The Baja King is one of my most enjoyable cars in my stable. Dispite its simplicity as another tlo1 variant it is remarkable. The body/wing combo looks great. I painted it as per the box art and it really shows well. I put all 24 ball bearings in the thing and threw in a tamiya sport tuned 540s and it goes! A really cheap duratrax autosport esc barely breaks a sweat. I think it handles great, though I went straight for the tamiya cva oil shocks-a realitive bargain now that they sell them 4 to a pack ( I forget the part #). I mounted the shocks to the lower arms in the outermost holes and it just transforms the car into a great handling machine. Now with the Rising Storm available in the states for cheap with a esc and oil shocks- it is hard to justify the purchase of the baja king, but if you have a spare esc and some bearings it really is a fun economical kit to build. I don't race, but this car really will surprise some at a track.
While this buggy is nothing to write home about it seems to be nothing but a Baja Champ with a different shell really. Anyhow, this is standard TL01 all the way. The same 3 pinion choices, the same gear train, chassis tub and other bits with the only real difference from a touring car being the long arms/axle shafts and the dampers. It does not feel too awful heavy and will hopefully make a decent beater buggy.
I honestly think it is a far better looking buggy than the Baja Champ. Could benefit from a set of good oil dampers and a bit stiffer springs in the rear suspension. Otherwise like the rest of the TL01 family it should be a decent stout buggy for a first time driver or as a dirtmound basher.
I should start out by saying that this car is abosultelly a breeze to build, but considering youre visiting this site and reading this review Ill take for granted you´re already familiar with Tamiya quality: it took me less than six hours to complete assenmby. The body took another three.
Still, I must point out some minor problems with overall kit production. Changing motors and/or pinions is a tremendous pain in the rear. To correctly introduce the two screws that hold the motor in the TL-01B chassis, you must pass them through two pre-drilled holes depending on the pinion you want to use (wich is limited to 19,21 or 23 teeth). Since you cant see where the screws are being inserted in the motor, you must "feel" youre way with the screwdriver until correct contact is aserted.
Aside from that, everything else is completely straightforward and simple.
The tyres have good grip, the inclueded friction shocks are adequate for on-road and backyard bashing and the control of the car is superb.
I have mine fitted with a DynaRun Super Touring motor, a Futaba MC330 speed control and a couple of 3000 mah batteries. I changed the stoc shocks to classic oilfilled ones and the handling improved a bit. Its blazing fast!
I bought this just after my final year exams while waiting for results. Got it for SGD$150(~USD80), which was slightly expensive by Singapore standards.
However, I found this car to be nice and hardy. It is my first ever 4 wheel drive buggy, and i must say, I'm impressed with the handling! The car is pretty lightweight, and can handle jumps without problems. However, the clearance of the rear end is pretty limited, and this results in difficulty traversing grassland. Longer shocks should cure this problem though. I tend to run my Tamiyas totally stock, and this one is no exception. I even fitted an out of production CPR unit to it! Its a great car for thrashing around. There are 3 gear ratios. The default uses 19T, with 21T and 23T as the only other options. I'm not a racer, and I think this is good enough as it goes. With a faster motor, the Baja King can go pretty fast, but the stock gearing and speed of about 25km/h are good enough for me! Definitely recommended as a backyard basher.
Reviews
540dreams
The Baja King is one of my most enjoyable cars in my stable. Dispite its simplicity as another tlo1 variant it is remarkable. The body/wing combo looks great. I painted it as per the box art and it really shows well. I put all 24 ball bearings in the thing and threw in a tamiya sport tuned 540s and it goes! A really cheap duratrax autosport esc barely breaks a sweat. I think it handles great, though I went straight for the tamiya cva oil shocks-a realitive bargain now that they sell them 4 to a pack ( I forget the part #). I mounted the shocks to the lower arms in the outermost holes and it just transforms the car into a great handling machine. Now with the Rising Storm available in the states for cheap with a esc and oil shocks- it is hard to justify the purchase of the baja king, but if you have a spare esc and some bearings it really is a fun economical kit to build. I don't race, but this car really will surprise some at a track.
Twmaster
While this buggy is nothing to write home about it seems to be nothing but a Baja Champ with a different shell really. Anyhow, this is standard TL01 all the way. The same 3 pinion choices, the same gear train, chassis tub and other bits with the only real difference from a touring car being the long arms/axle shafts and the dampers. It does not feel too awful heavy and will hopefully make a decent beater buggy.
I honestly think it is a far better looking buggy than the Baja Champ. Could benefit from a set of good oil dampers and a bit stiffer springs in the rear suspension. Otherwise like the rest of the TL01 family it should be a decent stout buggy for a first time driver or as a dirtmound basher.
El Mexican
I should start out by saying that this car is abosultelly a breeze to build, but considering youre visiting this site and reading this review Ill take for granted you´re already familiar with Tamiya quality: it took me less than six hours to complete assenmby. The body took another three.
Still, I must point out some minor problems with overall kit production. Changing motors and/or pinions is a tremendous pain in the rear. To correctly introduce the two screws that hold the motor in the TL-01B chassis, you must pass them through two pre-drilled holes depending on the pinion you want to use (wich is limited to 19,21 or 23 teeth). Since you cant see where the screws are being inserted in the motor, you must "feel" youre way with the screwdriver until correct contact is aserted.
Aside from that, everything else is completely straightforward and simple.
The tyres have good grip, the inclueded friction shocks are adequate for on-road and backyard bashing and the control of the car is superb.
I have mine fitted with a DynaRun Super Touring motor, a Futaba MC330 speed control and a couple of 3000 mah batteries. I changed the stoc shocks to classic oilfilled ones and the handling improved a bit. Its blazing fast!
huasze
I bought this just after my final year exams while waiting for results. Got it for SGD$150(~USD80), which was slightly expensive by Singapore standards.
However, I found this car to be nice and hardy. It is my first ever 4 wheel drive buggy, and i must say, I'm impressed with the handling! The car is pretty lightweight, and can handle jumps without problems. However, the clearance of the rear end is pretty limited, and this results in difficulty traversing grassland. Longer shocks should cure this problem though. I tend to run my Tamiyas totally stock, and this one is no exception. I even fitted an out of production CPR unit to it! Its a great car for thrashing around. There are 3 gear ratios. The default uses 19T, with 21T and 23T as the only other options. I'm not a racer, and I think this is good enough as it goes. With a faster motor, the Baja King can go pretty fast, but the stock gearing and speed of about 25km/h are good enough for me! Definitely recommended as a backyard basher.
Vikas
Its one of those cars that even when the battery dies and its no longer moving it still looks Wicked! .
Vikas
not as fast as off road as i thiught it'd be.