whale22 0 Posted November 26, 2004 Hello all, I have both a D. Thrasher and a S. Blitzer. Aside for ball-bearings can anyone suggest good hop-ups? The Thrasher has a "Sport - tuned" motor already. Not a big deal but better than the 540. Perhaps ESC's and new motors? Does the ball differential make a huge difference for the Thrasher? I am also looking to replace the stock plastic shock on these buggies with metal ones. Can anyone suggest where I can find thrid party aluminum shocks? Thanks so much, whale22 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fury_dice(2) 0 Posted November 26, 2004 quote: Originally posted by whale22 Hello all, I have both a D. Thrasher and a S. Blitzer. Aside for ball-bearings can anyone suggest good hop-ups? The Thrasher has a "Sport - tuned" motor already. Not a big deal but better than the 540. Perhaps ESC's and new motors? Does the ball differential make a huge difference for the Thrasher? I am also looking to replace the stock plastic shock on these buggies with metal ones. Can anyone suggest where I can find thrid party aluminum shocks? Thanks so much, whale22 id="quote">id="quote"> Hi whale22 and welcome to TC. Can't really comment from experience on the Dirt Thrasher (don't have one) but for the Blitzer, you can't do much more than BB's, and ESC and different motors. I run a Kyosho Mayhem in my Blitzer Beetle (same chassis) and the combination of torque and speed is great for off-road. You might want to play with the wheels/tyres as well - 2.2" truck items should fit and you could try things like Dirt Hawgs or road-pattern ones. The stock shocks are fine, but if you want the 'bling' factor I'm sure various makes of buggy/truck shocks would fit. The Dirt Thrasher in theory should be more 'tweakable' as it shares its' parts with TA01/02 and (I think) some Top Force bits. I'm sure that others who actually own these cars could comment more. You could also have a dig around in the showroom (look for Manta Ray and Blazing star as well as DT) for examples of 'hopped up' cars for inspiration. HTH. David Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mud4fun 1696 Posted November 26, 2004 Vital hop-up for Dirt Thrasher is an aluminium motor mount before you do anything else. However, they aren't cheap. There are some non Tamiya ones available at reasonable prices on ebay but they go fast! (The stock plastic motor mount has a tendancy to snap the lugs off or strip the threads on the screw mountings) I run my Manta Ray (identical to Dirt Thrasher) with a Reedy 19t motor, dropped a pinion size or two, can't remember of the top of my head what pinion I'm running though. I have also installed Mtroniks RV15 ESC You can get FRP front and rear shock towers which are also pretty vital because I broke my stock plastic rear shock mounts the other day during a high speed end over end crash [:I] The FRP ones are stronger. The stock plastic ones to to snap at the little mounting lugs where the shocks screw on with the shoulder screws. Always happens after a heavy landing. Temporary fix was to drill thru with 3mm clearance drill and use a much longer bolt/nut. I also run my Manta Ray with aftermarket shocks now, softer springs and medium weight damper oil because I run on very rough ground and the stock springs were a little too firm. The 'coat hanger' propshaft can also be replaced by an aftermarket one although again they are very hard to find. The standard propshaft vibrates like mad if you run a high revving hopped up motor [] I have also fitted a ball diff to the rear end but only so I could simply remove a shim and tighten it up firmly to form a limited slip diff. This gives better acceleration and traction on rough surfaces. I got my alloy shocks from RCBoyz (ebay) in the states. They have loads of shocks on their ebay shop. You might have to buy ones designed for another car but most still fit the Tamiya ones too. Just look out for the correct length ones. I can't be sure but from memory the front dampers on the Manta Ray are 90mm between centers at max extension, the rear are 105mm. You'll get away with +/- 5mm either side of that. You can adjust the ride height a little bit anyway by using the different mounting holes on the lower wishbone. Use the outside set of holes for a lower ride height and more supple suspension, innermost hole gives greatest ride height but make the ride a little harsh with stock springs. I also fitted aftermarket CML pin spikes tyres which are very soft compound as they give good grip over differing surfaces. The stock Tamiya tyres are usually just too hard a compound. I also run with Proline Road Rage tyres on tarmac and they are excellent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whale22 0 Posted November 26, 2004 Hey, Thanks for the tips so far. I have a bid in on an aluminum motor mount on ebay for the DT. I'm also looking for an ESC/motor combo for the blitzer. Great info so far. Thanks and I'll check back soon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
