Tamiya Monster Beetle with MIP Super Ball Diff goes Brushless! 

You are right on there. It's not always necessary to have ultra high performance motors. A lot of fun can be had with a mild motor. I give you an example. I put a 15 turn motor into a Tamiya Hornet. It was too much. The poor little Hornet went from looking beautiful and shiny to looking old and scuffed up because the car couldn't handle that motor. The Hornet kept rolling over and landing on its roof , then I returned the original Tamiya silver can motor and it was beautiful , drove so much better. The Hornet would roll over if I turned the steering suddenly. Conversely I put the same motor in a new Fox ( Nova Fox ) and that Fox handles so much better than the Hornet. But yes you are 110% correct. These are 30-40 year old designs from Tamiya. And they were not meant to have extra high performance. More for fun . These days we can buy ready to run cars straight out of the box and they travel very fast but to me they lack soul. They are not like a Tamiya kit that we can invest time into . I love Tamiya. Ever since I was 13-14 years old and I'm now 50 . Keep the great work coming Matteo I'm subscribed 👌👍💪

Just wonderful! I am so happy to see how well that diff is working for everyone! I see now what you mean about how we both ruined bodies with this new diff...I ordered a lexan BF body as well as a lexan MB version.

Always great to watch your mod vids! can't wait for the next painting project!

I remember building one of these 30 years or so ago. What a difference in what we have available now. The hobby has come a very long way. I can't wait to see where we are in another 30 years!

Really great beetle !! Nice upgrade and excellent job !!

Awesome upgrade! Looks really powerful now! Thumbs up!

Mich freut es immer wieder die sehr gut gemachten Videos von Dir zu sehen . Da steckt viel Arbeit drin .Super gemacht ! Auch ich hatte mal in den 90ern einen Monster Beetle und dann mit dem Hobby eine Zeit aufgehört und alles verkauft. Ein großer Fehler aber so war es damals. Jetzt baue und fahre ich wieder leidentschaftlich gerne und werde mir bald einen Beetle zulegen . Tamiya forever ! Vielen Dank Matteo !

This is a great, easy to follow tutorial, as well as being both a fun insight into going brushless on a Monster Beetle and a "ignore at your peril"· warning about the heartache that can result from overpowering a vintage rc car : )

Nice Classic Tamiya Monster Bettle & great video tune up the Monster Bettle. Thanks for your sharing video Matteo.

Great video as always, cosiderate and easy to follow..I really got a laugh from the first rollover (@9:00)and last second recovery to a wheelie rollover..pure gold man😂 thanks

Great little buggy, shows you've put work into him also,

Wow, brushless power! And very good diff!

I'll be ordering mine ❤ Thank you for the video

Great job on the thrust bearing, that really is hard to do and you make it look that easy.

I put an MIP in my Blackfoot and it's fantastic with a Proline F-150 SVT shell. Thanks for the video, Matteo! 3600kv brushless and no problems after many runs.

Wow Matteo, the Monster Beetle flies with the Castle combo in it !!!

and I just seen the re re's now and since end of December last year and till now I have frog 🐸 and now hotshot but still not finished yet to paint hotshot body. Thanks and keep up the great vids!! 👌Allan from Sydney Australia.

Wow, I've watched all your videos, and I must say it's the first time that I've ever seen one flip over. Oil dampers and a wheelie bar are needed along with the new body. Great video Matteo.

That is awesome! A brushless monster beetle! great video thumbs up!

Great video sir, I remember using thorp setup on a Tamiya Mudblaster in the 90’s to cope with Trinity motors. Brushless technology is the future now. Castle creations make awesome setups I use this company in my traxxas emaxx.

Wow it's so fast with the upgraded motor and speed controller 👍👍👍😀 truly a "monster" beetle ✌✌😎

Matteo, thanks for the great vid! Good upgrade, certainly looking in to it! Regards

THANK YOU MIP GOT TWO ONE FOR MY MONSTER BEETLE RERELEASE AND ON FOR MY MONSTER BEETLE RERELEASE. I HAD BOTH OF THE ABOVE KITS IN 1986. I WS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED AS THE DIFFERENTIAL GEAR WAS PLASTIC NOT HARDENED METAL STILL AN ESSENTIAL UPGRADE AND AT A REASONABLE PRICE

Sehr unterhaltsam! Jetzt hat er ganz schön was auf dem Kasten. Wünsche dir noch ein schönes Wochenende!

Wow that super ball diff works great! :-)

Great job as usual Matteo. I just received two for my Tamiya's, and thanks for the detailed "how to" video. I think I will leave mine with a modded brushed combo. Asplenia.

Nothing more fun than a Tamiya with more power than it was ever designed for ! Seemed to handle it pretty well and the ball diff looks like a well engineered bit of kit. I've got a Kamtec lexan beetle shell for my Sand Scorcher as a basher and it's quite tough. Made me wince to hear the sound of your MB rolling over with the lovely hard body shell. Anyway great vid Matteo :-)

Awesome! I've also got my MIP ball diff waiting to go into a Monster Beetle Re-re

I thought you were crazy for installing a brushless system, but I understand why. Thanks for another great vid.

