Tamiya Vanquish / Avante / Egress Forum

[M pro]

Well as I didn’t see a forum for these cars I thought I would put one up for thoughs of you that use to own one, and for thoughts of you that still do :)

I have just recently started using the old girl again, and I can tell ya after all these years my 1987 Vanquish can still fly!

Things I have had done to her
Toughened front end
Racing bearing kit
And new Trinity 19 turns motor

Soon to have an electronic speed controller.

Here are some pics

http://mpro.no-ip.com/rc/v1.jpg
http://mpro.no-ip.com/rc/v2.jpg
http://mpro.no-ip.com/rc/v3.jpg
http://mpro.no-ip.com/rc/v4.jpg

I got her about 7 years ago when I was at a boot sale, I was looking at an old R/C car bag and the car was inside with the controller and all the bits as she was never put together.

I asked how much for the bag? and I was told 50p! “uk”
Needles to say I didn’t spend anytime thinking if I should get it!

The car handles like a dream and has never let me down.
As for parts for the old girl they are almost impossible to find as its now a very rare car, but I got lucky and found a complete car with out a top, so I should be good for a bit.

So if you have one or did have one post away and tell your story

[mtn bkr]

I don't own any of those cars right now, but I just wanted to say that you have a very nice Vanquish. I've wanted an Avante ever since they were released, but haven't been able to get one yet. I'm hoping to get one in the next few months.

[TeeGeeRacer]

I remember phone ordering a Vanquish from I think it was Omnimodels for $99. So i waited. And waited. And it never came! Good thing I ordered it COD.
I remember when the Avante came out. I was really high on Tamiya and thought they would come out with a World's with that one. Then the Turbo Optima Mid SE, Yokomo C4, Shumacher Cat XLS came out. Anyone remember that issue of RCCA with the shootout? Memories.
The Egress ranks as the 2nd alltime coolest car. 1st belonging to the Top Force Evolution.

[mtn bkr]

Finally got my Avante! I picked up an Avante 2001 model off of Ebay last week. I'll have to post some pictures of it later on. It's in pretty decent shape. I think I'm going to try and pick up a NIB body for it. Man, I've been waiting 13 long years to pick up one of these.

[M pro]

don't forget them pics ;)

man i wish i could find one of thoughs

[windellmc]

I got a NIB Avante about 11 years ago for $99 from some phone sales retailer. I thought it was a pretty cool car but the aluminum parts were very weak. I remember hitting a pipe and rolling the car once. Broke both front and rear uprights IIRC. The thing had all kinds of steering though. Also had 4 wheel brakes. I kind of wanted an Egress since it supposedly fixed most of the Avante problems. I believe the Vanquish and Avante 2001 also fixed some Avante problems. I had that 4wd shootout issue where the Optima Mid and Schumacher destroyed the competition. The thing I always hated about early RCCA shootouts was that they used the stock tires. That made them a little unfair sometimes. See the RC-10, JR-X2 shootout for a great example.

I also had a Top Force Evolution. It was a more practical car than the Avante but not that impressive. My CAT 2000 could run circles around it on the track. Worst thing about the Top Force was that the rear shock tower was held on by 2 screws into the rear gear box. The shock tower soon developed a lot of play on my car and judging by the design many others as well. It seems that the standard Manta Ray plastic rear shock tower might have worked better. Never having had a Manta Ray or Dirt Thrasher I can't say though.

[F1Junkie]

Hi

I am expecting an Avante 2001 to arrive in the mail from California any day now. It is in great shape and I can't wait to get it to do some eye-candy work on it - don't plan on running it - just looking at it and seeing how pretty and techy it is...

I wanted an avante when they first came out - this'll be the next best thing...

dave

:D :D :D

[Burnout]

Well I had a mint condition Avante that I got from the classifieds. I guess it was tamiya's top 4wd at that time. I loved the quality from the aluminum and the carbon fiber pieces. Too bad that the car was weak with its suspension arms that had links everywhere! The wheels were pretty cool too where you can remove it without a wrench. It was a pretty fast car with my old 17t twister motor but sadly like all of my cars I got rid of it.

