The RC Deep Dive
Welcome to The RC Deep Dive podcast, your daily masterclass in the world of Tamiya radio-controlled model vehicles in under 30 minutes.
This is the ultimate anti-fluff resource for Tamiya RC builders, bashers, crawlers, collectors, drifters, racers, and speed runners. We publish a new, concise episode every day, focusing on the vintage, classic, and rere (re-release) models that have defined the radio control hobby.
We go beyond the RC hobby workbench. One day we're detailing HOW-TO guides for hop-ups, CVA dampers, or MIP super ball diffs, and the next, we explore the applied physics and chemistry of why they work. We also uncover the lost RC cultural history of the Golden Age—from the Tamiya-Futaba alliance to the transfer of CRP's business assets to a new entity, Team CRP, or Parma PSE (Parma Speed Experts) International being bought by Mid-America Products.
This is your daily dose of R/C knowledge. No fluff, just the deep dive. We are all about that RC life!
Got a Tamiya question you can't solve? Ask it in the reviews or comments. It might become a future 5-15 minute deep dive. Subscribe now so you don't miss tomorrow's deep dive. It's the perfect anti-fluff way to start your day at the RC hobby workbench.
A NOTE ON CLARITY: This podcast is 100% human-researched by lifelong hobbyists. To deliver a crystal-clear, professional-sounding, anti-fluff episode every single day, we use modern AI-assisted production tools for maximum listenability. Our focus is on the knowledge, not the noise.
SPOTIFY LISTENERS: Welcome! Please note that Spotify does not carry our full daily episode archive. For the complete list, searchable back-catalog, please find us on Apple Podcasts, Podbean, YouTube, or any other podcast aggregators via our Linktree https://linktr.ee/rcdeepdive
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Episodes
Wednesday Jul 30, 2025
Wednesday Jul 30, 2025
Box art dictates that the Tamiya (Mighty) Frog is painted pink, white, and black. (Although box art shows a red helmet for the driver, the vintage directions say a blue helmet for the driver, and the rere [re-release] directions show a white helmet) However both all pink and all green are popular alternate liveries. We wondered what the most popular colors for the Frog were, so we dig deep and research Frog owners' favorite colors in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.
Tuesday Jul 29, 2025
Tuesday Jul 29, 2025
The CRP (Custom Racing Products) #3043 ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) Chassis Stiffener for the BRAT, Frog, Blackfoot, and Super Beetle, is more than a replacement skid plate, but also an integral hop-up that strengthens the chassis and helps fix front steering issues. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast, we dig into why this one item, especially when combined with the CRP #3044 ORV Front Bumper, is a must-have hop-up system for improved R/C driving.
Monday Jul 28, 2025
Monday Jul 28, 2025
Often when you buy an ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) for your radio controlled vehicle, you get a Dean's connector T-plug, but your battery may have a Tamiya plug connector or a different type of connector. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast we dig into your options how to fix this issue, including step-by-step directions how to solder new connectors, even if you've never soldered before.
Sunday Jul 27, 2025
Sunday Jul 27, 2025
[NOTE: This was recorded before the completion of Poor Boys RC Summer 2025 Speed Run Challenge announced in June]
The Tamiya Grasshopper 2WD R/C buggy is an icon and a legend that originally topped out, in it's stock configuration, at approximately 12 mph / 19 kph. We dig deeply into the speedrunning records year by year since 1984, going to 62 mph / 100 kph in 2023, and the speedrunners' quest in 2025 to get a Tamiya Grasshopper beyond 100 mph / 161 kph in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.
Saturday Jul 26, 2025
Saturday Jul 26, 2025
The Pro-Line and CRP (Custom Racing Products) dyeable white nylon bumper have both been called a "must-have" Hop-Up for the Frog and other ORV (Off-Road Vehicle) chassis R/C model vehicles. However, when deciding between the two, many vintage Tamiya radio control hobbyists realized that the two hop-ups were exactly the same. Why is this? We dig into this mystery and solve it in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.
Friday Jul 25, 2025
Friday Jul 25, 2025
The ORV chassis is an icon in the R/C hobbyist community. In this episode of the RC Deep Dive we dig into this legendary radio controlled model chassis and its history supporting many of Tamiya's radio control cars, buggies, trucks, and vans in a range of colors which each had a hidden meaning which we uncover.
Thursday Jul 24, 2025
Thursday Jul 24, 2025
The HotShot family (HotShot, SuperShot, HotShot II, Bigwig, Boomerang, Super Sabre, HotShot 2 Blockhead Motors Edition, and Super HotShot) of 4WD radio controlled buggies were a revolution for Tamiya, however they had issues including front end slop. We take a deep dive into the numerous way to fix this in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.
Wednesday Jul 23, 2025
Wednesday Jul 23, 2025
OC Racing, Option No. 1, and other 3rd party aftermarket R/C hop-up manufacturers make bars that go between the top and bottom rear shock mounts on the Tamiya Grasshopper, Hornet, Grasshopper II, and Super Hornet 1/10th scale radio controlled model buggies. But do these hop-up bars really help? We take a deep dive into the truths and myths of these hop-ups and show you what they can do and what they absolutely cannot do in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.
Tuesday Jul 22, 2025
Tuesday Jul 22, 2025
R/C hobby grade CA (cyanoacrylate) glue or super glue has been the standard adhesive for tires to seal to modern one-piece wheels. However, recently, in the vintage radio controlled model vehicle hobbyist community, another tire to wheel sealant as begun to gain popularity, clear silicon sealant. We compare and contrast these two tire sealing adhesives in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.
Monday Jul 21, 2025
Monday Jul 21, 2025
Aluminum steering knuckles are often considered a must-have first hop-up for the vintage and rere (re-release) HotShot Family of R/C buggies (HotShot, HotShot II, SuperShot, Boomerang, Bigwig, Super Sabre, HotShot 2 Blockhead Motors Edition, Super HotShot). We take a deep dive into the pros and cons of this hop-up in this episode of the RC Deep Dive podcast.