Love your videos!

All that damage to the Body...and the Mirrors stayed in one piece!!!! It's a miracle lol :)

I am so glad I have seen this video. I have installed a brushless motor and was concerned about the gearbox. Shall buy this asap

Thanks for sharing Matteo. Yes, honestly, I think brushless motors are to much for many Tamiya rerelease cars and trucks. To me, it takes the fun out of the vehicle. Honestly, I never had any problem with my blackfoot tranny back in the days. I installed a Revtech super stock motor back in the days and my blackfoot ran flawlessly. I guess I had some luck with my blackfoot. After seeing so many of your videos I'm thinking of buying another blackfoot. But since I had one back in 90' I'm thinking of getting a Monster beetle since I never had the chance to own one back in the day. Thanks Matteo for your hardwork. You never seem to disappoint! Mahalo from Hawaii!!!

That looks a lot of fun Matteo! I am about to install the MIP diff in my Monster Beetle but will stick with the standard motor for now.

Thanks Matteo you've done it again.

Great filming by the way.

Great upgrade and video, thanks!

Nice. I like your work Matteo. The rear wishbone set up by Ampro Engineering does make the car much more stable in turns. I have mounted my steering servo in the centre and put TRF shocks on my beetle. It handles much better. I haven't installed my MIP diff yet though.

Awesome video .. look at it go 😃

Ahaa! You got yourself a MIP dif to 😀. Thanks for making this video!

Great video Matteo. 👍😀✌️

As always amazing video

I thought it was funny when he said.."eeensert dee balls!" Lol

Great installment and test. Have mine waiting to be installed. That was a seriously fast MB. I 'like' how both you and Alberto crushed your bodies on your individual diff test runs. New weak spot ;-) But too bad about your body. That was a serious amount of work and paint job destroyed. But a very good video. I believe in the diff now :-)

You have so nice English! I understand everything you are saying. Very interesting video! Waiting for your next video!

What a great blast from the past 👍👍 I have had the privilege to own both original monster/B.and The Back foot man oh man times have changed ... wish I still had my original ones ...thanks for the vids my friend..

Hey Man... Well done...I just finished putting together my 2016 Blackfoot, with full ball bearings, and a SPORT TUNED motor. Only about ten battery packs in, I already have the nerve tingling crunching sound that all BLACKFOOT/MONSTER BEETLE owners hear. It is the same sound I heard from my 1986 edition...I would have guessed they would have upgraded the differential for the re-release, but no...so I just ordered my ball-diff. Time for me to do the same thing you just did.

Fantastic video Matteo! I bought 2, one for my Beetle and one for my Blackfoot. The plan is to run 17.5 brushless setups which I think is the sweet spot.

I have the original Monster Beetle...I think plastics will not handle that kind of power...That little car remind me when I was a boy, was my first Tamiya RC every time I see it I remember my childhood and my grandfather who help me build it. I think many people that are now in their late 30's or first 40´s have the same feeling about their first Tamiya, im glad I still have it...and the second one..and the third one...hahahah

I love vintage rc cars, I started with a car that you had to reverse to turn because the steering had only one direction lol

Probably only Thing i like from MIP these days.

Another great video!

Very important information now for my Lunchbox. I want to install a brushless motor.

Seems to be a quite solid new differential! Nice upgrade!

Thanks for this video too Mateo, I'm new here and I'm starting to see all your videos, best so far, you put a lot of effort and is nice, running videos are amazing and when you explain something too (my G500 body is looking great with this PS 5, I learned to paint this lexan with your G500 video).... I'm trying to get now a Subaru Brat blue version or black monster beetle and still I can't figure witch one I will have more fun on sand. Love the lexan body... but monster buggy doesn't have and the Brat seems to low for sand. I love it the painting part. Thanks!

Nice brother 👍 👍 👍 👍, thanks for sharing

Matteo amazing again, I always wanted that monster beetle and fj brusier

Great video!! I agree, the MIP ball diff is an excellent upgrade for any MB or BF but brushless motors are too powerful for this chassis/gearbox. I'm currently performing a light restoration of an original MB and going to run the MIP ball diff with a vintage Technigold brushed motor.

wise words from a lot of experience there :)

A Monster indeed! I think some of the body issues came from the colder temps.. Awesome Beetle sir!

That thing Boogies Mateo! Wow😀

That is so quick hahaha! Love it :D

Great vid, I would love to see this brushless system fitted to your hotshot

holy guacamole matteo, i don't think Mr Tamiya envisaged his monster 👹 beetle 🐞 going that fast. lol great video as usual. 😀 👍 👍 👍

Wieder ein ganz toll gemachtes (Bauprozess) und spannendes (Fahrtest) Video, Danke Matteo! Die Power die der Beetle mit diesem Setup hat ist wirklich schwer beeindruckend ... tut mir nur leid um Deine Karosserie. Und ich teile Deine Meinung - es ist zuviel für so einen schönen Oldie und vor allem nicht notwendig. Aufhängung, Federung und alle anderen Bauteile sind dafür einfach nicht geschaffen. Für das Seriensetup oder sanftes Tuning ist das Upgrade aber unter dem Aspekt der Haltbarkeit sicherlich top.

