Munchbox

Sorry to thread hijack a little here but then is it assumed that the predecessors to the DT03 (namely the Sand Viper) are inferior? I only ask because the Sand Viper and Plasma Edge are 2 buggies I might consider for my next car. Being that my first (and thus far only) car is a Lunchbox, it makes sense that the second car would be more performance oriented. How do the Sand Viper, Neo Fighter and Plasma Edge II stack up performance wise?

Gonna sound foolish in 3...2...1... What's a DT03?

Today I switched out my friction shocks for oil shocks on Lunchbox. Yesterday's bash with my 2 brothers modern trucks (ECX Ruckus brushless and Iron Track Katana 4wd) left me with a busted front bottom shock mount so it was officially time for the oil shocks to be installed. I also managed to bust 2 body mounts trying to keep up with the other trucks off a jump I used a set of Blackfoot 2016 shocks. I set the front ones up with a set of cheap o springs from a set of Chinese shocks I bought for 5th shock mod. They were way too soft but the whole car handles infinitely better. The Blackfoot shocks were about .5" too long in front and .25" too long in back so I used spacers inside the shock body to shorten them. They still have plenty of travel for LB purposes. After my run I switched the Chinese springs out for the Blackfoot (gold) rear springs up front. The Blackfoot 2016 shocks with front (silver) springs run great on the rear

Yes it's supposedly a Stampede with Bigfoot No.1 body. Looks amazing and probably runs well too but, alas, it's only available rtr.

That sounds like a reasonable alternative though run times aren't a problem at all (in stock form). I have 2 3000mah NIMH coming and should be able to get 40 mins out of each. What's the price range of a 17 to 21t brushless and whatever else I need to set it up? Looking for cheap speed and reliability here. It's also worth noting that LB is a bit of a handful in stock form. Unless the suspension upgrades I'm doing make a dramatic improvement (not expected) then I don't want to add too much speed.

Regarding motors for Lunchbox I see that some go mild with a sport tuned (or even stay stock) and some more extreme with low turn brushed and even brushless systems. If I can get the car to handle better I'll want to add some more speed. What are your thoughts on say a Sport Tuned vs. a Super Stock RZ? Will a true 23t motor like the RZ make the car out of control fast? Will my tble02s be able to handle it or will I spend half my time in thermal overload?

Welcome! Would be great if they brought the 959 back. 959 was our first car when I was a kid.. would drive my Dad nuts to put that kit down in front of him again

I got a little bit of toe in worked out of my front wheels on Lunchbox and test fitted one of my cheapie oil shocks for fun (it's going on as 5th shock). I also flipped the rear body mounts to the underside of the chassis. Brings the rear end down a bit and levels the body back out after fixing the camber issue on the front. Then I sat and counted the time for what felt like an eternity (5 mins) I got goodies coming tomorrow obviously need more practice at waiting.

I've driven my 2 brothers cars (ECX Ruckus, Iron Track Katana, both Lipo) and while they're incredible handling and high speed was impressive it got boring fast. Here comes a bump, whats the car gonna do..? Oh, it rolls over it perfectly. Here's a jump, whats gonna happen..? Oh another perfect landing. You can't roll one unless you're trying to and the most excitement you get is at full speed which also happens to be when you destroy the whole car if you crash. Lunchbox is neither good handling, nor fast, but its a challenging car to drive and is unpredictable to a degree which keeps it interesting. So far i've spent a fraction of the cost of the car on hop ups (somewhere in the neighborhood of $28 if you include ball bearings. Most of the mods are free anyway.

Wow I guess I kind of assumed that because they are so similar in appearance to the older buggies that those were older models as well.. Performance-wise what are the pros and cons of 2wd vs 4wd? Are there situations where 2wd cars would have an advantage?

On the way is a Blackfoot 2016 shock kit, a pair of chinese 75mm aluminum oil shocks (for 5th damper mod), 2 batteries (3000mah Nimh) and a EC3 to Tamiya adapter for my charger (Prophet Sport Nimh). All for the Lunchbox. And the mailman wonders why i'm camping out next to the mailbox

I'm interested to know what you guys like for the re-release buggies. I don't know much about them but I've seen some good things about Sand Viper and Plasma Edge II. How well would something like this keep up with a modern car like an ECX Ruckus?

I just completed my first build (Lunchbox) so obviously I'm no expert but I used more than 3\4 of the tube of Tamiya grease on the rear end. My Dad, who has built many kits in the past, recommended spending the majority of the grease on the rear and none on exposed parts (axles, shocks, etc.) Because it attracts a lot of dirt/debris. This all echoed with advice I had received from my Grandfather years ago regarding greasing for mechanical parts so that's the route I went. Then again if you guys are running them everywhere from drenched to completely dry I'd say Tamiya parts are forgiving enough to do whatever you want with them!

