Both lovely looking buggies. Interesting seeing how short the Optima Mid looked in comparison.

Great comparison and info on these two buggies! Thanks for sharing

Awesome comparison Craig. Can't await to see them run against each other.

Cheers from an Aussie in China, and great intro song!

Terrific run down. These are quite a nice set . I look forward to the Vintage races. Belt vs Shaft! Cheers

Great video Craig. Love them both. They are my channel colors.

Those are some sweeet builds great job

great comparison mate . two beauties 😊👍

Nice video mate, great comparison ☺️🍻 Cheers

2 fine looking machines! At this point I dont think im getting any work done this morning with all the videos that dropped this morning.

Hi there Craig and thanks for another very interesting comparison video! I must say I'd be chuffed to own either of these beautiful buggies. As to which will be the fastest and the toughest, we will sure find out this season at the OR! Great discussion and overviews, mate. See you soon! 😎👊👍

Very nice guide and comparison.

Great comparison video Craig! They both look amazing, congratulations on the work you did building these two!👏 I don’t know if I could pick a favorite.🤔 I really like the wheels you put on the Evo! I feel like the Kyosho would win in a head to head but I’ve felt that way the past two years here at the raceway and my Thunder Dragon by the narrowest of margins defeated the Javelin….. It should be an absolute joy to watch! Now if only race season were here already! Fantastic content Craig!👍😊

Two awesome buggies, got the Optima Mid in Netherlands last year, still in hunt for the Evo.

Hey there Craig! Absolutely stunningly handsome cars right here. It’s almost as these these two destined to meet even though their perspective timeline don’t exactly align perfectly. I feel like the Tamiya might be a tad faster but with that ultra low CG on the Kyosho, I feel like it’s going to be a bit more stable around the corners and running away from any jumps. If the ground is “loosie goosie” and torn up, than the Tamiya looks to have the ground clearance to trudge through the finish first. Of course this is just going on what I see. I’m not betting any under valued American dollars on either of these!😝 Aesthetically, wow, this is tough. Both really are pleasing to my wondering eyes👀. If I were going to keep one that I’d want placed on my bedroom shelf and be the first thing that I see when I wake up and the last thing I see when I go to bed, and I can’t have both at the same time…😫🧐, I’d have to say … Hello Kyosho! Excited for all this to go down!

I run both for quite some time and more or less I agree with you. The optima is definitely able to handle a modern brushless motor while the top force (which btw is my favorite vintage buggy) has a hard time, even with the super stock motors. Top force has a huge plus though which is access to the diffs, making maintenance a quick job. With all kyosho vintage buggies you need to take half the car off to access the diffs making them more suitable for bashing rather than racing.

Even as a Taniya man at heart, I must say that the Optima Mid takes this comparison for me! The Top Force Evo looks great, no doubt 😍, but there just is something about the Optima!🤩

Very nice comparison video. They both look so nice. Now that you’ve run the Top Force, you might want to check the diffs. My rear one loosened a bit after the first run. It would be sad if your Top Force run on the Orchard Raceway got ruined by a loose ball diff.

Two great cars, i’ll be adding the topforce evo to my fleet this year hopefully. But as its going to be a custome build. Its going to be a while until its built and running 👍 great video, look forward to seeing them on the raceway 😎

Thanks for all the great info on these two iconic buggies, Craig. I have a feeling the 2024 OR showdown will boil down to these two, and who's going to win? Oh man, I can't pick a winner... I want to say the Top Force EVO will win, but the Kyosho is so capable, it's really anyone's guess. I can't wait to see them turning laps!

Great comparison. 🤔 Kyosho is my favorite.

Great info on both buggies. Even though i am a Tamiya dude i bet on the Optima Mid as that is awesome for what it is. It only need like better shocks

Hey great presentation Craig. I'd say that the Top Force is the best looking out of the two. Be interesting to see how they do on the track. Cheers mate 😁👍👍

Both great looking buggies

I think they both look great in different ways, what I find interesting is that the Terra Conqueror/Blazing Star (which I had) actually have a very similar body to the Optima mid in shape. This isn't helping my desire to get a TF Evo that I dreamed of when I was young, even if it's just for the build!

Friday- Everyone drops a video!!! 😂 Went straight to this one first! 🥇 What a great detailed comprehensive summary of these two timeless rc icons Craig! Very well put together, especially enjoyed the links in the time line/what other things were available at the time, all very accurate info! Those wheels look sooo much better on the Evo, they make it look much more aggressive and track worthy. I love the look of it from the side and the rear, but the front view of this car is a total abortion.... sorry mate, just my own personal opinion! (can't remember who termed the phrase 'squashed frog!) 😂 But, I'm sure it drives well, as do all the top force family. I definitely prefer the more traditional look of the Mid, especially with the way you have finished that one,gorgeous livery! I'm predicting the Mid to have the edge out on the track though mate. Although I have not built my Mid yet, I would definitely say my optima turbo out performed my top force in every way..... and the Mid is allegedly better than the Turbo! But who knows.... I'm certainly looking forward to seeing them battle it out on the track! Wouldnt it be funny if the hot shot came out on top?! 😂 Would love to see an Egress, and Avante in the mix to.... but understand there has to be a limit to the amount of contestants! 😂 Great presentation buddy, guna watch it again I think! 👍 👍 👍

Nice showdown. Impossible to choose 😊 Performance wise, it's down to your track, quite tight, so in theory, a shorter wheelbase should perform a little better. But that's all theory. There also the question on how the tyres will perform... one thing for sure, it will be interesting 👍👍👍🤝

My vote is on the Optima Mid but I'm biased. Never had the pleasure to own, build or drive a Top Force (evo) and my first "real racer" BITD was a pre official import Japanese Optima Mid turbo. As the orchard raceway is missing a long straight the longer wheelbase of the Top Force isn't that much of an advantage IMO. The almost square footprint of the mid goes around corners as a pro. Will be close call anyway, looking forward to the 2024 season.

I have a box full of parts that i have no idea what rc it is but after watching this i think its a tamiya similar to this one.

looks like you've fitted modern narrow front 4WD wheels as the original tyres same width f&r need same width wheels. Lots of choice of modern narrow 4WD front tyres would look and drive better. Prefer the Kyosho Optima as it still looks vaguely scale-realistic, Tamiya has the swoopy style edge though.

No contest then, no contest now. I raced in the 80s-90s and I can confidently say that Top Force is NO legend (Egress NO legend too). The only 4wd that can compete with Optima Mid plaftorm ( up to Lazer ZX-RR) was the Yokomo Dogfighter. Tamiya became competitive starting with TRF501x. I have these cars

They really look the nuts together, bloody lovely! I’m tellin’ ye, the Turbo Optima would be just up your alley if you enjoyed the Mid build. Indeed, the Turbo build for me was even better than the Mid and there’s loads of extras chucked in. I now love Kyosho which I never really cared for as a kid. However, I owned a coupe of old knackered ones but only for a short while each. If never built one until recently and it was live at first build. :)