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Tamiya GrasshopperThe Big 1/10 Buggy That Was Born to Rule the Dirt TracksTamiya Grasshopper is a testimony to Tamiya’s legacy. It speaks a ton about the real time inspirations that drove innovation at Tamiya. To bring latest technological advances to rc enthusiasts through their models is a habit with Tamiya and Grasshopper is no different. Small Journey to Tamiya Grasshopper’s PastIn the early 80’s one seater buggies became very popular in the United States. They usually raced in dirt tracks and swivelled through the cloud of dust at break neck speeds piercing them much to the delight of the crowd. This caught up with the imagination of Tamiya engineers who started on their pursuit to get this popular model to the rc community. It was 1984 when the first grasshopper hit the market. Grasshopper from Tamiya was one of the very first rc kits that were made for rc enthusiasts. It was made to be an entry level kit. Thus assembling parts to get the buggy into running condition was fairly easy. Grasshopper was a run away hit with its target audience because of its simplicity in assembly and use. Grasshopper transcended the boundaries of different experience levels of the driver. Its compatibility with a wide array of option parts made it a favourite among drivers of all experience levels. Anatomy of a Tamiya's GrasshopperLet’s explore the anatomy of Tamiya's Grasshopper model… Grasshopper from Tamiya is a rugged car with a monocoque chassis with bathtub reinforcement. The body was made of strong durable plastic that was capable of withstanding a little abuse that comes along in the lifecycle of off-road buggies. Its body was screwed to the chassis thereby creating a frame capable of handling high stresses due to rough handling. Motor that was used to power a Grasshopper was Mabuchi rs-380. It contributed to the overall popularity of the car in a big way by allowing the car to run for a long time. Trust at that time this was really significant because it took hours to charge as compared to 10-15 in today’s models. Suspension system was good for the task in grasshopper. Standard springs were used at all the four corners. Absence of dampeners made the buggy bounce a lot like a grasshopper, true to its name. Gears in Grasshopper model were not very robust as you would expect from an off-road buggy.
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