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@@johnroop596 Yes, but they are made from different plastic, they are not the same. So far so good. I've never had issues with the plastic gears, as long as you use bearings and shim it up if needed. They used to make an oil diff with metal gears but it would leak, it was a poor design. The new one that comes in the kit is much better.

@@johnband5588 Absolutely! And it would be decals, not this hard paint job. It would be very easy to come out with Salute, they have already released a new batch of Javelin and Optimas. By the way, the new Legendary Optima Pro is out! I'll be making videos on it soon I hope. Thanks for watching!

@@eekrc took myself nearly 4 years to get the KYOSHO JAVELIN at manufacturers price and not some ones rent payment, thanks again for sharing

Would like to see the ASSAULT re release as well

@@johnband5588 I get it, I converted my Optima to a Javelin because they sold out and didn't make anymore.Now of course you can buy them again.

@@garyloades5188 Hey Gary...it really does, the camera doesn't really do it justice. It looks better in person. I would love to see your Subaru, that is one of my favorite body shells. I had one in the 80s, I miss it. If you feel like it, send me pictures...my email is in the channel description.

@@rcicons4915 Thanks Keith! You probably have so many projects on your list. I'm sure you will get to a TT-02 at some point. The kits like the TT-02BR, the SRX...these are the ones to build. The standard kits are just all plastic and really need hop-ups to make them worth driving/building.

@@thebandit1974 A lot of people tell me that, I think it's because they are so customizable. Endless hop-ups and mods you can do. I've always enjoyed the builds. And they are cheap and easy to fix!

@@rj.ch. The TT-02 kits have so many hop-ups available, it is a lot of fun to play with. Thanks for watching!

@@AntsRC yes...different chassis, it has a top plate, better gearbox/slipper clutch, better shocks. It's as close to a professional RC racer that Tamiya ever made. Even though I don't think it could compete back in the day with the Losi and Schumacher type cars.

@@333UNLUCKY Do it! You will enjoy the build and running it. Parts are fairly cheap if you break something too. Have fun!

@@coygtrc I'm very happy with it, it's simple but it works well. I'm excited about the JRX2, I really hope they re-release some of the vintage Losi kits. They are missing out on an opportunity here. I'm sure they would sell a lot of them!

@@madvente Thank you! Yes, I had the same thought. It doesn't really shake or wobble when I'm driving it, but I might do that anyway. 👍

@@ralfdebrauwer1392 It definitely feels more controllable, the diffs do feel different to me. The stiffer chassis/shock mounts contribute to that also. The biggest benefit of the oil diff is that you can change the oil to fit your needs/driving style. I like thicker oil in the front for more stability, but the kit oil is fine for now. I really like the Cherry Red, I will probably use it in the future too. Thanks for watching!

@@israelgeddes604 So much fun! It was the first time I ever saw an RC monster truck. It is a special one for me too. I'm actually still working on it, It's about 80% done.

@@eekrcI hope you show it off can't wait to see it when finished ! And I soon hope to get another one it was tough easily built and still my favorite monster truck r/c and I'm so surprised that it doesn't seem to get much attention, I think a updated version would take the r/c community by storm much like updated versions of other monster trucks have!

@@israelgeddes604 I will definitely be making a video on it when it's done. For some reason it really doesn't get attention like you said, even though it was the very first RC monster truck! Even Gil Losi credits it for the inspiration behind the Losi JRX-T stadium truck. Unfortunately Marui only makes airsoft guns now, they couldn't compete with Tamiya and Kyosho back in the day. That makes the Big Bear even more cool if you ask me. It's more rare.

@@robn4462 Hey Rob! That's great, I'm excited for you! I hate to say it, but the Legendary Kyosho kits are far better than the Tamiya re-release kits. The improvements they make are substantial. Where Tamiya doesn't make any. I guess it's just a different philosophy on how re-release kits should be.

@@angpar8449 Yes! I'm excited to build this one.

@@guymarotta2596 Yes! There are so many I want them to re-release. The Madcap is one of my favorites!

@@guymarotta2596 When you buy these kits used you never know what you are going to find, or who build them. I've seen a lot of terrible builds.

@@peterGriffin-ug7jv Yep, you can do that too. Do you remember how much you paid? Is it more money to buy them separately?

@@stevealvine1161 I've heard that, they normally remove the oil and grease in my new in box kits. I don't mind it. But removing entire nitro engines? That's too far. No reason to do that. I have a package coming this week of goodies. Only electric cars lol.

@@Ultegra10SPD I think they will at some point, now that they are finally listening to the vintage market. I think Losi needs to finally re-release some of their vintage RCs too.