[mjohnston39]

I bought my Vanquish when they first came out in 1988. I used it for a bit and then it sat on a shelf for 14 years. I recently got back into the hobby and decided to bring the car back to life. So far it has or will have:

Avante 2001 FRP chassis
Egress F/R Ball diffs and center 1 way
P2k2Pro

Go here for photos: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=4434&id=562

Mike.

[Ideal]

I raced an Avante 2001 for quite some time before I moved on to a Schumacher, actually I first got a Top Force but didn't appreciate it very much, so I swapped it for a BossCat.

Anyway, I got the torque splitter set, and the set to mount the front shocks in the same way as on the egress, and I found that there was a world of difference between the two. The Avante 2001 front shock setup was better for smooth tracks, and the Egress type setup (more straight up-down) was more sensitive for bumpy tracks.
The front aluminum bits in the suspension and the plastic two-piece "cross-bar" in front are two major weaknesses of this car. I can't remember how many times these bits broke.
I liked the centre-diff setup on the Avante 2001, and on some times this setup was preferable to using the torque splitter set.
All in all it was a very smooth handling car, once you got the lightweight Egress-style wheels on, and some mini-pins, and the proper shocks.
I used to run a Reedy Mr. M's in the thing, with a 13 tooth pinion, it ran great.
I made tons of different front shock towers, first of all they would break ALL the time, and second of all the standard shock tower allowed for only one mounting position. I still got two large sheets of fiberglass, from which I used to cut shock towers :)

Don't think I'll ever sell that car, you get emotional about these things :D

This was waaaay back when...

[mtn bkr]

Okay, okay. So it took me a year to finally get a pic up, but here's my Avante 2001 next to my Avante Jr.

http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL36/886667/1831661/21749903.jpg

[mjohnston39]

mtn bkr, just wondering what shocks you are using on that Avante 2001?

Thanks, Mike.

[mtn bkr]

Those are Duratrax shocks that I'm using on my Avante. I bought the car used off of ebay with no shocks and decided to pick these up because they were a good price. I've driven the thing a few times and even took it to the track once.

[mjohnston39]

The current status of my Vanquish

Mike.

[mjohnston39]

Sorry double post.

[nitrobuggyfan]

god the Avante was an incredible car. Are there any left that are NIB? If so, how much would one cost? Man I can still remember when it came out- what a piece of design. Makes you wish Tamiya would start making those cars again.

[sosidge]

They still appear for sale NIB on ebay from time to time.

Great design? LOOKS great, but was flawed on the track - hence all the simpler, plastic parts on the Egress and others.

[mjohnston39]

An update on my Vanquish, now it's nearly up to Egress specs with the exception of the Ti screws.

Mike

[ShinHed]

Nice. Will you be changing the wheels? I'm working on making a Top Force Evo from spare and new parts. Where did you get those dampers in your most recent pic?

[mjohnston39]

I have the orginal light-weight wheels that came with the Vanquish, but I haven't found the right tires for them yet, so for now I think the HPIs rims and Manta Ray tires will stay. The rear Hi-caps (short) are still being produced and I think Tower has them. For the Top Force I think you'll only need the short Hi-Caps, however if you need the minis (front ones) then your best bet might be Ebay or a LHS with some old stock.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGE23&P=7

You might also want to look for the low friction dampers that came with the Dyna Storm as an alternative, rare but very smooth action.

Mike.

[mtn bkr]

I'll have to post some pics of my latest addition to the family. I picked up an original Avante with the Technigold motor for $99 on Ebay last month. It needs a little bit of work, but it's in pretty good shape.

BTW, you're Vanquish is looking pretty sweet Mike. What other Vintage Tamiyas do you have? I've got a Super Champ, Hornet, Avante, Avante 2001, and Top Force.

