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Grumpy pants

Budget Buggy Advice

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Yep, I’ve almost made it 😂

Another birthday in early June, not down to medical science or living healthily and honestly it is a wonder how on earth I’ve managed to get this old,  anyway I have a scratch to itch and a buggy would be a good present this year 👍

3 Rules -

1. Tamiya

2. 4WD Drive

3. Budget Circa £120 as it comes

I’m intrigued by the TT02B, the Neo Scorcher and Plazma Edge appear to be just a body/wheel preference option.

I would happily look at 2nd hand as well, nothing to brittle or expensive on parts.

I really like the Top Force but they are too expensive, I also like the DT02, but it’s 2WD so that’s a ‘no’ as I have a Wild One and a Blitzer Beetle. 
 

The plan, very simple build it and the run it in my back garden from time to time.

Tips, ideas and recommendations please -

Tamiya, 4WD, circa £120, NIB or 2nd hand 👍

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I would recommend a used Manta Ray.

If you fancy a Top Force but will be running it in your back garden, the Manta Ray has a lot to recommend it. Basically a Top Force with more plastic and less adjustability, it retains much of what makes a Top Force drive the way it does - the drivetrain, suspension geometry, layout/balance, etc. The camber isn't adjustable, but the fixed plastic links give neutral handling and are probably very much the length that you would set adjustable ones to anyway. And a set of adjusters is an easy and cheap upgrade to make if you want to play with camber adjustments further down the line.

The bits that usually take a hammering on used models - the tub, bodyshell, front towers and sometimes the gearboxes - are all available, so a restoration ought not to be a long-winded case of searching and waiting for parts. And it handles rougher garden terrain better than most modern lower-slung buggies too, which tend to prefer astroturf tracks.

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TT02B is a great all round basher imo!  It does suffer from low ground clearance so not so much a true off-roader out of the box, but excellent on uneven pavement, gravel, clay, etc.  I really enjoy my metallic pink NeoScorcher.  :D 

Looks good too, which is also very important.  

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@TurnipJF that’s a great idea K.

I do like the Terra Scorcher as well and they turn up at sensible money from time time as well.

Have you any idea how the MR and TC compare? 

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@Willy iine, that’s great feedback, thank you.

There have been some recent threads on TC about raising the ride height on the TT02 chassis for rally’s cars and I wondered if these modifications could be applied to the TT02B.

I’m pretty sure apart from CVA’s and longer arms the basic kit is the same - aside body style and wheels. 

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4 hours ago, Grumpy pants said:

Tamiya, 4WD, circa £120, NIB or 2nd hand

For that price, I think you can only get the TT-02B new. If you push your limit a bit to £160ish, one of the Dragons perhaps? 

Will not be able to comment in 2nd hand as their price varies too wildly. 

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6 minutes ago, Grumpy pants said:

@Willy iine, that’s great feedback, thank you.

There have been some recent threads on TC about raising the ride height on the TT02 chassis for rally’s cars and I wondered if these modifications could be applied to the TT02B.

I’m pretty sure apart from CVA’s and longer arms the basic kit is the same - aside body style and wheels. 

Yes, @Ziddan the man makes those ground clearance parts at home on his 3D printer!  :D  Maybe he can make one for the TT02B! 

So much talent these 3D designers have.. 

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On 5/14/2022 at 1:41 PM, alvinlwh said:

For that price, I think you can only get the TT-02B new. If you push your limit a bit to £160ish, one of the Dragons perhaps? 

Will not be able to comment in 2nd hand as their price varies too wildly. 

I think your right about the TT02B @alvinlwh.

There’s a pretty tired Manta Ray on eBay bids starting @ £72 + p & p and a shelf queen rere Thunder Dragon bids starting @ £100 + p & p.

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You can get a DF03 Dark Impact for under $140 US from a Far East supplier, but shipping costs may be a dealbreaker. I’ve heard a lot of positive things about that chassis. 

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1 hour ago, Grumpy pants said:

@TurnipJF that’s a great idea K.

I do like the Terra Scorcher as well and they turn up at sensible money from time time as well.

Have you any idea how the MR and TC compare? 

Fortunately I do, having restomodded a Manta Ray and a Thundershot which is based on the same chassis as the Terra Scorcher.

The TS is an older design, with a slightly higher CoG and greater ground clearance, giving it better offroad ability than the MR. However it also rolls a bit more easily, and is slightly heavier. The Manta Ray is more stable in corners and still features a goodly bit of ground clearance compared to modern buggies. Being a little lighter, it accelerates quicker all else being equal, but with the abundant power of modern motors this may not be an issue. Both have had relatively recent re-releases so parts availability is similar for both.

Both feature drivetrains with plenty of gears, so are quite noisy, especially the more recent releases of the TS which have little bumpy moulding imperfections which need either careful trimming or a lot of running-in to stop them making an unholy racket. The TS uses 0.8 module pinions while the MR uses 0.6 module, so you can make finer adjustments to the ratio with the MR. However the coarser TS pinions and spurs are more robust, so both have their advantages.

I'd have difficulty picking one over the other personally - they are both good, capable platforms well-suited to garden running. However if you like the idea of a Top Force, the Manta Ray will give you much the same experience, whereas the Terra Scorcher will be more different.

2022-05-14_01-50-09

 

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Plus 1 on both the TT02B and Manta Ray options. I think the trouble with the MR will be the availability. I've been thinking about getting one recently, but only toying with the idea as the originals will likely break quickly due to age and the rere are going for a fair bit over what I'd be comfortable paying. The TT02B however, I got one for Christmas and have it on the shelf, with a plan for the build and colour scheme, plus I've been accumulating mods/hopups from the likes of PJ etc. and will execute that build before the end of the summer.

