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Listed below are models submitted by customers and your truly.  I encourage everyone to send pictures of their rides to show off to the world.  These serve as inspiration and as reference.  I will occasionally pull pictures from the web to showcase good examples of the models we build, race and are restoring.  Click on the pictures to see a full sized picture.

My Rides

 

Tamiya Toyota Hilux Monster Racer

This is my Toyota Hilux Monster Racer that I bought from a friend about a year ago.  It was in horrible shape.  The only original parts are the wheels, transmission and shocks.  I soaked the wheels in mineral spirits for four days to loosen up the three coats of paint on them.  The original chassis was beat to death and the original body had a cruddy paint job.  I got a new body from Tamiya and the stickers are from the Toyota Prerunner.  I managed to get all new chassis parts from a local shop that was getting rid of them and some Team Blue-star sealed ball bearings.  I put a Super Rooster in this model with a Fantom Modified.  This model is in perfect condition after about 20 to 30 hours of on and off work.  I plan on running it, but not a whole lot.  This model is pretty cool and is always the first model to get attention when people visit.

 

Associated RC10 Gold Pan Buggy

This is my vintage RC10 Gold Pan buggy that I build from mostly new parts.  I used the transmission from a donar car and the rear a-arm mounts.  The rest of the car is brand new Associated parts that all came as black so I ended up keeping the black theme throughout.  This car is unique as most of the vintage RC10 buggies are done up in white parts which are highly sought after.  I figured I would go a different route and make this guy a bit different.  I just happened to have a new set of HPI's replacement tires for the RC10 in my stock and I managed to refinish the front and rear wheels in black to keep it all consistent.  This RC10 will stay as s shelf queen as running the car is out of the question and this is not like me as I make all of my cars operational but this one is just a great piece of history that looks awesome on the shelf.  In all it took about three months of parts ordering, building and piecing this ride together and the body came out fairly well also. This buggy is now sold.

Associated RC10B4 Racing Buggy

This is my RC10B4 that I race at my local track every now and then.  She sports a Novak Racer esc with a stock motor and Futaba radio gear.  The model is pretty much stock box and does well on the track.  This is one of the 1st generation B4's as I had the older front bulkhead brace which was worthless since I broke it three times.  After some searching I found the aluminum front bulkhead and the reinforced front brace and now she is good to go!  This car is designed well and weighs hardly anything.  That body in the picture is the original also and I have yet to change it out.  This buggy is now sold!

Tamiya M4 Sherman Tank

This is my M4 Sherman that I purchased at the TamiyaCon show in April 2006 at Tamiya America.  I purchased it at the tent sale that day and did the build shortly afterward.  The tank now has the full battle system and it took me about three weeks to build the tank between the r/c portion of it and the model building.  I run the tank in my local tank club, DAK (Desert Amour Korp) here in Phoenix.

Tamiya Jeep Wrangler XC Truck

This is my Jeep Wrangler that started out as a body that I won on Ebay back in early 2006.  The body sat around for a while and I ended up getting all of the parts for the build-up out of a Tamiya Touareg kit.  I had to modify the drive shaft to short it for the shorter wheel base on the Jeep.  The jeep now sports a LRP esc with the stock motor and a Futaba radio system.  The jeep runs great and looks really scale.  I was going to strip the body but decided it might do more harm than good and the paint job is not that bad.

Tamiya Honda CR-V XC Truck

Here is my Honda CR-V that my wife bought for me back around Christmas of 2005.  This kit sat on a wall in a local shop for almost six years by the time she bought it for me.  The truck sports the Bfgoodrich tires instead of the plain kit tires and gives it much more curb appeal.  The truck handles extremely well and I finished the body in a Krylon blue color.  The truck has a LRP esc with the stock motor and a Futaba system just like the Jeep Wrangler.

