Tamiya XV-01 Unboxing

The Tamiya XV-01 is one kit that is still as popular as it was when it was first launched in 2012. It is certainly quite a step up from the flagship, cheaper Tamiya TT-02, although it is only available in 2 body versions. But what do you get in the box for your money?

Let’s find out. 

The first thing you notice when you open the box is the clear body. The Tamiya XV-01 is available in two different body shapes, the classic Lancia Delta Integrale, and the more modern Subaru Impreza WRX STI. As I’m sure any of you who know me or have been in the store and spoken to me, won’t be surprised that I went for the awesome Lancia Delta Integrale body version.

The body is what you would always expect from Tamiya, and it is a top draw once again with the look of the body and the accuracy of it too. The wheels are also in the box which are the same speedline wheels that match the Integrale rally legend from the day.

For the body you will require some polycarbonate-compatible spray paints to paint the body, it doesn’t come pre-painted. It does have the arches pre-cut on the body which is a neat addition but it would be nice if they cut the rest of the body at the same time too. There are quite a lot of people (myself included) who do worry about trimming and cutting their RC car body so it would be great if in future they were already trimmed all around to match the arches. 

One of the other things you notice when you open the box is the number of bags that contain all the parts for your kit to build up. Having had several TT-02 kits, it does seem like there are a fair few more bags in this XV-01 kit than the TT-02, but then again there are several things that are much improved and additional on the XV-01 so don’t be put off when you see all the bags with the parts in.

It’ll take some time to build but I’m sure it will be worth it when built! You will also find a Tamiya brushed motor, which is the same as what you get in a TT-02. 

When you begin to remove the body with all the bags containing the parts to build your kit, you will then see the product manual, and also the decal/mask sheets for the body. The decals are of the famous Martini livery of crew Didier Auriol and Bernard Occelli from the 1992 Monte Carlo Rally, which they won! As well as the rally livery you get the usual window rubber strip stickers and light stickers etc as with all Tamiya stick kits which are always top quality in print too.

There are also window masks which are always a helpful addition before painting your body in the colour you choose. I’m not sure whether Tamiya missed a trick here by not including the rally crew cockpit but I think for a kit like this it would be great to see it in there even with a small increase in price for the kit. 

The other items that would be required to get your Tamiya XV-01 ready to go (except your paint for the body) are listed below:

-Transmitter & Receiver
-Compatible ESC depending on what motor and battery you plan to run in it.
-Steering Servo
-Battery & compatible charger 

I’m excited to get this kit built up and give it a run. I’m not going with a brushed system, I have gone for what should be a tasty setup thanks to some advice from my colleague and good friend Rich from Team Wheelspin.

I am also going for a different body colour to the original box art and won’t be doing the Martini livery, so keep an eye out for my build and test review of the XV-01 very soon. 

As always if you want to know more about this kit always get in touch through our various channels or ask if you are in the store next time and I will happily talk through the kit with you.