I agree with the others, get the well loved one running again, and shelf queen the other. It’s a lot of fun working on these old ones. I just got an OG Mountaineer in a state where I could drive it across the floor. I had to add son re-re pieces to it and I didn’t have the body, but it’s still fun. Now I have to decide what to do with it.
Man nice find! Definitely need to keep the queen on the shelf and get the dirty one back up and running! I remember back in the day when I first started in '86-'87 racing my brand new Grasshopper. I remember the mechanical speed controller and the super hot heat sink! Those were the days and glad we no longer use them!
You have to run them both at least once. I destroyed on of these in high school. I wish they brought them again. Can’t believe Tamiya still uses bushings.
I had one of these back in the day. As well as the Blazing Blazer, and a Thundershot 2 that I modded to use a second rear differential in place of the stock front differential, which not only upgraded the front to have two shocks instead of one, but it made it a dual-motor 4wd with a pair of 8.4v 2600mAH battery packs wired in parallel running through a heavy-duty ESC controlling a pair of Tamiya Gold RX540-VZ motors. Full bearing set, 1.8" wheels & tires for the road, 2.5" wheels and tires for off-road with different shock mounts for road & dirt. The thing would do close to 50mph set up for road and handled like it was glued o the road, and would run full power for 30-minutes uninterrupted and taper down for another 10-minutes. It was a crazy off-road vehicle, too.
I remember as a kid I drooled over this car and while getting several of the Tamiya cars for Christmasand birthdas( My dad was a distributor for MRC/Tamiya) I never owned this one. Funny the bruiser was the other one I wanted that I haven't owned. Seems like I had pretty good taste even as a kid. Lol Thanks for showing this sweet car.
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. I'm middle-aged and can confirm most old things are indeed better than new things (even when the old thing is overpriced / broken / unavailable / objectively worse 😀)
I fully understand. I have also found that when you part with these 'beloved' items, it's fine, and you don't miss them. It's part of overcoming the tendency to hoard.
Yes do exactly what you said shelf queen and runner. Growing up I always wanted the 959 and still want it today 40 years later. Lol It was a little pricier than the Fox and Falcon I had. I wanted to add a Sand Scorcher to my shelf queens but the price is just a little much for a shelf queen. I have to say though I would definitely get a 959 re re no matter the cost.
I still love mechanical speed controllers. Not that I want to use them in my every day cars but in my vintage stuff with vintage radio gear I think they’re a fun step back in time
@@rotationnationRC oh yeah my Blackfoot took many ghost rides 😂 oddly enough I’ve got the identical radio system in my current vintage Blackfoot. I only let it get about 20 feet away from me lol
@@IowaBudgetRCBashers makes me wonder what ever happened to my old tx. I had a super champ that took an absolute beating from ghost rides as did my lunch box. Good times!
I use all my Tamiya's but I wouldn't use that new one, especially as you also picked up the used one. I would still wait for warm weather before using the used one and go easy with it for sure. What an amazing piece of RC history 👍🏻
Use the runner to introduce your class 1 Porsche. I can already picture the video in my head. You drive the Tamiya on rally tarmac scenario and it stops by your class 1 and then you start the trail/rock section in class 1
Had the exact car when I was a kid. At the time they were fast and good handling with the all wheel drive. Very fun car. Paint it as per instructions I think they look great
As many have said, stick to your plans. Also, as many mock Tamiya for their platforms (I still have a tt01 and a new mf01) ..37 years later they still "work". Hard to argue that. Rothman's livery is the only thing that should be on a rally Porsche as well, or a escort mk2.😉
I've still got is twin - the Celica Gr.B which runs the same chassis with some minor differences. Still runs great but when I found out the value of them now I got too scared to run it! It's in great condition considering all the ruining I did with it. The tech on them was pretty advanced for the time. The Technigold always sounded special running to for some reason.
My favorie Tamiya chassis to drive. I have both the 959 and the Celica GRB. The latter is actually hopped up vs the 959 as it has front swaybar and center diff as standard. I used to love drive down the asphalt and make a hard turn on sand, mash the throttle and do a 180 degree turn. I never broke a part running, untill a mate did a test drive. took a tumble sideways and broke the chassis part that connects to the front gearbox. Both of mine needs new body and the 959 a complete rebuild to swap out the many broken parts.