[mjohnston39]

Thanks mtn bkr. I've got an old Falcon (my first RC back in 87) and a Monster Beetle (second RC from 88). That's it for my vintage stuff.

My other are pretty new, a M03 mini, a TA03F and the newest addition, the awsome F201.

Mike.

P.S. Good catch on the 99$ Avante, can't wait to see it.

[Doomed]

mjohnston39-

Your car is incredible, I really like the styling and mechanical complexity of the Vanquish, Avante and Egress. I am also looking to buy an Egress. Just wanted to say hey.
Dana

[mjohnston39]

Thanks Dana, I agree, there is something very appealing about a car that is over-engineered and over-built, too bad they were way too heay to be professionally competitive, although as a runner they’re great. Good luck finding an Egress, you could try Tamiyaclub.com.

Mike.

PS, more pictures to come soon.

[Doomed]

Yes, I have been all over TamiyaClub that place rocks. I am also thinking of getting a Blazing Star and doing some custom hop-ups while I look for an Egress. Can't wait to see the new pics!
Dana

[mjohnston39]

More photos can be found here:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=4434&id=562

and my spares

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=12785&id=562

Mike.

[Doomed]

Great pics, you have some good stuff in those "spares" photos!
Let me know if you anyone that wants to sell their Egress or if you want to sell the white wheels in the pic, those are just like Egress wheels only white?

[mtn bkr]

Now that I have my Avante, I'm thinking about selling the 2001 model that I posted a picture of. Anyone interested if I decide to?

[ShinHed]

mjohnston39

What's the part # for that carbon chassis kit? The part # ain't important if you sell me your kit:D

[mtn bkr]

Here's a picture of my Avante that I just picked up. I also tossed in a pic of my Top Force that started life as a Blazing Star.

http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL36/886667/1831661/32181866.jpg

http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL36/886667/1831661/32181495.jpg

[mjohnston39]

The part # for the kit is 58038, sorry it's not for sale, took too long to find this one :cool: .

mtn bkr, great looking cars, espically that top-force. Great body, nice and low slung, mean looking.

Mike.

[Doomed]

mtn bkr-
Your cars look great! Love the Blazing Star conv.


mjohnston39-

Did you see the NIB Egress on Ebay thats up to $320 with 8 days left! Thanks for your last PM it helped!

[mtn bkr]

Thanks Doomed. My Top Force conversion has actually been raced (with a different body of course) and took a 4wd A-main win against a couple of Losi XX4s and a XXX4. They're pretty fast cars if the conditions are right.

[YoKoMo-MX4]

Hello all,
I thought the readers of this thread might be interested in a sale I have going on right now.

My post in the 'Auctions' section is at:
http://www.radiocontrolzone.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=149596

I know this isn't an 'Auction' thread and it isn't a 'For Sale' thread, but I don't think many readers of this thread would look for an Avante in the 'Auction' and/or 'For Sale' sections. Please forgive me if you do not care for this post. All that I ask is that you take a look if you are interested, you won't be disappointed!

Regards,
MX4

PS--There are TONS of pictures linked to at the auction page. Enjoy!

[scooby1976]

I recently unearthed my avante from my folks attic. It has been sitting in a box for the past 10 yrs. Still looked as good as it did the day i bought it. Although after cleaning it up and getting it road worthy i am afraid to use it as parts are quite scarce.

You know how easily they can break. I dare to make any mistakes with it. I think its best to sell it and let someone else enjoy its wonder......:)

[minijosh]

Why is there no forum for dyna storms?

[Icon_GTR]

Hi guys, this thread still rolling?

I just scored a Fox and Vanquish from my boss!! the fox is a full runner, set my electronics into it, just gotta get the steering going and i'll test it out. Had the vanquish set up, but found out that one of the steering knuckles was broken :(

I love buggies now :D

[Ideal]

found out that one of the steering knuckles was broken :(

Would that be the aluminum upright, or the plastic knuckle arm?

I love buggies now :D

Why didn't you before? Touring cars suck, buggies rock! Simple fact.

