Kyosho Scorpion 2014

Kyosho has finally decided to enter the re-release arena with an absolutely spectacular first result.

The Scorpion 2014

Image Copyright © Kyosho Corporation

Many hobby enthusiasts figured Kyosho would stay away from re-releases simply because the company has always done things a little bit differently compared to others.  They've always been more race-oriented and focused on the next design, never looking back.  In fact, some informal discussions with Kyosho representatives with customers and fans as recently as a year ago had basically confirmed that Kyosho was not interested in re-releases at all and had no plans to make any.   While disappointing to some, it seemed to fit in with what was known about the company's ideals and philosophy and as a result it did not create much discussion on the internet forums.  Everyone just accepted that Kyosho was not going to re-release any models because that was not what they were about.

But then, earlier this year, Kyosho's 50th anniversary celebration began and with it a new slogan "No Borders!!!".  The below image is a link to a 106 page book.  If you have not seen it, please take the time to check it out.  It is a great read.

Image Copyright © Kyosho Corporation

Kyosho spent a lot of time and money to create the 50th anniversary "No Borders!!!" campaign, so clearly they understand how important their history is and how many fans they have around the world.  Kyosho is very proud of their history as a hobby company and their many accomplishments as they rightly should be.

Unlike some other industries, the hobby industry is very good at keeping secrets, so there was no early warning that Kyosho might be working on a re-release of any kind, let alone the original Scorpion from 1982.  When the news broke a few months ago, it swept through the RC world quickly with much excitement and anticipation.  The high-quality pictures of the re-released model dispelled any question about how it would look.  It is a true re-release, very much like how Tamiya re-released the Avante 2011 and Bruiser 2012:  The basic design and aesthetics are the same as the original, but improvements have been made in many areas to improve durability, remove shortcomings and keep up with modern technology. 

It appears that most parts of the Scorpion 2014, including the front and rear arms, gearbox and radio tub are all recreations of the original design rather than from the original molds.  If anything, this proves without a doubt that Kyosho is not afraid to spend time and money making re-release models. All of the parts are well made and high quality.  Kyosho really did everything right when making this re-release.

The quality of the kit and parts is extremely good.  The machining and tolerances are excellent and the kit is an absolute joy to put together according to most everyone that has built one so far.  Comparisons to the Team Associated re-release of the original RC10 Classic were made in various forums and most builders agreed that the Scorpion 2014 kit was less fiddly with fewer problems than the re-released RC10 Classic.

The most popular complaints were about the shocks.  Lacking bladders just like the originals, they are time-consuming to build and "get right" because of the need to bleed the oil through the threaded cap while compressing the piston and tightening the cap to seal the shock.  The thin, clear plastic seals are also a source of problems.  In fact, a set of front shocks I purchased separately to use on a Kyosho Raider rebuild I am working on was missing one of those seals.  Thankfully, the shock with the missing seal has not started leaking yet.   

Recommendation to Kyosho:  Redesign the shocks to use a different seal or supply one extra seal with each shock kit.  They are easy to lose and a pain to install. And finally, sell the seals by themselves, please (8 to a package or something).

Another problem some builders have experienced is binding of the dogbones after rear-end assembly.  The most popular recommendations are to loosen the gearbox and ensure it is exactly 90° to the chassis and loosen the rear arm mounts and push the arms forward (as if to create more toe-in of the rear axles) and then tighten everything up.  The binding should go away.

All in all, the problems have been very minor and everyone has been pleased with how the kit went together and how it looks.

Did I forget to mention that the kit has blister packaging?  Oh yes, it does!  The yellow radio tub and lexan body float in the center section.

It is not known if the lexan body is made from the original mold or a new one.  There are no marks or flashing because Kyosho removed the excess material during manufacturing.

The radio tub is definitely a new design and not from the original mold.  The original tub was textured on the outside while the new one is smooth.  The basic shape is the same, however there are new holes and modifications of old holes that are part of the "modernization" process each kit piece went through.  The steering servo mounts should be better than relying on servo tape in the long term - a nice enhancement to the original tub for sure.

The battery compartment has been designed to hold most modern batteries.  The approximate dimensions are 144mm x 52mm x 28mm (LxWxH).

Not shown here, but the rear arms are machined after molding where the ball bearings are installed.  It must add to the cost of production, but is a much better practice than relying on metal molds for bearing alignment and dimensional accuracy like the original arms did.  Unlike the original Scorpion's solid final gear (no differential), the 2014 version's kit-supplied differential is gear-based.  The optional Ultima SC ball diff (UMW602) can be swapped in if desired.

The shocks are assembled for display purposes, but not filled with oil yet.

All gears are 48P and full ball bearings are supplied with the kit.  No bushings here.  A slipper is now included as well. 

The tires have the Goodyear logo silkscreened on them at the factory.

Not really a whole lot of parts make up the kit.  Just six main parts bags and spare parts bag plus the parts contained in the blisters.

Kyosho even went a step further by making a bunch of optional parts and hop-ups available, including the already-mentioned ball differential (UMW602), LED lighting kit, alternative wheel finishes (polished chrome, black chrome), radio tubs in red and black and more.  Some parts are available now while others are still in development.

The Scorpion 2014 (30613B) is a re-release done right.  Here's to hoping that some form of Optima re-release is next on Kyosho's agenda.