I love the early Tamiya rally cars. I never had the 959, it was rare a long time ago. The Renault Alpina is a cool rare one too. I love the mini Cooper Monte Carlo rally version as well. Id keep the mint one mint, might build it, but not bash it. Get the beat one running. Id give it a newer brushed motor ESC. Cool stuff.
Yes definitely get the old one running. Maybe design a display case for the unmolested pile of shelf queen goodies. If you are having any problems finding parts, there is a fellow RUclips 'r named Gavin from RC kicks , who has a Tamiya addiction. He may be able to help you. He's in England. Love your channel I will see you tonight on whhhhhatnot!
Oh for sure Matt leave the newer one and put her on the shelf get that busted up one fixed with the parts you have holt what a great find and a grand project .. have the best of days .
As others have said getting the runner back together is easy. Team Bluegroove has been through several versions over the years so their repro body is decent. MCI does the stickers and just about every plastic part of the 959. As for the body moulding,bodies are normally vacformed, by draping a sheet over the body and sucking the air out from under it. The downside of this process is that you have to be able to pull the body off the mould so you can't have undercuts on a one piece body. With the 959 Tamiya tried having a negative mould and blowing the lexan up into the shape. By splitting the mould you can get body out with the huge front and rear undercuts. The downside is that while on a normal vacformed body the forming draws in the plastic from the rest of the frame, with the negative moulding on the 959 it can only use the plastic from the hole in the mould. This is why the 959 body is paper thin, as the lexan had to stretch so much more to fill the body which makes then very fragile. This why it was abandoned and Tamiya later developed three piece moulds, where it vacforms over a mould like most bodies but the centre section comes out first so the front and rear sections can move in before they come out of the body. It's why a lot of Tamiya bodies have faint crease lines across the across the bonnet and rear window.
100% the unused kit should be a shelf piece. Love the well loved one and get it running to use. As a real car the 959 was rare, probably more so than the Tamiya kits. Definitely keep the new one as a museum piece. There probably aren’t any other examples that clean.
Gens ace make oval batts that fit the Tamiya size. Keep the new one a shelf Queen. I've been trying to find one of those at a reasonable price since I missed the original release when I was 18 years old
This is very cool. I love seeing the old stuff. Shelf the unused one. I wouldn't even paint it. I think it holds more value being unpainted. Doing a resto mod on the used one would be cool. Great episode man. I'll make sure to check the auction to. Probebly not buying anything hahaha. My scxpro is deciding to be a expensive build hahaha. I baught vanquish rims for the first time. Luckily I'm getting insane deals at my hobbyshop as they are sponsoring this build for my channel. Amywho. This is you video about you stuff hahaha. Love the OG stuff. 😎👍👍
Can’t believe you managed to get hold of one 959 let alone two! And one never used on top of that 😮 that’s incredible! Fair play. Im not jealous at all 🙈😂 definitely keep the new one as a shelf queen and get the old one up and running. Can’t wait for that video.
A good kind of crazy coupled with a bunch of awesome skills. It would be fantastic to see the "loved" Porsche fixed and kicking up roosters again. I'm sure that when you have the time, it'll be a treat for us to see. 🤘❤
Also old enough to have burned myself on a mechanical speed controller. I also know the terror of them getting stuck at full throttle in a Kyosho USA-1. I vote for get them both driving, even Leno drives his really rare stuff once and a while.
Great find. the mold for that body is broken. It might be worth it to use it to make a positive to use use to vac form new bodies. I would run the old one
I know there a few companies that make 2s lipos that are rounded in shape to fit Tamiya battery trays. Or you can also get 2s li-ion batteries with the same shape that fit.
keep the "nice" one as a shelf queen, clear body and all. I don't see it in too many other areas, but the vintage RC10 guys are huge on that... build the kit and leave it as a shelf queen with the clear body intact. Team Blue Groove (right up there in Canada with you!) has a replacement 959 body that you can use to resurrect the used car. Also, MCI Racing (also in Canada) has the Rothman's decal sheet you need. MCI and TBG are a HUGE resource for vintage RC bodies and decals.
