Tamiya 300058618 1:10 RC Monster Beetle 2015

Product Information

Also visible above are the rubber boots that house the rear drive shafts. With hard running, this system is a bit of a weakness of this model (and others in the Tamiya range that use it) as the driveshafts have hexagonal ends that can eventually wear down. It’s also funny to think that the rubber boots were held on by plastic ties! But this was the official way to build the kit. And if you don’t run your cars *too* hard, and keep the stressed components like these well lubricated with Molybdenum grease, then they will operate well for many years. 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 steering servo is mounted to the chassis and the speed controller is attached with the included double sided tape. And combining their high-rise, go anywhere looks with the evergreen shape of a VW Beetle resulted in yet another hit for the Japanese model company Tamiya.

Front double wishbone and rear trailing arm setups are cushioned by high-performance CVA oil dampers. Body is molded in red ABS Plastic. It depicts a customized Beetle with gaping fenders, triple auxiliary lights and a shortened rear end. 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.gear ratio (with the kit-standard 18T pinion gear) gives great drive. The model is also compatible with 20T pinion gears (for a 33.61:1 gear ratio).

Left: The chassis has higher ground clearance that further boosts its capabilities on tough terrain. A 3-gear differential is housed between a pair of aluminum plates that make up the transmission case. The original Monster Beetle used hex shaped dogebones for driveshafts and they were prone to rounding out. This time around Tamiya has included a more traditional dogbone with a CV joint on the axles. Forget the use of rubber "o-rings" in the diff or rear axle outdrives. They bind the transmission for the most part. You definitely don't need TWO o rings as suggested in the manual. Play with it for smoothness. I have only one O rubber ring on the rear left outdrive. I think having no o-rings anywhere on the diff axles is perfectly fine actually. Your transmission will run smoother IMO.Universal drive shafts not only boost efficiency; they also minimize the risk of popping out when driving. Following this we attach the steering arms to the servo saver. It is basic and chunky and should be fine to get started with. I rescued the poor thing from the bushes and straight away noticed the problem. On the right side of the gearbox, the round end of the swing shaft had popped right out of its place in the (short) gearbox joint. Its almost as if the right hand side Swing shaft is too short?? The kit comes with a classic RS540 motor. You need to fit the plastic motor mount onto it and also ensure that the 10t long boss pinion is attached. Whoa~ Quite a lot going on in this photo.. a slipper clutch mod? plastic insert shape that follows the shape of the transmission.. threaded rod and nuts suggest a different motor mount position(perhaps larger pinion) as well. Do tell us more!