Tamiya Isuzu Amigo XC Truck

This Isuzu Amigo project started out as a body from a large lot of Cross-Country chassis's and other stuff.  As you can see the body was in horrible shape.  There was three coats of paint, broken parts on the front end, dead bugs stuffed in the front end, horrible stickers and a roll cage on the top!  What the heck is a roll cage doing on the top!  It looks to be an old blackfoot roll cage.  Well after having this body sit in brake fluid for over 2 months the paint finally started to loosen up.  I used everything to get the paint off from sandpaper to files to scribes.  I had to rebuild the front end with epoxy and polystyrene strips to get a similar look to the original parts.  The truck is now refinished in blue with the front bumper in black.  I built up a chassis from the Touareg kit like the Jeep and all she needs is the chrome parts to make her complete.  If you have them please let me know. 

Tamiya M02 Monte Carlo Mini Cooper

This is my M01 Monte Carlo Mini Cooper that I built back in 2005 from a new chassis that I found on Ebay and the body was a build up from parts through my distributor.  The body came out really nice and I entered into one of the TCS races for the best of show contest.  Unfortunately I did not win but everyone had nice things to say about this ride which people had not seen in a long time.  This was also before the expert build version came out on the M03 chassis so the judges were not convinced that I did this on my own.  Oh well, she looks good on display in the garage.  Check out the pics when I had her at Tamiya that day.  She sports an old Novak esc with Airtronics system so speed is not her thing but lookin good she is!

Tamiya America Visit

This was a couple of visits to Tamiya America.  This will now be history due to them moving.  The showroom was awesome and the display cases were filled with most of their current models at the time.  These pictures were taken back in 2004 and 2005.

 

Tamiya Frog Buggy

This is my Frog that was a restoration with an aftermarket body before they came out with the reproduction kit.  This buggy is very nice and runs great.  This buggy brings back alot of memories since my first model was a Tamiya Frog back in 1986.  This project was started back in 2004 and ended with the body in 2005.  I chose red and white for the colors since I am not a big fan of pin except on the Pink Panther and Mopar muscle cars.

 

Traxxas Stampede

This is my Traxxas Stampede that is my daily runner/beater.  The truck has a Novak Rooster with a Trinity Chameleon and it has plenty of punch.  I chucked the old body and put an older Parma Jeep pick-up truck body on it.  It has much more character now and also has the RPM Talons to give it some eye appeal.  What a great truck!  I have run this truck to death and have hit curbs dead on at least 4 times at full throttle.  I have destroyed at least six servos before getting a Kimbro unit and have only broken the front-end twice even with hitting the curb.

Tamiya VW Beetle

This is my wife's VW Flower Power Beetle.  This model was bought new in the box for only $85 on Ebay back in fall 2005 for her as a Christmas gift.  The model sports a Novak esc with stock motor and Futaba system.  The body was a miracle of sorts.  I bought one can of Pink Pactra paint that had been sitting on the shelf forever and the propellant ran out before the body was done.  This left small clear sports on the lexan.  I ended up backing it with racing red and it gave it a orange peel effect so that car looks like something out of a Strawberry Shortcake toy line-up.  This car is a blast to drive and they handle extremely well. 

Tamiya VW Beetle

This is my VW Blue Beetle I picked up on Ebay a while ago back in spring 2005.  The car came from Ebay Germany where VW models are very easy to find and the car sports a basic Lrp esc and stock 540 motor.  I set-up this car to match my wifes so that we could do battle on the street.  This model is a blast to drive and fairly quick.  The body was painted by the original owner and was done pretty good so why go and create more work for myself.  This ride looks good.

Traxxas Stampede

This is Traxxas Stampede is one of my family members trucks.  I upgraded the truck to a Proline Chevy Silverado body and did up the body in a Pactra metallic purple with the lighter stripe along the side.  The truck has its stock set-up from Traxxas with the basic esc but these trucks are great for beginners and us advanced drivers since they are so durable.  The truck see's daily action our here in Phoenix and has seen more than one crash!

