john01374

Over the weekend I was Given (yes given) a re-re Brat. It was bought for my boss's brothers kid 2 years ago and never built. They have no interest in building, owning or running it. I offered to build it for them, make it run then return it but they said no thanks it's yours to keep. Guess the kids more into video games than RC.. Knowing that i'm into RC's the kit was given to me.

Now.... I already have one Brat that's a runner. It's getting pretty banged up but I do have a brand new body sitting on the shelf waiting to be painted (thanks JeremyZ).

I'm getting ready to build this one and wondering if anyone would be interested in seeing a Brat build thread. I did a quick search and didn't see build thread for this model. Right now I'm thinking this one would be more of a shelf queen than a runner.

Let me know what you think.. If there's interest i'll document the build.

gulfstreamI

"If you build it ...and they will come." - Field of Dreams

Go for it. I've got an Original Subaru Brat myself from 1983. I've since turned it into a Mudblaster monster truck back the mid 90's and quite happy with it.

prestonlal

Sweet! Brat build! been thinking about picking one up as well....yup go for it! i will definitely love to see a build!

lee172

i'd have a search and see if there are many Brat build threads on here, if not, go for it [8D]

redfisher1974

Do it, Would be nice to see.

The Collector1

My Feedback: (2)

Yes Yes Do IT

mrgoodbar

john01374

OK the people have spoken. I'll post up some teaser pics pic today. The actual build should start sometime next week. If you guys have read my last build you'll know that I got my GF involved in building RC's a year or so she'll be helping out on this one as well.

The Collector1

My Feedback: (2)

And the crowd cheersyay

The Collector1

My Feedback: (2)

Oh BTW John, sorry for your loss I know Im late

john01374

OK here are the Teaser pics I promised and a little back ground on the Brat Kit.

The original Brat was released in July 1983. It was Tamiya's 38th released and numbered accordingly 58038.

The Re-release is numbered 58384 but i'm not 100% sure the numbering system still has the same meaning. I know Tamiya has made a lot of cars but 384 still seem a little high to me. Someone with more knowledge feel free to correct me. I can't find a clear release date for the Re-Re model but a do recall getting my first one in the spring of 2007.

There are 9 cars altogether that share the same main chassis and gearbox as the Brat. They are models 58038: Subaru Brat, ReRe Brat 58384, 58040: Lancia Rally, 58041: Frog, 58058: Blackfoot, 58060: Monster Beetle, 58077: Mud Blaster, 58101: Bush Devil, 58110: Super Blackfoot, 58192: King Blackfoot.

The Re Re does have a couple of things that are different from the original Brat. Most notably is the difference in stickers. The original sticker sheet had multiple colored stripes that allowed you to make the brat your own. The new model comes with one set and that's it. The MSC is gone and a Tamiya ESC is sitting in it's place. The Re-Re also includes a lexan body along with the original hard shell. The good news is the hard shell appears to be an exact copy of the original. The one change here is the windows are now tinted where the originals where clear. I do believe that those few things are the only changes

Below are a couple good links including links to both models on tamiyaclub.com

Original Brat on Tamiya Club http://www.tamiyaclub.com/car.asp?id=38
ReRe Brat on Tamiya Club http://www.tamiyaclub.com/car.asp?id=784

The Box... Yeah yeah we've all seen this shot before I know.....


What inside the Box.... I love opening a new kit for the first time. Even though I've built several Frogs and 2 Brats I still got excited when I lifted the lid.


Here's what make a Brat a Brat. The hard plastic body.


In this pic you'll see the Lexan body that comes with the Kit. BTW I've found that this body is a perfect fit for several other RC trucks. It's perfect for the Pajero chassis and the TA02 chassis under the F150 trucks. It also works perfect on the Stampede.


Here's the contents of that little Purple box. If you read my previous build on the MadBull ( http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_89..._1/key_/tm.htm ) you'll know that I mentioned there wasn't that many parts and the build was somewhat boring. That is not the case here. The Brat has a number of parts and is a great build. There isn't a ton of plastic but the kit includes a number of metal pieces that will keep you interested.

john01374

Thanks man... It's never too late and the kind words are always appreciated.

bside

I just restored my 91 mudblaster and it`s a blast for bashing. Added electronics from the slash so it`s all nice and waterproof 

mrgoodbar

Yawn We all know what an unassembled kit looks like, but we'd all get a lot more "teased" by seeing some upgrade part additions you're going to add.

prestonlal

Damn! that's a lot of parts! i'm surprised cause the assembled truck looks like a relatively simple build...[X(] hehehehh now you got me thinking where to reallocate funds to pick up one.....[&:]

looking forward to this build!

john01374

"We all know what an unassembled kit looks like"?? I beg to differ. The market today is filled with RTR's that you simply pull out the box, slap some stickers on and put a battery in. I would venture to say that better than half of the people on this forum have never seen a kit in person. The guy that posted right after you had never seen this kit in pieces and was surprised by it's content.

This is after all a build thread and build thread start with an unassembled kit and work their way through a complete build. If the builder decides to do mods along the way or afterward that is his or her personal preference. I'm sorry you feel this is a "Yawn" thread for you. If it doesn't interest you then please feel free to skip it in the future. I'm sure we can all do without you're less than positive comments that you've been filling this entire forum with.

mrgoodbar

Chill dude. You asked for people's opinions, and if you can't handle them then maybe you shouldn't have asked.

Willystylz

We don't all know what THIS particular unassembled kit looks like.

prestonlal

I have seen some of his comments on other threads and all i will say is 'the hand block is your friend' I certainly use it..!

The Mad Modder

+1 Where's the fun in skipping to the hop-ups? The fun part of owning Tamiya RCs is to building them stock and slowly upgrade them, so you can notice the performance increase.

ausjethro

I've just finished building the re-released Brat mainly because I have a real one and wanted an R/C copy.I built the hard plastic body one with the Frog chassis as a static display model and the Lexan body I painted up like my full size one(black) and used an HPI Firestorm rolling chassis with an EZrun brushless combo and Proline black/silver beadlocks.This was the first kit I have built for a long time and I have to say it was both enjoyable and relaxing.It MIGHT inspire me to have a go at another one!This kit also has the chrome plated chassis and other parts which is a bit of a bonus.

mechanizeddeath

What a bummer, RCU just ate my post.

Anyway, what I was saying is this is my favorite RC of all time, and the one that got me into this hobby. I'm a longtime Subaru owner and enthusiast, and the original Tamiya Brat and parts would show up in searches online for real Subaru parts. When I learned that it had been rereleased, I bought one that day, knowing nothing of hobby grade RC aside from big names like Traxxas.

Due to my newbie building and driving skills, my Brat is now a box of parts, but I do hope to get another one soon, I've just been preoccupied with other RCs. This is actually a very interesting build with a lot of cool parts, and is also notable because you actually build the frame rather than just pull a FRP bathtub out of a bag and screw things onto it as with many other kits.

Eman77

I love build threads. Never seen one of the Brat. Good idea, john! Keep up the good work - we appreciate you taking the time out of your build and day to take pics, crop 'em, and upload them to share.

After doing a build thread or two myself, I always appreciate the time others spend in doing so.

john01374

Will do man.... The build should start tomorrow I hope.

What do you mean "crop 'em".. You guys do like seeing all my junk laying around in the background

860Crawler

Wow lucky! Given an RC, that's great, I hope to have that happen to be one day