TT-02D Drift Spec - Lexus IS200 Build

[JohnyT 9]

TT-02D Drift Spec - Lexus IS200 Build

Hello I was introduced to this hobby by an old TL-01 Lexus IS200 I bought a while ago. I have since built a TT-02B Neo Scorcher and now I've started my next project a mini version of my 1:1 IS200. Sadly its impossible to get an original Tamiya IS200 shell but HPI have come the rescue with their 200mm IS200 BTCC shell. Their shell is a bit more "body kit & spoiler" than my IS200 but it's the closest thing I'm going to get:

I also managed to find a 1:10 of my actual wheels, Work CR-Kai. I'll be sanding off the chrome and painting these later.

The chassis is the TT-02D Drift Spec. I don't really plan to drift but the kit comes with bearings and a few other hop ups in the box. It comes without a shell so fits nicely with what I'm trying to do. Hopefully the "Wide Stance" parts will fill the 200mm HPI body as all Tamiyas seem to be 190mm as far as I know.
I have of course already bought a bunch of hop ups with more on the way.

[Percymon 2184]

You can remove the chrome from the wheels either

One wash cycle in the dishwasher

Oven cleaner

Then plastic primer and paint

[ChrisRx718 4470]

Dishwasher can work wonders on some chrome plating. I recently found that it will either strip it all off or not affect it at all - must be something in the chemical make-up.

Look forward to the build. Notice Tamiya have gotten a bit 'tight' over the years - I had an original TT01D and you at least got a bodyshell with it!

[JohnyT 9]

Some good suggestions there I'll give those a try.

Well the first part of the build is going to be very similar to my Neo Scorcher I posted last week but here goes. First part of the manual and were straight in with some hop ups. I have the high speed spur gear and aluminium prop shaft. The TT-02D comes with the bearings so obviously using those too.

[JohnyT 9]

Here they are seated in the chassis.

[JohnyT 9]

This time round I bought a bigger tube of AW grease. I know that only a little bit is supposed to go on but I cant help blodging it on for some reason. Now that I've practiced this part before I was able to put it together quite quickly.

[JohnyT 9]

Here are the diffs mounted to the chassis. I double checked that they are working with each other rather than against. Something I almost missed on my last build. Notice the A parts there are a different colour (grey). As far as I know these are uprated A parts made from a stronger plastic.

[ChrisRx718 4470]

Just an observation, but too much grease will be more of a hinderance to the drivetrain than a benefit.

Most of that will get flung off and reside in the inside of the gearbox after the first burst of full throttle. Elsewhere the density / quantity of grease could create friction on gears as it is forced to compress between teeth.

When the guidebook shows a highlighted part indicating the need to apply grease, just squeeze a little bit onto your fingertip and carefully smear the part all over. Physics will take care of the rest and ensure it reaches the areas deep between teeth which you can't reach.

AW grease is the same - tiny tiny quantities are supplied because very little is actually needed during assembly.

Excessive grease build-up in cavities of gearboxes also attracts dirt and can make maintenance very messy!

[kontemax 1725]

I agree.

Max

Just an observation, but too much grease will be more of a hinderance to the drivetrain than a benefit.

Most of that will get flung off and reside in the inside of the gearbox after the first burst of full throttle. Elsewhere the density / quantity of grease could create friction on gears as it is forced to compress between teeth.

When the guidebook shows a highlighted part indicating the need to apply grease, just squeeze a little bit onto your fingertip and carefully smear the part all over. Physics will take care of the rest and ensure it reaches the areas deep between teeth which you can't reach.

AW grease is the same - tiny tiny quantities are supplied because very little is actually needed during assembly.

Excessive grease build-up in cavities of gearboxes also attracts dirt and can make maintenance very messy!

[XV Pilot 1936]

As far as I know these are uprated A parts made from a stronger plastic.

They look to be made of the same grey plastic as used on the TL01LA. If so, they will be of comparable strength to the stock parts, but a little lighter.

[JohnyT 9]

Ah so lighter not stronger.

Next step in the manual seems to leave the gearing and skip over to the suspension arms. Another hop up with the metal suspension balls go in.

[JohnyT 9]

Now back with the gears. I fitted the sport tuned motor with this shiny blue mount. I opted for a 19T pinion this time.

[JohnyT 9]

Here's a view with the motor and suspension arms fitted. The blue motor heat sink was actually included with the kit.

[JohnyT 9]

Next job was to do the axel bits and this is where I ran into a bit of a disappointment. The wide stance setting is only for the rear wheels, so only 2 of these longer axels are in the kit. As my plan was to fit a 200mm shell it could mean that the rear wheels will look ok but the front two will look a bit hidden. Unfortunately they only do 1 offset of the wheels I want to use (4mm).

I have already looked on eBay and it is possible to buy the part bags. But I would need to purchase 2 bags that contain the axels as only 1 comes in each and also a part bag containing the longer hex's. The silver hex parts are part of a much bigger set and are more expensive than their black equivalent. So what to do I thought. In the end I've decided to take a chance on two sets of TopCad's universal drive shafts. The description states the wide stance hex would just fit depending on what wheels its used with. A bit of a gable but a nice hop up if it works and it will only be the two longer hex's to get if it works.

As I didn't really want to stop the build while waiting for these parts to arrive from the other side of the world I carried on and I'll retro fit them later.