Classic tamiya brushless first experience at 8:04, apply throtle part breaks off. The MiP diff does seem like a wonderful item tho. Great vid. Hope you got your beetles small damages fixed, it was in the name of science and education after all, a worthy cause to lose a few parts on. :D

Great video, very helpful and will definitely refer to this when I install my diff! I think that motor was a bit too much, i actually winced in sympathy when the beetle rolled in the gravel.

I'm not planning on running it beyond stock electronics, but this little bit of bulletproofing will be greatly appreciated! I agree, it's expensive, though. :)

Awesome stuff 💯👍💯❤

you need a wheelie bar on the back of that beetle,when i had the midnight pumpkin i changed the motor who i bought off a school friend at the time called the mega motor,man Ive never seen something like that move so fast

Sehr gut gemacht

You need a wheelie bar now! Wow it rips good job!

Thanks for sharing!

Thats awesome

very good idea , i love that kind of motor

Great tuning! In the next time I Ask You some information.. for installing this in my hold monster beetle in piace of the thorp ball diff. Good video Matteo!

Super Video wie immer 👍🏻

Jetzt kommt noch der Bigwig 😍😍😍😍auf den freue ich am allermeisten !

Very good Video, bro.

Go for a 3000kv 3652 Motor at 2s Lipo in the Monster Beetle (with the MIP Diff). 40min runtime with 5Ah battery. 38km/h Top speed. Motor is NOT hot after 90min running time (2 battery packs) ! MUCH more fun than stock brushed motor :) Robitronic Razer 3000kv combo costs only 50 bucks and fits PERFECTLY. I never had such a WIDE TAMIYA GRIN on my face as today with the BL combo :)

Tamiya kits are great to build, the bodies are nice and detailed. But that's about it, just put it on a shelf an enjoy the view. And in time they will fetch good money too at least the '80 releases did. My litle Latrax Teton BL with ball diffs will run circles around the MB all day on 2s even (3s is scary tho) Still nice to see you enjoy it nice vid, thumbs up

Think I will use this diff and a torque tuned brush motor for mine.

Brilliant and informative video, thanks so much, could I ask a couple of questions as I’ve just bought the MIP as I broke the standard gearbox in the first couple of days! What are the exact specification tools that I need? Your brushless motor seems very powerful, is there an upgrade from the standard motor that is not quite as powerful. Which servo are you using as the ones mine came with seem pretty weak? Many thanks!

Now I need a the super ball diff, every time i pull the gas, the gears strip like crazy

Wieder mal ein tolles und hilfreiches Video !!! Ich denke auch mit dem Diff wird das Ganze nicht lange halten 🤔Viele Grüße aus Stuttgart

When you assemble a ball diff, you should rotate the diff at the same time you tighten the main screw, so the ball bearings won't make small dents in the washers. After assembly, you should loosen the main screw slightly, so the diff can rotate without binding.

Nice vid dude👍

RUNNING A 2S 7600MAH OVERLANDER BATTERY AND A HPI FIREBOLT MOTOR AT THE MOMENT

Super Video wie immer👍

You can adjust the startup power on the Castle ESC, so that it won't do wheelies when you punch it.

GIANT Thumbs UP for this, WOW. I did cringe as the license plate flew off, but it didn't affect you at all, what a pro. I think the body you have is now a trophy for such a great first run with the Super Ball diff. I think Parma made the lexan body for the MB, but no decals of course and perhaps Kamtech made a good one that fits in lexan too over on that side of the pond. I have to rework my classic MB with this to enjoy it more. WHEELIE bar and perhaps a Wild WHEELIE Willy driver figure too. :D

Very nice upgrades ! I did cringe a little when you wheelied on the asphalt ! The monster Beetle was my first hobby grade rc and I miss it and need one of these Re release models.

Gut gemacht-scheint ein sehr nutziges Upgrade in Verbindung mit dem Brushed Motor zu sein.

I am having a heck of a time with getting rubber boot on! Way too tight. Now I see I need a MIP.

Love those Fridays 💪🏻 Gruß jimmy

same with me and my friend me:13 friend:15 we have our hobby room hobby shed where we prep both of our upgraded hsp xstr pros brushless

I think it works to well

That Ball Diff is Similar to The Team Associated RC10T Stealth Transmission.

That diff should work in a Frog or Subaru too, same gearbox I'm sure. I wonder what it would have been like if brushless motors and Lipo's were around 25 years ago? I'm getting back into the hobby it's changed greatly since I bought my first Frog in 1990.

Just as any other Tamiya, if it goes brushless, it has to be adult driven. Its no Traxxas! Nice video, nice tutorial Matteo. But I'll just keep mine on a 20T brushed motor.