volvotech

My love affair started with the ta03 series cars, got back in to the hobby with a ta05 and recently added a pair of ta04's to the fleet. You can probably see where I'm going with this.

I have to admit, I'm itching to add this kit to my collection. I've never owned a ta02, getting a new one would be exciting.

Putzing around with my TA03F PRO shelf queen, wanted to see what the 458 would look like with mesh wheels. I kind of like it..

Applied finishing touches to the celica body I've been putting together for a friend (he's got a 1:1 version). Pretty happy with the result, very labor intensive but definitely worthwhile.

Great thread. I recently acquired this exact kit, as I'm also a huge fan of older JTCC cars. Not sure when I'll be building mine but it's nice to get a preview. Good work bud!

Finished some of the most challenging masking and painting of my rc career, far from perfect but the big mistakes do far are conveniently getting covered up with decals.

If it is a European release, I hope a few make their way on eBay so I can get my hands on one. I'm pretty sure I have to have this.

Beautiful! Is the red also painted or is it from decals?

Holding it down for the Washington DC metro area right here! Rockville Maryland to be specific.

I've been eyeing one of these, it might have to join my fleet soon. I'll be following this build for sure.

That's pretty bizarre. My ta05v1 went together without any drama outside of the horizontal play in the 3 bulkheads. But I'm with you, the design of the chassis is excellent, but the components don't fit together in the typical tamiya fashion I've been used to.

I used 53588 (10mm shim set) on my ta05 v1 build. It only had horizontal play in the diffs. I also needed a shim on the center shaft, that had lots of play in it too. I think the ta05 R models included shims in the box.

^I use the carbon middle deck/battery holder and route cable ties around the battery. It's actually quite sturdy, I've had a few good wrecks and everything's managed to stay put. That pic was taken when the car was taken out of retirement and getting setup with new electronics. I'll have to snap a current pic.

I've been using a 2s lipo on my brushed ta03f pro runner with a novak auto shut off. Even on a silver can it scoots along plenty fast, on the black sports tuned it's just as fast as some of my brushless cars. And I usually drive myself to boredom before the cutoff kicks in. I've used lipo alarms on some of my other runners without any issues as well. The main thing is making sure you charge your packs to storage voltage when you're done, otherwise you risk damaging them.

I have 49092 on my ta03f pro and they are a very light blue. A shade significantly lighter than any other blue component on any of my cars.

Correct. The carbon lower deck has been purchased and is on its way to the states. Luckily I'm in no rush collecting parts for this build/restoration, so now begins the hunt for the J parts. Have you added the lightweight reversible suspension set to your ta04? I found the early tb02/ta04 set online for a very reasonable price. The inclusion of universals with it makes it a very tempting purchase.

^I'm debating that, I'm not quite sure I understand the added benefits. Although that clearly didn't stop me from other upgrades haha. Updates soon, decals have been applied to the body, just waiting on lighting components.

Thanks for the great advice ddaenen1, I really appreciate it. I do have plans to get a few parts from rc mart and I have a friend in Germany getting me that lower deck. The need for the J parts was news to me (can't say I've done any significant research on this chassis, it's all been on a whim), there's a pricey option for that parts tree on eBay in the UK as a last resort, but I'll be keeping my eyes open for that part. And once again I find myself asking "what am I getting myself into?"

And it looks like Seidel has one, but do they ship internationally?

I'm in the states. Thanks for the leads! A quick search on tamico yields similar results to what I've already found. I'd really love to get my hands on a lower deck carbon chassis.

Beautiful car. I just picked up my first ta04s myself. I already have a few items for it on the way thanks to eBay, to my surprise I think ta04 hop ups are more scarce than ta03 hop ups.

Apologies for the long delay and happy new year everyone. Here are a few overdue shots of the body. I've only had a chance to trim/mask/drill/paint the shell. I haven't sorted the lighting and decals yet. Or decided on wheels for that matter. The +4 offset wheels that came standard on the FXX kit are a bit wide for this body. And as you can see, quite beat up already. Even with stock gearing this car is nothing short of a rocket and the pavement has left its mark. Also, sorry for the poor quality pictures, they sincerely don't look that bad on my phone after I take them. You can sort of see the metallic flake in the paint. It looks stunning in person. I'll be trying to finish up this project soon.

I will be following this thread closely! I came across this image earlier this year and I've considered building one of my own.

Hey all, been away for a bit but here are some updates: Step 22: threaded TRF shocks coming together, the stock pieces will go well with my recently purchased Schnitzer BMW M3 that I get to build after this car! Skipping head to step 27: Electronics going in place and aluminum side brace, I'm hoping the aluminum brace can provide a little more protection to the motor over the stock plastic brace. I attempted to use a Kimborough servo saver on this build, but the stubby savox servo is too bulky up front to allow a full range of motion. I had to use the slightly offset kit supplied part. They get a bad reputation, but the stock servo saver is surprisingly tight. Completed chassis, had to remove a small segment of the tub in the rear corner to fit the ESC, and I need to grind down the ribs to sit the battery a little lower, but it's good for test driving at this point: HPI X-pattern tires, Castle Creations 7700kV 4-pole w/sidewinder 3 ESC, savox low profile servo and spektrum radio all came together surprisingly well on this chassis. Body fitting/painting next!

In due time Zac. Finally have a few minutes to update the thread. Got through a few more steps: Some filing required to get the lower arms to move freely, but otherwise smooth sailing. Universals going together as well. I like that these are serviceable now. Cleaning the universals in my TA03's is a little bit of a chore. A little more filing to get the knuckles to move without binding. Step seventeen: More hop-ups. All of these steering components are plastic in the stock setup, but I'm after a little more precision and less play. That's all for now!