435mm
Width: 194mm
Height: 121mm
Wheelbase: 257mm

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

  • 2-channel radio system
  • Steering servo
  • Battery pack
  • Battery charger
  • Paint for polycarbonate

Motul Autech Z—#58735

ABOUT THE TT-02 CHASSIS

(See the 1998 Honda NSX Racing section above.)

ABOUT THE BODY

The fully decked out race livery Motul Autech Z is hard to resist…it looks like it is doing 100mph just sitting still. Tamiya did a masterful job in molding the Z body from polycarbonate and gave it all the design cues that make it look so good. To further push the scale appearance, there are a few molded ABS plastic parts like the side mirrors and rear wing complete with swan neck mounts. Up front are separately molded polycarbonate parts to recreate the upper canards and headlight cases. And as you could imagine, there are loads of stickers that complete the transformation into a 1/10-scale racecar. This RC version is a more than faithful recreation of the full size Motul Autech Z that was raced by the NISMO team in the 2023 Super GT series.

SPECS

Chassis designation: TT-02
Scale: 1/10
Type: Build-up kit
Chassis: Molded bathtub-type ABS plastic frame
Drive Type: 4WD
Drivetrain: Enclosed shaft-driven 4WD gearbox
Differential: Bevel gear diffs
Bearings: Metal and plastic bushings
Suspension (F/R): Lower A-arm w/ fixed upper / Lower H-arm w/ fixed upper
Shocks: Molded plastic, friction type
Steering: 3-piece steering tie rod
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Tamiya ESC (electronic speed control)
Wheels: Black 6-spoke plastic
Tires: Semi-pneumatic slick tires
Body: Polycarbonate
Length: 468mm
Width: 188mm
Height: 120mm
Wheelbase: 257mm

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

  • 2-channel radio system
  • Steering servo
  • Battery pack
  • Battery charger
  • Paint for polycarbonate

Toyota Celica GT-Four RC (ST185) —#58730

ABOUT THE TT-02 CHASSIS

(See the 1998 Honda NSX Racing section above.)

ABOUT THE BODY

In the 90’s, rally racing was all the rage and Toyota was a key player. The Toyota Celica GT-Four RC was developed as a homologation car to participate in global rally races and in 1992, 5,000 units were sold around the world. It was equipped with a 4WD system utilizing a center viscous coupling and a Torsen differential for traction and outstanding controllability. In the power department is a 2-liter turbo engine with metal turbines and water-based intercooler system, which was capable of 235ps. These developments led the Celica GT-Four ST185 to earning not only the manufacturer’s championship but also the driver’s championship in 1993. Firsts for Toyota.

SPECS

Chassis designation: TT-02
Scale: 1/10
Type: Build-up kit
Chassis: Molded bathtub-type ABS plastic frame
Drive Type: 4WD
Drivetrain: Enclosed shaft-driven 4WD gearbox
Differential: Bevel gear diffs
Bearings: Metal and plastic bushings
Suspension (F/R): Lower A-arm w/ fixed upper / Lower H-arm w/ fixed upper
Shocks: Molded plastic, friction type
Steering: 3-piece steering tie rod
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Tamiya ESC (electronic speed control)
Wheels: White 5-spoke plastic
Tires: Tread pattern racing radial tires
Body: Polycarbonate
Length: 450mm
Width: 187mm
Height: 136mm
Wheelbase: 257mm

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

  • 2-channel radio system
  • Steering servo
  • Battery pack
  • Battery charger
  • Paint for polycarbonate

For more information about Tamiya products, visit: TAMIYA

Tamiya XB

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