Vintage Tamiya Holiday Buggy (58023)

BlackSeaRC presents the first video in a new series featuring the iconic vintage Tamiya Holiday Buggy. This is an especially important car for me as it represented my very first radio-controlled car and it inspired my enthusiasm for the RC hobby that has lasted over 4 decades so far.
The Tamiya "Dual Purpose" Holiday Buggy (Part numbers: RA-1023 / 5823 / 58023) was a 1:10 scale RC car assembly kit launched on 08 December 1980. Once built and fitted with separately available electronics, it was capable of use on all types of terrain. It was one of the very early Tamiya RC products that was designed as an off-road vehicle. The "Special Racing Buggy" series initially comprised the Rough Rider and Sand Scorcher. These were high performance off-road buggies with many metal components for strength and durability. These were soon followed by the Holiday Buggy and then the Sand Rover, which were designed to be entry-level products. They were more basic in design and used reinforced plastic parts instead of metal. This meant that they were just over half the price of the SRB's. Production of these vehicles continued until 1984.
I acquired my Holiday Buggy second hand in the mid-1980's. It came fully built by the previous owner and included Asahi Acoms 2-channel radio control equipment plus other ancillary items. I drove it extensively for many years, mainly on heathland and beaches of the Norfolk Coast. Towards the end of the 1980's, I repainted the buggy in a white/orange/yellow colour scheme. My RC vehicle collection expanded with more capable models and the Holiday Buggy was used less and less. Recently, I decided that I wanted to restore the model back to its box art colours.
This video follows the restoration project and also includes some interesting facts about this, now rare, vintage RC buggy. In the video, we look at the following:
Background and History:
- Tamiya's first RC car
- Tamiya "Special Racing Buggy" series
- Introduction of Holiday Buggy kit / box art
- Inspiration for Holiday Buggy - real vehicle on which the kit was based
- Corsair Stripper dune buggy photos and specifications
- Images from vintage Tamiya catalogues
- First 100 Tamiya RC vehicles
Overview of Buggy & Ancillary Equipment:
- Close-up look at the Holiday Buggy body and chassis with full period electronics
- Close-up look at ancillary equipment including:
- Asahi Acoms AP-227 Mk II 2-channel radio control transmitter
- Tamiya 5N-1200SC 6V 1200mAh Ni-Cd battery pack
- Asahi Acoms 5N-1200E AC240V battery charger
- Asahi Acoms 5N-1200C quick charging system
- Powering up - will it still run after 40 years?
Restoration:
- First stages of restoration of body and chassis
- Body strip down, preparation and painting
- Chassis cleaning
- Items requiring further attention
In future videos in this series, the restoration shall continue with the accessory parts, fitting new decals, obtaining new parts for the chassis, etc.
About Tamiya:
Tamiya Plastic Model Co. Ltd, Shizuoka, Japan, introduced its first radio controlled vehicle, the Porsche 934 Turbo RSR in December 1976. It was allocated part number RA-1201 (later 58001). This was essentially a 1:12 scale plastic model kit integrated for hobby grade RC equipment. It was relatively fragile and intended for on-road use only.
In November 1979, Tamiya launched the Rough Rider "Special Racing Buggy", a purpose-designed off-road capable machine with durable and robust body and chassis. It used many metal components for added strength. The Rough Rider (Part numbers RA-1015 / 5815 / 58015) was a 1:10 scale buggy and it was soon joined by the Sand Scorcher.
Tamiya quickly established itself as a leading manufacturer of high-quality RC vehicles. These scale-realistic high-performance off-road buggies captured the imagination of adults and children alike and established Tamiya as a world-leading manufacturer of RC vehicles. Over the next 4 decades, they have been responsible for bringing us more iconic and legendary names such as Blazing Blazer, Wild Willy, Grasshopper, Lunchbox, Clod Buster, Avante, etc. Tamiya continues to make high-quality RC products to this day and have recently launched the BBX (58719), a modern buggy with retro styling but incorporating the latest 21st century technology.
To find out more about the company and latest product range, you can visit:
www.tamiya.com
About BlackSeaRC:
BlackSeaRC was established in 2020 to bring you a regular selection of interesting videos featuring scale realistic RC vehicles, accessories and equipment. Content includes unboxings and detailed reviews, kit builds, upgrades, modifications and customisation, vintage restoration projects, RC testing and driving adventures in scenic locations around the Black Sea and more. The BlackSeaRC collection currently includes models from 18 different manufacturers.
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[@Zermattquattro]

Thanks for taking the time to meticulously take us through the resto. I really enjoyed it as the HB was my first buggy back in 1982. I raced my HB for a season against the quicker srb’s and whilst it was great fun the 360 motor and very rudimentary suspension did leave it lacking somewhat. That said of all of the classic Tamiya and Kyosho buggies I have collected over the decades the HB is still my number 1. It’s just a good looking and reliable old girl that got me hooked on RC cars and racing back in the early 80’s.

