sosidge

Another disappointing toy from Tamiya. Imagine what they could do if they really set their mind to doing an RC Ford panel van. Instead you just get an unlicensed lexan blob on a cheap chassis that is neither scale nor high performance. The Midnight Pumpkin was a "better" release when it came out 35 years ago! Seriously Tamiya, make a bit of an effort. Build a decent chassis for the scale of the body, fit well-proportioned wheels, and make the effort to get the licensing to put the correct badges on it. Even the Chinese brands are doing a better job now. Look at the trucks that FMS are putting on the market.

You seem to have done a lot of changes to the suspension and you're running 4wd tyres. Here's the thing about basic Tamiyas. Tamiya's engineers know what they are doing with the out of the box setup. Unless you really know what you are doing, you will struggle to make the car better. Also, 2wd buggy on paving blocks is simply not the surface that they are designed for. And you will struggle to find tyres that are intended for it. I'd rebuild it back to kit settings and get rid of those 4wd tyres.

Yes RW make good pinions.

Leaded solder is not banned in the EU. The UK was in the EU when the restrictions came in but it only applies to industrial use, not hobby use. Now maybe it is harder to find 60/40 solder in a small market like Norway but that doesn't mean it is banned. Quick search suggests you can order through Farnell and other professional retailers - https://no.farnell.com/en-NO/c/tools-production-supplies/soldering-stations-accessories/solder-wire?solder-alloy=60-40-sn-pb

These are all budget chassis, none are "nicer" than a TT-02. If you want to experiment with more adjustments you would need a pure race chassis or maybe a TA08-level Tamiya.

That will have caused it. Replace pinion/spur as required and try again. A bit of grit getting stuck is just one of the risks of running on that kind of surface.

Super Sabre was my first car. But I won't be buying one of these.

I can guarantee they don't do a better job than me. I've had a number of RTRs over the years. I don't think any of them have suffered from missing parts out of the box like some do. But parts that haven't been cleanly trimmed from the sprue (and don't fit together as a result), under- or over-tightened fasteners, stripped threads, uneven linkage lengths and insufficient lubrication are commonplace. Every RTR that I have had had ended up being significantly rebuilt after the first few runs. Either because of parts that broke, or to correct build errors that stop the vehicle from running well.

Some of the people who work in RTR factories can't build things properly either.

There are a few AliExpress sellers selling genuine premium brands. Usually not much of a discount from Western prices though with lots of added risk. I use AliExpress for the off-brand stuff. Better than going via eBay or Amazon sellers who have the same stuff with a big markup and often dropship anyway.

Hobbywing 10bl120 or 10bl60 would be the natural choice for an ESC. For a servo there are a million available at the lower end of the market which would all be fine. My current cheapies are mostly PowerHD and have given no issues. For a DT-02 you don't need high torque so prioritise speed. Futaba servos always work well but are more expensive.

Tamiya have no chassis direction. They release what they fancy. Objectively, in terms of chassis performance and durability, Tamiya have slipped behind pretty much every other manufacturer. And on the rare occasion they have a new release in a mainstream category, it is miles behind the competition (think CC-02, TD4 & TD2). What Tamiya consistently offer is a kit to build (otherwise rare outside the racing and crawler markets), a good looking body (although they are slipping back in that area as well), and an extensive range of own-brand option parts. And granted, if you want something that is fun to drive with not much power, a Tamiya will give you that. Other cars feel slow and lifeless with a silver can motor in them, Tamiya's basic chassis feel on the edge of being out of control.

That surprises me. I find them very easy to solder. One of the reasons they have become my go-to "stick pack" connector.

Tamiya do make something similar themselves https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/42338/index.htm but it would be quite an expensive way of building up a storage system. Other RC manufacturers do a variety of bags and haulers as well. I think most of us just use plastic crates from DIY shops around the house.

Lead-free solder is hard to work with, and there is no reason to use it for hobby purposes. 60/40 leaded solder is much easier to work with. Power output of the soldering iron is more important than the voltage. Also (if persisting with lead-free solder), the tip needs to be the right temperature setting. Finally, wires are a very effective heatsink and will suck heat away. Having said all that, tinning should be quite easy, apply the hot iron to the wire, and feed in solder (to the heated wire, not to the soldering iron tip) until it is has a nice thin coating. A "third hand" of some sort usually helps.