M07 Chassis - What’s it like to Run & Own?

[Grumpy pants]

So having just picked up the Concept edition built and mildly hopped up - what do I need to know?

Easy to work on?

Great to run?

Any essential hop ups or mods? 
 

I think I read some duck tap underneath stops pesky stones getting stuck and causing havoc. 

[qatmix]

It is great to race and ace to own..  No essential hop-ups. The steering is actually really good with the plastic parts. If racing then the stabiliser set is good. If not then don't bother. Like all things I've excessively hopped mine up.. but it really isn't needed to have fun.

 

 

[TurnipJF]

2 hours ago, Grumpy pants said:

Easy to work on?

Yes, by FWD M-chassis standards, primarily because you don't need to split the whole chassis to get at the gearbox. The plastics are also of a higher quality than Tamiya's other FWD M-chassis models, so they can survive multiple screw insertions and removals without stripping.

2 hours ago, Grumpy pants said:

Great to run?

Definitely! Out of my FWD fleet which currently consists of an M-03, M-05, FF-01, FF-02, FF-03 and M-07, I would rank the M-07 as my favourite runner. It took a bit of setting up though, being a more race-oriented chassis. Before I had it set up to my liking, I preferred my M-05.

2 hours ago, Grumpy pants said:

Any essential hop ups or mods? 

The plastic diff internals are said to be a weak point - some racers having claimed to have blown them on their first outing. Personally I haven't had any trouble with them, but I have a steel set ready to go in when/if they give up the ghost. The motor doesn't have a great deal of airflow so an extra heatsink might not go amiss. I also managed to break a stock rear upright in what seemed to be a minor collision, but I haven't had any further issues since fitting the carbon-reinforced ones.

[Grumpy pants]

21 hours ago, qatmix said:

It is great to race and ace to own..  No essential hop-ups. The steering is actually really good with the plastic parts. If racing then the stabiliser set is good. If not then don't bother. Like all things I've excessively hopped mine up.. but it really isn't needed to have fun.

 

 

 

20 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

Yes, by FWD M-chassis standards, primarily because you don't need to split the whole chassis to get at the gearbox. The plastics are also of a higher quality than Tamiya's other FWD M-chassis models, so they can survive multiple screw insertions and removals without stripping.

Definitely! Out of my FWD fleet which currently consists of an M-03, M-05, FF-01, FF-02, FF-03 and M-07, I would rank the M-07 as my favourite runner. It took a bit of setting up though, being a more race-oriented chassis. Before I had it set up to my liking, I preferred my M-05.

The plastic diff internals are said to be a weak point - some racers having claimed to have blown them on their first outing. Personally I haven't had any trouble with them, but I have a steel set ready to go in when/if they give up the ghost. The motor doesn't have a great deal of airflow so an extra heatsink might not go amiss. I also managed to break a stock rear upright in what seemed to be a minor collision, but I haven't had any further issues since fitting the carbon-reinforced ones.

Any preference on the chassis length?

I’m pretty sure there are 2 options.

Any thoughts on which FWD replica body shells I could use? Scirocco, Yaris...

My Phat bodies Mini shell is 210mm so that isn’t going to go in it 🤦

[TurnipJF]

21 minutes ago, Grumpy pants said:

Any preference on the chassis length?

I run mine in MWB configuration. I found this worked well with my M-03, so have been running my FWD M chassis thus configured ever since. 

28 minutes ago, Grumpy pants said:

Any thoughts on which FWD replica body shells I could use?

Fiat 500 and Suzuki Swift shells feature a nice rounded roofline which helps the car land back on its wheels when it rolls over. 

[hIghQ]

21 hours ago, Grumpy pants said:

Any preference on the chassis length?

 

239 is a bit more stable, 225 a bit more nimble. I'd make that choice at least 50% based on what body I want to run.

[qatmix]

Depends on the track. The 225mm is fine for technical ones, but longer wheelbase is good for ones with larger sweepers etc. A great handling shell is the MX5 MD (The more modern version) as it's nice and low.