Tamiya’s next generation of tarmac racers started with the Mercedes C11. Like the early originals that spawned the Countach, Celica LB Turbo, Ligeier Matra, Ferrari etc etc with some modifications to the chassis so the cars where some what different, this generation of sports chassis was to be a one single tub base with a plethora of body choices which some went on to other chassis like the Nissan 300 ZX and the Ferrari F40 becoming part of a limited edition run much later in its life.
Small coils over pivot shafts in the steering upright controlled the front suspension while the back was controlled with a flexible mount and a single CVA shock. Hardly revolutionary but at least with this generation you got some form of damping.
Also in the box was a ball diff so corners could now be done with a bit more speed and less tail twitching which was nice as Tamiya also threw in the Sport Tuned motor. A hot little number requiring zero service and unrivalled reliability.
As for driving these cars there was little else apart from driving skill that could help you against the opposition. Fitting faster motors only encouraged the rear end to break away and that would be from rest if one wasn’t easy on the go stick. And loosening up the exposed ball diff was not the best option. Rapid shim wear and the sound of metallic screaming was not music to your ears!
With regards to looks, the best out of the bunch was the Mercedes. It’s 2 piece polycarbonate shell + wing was easy to build and yet it had that added extra of involvement. The front lights had their own pods and needed to be cut out and screwed in adding to the realism. A simple car to paint with one coat of silver and just a handful of decals. It was nothing outlandish like the Jaguar. This also meant that there was less to scrub off when you hit the crash barriers, thus keeping the car looking good when in truth it had been around the block a bit. That said, the tyre stickers didn’t stay stuck for long.
Today there is little to recommend them with regards to nostalgia running or racing ability. If it’s a classic you want then you’re going to go for the early originals and if it’s something serious you’re going to be shopping for a modern car from Tamiya. While prices are cheap for the original kits, it’s finding one which is becoming the hardest part so buy now if you really do want one.
This has however now been sorted. Tamiya have re-released the kit for a new generation of drivers. I’m hoping they relaunch the NSX that was based on this chassis. That was one kit l promised myself but never bought.