qatmix

At the track the TC-01 is actually pretty decent. Even in stock form running 17.5 blinky. It's not as quick as a TRF / Schumacher top end TC kit, but it’s not far off at all. It’s also £400 cheaper It’s a great chassis, quirky and fun to build. The Formula-E body however is one of the most stressful things I’ve ever built!!

The MB01 is a better kit than the M05. Handles better straight out of the box than the M05. The M07 is superior to both though. Really needs no upgrades to be a superb Carpark runner, or club racer.

I’m currently doing a back to back test of the different layouts. The one thing I will state is whilst it seems a bit sloppy, it actually handles really well. (Torque tuned motor). It’s as kit other than bearings and CVA shocks and the metal pivot balls.

Tamiya makes a broad range of kits. So it’s obvious that most are not race focused. I’ve raced Rc for decades and never had an issue running Tamiya’s. Back in the 80’s most of the time it was just about getting the car to stay fast for 5 mins. So you had to get the drive train free, and have your 1200 Nicads nicely balanced and the gearing spot on. I won my first (u16) championship with a Boomerang against Cats and Mini Mustangs etc That car was superb on grass. I was an early adopter to scale touring (which became TC). That was basically a TA01 class.. then the conversions started. Infact even when some of the competitors appeared, a well sorted TA01 / 02 could win at our club. Obviously it all then exploded and the TA03R was ok, but then we got TRF’s and never had to worry since. Along the way I’ve still dabbled with buggies, the DB01 was epic on Astro, and the TRF’s were also tasty. Now I suppose there is only the TD2 and TD4 for modern buggies. Both are ok it seems, infact a friend is getting great results with a mildly hopped up TD2 at a local track. The main thing is that you can still race a Tamiya if you wish, but 90% of their kits are not focused for that task, unless it’s for a Tamiya Cup event.

Most racing is 2WD for buggy indoor. The Tamiya TD2 is surprisingly capable. A friend who is a very good buggy racer but drives another brand (But is a Tamiya fan). Picked up a TD2 astute for something to drive in the garden.. built it stock, took it to his regular mid week club for a laugh and won the B final. (Note it went down to a E or F final).The only thing that wasn’t kit was the tyres. He was a bit stunned. He’s ordered a few hop-ups for it and is keen to give it another outing once they arrive. He is a good driver and skill and tyres are 90% of any good race performance, however it has shown that it is at least a race worthy chassis.

Here is my set-up for the M07. https://www.thercracer.com/2023/05/tamiya-m-07-race-report-tips-and-carpet.html?m=0 If you want the car more stable on the straights, just add front toe out. 1 deg minimum, but can go higher.

TA08R.. or the BBX both superb cars that you can actually enjoy using with a wealth of options etc. Both also good builds. The TA08R the most enjoyable build in that list, especially if you have not had a higher level onroad race car before.

The thing that frustrates me the most is the lack of time I’ve had recently to build anything. When it comes to building.. tapping all the screw holes in cf plastic chassis tubs and parts.. Worth it beyond a doubt, but it makes my delicate soft hands sore.

Despite being a TRF onroad racer, I would quite easily agree that the TT02 is probably the best rc car on the market. I love how easy it is to make it into anything. I’ve even seen a amphibious one In stock form it’s great fun to drive (Just glue the servo horn). I like digging mine out at the track and posting times against other drivers and their pro chassis. I have a few, from very basic runners to over developed race cars. I still have a few more bits I’m designing for them.

cool, so TT02-R with adjustable upper arms = £160 But again you really dont need the props unless going faster than a sports tuned.

Your options.. TT02-D (has bearings, CVA Shocks and a sports tuned motor) £109 + 54874 adjustable upper arms £23.99 = £132.99 Pros - Its got most of the set-up options you wanted above, it can also have a shorter wheelbase. Cons - You cannot really go much further if you want to tune it for even more speed. It is also less responsive to the set-up changes because of the inherent slop in the arms. TT02-S £139.99 Pros - Its fast and adjustable out of the box.. You can expand it further to have droop settings and adjustable rear toe-in (The only two other main options that are needed). Cons - It doesn't have a motor. Both of these do not have the alloy prop or motor mount.. If you are running a slower motor you really don't need them.. if you decide to upgrade you can get those parts for cheap down the line. As to performance.. I have many differnet configurations of the TT02.. I love the **** car and sometimes race it instead of my TRF at my club.. The TT02-S is more nimble, its fantastic around a tight indoor track, it is very easy to adjust camber etc The TT02 suspension is full of slop by design, you cannot really ever eliminate it.. It's fine to make a soft, neutral handling car, but you need the precision of the TT02-S with it's TRF suspension system if you want to actually have the ability to have impactful set-up changes with simple camber changes etc. Also in high grip the TT02 can actually be inconsistent in corners so you need to add more rear toe-in (Tamiya rear hubs, or adding ARS (Rear toe gain https://www.thercracer.com/2022/07/thercracer-tamiya-tt02-toe-control-rear.html both of these options cost more. For what you want.. get the TT02-S it's just a better base platform. more expandable if you need it and not amount of upgrades with a std TT02 will ever be able to match it.

The TD2 is the midrange 2WD racer.. there isn't going to be another for years. The BB01 is the new 2WD basher.. and its brilliant.