I'm not a shelf queen kinda guy. To me, these things are to be driven. That's just me. And the old skool mechanical speed controllers were badass back in the day before all the ESCs came into the scene. I remember getting my first ESC and installing it into my Mudblaster and I felt like my whole world got rocked lol.
Would be nice if Josh would scan all the all the plastic parts so you have a model in the event you want to 3d print a new part. I was 8 when this model was released.
I understand if you decide to keep it on the shelf but I'd say build the new one and get it going. It was designed to be used and would be too cool to see in action!
Hi Matt I reckon you're on the right idea path, shelf queen the brand newy and retro mod the old one to use it. Modern electronics and suspension but try to leave it looking original on the outside..?
I don’t really believe in a shelf queens, but I think I’d run it very carefully and treat it like the fragile aged beast it is.. definitely reinforce the shells.
Yep that’s what I would do my man. Leave the new one for the shelf an get the old one running again
Hello from V&B Speed a rc community
I agree, save the new one
Run the "well loved" 959. The other should be built, painted and saved for posterity! ❤ Great find 👍
Favorite Tamiya kit of all time!
I’m so drooling over both those Tamiya Porsche 959’s
I agree with the others, get the well loved one running again, and shelf queen the other. It’s a lot of fun working on these old ones. I just got an OG Mountaineer in a state where I could drive it across the floor. I had to add son re-re pieces to it and I didn’t have the body, but it’s still fun. Now I have to decide what to do with it.
Man nice find! Definitely need to keep the queen on the shelf and get the dirty one back up and running! I remember back in the day when I first started in '86-'87 racing my brand new Grasshopper. I remember the mechanical speed controller and the super hot heat sink! Those were the days and glad we no longer use them!
You have to run them both at least once. I destroyed on of these in high school. I wish they brought them again. Can’t believe Tamiya still uses bushings.
She so purdy. Some love for a Tamiya legend!
Keep a shelf queen and get the used one working. So awesome 👏
Keep the unused one as the ultimate shelf queen, rebuild the other to drive and race in the classic races
The 959 is one of my grail cars, rc or real! Love that these ended up with you. Shelf queen the clean one 100%
A shelf queen and a runner. 👍🏼
The turnigy 2.2 mini LiPo packs fit perfectly in that battery compartment!
Totally agree, keep the shelf queen Clean 👌 save the dented one. Love to see a show with that repair
I had one of these back in the day. As well as the Blazing Blazer, and a Thundershot 2 that I modded to use a second rear differential in place of the stock front differential, which not only upgraded the front to have two shocks instead of one, but it made it a dual-motor 4wd with a pair of 8.4v 2600mAH battery packs wired in parallel running through a heavy-duty ESC controlling a pair of Tamiya Gold RX540-VZ motors. Full bearing set, 1.8" wheels & tires for the road, 2.5" wheels and tires for off-road with different shock mounts for road & dirt. The thing would do close to 50mph set up for road and handled like it was glued o the road, and would run full power for 30-minutes uninterrupted and taper down for another 10-minutes. It was a crazy off-road vehicle, too.
I remember as a kid I drooled over this car and while getting several of the Tamiya cars for Christmasand birthdas( My dad was a distributor for MRC/Tamiya) I never owned this one. Funny the bruiser was the other one I wanted that I haven't owned. Seems like I had pretty good taste even as a kid. Lol Thanks for showing this sweet car.
Your dad was a distributor? Lucky guy!
Shelf queen the new one fur sure and rehab the loved one!
Rebuild them both, make an amazing shelfer and run the Beater and enjoy it as it was meant to be used then sell it on afterwards 😎
I agree! Keep the nice one nice! Put modern electronics in the old one and go have fun with it!
Yep, paint the body up like the box art and put it all on the shelf.
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. I'm middle-aged and can confirm most old things are indeed better than new things (even when the old thing is overpriced / broken / unavailable / objectively worse 😀)
I fully understand. I have also found that when you part with these 'beloved' items, it's fine, and you don't miss them. It's part of overcoming the tendency to hoard.
