I would just like to let everyone who would understand, know how wonderful my girlfriend is. We had Christmas a little early last night. In addition to my little bag of coal and a stuffed Brain from Pinky and the Brain, I got the Tamiya RC A4. But wait, not only did she get me the kit, she got everything else for it too. Batteries. Recharger. Radio. Paint. Grease. . . . You get the idea. I had an idea I was getting this a month or so ago, though in recent weeks she had thrown me off to the point I had no idea. It is my first Hobby quality RC and it is incredible. I will definitely have something to do this winter when I am not trying out my quattro in the snow. Oh happy day. I just had to share. <p>David<br>98.5 A4qms

How long approximately to build for a novice? Seeking sage advice from yee who have built it before. Thanks.

It takes as long as it takes.<p>I used to race RC cars in a local club and occasionally in Memphis. I used to also assemble kits for folks who didn't want to do it themselves or who had botched the job and broke something.<p>While Tamiya kits are usually reguarded as serious competition, they are some of the easiest to put together with great instructions. Take your time and you will end up with a better car. <p>E-mail me if you would like some battery charging, motor break-in and/or maintience advice.<p>Congrats on your gift!<p>Robert Jordan

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If you enjoy tinkering and do some of you real car mods yourself, then assembling an RC car should take you no more than 10 hours.<p>However if you're a nutcase and a spaz like me, you could probably have it done in 4 hours straight.<p>The Tamiya kits are pretty easy to assemble compared to kits like my HPI RS4 Pro and you shouldn't have any trouble.<p>If you can't change a tire by yourself or install an air filter or swap the radio in your car, then perhaps you better have it built for you.<p>Kevin<br>PS - The most fun part is decorating the body!

Has anyone looked at the Kyosho kit on sale at Tower Hobies right now? It's rear wheel drive but at $79.99 it's a steal. I bought one and the quality is real good. The URL is http://www.kyosho.com/cars/kyoc0147.html