My "One Off" Ride

This is a score I found on craigslist a few months back, I only ended up paying $25 for the whole car.

A Tamiya FWD Golf V5, kit #58206 FF-01

Everything is brand new, it has been assembled but not run at all.



Open the box.


Lookin under the body.


3 step mechanical speed control, these are all the rage nowadays, aren't they?


Chassis, thats an 11t double wound motor that came with it, How ever I just don't think that the Tamiya trans will hold up to it.


It appears that the car has not ever been run, here is a pic of the comm. The comm actually looks better, the light just caught it weird.


Everything it came with layed out on my workbench.


And a Finished picture.

Cool car but I'm not really liking the color. Too Plain Jane.

I know, The body was painted that color when I got it, I would never paint a car grey. You should have seen the old rims, they were painted the exact same color as the car.

Shaun, if you upgrade the electronics I wan the 3 step speed control...I have most of my old Tamiya Grasshopper in parts and was thinking of restoring it. Let me know if/when you want to get rid of it.

I think that you can get them from Tamiya still, sorry sidewinder but I'm trying to keep all the parts with this one.

I'll let you know if I do find someone that has one though, alot of the time I think you can pick them up for around $10 lol.

Shaun wrote:

I think that you can get them from Tamiya still, sorry sidewinder but I'm trying to keep all the parts with this one.

I'll let you know if I do find someone that has one though, alot of the time I think you can pick them up for around $10 lol.

Not a problem...I haven't even checked yet. I jut keep looking at whats left of the old 'hopper and keep thinkin someday I should rebuild it. I'll bet it got a couple of hunded hours on it. I'll check the LHS... BTW I kind of like the grey the more I look at it. Maybe add some ble or red accents or a tae stripe

i want a grasshopper

I would only get one of the old school tamiyas if they changed their plastic compoound, cause the falcon i got is ABS resin, and that stuff cracks from the slightest touch!

cause its plastic

No, plastic is a great material, and even better than aluminum or hardened steel when use correctly with teh right compound, i love plastic, but tamiya got the blend wrong 20 years ago, so...

oh i like aluminum its light and just as strong as steel

Plastic is lighter and if made properly can flex and return to it's original shape after hard hits.

Plus it's usually cheaper than metals, well if the cost of oil keeps going up that might not be true in the near future.

I have an aluminum Mini-T but had to return the front C hubs to plastic because one bad hit bent them up.


They were on the car for one run.

Many years ago my brother had Tamiya's (he had a Hornet and I had a Boomerang) and they were fun, but I later got an RC10 that was fun too. Traded them away to a guy racing RC for some N scale trains back when I was racing slot cars.

that sucks that they bent after one run what did you do hit a curb at 35mph

brushlessmicrodude wrote:

that sucks that they bent after one run what did you do hit a curb at 35mph

Hit a crack in the alley at about 15mph and flipped.

dang that car must be hurting

There is a reason I like my RC18T and PRO-T100 more than the Mini-T.

So Shaun, tell us. How does it run? FWD must be a hoot, I'm thinking NASCAR terms of it having a PUSH. That would be understeer for those who don't follow that form of racing.

MY Tekin ESC was burnt up so I never got to try it. I also don't want to use the original kit tires.

Once my sidewinder gets here I'll throw my LRP A.I. Runner reverse, and a 19t I have laying around in it.

I was looking at one of these a ehile ago, if you want, a review of the car would be great after you drive it!
Hopefully i'll have a review section up by then!

mtm you where looking at what the car shaun got off craigslist

no, a tamiya 1/12th in general, the "new" mini coopers are sweet, and very durable! On the tack, they don't race, they turn it into a demo derby!

sounds cool

I have a vid LOL! I still have to edit it though if you guys want to see it!

I would like to see a video, I want to see how the front wheel drive handles!

Alright, i'll try to get it edited and up by tomarrow!

mtm wheres the vid i want to see it