Well I hope they fit.. I got a set for $17 on eBay.. basically the parts trees, oil, springs, etc. for Blackfoot 2016. If they don't fit I guess I have to buy a Blackfoot ! They should be a good start to the suspension.. I have a cheap ($6 shipped) pair of aluminum oil shocks on delivery from China as well.. should be good for 5th shock.. Are there any other rear end mods to consider for CW01 chassis?

Supercool - The reason I ask is because I see some guys claiming to run Monster Beetle shocks on their LB/MP. It seems like Monster Beetle and Blackfoot 2016 are the same chassis. I have a lead on a brand new Blackfoot 2016 shock set (unassembled) for a good price. Danger - I've seen the FX10 front end mod but i'm going to keep the stock front end for now. Once I get oil shocks, strut tower braces, 5th shock and maybe some foam in the tires I want to see how the car handles. I'm not looking to put much more than a Sport Tuned motor in it so if it handles that motor without doing a front end swap then i'll be happy. If I want more speed after that I may go FX10 up front. Any ideas for a charger and batteries?

Its definitely something to think about.. Do you know if the Blackfoot 2016 shock set will fit on Lunchbox? If so, how adjustable are the shock sets for Blackfoot?

Thats good to hear about the gears.. I have a Losi Micro SCT and the gears on Lunchbox seemed far more robust than the Losi. I don't know about the gearbox brace. I was tempted by their double wishbone conversion until I read that they break easy

The absima shocks seem to be a good compromise between cost and performance. After building LB I am convinced of the quality of Tamiya products but I have seen some less than positive reviews for the CVA kit saying it doesn't make much of a difference at all. For the tble-02s I was more worried about the effect of using the brake than anything. It seems like a lot of stress to put on the gearbox to have the car full throttle forward and then lock up the rear tires. I'm definitely looking at the 5th shock mod. It is a must. It seems like half of the problem with the rear suspension is just getting the gear box to sit still instead of slopping around in the slots. I've heard that a shock between 75-80mm is also ideal for the 5th shock. Is that accurate? The strut tower braces should be relatively easy to figure out. I have 2 extra shock ball ends from my kit that should work perfect. I may add a rear brace as well but I may just use some thin (1/8") aluminum stock for that. Can anyone recommend batteries and a charger? I was borrowing my bro's but I gave them back yesterday with his car (IronTrack Katana). I''d like 2 batts and a charger, preferably NiMH and something that charges relatively quick with a decent runtime. I was looking at a Tenergy Smart Charger and 2x 3800mah packs for like $55 on Amazon, is that about right price-wise? Thanks for being so helpful.. I'll get some pics up soon but at the moment LB is just the standard white shell with yellow rims.. I hardly got the front grille on before I had it outside running. Edit: Would the shock set for a Blackfoot 2016 fit properly on the Lunchbox? Is it the same as the CVA dampers?

Hi i'm new to the forum and thought i'd introduce myself. I am fairly new to the hobby, having had a truck and watching my Dad build and bash several Tamiyas when I was a youngster. We went through a Porsche 911, Lunchbox, Super Blackfoot, a few others and later on Traxxas Stampedes. I just received a Lunchbox kit for Christmas and got it built up and have been enjoying the nostalgia and, more importantly, the fun of building and now driving and tuning my new Lunchbox. I started with the box totally stock, with the exception of ball bearings, and quickly added a couple 1/4" pieces of rubber tubing on the top of the front shocks to fix the camber. As an interesting side effect it is preloading the front springs a little, giving the truck a touch more turning power which is a nice bonus. I have been lurking a bit and reading about upgrades. Oil shocks were never an option; they are simply a necessary mod. I see that most people are running 75mm up front and 80mm in back but I can't seem to find any reasonably priced (sub $10/pair) 75mm shocks. I see RC Mart has 80mm for something like $7 a pair but that will throw my camber out of whack again. Does anyone know where I could find some 75mm without waiting 6 weeks to get them delivered from China? I have a few more questions as well. My TxRx setup is a Futaba 3prka3 and I have the TBLE-02s ESC. I have noticed that the Lunchbox is a monster and much more controllable when you use the brake. The old cars never had this function so I wonder if using it will have any ill effects on the drivetrain of the car. I see that the Midnight Pumpkin body can be used with Lunchbox chassis but you have to switch body mounts. Where can I find MP body mounts? If I were to buy a second car, say a Sand Viper, could I buy a second receiver of the same type in Lunchbox and use the same remote for both? Can anyone recommend a part number for the steering rods I see people using as strut tower braces on Lunchbox? Any idea where to find these?