Shelf queen, I have a Tamiya ff01 with a clear VW GTi mkiii body on it. People love seeing the chassis through the body on it
Yes do exactly what you said shelf queen and runner. Growing up I always wanted the 959 and still want it today 40 years later. Lol It was a little pricier than the Fox and Falcon I had. I wanted to add a Sand Scorcher to my shelf queens but the price is just a little much for a shelf queen. I have to say though I would definitely get a 959 re re no matter the cost.
I still love mechanical speed controllers. Not that I want to use them in my every day cars but in my vintage stuff with vintage radio gear I think they’re a fun step back in time
Agreed, remember when we’d run out of range or have a problem with those rheostat type controllers and the car would ghost ride!
@@rotationnationRC oh yeah my Blackfoot took many ghost rides 😂 oddly enough I’ve got the identical radio system in my current vintage Blackfoot. I only let it get about 20 feet away from me lol
@@IowaBudgetRCBashers makes me wonder what ever happened to my old tx. I had a super champ that took an absolute beating from ghost rides as did my lunch box. Good times!
I use all my Tamiya's but I wouldn't use that new one, especially as you also picked up the used one. I would still wait for warm weather before using the used one and go easy with it for sure. What an amazing piece of RC history 👍🏻
Use the runner to introduce your class 1 Porsche. I can already picture the video in my head. You drive the Tamiya on rally tarmac scenario and it stops by your class 1 and then you start the trail/rock section in class 1
Crazy.. yes!😂 but we love what you do. My vote is shelf queen and runner.
I agree 💯 Matt
Keep that new one as a shelf queen! And run the older one. Those are a great find!
My Hornet had one of those old speed controller. No go, go fast, go faster. I don’t like this odd feeling. I think people call it “getting old”.
Those are awesome, I remember building the celica version with a friend, really advanced for the time and Fast.
Wow brings me back to my childhood when my dad and older brother racing up and down the street with Bolink RC cars in 1979! Dam I’m old 🧓🏼
My wife says to never call yourself old.... just older!
@@scalebuildersguild ok 👍🏻 sounds good 🤭
Matt, do your thing on it. I’d trust you with anything RC! We all know it’d be dope! 🤙🏼
Deal!
Had the exact car when I was a kid. At the time they were fast and good handling with the all wheel drive. Very fun car. Paint it as per instructions I think they look great
Hi Matt thanks for sharing Sir 🇬🇧🇨🇦🕊️✌🏼🤩
Thanks for watching!
Love these classic RC’s! Tyco turbo hopper next?😂
As many have said, stick to your plans. Also, as many mock Tamiya for their platforms (I still have a tt01 and a new mf01) ..37 years later they still "work". Hard to argue that. Rothman's livery is the only thing that should be on a rally Porsche as well, or a escort mk2.😉
build the shelf queen, and update the electronics on the used one, then enjoy it, they were made to enjoy
You are crazy that's what we love!! You sound like you have a good plan but you will find the way.
I hope so! Thanks for watching!
What an awesome score! Definitely keep the nice one as a shelf Queen 🤘
Built them both. Shelf queen and a runner !
Center diff as well! 3 diffs.
I too burnt the heck out of my finger tips on those old msc’s. Showing these old kits, brings back good memories of rc’n for me. Thank you
Thanks for watching!
I've still got is twin - the Celica Gr.B which runs the same chassis with some minor differences. Still runs great but when I found out the value of them now I got too scared to run it! It's in great condition considering all the ruining I did with it. The tech on them was pretty advanced for the time. The Technigold always sounded special running to for some reason.
I think you have a good plan, go forward, my man!
My favorie Tamiya chassis to drive.
I have both the 959 and the Celica GRB. The latter is actually hopped up vs the 959 as it has front swaybar and center diff as standard. I used to love drive down the asphalt and make a hard turn on sand, mash the throttle and do a 180 degree turn.
I never broke a part running, untill a mate did a test drive. took a tumble sideways and broke the chassis part that connects to the front gearbox.
