Complete Guide to Kyosho's Legendary 2WD Buggies: Scorpion, Beetle, Tomahawk, Ultima and more!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ค. 2024
- Kyosho Scorpion, Tomahawk, Beetle or Ultima? Considering a 2WD Kyosho Legendary Series buggy but not sure which one to choose? Or already have one, and wondering if it's worth getting another? Then this is the guide for you! 😀
In this video I take an in-depth look at all of the current re-released 2WD buggies from Kyosho. Apologies for the long length, but I wanted to be as thorough as possible. This video has been by far the most complex and time consuming production I've done to date! Most of the footage has been shot over the course of the past 18 months. I've tried to be as comprehensive as possible, and perhaps someone, somewhere might find it entertaining. Or at the very least, help them with acute insomnia. 😅
Channels and videos mentioned in this video:
RC Hobby Shed Ultima Changes:
• Vintage Kyosho Ultima ...
Mark Bryan RC Scorpion Build
• How to Build a Kyosho ...
RC Legends Turbo Scorpion Build
• Kyosho Turbo Scorpion ...
Go check them out!
CONTENTS
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:36 - Overview
00:01:28 - Older Four
00:04:16 - In The Box
00:05:20 - Build
00:10:45 - Durability
00:11:13 - Performance
00:13:36 - Ultima
00:15:04 - Recommendation
Some things to note:
The prices I gave are the MSRP here in Japan. Usually the kits are cheaper. The price in dollars will seem very low as the Japanese Yen is particularly weak at the moment!
With the exception of the Turbo Scorpion, all of my kits have some upgrades, usually in the form of universals, shocks, wings etc.
As always, thanks for your time!
David
🇬🇧🇯🇵 - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
![Is this the Best Looking Retro RC Buggy Ever! [Brushless] Kyosho Turbo Scorpion.](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kCjnsEh_vNc/mqdefault.jpg)
![Is this the Best Looking Retro RC Buggy Ever! [Brushless] Kyosho Turbo Scorpion.](/img/tr.png)
I'm coming back to the hobby after 30 years and it's great to see the Kyosho re-releases of the cars that were iconic in my youth. this video is filled with great information supported with even better action shots and side by side comparisons, i appreciate the time and effort you put into this, thank you. i'm planning on picking up the Turbo Scorpion as well as the Turbo Optima, and if we are lucky, maybe there will be a Turbo Ultima in the future for me to finally have my adolescent dream of owning the premier Kyosho buggies of the 1980s.
The Tomahawk is just the bees-knees. *chefs kiss*
So happy I just found this channel! I love these old Kyosho buggies and still own my old Tamiya Grasshopper.
Great review David! Thank you! Just finished my Scorpion and your tips were helpful, thanks! It would be awesome if we could get a full 7075 CNC Turbo Scorpion! Keep the videos coming.
Great breakdown of all the kits and enjoyed hearing your thoughts on them! I have two of them and are wanting more! I ma just waiting for them to show back up in stock!! The video was done very well also, the mix of up close pics, stills and the running footage all worked really well together!! Great job my friend!!
Thank you! Kyosho ran off a batch of all the 2WD buggies (except the Ultima) earlier this month, so I would imagine new stock would be arriving outside of Japan sometime soon. As always, the Beetle sold out here almost immediately!
Another cool video, got the rere Scorpion when it came out and was staggered at how well machined/cast it was compared to my original one. It is a favourite runner. Thanks for the comparisons.
Thanks! I never had the pleasure of owning any of these buggies back in the day, but perhaps one day it would be nice to get a hold of an original to add to the collection. 😊
I think it's great that Kyosho choose to do so many upgrades to the originals.👍
Thanks for sharing all these 2wd buggies. They are awesome.
Thank you for commenting! 👍
Such a great and insightful video on the Legendary Series 2WD range. Kyosho is just top quality through and through. I agree with the tricky decal work tho.. I did however managed to get them on my TS by using the wet method. Really enjoyed watching and hearing your thoughts!👍😊
Thank you! 👍 Agreed, I think I would have had more success if I tried the water method.
In the end though, the all white look has kinda grown on me. 😁
@@KaiCityRC Yes, the clean look is a good look for sure!👍😊
As always great content and really enjoy the video. I’ve just added the Scorpion, Turbo Scorpion and Tomahawk to my collection.
Good choice! 👍 Thanks!
Nicely done!!
Thanks!
Thank you very much tor this video, very helpful, informative and with nice videography. Liked and subscribed 🙂👍 And yes, now I want one 😁
Thanks you for the sub! Very much appreciated. ☺️
These are such cool buggies
Excellent video!!!