I don't know why U.S. guys have always been into 2wd or trucks the most.
In fact, 4wd is way more fun and easier too - and I know how Americans just love for things to be easy, so it's just a mystery to me. Why aren't everyone out racing their buggies rather than these boring touring cars?

You can do so much more actual DRIVING with a buggy too.

[reggirt]

god the Avante was an incredible car. Are there any left that are NIB? If so, how much would one cost? Man I can still remember when it came out- what a piece of design. Makes you wish Tamiya would start making those cars again.
LOOK ON E-BAY WORLDWIDE...SOME NEW IN BOX STILL...BUT BE PREPARED TO PAY BIG MONEY I'VE BEEN PROMISING MY SELF ONE FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS NOW..

[Saito]

The Avante broke the mold in many ways for Tamiya. It certainly wasn't a warmed over version of the Hot Shot. Unfortunately, it was quite overengineered, expensive, and not a sales successs. The "dumbed-down" Vanquish version actually perfromed a bit better. Tamiya got more mileage out of the chassis though. The Egress (its ultimate incarnation) and Avante 2001 followed. The Egress remained Tamiya's top 4wd racer until it was surplanted by the Top Force.

[thundershot]

Didnt know the vanquish was a dummed down version of the avante. Does anyone have chassis pics of both kits? The vanquish was hot but I bought the terra scorcher to upgrade my thundershot. Egress and top force was too expensive for me at that!

[Saito]

The story goes like this. The first Avante was a marvel, adjustable in every way. It used an FRP chassis with various aluminum ball-links to connect the suspension. The car was a bit too adjustable, too over engineered if you will. It was also too heavy (much more so than its competitors at the time). Tamiya offered a carbon graphite chassis to aid in weight reduction. When you purchased the graphite chassis set you also got all new abs plastic suspension components (front arms, trailing arms,etc.). The chassis set basically remade the whole car. Tamiya addressed the concerns of the original Avante (high cost, hefty weight) with a new model, the Vanquish. To save weight, the Vanquish got the same plastic suspension components found in the graphite chassis set. To save cost, the Vanquish got a boxed plastic chassis and CVA shocks. It paid off. The cheaper Vanquish was lighter and easier to "set up" than the Avante. It was also easier to drive and wound up being faster. Tamiya got two more models out of the basic chassis (the Egress and Avante 2001) before moving their efforts to the Top Force platform.

[is300zx]

The Vanquish was my very first rc car. It would be what is known today as the sport version of the Avante. I wanted an Avante but it cost way too much. Then I bought my first Car Action magazine and there was a review of the Vanquish. Right after that I knew I got to have the Vanquish. I still have it today and its sitting on the shelf with a broken front shock tower. I'm wishing Tamiya would bring back this car like they are doing with the Lunch Box.

[Saito]

Who knows, Tamiya might re-release it. The Thundershot is making a return. While a nice car, there was nothing revolutionary about the Thundershot. It was just another rehash of the Hot Shot. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to Tamiya's re-releases. The Vanquish might return. (Still have my Vanquish too, great car)

[thundershot]

I bet a lot of ebay auctions will be killing themselves since the reissues of the classic kits. I heard they're exactly like the original but just added an esc. What a deal.

[Saito]

You got that right. Personally I think its great. True collectors that collect for the love of the cars might be happy to have a new "runner" to go with their shelf queens. People that simply collect for the money aspect are probably none too pleased. But you know, my hats off to Tamiya. They are making alot of people very happy (me included). This hobby is about fun, not about jacking the price of someones childhood memory though the roof (although its not all the sellers fault, supply and demand is still the key factor). When things get too pricey and serious, a hobby loses its "new growth" people and winds up killing itself. It happened to slot cars in the 70's. (Stepping down from the soapbox now.)

[BillH]

I just bought a Vanquish off e-bay and cannt wait to get it. It needs new tires does anyone know what will fit? Done ever tease about a avante or egress re-release that would be way too cool. I bought it to look at and drive-just not too hard.