Both of mine needs new body and the 959 a complete rebuild to swap out the many broken parts.
It would be a great idea to 3d scan all the parts trees and other parts. That way people could make their own parts.
Yup shelf queen the shiny!
I love the early Tamiya rally cars. I never had the 959, it was rare a long time ago. The Renault Alpina is a cool rare one too. I love the mini Cooper Monte Carlo rally version as well. Id keep the mint one mint, might build it, but not bash it. Get the beat one running. Id give it a newer brushed motor ESC. Cool stuff.
Thanks for watching!
Yes definitely get the old one running. Maybe design a display case for the unmolested pile of shelf queen goodies. If you are having any problems finding parts, there is a fellow RUclips 'r named Gavin from RC kicks , who has a Tamiya addiction. He may be able to help you. He's in England. Love your channel I will see you tonight on whhhhhatnot!
Totally agree, shelf queen
What a score on 2 Porsche's. You should build a new carbon body or get josh to vacuum form a new body. Make the clean one a shelf queen
I’d get the old ram one going again, and do the other one up for the shelf.
MCI Racing makes a repop decal sheet, and Team BlueGroove makes a clear lexan reproduction body for the 959 kit.
get dat boi runnin'
Oh for sure Matt leave the newer one and put her on the shelf get that busted up one fixed with the parts you have holt what a great find and a grand project .. have the best of days .
Thanks! Have a great weekend!
Paint and shelf queen the new one, get the used one running.
As others have said getting the runner back together is easy. Team Bluegroove has been through several versions over the years so their repro body is decent. MCI does the stickers and just about every plastic part of the 959.
As for the body moulding,bodies are normally vacformed, by draping a sheet over the body and sucking the air out from under it. The downside of this process is that you have to be able to pull the body off the mould so you can't have undercuts on a one piece body. With the 959 Tamiya tried having a negative mould and blowing the lexan up into the shape. By splitting the mould you can get body out with the huge front and rear undercuts. The downside is that while on a normal vacformed body the forming draws in the plastic from the rest of the frame, with the negative moulding on the 959 it can only use the plastic from the hole in the mould. This is why the 959 body is paper thin, as the lexan had to stretch so much more to fill the body which makes then very fragile.
This why it was abandoned and Tamiya later developed three piece moulds, where it vacforms over a mould like most bodies but the centre section comes out first so the front and rear sections can move in before they come out of the body. It's why a lot of Tamiya bodies have faint crease lines across the across the bonnet and rear window.
I remember those mechanical speed controls,had one in my Traxxas stampede 2wd... exchanged it for a super rooster 🐓
100% the unused kit should be a shelf piece. Love the well loved one and get it running to use. As a real car the 959 was rare, probably more so than the Tamiya kits. Definitely keep the new one as a museum piece. There probably aren’t any other examples that clean.
Agreed!
Whoa 37 yr old car on episode 37……🤯🤯🤯
Omg!!!! The holy grail x2!!!!!!!!
Right?
Gens ace make oval batts that fit the Tamiya size. Keep the new one a shelf Queen. I've been trying to find one of those at a reasonable price since I missed the original release when I was 18 years old
Thank you for doing a weekly show like this
Glad you enjoy it!
New one shelf queen and reduild the Old one and sent it cheers
If you're looking for a lipo to fit that, LRP do some in a nimh form factor and with the Tamiya plug already on it.
Keep the nice one nice, make it functional though so you could do parade laps on a smooth track
That was a real treat…. Old to run again and a new Queen (box art🙏)…. Perhaps lightly run once or twice ✌️👊
This is very cool. I love seeing the old stuff. Shelf the unused one.
I wouldn't even paint it. I think it holds more value being unpainted.
Doing a resto mod on the used one would be cool.
Great episode man.
I'll make sure to check the auction to.
Probebly not buying anything hahaha. My scxpro is deciding to be a expensive build hahaha. I baught vanquish rims for the first time. Luckily I'm getting insane deals at my hobbyshop as they are sponsoring this build for my channel.
Amywho. This is you video about you stuff hahaha.
Love the OG stuff.