Tamiya Juggernaut 2

I picked up Juggernaut off Ebay last year around spring time from a seller in Texas.  The guy had no feedback but I took a chance and it was well worth it.  When I got the truck it had a thrashed body from tons of roll overs and it needed a good cleaning.  I ended up building up a completely new body, finished it in Tamiya Ferarri red and put a light system in it also.  I hooked up the light system to a smaller Tamiya battery pack so the main pack would not be drained and I completely cleaned the chassis and disassembled and rebuilt most of it.  I ended up replacing some other parts to freshen up the truck and here he is now.  I got one of those small Craftsmen jacks which goes really well with the truck.  The truck runs with a Novak Super Rooster, stock motors and a Futaba Magnum Junior which give the truck good control and plenty of power.

Tamiya Hot Shot 4WD Buggy

 This Hot Shot was a car I got off Ebay back in 2005 with the intentions of restoring her and she is done.  I have new pictures to upload and after a complete tear down and rebuild she is in much better condition.  I did find that some of the plastic did not hold up well over the years and became brittle.  I may end up using some parts from the new rerelease to replace some of the parts that I patched up.  The body was in really nice shape which was a surprise.  She now sits along side my Super Shot.

Tamiya Nissan King Cab

 This Nissan King Cab was an Ebay purchase back in January 2007.  The truck's chassis is in excellent condition and the body just needed a couple of extra coats to get rid of the transparent affect.  After laying down some more paint and cleaning her up a bit she was ready to go.  I put in a Novak Rooster with a Venom motor and boy does she fly.  The collection of the Hilux and King Cab is now complete.  I remember my friend back in NY having one of these and just thought, what a cool truck!  Well now I have one!

Tamiya Mad Cap Buggy

 This Mad Cap came in a lot of parts along with a beater car that I got off Ebay last year.  This buggy is in great condition and only needed the body to be cleaned up a bit as it was dusty.  The car is a shelf queen and is one of the best examples I have seen of a Mad Cap.  This was a deal of a lifetime as I got the car, a parts car and a ton of parts for $35!

Tamiya Fox Buggy

 This Fox was a long term project that started back in 2004 with some new parts and some donor cars that I cam into over the last few years.  I just kept putting parts aside and eventually realized that all I needed was a good body.  The last donor car that I came into last year had a good body but it was all done in black!  I figured lets take a chance an apply the decals and see how it turns out.  After putting on the decals I realized that the body looked really nice.  I ended up finding a set of Proline Vintage Fox tires in my stock and a good set of wheels last year.  Well, you put it all together and presto! You have a good lookin Fox to show off!  What a ride she is and a shelf queen she will remain!  Only the extremely rare cars stay as shelf queens!

Tamiya Astute Buggy

 This Asutue was probably one of the roughest cars I ever came into but at $25 it was not that bad!  The items to be fixed included a completely new front bulkhead, rear gear cover, wheels, tires, bearings and other mics. items.  I did the rebuild with nos wheels, HPI rally front tires which were a direct fit and cleaning up the chassis after a tear down.  New ball bearings and reusing the old body ended up with a nice lookin Astute that also runs extremely well.  I put in a sport Novak esc with stock motor and Futaba system.

Tamiya M03L Mini Cooper

This is my Mini Cooper I ran on 8-24-03 in TCS race #100.  The car did well until the steering came apart!! The car is now equipped with a Duratrax Blast and a Mabuchi Stock Motor.  The car moves pretty quick and is a blast to drive.  The car is going to be refit for the upcoming TCS Race in June.  The car runs full ball bearings, carbon internal shafts and Tamiya CVD's.

Tamiya Toyota Hilux Pick-up

 This is my Hilux that I picked up way back in 2003 along with a huge lot of cars & trucks from a seller on Ebay up in Sacremento, California.  I sold off everything else a while back and kept the Hilux with the intentions of restoring this truck.  The truck is currently in a million pieces and I will be sending out the parts for refinishing when I get the chance.  I thought about selling the truck off as parts but cannot bring myself to do this as the truck is my most valuable piece in my collection.  After I get the metal all refinished I will start the rebuild with new hardware and new radio system in hope of entering the truck in the next TamiyaCon in 2008.