[dallasv8]

im all for re releases myself, i just hope they make a bruiser, even if it is plastic it would still rock.

[gixxer]

I love these cars :D I'm currently restoring one of these for fun. Perhaps I'll post on ebay when i'm done.

Now I'm thinking to go with an Egress or Vanquish body :confused:

[94eg]

Here is one of my Avante series cars. It's a Vanquish Body atop a 53038 Avante Carbon Chassis Kit. The rest was assembled from EVERY Tamiya Hop-Up available for the Avante series of cars. The car took years to get all the parts for, and is the crown jewel of my line-up. Absent from the photo is the 02H motor, CPR unit & Adspec controller:

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/VanquishEVO-2.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/VanquishEVO-1.jpg

[gixxer]

Here is one of my Avante series cars.

What about a pic with all of your Avante series cars :D

[94eg]

Ask and ye shall receive...

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/AvanteSeries.jpg

Sorry if it looks bad, but my Home monitor is terrible, so I cannot adjust the brightness/contrast correctly.

From top left, to bottom right:
-58076 Vanquish
-58085 Avante 2001 (from 1991, not 2001)
-53038 Avante Carbon Chassis Set (Egress without the front shock mounts)
-58072 Avante

This is also my Vanquish Junior that I used to actually race back 1988. It's worst finish was 2nd place overall.:D

http://tamiyausa.com/articles/feature.php?article-id=328

[gixxer]

Awesome:D. What are the gold rims on the avante from?

[94eg]

They are some Alloy ones I found on eBay recently. The guy has them made in different colors and sells them out of the UK. They are just like Hotshot wheels so you have to use the black triangle-shaped adapters that come on one of the Avante spur trees. They look nice, but that's about it...

[94eg]

Just came across the original Avante promotional video on YouTube. I love this car...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iqZwv5qrMlE

[94eg]

Some recent photos to keep this thread alive...

Avante 2001:
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/rc/Avante2001-1.jpg

Avante:
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/rc/Avante-1.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/rc/D20_0152.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/rc/D20_0156.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/rc/D20_0148.jpg

Avante Carbon Chassis kit (Egress):
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/rc/eBay1Avante.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/rc/01.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/rc/D20_0092.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/rc/D20_0119.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p53/94eg/rc/D20_0117.jpg

[jishinda]

Aloha!

I've got an original Vanquish, that has been languishing in storage since I ran it in a local race, got trapped against a side board and burnt the center diff. along with a Hirobo Alien and Invader, and a JRX2, batteries, battery bugs, charger, etc. All available to the first person who can come pick it up. You can have the rubbermaid containers too.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

[TeeGeeRacer]

Wow I love how googling things leads from one thing to another. That pic of the 4 cars together really tickles that inner pre-teen in me. Being a longtime Tamiya fanboy, the Avante was my hope for Tamiya to win a Worlds. Never got to own any of the kits though. The closest I got was when I ordered a Vanquish from I think Omni models waaaay back in the day. It was COD and it never came. Oh well that was a $100 or so dollars more in my pocket then.

The layout design of the Avante was so ahead of its time. It took another 13 years for it to be put in good use in the TC3.

Easily my most favorite car of all time. Did the Carbon chassis kit come with the titanium screws like the Egress had?

*Edit. LOL, I just read this thread from the 1st page and apparently I posted close to 7 years ago! LOL. Looks like I wax nostalgic over both the Top Force Evo and Avante as well.

[94eg]

Did the Carbon chassis kit come with the titanium screws like the Egress had?

The kit only includes the hardware required to convert a standard Avante (gold colored steel screws pictured above). No titanium parts whatsoever. The screws for Vanquish Evo come from an Egress Screw Bag A and an Avante Titanium Screw Kit...

Who knows man, we can always hope & pray for an Avante Series re-release. My best guess would have been the Avante 2001, but the Avante MK-II kinda squashed that dream. Oh well...