TAMIYA STADIUM BLITZER:
This was my first R/C ride..I took a long time deciding which vehicle to get because I was intending to make this my first and only R/C vehicle. I wanted a truck that was fairly competitive ..This truck wasn't too competitive "right out the box", but it certainly had potential..I could buy my first truck at a reasonable price and add on as the budget allowed..
The first thing I had to get was the radio controller. I chose a Futaba Magnum Sport FP-T2PB with two FP-S148 servos and a Futaba FP-R112JE 2 channel receiver with BEC(battery eliminator). This is one of the cheaper radios on the market (at the time), but it serves its purpose and I don’t really have any complaints to speak of. Besides ,inexpensive in R/C is a good thing, right??
Because I was planning on this being my only R/C ride,I wanted a vehicle that could go both on the road and off. After tearing up my spikes on the road for awhile, I decided I had better rig my Blitzer up with some road rubber. I got some HPI 5 Star chrome rims and wrapped them in Pro-Line Road Hawg street tires..Wow!!What a difference in the handling on the street..I was very impressed with the way my new Road Hawgs hugged the asphalt. The fishtailing looked cool, but it wasn’t doing anything for my run times.. Not to mention what it was doing to my tires.. Believe me, don’t try this at home kids.. This applies to any off-road vehicle, of course.
Now that I have got used to the handling of my Blitzer, its time to go faster. The next thing I got was a Trinity Speedgems Ruby modified motor.. Installing this baby immediately doubled my speed.. I also replaced the stock 13 tooth pinion gear with a Trinity 15 tooth pinion gear, for a little more top speed.. The stock “3 step speed controller” could handle this new found power without any problem, according to my R/C advisor guy. (he was right, for awhile-see below). I was very impressed with the wheelies I was doing with this rear wheel drive Blitzer.
I found the shocks a little soft in acceleration and cornering, so I replaced the supplied “Tamiya Soft” oil with 30wt. Team Associated oil... Much better. I replaced the rear springs with Team Losi “Red” springs. I was hoping the rear end wouldn’t drop as much during acceleration with these new springs, but the main reason I got them is because I thought they looked cool!! For toe-in/toe-out adjustment in the front end, I replaced the threaded rods with adjustable rods. I highly recommend this.
The last thing I added was a Team Novak- Rooster Reversible electronic speed control. This is a great speed control if you are R/C’ing as a hobbyist, but don’t get one for competitive racing. You really need a reversible for backyard bashing.. Who wants to chase after their vehicle every time they run it into the fence? With the smoother range of motion of the speed controller, you will find that your batteries last a little longer. I use three myself.. One running, one charging & one cooling.. I really miss those wheelies though. The ESP doesn’t shoot the Blitzer off the line like the “3 step” did. If you are planning on installing a modified motor.. Plan on eventually buying an "ESC" also. I ended up frying my “3 step”. It lasted for quite awhile though. The way I see it, I would have thrown it out any ways, so why not stick with it ‘til it goes??
The Paint; Just like the box. Except for the RED tinted windows. .I did this last, with a brush. It looks a little streaky at first, but after a couple of coats the streaks begin to disappear. The rest (black& white) was taped and sprayed.. Black first, then over everything (windows still taped) with the white.. “My name” on the roof and “if you can read this roll me over” printed upside down (with rub on lettering) on the tailgate were the finishing touches..
Note:The Stadium Blitzer is now discontinued.Tamiya Stadium Thunder is built on the same platform and basically is the replacement to the Blitzer...
Final Thought? I would highly recommend the Tamiya Blitzer to anyone who wants a lot of fun and versatility for a reasonable price. The instructions were very precise and easy to follow. All the parts fit together with ease, as I’ve come to expect from Tamiya products in general. Enjoy!!
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