Much of the past two days has been spent building the re-released version of the Tamiya Hornet radio controlled car. This car was a big success in the 1980's and it was then that I began an interest in model car building and racing. Nearly 20 years ago, I spent much of Christmas Day and Boxing Day building the car with my grandfather.
Today, all the memories of building The Hornet came flooding back - my Christmas present yesterday was the re-released Tamiya Hornet. Vivid memories of how grease was applied to everything in the gearbox and seemingly everything else in the room (!) and how time-consuming the construction of the wheels were with all those screws and nuts, nevermind the intricacy of painting the body and applying the various stickers to the outside.
The hardest task in the build was cutting the body from the vacuum formed plastic and masking up the irregular shaped windows. It didn't help when I later discovered the masking tape was more porous than I had hoped, and once removed, left traces of paint on the acrylic plastic that I had hoped to leave transparent. However, a quick solution to this is to use nail varnish remover which, like Polyfiller is to walls, hides a multitude of sins. Apply nail varnish remover sparingly to cotton wool buds so as not drop the fluid on the rest of the paintwork. Paint can be removed quite easily using the buds working at patches of paint. Then wipe clean to leave no trace.
The Electronic Speed Controller is a massive improvement over the previous servo operated wiper board which I recall became troublesome and unreliable after only a few uses as it depended upon good contacts being made for the car to operate reliably.
I seem to remember there being an alternative fixing for the rear gearbox that eliminates the rocking action that takes place when the car first accelerates. The replacement brackets prevented this rocking action and therefore the full power distributed through the rear tyres. I have yet to find this item, so if you remember this part, or indeed know where I can buy one, please mail me.
It's a great feeling recalling fond memories of the past and all the challenges that are associated with making the car run faster. Reminiscing with my brother yesterday evening brought back the vocabulary we used on an almost daily basis.
Visit Modelsport UK to find other re-released cars, such as the Lunch Box, The Frog, Grasshopper, Wild Willy, and the Clodbuster.
If you are about to order your Radio Controlled Car, why not contact Modelsport UK and quote "jonathansblog" and see if that might be worthy of a discount. Many of you have already purchased your cars from Modelsport UK and have been very happy with the service.
Jamie
Hello Jon,
Just read your blog on the hornet....Being a 30 yr old guy i to loved R/C cars when i was a kid..(And still do now.) I had a Monster Beetle and a Thunder Shot 4 wheeldrive car. It made me laugh to read your blog because i also bought myself a Hornet Re-release and i complained to my wife....and remembering all the stuff also with the wheels and body etc. But i thought half the fun is building these things.
Check it out....wanna fix that rear axl torque when you punch it!?
I assume your mechanically inclined....So here is what i did....
Get yourself a number #43 drill from the hardware store (ACE,HomeDepot etc.) And a 4-40 tap. And get (2) 4-40x3/4 nylon screws and nuts. Simply drill from the top down into the plastic that the rear pivot moves up and down in and tap it and run the nut on the screws up to the head and run the screw in the plastic till it touches the metal pivot then back off a whole turn (because you need a little movement in the pivot plastic for power transfer or you'll just spin the tires off) and then run the nuts down lock it. Now you have full adjustment on the pivot for on or off road!
Good Luck
"Here's to childhood toys!"
Jamie.
Jonathan
Hi Jamie,
Welcome to my blog site... and thanks very much for your re-lived memories too. I remember the Monster Beetle very vividly. One of my best friends Aaron Barclay, used to own the Beetle and we often met up to run our RC cars after school! My brother owned the Thundershot 4WD car, whilst I bought the almost identical Thunderdragon 4WD car - only the bodyshell was different.
The fun is all in the building of the cars, you are right. I had so much fun over the Christmas period building the car, and the anticipation generated in trying out the car was like magic... still a boy at heart. I'll be turning 30 this month, so like you, in the same RC generation!
Thank you for your guidance on fixing the rear end gearbox torque... I was so confident that Tamiya or a third party made an alternative mounting system... but your solution seems perfectly feasible.
My thought was to drive a tapping screw horizontally into the mount, just about the axel to stop it moving upwards. However, after reading your comment, I much prefer to have that adjustment that you talk of. Certainly true that we need different setups for onroad / offroad driving. Wonderful... thanks. :-)
I've been racing my car with some friends in Essex - not sure where you are based... but if you are nearby, you'd be welcome to come along and race your Hornet.