😎👍👍
Can’t believe you managed to get hold of one 959 let alone two! And one never used on top of that 😮 that’s incredible! Fair play. Im not jealous at all 🙈😂 definitely keep the new one as a shelf queen and get the old one up and running. Can’t wait for that video.
it looks like u have the spares to get the old'n fixed. keep the good'n for the shelf
Congratulations my man. That’s an awesome find
Thanks 👍
Shelf the nice one, beat the dirty one haha
I agree, get the beater running again, and run it from time to time. The clean untouched one, shelf queen it, and any good parts you have for it.
A good kind of crazy coupled with a bunch of awesome skills. It would be fantastic to see the "loved" Porsche fixed and kicking up roosters again. I'm sure that when you have the time, it'll be a treat for us to see. 🤘❤
I would do the same thing. Very cool find!
Also old enough to have burned myself on a mechanical speed controller. I also know the terror of them getting stuck at full throttle in a Kyosho USA-1. I vote for get them both driving, even Leno drives his really rare stuff once and a while.
gens ace makes a 2 cell lipo that's in the old school 6 cell "oval" profile pack :)
Follow your heart ❤️
Your show helps me so much in life sir. 🙏 🙏🙏🙏
Glad to hear that, thanks for watching!
Great find. the mold for that body is broken. It might be worth it to use it to make a positive to use use to vac form new bodies. I would run the old one
Modern electronics in the used and baby it, classic build the shelf queen pour a whisky and just bask in it's presence.
Since it's St. Patty's Day today, I'll be drinking Irish whiskey!
@@scalebuildersguild I highly approve of these amendments
I know there a few companies that make 2s lipos that are rounded in shape to fit Tamiya battery trays. Or you can also get 2s li-ion batteries with the same shape that fit.
keep the "nice" one as a shelf queen, clear body and all. I don't see it in too many other areas, but the vintage RC10 guys are huge on that... build the kit and leave it as a shelf queen with the clear body intact. Team Blue Groove (right up there in Canada with you!) has a replacement 959 body that you can use to resurrect the used car. Also, MCI Racing (also in Canada) has the Rothman's decal sheet you need. MCI and TBG are a HUGE resource for vintage RC bodies and decals.
The speed control is very similar to the one that was on my Kyosho Javelin. Love it! O and on my brothers Optima.
Would it be posible to 3d print new parts and vacume mold a new body?
RIP Show Dog
Agreed!
@@scalebuildersguild I see his builds pop up everywhere,his collection was sooooooo narly, he will live on through his rcs as long as the hobby exists
I can smell the resistor from the video lol. 👍
Think you also need a 3-D scanner. To be able to build new and replace broken parts. I miss my old Tamiya Collection
Don't tell my wife, but I agree!
I'm not a shelf queen kinda guy. To me, these things are to be driven. That's just me. And the old skool mechanical speed controllers were badass back in the day before all the ESCs came into the scene. I remember getting my first ESC and installing it into my Mudblaster and I felt like my whole world got rocked lol.
run it!!!
Buck Dandy thinks your crazy... but when it comes to the Rc I like the idea of getting the rough one running and leaving the other a shelf queen.
Would be nice if Josh would scan all the all the plastic parts so you have a model in the event you want to 3d print a new part. I was 8 when this model was released.
I understand if you decide to keep it on the shelf but I'd say build the new one and get it going. It was designed to be used and would be too cool to see in action!
Maybe get a re production body for the beat up one which you could paint in a different livery or something !😊
Hi Matt
I reckon you're on the right idea path, shelf queen the brand newy and retro mod the old one to use it. Modern electronics and suspension but try to leave it looking original on the outside..?
I wouldn't even paint the body, but shelf queen the unused as well for my vote
I don’t really believe in a shelf queens, but I think I’d run it very carefully and treat it like the fragile aged beast it is.. definitely reinforce the shells.
Protek has a LI-HV battery that fits into the oval shaped battery trays.
MCI RACING has a LOT of 959 parts and such also TEAM BLUE GROOVE has the repo body
Clear Flex Seal works good on repairing cracked Lexan bodies. I say build a perfect shelf quean and restore the beater for fun.
Sounds good!