The TD2 is very good for the money.. I am going to race it indoors this year over my TRF to see how it performs. Personally I like the original shell, not a fan of the revive ones.. they seem very plain. The TC01, is a great chassis, it is the spiritual successor to the F201.. Its a bit heavy when racing with other cars but with a bit of tinkering its more than good enough to race at the track. https://www.thercracer.com/2022/09/tamiya-tc-01-championship-winning-car.html The RM01 was a shame, I loved that car and the shells. I raced my RM01X in LMP and it was totally fine, the main issue was that the front axles were too high for tyres that had been in the truer to get the car low.. So in the end I had to swap out the front end with another manufacturers which was a shame. I hope the T3-01 chassis keeps in production.. I love it.. It's quirky and cheap and one of the more interesting builds.

I am now much less interested in the older chassis. It’s the new ones that excite me the most. Even then I do also get in a ‘slump’ when it gets around to building them at times. I found the T3-01 and the SW-01 to be the most enjoyable builds over the last few years. Primarily because they are so different, but also very much full of the Tamiya charm that endears me to the brand. The TD-4/2 was also a nice build.. seeing Tamiyas take on a modern buggy design and still doing it very differently. (They are actually competent at the track as well). I also think it looks great, there is a third party body available as an alternative but it’s bland and has no character. For me it’s the BBX next, but I’m waiting until things calm down with work and my racing always takes priority. I know I go on about it, but everyone should try joining a club. It makes a huge difference. I get to scratch my Tamiya itch but most importantly I’ve made some great friends over the years. The good thing is that anyone can race, it’s not about winning the A-main it’s about beating your personal bests and everyone learning and sharing advice with others.

I’m a big fan of the TT02 in all it’s forms. The only upgrades that are needed are bearings and glueing the servo saver so it’s basically like a servo horn (cheap option), or buying a high torque servo saver. You can treat yourself to CVA shocks if running anywhere bumpy. Otherwise a little thick grease or packing in the pogos can go a long way. I’ve raced a TT02 with just those extras and have beaten a range of carbon top end touring cars at my local club. The slop really isn’t an issue. It makes the car feel slightly numb, but that is fine for bashing about on the street. As mentioned before you can shim the arms and add turnbuckles etc to reduce it if you want a more responsive feel. Also critically a car with minimal slop will be more susceptible to bad set-up decisions. I’ve seen many drivers struggle when moving up from a TT02 as a beginners car to racing an exact top end TC. Usually I try to set the car up for them as a nice base carpet set-up, but they have to be on the maintenance as sometimes even the lightest tap can knock a cars alignment out of shape. As to modifications there are loads for the TT02.. It can be a lot of different things for a lot of different people with a range of different budgets. IMHO this makes it the best Rc car out there. In stock kit form your scale looking mustang will be great at sliding around on the street. My advice is to just run it and sample the pure unadulterated fun a TT02 can give.

Pieces popping off the Popalong MB01. Nearly enough alliteration for a tongue twister I’ve seen that happen on one guys TT02 in our stock class. The popping thing will happen if the arm originally hasn’t had the ball inserted as per instructions. It can stretch the plastics around that part of the arm, and sometimes deforms the ball. The low friction ball can help this or a larger washer once the damage is done.

I run my gf01 with a 13.5 brushless.. it’s great. My squash van will be very overpowered 😂

The painted shell might be a Japan only option.

I cannot wait for this. I used to love my dual hunter, but this looks like a very worthwhile replacement.

I honestly think running an aero shell will be better for a speed run. I don’t think air going under the body is an issue as long as it is able to escape at the rear. Interested to see how you get on.

Best 4wd available now is a TD4 avante. Runs rings around all other Tamiya 4wd cars other than the Durga or the TRF’s I haven’t had an issue with anything, maybe it’s 40 years of building ball diffs, but the nut is fine for me. (I have the alloy one ready to go in). I would recommend just going with the alloy nut though, as others have had issues with it. (I’m running 10.5 boosted brushless in mine. Im also in the minority as I really like the shell. if you want a fun retro basher, the TF evo is great, but also consider the super scorcher.. it’s a very nice handling retro buggy (you need an alloy A5 part through).

You’ve been an inspiration for many of us here. Take care and Godspeed.

I find most FB groups ok really. It’s not that toxic. There is a huge amount of misinformation though. Sad to hear that people are being snide about TC though. It’s a nice chilled forum.. probably why I still pop in after all these years.

The GF01 dump truck and GF06 have been the most used bashers I've driven over the last few years. The drive train is bulletproof. Uncommonly for me they have zero hop-ups other than bearings. They work brilliantly on dirt / grass with lipo and brushless with the friction shocks. The GF01 is great for stunts, nothing comes close in the Tamiya line up, or any other manufacturers. The G601 is surprisingly good for hard off road action, jumps etc but its a bit long and thin so its not great for high speed bashing The GF-02 looks like the perfect addition to the GF range, wide and long and with large wheels.. I will be mounting a silly fast brushless in it (I have a 8.5 sitting around). It looks like Tamiya is making a full on basher truck, the shell is quality and adds a certain level of charm which is why I always gravitate to Tamiya stuff. I look forward to all of the alternative paint schemes people will make for the shell

See what the future holds, you might be surprised.