Ford F-150 Truck
Model Number: 58161
Released
TBA
Drive
4WD shaftdrive, gear diff front and ball diff rear
Suspension
4 Wheel double wishbones with coilover oilfilled shocks
Chassis Description
TA01/TA02 mix, ABS Bathtub
Body Type
lexan
Motor
RS540
Wheel Base
250mm
Scale
1/10
Reviews
Maxxed Ross
The TA02 was the first 'real' RC car that I bought. As a total novice I found the kit very easy to put together. Although I was only 11 at the time I managed most of the kit myself (ok, my dad did the oil filled shocks to save mess), all because of the clear instructions. As mentioned by other TA02 owners the truck was very easy to roll over. I also found that the back suspension bracket broke without much effort, even after softening the shocks and changing to a road car setup (regular wheels and a Subaru Impreza shell). I spot of glass-fibre solved that problem, but even small amounts look botched.
The TA02 brought me into racing and brought me 8th place in my first season (totally box stock - bar a 21t motor and MTronics sport RV speedo!) It now lives in my bedroom for show as I currently don't have enough electrics to run more that 2 cars at a time. Shame.
TL01_Mustanger
This truck is actually a better performer than I thought it would be. On the street, its very easy to flip and roll, this can be helped to an extent be lowering it, and putting some stickier type street tires, but it still likes to roll over when pushed. On the dirt is a totally different story, this little truck mashes almost anywhere. I first thought that its going to get stuck, not go very fast through the dirt, but boy I was wrong, this little truck mashes! So far the only place it gets stuck is in the sand. I would definatly reccomend this truck to anyone that wants a cheap and very able off roader.
Fantuzzi
The TA02 Ford F150 was the first model in my RC renesaince after nearly 20 years of absence. My brain stored pictures of Rough Riders, Ford XLTs and Scorpions. So I was a little bit disappointed having the Y2K Tamiya catalogue in hand with the idea having a 4 WD off road vehicel just for fun. I gazed at the pictures and did not understand how these cars were designed. No gears to see, no frame or epoxy chassis plate and finally no aluminium. I decided to buy the F150, just because of my preference for Pick Up Trucks.
It should be no news that this car is fairly easy to build, because I think anyone here has built up a TA02 chassis before. I thought the paint job is pretty hard for a beginer, so I decided for a single colour paint.
Driving this slim car is a little bit delicate. If you want to drive this car right-side-up instead of up-side-down, keep your throttle finger under control and the scale in mind. If you respect this, it`s a pleasure to drive this car according to scale in rough terrain and push it hard on hard packed surface. My favorite driving area for the F150 is a red gravel football field, drifting along with a cloud of dust behind.
Hop Ups: Because this car is no shelf queen, there are a couple things to do for maximum driving pleasure. The springs are far too soft, available touring car springs are far too stiff. I found the right ones at Option House. I prefer having ball differential gears front and rear, for getting more grip climbing obstacles. Adjustable upper arms are no fault as well, because the front geometry is completely wrong right out of the box. Further on Tamiya has a couple of nice items to add, BB`s are a must have. My F150 is now well used and survived my 7 year old junior with a hand full of destroyed Tamiya bodies, so I decided to buy the cheaper Carson body. Good quality as well.