schumacher top cat release date

[bone11]

Hi does anyone know the old release dates for the top cat and also the cougar please.

Don

[NeilD]

Originally Posted by bone11

Hi does anyone know the old release dates for the top cat and also the cougar please.

Don

Top Cat, part number U404J, RRP 99, released 1988.

Cougar, part number U415T, RRP £90, released 1990.

Hope this helps,

Neil

[bone11]

Yes thank you Neil, I could not recall it was a long time ago.
What would something like this be worth in could condition with box and manual?
Because i am thinking of trying to buy one or the other, or maybe both if possible.

[neiloliver]

I have a top cat box.. not in fantastic condition, I keep Commodore VIC20 tapes in it

[NeilD]

Originally Posted by bone11

Yes thank you Neil, I could not recall it was a long time ago.
What would something like this be worth in could condition with box and manual?
Because i am thinking of trying to buy one or the other, or maybe both if possible.

No worries. As for trying to put a price on an as new condition TopCat with box etc, that's tough. I can't recall seeing one or a Cougar for years. At a guess, I'd say 220+, if you can find them that is. They are super rare and I could be under valueing by a long way.

[bone11]

I was thinking second hand. Can you still get parts at all for that vintage? Was that 220 pounds or $220.

[NeilD]

Originally Posted by bone11

I was thinking second hand. Can you still get parts at all for that vintage? Was that 220 pounds or $220.

That would be second hand. A NIB would be in excess of 1000GBP, easily. Search Tamiyaclub.com and you'll see how rare they are and also how available parts are.

Neil

[bone11]

Thank you Neil for your help.
I have read this vintage forum for a while and never posted anything so thank you again for answering my questions.
I will try the tamiya club.

[FERRETTI]

I'll have a very nice lightly used Top Cat for sale shortly, it has an unpainted body set (not TBG) and I think I may have a spare Top Cat box and possibly instructions too.

[bone11]

What would something like that be woth?

[FERRETTI]

I'm not totally sure, I haven't seen one for sale on the open market for ages so I was going to list it on eBay and let it run.

I'll post the link in the for sale section when listed.

[NeilD]

Originally Posted by bone11

Thank you Neil for your help.
I have read this vintage forum for a while and never posted anything so thank you again for answering my questions.
I will try the tamiya club.

My pleasure.

[CAT3K]

Vintage buggies don't always cost a fortune. If you're willing to wait, and you don't mind doing a bit of a restoration, then there's cheap cars out there. I bought my Topcat for £45 under a year ago, fair enough it needed work, but that is half the fun

Paul.

[nivek]

Lots of Top cats were converted to cougars ,

[terry.sc]

Originally Posted by bone11

What would something like this be worth in could condition with box and manual?

The thing with vintage is the price can vary widely depending on what condition it is in and how anal you are about and any wear or damage. New built or restored with all new parts can be £200+. If you want a runner and don't mind about chassis scratches, considering the first thing that will happen if you run it is that the chassis will get scratched, between £30-100 depending on condition. The problem with valuing something as rare as a Top Cat is that they don't come up often enough for a value to be established, for more common cars you can just check completed listings on ebay to see what the going rate is. For a Top Cat it's probably going to be easier to buy a Cougar and convert the front end as there's more front suspension parts around than whole Top Cats.

The Cougar 1 in my collection I picked up on ebay for £10.50. A new body, rear bumper, wheels and tyres makes it good enough for me as I prefer my collection to be as run with included race modifications rather than in perfect condition as I do like to run them every so often, no point buying a new unscratched chassis that's then going to get thrown around a track.

[DerbyDan]

I think I got really lucky with my TopCat project, I got mine for around £80, from the eBay pictures it looked in poor shape not helped by the fact that someone had managed to build the gearbox with the spur gear sticking out from the wrong side of the casing!!! But somehow I could see that with some work it could look really nice... In fact on receipt of the car it became apparent that it had probably never run (not surprising given that there was no way to mount the motor to mesh with that spur!) I had been looking for the right car for a long while.... (the TopCat completes the collection of the cars that I had from when I first started racing), I had been offered new built & good condition cars but for more that I could justify spending. I guess the moral of the story is that if you are willing to wait... keep hunting & be willing to put in a little work, your 'top' TopCat can be had for a more realistic sum.

Strangely I have seen more new built - even NIB TopCat kits than Cougar 1s. I guess on the release of the Cougar un-sold kits of the troubled Top Cat remained on the model shop shelves, indeed, my original TC was brought at a special offer price, because the Cougar had just been released. Like most TopCats that saw track action, mine ended up bring converted to a Cougar.

[bone11]

Thanks to everyone for the time in responding to this.
Now i have another question which is a schumacher cougar club 10 was this a kit or assembled, are they ball raced.
What was the release dates? i think there is a Mark 1 and Mark 2 from my research?
Are they any good?
And are they worth and anything?

[MattK]

Cougar club 10 was an entry level car around 1993 ish. Ball race in gearbox only, no slipper clutch, ball diff and silver chassis (cougar 2 works had purple chassis at the time I think). Came as a kit.
Hope this helps and details are 90 percent accurate.

[bone11]

Is that the main difference the chassis (colour) and only the gearbox is ball raced is there anything else.
Are the parts the same as a cougar?
The one i am looking at has red shockers on it.
Also can you get the ball bearings for the wheel hubs?

[terry.sc]

The Club 10 Mk1 is basically a rebadged Cougar 1. Main differences are red alloy Cougar 2 shocks and fibreglass shock mount and Cougar 2 wing mount. The Mk2 Club 10 is a lot different, with gear drive gearbox, black fibreglass shock mounts, plastic shocks and one piece moulded plastic links instead of turnbuckles.

If the one you are looking at has red alloy shocks it's most likely a Mk1 Club 10. Replacing the shocks, shock mount and wing mounts would convert it into a Cougar 1.