BuggyDad

I also like replacing the pair of o rings with one x ring and one shaft guide. And the pistons with well fitting ones. I now do this as a rule on all CVAs and for my money that makes them work really well, well enough that as a rule I have lost interest in upgrading to other shocks unless I'm being a tart and I really want the last word in fancy shocks. The buggy damper thread has some good info in it. And I did some sort of loosely scientific comparisons, which are in this post there:

My opinion on this changes but right now I think if anything my collection is getting too big. It includes about 7 NIB models and I don't pick up a new build very often so that's a long to do list. I think perhaps I've got to the point where there would never not be a project in front of me even if I didn't buy another - even if I did all my projects, many of them would turn into a new project when looked at with fresh eyes. However, I most likely will pick up the Honda City Turbo and a mini body. I've nothing to put the mini body on but it's always struck me as a tamiya pinnacle. If there's a way to fit the M-07R to it (I don't think there is?) I'd be tempted in that too. I'd like to get back into postal racing and a good FWD M-chassis would complete my set for that (I have an M-08R and XV-01 which are already great for it).

Yeah I think that's true. Because of the width of mine I don't think the effect was grip roll so much, but if I remember correctly it was more how dramatically different it was between on and off power, under- and oversteer, which I guess is similarly related to high CoG, quite high ride height and damping on the soft side. Anyway, the result wasn't great but I didn't put time into trying to resolve it because I think I see mine as for rough loose ground, on which it's good. It might only be a lowering and stiffening away from "quite a lot better" though. Print-wise, my rear wideners are only one part which would home print fine. Front is arms and c hubs to take a Kyosho knuckle but could probably take other hub parts.

I didn't try mine on the astro outside but on the carpet indoors it was weird. Probably tyre choice though. As an aside, I wonder whether the skid plates affect the handling. Quite heavy I assume? I have some but not tried them yet.

Well now, just a handful of (none of which have broken with some reasonable testing) 3d prints away... 😉

You're not kidding! 🤣

I think my favourite out of the box is also the XV-01, because out of the box it is broadly as I want it and the most fun to drive of any similar car I've tried, and I haven't broken it except in incidents where it really should break. Also it has driving character in a way that also corresponds to performance, where often "character" is code for "crap performance but I just like it". Oh, and I love that Martini Lancia body. But, it is still a bit "tool for the job" - if it wasn't I think I'd have built my second one by now. Of my less standard models, it might either my TD4, because it's sublime to drive and looks stunning with the aftermarket body, making it overall my "best" RC car, or my ridiculously modified Boomerang, which has just bags of driving character, so is reached for first now, and is tough. As a platform I think the Blitzer Beetle is great but that's as a platform for modification for me, which is a bit me-specific. Anyway, both my cars based on it either drive well and responsively or will with further setting up, and seem to be tough. And they're two different categories - buggy and truck. A little sad to say it but I think now my DT-03 is the model I now favour least. Some understeer/wheelbase/unresponsiveness related characteristics as above, but mainly I think I've just run the course with it. However, it gave me many many hours of fun and development so it owes me nothing. An afterthought: my answer to this question is going to change a lot over time, which in itself is a joy about RC, Tamiya and tinkering.

I haven't much to add to the good arguments above. I can see the case for both and I use both. Recently I have found a good brushed motor in some rere models, like the superstock in my Boomerang, to give me both the right amount of power and save money. I accept it's less efficient and will in principle reduce run time, like for like, but I have enough, so I don't care. That said, in many models some combination of desired speed/power characteristics and perhaps heat issues lead me to want to spend the extra. And in many of these cases they are supplied either without a motor at all or with the silver can thrown in, which would get the car moving but which really I think might also be a recognition on their part that the user will want to choose their own motor. This is an interesting one. While a straw poll on here would get lots of love for brushed motors, I doubt it'd get much for plastic bushings in anything that's run more than a really tiny amount.

I like it too. I think it looks great. In the pics it does I think evoke an idea of worn paint but regardless I think it tells the story of the shell really nicely.

Well, I look forward to the results. I reckon that even if it doesn't look great it'll fulfil its role perfectly. There's pleasure to be had in what you're doing, regardless of aesthetics. It'll look good though, I wager.

Oh! That's good to know. Good on him. Not only are the bits I have from him excellent but he was nice to deal with too.

No grown ups were involved in the making of this! 😁 That crash way back last year led to a nice example of the kind of thinking that this stuff gives the opportunity for. When he sheepishly came into the house with two separated halves of Mo, we talked about design and why it might've been that area that broke and we asked the question "how might we improve it?" I think he had to have had the crash to be able to focus his mind for a time on that. Every cloud has a silver lining! Although, I haven't so far designed a really good improvement in, and, for the reason only that time marched on and my thinking was on other things, my reprint is of a mk1 part, albeit in apparently better plastic. I tried for ages to design a way to incorporate a carbon fibre spine into this part, to add strength in the link between chassis plate and the block and tower support portion (which itself is strong) but never came a satisfactory answer. It does take quite a hard crash to break this but it will generally be the first part to go, and I'd rather it wasn't because it's fairly time consuming to replace and more expensive than most parts to print (commercially) due simply to its size. Not the ideal sacrificial part.

Yes I think I may have to accept that, with the demise (?) of Revive RC, this body shell should be a shelfer and I should paint up the kit one for running. I do have the beginnings of a scheme in mind for it that I feel would suit it if I get the detail right. I'm not great at that though. Would like to get better.

I bit the bullet and ordered the DT-04 B parts, axles and kingpins, alongside a new gearbox casing and another Rock socker body. I already have a second set of MCI stickers. This thing has to be run with a body and I'm a little wary of the back of the truck body which I suspect will either suffer itself or amplify forces at the body post holes. So I figured I'd order a second body with the view to making a runner shell. I don't know whether that'll be another box art, a converted effort to better this box art one, or something different and more plain so as to avoid putting too much time into a shell I'll beat up. It's a little frustrating to break a gearbox casing on this because a fair amount of manual work goes in to fitting the suspension mount braces as well as drilling out for the diff. So perhaps it would be wise to design a cage of some sort to protect the area. Side benefit being I could print it in yellow for a Falcon rear cage. Now, I wonder whether I could use my CNC machine in manual mode to cut those slots for the braces more neatly...

Holy moly, it's a while since the last Mo update. I hadn't realised this crash was so long ago. Anyway, today I finally got around to replacing the front structure parts. From: To: We are back to a mk1 lower front Bulkhead piece, which is the one-piece version. I had redesigned into a multi-part piece for home printing but this is a commercial print. A new material too - PA11, which is apparently stronger and more flexible than PA12 although I can't feel the difference. The replacement top piece is home printed as per the last one. I have also PA11 prints of the steering cranks and bridge, which really I should've fitted in place of the home prints currently fitted, but didn't. So I'll keep them in the Mo box as spares. Finally I had substantially beefed up the c-hub and front knuckle design and got prints of those too. I haven't fitted them yet, but I might. Anyway, Mo is Go. Bring on the track. When, I don't know, but I hope for an opportunity early summer.