@@eekrc yes they’re preaching that they didn’t want to hurt the collector market for the jrx2 is nonsense. Since when did a collectors interest come before making money as a commercial business? -U10

@@Ultegra10SPD I heard that too. It's nonsense. If you look on eBay the vintage kits even restored don't sell for that much. Probably because there is less and less interest in them due to Losi/Horizon NOT releasing vintage Losi kits. I have a JRXT and a JRX2. I would love some spare parts. No one wants to drive them because some parts are impossible to find.

we put AE stealths 30yrs back. Just needed universals that were around 2-3mm longer. -U10

@@garyloades5188 Yes! And it's a gear diff too. Perfect for a King Cab! Once the parts are available you should get all new gears, including the gear diff, the motor plate, and that slipper.

Brilliant..I have 2 king cabs..one nearly immaculate..and the other I run with max 10 set up..I've run 3s but it chews the spur gear up in less than 10mins..its violent..but now just run 2s as it started getting expensive..thanks for the replies 🫡

@@garyloades5188 3s in a King Cab is crazy, you are a brave man Gary 😂 Keep in mind the gear ratio is different on the TTC gearbox, so you might need a larger pinion. The 05 mod pinions have been difficult to find too, I'm going to pick up a bunch of them when I can. Because who knows, Tamiya may never re-release it again after this.

@@Ultegra10SPD I remember others doing that, the original gearbox is not good enough for the King Cab. It's ok in the Madcap and the original Astute, but even for those I would upgrade to the TTC gearbox.

@@darrellcummings1250 You and everyone else! But just like one of my favorites (the Madcap) I doubt that will happen. They can come out with all these different versions of the Grasshopper and Hornet but no Falcon? Sometimes I just don't understand what they are thinking.

@@rcinhand9671 That's my plan too, upgrade my vintage astute with the new slipper clutch. I have a TTC gearbox on it, but it really needs a better slipper. The vintage one is not good enough, those spring washers just aren't strong enough.

@@xXYannuschXx I know, there are some vintage nitro kits people want too. They are very secretive, no one knows what the sales numbers are...maybe they just didn't sell enough of them?

@@adrianharrison5208 I'm waiting for the preorder to show up. I haven't seen it yet. 🤞 They come out with something epic for 2025.

@@ryanmiller8853 I know! Let's go Tamiya! I think I'm going to build my own using a Blitzer Beetle kit, instead of waiting for Tamiya to re-release it.

@@lo2713 That's what I like to hear! Get them out in the dirt, on a race track, in the park...It would be great if it was a Dyna Storm, but I feel the same. At least it's something 😂

@@eekrc allready looking at upgrades, will get a box stock run and see what, if anything breaks. And im still crossing my fingers for a Dyna storm rere 🤞

@@lo2713 What are you finding? I never really thought about upgrading a Super Astute. I'll have to look. Maybe a carbon fiber chassis? I have to think about electronics too. I know it can handle a brushless system... I'll probably go with a 3300kv., something like that.

@@eekrc chassis, shocks, and some little bits to start, see what i can find lol

@@lo2713 That's right! These shocks aren't great, I like the hicap dampers. Much smoother and easier to setup/tune. This is going to cost me a fortune 😂

@@UltraVargenRC Definitely worth looking into, it's one of the best vintage kits Tamiya sold. Of course that is just my opinion. The Dyna Storm is better, but they haven't released that in a long time. It is a fun build, especially if you are new to Tamiya kits.

@@333UNLUCKY Same here...I wish I could interview someone at Tamiya and ask them what they are thinking. Because I clearly can't figure them out 😂

​@eekrc I think there is now a new boss in charge at Tamiya, so who knows now what is going to come out

@@adrianharrison5208 I saw that too... hopefully he will do the right thing for us Tamiya fans.

@@HaydadRC Me too! I might try to make one from Blitzer beetle parts, the only problem is the body mounts are a separate parts tree and you can't find them anywhere 😭

@@bradkalman2353 I never had one, it is on my list of Tamiya RCs to own. They are very hard to find now.

@@eekrc I loved mine.

@@reitplace4765 It would definitely look good running around your track! I'm looking forward to this one...they will never re-release the original Astute, so I'll take what I can get 😂

@@eekrc true story there bud.. you and I have the same problem no good tracks around.. I will be saving up for this one.. thanks Eric. Still got that mad cap form ya want to take it on the track so bad but don't want to break anything. This will definitely be a nice rere..

@@reitplace4765 Yeah, the Madcap is a fragile one. And hard to find parts too. I don't run mine often, but when I do I make sure not to take any jumps or run into anything. I don't think Tamiya will ever re-release it either.

@@eekrc I did hop up everything you mentioned and what not but ya. Mines more a novelty car now. If I get some spares maybe I will get it out.. All your advice helped. I was a total noob then.. Not much different then now but I have a few more tamiyas under my belt.. haha

@@reitplace4765 You are doing great, and looks like you are having a lot of fun. That's all that matters!