[@BlackSeaRC]

I really appreciate your comments and it is interesting to hear your views on the Holiday Buggy. I would have loved a Rough Rider as my first RC car but it was way too expensive for a youngster like me at the time. I never raced mine but I drove it extensively and it never let me down. Yes, it was basic but that didn't stop me having huge fun. Four decades later I now have 40 RC cars, including a Buggy Champ, but the original vintage Holiday Buggy still has a very special place in my collection.

[@bradkalman2353]

I wish they would bring back the holiday buggy like that wicked one you're restoring.

[@BlackSeaRC]

The funny thing about the Holiday Buggy is that it is not high powered (it only has a 380 motor and 6V battery) and the suspension is ineffective, but it is still huge fun to drive. I drove the Holiday Buggy a lot on the beach and it was totally at home in those conditions. Remember, this buggy was 20 models ahead of the original Grasshopper. The Holiday Buggy was number 23 and ran from 1980-1984. The Grasshopper was number 43 and was introduced in 1984. As for the 2010 version of the Holiday Buggy on the DT-02 chassis, I can't describe it as a re-release because the chassis was completely different. Somehow, it never worked for me. The wheels and tyres were wrong and the track width was too wide. Maybe it was my nostalgia for the original or perhaps it was because the chassis didn't match the body properly, but I just couldn't bring myself to appreciate the 2010 version. Just look at the real life Corsair Stripper and you notice the proportions closely match the original buggy, scale realism, including the tyres was very good.

[@BlackSeaRC]

Because they already have the 2010 version, I think it is very unlikely that Tamiya will ever bring back the Holiday Buggy or Sand Rover in their original form.

[@crystalwolfmoon2863]

my first rc in about 1982.thank you for doing this video i love it!

[@BlackSeaRC]

At the time, I wanted a Rough Rider or Sand Scorcher but these were quite a bit more expensive. The Holiday Buggy gave me great entertainment for a lot of years and although I went through a phase of getting different brands and vehicle types, I am very glad I kept my first RC car.

[@IowaBudgetRCBashers]

What a great piece of Tamiya history. We’ve got a rere but I’d love to have the original one

[@BlackSeaRC]

Thank you. Yes, I just love the early Tamiya buggies. Even though it was an entry level kit, you can still see that Tamiya went to a lot of bother designing it and making high-quality parts. The fact that it still works after 4 decades and extensive off-road use is a testament to the design. I'd love to get some more vintage RC cars but the prices are crazy nowadays unless you are lucky and manage to find one that someone doesn't appreciate.

[@RCOffRoad76]

Very cool, good job on the resto, deserves to be saved, the Sand Rover was my first rc, good times 😃

[@BlackSeaRC]

If I saw a vintage Sand Rover at a decent price, I'd be seriously tempted to get one. These two buggies running together on the beach in the original Tamiya promo video look awesome!

[@carloshnunez]

Very nice buggy 🔵🔵🔵🙂🙂🙂👍👍👍🔵🔵🔵

[@BlackSeaRC]

Thank you my friend! It is packed full of vintage nostalgia for sure.

[@Strong_rc]

Hey! Im just gonna say i love your videos and it has helped me restoring my own vintage holiday buggy! Actually when I first saw this video and the car was when I decided that this was my new favorite rc car! It still is my favorite. Keep it up!

[@BlackSeaRC]

Thanks for the kind comments. I love the original Holiday Buggy and definitely prefer it to the awful 2010 version on the completely different DT-02 chassis that didn't fit the body properly (shame on you Tamiya!). It is super hard to get parts though and I'm still looking for a new set of wheels and tyres for mine. I have also looked into the possibility of buying a vintage Sand Rover. I like the open cockpit design with driver figure. Again, super hard to find except a new-in-box kit that I saw for sale in Japan. The price was substantial though so I didn't buy it (maybe I'll regret it later).

