Once upon a time

Some 20 years ago, back when I was a post-Lego teenager, I started building static plastic models. I spent hours in a room with smells of glue and paint building warships or rally cars. At the time, Tamiya models were my favorites because they were very detailed and still quite easy to assemble.

When I was 14, I bought a radio controlled buggy to go further, to run a model I would have built. Many assembling hours later, passing some delicate steps, my 4x4 Nichimo Luminous buggy was running!

I remember bashing hard with it: risky jumps, mud and snow. The dirtier it came home, the funnier it was. Until many breaks occurred before the final crash: a full speed frontal encounter with an 1/8th scale buggy. Mine simply and extensively exploded: the chassis frame was broken in 3 parts, and parts spread all over. I tried to gather it all, but many pieces just remained lost on the drama location. This was the end of that experience, also because I started to vary my interests.

The Nichimo Luminous (one of the ugliest buggy ever released )

At the time, I was dreaming of other models, but I did not have enough money for them. The Boomerang was a serious alternative to the Luminous, but I had to choose the Nichimo that better fitted into my low budget. Monster Beetle and Lunch Box made me dream for hours reading the Tamiya guide book, but they just remained out of reach for me. Already then, their great look and big wheels were absolutely fascinating.

The Boomerang, the Monster Beetle and the Vanessa's Lunch Box

A 20 year break later, the modeling daemon took me back in 2006. I spent hours reading forums to understand how RC evolved during all those years. It allowed me to better identify what I wanted and also, how much this hobby would cost.

March 2008 update: now I own the 3 models I was dreaming about some 20 years ago. The Vanessa's Lunch Box is the only one that is not purely original (since mine is a re-released version), but differences are very few. One more thing: NO, I will not try to get a Luminous. Too many bad memories are attached to this model.
Collecting these three models was not intentional when I got back into RC models. It was just a sequel of opportunities. Now, the opportunist is just happy

My models

All my models are presented on dedicated pages. You can access them here in the album by clicking on the desired photo, or using the menu on the left. They are shown in order of arrival in my collection.

Blackfoot Xtreme	Baja King
The Hornet	Vanessa's Lunch Box
The Beetle Frog project	Monster Beetle (2 models)
Mad Bull	Citroën Xsara WRC Rallye de Monte Carlo
The Boomerang	The Grasshopper II
The Fox (2 models)	Ford F-150 / Toyota Prerunner
Sand Viper	King Blackfoot
Lancia Delta HF Integrale / Ford Focus WRC	Madcap
Dark Impact	Suzuki Swift Super 1600
XR311 Combat Support Vehicle

Why  Tamiya?

There are many other brands for radio controlled models: Kyosho, Traxxas and HPI to name a few of them. And yet, my collection only includes models from the two star company. Quite easy to understand: 20 years after, my come back naturally focused on brands I already knew by the time. Nichimo has disappeared, but even though, I wouldn't have tried their models.

Moreover, I never drove in clubs or for competition: this is a hobby and I don't want anything more serious. I don't like gas models either, both for the complex engine setting and their lack of realism. This just made me focus on Tamiya.

Tamiya models have several pros in my opinion:
   The manual is clear
   Product quality (including parts adjustment)
   Spare parts are easily available
   Highly detailed bodyshells that allow very realistic models
   "Recreational"-oriented models
   The brand and models wide enthusiast community.

Vintage Tamiya models are highly appreciated for their collectability as well as for the fun to rediscover models people had decades earlier, especially the 100 first models they released. There are communities of enthusiasts all over the world to discuss about these models, to help others restoring or building their models...

Especially there:

The French-speaking reference

The English-speaking reference

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First publication: april 14, 2008 Last modified: january 12, 2009

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