(I've just bought Tamiya Sport Tuned Motor off eBay and some replacement tyres as I figured I'll be racing the spikes off the current set anytime soon! I remember keeping a set of those for slicks...)
Here's indeed to childhood toys.... !
Happy New Year
Jonathan
Jason
Hi Jonathan,
A fried and I are currently contemplating buying a pair of Hornets to race each other, so your blog was a real find! If we go ahead I'd love to come and race with you guys. I'm in Suffolk, so Essex is not a million miles away!
I have just restored my Monster Beetle too! I'm looking at the Hornet purely out of angst - I wanted one so badly as a kid but couldn't have one. Now I CAN have one I might get one!
Cheers,
Jason.
Jonathan
Hello Jason,
Many thanks for your comment... Suffolk isn't far from Essex, so we'd be delighted to invite you to a meet up. Bring your Monster Beetle too, and we'll find some rough terrain to run that. :-)
So... yes... definitely buy the Hornet. My brother kept asking why... to which the answer is simple... No other car would satisfy my curiosity for knowing what the Hornet was like to build and drive again like 20 years ago. :-)
So buy one... and satisfy your desire... here's something to tempt you... this was taken part way through the build...!
Tom Stacey
Hi Jonathan, great to hear about your Hornet exploits. Remember you can always catch up on Radio Control news over on my blog at: http://homepage.mac.com/tomstacey/iblog/C393851395/index.html
If you think building one RC car was a chore, imagine what it must be like for me restoring 5 or 6 old cars a month!!
Its great that you are enjoying the Hornet though. I'm sure the guys over on Tamiya Club can help you with your gearbox strengthening issue.
Tom
Jonathan
Hey Tom,
I've visited your site... I think it was you who first alerted me to the re-released cars... so thanks matey. :-)
I had great fun meeting up with you and Alex the other week with our cars. I remember now why it's not a good idea to drive these cars through enormous puddles... they don't come out the other end! I didn't tell you on the day as I was too embarrassed, that I did that once before as a kid and the same thing happened. :-)
Still up and running again now, featuring a new waterproof electronic speed controller (ESC)
We shall have to do it again and perhaps with Jason if he and his mate are willing.
talk again soon,
J
Jason
Hi Jonathan,
Thrilled and delighted at your charming response above, thank you! I've ordered mine, Martin is ordering his this evening! Ah, the historic occasion of me finally getting a Hornet! The craving I felt for one of those when I was about 12 or 13 was close to unbearable! Loitering in the model shop, gazing wistfully at the promotional video, on £1 per week pocket money.... (I'm now 35).
I'll keep an eye on this thread and then let you know once we're built and up and running.
By the way, for Christmas I got two of these specifically for my RC Cars: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3021316.htm
Shall I bring them with me? Hee hee!
Best regards to all,
Jason.
Jonathan
Ah, way cool!
This is what Jason has... think you'll definitely have to bring these along....
I brought my Hornet into school today (I'm a teacher) for the kids to play with. They've had great fun racing it around the playground and in the smooth varnished hall - the feeling must be contagious as one of the pupils is bringing his RC car into school tomorrow. :-)
Ok... wait to hear from you and Martin.
Enjoy the fun... should be prompt delivery if bought from Modelsport UK- mine arrived next day! I'd definitely recommend buying from them as they offer great service, and the cheapest prices I have seen on the Internet if buying from a UK outlet.
Jason
It arrived today! Waheyyyyy!
It's only taken me 22 years to get to this point.
Jonathan
Super. :-)
Did you order from Modelsport UK in the end?
My Tamiya Sport Tuned RS-540 motor arrived from Hong Kong today... so will fit that. I somehow think it might be too fast for the already nippy revised Hornet... but when on-road it might be more beneficial... I'll let you know just as soon as I've fitted it.
I also bought some new tyres for the rear wheels. Current ones are quickly becoming slicks which will be ok for use on the road whilst the new ones will be preserved for off-road activity.
Won't need to ask what you'll be doing tonight then... tee hee....
good luck... and have oodles of fun. Watch out for that grease! ... and take your time on the bodyshell, well worth the patience.
Send us a pic when you're done and I'll put it up on this site.
Jason
Hi Jonathan,
Thanks for yet another friendly response. Yes, both Martin and I ordered from Modelsport UK. I couldn't resist doing at least SOMETHING to it last night, so once the wife was asleep I was straight out to the workshop! I was quite surprised at how small the car is - smaller than I remember but then I was considerably smaller the last time I saw one too! I reached the point where the rear shocks are fitted and you start work on the servo saver.
