DT03 vs Traxxas Bandit

[Trogdortheburninator 6]

DT03 vs Traxxas Bandit.

What would be the pros and cons of a DT03 vs a Traxxas bandit.

Looking for durability and some off road power.

[SilvercanBandit 2]

Tomley RC made a great comparison video between those very two chassis:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRvqS7inIB4

 

[Trogdortheburninator 6]

Looking at this one with a brushless compatible ESC 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/334405329145?epid=17016755822&hash=item4ddc1c60f9&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAAA8NcCeWR9UmMhSVJO9a29lUOfTYyFcHIUr2JDTQDdLueJudN%2BzizEls7R6D9ZPcQStmcrF1QSlnVeF%2BsXNcHNnj6or2orrj%2F7HpMdirnpvbknPgn7i5PNikob7uaSD03UqcYtiopecYxNoSLbEUvOQDa1L8uyecy1FoLpXQQkgwF3CDe8d1vMl3E%2BNA3fQAkDIW72ikta5uY1uFaY6CZ9yEza7V8ecsTBeeKjS4GBmzRSHcB0aPcXy5aYUGvceRYJShcpffF0EexiJqM9Dr2mmw6XF2Lk6fmH2cm4tQ2ZhjeohZGptYIZ5%2FHgIlFhCuMeUg%3D%3D|ampid%3APL_CLK

[Trogdortheburninator 6]

Pros and cons?

Heard somewhere that there was a dt03 race edition for like 40 bucks more with bearings and other upgrades, but can't seem to find it. Is this truth or a myth 

[rwordenjr 1890]

3 hours ago, Trogdortheburninator said:

Pros and cons?

Heard somewhere that there was a dt03 race edition for like 40 bucks more with bearings and other upgrades, but can't seem to find it. Is this truth or a myth 

It’s true but stock is long gone of them.

[Trogdortheburninator 6]

Can't seem to figure this out on the bay or anywhere else, but heard the bandit had plastic axles  Would I see the same thing in the dt03?

[El Gecko 1344]

44 minutes ago, Trogdortheburninator said:

Can't seem to figure this out on the bay or anywhere else, but heard the bandit had plastic axles  Would I see the same thing in the dt03?

Both are plastic driveshafts from the factory, with metal upgrades readily available.

Though it seems to me that the telescoping slider shafts from the Bandit are a bit more robust and smoother in general vs. the dogbone setup on the DT03. A big bonus for offroading is that all the little u-joint and driveshaft pieces are captive, so you'll never just accidentally "pop out" a dogbone and potentially lose it in the grass. Sure, there are more little pieces overall with the Traxxas slider shafts, but imho it's never a problem unless something isn't tightened down properly.

Traxxas uses the same slider shaft setup on the Rustler, Slash, Stampede, etc. so it should be even more reliable in the lighter, smaller Bandit.

[Trogdortheburninator 6]

Calculated costs for dt03 vs the bandit, would cost me about the same, but can’t decide yet. :)

[Frog Jumper 3664]

17 hours ago, Trogdortheburninator said:

DT03 vs Traxxas Bandit.

 

 

If you are in the US, go with the Bandit.  You can get Traxxas crap almost anywhere.  Ask any red-neck and they know exactly where the nearest Traxxas dealer is located.

 

[Saito2 6686]

Bandit without a doubt. I have a love/hate relationship with Traxxas. I love their old kits but hate how they present/conduct themselves present-day (although they do provide top-notch support here in the States). The nylon based plastics are far tougher than the shiny black standard Tamiya plastics found in the DT03. Traxxas makes fairly tough stuff. The Bandit, along with the Stampede and Rustler, are kind of legacy models for Traxxas. Not only have they been around forever (like back to '96 or so), their DNA has traces of the old Traxxas race buggies (i.e. TRX-1) buried deep within them. Despite my dislike of the rabid Traxxas fanboy (hold my beer and watch this!) I own a Stampede and Bandit myself. The Stampede has been 100% flawless and the Bandit I modified a bit for fun to remind me of the old RC10/JRX2/Ultima/TRX-1 days:

 

[Trogdortheburninator 6]

If I got the bandit, I would swap the ESC with a AE-5 ESC from axial that I have, so I don't need to buy an adaptor. Would it work with the high geared motor and 3600 Tamiya batteries?

[Trogdortheburninator 6]

I already have deans adaptor...