[@Strong_rc]

Yea. I hate the new holiday buggy also. Actully its not that hard to find parts i mean the tyres are hard to find and i need also new back tires and wheels But besides that i find a lot of new and used parts to vintage holiday buggy on eBay. We have something called FINN in Norway which is just eBay but only in Norway and sometimes I see a vintage sandrover and other holiday buggy’s. But it’s rare. Anyways good luck on your restoration. The only things I have to do on mine is buying a new rear flex plate and new wheels and back tires and battery that fits. If you wanna se mine it’s actually on my YT channel. Good luck

[@BlackSeaRC]

@@Strong_rc I'm lucky that my 40 year old 6V Ni-Cd battery pack still works. Not that I really drive it much nowadays, I worry about damaging the chassis that could be brittle or the newly painted body.

[@Strong_rc]

@@BlackSeaRC i need one of those batteries when i buy the orginal electronis

[@BlackSeaRC]

@@Strong_rc If you want a vintage 6V Ni-Cd battery pack, you might have to buy from Japan.

[@GARYU-S44]

very good video 🤝 my friend🎶👌😁

[@BlackSeaRC]

Thank you, glad to have your support. This buggy has a special meaning to me as it was my first RC car and I think it deserves to look as it did in the 1980's.

[@GARYU-S44]

@@BlackSeaRC 👍🎶

[@elyuw]

Watched this with interest as my old Sand Rover (with a Holiday Buggy shell) is currently in my garage in a similar, or more likely worse state. I got it in 1981 and used it for a few years before I got into computers and it's languished in that state ever since. Although it's been with me through 5 house moves! I hope to dig it out and see how it looks in 2024.

[@BlackSeaRC]

I would love to see that! The Sand Rover is a great looking vintage buggy and it has aged very well I think. I would gladly have one myself if I could find one. I had mine as a present and it was a choice between the Holiday Buggy or Sand Rover due to the price. I chose the Holiday Buggy just because a good used one came up but I would equally have had a Sand Rover. If yours is still in the original condition, then I would just try to dust it down and clean it as well as possible to preserve it. I only painted mine as it had already been painted once and I wouldn't recommend painting one if the body shell is reasonable. Even if you have a battery and all the electronics still work, driving your buggy now is going to be risky due to the possibility of parts breaking after so long in storage. The plastics will probably have yellowed and be brittle. I hope your tyres are still okay. I still haven't found any replacements for mine as ALL parts are extremely hard to find. I shall hopefully finish the second part of my video when the weather improves and put it all back together again.

[@elyuw]

@@BlackSeaRC It's all in original condition. Sort of. I got it for my 11th birthday, to say way happy was a massive understatement! My Holiday Buggy shell is unpainted so it remains the factory blue (with period-correct scratches of course). I have a custom mental rear bracket made by my Dad to hold though as it was easier and cheaper for him to do that. It also has a homemade universal joint (my Dad worked for British Aerospace so got a guy there to fabricate one!) on it because I lost one down a road drain (oh the embarrassment of needing to own up to that as a 12-year-old!). The front has bearings instead of the shite plastic bushes, and I have some Rough Rider style rear wheels/tyres on it. The thing that'll be most wrong will be those pesky plastic (unprotected) rear gears, I chewed through sets of those like you wouldn't believe! The Sandrover shell is hand painted in orange and also scratched up a lot, well these were for playing with. Once I got the HB shell though it never went back on, not sure if I have the rear clips for it. I have the exact same radio coms equipment as you, I think every Tamiya sold in the UK in the early 80s have the ACOMS set! For some reason I don't have a charger though, I think I used to charge it from something in our garage at the time. It's been 40+ years so I can't remember exactly. I had two other mates with RC cars so we used to go all over our village with them. Then home computers turned up and we all gravitated towards those and stopped going outside as much. haha :) Great times for sure.