It has been an interesting build, as I'm a model aircraft chap and haven't built a car like this before. It's bliss and luxury just bolting stuff together instead of all the sanding and gluing I'm used to!
Jonathan, I meant to ask you: I think the most fun place to run an off-road RC car is at a BMX track. Do you have a BMX track near you?
Cheers,
Jason.
Jonathan
Hello Jason,
Sorry for not responding sooner... had a fabulous past few days, although nothing very much to do with racing model cars, apart from looking at the possibility of including that as a new activity at the next annual Hemi Activity Day. The day is organised for children with hemiplegia and their families to take part in activities that they might not otherwise get the opportunity... i.e. scuba diving, horse-riding, football, arts&crafts, sailing that sort of thing. This year we will hopefully have model RC cars which have been chosen, ordered and built by the kids at my school - and have them ready for sometime in June!
http://www.steppingstones.org.uk/activity_day
Yeah, I know exactly the point you describe in the build process. I called it a night at that point too!
I'm not familiar with a BMX track in Essex... but will start looking for one.
Barry Hughes
If you want to race your Hornet, why not try Coastal Model Car Racing Club in Ipswich, superb facilities for both on road & off road rc electric racing.
Website www.cmcrc.co.uk gives more information
Jonathan
Thanks for this Barry.
The off-road track looks good fun. Great website too...
Do you have sessions where people can just turn up and play rather than compete?
Any help much appreciated.
J
Lee Roberts
Hi fellor i have a hornet and iam struggling to get a shell for it can someone help if so e mail me at ldelectrical@btinternet.com would be much appreciated if someone can find one new or used
Jonathan
Hello Lee,
I have looked on ebay a few times and have seen some bodyshells there, although they tend to be shipped from Hong Kong.
Alternatively, http://www.modelsport.co.uk/?CallFunction=ShowSpecification&ItemID=24074 - from Modelsport UK
Hope this helps.
Jason
Dear All,
Well I finished it! It's ludicrously fast too, even on the standard motor. I've found a couple of off-road racing clubs near here, one of which I was stunned to find was only five miles from my house! Dying to try it on a proper race track. I think this car belongs off-road, it keeps flipping and rolling on tarmac, which then of course knackers the stickers and paint.
I've got some pictures of the finished article - how do I get them on here?
I'd still like to meet up with you guys though. Where did you run your cars when you met up with Tom and Alex?
You guys should come up here too, when the local club is up and running.
All the best,
Jason.
Jonathan
Evening Jason,
Yeah... amazingly fast with the standard 540 motor. Still haven't managed to try new motor... I don't have the Allen key that I need to move the pinion from the current motor to the new one. I will be able to do this at the weekend, however.
You can now upload photos (I think) There should be a little green plus symbol at the bottom left of these comment forms. This should allow you to choose a file and upload it and insert the image. If you can't, for whatever reason, perhaps email me the photos at the email address above, and I'll put them up... cool :-)
We ran our cars at Hylands Park in Chelmsford, Essex. We used the car park, stony, gravel surface which was ok until I drove my car into the biggest puddle there. It stopped dead as the ESC flooded with water - beware.. neither the receiver nor speed control are waterproof.
I'd be happy to come up and visit you guys... especially with tracks there. I don't know if there are times when people can just go along and play rather than compete? Is your club not open until spring time?
Perhaps chat via email to make arrangements.
Hear from you soon,
Jason
Hi Jonathan,
That allen key was supplied in the kit.
Our local club would be open, but the high winds have destroyed the rostrum and flyover and the field is waterlogged, so we don't think it will be usable until later in the year. The Ipswich club seems to be up and running though.
Right, I'll try to upload photos. In the jump shot, yes, it landed perfectly and drove away!
Cheers,
Jason.
Jason
Damn, the jump shot appears too dark as a thumbnail. It was taken at night, but is perfectly visible at full size though. How come the pictures came out so small on here?
Cheers,
Jason.
Jonathan
Hello Jason,
I hurriedly got the images to show earlier today - there are problems with the code that the image upload tool generates - probably a settings thing which I need to spend time looking at in more detail, which is why the images didn't appear initially, then only got the thumbnails after that. Your images uploaded just fine though - so many thanks ...just an issue with the way they are presented, which I have fixed now.
