The
TamTech Gear series of 1/12 scale vehicles came out in 2006. The
touring cars used the GT-01 chassis and were available in both kit and
RTR form. The GB series were smaller versions of classic 2WD
buggies. On the GB-01 platform we got the Frog, Hornet, Fox, and
Desert Gator. All were "Expert Built" only except for a standalone
chassis kit with no body. The GB-02 series had trailing arm front
suspension instead of double wishbone and was used only for the Buggy
Champ. There was no kit version. Finally, the GB-03 was
substantially different being the only 4WD version of any TamTech Gear
model and was available only as the 56711 Hotshot Expert Built model
which included a transmitter and, in some countries, a battery and
charger. It was adverstised as the "first 4WD" chassis for Tamtech
gear, but the whole line was discontinued shortly thereafter.
Looking at the catalogs and marketing material of the time, Tamiya was
pushing this new series pretty hard with full page ads everywhere.
But for whatever reason, they didn't sell very well and were
discontinued after only two years. Nothing sparks the interest of
collectors like making something unavailable though, so now all these
models are like gold and almost impossible to find.The GB-03 is a ~1/12 - 1/14 scale version of the classic 4WD Hotshot from 1985. The whole line uses a very tame 370 sized motor along with other miniature electronics. There is no room for an MSC here. Instead Tamiya developed a tiny ESC just for these models which still works perfectly well. The model has four wheel double wishbone independent suspension just like the original, and the front suspension shares the mono-shock system as well. The rear shocks are not like the original longitudinal mono-shock though. In terms of appearance, the model does a very good job of replicating the original at a smaller scale.
For my other TamTech Gear touring cars I swapped in a much more powerful motor for higher speeds, but I think it is better to keep this model slow. It is more of a showpiece than a serious off-road racer since it is simply too small to conquer any significant obstacle or take jumps. I still drive it from time to time though.
Update: This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire. It has not been replaced.
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