The RC Deep Dive

Say, "No Guts, No Glory!" to an R/C buggy enthusiast and they think of the Frog. Say, "Being Nuts is Neat!" And the same be radio control model hobbyist will think of the Avante. Where did Tamiya come up with these crazy mottos for their iconic vintage radio controlled buggies and why did some models not have any motto? We dig deep into the history and reasons for these tail wing motors in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

Box art dictates that the Tamiya (Mighty) Frog is painted pink, white, and black. (Although box art shows a red helmet for the driver, the vintage directions say a blue helmet for the driver, and the rere [re-release] directions show a white helmet) However both all pink and all green are popular alternate liveries. We wondered what the most popular colors for the Frog were, so we dig deep and research Frog owners' favorite colors in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

The CRP (Custom Racing Products) #3043 ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) Chassis Stiffener for the BRAT, Frog, Blackfoot, and Super Beetle, is more than a replacement skid plate, but also an integral hop-up that strengthens the chassis and helps fix front steering issues. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast, we dig into why this one item, especially when combined with the CRP #3044  ORV Front Bumper, is a must-have hop-up system for improved R/C driving. 

Often when you buy an ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) for your radio controlled vehicle, you get a Dean's connector T-plug, but your battery may have a Tamiya plug connector or a different type of connector. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we dig into your options how to fix this issue, including step-by-step directions how to solder new connectors, even if you've never soldered before.

[NOTE: This was recorded before the completion of Poor Boys RC Summer 2025 Speed Run Challenge announced in June]

The Tamiya Grasshopper 2WD R/C buggy is an icon and a legend that originally topped out, in it's stock configuration, at approximately 12 mph / 19 kph. We dig deeply into the speedrunning records year by year since 1984, going to 62 mph / 100 kph in 2023, and the speedrunners' quest in 2025 to get a Tamiya Grasshopper beyond 100 mph / 161 kph in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

The Pro-Line and CRP (Custom Racing Products) dyeable white nylon bumper have both been called a "must-have" Hop-Up for the Frog and other ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) chassis R/C model vehicles. However, when deciding between the two, many vintage Tamiya radio control hobbyists realized that the two hop-ups were exactly the same. Why is this? We dig into this mystery and solve it in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

The ORV chassis is an icon in the R/C hobbyist community. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive we dig into this legendary radio controlled model chassis and its history supporting many of Tamiya's radio control cars, buggies, trucks, and vans in a range of colors which each had a hidden meaning which we uncover. 

The HotShot family (HotShot, SuperShot, HotShot II, Bigwig, Boomerang, Super Sabre, HotShot 2 Blockhead Motors Edition, and Super HotShot) of 4WD radio controlled buggies were a revolution for Tamiya, however they had issues including front end slop. We take a deep dive into the numerous way to fix this in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

OC Racing, Option No. 1, and other 3rd party aftermarket R/C hop-up manufacturers make bars that go between the top and bottom rear shock mounts on the Tamiya Grasshopper, Hornet, Grasshopper II, and Super Hornet 1/10th scale radio controlled model buggies. But do these hop-up bars really help? We take a deep dive into the truths and myths of these hop-ups and show you what they can do and what they absolutely cannot do in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast. 

R/C hobby grade CA (cyanoacrylate) glue or super glue has been the standard adhesive for tires to seal to modern one-piece wheels. However, recently, in the vintage radio controlled model vehicle hobbyist community, another tire to wheel sealant as begun to gain popularity, clear silicon sealant. We compare and contrast these two tire sealing adhesives in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.