I can't believe the shot of the Hornet in the air (!)... that's pretty awesome... think the ramps are excellent. Would love to try those out.
J
josh
Hey every one I'm 13 and i have 1 on the original hornets!! its great apart from 1 thing the dreaded mechanical speed controller :-(. I'm in the middle of changing the servos (knackered) and changing to electronic speed controller (wohoo). And is the new hornet as fast as the old 1 mine goes 30mph?!
thanks,
josh
Jonathan
Hello Josh..
Great to see you here and thanks for posting. The re-released Hornet seems to be much faster than how I remember the original to be. I have put this down to the advancement in battery technology and the electronic speed controller which is sooo much better. I was forever cleaning the contacts and adjusting the wiper to make contact with the wiper board.
Well done for preserving the original Hornet. At only 13 years old, you must have been given the car or bought it second hand?
Josh
i think im in need of a new shell 2 lol i gotta get me 1 o those
josh
yeah my dads friend gave it to me because he has a petrol car and he needed 2 make some space (his girlfriend) lol. ne way iv been shopping around on ebay n iv found that i need the 40amp speed controller so that it wont burn out. ill send u some pics when its finished.
thanks
josh
dawn
I have just brought myself a hornet off road buggy. I have only just started taking an interest as my dad had a little remote control motorbike. My buggy is not brand new but thought i would start somewhere. But i would be interested if there is anywhere to race them for fun or sport. If you could help me i would be much appreciated. You can contact me on dawnie140@hotmail.com. Hope to hear from you soon
helen young
WOW, I cannot believe how much interest their is in the hornet!!!??
I was just looking at your'e blog Jonathan and it seems there is a great interest and having fun in these little racing these cars.
Good Luck and enjoy.
Love Helen
Jonathan
Hello Helen,
Yes, there is a huge amount of interest in the Hornet... it is one of the classic Tamiya cars first sold in the 1980's and when thousands of kits were sold to youngsters (and adults!)
The Wild Willy was even more popular. In fact, there are User groups and Clubs dedicated to the little jeeps alone, such was there popularity.
J
josh
good news the cars workin and i have bought the esc its on it way from hong kong so couple o weeks or so itll b here! i clocked the car on a standard motor @ 25mph
thanks,
josh
Jonathan
Hello Josh,
Thanks for keeping me and others uptodate on progress with your Hornet. The ESC will make a huge difference to how your car drives. Maybe make it go even quicker?
Just out of interest, how did you clock your car going at 25mph? Have you got a radar gun!!?
J
josh
hi
im back but this time i got a big project with my car. yesterday my dads friend who loves rc cars had an idea the idea was that we cut the car in half make it 1 foot longer (using aluminium and put on a rc plane engine (about .46 size) an guess what you got?
thats right a nitro belt driven drag car. a nitro hornet drag car!!!
ill keep you updated
Rob Owen-Wahl
My friends and next door neighbours bought a hornet, back in 1984. I think then it was £150ish (could be wrong, that figure sticks in my mind) and £150 was more than my parents could afford - as much as I wanted one (although I did have a nice RC car) I never a hornet in the end. Fast forward twenty three years, and I ordered one this afternoon :D Its Friday, it arrives tomorrow, so Im hoping to find the time to put it together this weekend, and maybe drive it on Sunday if all goes well.
Im not a model builder, in fact its been twenty something years since I built my last Airfix model, so putting the hornet together will be fun! :) Im looking forward to building it as much as driving it. If anyone has any general tips, or DOs or Dont's, give me a shout.
Great web page, its an interesting read :)
Rob
Nostalgic tamiya hornet owner
Great blog! Nostalgia indeed :) Why dont you put up some more links and pics of the hornet Jonathan, praps a compilation of modification tips, pics of different tamiya hornets in various colour schemes, hornet decal download links (I think they exist) and other bits and bobs for tamiya hornet enthusiasts. I was thinking of doing something along those lines at www.tamiyahornet.com although there is nothing to see there yet. Again, nice site, its great to see a page dedicated to a piece of vintage RC history :)
edward
hi
i have a tip for any one that has a Hornet.
my first rc car was a hornet , and i got tired
of replacing the rear body mount posts.
which brake off very easy if you roll the buggy .
so when i started useing a esc.
i put a piece of flat hard plastc where the white block from the stock speed controler went.useing the same screw's,that held the block. I then put a short body post on it.