Thank you! 😊
Awesome video mate , and you were right,I bought my. first ever Kyosho,a Scorpion over a year ago and since then have bought a Ultima rere and picked up a vintage Optima mid as well, Im originally a big Tamiya fan but these cars are next level in terms of build quality.
Thanks! I'm also I huge Tamiya fan, but the Kyosho re-releases are very special. 👍
The tomahawk is a beautiful little buggy, and the beetle is always a classic
Agreed! I love the proportions on the Tomahawk 👍
Great video! Thanks.
Thank you 👍
What a great opening line up of cars!!!!
Thank you!
As long as it's good content, the longer the video the better 👍 so don't apologize for u spending ur time to make videos for us to watch. So thank you!!
Thank you! 👍
Lots of great info in there, David, well worth my 19 minutes spent on this video!
I only have the Beetle and I have to admit I think it's the only one I'll get. Maybe the Ultima after watching your video, here in Europe it's okay priced, and I like the more modern design. I didn't much like building the Beetle (I loved painting it but that's another story), and it was only after 2nd or 3rd drive I actually enjoyed it. I was actually impressed with how fun it was to drive, so I hope it grows on me, I still need to make a video about it, at least I have managed to record some run footage so far.
Thanks for the kind words. 🙂 The Ultima is a very different build experience to the Beetle, so hopefully you'd enjoy that more. 👍 I'm also finding that the more I drive the Kyoshos, the more I like them!
Wonderful video David! I am planning on an Ultima for the future but I do love the look of the Tomahawk! 😎
Thank you! The Ultima is a great performer for sure! 👍
@@KaiCityRC I love your closing statement about the first… I am sure that will be the case as long as Kyosho don’t stop making them!!
Yes, they are addictive. 😁 Not just the 2WD's, but the 4WD also. I had not planned on buying so many in such a short space of time. But I figured that Kyosho could stop producing them at any moment and thus availability and prices would go way up! Hopefully Kyosho will continue to produce them. Over here at least, most sell out within a few weeks of Kyosho running off a new batch, especially the Beetle.
What a great video, thank you. I purchased a scorpion 2014 in about 2016 when they still had the white “good year” on the tires. I built it and ran it quite a bit. They released the turbo scorpion right after I bought all the upgrade parts for my normal scorpion. I ended up buying the turbo scorpion as well planning to make one of them a shelf queen. I still have all the upgrade parts new in the package as well as the turbo scorpion and can’t decide which car should sit on the shelf!
Yes, the earlier versions still had Goodyear on the tires. Later ones, sadly do not. To be honest, after running the Scorpion and Turbo Scorpion back to back, there isn't all that much difference (driving wise) between them. The Turbo would probably be quicker round a track, but for general use, they're about the same. If I was only going to run one, I'd probably choose the Scorpion. I prefer the looks of the Turbo, but the regular Scorpion doesn't have any light buckets you need to worry about ripping off in a crash. 😅
@@KaiCityRC I think I'l use all the hop up parts on the turbo scorpion, then transfer the turbo scorpion unused parts to the original scorpion and continue to run it since it shows that its been used. Its kind of hard to rip open the bags on the parts I know are discontinued.
cool rc's and great information
Thanks 👍
Hey David, your video is perfect in every way. Thanks for that. But unfortunately I'm still undecided. But it's up to me. Turbo Scorpion... or maybe... 😉
Thanks! I don't think you would regret getting any of them, as they're all fantastic. 👍👍
I Enjoy the Beetle, I made it in Red 🥰
Red looks great too! 👍
the beetle for me love the motor hanging out back like a real engine on a baja bug
Great video David, love my Turbo Scorpion. Kyosho do re-re's right by modernising them, Tamiya take note!
Thank you! 👍 Me too, the Turbo Scorpion is hands down one of the best looking buggies ever made! 😍
Love the blue on the Tomahawk! I think it really shows better then the box art red.
Me too! I wasn't sure if it would work, but once it was finished I knew I had made the right choice! 👍
Cool!
I'm glad to see you took my approach...
Don't choose, get them all ❤️ Kyosho
I’m fortunate to have been able to get them all! I’m 100% Kyosho Legendary Series addict now. 😁
@@KaiCityRC I've still got a couple to build. I recently sat down and made the Ultima. It was a swine to get an appropriately sized ESC to fit it but MAN... What a lovely buggy.
Just the Optima and Tomahawk to build now, although the Tomahawk may stay boxed as I picked one up ready built but in a bad state 3 or 4 years ago.
I'd say the Mid, the Ultima and the beetle are my favourites. 👍
I'm very keen to try the Dirt Basher out but simply don't need another kit 🤣
@@TheTruthHz Space for electronics in all the 4WD chassis are limited.😅 Especially if you opt to install the driver figure. You're really stuck with something the size of the Hobbywing 1060. The last chassis I built was the Turbo Optima, and for that I didn't bother with the driver figure and instead mounted everything on the upper side of the chassis. It was a lot easier and I figured you can hardly see the Turbo Optima driver anyway!
