Tamiya The Boomerang vs Tamiya The Bigwig GPS Speed Tests! 

Such great memories. The Boomerang would have blown my mind if I had seen it back then. So cool you had one.

Ahh, as stated, it’s not running with the Technigold or the 8.4v. But they have different pinions, so they shouldn’t really do the same top speed.

My fox owned the bigwig on speed and agility, only the 4wd aspect made the bigwig perform better on long steep hills. On average the fox won. My fox was outfitted with a technigold an 8.4v battery though.

Exactly!!! The bigwig was a different league. I'm heartbroken 💔 😞 to think a boomerang 🪃 could match a bigwig , how will I sleep tonight 😫.

Nice! Wish I had known these existed back in the 1980s :-) Must have been a blast.

It sure is a cool classic buggy. Great you have the original.

Yeah! 👍

Yeah, funny and strange. To me, the Boomer looks a little faster. Yeah, love these tires. The same where copied to the Taiyo aero Jet Fighter which I had back then, so looking and listening to those giant knobs brings back 1980ies memories :-)

Ha ha, yeah, though I prefer the re-releases it's just fun to try out the vintage ones as well once in a while. Especially the second hand bargains like this, although my lack of talent of keeping them as shelf-queens (I just can't not run them) are often proving to be more costly in the long term :-) Yeah, I am so surprised at the GPS reading as well. On paper, the Bigwig just should be a little slower: heavier chassis, vintage parts, 13T pinion compared to the 15T on the Boomer, and then yes, the Johnson, on paper, just aren't supposed to be that faster. Reading other people's experience on the net though, it seems like other's have been surprised that the Johnson was faster than the RS540SH too. So maybe it is faster. Ohh, and well, then there's always the thing about motors: one RS540SH can be faster than another RS540SH. And one Johnson faster than another Johnson. All these silver cans aren't really standardized that well by the manufacturers it seems. Seen a lot of people talking about that too. And yeah, I've not had a run with my Bigwig yet, where some brittle plastic part doesn't break. Thought I would manage this time, after rebuilding the entire thing and checking for hairline-cracks. But hairline-cracks can be thinner than a hair sometimes, and new cracks can appear when those brittle parts are put under "stress" (running slowly back and forth on pavement, lol). It was fun while it lasted, but I suspect if I continue to run this one it will end up as a 100% Bigwig 2017 at some point, and that was not the idea. Easier and cheaper to get a Bigwig 2017 then and have the fun of one's own build too :-) Ohh well, I have my Boomer now. It performs better to my liking, it's smoother and with new fresh plastic (although some parts are the same hard brittle plastic - but at least not old yet). Thanks a lot for watching, Mark! Sorry for the long reply :-) But yeah, these GPS speed tests are funny and food for thought :-)

Two other very cool iconic Tamiyas 🙂 Yeah, dig them out. Love running these classics 😊

Did u know ur a featured channel on rc Sparks channel? I’m on there also n seen u were on there too, that’s awesome!

Yeah, great beautiful 1980ies icons. Love them! Thanks for watching, Steve!

@@STEVOD313 Ahh yes, he did that a year or two ago. He´s such a good fellow. That was the first channel I started following here on youtube after re-entering the hobby and it is still my favorite channel too. I watch all the videos. Such good positive vibes on every video. You are there too! Nice! I didn't back then and I haven't noticed any increase in subscribers or views as a result of that though. I doubt that many people visit the "channels" section nowadays and even less, I think, are clicking on the channels featured there. But it's such a cool friendly gesture from him. Love him :-)

So fking expensive

Yeah, huh, I imagined the Boomer being at least 2kph faster, from the looks and the sound (and on top of that knowing it has a 15T pinion compared to the Bigwig's 13T) Strange indeed. But the SkyRC seems so reliable and consistent I have to believe it (more or less). Ahh, not prepared, lots of 12 mm hex adaptors but no Hotshot adaptors :-) But I enjoyed running the Boomer after the camera was turned off :-)

Thanks, yeah, poor old brittle Bigwig :-) I think I actually found out I packed all my spare Hotshot family wheel adaptors in the package with my re-release Thunder Shot which I traded off earlier this year. Ha ha, typical. Should have kept some, but I thought I had others. Ohh, well, then I have to get a while parts tree :-/ But yes, beautiful Bigwig :-) Thanks for watching, bro.