Between the two I think it depends on what you intend to do with it and how much you might want to mod it, plus do you want retro or modern? The MR is a classic, but will cost more overall. The TT02B is modern and parts and hopups are readily available.

...it's a toughy, I say you buy both!!!:lol:

One other option could be the DF-02, so the Rising Storm, Gravel Hound and Aero Avante. The latter of which can be picked up for less than £140 NIB delivered, but it's not the best looking buggy that's for sure. However, the DF-02 is the predecessor to the TT02B as I understand it, so may not be worth considering. For me I love the Rising Storm body shell so have picked up some 2nd hand chassis and shells to tinker with.

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2 hours ago, Kol__ said:

One other option could be the DF-02, so the Rising Storm, Gravel Hound and Aero Avante. The latter of which can be picked up for less than £140 NIB delivered, but it's not the best looking buggy that's for sure. However, the DF-02 is the predecessor to the TT02B as I understand it, so may not be worth considering. For me I love the Rising Storm body shell so have picked up some 2nd hand chassis and shells to tinker with.

If the running area is reasonably smooth, the DF-02 is a good shout, being the buggified sibling of the TT-01, so several key drivetrain hop-ups are cross-compatible. It also comes stock with metal diffs, so isn't susceptible to the clicking issues of the plastic-diffed TT-02B. And I agree - the Rising Storm shell is pleasing to the eye.

2021-01-21_01-38-05

That said, the experience is some distance from what you would get from a Top Force or similar vintage model. 

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20 minutes ago, Grumpy pants said:

The area I’ll be running in - 

F37-F8397-7253-4-A99-A116-8-ED9-ECE3-E43

 

Hard to tell in the photo - how deep is the grass would you say?

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19 minutes ago, TurnipJF said:

Hard to tell in the photo - how deep is the grass would you say?

I’d say pretty short with some undulations around the tree mainly. 

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As @Willy iine said ive made parts to increase the ride height of my TT02B chassi, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5329564 the files are free.

Quote

The lower arm has more space for the cup on the drive axle to allow for droop, mount the shortest eyelets that come on the sprue, the holes for the pins connecting the hub carriers to the arms and arms to the chassi needed to be drilled out on my print but my printer is a cheapo DIY kit so might not be necessary on more accurate printers.
these also decrease the wheelbase to be closer to that of the original Sand Scorcher.
The +1cm suspension eyelet go on the front and will give a bit of lift there.

The ride height increase mods can be used with the original TT02B if wanted.
The four holes close together on the shorter shock tower allow for mounting the wing with in its original position but isnt necessary as the original shock tower can be used with the +1cm suspension eyelets and modded rear arms for ride height increase there.

@Rvl 2 said that increased ride height can also be achieved by using regular TT02 wheel axles since the cups on them are smaller and will allow for more droop/ground clearance. then you just add longer eyelets on the shocks, or replace the shocks with longer ones, or replace the shock towers with shorter ones and you are good to go.

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TT-02B is a good shout but you could also consider that a few stores have the Thunder Dragon going under £150 these days. Worth considering for that extra £30. I have a TT-02b and it is great fun and will be fine in your back garden 

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4 hours ago, Grumpy pants said:

I’d say pretty short with some undulations around the tree mainly. 

In that case, a TT-02B or DF-02 should be fine even without ground clearance mods. 

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12 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

Fortunately I do, having restomodded a Manta Ray and a Thundershot which is based on the same chassis as the Terra Scorcher.

The TS is an older design, with a slightly higher CoG and greater ground clearance, giving it better offroad ability than the MR. However it also rolls a bit more easily, and is slightly heavier. The Manta Ray is more stable in corners and still features a goodly bit of ground clearance compared to modern buggies. Being a little lighter, it accelerates quicker all else being equal, but with the abundant power of modern motors this may not be an issue. Both have had relatively recent re-releases so parts availability is similar for both.

Both feature drivetrains with plenty of gears, so are quite noisy, especially the more recent releases of the TS which have little bumpy moulding imperfections which need either careful trimming or a lot of running-in to stop them making an unholy racket. The TS uses 0.8 module pinions while the MR uses 0.6 module, so you can make finer adjustments to the ratio with the MR. However the coarser TS pinions and spurs are more robust, so both have their advantages.

I'd have difficulty picking one over the other personally - they are both good, capable platforms well-suited to garden running. However if you like the idea of a Top Force, the Manta Ray will give you much the same experience, whereas the Terra Scorcher will be more different.

2022-05-14_01-50-09

 

I own and run both buggies, and agree with all of the above.

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Lots of great tips and advice - thank you everyone 👍
 

Reading the advice there are plenty of good options for me, so I’m going to bide my time and watch eBay to see what comes up as the best overall deal for me.

I want to avoid another resto money pit as my SRB is still hurting my wallet  😂

If a decent used buggy/project  doesn’t happen I’ll pull the trigger on a TT02B from Fusion in the next few weeks.

Currently watching some listings on eBay, MR, TS, TD etc it will be interesting to where they end up on price  - I’m pretty sure the prices are coming my way little by little as a buyer.

 

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There's another one ending in a hr and 24mins;)

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Options then are -

DF02

DF03

Manta Ray

Terra Scorcher

TT02B 

I would need to get lucky to pick up TS with my budget and I need to careful not to buy a project that becomes a money pit.

The hunt is on, well after my holiday anyway 😂

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