irenL 0 Posted November 27, 2004 for the thrasher, yes, alloy motor mount is #1.. as for the center shaft... if you can find it: TGX carbon graphite center shaft. slightly lighter than the mantaray option part and frees up a bit more rpm. Tamiya should have listed it as a DF/TA-01 hop up part instead of a TGX's. The tub chassy is quite flexible, make a center tray to front gear box brace to stiffen it quite a bit (ball ends, ball cups, turnbuckles and some long screws). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whale22 0 Posted November 28, 2004 Can someone recommend an ESC for my Dirt Thrasher? I have a JR Python 27 Mhz radio set-up and am using the receiver/servos that came with it. My motor is the Tamiya Sport-Tuned. Would the Tamiya 101BK be compatible with my set-up? TIA, Whale Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twmaster 1 Posted November 28, 2004 Yes the Tamiya 101BK is compatible with the sport tuned motor. In fact the 101BK comes in the current Blazing Star kit which is the same chassis as the Dirt Thrasher. Be aware though that the 101BK will not work with motors 'hotter' than the sport tuned so you may want to consider a better speed control so you can move it to other models or use a hotter motor. The short answer to your question is yes. The TEU-101BK will work with your radio and motor. [] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mud4fun 1696 Posted November 28, 2004 Yep, only reason I use the Mtroniks Sport RV 15 is that it is cheap at £40, is fully waterproof and doesn't suffer premature failure like the cheaper Mtroniks ECO units. It handles a Reedy 19 turn motor without problem and hasn't failed yet. However, braking and acceleration are not in the same league as Novak units which are considerably more expensive. I run Novak Roosters/Super Roosters in all my cars that demand high currrent draw such as rock crawlers and monster trucks. The buggies run fine on the Mtroniks units though. The biggest selling feature must be the waterproofness of the units which I will confirm works fine as my buggies have run in torrential rain without problems. (unlike the Novaks which hate water!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
540dreams 0 Posted December 3, 2004 I can attest to the sturdiness of the stadium blitzer. I ran one with 10 turn motor and a 7cell pack with a Hitec ESC....Faster than any nitro truck I ever saw. I only damaged the left rear driveshaft as it developed a bend to it. I gave it to a friend's 8yr. old son, he still uses it with a stock 27 turn / 6 cell setup....and bent rear driveshaft. Fun truck! Duratrax actually makes some aluminum oil shocks that I have successfully seen used on Tamiya offroaders. I can't tell you if they can be used on the Stadium Blitzer. mike m. - Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
irenL 0 Posted December 3, 2004 quote: Originally posted by mud4fun The biggest selling feature must be the waterproofness of the units which I will confirm works fine as my buggies have run in torrential rain without problems. id="quote">id="quote"> how about a complete accidental submerging of vehicle? [][] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whale22 0 Posted December 4, 2004 Hi again, Thanks for the info so far. One more question about ESC's and motors. I am thinkig of a Futuba MC230 ESC / Futuba radio setup for the Stadium Bllitzer. Any thoughts pro or con would be appreciated? Thanks. I def. want an ESC with BEC so I can save on time, batteries, and weight. One limitation might be that it can only handle motors down to 20 turns. Is that a big limitation? I Guess what I'm asking if you had two identical trucks/drivers and one had a 15T motor and the other had a 21T, would the trucks speed be drastically different? Thanks so much, Whale Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fury_dice(2) 0 Posted December 4, 2004 I run a mc230cr in my Blitzer with a Kyosho Mayhem 21 turn motor and it works a treat. The motor has bags of speed and torque, and the run times aren't too bad (15-20 mins 'play' time). The 15-turn would almost certainly be faster (depends on the motors), but probably wouldn't have the torque (important off-road) and you wouldn't get as long out of a pack because of the higher current draw. I'd be tempted to go for something like the Mayhem or a 27-turn rebuildable stock like a P2K2. HTH. David Share this post Link to post Share on other sites