Ahh, I think you missed the intention behind these speed tests. A GPS speed test is just a measurement. Not an attempt to go fast or go even faster 😊 It’s fun. Fun to see the top speed of both classic and modern models, and sometimes to try it out with different combinations of motor, gearing, battery, tires. To see the differences. Or the differences between classic models like the Boomer and the Bigwig. Or the Grasshopper and the Hornet. And so on. We couldn’t really do this in the 1980ies so we do it now. I even measured my Tamiya Grasshopper. Was it fast? No of course not. But it was fun to measure the top speed of a stock Grasshopper instead of just guessing. And the upgrade part is fun too. Recently I upgraded one of my Hornet/Hoppers. Will it ever perform as well as a cheap modern DT-03? No. Never. But it was fun ☺️ It’s a celebration, a tribute to the old designs - and fun - and nerdy ☺️

Lol it's absolutely fine my friend. I just think there is no point of measuring the speed. My personal opinion, they are meant to be go slow lol but I still like to watch your upload ^^

Yeah, you’re right. It’s just a matter of personal taste. But yes, these where never meant to go fast. I’ve had a lot of fun with my GPS though. I just think it’s fun to measure the actual speeds. And see the actual differences of different models, of ball bearings versus bushings, different motors, gearings, tires, batteries etc. Most of the time I leave my re-releases stock. But still fun to measure a Grasshopper’s top speed. Or a Boomerangs or a Bigwigs. And measure the actual speed people where most likely to run these with back in the days. Most of the times I do not upgrade them. Everytime I put out a video with one of my Grasshoppers I’m told I should put a 540 motor in it. But sometimes it’s just much more fun to run these stock. It’s not about speed for me ☺️

Yeah, beautiful 1980ies buggies :-) Thanks for watching, bro.

Me too, Tim! I could look at them for hours and run them for months 😍

Yeah, a lot smoother. And it sounds smoother too. Maybe that's why it also looks faster. Yeah, I think the problem with these are that they are the original ones and I used to have a brushless motor in the Bigwig. I haven't had any problems with the re-release ones from the Boomerang and Thunder Shot yet. Thanks a lot for watching, my Nordic bro ... og mange hilsener fra Danmark! :-)

That is a cool father! And cool to have had a Boomerang as a kid.

@@NordicRC yes he still is I just broke up from a 10 year realationship and he took me back in his house to stay best father ever mate

Very cool!

@@NordicRC thanks

Thanks, bro! Nice, you got one! Be careful with the vintage ones when you run it. Old brittle plastic. I haven't had one single run with this vintage Bigwig without one or more plastic part breaking :-)

Thanks for the advice i knew i could have some problem s but had to go vintage for my first tamiya and thanks to your videos ill know how to fix it lol

Adventure Time RC Yeah, sometimes one just gotta go vintage ☺️

Yeah, the Boomerangs top speed is about right. The Bigwig was much faster back then though, with the technigold motor and an optional 8.4v NiMH 7S.

@@NordicRC cool, thank you

Thanks! It's fun testing out these old designs. The fresh re-release Boomerang sure is a smooth runner, but the original Bigwig has seen better days even though I just re-build her :-) Cheers mate and thanks for watching.

Yeah it really does. Would love a smooth Bigwig re-release some day too ☺️ But great looking buggies both, yes. Thanks a lot for watching, Ishtiaq!

Wow! Welcome back to the hobby! Both the Hornet and Boomerang are some of the most iconic and most beautiful 80s buggies in my opinion. You have good taste :-)

@NordicRC At first I almost another Hornet, but I remember aback in the day my friend had the Hotshot that performed so good. I only learned through my recent research about how the Boomerang was an improvement on that class/series. Ive also got a bearing kit and a sport tuned motor on the way,....I was considering a Traxxas Bandit, but I much prefer to build it.

Thanks a lot for the nice feedback, JD! I appreciate it very much!

Yeah, it's really an enjoyable model. Would love to build and run a re-release Bigwig some day. It will hold up much better than this old one :-)

@@NordicRC Got mine for a great price. It was someones shelf queen since it didnt have a scratch on it! The motor didn't even have any wear on the comutator haha. Paid $90 for it complete with radio, servo, esc and even a battery. It was poorly assembled though as some hardware wasn't installed correctly and it was also missing the rollcage and metal roof part.

@@NordicRC Just out of curiosity how hard is it for you to get parts for the Bigwig? Parts for it don't seem abundant like for my Traxxas models.

