Kumamon Team TRF Reedy Race 2015 Edition

Kumamon WR02G #58601

Just finished another one in the Tamiya “Fun Chassis” class. I love these cars. Riding this one is Kumamon, which according to “the internet” is described as: “This half-deranged, drug addicted, potentially violent bear is also irresistibly adorable.” I'm not sure where this phrase originated, but I have seen it copy pasted a lot. The last part is correct, the first three seem... incorrect... My Japanese friends are confused by this description as well.



I received this kit back in December as a Christmas present from a very good friend in Japan. It was a total surprise, just showed up on my door step one day… “Hmm… I didn’t order anything that big from Japan…”
The build was delayed (since the TRF419 arrived shortly after) and then it was converted into a trailer for the WR02 Type 2 Volkswagen Girl Scout Cookie Delivery system.
As with other WR02 kits, the gearbox is already assembled. Since these kits are so cheap, I’m assuming all plastic bearings in there. The dampers are no-oil friction dampers. Body is easy to cut and just calls for black paint, not too many stickers to apply either. The front wheels are smaller than regular WR02 wheels and the rears are of the larger, spiked variety. If you plan on swapping around wheels, these wheels are all hex hubs all around. The WR02 wheelie bus wheels are 2 hex hubs and 2 round hubs. I found out this the hard way and had two place two orders for white Type 2 wheelie bus wheels when converting it to a trailer.

The kit comes with a 18T pinion, I replaced it with a 20T pinion, it has no problem pulling wheelies with the reduced torque. I'm also using 84367 Aluminum Wheelie Roller Set, which is sold as red, but the rubber part that goes around the red aluminum is very pink.

Now I just want to take all my big wheel cars to the track and race them! I have two lunch boxes, a vw type 2, kumamon and the bullhead. Oh and the new WR02C will probably be acquired in a month or two as well.

Kumamon WR02G #58601 Video

My TB03 setup from TCS#203

Tamiya TCS - Race #203 March 29, 2015 - Aliso Viejo, CA

Tamiya PS3 SuperSlim RM01 on track view

WR-02 Girl Scout “Cookie Rally”

This is a Volkswagen Type 2 Wheelie bus (WR02) by Tamiya. Painted with Tamiya PS-21 (Park Green) and PS-1 (White). The Girl Scout paint masks were created on a Silhouette Cameo using Oracal 631 (white Repositionable Adhesive-Backed Vinyl). The masks are placed on transfer paper and then applied inside the body shell. I actually do a print of my non-mirrored cuts to regular copy paper first, cut that out and place on the outside with gift wrapping tape to plan out the design and to use as a guide for the vinyl masks. The masks are mirrored from the paper print since they go on inside the lexan body shell. Green is painted first, then white.


This body was an old one that I had coated with liquid mask (a lot of work, I’d use tape and plastic method next time).





The trailer is actually another WR02, being towed backwards. The regular front end of the WR02 has been replaced by an extra set of rear suspension arms and camber links (so it won’t start steering on it’s own). Then an old plastic battery holder has been zip-tied as a link. This also required an extra set of wheels as the WR02 wheels pictured here have hex hubs in the back and round bearing holders in the front. Extra rubber tubing is also needed to prevent the shocks from compressing too far when loaded with cookies. The wooden box is something my wife picked up at Michael’s and I drilled some small holes in it and fastened with fishing line.