Tamiya 300058618 1:10 RC Monster Beetle 2015

Product Information

Every angle of the chassis has something that looks interesting and unconventional. This is one of the great charms of older designs. At the time no one knew what would make a great RC car so all of the designers were trying new things to help pioneer the types of cars that we currently use. 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. This radio controlled model features an all new 1/14 scale, stylised version of the timeless Volkswagen Beetle Body, mounted on the new all-action 4WD GF-01TR chassis fitted out with big tyres for rough and tumble off-road fun.

At the time of writing, the Monster Beetle is one of the few remaining Tamiya models of the 1980s that has not been rehashed by the company, to cash in on nostalgia. Although I’m sure that can’t be too far away, because… “money”. 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 1985 Monster Beetle is why I do what I do for a living and driving the 2015 proves to me that this model is still King of my hill! It’s not my fastest or most technologically advanced but it is the one I have the most fun with. It represents everything that I love most about the hobby. If you have never built a Tamiya kit I think it is time you do. In my opinion there is nothing cooler looking than the Monster Beetle. Now with the few upgrades the Beetle can once again recruit some hobbyists that stand a good chance of being in it for life.The wiper style speed control has been left in the past and replaced with a new electronic unit that can be used with either a brushed or brushless motor. The kit includes Tamiya’s typical 540 can. 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.

These old videos often used to appear on TV sets in Hobby Shops, as in-store promotion to help tempt customers. 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. Be all of this as it may, though, this car maintains its modern collectability due to its durable design and unique, scale look. Monster Beetle from ruebiracer showroom, My Monster Beetle Runner - Tamiya RC & Radio Control Cars (tamiyaclub.com)

TYRES

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.

This hardy model's rear-wheel drive chassis is based around a durable ABS space frame to withstand all-action off-road driving. The chassis uses a double-wishbone front with trailing arm rear suspension setups that work in tandem with the CVA oil dampers. The rugged ABS space-frame chassis fromthe original model (58060) has remained. The chassis uses a double-wishbone front with trailing arm rear suspension setups that work in tandum with the CVA oil dampers.

Left: The chassis has higher ground clearance that further boosts its capabilities on tough terrain. With the central chassis together we start to work on the steering tie rods. These are steel and, as it this a Tamiya, you can just screw the 5mm adjusters on each end until they match the length shown in the manual.