Thanks, Bro Yeah, me too, although I like the Boomer just a tiny bit more (fresh re-release and a lighter chassis and I looove the looks). Thanks for watching, Tibor! (Can I call you that?)

My name is Tibor. But i am generally known as Tib or the Tibster lol any is fine with me though buddy

Yeah, definitely. But hard to do a silver can comparison if one of them hasn’t got one 🫢😅

Oh of course 😎👍🏻 (excellent test btw - and surprising result for me) I was merely reminding the nice folks at home that she was never a budget or slow buggy when new and that she was a bit of a revelation from a performance standpoint. One of my top five standout RC moments ever was the first time I ran my Bigwig. The only factor that came close to eclipsing her rocket-ship speed and acceleration was her epic understeer 😆

@@SANDSCORCHER Yeah, I actually ran her the first couple of years with a 12T brushless and a 2S LiPo. Got a lot of videos with it. But in the end she was too brittle for any serious runs. Would love to build a re-release (with fresh plastic) and see how she would hold up.

Same here re a new build 😎👍🏻 That said, the black plastics were not fit for purpose in 1987 Every time I took mine out she came home in bits with a repair bill I’ve never repaired any other car so many times Bigwig ownership is definitely an abusive relationship 😆 Tamiya should have engineered all of the black plastic components out of a combination of the materials that the blue and yellow parts are made of. Mine was laid up for years with a broken back after a particularly unpleasant crash (chassis snapped on both sides behind the battery location) until a while back when I finally got round to a chassis swap. Upon driving her I discovered there was so much distortion and wear in other parts that she didn’t drive straight, track correctly or perform in any manner that she should do, so she came off the road again. I’m still gathering parts to carry out a complete bare bones strip and rebuild with every worn or damaged component exchanged for new. I can see myself ending up in a scenario though, where the only original components are the screws, the gears and the electrics. I really should have purchased a rere a couple of years or so ago🤔

Yeah, they used much too hard and brittle plastic for the arms on almost all the 4WD buggies from the 1980s. My Boomerang and Terra Scorcher got them too, But at least the fresh re-re parts hold up better than 30+ years old plastic :-)

I love the looks of the Boomerang. So 1980’s. I think the boomerang chassis handles a lot better than the Bigwig. More nimble and agile, despite the mono shock front. The Bigwig was an old vintage second hand purchase. It did not have the technigold anymore, but came with a brushless motor 😂 (check the other Bigwig videos)

Thanks, Charlie!

Hi! Both are fully ball raced.

Yeah, these vintage ones where not really meant to be run with all that brittle plastic. But it's hard to keep them on the shelf :-) Thanks a lot for watching, Haydad RC!

Hi Jason. Thank you. Ahh, yeah, I still struggle with that. I don’t want too many colors on the letters, but I know sometimes the white/black it hard to read against the background. Hmm, maybe one day I have to surrender to big red or yellow letters.

@@NordicRC no wrries brother still awesome video.

I have a similar memory of my dad putting together my Christmas Boomerang - It didn't work so we took it back to the store in the mall and my dad almost got into fight with the dude because the thing wouldn't work until he replaced the crystal in the Transmitter LOL - Then we coulnd't believe how fast the thing was. Awesome memories.

Thanks, Luis!

Yeah, you are absolutely right. They can do, especially NiMHs like this, but these two batteries charge to the same voltage and where fully charged at the same time just before the run. And I did a speed test with them in the same car last weekend and they where approx. the same. So in this case probably not a big difference. But a good point still, since it could make a difference of 1-2 kph even though. Thanks for watching and the good point, MeesterDash.

@@NordicRC Yeah it was the only thing/reason I could think of... Nice video as usual.

Thanks a lot, mate!

Hi Alli! Sounds like you got some cool Tamiyas there. Love Tamiya too 🙂

Yeah, it behaves ‘a little’ different than a re-release. He he, Trigger’s broom’ 😄 That’s the problem I’m facing with this one. Still, the majority of the car is the original, but if I keep running it for a few years I might end up with a Trigger’s Broom, he he. You got a strong vintage piece there. Those M’s are pretty fast and high geared stock. Think my M-03 does around 30 kph stock. And yeah, they look fast with their tiny wheel base. Would love an M-01 some day. It’s a school yard this one, so the building is a School. Basically a couple of different School yards are the only RC options in walking distance in my part of this City so I tend to use them a lot. This one is perfect for speed runs since it has some fresh smooth asphalt ☺️

Yeah, watching these classic buggies brings me back to my childhood each time too :-) Good old 1980ies. Didn't know about Tamiya back then, but all my toy-grade buggies that where inspired by Tamiya, the Nikko Turbo Panther and the Taiyo Jet Fighter reminds me of these. Ja, dansk! Og du lyder svensk?

