Panda Danny Thompson Stadium Racer

[RC10Talk]

I normally do not post my R/C's at this site since I really do not have any vintage R/Cs. Well not so true.

When I was a kid I got an R/C mag, i saw in it a Panda Stadium truck racer! I so wanted it! But it was not meant to be at that time! It was the first "real" R/C that I ever wanted and I had never forgotten about it.

Years latter looking for Chevy bodies for my clod, i ran across a Panda Danny Thompson Stadium Truck. It was beet to hell and I purchased it. It was a pretty wimpy/lame r/c. But I still loved it! Later that year I found a NIB kit. Well Sort of! It was missing the decals, tires and a few other little pieces. I ended up winning the auction on eBay for $100.

Oddly i never really built the truck... Not sure why. It sat in my R/C room collecting dust.

A year later I found a Panda Nitro Stadium racer body and spare parts. So I purchased it for the body. Was going to put it on a clod. When I got it, it had brand new tires in it. Exactly the same as the EP version. Also had all the body accessories in white. Ive also come to find that the body is identical to the EP version!

So while here in my new apartment the R/C bug has hit me! I assembled the truck! I decided to keep it stock! It has the original mechanical speed control and correct period servos and receiver! Good thing I never through away old electronics!

I'm thinking of finding some one to paint up the nitro body for me since I really suck at painting... Use that body instead! I love the old Chevy lightning bodies any way! Kind of funny that the big craze is short track trucks today and this kit was released in 1987!

Here are some pictures of the truck and the box art!

The panda buggys have identical chassis!

The box is in bad shape..

The body has a small crack on the lower parts of it. Up on top is the roll bar and rear bumper!

So what do you guys think? Any one else ever have one of these?

[vintage racer]

I had the gas version as a youngster and loved it,Not knowing much back then I used to remove the paper element air filter,peak rev it with the wheels off the ground and lean it as much as possible.It used to scream for a .10 and seemed very fast back then.It lasted for a while too supprisingly.I never saw the EP version here in OZ that you have.Its great having something that you allways wanted back then.

[RedScampi]

Great story and very cool truck in a weird sort of way! I realize it's never going to be a giant killer but it's a cool piece of the history of our hobby. I have a Panda as well, the entry level buggy kit, new built. I think somewhere on the box it's called the "Grasshopper Killer". - but it's even more of a toy than the Grasshopper.

[scr8p]

i always wanted to get the panda stocker. it had an 88 monte carlo ss aerocoupe body, and the #3 decals to have your own earnhardt stock car. i don't remember if the goodwrench decal where on the sheet though.

[purpletimbo]

I still have 2 Danny nitros and my mate has a rarer Micky Thomson variety, I had never seen an epone, they did a few on road, I have a NIB Testarossa somewhere.
this one just sold on UK ebay but I resisted
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180489813683&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
They even did some UK onroad, an escort cosworth, and I had a Citroen ZX rally car as well
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120533035830&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
The weakest link, certainly on the nitro was the crown gear in the diff, white plastic, and cracked often, even the new old stock ones are weak.



I never knew what this was, but I am guessing they did an ep alfa, I just ended up with a shell once

ONe day I might build it

[bearrickster]

I sold a lot of Pandas back in 1989 when I worked in a hobbyshop. I always wanted a Panda Cyclone. I still look on Ebay every now and then. they were ok cars for how cheep they were. we would package the up with everything you needed to run them down to the batterys for like 150bucks. I still use the Cyclone ft arms on my Lunchbox. it was a grasshopper clone with a lexan body and better front suspension.

[purpletimbo]

Wish I had known Rick, a boxed Panda as seen no handset sold for $15 on ebay UK last week, was that the right one?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PANDA-radio-controlled-off-road-RC-car-racing-buggy_W0QQitemZ370365346897QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN?hash=item563b7eb451

[bearrickster]

Wish I had known Rick, a boxed Panda as seen no handset sold for $15 on ebay UK last week, was that the right one?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PANDA-radio-controlled-off-road-RC-car-racing-buggy_W0QQitemZ370365346897QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN?hash=item563b7eb451

no the one I want is the Cyclone it has a lexan body and looks like a hopped up Grasshopper.

[Lowgear]

One of my old friends had a Panda .10 powered stadium type truck he bought new back in the early to mid 90's. I can't remember what it was but god did he hate that thing. I remember it having horrible purple anodized shocks.

[purpletimbo]

The original Danny had a single deck chassis and purple alloy shocks, the Ferrari has them as well

[Lowgear]

You must sniff out the word purple.

I think it also had 2.2 size tires? Spikes in the back and ribs on the front. Maybe he put those on himself. He didn't have it for very long.

[purpletimbo]

The ones in the pic of the red one are stock white rims with holes, and sort of heavy tread on road radials.

[RC10Talk]

Id love to find a nitro one of these in good shape! They look so cool!

[Rustbucket]

OK I know this is a very old thread. But I have to say thanks for the memorys. THE panda is what my wife and my self started out with back in about 1990. We first started racing . At that time we thought they were very cool and was fun to run untill you hit a curb. I have to amit I did learn a few things from that rig. We had the monti calors. Dale enheart but there way gone and is only history now.
It was not cool when it got cold the placitc would brake and snap . O ya we finely step up to the Rc 10s when they came out and on up the ladder .
Now we race losi she runs the last race truck by losi the CR MF. I still run vintage but I have ran the others in the pass .
I now run the Losi xxcr KEN wald for off road and back to the RC 10 gold pan for oval but beef up and change . Thank you again for the memorys.
DON MacDonald THE Portland Rustbucket
Maybe some day I may run across an old Panday FOR shelf queen ?;-)

[hugger19]

here is mine just came in the mail! have been looking for one in this shape for a very long time. body is in great shape and so are the stickers. its 100% complete rtr with panda elite g2b radio system. only missing the battery cover for the chassis. just ordered a nib front bumper mine has some light scrapes.