'Old Beginner' Checking In

[jason_recliner]

Ebay Pic 01.JPG (25.76 KiB) Viewed 1345 times

Ebay Pic 01.JPG (25.76 KiB) Viewed 1345 times

Hi everybody, my name's Toby, I'm in Australia, how's it going! I called myself an 'Old Beginner' because I used to LOVE R/C buggie back in the late 80s, maybe the early 90s too, then sort of grew out of it in my teens. Then, the other day, a mate took out his 1/8 brushless beast and it all sort of came flooding back to me. Except I'm not so much into the new stuff as the retro - specifically late 80s, early 90s.

So anyway, this was a few days ago, and I started looking for forums and other resources on line. Found some nice sites but generally interest in retro / vintage seemed quite low, especially buggies. Apparently it's all about trucks now???

And then in one thread somebody mentioned that there are some good retro enthusiasts, good posts, good pics, here at RC10Talk. Is there ever!!! This site rocks, seems like a laid back genuine group of guys, and the cars... THE CARS!!! You can probably tell I'm glad I found this place.



So anyway, yesterday I won an auction for a Kyosho Turbo Optima Mid SE. I meant to plan it, do my research, track prices, yada yada. But no. So I probably paid way too much and it is probably rubbish

Except I don't care because there's a bit of a story to this one...

When I was a kid, my friend and I were right into off-road R/C buggies. My folks were always broke, but they managed to find the cash to buy me a Tamiya Madcap. My mate was minted, and his folks bought him all sorts of high end gear (we were maybe 9-11 years old, bear in mind!). Amongst others, he had one of these. I longed for it, ached for it, just couldn't understand why his folks could get him all this stuff and mine couldn't.

Fast forward to 2011, when this one showed up on the bay with an hour to spare - not just an Optima, but a Turbo Obtima Mid SE, just like my mate Geoffrey had, even down to the colour. And while not exactly rich, these days I can afford the (1/10) car of my childhood dreams. Well, you know what happens next!

Sadly, Geoffrey died around 10 years ago, and I'll always miss him. Such a shame, I would have loved to share this with him. But it will always remind me of him, and our time together, just messing around as kids, when life was simple and innocent.

I'm hoping to pick up an RC10 too, probably a Graphite, because the '89 Worlds were a HUGE deal to us kids and Masami winning 2WD and 4WD made him our hero. Yeah, I'd really like a YZ10 too, but I'm trying not too get too deep financially...

So, I'm hoping you guys will let me stick around because this place makes me smile and to be honest it already feels like home!!!

ps - I'll try and post some more seller pics some time but I can't from this computer and had trouble pasting them in from another post somewhere...

[Hcp22]

Welkom Toby, to RC10Talk.
I think you share your story with many of us at the forum, it’s here we for fill our dreams, both new and old dreams!

[bdrmbully]

welcome. you will find all the info you need in this forum,and if you dont find it dont be afraid to ask. people usually will get back to you pretty quickly.
the car looks good at a first glance. that beast is one of my fav vintage runners. doesnt look like you'll have to spend too much more on her providing the gears are good.

[Coelacanth]

Welcome, Jason. I think many of us are just as you, "old beginners". We got into this hobby in the mid 80's, other things (like life) got in the way for a few decades, and then something pulled us back in. When we got pulled back in, what most interested us was the vintage stuff, not the modern stuff.

Looking forward to pics of your Mid! Whether you're looking to restore your car to box-art specs or doing something completely different to modernize it, you'll find lots of helpful Kyosho folks here. Good luck on your resto!

[RCveteran]

That was the 1st car I ever raced and learned a lot from. Brings back great memories, wish I still had it. Welcome.

[tim.sanderson]

Welcome to the board, Toby.
On the surface that looks to be in great condition. If the inside looks half as decent as the outside, you've got yourself a winner.
One of these days I'll pick up an Optima Mid of my own... my collection has jumped strait from a Turbo Optima, into a Lazer ZX.
Also, when the car is actually in your hands, you can never post too many pics!

[CamplinP]

Hello and welcome. Same boat here. Started in the 80's and got back into it a couple of years ago. I have a Mid myself. I built it new and now it is over 20 years old. Men that is a lot of beer between then and now.

[RedScampi]

Welcome! You are in the right place. Most of us can relate to your story in one degree or another. This is the most educated and relaxed forum on the web for vintage rc. By the way, Optima Mids are one of my all time favorites too.

[jason_recliner]

Thanks everybody. I really like this Optima but compared to some of the cars I've been eyeing on this forum - WOW. The stock cars have amazing collector appeal, and the mods you guys pull off are just drool-worthy, plain and simple.

I do have some more seller pics of this SE but they are on my other computer (I'm typing from an office) and I have a horrendous mobile internet bill I'm disputing so can't post them just yet. It looks pretty tidy underneath though. The main concern is some fairly severe scratching on the bottom chassis plate. This was definitely no shelf-queen!

Is a NIB chassis something that might be found on the bay? If not, no real dramas. I won't be looking at the underside of the chassis too often

[RedScampi]

They come up quite often actually. There are a couple of sellers who specialize in Kyosho stuff. I actually totally rebuilt my mid with all new plastic and some aluminum parts from ebay. It gets a bit pricey to do it that way but compared to buying an NIB kit it's a no brainer.

[myk]

Join the club Toby. I was cleaning out a closet and noticed my Optima Mid that got parked back in '90 or so. I hate myself for neglecting the car this long but I'm redeeming myself now buy driving it like it was meant to be. Is that a NiCD battery you've got there? I wonder if you've got an ESC in that or not? As for the chassis I picked one up on ebay almost immediately after I started looking and for not too expensive at all. I hope you plan to run this thing, and I also hope you get the car soon. Details details details!

[transamman908]

This was my Mid SE and took great care of it( Far from rubbish). You should be very happy with it Toby when it arrives. This car was animal back in the day when I ran it. She's been out of service for many years, so some adjustments are in store for the 'ol girl but rest assured it will put a smile on your mug once you fire it up . The paint work is nothing to great but looks great from 10 feet away . I'm glad to see it go to a member here and someone that will enjoy for years to come.