58441 Off Road Buggy Champ 2009 Racing Buggy Kit

This a reproduction of my first RC car. It is a pretty faithful reproduction, which causes a couple of problems. You will have to get a “shorty” battery to fit in the waterproof box (the kit provides a foam piece to keep it from rattling around). Unless you have a Tamiya esc (or at least the power switch from one) it will be difficult to fit the on/off switch in the stock location. Lastly, this is an old design. The dampers are not terribly great, the suspension is too stiff and this beast is way too heavy. If you take this into account, this is a wonderful model. If they tried to fix all of the design problems, I would have given this car a much lower score. I plan on getting its sister product, the Sand Scorcher, as soon as I can afford it. Which brings me to my last gripe, the price. For this money, you can get a much more capable RC car. But, to me anyway, nothing can match the nostalgia, you just have to know what you are buying.

Well, I recently got an old vintage Rough Rider that my friend built 40 years ago. After making the adjustment, maintenance, and some upgrades, I managed to make it working perfectly, so I decided to buy a new model for him to build as a Christmas gift. The shipping was fast, I received it in three days after the PO. However, after I opening the shipping package, I was stunned when reading the instructions on model box. The RC Controller, receiver, car battery, servo are sold separately! I checked on Amazon, another $160 for a 2 channel RC Controller package. No kidding! ($519+$160)*1.08=$733 to get the model built, regardless the paint cost! I gave up and ordered another one from a third party with $386 including shipping and received package three days later. The money I saved on the second one allow me to get all the necessary parts I need to complete the build, and I prepared all the parts along with the second order and give it to my friend as a gift. Quality (based on the second order I made): 1. Overall, the plastic used in the 2009 model feels "cheap" compared to the 1979 version, obvious downgraded for the rear bumper. 2. Combined receiver power supply with the motor power supply using a single modern ESC which provides additional room for adding a larger Li-Po battery which is a plus. In old 1979 model, the receiver will have a separate AA battery pack for power supply, and the receiver will drive two servo, one for steering, and another for adjusting the circuit board contact to allow the current flow magnitude (direction and volume) to the motor (similar to the sliding rheostat). 3. The metal parts is slightly lighter compared to the 1979 version, I can't tell the rigidity for those parts. Overall, the upgraded (I would say cost saving) product from Tamiya will be easier to build compared to the old ones. However, the "upgrade" (eliminate a servo and battery pack to the radio receiver) doesn't justify the overwhelming price tag. It will be reasonable for a RC build kit under $400 without the vital parts.

I had the original Version Drove it till the parts wore out 2 yrs ,Very Fun and nimble

Fantastic model should of had one 30 years ago,it was a pleasure to build and paint,will be looking at sand scorcher next.