@@theoagrc Hey Craig...Are you trying to use the Jedi Mind Trick on Tamiya? 😂 I hope they do something for the fans and give us some great kits next year. We deserve it right? 👍

@@eekrc absolutely deserve it but Tamiya will Tamiya!! At least they have put the Super Astute back out in the wild which is a step in the right direction

@@theoagrc Absolutely!

@@AddamsPlayground Yeah, the last one slipped past me, and it was gone before I had the chance to pick it up. And I just couldn't get myself to pay double on eBay. I hope this leads to them releasing some of the other kits we are all looking for. But we all know they don't listen to us fans...they do what they want. It definitely keeps it interesting 😂

@@truckingpiper5890 Not at all, they are long enough to not have that happen. I thought about that too. But so far I've run it hard at least 3/4 times since installing them with no issues.

@@BORGIEVENTURA Yes! Love the Civic body. The TT-02D comes with different hop up parts...Sport Tuned motor, motor heat sink, drift tires...I don't know all the differences but unless you are looking to drift it's not worth getting. The TT-02R or Type SR have better hop up parts.

@@eekrc thanks - newbie here!! watching more of your videos, learning alot from it. more please haha 🙏🏻👍🏻

@@BORGIEVENTURA Yes! I'm glad it helps, I'm always happy to hear that. The TT-02 kits are great. Cheap to buy, easy to build and repair. That is why there are so many out there. I appreciate you watching! If you have any other questions let me know.

@@ralphhowing3473 That sounds like a perfect Friday evening to me! Crank some Van Halen or Zeppelin and start building! 😂

@@robcanthandlestupidy9249 It is, but I don't mind the stock tires for now. Once they wear down I'll address it. There are definitely some better tires and wheels out there. Love some of the pro-line tires.

@@calmannyI know! I have been working on it for a while now. I'll be making a final restore video on it soon I hope. Thanks for watching!

@eekrc thank you for your time and explanation. I am looking to purchase one in the future. Also, I'm looking for a clodbuster. They looked cool in the 80s. Chasing childhood memories. Looking forward to the video.

@@calmanny If you find one and need anything let me know, I have some spare parts for the Big Bear now. The grey edition clod buster is one of my favorites. Love the blue and grey color scheme.

@@zombe5150_ Nice! You should! There are Optima parts available now because they just re-released it again. That is vintage RC at its best.

@@eekrc so it's kind of a funny story... That RC car is how I found out Santa was not real... When we were sneaking around the living room we heard a whole bunch of cussing coming from the kitchen... Apparently it was my dad and two uncles trying to put that damn thing together... Took them all night. We put two and two together and they fessed up

@@zombe5150_ That's awesome, what a memory!

@@ominousnefarious5919 Awesome! I really like the white cage. The mint and white are my favorite. Kyosho released the original Optima again now that the Optima Pro is coming out. So there are parts available for spares. I have an Optima Pro on order. Can't wait for that one! Thanks for watching!

@@333UNLUCKY Yes! Mine came with a 27t pinion.

@@eekrc thank you

@@AddamsPlayground I always think positive, so I set myself up for disappointment lol. I have it sorted out...new brushes and springs, the com is like new, I adjusted the timing to get a little more torque and changed to a 20t pinion. Runs great now, it's faster and no more issues...for now at least. 😂

@@RCBirds Yes! I was able to true up the com on the motor. I also changed to a 20t pinion, and adjusted the timing on the motor for a little more torque. It's running great and seems faster too!

@@ralphhowing3473 Absolutely! There is another CZcamsr that starts his videos with a great quote. "We don't stop playing because we get older, we get older because we stop playing". Something close to that, I'm going off my bad memory 😂

@@ralphhowing3473 It really is one of the best Tamiyas I've built, hopefully we get more like this. There is a new president of Tamiya now and we are already getting an update to the Hornet. And yeah...all hex hardware? Why not in every Tamiya? Bearings too! Thanks for watching Ralph!

@@eekrc Far Out Brother enjoy your self I'm with ya I can't stop building!!!!

@@ralphhowing3473 If it was a shelf queen then yes, but I just don't want paint flaking of scratching off over time. I wish they just made it black, but it's not terrible, I hardly notice it anymore.

@@eekrc Well after my comment I sprayed mine and I'm telling you it's a tuff finish brother of coarse I tried it on some scrap and I'm impressed it's guna work I used Rust-Oleum flat black and it's going to work.

​@ralphhowing3473 its still going to flake off and look even worse afterwards. For shelfqueens this method might work otherwise its pointless.

@@mazdaman1982 Yes, I have used it before on other RCs. I just haven't gotten to this one yet. But thank you!