I had a lot of fun painting and detailing this model, including the window frames and the driver figure inside. It wasn’t really that hard – just time consuming. The key is to be patient and take your time. It may take quite a few days as you let the paint dry, and do a bit more each time. Now we attach it to the chassis. The whole thing is feeling really solid now and the chassis is looking very distinctive. Something that gives these re-releases some of their retro charm. Front double wishbone and rear trailing arm setups are cushioned by high-performance CVA oil dampers. A 3-gear differential is housed between a pair of aluminum plates that make up the transmission case. The original Monster Beetle used hex shaped dogebones for driveshafts and they were prone to rounding out. This time around Tamiya has included a more traditional dogbone with a CV joint on the axles.

The rugged ABS space-frame chassis fromthe original model (58060) has remained. The chassis uses a double-wishbone front with trailing arm rear suspension setups that work in tandum with the CVA oil dampers. I started off by fitting the chassis spacers. There are a collection of steel bars and plastic spacers to ensure that once the other part is attached it all stays together well.This radio controlled model features an all new 1/14 scale, stylised version of the timeless Volkswagen Beetle Body, mounted on the new all-action 4WD GF-01TR chassis fitted out with big tyres for rough and tumble off-road fun. Depictions of engine and muffler are also metal-plated parts. The body also features a sporty roll bar.

With the central chassis together we start to work on the steering tie rods. These are steel and, as it this a Tamiya, you can just screw the 5mm adjusters on each end until they match the length shown in the manual. The incredible 130mm diameter tyres with lug/pin spike tread provides fantastic off-road performance. The tyres are also paired with gold-effect, (one-piece) rims. Body depicts a customized Beetle with gaping fenders, triple auxiliary lights and a shortened rear end.Molded in ABS plastic, the body offers plenty of detail. Metal-plated parts add another layer of realism. This re-release version of the Monster Beetle assembly kit features a number of updates while keeping the basic layout of the original off-road car released in 1986. Left: The chassis has higher ground clearance that further boosts its capabilities on tough terrain. gear ratio (with the kit-standard 18T pinion gear) gives great drive. The model is also compatible with 20T pinion gears (for a 33.61:1 gear ratio). The steering servo is mounted to the chassis and the speed controller is attached with the included double sided tape.