Hornet Racing Team
Like many people of a certain age and persuasion. Every time with I visited town. I spend too much time in Beatties. The back and the radio control section were always the biggest draws.
They had all the boxes showing off the Tamiya cover art behind the Radio control counter acting as the best advert ever with a couple of Televisions showing various buggies in sand dunes or at the beach, with the glorious NTSC to PAL converted colours and American voiceover—a highlight of every trip.
On the counter was a big stack of the Tamiya Guidebook—something I could afford.
I still remember buying my copy and being so excited. I spent hours and hours poring over the guide and comparing the different cars and which one I wanted. I was not the only one. Hotshot, but they were so expensive that I didn’t think I would get one. The Grasshopper seemed too limited, and who wants the bottom-of-range kit? Hornet seemed that step up and a price I was likely to get. Cue the wait for Christmas to roll around.
I saw the large box on Christmas day that could only be a Tamiya 1/10 scale car. I unwrapped the present, and I had my own Hornet.
I was happy, but now has the small matter of having to build it. My Dad helped me carry the Hornet box and various other bits and pieces to my room, collecting various tools. We then got to work following the manual to get the car built. It took the whole day, but we got the car built and running. That day is still one of my happiest memories of him. Just the two of us working to get the car built together. The car gave me a lot of fun over the next few years. I upgraded a few bits and went through a couple of bodies. I never raced; a Hornet, even then, was not up to that. I just bashed around the garden or park I finally sold it on.
I spotted a couple of years ago the Hornet was re-released. I can safely say I don’t want to get another unless you know of a Jun Watanabe edition going cheap. Which I would be too scared to run anyway.
I’m happy to have a mug to remember those times for now. Maybe I’ll finally get that Hotshot?