I then put a small sheet of plastc over the opening on the back of body.and drilled a hole for the body post .
this puts the pin and post below the top of the body ,just like the newer buggy's.
so if you flip it on it top, it will not brake the post's off.
I think this should be a add on,in the kit.
for when you switch to a esc. from the stock speed control.
I live in the usa.
I now have 2 team losi truck's .
Craig
Brilliant!! I've been thinking about getting a Hornet for a while now, but reading the comments I'll be ordering one soon! My first experience with one was when I was about 8 or 9 and my brother owned one. I used to love that car, couldn't believe how quick it was compared to my own Nikko kids toys!! Well my brother finally grew out of it and gave to me for a birthday present one year!! Come to think of it, it's probably still in the loft at my parents house.
As mentioned, I agree the build process is half the fun and I can't wait!!
Erwinito
Hey !! great site man... I have gotten back into tamiya cars about 1.5 years ago (I just turned 30 !!) I have a lancia delta, alfa gulietta, WRX and a lotus elise(aftermarket on a TT-01) shell..,.
BUT
my pride and joy is my 2 week old HORNET !!!... I always wanted this as a kid and my folks couldn't afford it so my brother an di ended up with a pair of knock offs that would only steer if they went backwards... you basically drove around doing 3-point turns !!! Anyways... I recently got the HORNET and slapped a 15 turn motor with a matching ESC.... this thing is a complete killer.... I've had people ask me if its a nitro car and are amazed at the speed !! the battery life is not that bad either.. I actually put a TT-01 heat sink on my motor and that limits the gear box travel you mention... I might do the modification mentioned with the screws also...QUESTION; does anyone know of aftermarket rear tires??
Greetings from San Francisco !
Jonathan
Hello Erwinito
Great to see you here and to hear the excitement in your voice.
I have found the Hornet to be faster than ever I remember it to be. I think battery technology has improved significantly and the ESC is much more efficient at transferring power to the motor. I remember the old speed controllers having resistors that would get incredibly hot which therefore drained much of the electrical power too.
Be careful that your 15-turn motor doesn't wreck the gearbox - it is only made of nylon, not metal!
I have bought spare Hornet tyres - find them on ebay.
Enjoy your hornet.
Jonathan
darren
hello all. great to hear about the little hornet its still fantastic. about 4 weeks ago i bought myself a nitro buggy the hobao hyper 8.5 rtr realy good and fast but only had it out about 10 times and decided to digg my old hornet out of the loft its got a few hop up parts like low prof tires kyosho mega power engine (realy fast) and a difrent shell the grass hopper (hard plastic) me and my son gave it a full service on my wifes table ! she wasnt in at the time ha . got myself 2 new batteries and away we went im 33 and still loving rc action might get the re-release if the boss will alow me lol .... happy new year to all of you.....
Jonathan
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this page, and to those who continue to do so. It's great being amongst fellow enthusiasts, albeit in a virtual space. Does anyone fancy having a Hornet 'meet' anytime soon?
Happy New Year to all.
J
mr_megabyte
use the mounts from the grasshopper
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXLDX6&P=OW
they don't slop around like the ones on the hornet :)
Chuck
Toledo, OH, USA
Ben Barker
Hello
I recently purchased a Tamiya Hornet kit and it is now fully built. I have had it running for about twenty minutes then whenever I put it in full throttle,either in reverse or forwards it starts jerking/losing signal and will not stop until you ease of the power. I have run through the set up procedure checked batteries connections etc and all things would point to either the TEU-101BK or the Acoms transmitter-receiver. As the car ran without fault initially and does not overheat. I would think there is a fault with the overcurrent mechanism in the 101bk. As I may be missing the obvious I wondered if you could point to something before I send the 101bk part back for replacement.
Regards
Ben Barker
Jonathan
Hello Ben,
It sounds to me as though your electronic speed controller isn't configured correctly. When I set up mine for the first time, you need to tell it how far forward the transmitter control goes, and likewise how far back it goes for reverse. Try setting you trimming controls to zero and run through the setup process again. Careful trimming may resolve any issues after that. Just a thought.
J
Chris
Hello fellow Hornet enthusiasts!
Without boring you all too much I used to own a Hornet around 15 years ago at the tender age of 14. My two brothers had The Mudblaster and The Madcap which were no match for the indestructable speedy Hornet. I unfortunately made the mistake of trading my Hornet in at the local model shop for a petrol car(Dear oh dear).