I have to keep telling my wife you can never have too many kits! 🤣
@@KaiCityRC I feel your pain. Fortunately Kyosho have stopped releasing Legendary kits for the time being so I'm safe for now. I'm not interested in the Phantom so that's the only one I don't have. My Turbo optima remains built but unpainted. Like you I don't go for the box art look unless I really like it. My Turbo Scorpion, the first vintage Kyosho I bought, some 5 or 6 years back, is box art with the stickers but the suspension arms in the front rub the blue decals when you remove the body. Which is practically every time I run it as I lose the battery lead inside it without fail 😂
I've just ordered a black tub for my Scorpion as I did a custom scheme for it with some black paneling on the body, plus I couldn't match the yellow of the plastic with the Tamiya paints. Turns out Core RC taxi yellow gets you close if you back with Tamiya camel yellow.
I'm mostly running 1060s in mine with Kyoshos 490 motors. They get the job done nicely and don't cause headaches when fitting.
@@TheTruthHz Your setup seems to much like mine. 👍 The 2WD's are running Le Mans 490's with Hobbywing (or Kyosho's re-branded version). Despite being 30T they go pretty well don't they!
My 4WD's have a mx of motors, brushed in the older buggies, but brushless in the later ones . I know what you mean about the battery lead on the Scorpion etc 😅 I usually take a pair of tweezers with me, so I can fish the the connector from out of the plastic tub! 😁
I was also really tempted by the Phantom, more for the sake of "completion" than anything else. But it's hard to justify the outlay and really don't have anywhere to run them!
Great video! I have an Ultima, and use the Turbo Scorpion 2.2 wheels, so that KINDA eases my wanting a Turbo Scorpion.... butnI would honestly still love to add the Beetle version of the short wheelbase kits to my collection, as well as a Turbo Scorpion kit.
I'd likely try to set up the Beetle with the hex adapters for the rear. Would that widen the rear track width, or does the wider rear track come from some other part that is different on the Turbo Scorpion car?
Thanks again for the videos! These Legendary Series kits sure are nice, and addicting as well...
Thanks! The Turbo Scorpion gains wider track at the rear with the use of wide hex adapters (#SCW020) in place of the normal friction pads. To widen the front, replace the Beetle's front arm shaft with the longer Scorpion's (#SC257).
HELLO again from Australia. Exactly what I was what I was looking for. Thinking of the Beetle, but maybe getting the Turbo Scorpion for the out of box upgrades and using the Beetle shell. Are they interchangeable.
Thanks again for sharing.
Thank you! Beetle shell on the Turbo Scorpion would be cool! The longer wheelbase of the Turbo Scorpion adds a little complexity to the conversion. You'd need the Beetle body, and the beetle body mount set #SC244. The body mount set attaches to the aluminum roll bar to provide two body pin mounts, but it also bolts on to the rear roll cage/motor guard #SC221. As the Turbo Scorpion uses longer gearbox/rear suspension mounting plates to increase wheelbase, if you were to fit this to the Turbo Scorpion, the mounting points *may* be too far aft. I say may, because there are two bolt holes on the body mount set.. When fitting the body mount set to the Beetle chassis, you use the forward one, but there is another further back. I suspect this one might line up with the rear cage/motor guard on the Turbo Scorpion. In any event, if they didn't align you could try and modify it to fit, or alternatively fit the shorter gearbox and rear suspension mounts. You'd lose the extra wheelbase though.
I do like these "educational" videos. Nice work!
Thank you! 🙂 As this channel started out purely with running videos, I wondered how people subscribed to my channel would react to more of these review/comparison style videos.
@@KaiCityRC Hard to say, but I find the details of all the differences very interesting. Running videos are common. Still fun, but I like the details.
Would definitely love to get my hands on these vintage rc they are so fun to drive would like to see you have the mad force truck electric and other monster trucks 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲
Monster trucks are great and I love my TXT-1, Nitrage 5.2 and my old Savage. But space in Japanese homes is in short supply and I don’t have enough to house a collection of monster trucks! 😅
Great video, nice overview. What colour did you use on the Tomahawk? I always think it look so amazing. 👍🏼
Thanks! The color is PS-16 backed with white. 👍
I’ve ended up buying a turbo scorpion, tomahawk and just built an optima and beetle .
I agree about the ts decals but trust me the optima are terrible to fit .
I think my fave is the tomahawk.
Great video and guide .
They have some strange building quirks . The shock e clips snd fitting theball bearings
Onto the diffs .
And I’ve ended up using lock thread on every metal to metal screw.
