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The Black Special version of the Avante has an interesting history. The original 58072 Tamiya Avante buggy was released in March of 1988 with a metallic blue livery. The same year a 1/32 scale Mini 4WD version was available, and then a black special version in 1990. For 22 years this black edition only existed as a Mini 4WD, but then after the original was re-released as 58489 in 2011 a 1/10 scale Black edition followed as 84270 in 2012. This limited edition version sold out quickly and then was gone. Luckily for me, Tamiya did another production run this time numbered 47390 and I picked one up before it was too late.

This is a 1/10th scale, 4WD electric buggy with carbon chassis, many aluminum parts including all rod ends, and steel links. It has aluminum oil filled dampers and a lovely scale body with driver and under tray. Mechanically it is nearly identical to the 2011 Avante version, but there are a couple of differences. The Black Edition comes with the "torque splitter" upgrade which includes a pair of ball differentials and a center one-way which results in the front end driving but not braking. It also includes the "racing steering" upgrade which swaps the somewhat convoluted original steering for a more conventional system with a carbon cross bar. The final difference is the wheels and tires. The unique cam-loc wheels are gone and replaced with traditional wheels molded in pink with a teardrop pattern. The conical spike tires are gone and are replaced with smaller cylindrical spikes, and the front wheels and tires have been narrowed so they are no longer common with the rear. All of the other chassis, suspension, and drivetrain parts are the same as the 2011 version with the same differences from the original 1988 version. The body and wing are identical apart from the paint scheme and livery. Not surprisingly, it drives pretty much just like the 2011 edition although the narrower front tires have a small impact.

I've already written about the build of the normal Avante in great detail, so I will only address the differences here. Please see my original Avante post for more information.

The large box in which the Black Special comes looks nothing like the box from the regular Avante. There is no color box art at all, and only a small profile of the vehicle is shown. The inside is typical Avante beauty though, with two blister packs on the sides and the body in the middle.
This kit uses a 25T GT tuned motor with a label which is unique to this model. The 2011 re-release Avante uses the same motor but with a different sticker.
The regular Avante uses planetary gear differentials, but the Black Edition swaps these out with ball differentials using steel drive cups as shown. These are a bit more work to build but offer more adjustability.
The 2011 Avante uses a center ball differential, but the Black Edition offers two different options. The center can be completely locked resulting in equal speed front and rear, or a "torque splitter" can be used. This uses the one-way bearing shown on the right to drive the front wheels but freewheel when braking.

The front and rear suspension assemblies look exactly like the 2011 Avante. I took pictures of them anyway because they are so beautiful. I did not seal the end grain of the carbon fiber plates on this version of the model because I decided I would just never flip it over.
The steering differs substantially from the 2011 edition. The Black Edition comes with the "racing steering" upgrade which consists of a carbon fiber Ackerman bar and a pair of bell cranks with ball bearings. This system is more direct and seems to result in less steering slop.
The beautiful gold anodized shocks are the same as those in the 2011 edition. The wheels and tires are different. The Black Edition does not use the ubiquitous Cam-Loc wheels of the original, instead it uses some rather outrageous pink wheels. The front wheels are narrower than the rear, unlike the original, and the tire spike pattern is different as well.
I used a "Black Label" servo from Savox which I thought complemented the livery nicely, although I admit you can't really see it once the model is built. I know it's there though. The steering link is longer than the original due to the racing steering set.
Here's the completed chassis. Other than the wheels and tires, there is not much to visually distinguish it from the 2011 edition unless you look really closely. I used a smaller ESC and receiver here which allowed me to hide the electronics a bit better than my 2011.

Painting the model ended up easier than I thought in some ways, but harder in others. I expected to have to paint the black and silver separately, but it turns out all the silver is done with stickers so no masking is necessary. On the other hand, the kit does not come with window masks for some reason so I had to do that manually. The instructions present the option of painting the body in either black or smoke. I didn't like the idea of seeing the electronics through the body, so I painted the body black but did the wing and undertray in smoke as shown.
Here's the painted body before the overspray film was removed, but after I'd removed my window masking. The picture on the right is the completed model with all stickers installed. The stickers took a long time, especially the long silver stripes which wrap around compound curves.
The driver took longer to paint than the body. I started with flat black spray, then brushed the seat and suit separately. The helmet is sprayed gun metal gray, then everything else is stickers. Paranoid Perry never looked so good.
From the back you can see the translucent wing which turned out better than I expected.
These photos wouldn't be complete without comparing the Black Special to the 2011 edition. You can see that the overall size and shape are exactly the same. Apart from the liveries, the obvious difference is the narrower front tires and pink wheels.

For pure beauty and glory, it is pretty hard to compete with the original Avante. If anything comes close, it is the black edition. In some ways it looks even better although I am still uncertain about the pink wheels. It is so beautiful that I am so far afraid to drive it much. I have a strict "no shelf queen" rule though, so I'll have to break it out in the Spring.

Pretty nice upgrades. I thought that the black edition was a simple black livery with lightweight rims. It is in fact an upgraded avante with egress parts.

I’ve converted this model to the exclusive Super Black Edition. 

Need to be nicknamed Phonix.

Sorry to see the state of that.

Any news regarding the fire?

caprinut wrote:

Any news regarding the fire?
 

Still waiting on insurance people to do their thing.  No news on RC replacement yet.

We cross our fingers for you!

Yes all fingers and arms and legs crossed. We are with you.