Yeah, the original certainly came with the fast brushed technigold. This is a second hand. Sadly no technigold.

Thanks for watching (and thinking) Derek! :-) Yeah, thought about that too. It is classified as a Tamiya Hop-Up Motor, like the torque and sport tuned, but I think it's strength (compared to the standard Mabuchi RS540-SH) lies more in torque than speed, if I remember correctly. Same 27T. Maybe the battery. But I tried several times, and they continued getting the same result. And even though the Bigwig looks and sounds a lot slower, I also tried to compare the milliseconds (from a certain spot in the location to another) in the videos and they are very close. Maybe eyes and ears are deceiving.

Tamiya works in mysterious ways my friend. That's why we love them ; ))

He he, yeah :-)

I have restored several old Tamiyas and so far all motors have worked fine. But you never know. I would give it a try :-)

Yeah, just strange because the Boomerang got a higher gearing too. But yes, maybe the slow acceleration of the Bigwig cheats the eye, and it seems slower.

Thank you! Not sure if 'excellent durability' exists with Tamiya ... sometimes they tend to use a bit too hard plastic and make some odd choices. You would also need to get a different motor (or different gear ratio) than the standard silver can motors provided in most kits to reach 25 mph. It's hard to recommend one ... with the classics, go for the one that you most like the looks of, with the more modern there's the TT-02B and DT-03 in the more affordable end and then the TRF line-up in the more expensive end.

@@NordicRC Thank you for the information and guidance my friend! 😁

Yeah, some better than others but all a great part of the RC history ☺️ I like the looks of the Boomerang better too. But the Bigwig looks good too I think, especially in box art (not like this old second hand)

@@NordicRC I also like thinking how some buggies look amazing on the box but a little weird in the flesh, whereas others look so much better in person. Everyone's tastes are different, so I guess Tamiya caters to everyone which is cool

Yeah, well, personally I love looking at all my Tamiya buggies on display. I grew up with the Nikko and Taiyo buggies in the 1980s so getting the real thing now is a real treat ☺️

Yeah, looks and sounds at least 2 kph or more faster. Strange indeed. Yeah, aluminium could be cool, but I think the re-release ones are good enough. These old original ones has probably been stressed out when it was brushless. Thanks for watching, my friend.

Could be a difference of motors too. No silver can is the same, and the Johnson silver can is considered a hop-up by Tamiya (though it should be more focused on torque/acceleration and not top speed). Maybe combined with other factors. Like difference of ball bearings. Both these units are fully ball raced.

Great, thanks for clarifying that both were fully ball raced.

It’s obviously. Big wig accelerated slower then boomerang.Run time of boomerang will be longer. So, put in a larger pinion and speed wil increase.

He, don’t think it makes much difference with this speed and this size 😉 Maybe a little but not anything significant.

It does? Maybe the synthesizer vibe does the trick. It's a tune from youtube's audio library called Addicted. Quite fitting for a Tamiya Addict :-)

Nordic RC Visions wow I can’t find it all, do you have the link?

You need to go into the youtube audio library and then search for addicted. You will find it :-)

I searched and searched with no luck!☹️. If you have the link that would be great🙏🏼

I don’t think there are links to a specific song. Do you know what the youtube audio library is? That is where I got it from. And it’s there. I just looked. Sorry I can’t help more.

A true test? This is a true test: My Bigwig versus my Boomerang 😉

Sounds like a lot of great childhood memories, Jay. You are lucky having a Tamiya back then :-)

Hi Mark! Uhh, I can’t remember. Too long ago. Probably just needs some better steering trim?

@@NordicRC I wasn’t sure if it was indicative of lower priced TAMIYA models, looking at buying a Terra Scorcher but this video has put me off a bit and made me think about spending more. Had a Falcon and wasn’t hugely impressed so I’m not sure a Terra Scorcher is much of a step up.

Yeah, and the Technigold motor :-)

@@NordicRC hehe

I certainly love my Tamiyas :-)

BenLang77 Would have loved one, but this was just a cheap second hand

Thanks!

Yeah, compared to modern standards ☺️

Yeah, not the original motor. Could be different pinions too.