RC Cars
Below you will find images of my Beetle RC Car Collection that i share with my brother.
Most of the current photos are old and I will update them shortly with new high res versions.
Click on the images to see a larger version.
Tamiya Blitzer Beetle
This is my original Blitzer Beetle that my Dad bought me in 1998 from Mick Charles Models in Ewell. It was my first proper RC Car. After a few years of use I changed the rear shocks, fitted an Electronic Speed Controller along with a heat sink to help cool the motor. I have now retired this model and it sits safely on the shelf at home.
Tamiya Blitzer Beetle
This is my second Blitzer Beetle which I purchased used from the Sussex Model Centre in Worthing. Before use I stripped it down, which was a good choice as the bevel gears in the diff were worn and needed replacement. The bodyshell was adorned with loads of stickers which masked cracks as the Beetle had clearly been crashed and rolled many times. I did find that after a while the drive shafts were wearing out, I worked out the rear arms and wishbones all needed replacement along with the wheel hubs, now they take much longer to wear out.
I have now converted this Beetle to Lipo Batteries. I have fitted a Hobbywing ESC, a Core RC 540 Motor and use a Voltz 50c 5000 Mah 2s and Core RC 40 4000mah 2s battery, Combined these two batteries will last around 2 hours.
Tamiya M-04L
I really love thise model, the bodyshell is pretty authentic and the wheels look great. It is a mid-engine rear wheel drive chassis, the later revision (M06) made it a proper rear-engine rear wheel drive model. I really enjoyed building this model along with painting the bodyshell. One thing I didn't know until I did it was on a wooden or slick surface you can perform dohnuts!
FG Ecoline Beetle - on road 1/6th Scale
I bought this Beetle whilst on holiday in the New Forest, there was a small shop in Christchurch and they had several FG Cars but only one Beetle. It was used, so much cheaper than a brand new one. I managed to use it on a RC Plane strip near Beauleau. The batteries only lasted 30 minutes but it was great fun. Having connected a proper 6v battery, fine tuned the Carburettor it will now last 3 hours on a full tank. It has a 23cc chainsaw engine. I replaced the air filter with a K&N filter for improved air intake.
Hot Bodies E-Zilla 10
What can I say, the E-Zilla 10 is crazy, super fast and can pull an endo under heavy braking. I did even flip it over once from full power to full stop. With the older Ni-CD\Ni-MH you were lucky to get 20 minutes run time. I have now upgraded it to Li-Po batteries (Voltz 50c 5000mah 4s) and now it lasts 55 minutes at a maximum speed of 13mph. If I go full power (remove the limiter from the ESC\Transmitter) the max speed is 38mph!
Tamiya TL01 - on road
I bought the TL Chassis in 2000 from a little toy shop in Seaford, it was the Ford Focus WRC edition.
Shortly after purchasing I managed to get a VW Beetle RSI Bodyshell, painted it and fitted it to the chassis.
I have used this in the past at Bognor Regis on an old disused Air Field and it feels quick. The rear can at times be a little loose but fitting the rear stabiliser seems to solve this..
Thunder Tiger DT10 Nitro Buggy
This is the first Nitro Car that I had ever owned and being a Beetle it was certainly worth it. This was purchased from Model Zone in Eastbourne.
I did manage to crash it and break the rear gearbox shock mounts, once a replacement gearbox case was sourced from Model Zone we made a metal cover to help prevent it happening again. The Fuel tank also got punctured by a stone and needed replacement. It is quite nippy for an entry level Nitro Buggy and is tail happy in the wet.
Mardave Beetle
I purchased this Mardave Model when in ChristChurch having seen it in a shop being sold as used. Having never owned one before the simplicity was extraordingly. After a little use this is now sitting on my shelf at home.
Tamiya TB01
I built this model out of spares I had collected from various places. Whilst the TB chassis is good, the front and rear gearboxes are seperate which makes cleaning easier I do prefer the TT or TL chassis'. I still have the boyshell but have now sold the TB Chassis.