[@BlackSeaRC]

@@elyuw Thanks for sharing your fantastic story. There is so much of this that I can relate to in my own similar experience. I reckon my Holiday Buggy had many thousands of hours of use and never broke down. All I changed was one set of gears and I added the homemade reinforcement plate for the front suspension mounts. I guess I was quite light on my buggy, probably because I knew it cost my parents a lot of money at the time. I went on to buy a Tamiya Boomerang and despite various periods of inactivity in the hobby, I now have a large collection of RC vehicles and continue to enjoy them with my 6 year old son. Nostalgia is quite a big thing in the RC industry at the moment with companies such as Tamiya, Kyosho, Associated and Yokomo all re-releasing nostalgic buggies. Are you still participating in this hobby? If not, why not relive some golden memories with a new kit? The new Tamiya BBX would be a great choice!

[@elyuw]

@@BlackSeaRC No, this is the only RC car I've ever owned. As I said, once home computers and video gaming in general hit that was my switch in hobbies really. I don't have kids so I never went back into toy mode as such. So it really is all about the early 80s nostalgia for me, once it warms up a bit I'll see what I can do with the old girl :) I am super surprised you only ever changed the gears once, my other mates would be as shocked. Must have been dustier in East Yorkshire!

[@BlackSeaRC]

@@elyuw I typically ran mine on the beaches around the Norfolk coast so it was very sandy and salty. This Tamiya car has corroded less in 40 years than my Losi buggy did in 1 year.

[@HumbleVintageRC]

Cool restoration! Becareful on that paintwork since the paint won't tolerate scratches

[@BlackSeaRC]

This body material is simply not really suitable for painting but after my foolish attempt to paint it many decades ago, I have no other choice but to try and then be very gentle with it. The body is soft, it flexes and the paint doesn't bond well to the surface - not an ideal combination of factors! Nevertheless, the result is very nice so far. I will give it a few more coats of blue, plus a clearcoat and will then attempt to fit the decals.

[@ToolsAreToys]

Good luck!

[@BlackSeaRC]

Thanks! The painting shouldn't be a problem but a few of the decals concern me a little bit. It is always hard fitting flat decals on curved surfaces.

[@MrCaprinut]

From what I've found out, RC10 classic tires will fit in the rear. RcMart has them in stock now (partnumber 6314). I guess 20 dollars is way less what you will pay for new old stock tires for these.. For partnumbers, Tamiyabase is a great source.

[@BlackSeaRC]

That's interesting to know, thanks. They certainly look like quite a good match with the spiked design. As for Tamiyabase, this website is a fantastic resource for information but at the same time, every time I visit it, I end up getting ideas for buying another vintage Tamiya car! There are so many interesting models that are better in my opinion than modern RC cars. I like the Toyota Celica Gr.B on the 959 chassis, the Willy's Wheeler Honda City Turbo, the Ford Ranger XLT, the Sand Rover plus many more...

[@hwroadbeasts]

Wow this is interesting, i have never seen this before , great job on the painting and also good luck with the cleaning 😅

[@BlackSeaRC]

Although there were RC cars available from the late 1960's, these were considered to be for on-road use and were not very robust. Tamiya launched the first off-road RC car in December 1977 but it had a basic chassis and wasn't very durable. It wasn't until November 1979 that the first purpose-built highly capable off-road buggy was released. Just a little over a year later in 1980, the Holiday Buggy was released making it very early in the history of RC off-road vehicles. That is why I am glad to have this original buggy in my collection.

[@hwroadbeasts]

@@BlackSeaRC that's so cool

[@bestdiyrussia7789]

It is great to see these old Tamiya RC cars still alive. What is your all-time favourite Tamiya RC car?

[@BlackSeaRC]

That's a difficult question but my top 3 would be the original Avante (for its crazy over-engineering), the original Sand Rover (for its scale-realistic beach buggy look) and probably my number one, the Blazing Blazer for its combination of desert racer looks, use of metal parts, rarity (never re-released) and the technology incorporated for such an early RC model.

[@IowaBudgetRCBashers]

Subscribed!!!

[@BlackSeaRC]

It's great to welcome you as a new subscriber. I have quite a varied collection of RC vehicles of different types, scales and brands. Now is a very interesting time to be involved in this hobby as there are so many great new products. What new releases have caught your attention recently?

[@MrCaprinut]

These hard bodies and the other plastic parts can be soaked in Dot 3 brake fluid. Will remove paint much faster. Places that sells stuff for classic cars might carry Dot 3 brake fluid.