[Tizer 606]

I see you also used a lot of grease on the spur and pinion. I highly recommend using those gears dry. Any bit of grease on those gears will cause little bits of dirt (sand, stones, metal flakes) to get stuck in the teeth of the gears and wear them both out really quickly. I've learned this from my first TT01.

Also, if you are looking for CR-Kai's in different offsets, look for the ones made by Overdose. They have a selection of different colours in both 5mm and 7mm offset. The ones you have are Yokomo ripoffs and are 4mm offset.

In case of the Altezza/IS200 bodyshell... You can get a street version (stock bumpers) from a Russian company called D-Expert. They've only released it a couple of weeks ago. It is not as good quality as the Tamiya, but it is a bit wider so you can fit nice wheels and it also has plenty of detail. If you didn't know the D-Expert existed, you'd think it was just a Tamiya body

If you are planning on drifting with this car, try locking the rear diff while you are at it. This will help sliding the car a lot! You can also lock the front diff, as that will make the car a bit more predictable and controlable, although it does make it lose a bit of turn-in and gives it a bigger turning circle. Also ditch the Tamiya tires in favour of better ones like for example HPI T-drifts. The HPI's are a bit to grippy for modern RC drifting standards, but they are a very good beginner tire as they are predictable and very easy to start with. They work great on any surface apart from carpet.

[JohnyT 9]

Thank you for the info Tizer, I've checked out Overdose and D-Expert and will probably order some soon. Though I couldn't work out how to buy from D-Expert, they only seem to exist on Facebook so have contacted them there.

I have today mopped up some of the grease as you guys have recommended, just went around with a bunch of cotton buds and just left the residual.

Have made up the shocks this morning and will crack on with some of the steering parts a bit later today

[JohnyT 9]

Steering upgrades

[JohnyT 9]

Have the nice shiny blue steering bits in place. I used the Yeah Racing bits on my Neo Scorcher and were very impressed with them. The Jazrider rods are not adjustable but I wanted to give them a try. I do have an adjustable set by GPM Racing so I can swap these over later if needs be. I'm still waiting for my box of upgrades to arrive so have used the standard servo saver for now. All feels nice and tight so far though

[JohnyT 9]

The last of the bearings are in and I've started to play around with hex and wheels. At this point I really do whish those uprated parts had arrived, I guess they're still in transit. Any way at least now I can have a visual idea of how I hope its going to look.

In the picture bellow you can see the 2 stock wheels and opposite the hexs showing both normal and wide stance.

[JohnyT 9]

Radio receiver in place

[JohnyT 9]

As Percymon advised I've submerged the wheels in Mr Muscle oven cleaner to remove the chrome.

[JohnyT 9]

At last the bits I ordered from the other side of the world have arrived. The Yeah Racing cups are nice, and came with some shims than can be used to take out any remaining play. I just needed one to sit behind the hex pin of each wheel. I bought the bumpers just because they are blue. The kit only comes with one bumper originally but I'm going to fit one on each end as reverse bumps with me are also a danger.

But now came the moment I had been waiting for. Are the TopCad unis long enough to accommodate the "wide stance" hex?

And the answer is yes! Just. You'll see in a following picture that the thread just about lets the wheel and nut fasten with a slight bit of that thread protruding. This is a relief as I really wanted these nice shiny blue unis fitted. Plus this has saved me from buying two out of the three Tamiya spare part bags I would have needed to get the wide stance at the front, saving me a bit of money.

[JohnyT 9]

A view of the cups and uni's fitted. I think eventually all the suspension parts I will upgrade to shiny blue.

[JohnyT 9]

Here is the Tekin FX-R Pro ESC I went for. As mention on another page here I had real trouble trying to solder the wires to it. Its just so small, light and the solder terminals are a bit thin and closer together bearing in mind how thick the wire is. After making a bit of a hash of it I pulled a couple of Tamiya plugs apart and prised the cylindrical contacts open a bit to form a makeshift spade connector. This made things much easier and wish I thought of it before I began. All a bit embarrassing as I'm usually fairly good with an iron.

Any way its fitted now and is an awesome bit of kit thought a bit expensive for a brushed ESC. There are loads of settings for braking, drag breaking, reverse modes and speeds. It also supports 2s LiPo and has a cut off setting to accommodate. I've never really considered LiPo before but have started looking around now that I have an ESC that can use them.

For now I've set it up for immediate reverse with the capability of reversing at high speed. I don't like having to flap the stick about to go backwards. I've decided to set up a bit of drag brake one I have it road ready so it can come to a quick full stop on its own before I attempt my J turns. There is a Punch Control setting too which I don't fully understand yet.

Here it is all rigged up. I've not noticed till today but the blue battery bar that comes with the drift spec kit is just painted plastic not the anodised aluminium I thought it was. Bit of a poor paint job on the one I have too.

[JohnyT 9]

Well here it is almost ready to go. The wheels have been painted the same gun metal colour as the shell is going to be. As I mentioned earlier notice that the rear wheel nut just has enough thread to be fully on. Once the wider stance hex's have arrived for the front I will be one happy bunny. I've got the two blue bumpers fitted for both front and rear oopsies.
I'm probably going to start work on the shell in the next day or two and will keep you updated.