Vintage Tamiya Holiday Buggy (58023)

BlackSeaRC presents the first video in a new series featuring the iconic vintage Tamiya Holiday Buggy. This is an especially important car for me as it represented my very first radio-controlled car and it inspired my enthusiasm for the RC hobby that has lasted over 4 decades so far.

The Tamiya "Dual Purpose" Holiday Buggy (Part numbers: RA-1023 / 5823 / 58023) was a 1:10 scale RC car assembly kit launched on 08 December 1980. Once built and fitted with separately available electronics, it was capable of use on all types of terrain. It was one of the very early Tamiya RC products that was designed as an off-road vehicle. The "Special Racing Buggy" series initially comprised the Rough Rider and Sand Scorcher. These were high performance off-road buggies with many metal components for strength and durability. These were soon followed by the Holiday Buggy and then the Sand Rover, which were designed to be entry-level products. They were more basic in design and used reinforced plastic parts instead of metal. This meant that they were just over half the price of the SRB's. Production of these vehicles continued until 1984.

I acquired my Holiday Buggy second hand in the mid-1980's. It came fully built by the previous owner and included Asahi Acoms 2-channel radio control equipment plus other ancillary items. I drove it extensively for many years, mainly on heathland and beaches of the Norfolk Coast. Towards the end of the 1980's, I repainted the buggy in a white/orange/yellow colour scheme. My RC vehicle collection expanded with more capable models and the Holiday Buggy was used less and less. Recently, I decided that I wanted to restore the model back to its box art colours.

This video follows the restoration project and also includes some interesting facts about this, now rare, vintage RC buggy. In the video, we look at the following:

Background and History:
Tamiya's first RC car
Tamiya "Special Racing Buggy" series
Introduction of Holiday Buggy kit / box art
Inspiration for Holiday Buggy - real vehicle on which the kit was based
Corsair Stripper dune buggy photos and specifications
Images from vintage Tamiya catalogues
First 100 Tamiya RC vehicles

Overview of Buggy & Ancillary Equipment:
Close-up look at the Holiday Buggy body and chassis with full period electronics
Close-up look at ancillary equipment including:
Asahi Acoms AP-227 Mk II 2-channel radio control transmitter
Tamiya 5N-1200SC 6V 1200mAh Ni-Cd battery pack
Asahi Acoms 5N-1200E AC240V battery charger
Asahi Acoms 5N-1200C quick charging system
Powering up - will it still run after 40 years?

Restoration:
First stages of restoration of body and chassis
Body strip down, preparation and painting
Chassis cleaning
Items requiring further attention

In future videos in this series, the restoration shall continue with the accessory parts, fitting new decals, obtaining new parts for the chassis, etc.

About Tamiya:
Tamiya Plastic Model Co. Ltd, Shizuoka, Japan, introduced its first radio controlled vehicle, the Porsche 934 Turbo RSR in December 1976. It was allocated part number RA-1201 (later 58001). This was essentially a 1:12 scale plastic model kit integrated for hobby grade RC equipment. It was relatively fragile and intended for on-road use only.

In November 1979, Tamiya launched the Rough Rider "Special Racing Buggy", a purpose-designed off-road capable machine with durable and robust body and chassis. It used many metal components for added strength. The Rough Rider (Part numbers RA-1015 / 5815 / 58015) was a 1:10 scale buggy and it was soon joined by the Sand Scorcher.

Tamiya quickly established itself as a leading manufacturer of high-quality RC vehicles. These scale-realistic high-performance off-road buggies captured the imagination of adults and children alike and established Tamiya as a world-leading manufacturer of RC vehicles. Over the next 4 decades, they have been responsible for bringing us more iconic and legendary names such as Blazing Blazer, Wild Willy, Grasshopper, Lunchbox, Clod Buster, Avante, etc. Tamiya continues to make high-quality RC products to this day and have recently launched the BBX (58719), a modern buggy with retro styling but incorporating the latest 21st century technology.

To find out more about the company and latest product range, you can visit:
https://www.tamiya.com

About BlackSeaRC:
BlackSeaRC was established in 2020 to bring you a regular selection of interesting videos featuring scale realistic RC vehicles, accessories and equipment. Content includes unboxings and detailed reviews, kit builds, upgrades, modifications and customisation, vintage restoration projects, RC testing and driving adventures in scenic locations around the Black Sea and more. The BlackSeaRC collection currently includes models from 18 different manufacturers.
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