[@BlackSeaRC]

I did a bit of research before I worked on this body because I was already aware that the material used makes it a little bit unusual. In reality I wouldn't paint it unless I had to. I was still very cautious about the product I used but it seemed to work, albeit rather slowly. That is mainly because I went rather crazy with the number of paint layers when I originally painted it. Getting white to cover blue was quite difficult and something I would come to regret. You are probably right about the brake fluid and I'm sure it would work much better but I was totally conservative when working on this body!

[@zanimashka3162]

This looks like an interesting resoration project. Do you have any other vintage RC cars in your collection?

[@BlackSeaRC]

My second RC car was a Tamiya Boomerang, released in 1986 and then a Kyosho Double Dare from 1988. These are considered to be classics now but are not as iconic or well known as the Holiday Buggy. I also have a Tamiya XR311 but this is the 2012 re-release and not the 1977 original (although they are very close in design terms).

[@zanimashka3162]

@@BlackSeaRC Do you have any plans to make videos featuring those cars as well? I would be great to see them.

[@BlackSeaRC]

@@zanimashka3162 I plan to make a "Retro review" video featuring the Kyosho Double Dare monster truck. Also, I have some very interesting metal upgrade parts for my Tamiya XR311 so this will definitely be shown in an upcoming video as well.

[@NordicRC]

Very cool! Great job. So how is that paint holding up?

[@BlackSeaRC]

Okay so far, but then I am not stressing it at all by flexing the body shell. Nowadays, this Holiday Buggy is having a gentle life.

[@NordicRC]

@@BlackSeaRC Good idea. Glad to hear the paint is sticking. Good job

[@BlackSeaRC]

@@NordicRC I'm not having much luck finding some new wheels and tyres though!

[@user-vf9bw4ve7d]

For the bald rear tyres, you'll have a devil of a time sourcing original replacements on eBay because they're so rare nowadays and probably priced accordingly (I'm guessing Japan may have the largest possible old spare parts stock?). The Holiday Buggy of course shared the same chassis and tyre set up as the Sand Rover, so that increases the potential to find them. Otherwise, there must be a company that custom makes vintage parts? Looking forward to seeing this restoration complete and good luck with it!

[@BlackSeaRC]

I have had no luck finding any yet. I actually want the wheels as well as mine are damaged. I have been searching on ebay and there are occasionally some for sale but most often the prices are crazy and the rubber is totally cracked even worse than mine! I know that MCI Racing in Canada makes reproduction vintage RC tyres but unfortunately, they don't offer these tyres yet. I guess it is quite rare for Tamiya that these tyres were only ever used on the Holiday Buggy/Sand Rover. Also, because the re-releases used a totally different chassis, there is no chance to ever get them now either. My search shall continue and I agree with you, surely there must be some bankrupt stock somewhere in Japan.

[@user-vf9bw4ve7d]

Perhaps 3D printing techniques could create a set of wheels? The tyres are a trickier prospect though. It's too bad the Holiday Buggy rere didn't retain some of the original features such as these. Good luck with the restoration. @@BlackSeaRC

[@BlackSeaRC]

@@user-vf9bw4ve7d There is a chance to get used vintage wheels in reasonable condition but rubber that is 40+ years old is going to be much harder to find. I will continue my search.

[@SavyBajaBuster]

Will be hard work finding wheels and tyres for this buggy🙁 I managed to get hold of 2 sets about 12-13 yrs ago when i restored my buggy and they were hard to find then and not cheap but now they're as rare as rocking horse 💩💩 and cost a fortune😢😢.. cheap alternative is a set of Subaru Brat wheels and tyres which i actually like on the holiday buggy and have fitted to mine for a different look..

[@user-vf9bw4ve7d]

Another possible solution: use or adapt the wheels & tires of the rereleased SRBs Sand Scorcher/Buggy champ which were compatible with the HB & SR back in the day.@@SavyBajaBuster

[@bradkalman2353]

Where have you been?

[@BlackSeaRC]

Yes, sorry I've been a bit quiet recently, I was away for 3 weeks. Plus a couple of my planned projects were lost in the post. Very annoying as I waited 3 months for them before finally the courier admitted they had lost them.

[@hwroadbeasts]

It's been a while....

[@BlackSeaRC]

I know, I know. I was actually waiting for a couple of interesting new releases but no sign of them yet. It seems they take many months to reach the shops in my part of the world.