Tamiya DT-03 Neo Fighter

The Tamiya Neo Fighter (58587) is the first model released on Tamiya's new DT-03 buggy platform.

The DT-03 chassis is designed to be easy to build and maintain and is targeted towards beginning modellers just joining the world of radio control.  The new chassis shares some components with the DT-02 platform, including the gearbox, suspension and drivetrain components while extending the wheelbase by 27mm for a total of 287mm using a new longer chassis design.

Some hop-ups mentioned on the box include motors, oil dampers, turnbuckles, ball bearings, tuned damper springs and a ball differential. 

The Torque Tuned motor and oil dampers are already included as a special first-run hop-up.

Rather than the standard central tub chassis design used on the DT-02, the new DT-03 main chassis is made from a two-piece plastic monocoque frame reminiscent of the original Frog and Brat's ORV chassis.

The front suspension arm mounts and steering servo are both angled at 25° in order to provide better off road capability and steering response.

While the standard DT-03 kit only comes with friction shocks and a stock RS540 motor, the first production run of the Neo Fighter is hopped up with a Mabuchi Torque Tuned motor, black CVA oil dampers and combination brushed/brushless TBLE-02S electronic speed control.

The new TBLE-02S speed control is very interesting because it is the first time that Tamiya has included a brushless-capable speed control as a standard kit item.  Normally the brushed-only TEU-105BK speed control is included.  The TBLE-02S speed control can be connected to regular brushed motors (25T or higher) or sensored brushless motors (Tamiya brushess 01 series or similar).
Input voltage is between 6.6V (LiFE) and 7.2V.  It includes 6V 1.5A BEC.  Low voltage cutoff is available and can be disabled, however the manual does not state the cutoff voltage value, so it should be assumed to be at the 6V level, which is designed for LiFE packs and is too low for Lipo packs.  You will need an external low voltage cutoff circuit if you plan on using the TBLE-02S with Lipo.  Also note that reverse power is limited to 50% like the TEU-105BK and the TEU-104BK before it.  Reverse can be disabled for racing if required.  The sensor cable is not included.

Parts bag (front)

Parts bag (back)

The decals include some Frog Racing Team livery.

Because the chassis manual is generic, model-specific details including body, wheels and tires are included in a separate folded instruction sheet.

Like the DT-02 before it, the DT-03 platform should prove to be a reliable and popular chassis for future buggy releases from Tamiya.

Tamiya Egress (2013 re-release)

Once again Tamiya has re-released a model that many will remember as something they wished they had but could never afford back in 1989 when it first came out.  The Egress (58583), a revision of the Avante chassis that was designed to be more durable and lighter in weight, was released near the end of 2013 with much excitement from Tamiya fans world wide.

Tamiya Egress (2013) (Picture from TamiyaUSA. © Tamiya, Inc.)

The box art is the same as the original even though the kit parts have changed a bit in this re-release.  For example, the blue rod ends of the original are now black, and the front uprights are gold like the 2011 Avante re-release instead of grey.  There are many other changes and enhancements designed to improve the performance and durability of the chassis as compared to the original.

Once the cover is removed, the two blister packs and center body section are right there begging to be opened and built. 

Tamiya used blister packaging for the re-release just like the original did, however some of the contents have changed for unexplainable reasons which drew some criticism from some fans (yours truly included).  The biggest complaint is about the green blister.  The large center blister in the original kit held the ball bearings in foam to make for a nice presentation but the re-release blister contains the gearbox plate instead.  But the blister wasn't changed to fit the smaller part, so it slides around.  What makes it especially odd is that the re-release kit contains full ball bearings just like the original, however Tamiya decided to not put them on display in the blister.  Perhaps the purpose of this was to ensure that vintage kits were easily distinguishable from the re-release.  Or the ball bearings were already part of other parts bags and would have been a pain to put them into foam for the blister.  Keeping costs down was likely a priority for this release although this is still quite an expensive model.  The pinion gears were also removed from the re-release.  You'll note the space where they used to be just below the gearbox plate blister.

I'm sure many people are thinking "who cares?" as they read this, and they are right, of course.  In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter.  It is incredible that Tamiya has re-released the Egress and I am extremely happy to own one.  It was another one of those models that was simply out of reach back when it first came out and became highly sought after as a vintage model and kit (if you could find one).

The carbon fiber plates are gorgeous

The presentation of the body and wheels was unique compared to other kits of the day.  Tamiya had designed the extra plastic flashing on the four corners of the body to be able to hold the tires as if there were wheels.  Definitely a cool look.

No motor is included, just like the original kit, however a 22T 0.6mod pinion gear is included.  It is recommended to replace the pinion with an aftermarket steel one, such as Robinson Racing #1122.  Also, no speed control is provided, unlike most US Tamiya kits. 

Watching the discussions on TamiyaClub, it is quite apparent that this kit is extremely popular among Tamiya fans.  The first run of kits sold out rather quickly leaving many to wait for the second batch to arrive at hobby shops and online stores well into late December 2013.  Stock does not seem to be a problem now.

The Egress was certainly a nice surprise considering the Avante and Avante Black Special were released on a very similar chassis.  I look forward to seeing what Tamiya re-releases next.