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Tamiya M03 Racing Mini Cooper

 This is my Mini Cooper that I raced at the Tamiya June 2007 Fun Race out in California.  The car sports a Novak GT-7 esc with stock motor and Hitec radio system.  The car does fly and looks awesome.  I set a new record for finishing this body which only took me about 2 hours since I was short on time.  This race was my last race that I attended at Tamiya America at thier old facility which nobody knows the fate of.  She runs good and is a blast to drive.

Tamiya Overlander

 This is my Overlander that I bought at Tamiya while they were still in Aliso Viejo.  It sports an old school Trinity modified with an LRP speed controller.  It is one of my runners and a ton of fun.

Tamiya Wild Dagger

 This is my Wild Dagger that came from Hobby Bench before they closed up the store in PV mall. It has been updated with a Novak Rooster and Trinity modified motors.  What a great ride!

Tamiya Nissan 350Z

 This is my TB01 Nissan 350Z street car.  I have a Novak Dually with a modified Trinity motor.  The car is a blast to drive and flies!

 

Tamiya M03 Mini Cooper Yankee's Tribute

This is my Yankee's tribute mini cooper.  I found the decal at Knotts Berry Farm in Calfornia and the decal actually started the idea for a tribute car.  This model sports a Novak esc and stock motor to keep the run times longer.  It handles well and has seen many street battles with the other minis.

Tamiya Avante Racing Buggy

This is a Avante that I got off Ebay back in summer of 2006.  The buggy is in nice shape except for the body being painted with regular paint.  The paint still looks okay but I may end up pull it off when time permits.  I put new tires on the buggy and she remains a shelf queen.  I always wanted one of these and the deal I got on Ebay was really good at the time.  If I remember right I paid around $130 for her.

Tamiya Grasshopper

 Here is my Tamiya Grasshopper that came from Ebay Germany.  The model was in good condition when I got it.  It needed a thorough cleaning as there was tons of sand, dirt and grease in every possible place.  The body was in horrible shape.  Some of the decals were super-glued on and part of the wing on the back was broken off.  I removed all of the decals off of the body and re-cut four spots where the body was broken.  I realigned each spot and reglued for a proper fit.  I fit in a piece of styrene onto the wing and filled the gaps with Testors putty.  The body is going to be sanded and shot in Testors white.  I will then apply a new set of decals I just recently got off of Ebay.  We the Hopper is finally done.  It is amazing how much dirt, grease and grime can come off one model.  The body ended up having four coats of paint and most of the suspension was replaced with new parts.  The tires are in perfect condition and the rims are near perfect also.  I installed a MRC stick radio system from the mid 80's also that works perfectly.  All of the decals are brand new and placed perfectly along with a new front bumper and full sealed ball bearings throughout.  The car also has the original RS 380 motor installed which was also brand new that I got with another lot of parts.  The model is no rocket on the street but this is one piece of R/C car history you do not want to beat-up on.  The only part to finish on the car is one of the cross members on the front window opening but I will fix it later on.  For now it is taken out on the street every now and then to help relive those memories I have with my friends back in the day. 

Tamiya M38 Wild Willy's Jeep

Here is an original M38 Tamiya Wild Willy's Jeep that I found on Ebay.  It came from upstate New York and arrive in the condition you see.  This model will be my next project.  I located some rare parts on Ebay Australia recently to help in the restoration.  The model is in overall fair condition.  The chassis almost all there except for one rear shock spring.  The model also came with the original Tamiya Hump pack which is in excellent condition.  The body on this model is need of help, but since the new version came out this will be fairly easy to repair.  Well after piecing together almost four Jeep's I finally have a whole Wild Willy in near mint condition.  The truck will undergo a restoration as I picked up parts on Ebay Australia for next to nothing a few months back.  I got four parts tree's for $19 US dollars.  What a smoking deal!  The body, tires and chassis are near perfect and I also have a near new condition Tamiya hump pack on the chassis also.  I just need one front rim as one of them is cracked pretty bad.  Once this model is completed it will be a joy to run, but with extreme care!