A few weeks ago I rummaged around in my parents attic on a visit and came across my brothers two cars which still worked perfectly well after 10+ years in hibernation. This then led me to Google The Hornet to see if i could pick up a second hand car. I then stumbled across Jonathan's blog and have just purchased a new one from the recommended shop "Modelsport Uk". After a couple of days the car is now fully working but i have few minor tweeks to resolve. First is the speed controller minor problem which Ben has found. Also I have set the suspension to the hard setup and is too bouncey. Did anyone else find this the case? Other than that i am more than pleased with the car, and will keep an eye out for further comments from fellow Hornet freaks.
Chris
Hello Chris,
Great to see you here. Yes, indeed the Hornet is still a fantastic car. I love mine, probably more so because it suffers from the all too bouncy setup - I think it's more part of its character than anything else. When I drive mine fast, with lots of power to the rear wheels, it quite often causes the rear wheels to jump up and down as though it were doing bunny hops.
Modelsport are a great shop, I've received nothing but great service from them so I would continue to recommend them.
Did my suggestion to adjust the trim controls solve the speed controller problem. I've not experienced the issues you and Ben are having.
I'm still on for the Hornet 'meet-up'. Where are you based?
J
Chris
Hello Johnathan
Thanks for getting back with the advice. I have since recalibrated the speed controller so that the trim sits nicely in the middle, so thanks for that. I still have the minor problem like Ben does with the reverse not beind as responsive as the forward motion. It may be that it is just new. Other than that i'm having great fun. Everyone that has seen the finished model has admired it and says that they may follow suit and buy one. I now have the bug and am looking to buy my next tamiya classic which is going to be The Lunchbox, Modelsport are selling a rather tasty looking limited edition one with gold wheels and matching body.
I live in Ipswich, Suffolk so i'm not very far away at all, so maybe a hornet meet could be on the cards.
Chris
Chris
Hello Johnathan
Thanks for getting back with the advice. I have since recalibrated the speed controller so that the trim sits nicely in the middle, so thanks for that. I still have the minor problem like Ben does with the reverse not beind as responsive as the forward motion. It may be that it is just new. Other than that i'm having great fun. Everyone that has seen the finished model has admired it and says that they may follow suit and buy one. I now have the bug and am looking to buy my next tamiya classic which is going to be The Lunchbox, Modelsport are selling a rather tasty looking limited edition one with gold wheels and matching body.
I live in Ipswich, Suffolk so i'm not very far away at all, so maybe a hornet meet could be on the cards.
Chris
matt
hi john could u tell me what the range is on the hornet because i might buy one
rob marshall
Cant believe that the hornet and lunchbox have been re-released . I am deffinatly gonna get one next pay day , dont know which yet ! how fast do they go ? I have read that they are using the 540 motors . Is there anyway you can make them as fast a petrol driven cars ? any feed back would be great .
dan-gleeballs@hotmail.co.uk
i had a lunchbox recently that was faster than a work mates nitro car. it cost a fortune to build but was so funny to watch!! go to you tube and look at 'brushless lb'
basicly i bought the kit to make fast, i fitted metal bearings, and glued the rear tyres to the rims. i also fitted cva short shocks but i dont think anything woul make it any more stable.
the motor and esc was a novak ss5800 8.5turn brushless set up, the gears can take it without breaking!!!
Jez
I came across this blog having been researching Tamiya cars all day (at work!). I too owned a Hornet which I received for my tenth birthday. My best friend Joe Harvey's big brother George had one, and so I remember that every day for about six months I asked my dad, "Dad, can I have a Hornet for my birthday?" and so of course to keep my happy (and quiet) they bought me one. When I built it I deviated slightly from the instructions, using sellotape for example instead of the heat-shrink insulating sleeving that came supplied. I didn't have the enough paint, either, and had to use some metallic brown car spray for the spoiler. That didn't last long anyway because my big brother broke it off with a tennis ball!
I remember melting some chocolate on top of that hot ceramic block at the rear of the car too. What the heck was that for anyway? I loved my hornet, but one day it died a horrible death. I had been using my dad's car battery charger to fast-charge my hornet's battery, and one day left it charging whilst I went to scouts. When I came back the battery had massively overheated and melted the chassis. That was a sad day.
I don't think I'll but the same car again, despite the opportunity to assemble it correctly, treat it well and enjoy some nostalgia at the same time. Instead, now I'm nearly 32, I might buy a more top of the range Tamiya car instead, as that is what the 10-year-old me would have wanted.
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