The Super-Fun Tamiya Comical Buggies

Paul Onorato March 30, 2020 Stories

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Fun! Isn’t that what this hobby is all about? That one little adjective is what most-likely pulled you into this awesome hobby. For some of us, we get caught up in the competition side of RC and we tend to lose sight of why we wanted our very first RC car to begin with. The super-fun Tamiya Comical Buggies are just the thing to rekindle that feeling in those enthusiasts that are taking RC too seriously and they are a great option for someone just starting out in RC.

Tamiya set out to make fun-to-look-at and fun-to-drive cars when they came up with the Comical buggy concept. Here we are going to talk about the three 2WD Tamiya Comical buggies that are based on the WR-02CB chassis: the Comical Hornet, Comical Grasshopper and Comical Frog. We are leaving out the newly released Tamiya Comical Avante because it is 4WD and based on a different chassis (GF-01CB).

The Super-Fun Tamiya Comical Buggies — Tamiya Comical Hornet (#58666)

Tamiya’s Wild Willy 2000 (shown here), Farm King, Honda City Turbo, Suzuki Jimny Wheelie and the Tractor Kumamon Version all use a variant of the WR-02 chassis.

Each of these Comical buggies are re-imagined versions of the iconic Hornet, Grasshopper and Frog buggies that were originally released back in the 1980’s. Many of us RC enthusiast got started in this hobby with one of these vehicles and the sight of these new versions triggers nostalgic memories. The re-imagined bodies mimic the original bodies with similar stickers and paint schemes. Mounted along either side of the cockpit are flags and inside sits a newly designed driver figure. All this is mated to a dedicated variant of the WR-02 chassis named WR-02CB (CB for Comical Buggy).

The super-fun Tamiya Comical buggies all come as a kit which requires assembly. Tamiya helps the process by having the transmission already assembled for you with the motor installed onto the gearbox. There is only a slight difference between the buggies with colors and the body itself. The center section of the WR-02CB chassis has a monocoque design with the battery mounted up top which allows the buggies to easily perform a wheelie. Access to the battery compartment is through the rear of the chassis where the faux dual exhaust pipes are attached.

Tamiya’s instruction manuals are excellent. They are easy to follow and have full-size drawings of the hardware used for each step so that you can hold the hardware next to it to ensure you have the correct size. xcellent instruction manual, can lay screws onto manual to make sure you are using the right ones

Up front is a tube-like front bumper with big springs attached to help absorb front end impacts.

Underneath the neat-looking, cartoonish rear exhaust pipes is a wheelie bar to provide support when performing wheelies.

Nice to see tough and durable steel dogbones, outdrives and axle shafts used for the drivtrain.

A 27-turned brushed motor comes with the Comical 2WD Buggy kits. Plenty of power to make these cars fun to drive with a good amount of run time. Notice the plastic nerf bars mounted on the side of the chassis which is just like the original Hornet.

We have always liked the included speed controls that Tamiya adds to its kits. and the Tamiya TBLE-02S speed control is a great addition. It is capable of running brushed motors to a 23-turn limit and sensored brushless motors down to a 21.5-turn limit.

The transmission comes pre-assembled for you with the brushed motor already installed. This speeds up the build time. Inside is a bevel gear diff which requires little maintenance and is quite durable.

A integrated front shock tower supports Tamiya’s great-operating old-filled CVA mini plastic shocks. They are used for the front and rear and do an impressive job at smoothing out rough terrain. Suspension arms are a bit wider than standard WR-02 for more stability.

Big bubble tires help complete the comical look of the comical buggies. (We can see using these on some other project vehicles.) Two-piece wheels are used for the front and rear. The center section can be swapped out for different colors and there are other color options for the outer section of the wheel. Two piece wheels where the center section can be swapped out for other colors

Each of the Comical 2WD Buddies include a big sticker sheet so that you can perfectly replicate the box art. Tamiya also provides window masks for when you paint the polycarbonate body.

INCLUDED DRIVER FIGURES

The Comical Hornet and Comical Frog are each equipped with a newly designed driver figure and have just the right look to compliment the overall comical appearance of the buggies. (Curiously, the Comical Grasshopper uses an older style driver figure.) The new driver figures give you the option of building them in different variations and detail like with or without the visor or chin guard and even different stickers for the eyes. Molded hands to grip a steering wheel are included with the driver.

The Comical Grasshopper comes with the same driver that is used in the Tamiya Honda City Turbo car kit.

For the Comical Frog or Comical Hornet, you have options on how you complete the driver figure.

Driver shown with the visor attached and one of the detail stickers on the steering wheel.

The sticker sheet that comes with the Comical Hornet and Comical Frog so that you can further custom detail the drivers.

ADDING OPTIONAL LEDS

There are numerous option parts for the Tamiya Comical Buggies like the Tamiya TLU-01 LED Light Unit. You can add one of these to any of the Comical Buggies since each is equipped with front headlight cases and rear light buckets mounted on the back of the chassis.

TAMIYA COMICAL BUGGY SPECS

Scale: 1/10
Length: 14.0 in. (356mm)
Width: 9.6 in. (244mm)
Height: 7.7 in. (195mm)
Wheelbase: 6.7 in. (170mm)
Weight: 6.8 lb. (3.1kg)
Internal Gear Ratio: 18.3:1
Chassis: Plastic monocoque frame
Drivetrain: Pre-assembled 2WD gear transmission, rear wheel drive
Differential: Bevel gear
Bearings: Metal and plastic bushings
Suspension: 4-wheel double wishbone
Shocks: Oil-filled CVA Mini shocks
Motor: 540-brushed type
Speed control: Tamiya TBLE-02S
Wheels: 2-piece ABS plastic wheels with colored center
Tires: Bubble tires, rib pattern fronts and round block pattern rears
Body: Polycarbonate with customizable driver figure