Tamiya Super Shot

This is the Tamiya Super Shot I won with the Tamiya Grasshopper above from Ebay Germany for 79 Euros!! --What a deal!.  The chassis on this model is in near perfect condition.  This model needs a full body set, chassis under guard, front bumper and bumper stay.  I have the body set and under guard that I won Ebay New Zealand and have yet to install them.  I was surprised of how good the condition is on this model.  Of course it has the usual dirt, grease and sand lodged here and there.  It will of course need a full breakdown, cleaning and rebuild to get it back to mint condition.  This project will take place at the same time as the Jeep.  This model is great as it has a graphite double deck chassis and shaft driven four wheel drive.  A true kick butt off-road machine! 

Tamiya Racing Mini Cooper

Here is my Racing Mini Cooper which was raced at Tamiya's Semifinal TCS race on August 25th 2002 in California.  The model is brand new and contains upgraded wheels, full ball bearings, a Novak Racer speed controller, quick release battery holder and aluminum shocks.  I plan on installing a Hitec FM radio system later this month and will begin practicing here in Phoenix.  The prep work for the paint job took about 3 hours and it paid off as the results are my best yet.  I find the M class models to be small but big enough to be exciting.

 

 

 

Tamiya Clod Buster

This is my Clod Buster and is the largest R/C truck in my group.  The truck has a Novak Super Rooster, Trinity Clod battery, a tamiya monster truck light set, Novak receiver and Futaba Magnum Junior transmitter.  I also put in two Trinity Monster Mash motors which helps this guy move pretty quick.  This model is a blast to run and can get a ton of air on jumps.

 

Tamiya F-150 Blackfoot

 This is my original Tamiya Frog from 1986 that I converted to a blackfoot in 1992.  I put a JG kevlar front shock mount, Thorp gears and a stock motor with a Futaba speed controller.  The truck has Trinity wheels and a Parma Dodge Ram body.  This model still runs great.

 

Tamiya TR-15T

This is my TR-15T that I restored for the Tamiycon competition in 2006.  She is now a shelf queen and looks fast just sitting there.  It took months to find the parts and the body came from Japan at a hefty price.  I bought the body in early 2006 and I have not seen on Ebaey since then.

Tamiya Lunch Box

This is my Lunch Box that was a complete basket case when it came to me.  I got the body from Tamiya Club for $12.00 well before the rerelease came out so they were hard to come by.  I packed up the body and sanded and finished it in three coats of primer, three coats of yellow and two coats of sealer.  I put in a Novak explorer and a Futaba radio system.  The van runs good and is a good example of not wasting a body but giving a second chance.

 

 

Tamiya Subaru Impreza WRX

This is my WRX TB01 chassis ride that won best of show in the last Rally Tarmac Race at Tamiya America.  The car has a Novak Dually esc with a modified motor and really flies!  This car is one of my prized models due to its importance in Tamiya history.

Tamiya Race #105

This is an old picture of my r/c collection from about 2005.  Some of the models are now gone.  The Wild one is the only one I regret selling.

 

Sold r/c Cars

 

Mauri Big Bear Truck-sold

This is a Mauri Big Bear Datsun that I got off Ebay a while ago with a bunch of other models.  The truck had that horrible pink body color but the chassis was barely used.  I have since repainted the body to black and finished off the chassis.  I will be posting more pictures soon.

 

 

2004 Mazda 6s

 

 

Customers Rides

 

Tamiya Blitzer Beetle

Here is one awesome Blitzer Beetle that is equipped with ball bearings, an esc and a custom painted body shell to match!

CJ-8 Mountain Climber

Here is a picture of a custom CJ-8 that a customer built.  This model is custom built to be a climber.  It has custom made aluminum chassis that can withstand a nuclear blast!  This thing rocks and is indestructible!!

 

Buggy and Truck Pictures

 

 

 

Tank Pictures