The shocks are quite different to most other designs. 😁
The Tomahawk is great, such a fun buggy to drive. Thread lock is a good idea! Though be careful putting too much on, as removal can be a pain later. 😅
They're certainly addictive! Once you've got one, you'll definitely want another...and another...😁
@@KaiCityRC yeah I think I’ve probably overdone it on the threadlock but they just kept falling apart . Mainly the suspension arms and connections .
The optima stickers are terrible to put on btw. The yellow at the back is terrible . I might well do another body one day and just paint it .
But thrn getting spares is tricky and expensive in the U.K.
Yeah, I took one look at the decal sheet for the Optima and decided I wasn't even gonna try! 😁
@@KaiCityRC good choice . You will see the changes I made when it’s out running . I think I rescued it 👍
@@KaiCityRC the Body at the rear above the shock towers is already splitting so I’ve ordered a reproduction body . Gonna do the yellow in paint I think 😂
I put a tamiya sport tuned in the optima and it did get hot but passed the 5 second finger holding test 🤷♂️😂
I’ve put one in the beetle but haven’t run thst yet . Think it gets to hot ?
I'm running a BZ Tamiya motor in my beetle from them and I'm hoping it'll do a right in there with the small spur with the big pinion.
I've not tried a Superstock Motor in any of my Kyosho's, but with the right gearing they'd be fine. 👍
If you're familiar with Shen RC or I call him Steve because that's his name he used a torque tune in scorpion and it did 26 miles an hour with a torque to which only does about 16,000 RPM.
Fair warning!!!
Thank you for this great and instructive video! I "only" have 3 of the kyosho legendary serie (including the turbo optima) but I share you experience on those kits : top notch quality of the pieces but on 2 of these kits I had a problem with the parts (missing or deteriorated part). Also, a few days earlier, that video might have saved me from striping that block holding the front arm shaft 😅...Anyway great job and great collection !
Thank you! 🙂 I'm glad you found the video useful. 👍
It seems like I'm not the only one to have missing parts. I had thought that I was just really unlucky to have three kits with minor omissions. Aside from that, the kits are fantastic.
Can you put a Scorpion front end on a Turbo Scorpion ? I don't like the wide track front end of the Turbo Scorpion..
Absolutely! Just replace the wider front suspension mount of the Turbo Scorpion (SC257) with the narrower Scorpion one (SC239). Everything else should just swap over. 👍
Hi there, I can’t find your video on narrowing the wheels and tyres on the Mazda maita, can you help me find it again please 😮😊
Mike
I think you're probably thinking of someone else. I don't have any videos on the Mazda, or indeed any road going RC's (with the exception of a couple of rally cars).
Scorpion are my favorite but I am waiting for Kyosho to re-release the Triumph cause I never got the slipper clutch to work right so it never ran right. I always regret trading it so I just hope it gets released again
I'm hopeful Kyosho will continue to re-release more of their vintage buggies. Triumph would be nice, but I'm interested in the quirky looking Cosmo and Icarus. 😁
I have 4 out of the 5 in your video. I was never a fan of the Tomahawk. These re-releases aren't a hobby, there a addiction. 👍👍
That they are! 😁👍
I have everyone except the VW buggy, I just never liked the look of it. Also, I also didnt use any of Kyosho motors, instead I've used Castle Creations Sidewinder 3 ESC/Motor (7700kv) as well as 3s 100s 5000mah 11.1mah batteries. This combo of ESC/Motor/Batteries makes these Kyosho buggies into some of the fastest that I've seen so far. Much faster than any of Traxxas or Arrma buggies.prebuilt.
For the decals, I simply used the water trick, I first sprayed the body using a water bottle.and than applied the decals, since the decals are able to move around I get the perfect fit. After the decals were applied I simply used a clear locker to set everything in place and prevent the decals from ever moving or getting bubbles.
Thanks! 👍 I've started using the water method myself recently. Much easier to apply the decals, but nevertheless the Turbo Scorpion's blue stripes are quite tricky. 🙂
I think kyosho should also come out with like the triumph blazers the Pegasus and Icarus and call them and any cars that are in that realm of those cars and call those legendary basics and sell them for cheaper than the regular legendaries since they were more bottom line buggies.
Doesn't the Ultima handle better than the turbo scorpion?
Absolutely, but the stock tires don't offer much grip on the surfaces I run on.
i want them all...but want to get the ultima and turbo optima...the issue is the price....
They're on the expensive side, but I feel they're well worth the extra money.
@KaiCityRC yes. I just unboxed the scorpion and it was super nice. I am building the wild one full of plastic...I am certain it will be better.
They should come out with the Ultima pro too.
I hope that Kyosho continue to add more buggies to their Legendary Series of re-releases! 🤞
You ever use lipos?
No, just NiMH. 👍