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Hey guys. I am an old skooler that got into RC back in the golden era (1982) when I was serving in the USAF over in Germany back then. I saw my 1st love in a window of a hobby shop back in 82, the Tamiya Wild WIlly. I had to have it. Bought it, and I still have that Wild Willy today. Although it was stolen from my garage sometime in the mid 1990s, recovered after it was paint bombed to try and disguise it. Then shelved for many years out of disgust. Restored years later, then sat on a self until the cat knocked it down to a face plant on the floor, busting the front bulkhead out of it, and totaling the front suspension. thrown in the closet in disgust. Recently dug out of the closet and restored once again. It has been through a lot in the past 36 years, but now runs like it was new all these years later. I actually have two now, my original one which is a SWB one, and another I bought a few years ago (LWB) version. But for now, here from not long after I built it. I'll post one also of it now when I get my folder working.

Here is Willy at 36 years old.

Cool read !

Man, that thing refused to stay put.

Now don't let anything happen to it this time! lol Very cool. I always loved the WW. I got my first Rc back about the same time frame you did but I started with hornet/hopper/fox etc but always wanted a WW. Looks great. And welcome.

Steve

That's an awesome restore to a great story.
My first RC I got at a garage sale for a $1.
It was about 1987 (I was 12).
All the neighborhood kids had Monster Beetles, hornets, grasshoppers, etc.
The one I purchased was a 1978 Ligier Matra JS9 painted yellow.
I didn't care that my controller was a metal box and that most of the parts were not available at the local hobby shop.
It was a Tamiya!! and even though I was made fun of because the car was old, I would smoke them all on the street cuz my "all metal" heavy race car was fast...wicked fast!
I also have it on my shelf, completely restored to it's true glory.
Though I didn't get it new, it is my first and will always have a place in my heart and collection.

I am sure many of us have similar stories of what got us into the hobby!

Thanks guys. My oldest son is 36 years old, and I got my Wild Willy when he was a couple months old. He plans to take the Wild Willy and pass it down to his son some day with the stories. All my kids grew up with this thing and it's a part of the family, and will never be for sale, although I do have another Wild Willy that is for sale currently. But can not get into the FS area quite yet. I hope to soon, because there are some things I am looking for I hope to find in there. Here is a pic of my oldest son with the Wild Willy when he was a toddler. We were still over in Germany when this was taken. I want to take a new picture staging just like this one with my son now at 36, but I can't get him to put on a pair of shorts and a shirt like this.. lol.

Tudorp wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2020 2:01 pm Thanks guys. My oldest son is 36 years old, and I got my Wild Willy when he was a couple months old. He plans to take the Wild Willy and pass it down to his son some day with the stories. All my kids grew up with this thing and it's a part of the family, and will never be for sale, although I do have another Wild Willy that is for sale currently. But can not get into the FS area quite yet. I hope to soon, because there are some things I am looking for I hope to find in there. Here is a pic of my oldest son with the Wild Willy when he was a toddler. We were still over in Germany when this was taken. I want to take a new picture staging just like this one with my son now at 36, but I can't get him to put on a pair of shorts and a shirt like this.. lol.
1983.jpg

That's an epic picture!!!
I wish my parents had taken pictures of me with my toys when I was a kid.
The only picture I have with a toy is on my 3rd birthday with a Yellow Tonka dune buggy I received as a gift.
Funny enough, I still have it in a box somewhere.
Those are truly invaluable toys to us whom are in the pictures.
Awesome awesome awesome!!!

In all fairness, that was MY toy.. lol. He is 36 years old and I just now let him touch it for the 1st time. And that was only under my supervision.. lol.