[rwordenjr 1890]

12 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

Bandit without a doubt. I have a love/hate relationship with Traxxas. I love their old kits but hate how they present/conduct themselves present-day (although they do provide top-notch support here in the States). The nylon based plastics are far tougher than the shiny black standard Tamiya plastics found in the DT03. Traxxas makes fairly tough stuff. The Bandit, along with the Stampede and Rustler, are kind of legacy models for Traxxas. Not only have they been around forever (like back to '96 or so), their DNA has traces of the old Traxxas race buggies (i.e. TRX-1) buried deep within them. Despite my dislike of the rabid Traxxas fanboy (hold my beer and watch this!) I own a Stampede and Bandit myself. The Stampede has been 100% flawless and the Bandit I modified a bit for fun to remind me of the old RC10/JRX2/Ultima/TRX-1 days:

 

That bandit is fxcking sick!!! How do I get one like that lol? 

[Saito2 6686]

33 minutes ago, rwordenjr said:

That bandit is fxcking sick!!! How do I get one like that lol? 

Thanks. Wintertime project, playing around with making a carbon fiber chassis from scratch. I did a thread on it somewhere on here.

[rwordenjr 1890]

2 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

Thanks. Wintertime project, playing around with making a carbon fiber chassis from scratch. I did a thread on it somewhere on here.

Very impressive ! What body is that? And is there any aftermarket chassis that can be bought to make it similar to that? 

[Saito2 6686]

35 minutes ago, rwordenjr said:

Very impressive ! What body is that? And is there any aftermarket chassis that can be bought to make it similar to that? 

Believe it or not, that's just a stock clear Bandit body I painted. I don't know of any easy-to-source aftermarket chassis' like that

[Trogdortheburninator 6]

Would the 12 turn work with the axial ae-5 and 3600 batteries? 

[Trogdortheburninator 6]

What do you think?

What is it worth?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265583547936

[Trogdortheburninator 6]

Servo mounts and servo are a huge plus, I'm considering making him an offer! Would I be expecting speeds of about 20mph with those bearings?

[Trogdortheburninator 6]

Would it be raceable in a stock class? Sorry for all the questions!

[Wintery 43]

I have a DT03 and it's a great car.

Upgrades are carbon front shock mount waiting on the rear as out of stock.

I have changed the rears of the aqroshot wheels and tyres for on road.

Has the torque tuned motor and can 🍩 easy.

 

[Saito2 6686]

14 hours ago, Trogdortheburninator said:

Would it be raceable in a stock class? Sorry for all the questions!

Raceable or competitive in stock class? Neither will likely be competitive in modern stock class (not to say doing well isn't completely out of the question). Drivers' skill being equal, both buggies are behind the times in 2wd buggy design. The Bandit is a plastic version of a race buggy borrowing its race-roots from early '90's buggies. It has some remnants of that DNA in the suspension geometry and has a slipper clutch and bellcrank steering. Overall its meant to be a durable basher. As such, its heavy for a modern race buggy that happens to perform decent thanks to its old DNA. The DT03 is basically a basher from the start. It uses typical Tamiya plastics, which don't tend to be up to the rigors of modern racing. No slipper is available (although a ball diff is) and the steering is direct mount, though an improvement over the previous DT02. While the Bandit does have the layout of a comp buggy from the early 90's in vague terms, no comp buggy really uses an upright direct mounted steering servo or a clamshell plastic chassis like the DT03 (unless you go all the way back to the Frog which was quickly wiped out by the RC10, a buggy the Bandit, in turn, roughly emulates).

Both buggies are fun in classes were every buggy is the same. Somewhere in the US there is a Bandit class I've read and Tamiya had the DT02 Challenge events. Aside from that, they are both bashers at this point and not worth plowing money into if you want to be competitive in modern stock class events.

[Trogdortheburninator 6]

No, decided to pass on that one. I am pretty sold on the bandit but not getting it right now. 

[XJman 74]

I adore 2wd buggies. There is a dynamic they have that just can't be beat by anything else. Some of my fondest rc memories are old gold pans we used to get at garage sales and swap meets for near nothing.

Outside of the rustler, the bandit is the Traxxas to own. They are stone simple, tried and true design and have a reasonable aftermarket. The dt03 is absolutely comparable on all fronts.

I know the bandit is rtr, and I know there is a kit and built version of the dt03. The only thing I can speak to is Traxxas electronics being absolute crap. Motors are alright but servos and receivers are horrendous. The last Tamiya rtr or prebuilt I had was fitted with futaba electronics rebranded for Tamiya. They lasted for many years.