Tamiya Racing Buggy Champ 58441

Description

Tamiya Racing Buggy Champ 58441

This kit includes genuine Tamiya ESC 

In 2009 Tamiya shocked their vintage fan base by re-releasing a true classic, the 1979 Rough Rider, this time called the Buggy Champ. The Rough Rider was Tamiya RC kit #15 and their first in the Special Racing Buggy series that is credited by many for kicking off the entire electric off-road scene. The Buggy Champ is a delightfully faithful reproduction of the original, with the main differences being stronger trailing arms and knuckle mounts, and larger-bore shocks. In addition, the suspension pins now have flat spots to help the set screws grip, the driveshafts are chrome-plated steel in place of brass, and the FRP chassis plates are made with black resin instead of clear.

Compared to a modern RC buggy, the Tamiya Buggy Champ is constructed like it’s from another planet. The front dual trailing arm suspension uses small torsion springs and gives no camber gain. The rear single swing-arm suspension uses torsion bars and gives the most dramatic camber gain you’ll ever see. This is all in homage to the full-scale vehicle the Rough Rider/Buggy Champ was inspired by, the FUNCO dune buggy (itself a total conversion based on an original Volkswagen Beetle). What’s more, these major suspension parts are made of cast steel, as are the transmission halves. The motor is not bolted in, it’s clamped. The speed controller, receiver, battery, and steering servo all sit in a large transparent box to help keep dust out, and this entire box rides on two large rubber well nuts bolted to the flexible fiberglass plate chassis.

As was standard in its day, the body is of the ABS “hard shell” type, and is equipped with a few nice details like faux light buckets and a driver bust, plus even a molded dash insert that’s unfortunately hardly visible once the whole vehicle is assembled. Completing the look are three-piece wheels with a bit of bead-locking action, though the instructions ask you to glue them as well (which I find unnecessary and don’t recommend).

Though it’s an ancient relic in its own right, the Tamiya Buggy Champ or old Rough Rider has probably more historical significance than any RC you could buy in the first decade of the 21st century. It’s clunky and overweight, but represents the state of the art from a time when RC was about to enter a new and exciting phase in its evolution.

Features:

• This is a 1/10 R/C assembly kit.
• Length: 400mm-Full ball bearings.
• ESC and type 540 motor included.
• Comes loaded with many top quality parts for improved performance such as:
• A duralumin plate reinforced 2mm thick FRP main frame.
• Die-cast front and rear suspension arms, front axle, and wheel hubs have been newly designed for this re-release.
• Clear transparent waterproof case protects the R/C mechanisms.
• Reinforced front uprights.
• Redesigned oil dampers.
• Comes in the same original blister pack style packaging.
• White plastic easy-to-paint body included.
• Requires TS paints