Tamiya 300058618 1:10 RC Monster Beetle 2015

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Where possible, the markings from the original model design have been recreated and combined with some newly designed markings. I started off by fitting the chassis spacers. There are a collection of steel bars and plastic spacers to ensure that once the other part is attached it all stays together well. Monster Beetle from ruebiracer showroom, My Monster Beetle Runner - Tamiya RC & Radio Control Cars (tamiyaclub.com)

Then its time to install the motor and the body mounts. As you can see the Monster Beetle has some side mounts that have to be fitted to hold the great looking shell. Front double wishbone and rear trailing arm setups are cushioned by high-performance CVA oil dampers. I actually built part of this model in 1994. And the rest of it many years later, eventually completing all the small details. The joy of building a model like the Monster Beetle is that if you make the effort to do everything, there’s a fair amount of small detail that ends up being really satisfying to complete. I use anti-wear grease in the diff gear shown in the photo below. Grease the gear cavities. This is just enough resistance, withoutstuff flying everywhere in your transmission. I put the slightest amount of anti-wear grease on the differential gears, like imagine almost putting nothing at all. It's not necessary to put grease on the metal gears IMO. DON'T let this stuff get on the white gears, that is the main point. I also put the anti-wear grease on the shaft of the outdrive diff (shown in the photo) below. Do this carefully, and you get a limited-slip differential for more traction! The Monster Beetle was first released on the 23rd of December, 1986… some 27 years ago, as I write this.There is an air of strength and poise with this chassis. It feels solid, like a car that is begging for you to take it out and have fun. Body depicts a customized Beetle with gaping fenders, triple auxiliary lights and a shortened rear end. This gear-driven 4WD chassis is based around a lightweight and tough monocoque frame, with power provided by the centrally-positioned motor. Reduction gears on each axle slow drive shaft rotation for immense traction, great ground clearance, and the ability to take on tough off-road terrain. The gearbox is sealed to protect from dust and debris, and integrated into the frame; built-in differential gears provide superb traction and durability with the use of included diff putty. 4-wheel double wishbone suspension utilizes friction dampers, while a 2-piece tie rod steering setup with the servo on the left gives excellent response. Yellow wheels are fitted with 115mm diameter hybrid pin spike/lug pattern tires for superior cushioning and grip. The chassis utilizes a ‘square’ setup with similar tread and wheelbase lengths.

The Monster Beetle is actually based on an earlier chassis that Tamiya had created – initially for the Subaru Brat, but it is equally known as the chassis of the Tamiya Frog. It’s an unusual chassis for it’s time – referred to as a “space frame” because it consists of two lightweight plastic halves that are screwed together and have a lot of holes in them to save weight, while still remaining rigid. The rear universal drive shafts transfer power smoothly and come with rubber boots to protect them from dust. The model features a stylized version of the timeless Volkswagen Beetle body, mounted on an all-action 2WD chassis fitted with big tires for rough-and-tumble off-road fun. Once these are assembled we need to add the front axles. These are made from steel and are very sturdy. They fit into the c-hub with a classic Tamiya Step screw. Time to place the plastic core section onto the metal half. Here you have to place the differential spur on top of the steel bevel gear and wiggle it around a little bit, but you do not have to be too precise.

PLASTIC KITS

The monster beetle is a joy to build. Once you've got past the first stage in placing a buch of bits inbetween the chassis sides, the build is a matter of bolting a few parts on in each step. Everything goes together easily, and there is hardly any slop in the moving parts. This is a quality little kit! Make sure the gearbox is as good as you can get it, ask if the diff is working properly, if it crunches, its worn. try to get one with the original shell. blitzer beetle shells are the same, but the nose cone at the front is different. monster beetle shells tend to get battered, and are not the easiest to restore. Dont worry about tyres, new ones are still available as tamiya still makes them. Aside from all the obviously excellent body details, right down to the silver VW badge on the bonnet, one of the most noticeable features of the Monster Beetle are it’s gold wheels and the introduction of the large, pin spike tyres that it uses. It was the first Tamiya model to use these particular tyres and wheels. They’re quite tall and soft, which means they are quite flabby under hard cornering and a bit bouncy as well. But this is part of the joy of old 1980s R/C cars – big, soft tyres that look great and work best when digging through sand dunes. When fitting the servo you want it to be straight. I found that my servo lug was catching the bottom part of the frame. I just trimmed it a little and then it slotted in perfectly. The classic Tamiya Monster Beetle is an iconic R/C kit. This version takes the classic body, shrinks it to a smaller scale, and mounts it on a variant GF-01 chassis called the GF-01TR!