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Kowalski86

Your Favorite/Least Favorite M-Chassis

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While waiting to get everything together for an M03 rally project I figured I'd start a topic on M-Chassis. Only recently have I really gotten into these since they make on-road RC very fun.

So far I like my M-06 to drive, the same faults that make it hard to race make it fun on parking lots, it really is the perfect chassis for older rear-motor cars. Working on it can be awkward though, routing the servo wire and getting the ESC/motor wires to reach when LWB is annoying.

While my MF-01x was my least favorite, I can't call it bad in anyway. It just had its share of flaws in the back area and 4wd made it predictable on tarmac, I never did oil dampers with it admittedly.

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I run my M cars on tarmac / concrete in car parks for fun.

I run M03, M04 and M05-RA.

The M03 is simple but effective, the M04 I have a soft spot for despite its reputation for poor handling (I'm no racer and don't push it to the limit so it is fine for me) and the very hopped-up M05-RA showed itself be quite a step-up from the M03 when I ran it recently.

I didn't enjoy the M05 build though - overly complex and I had a bad chassis mould that required replacement (and corresponding delay in completion which soured things a little).

After that experience I stayed away from the M06 - I thought have more than enough M04s to slake my RWD thirst. Maybe I ought to get a Giulia before they stop making them?

I have an MF-01X to build and have seen the documented issues with the upper rear mounts, mine will have oil dampers and some mild hop-ups.

So least favourite build was the M05-RA but it is definitely the best runner. But the M04 is my favourite :ph34r: 

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1 hour ago, Badcrumble said:

I run my M cars on tarmac / concrete in car parks for fun.

I run M03, M04 and M05-RA.

The M03 is simple but effective, the M04 I have a soft spot for despite its reputation for poor handling (I'm no racer and don't push it to the limit so it is fine for me) and the very hopped-up M05-RA showed itself be quite a step-up from the M03 when I ran it recently.

I didn't enjoy the M05 build though - overly complex and I had a bad chassis mould that required replacement (and corresponding delay in completion which soured things a little).

After that experience I stayed away from the M06 - I thought have more than enough M04s to slake my RWD thirst. Maybe I ought to get a Giulia before they stop making them?

I have an MF-01X to build and have seen the documented issues with the upper rear mounts, mine will have oil dampers and some mild hop-ups.

So least favourite build was the M05-RA but it is definitely the best runner. But the M04 is my favourite :ph34r: 

I had an M05, the front end wasn't too bad but the back area seemed a bit busy. Admittedly I didn't build it, how was the build overly complex?

The MF-01x will likely be a more complex build being 4WD, adjustable gearing (which can be picky on these), and the servo being concealed within the front end.

The M06 is very different than any of the older M chassis. Its closer to a buggy with extra bits of reinforcment in some areas, but unlike the older M chassis it protects the battery pretty well if you run it in dirt.

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The M05 is built with a mix of screw sizes rather than the simpler older M03 and M04 and has a more complex servo / steering arrangement. 

I also had an issue with the chassis moulding which meant I struggled with a driveshaft bearing.

I also find it fiddly to change the battery.

This was my old build thread

Great fun to run though

I forgot to list it in my previous post but I recently picked up an M-08R. I haven't built it yet but I have a feeling that it might usurp the M-05RA as my favourite having looked at the manual and the fact it is RWD.

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So far i only have experience with m05 and mf-01x. Mf-01x is okay, not the super fan of it due to unnecessary complication with servo as well as rear suspension. Did put cvas on and improved a bit though due to shorter wheel base, it seems to sensitive to control + dirt gets into spots between chassis. Lastly, it scratches up my battery too much. Unlike m05, it does not protect lower end of batteries when running on dirt.

M05 is definitely easier to build, though I think it could be even simpler. Enjoy the driving characteristic so i plan to convert it to m05ra to probably replace my mf01x spot.

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My favorite m-chassis is my TOP Racing Sabre FWD and AWD m-chassis.  There is just no comparison when it comes to quality and driving stability, commitment.. will see if my comment changes after building the XM1Competition hopefully soon.

My least favorite is the M04 as I just could not get much stabilty on regular traction.. closely followed by the M05 although I have a couple of them as I wanted the Mini body.  :lol:  M05's are okay, but M03 is where it's at for me if Tamiya FWD.  

But this is just me, so please don't mind me.  

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I loved my M01.. I am gutted I sold it, it had all the hop-ups of the time and it was really fast.. Least favourite is the M06.. just never felt it was consistent. The M07 is a country mile the best M-Chassis. Absolutely superb car, a totally different league to the other cars and even in the Bandit classes against the other manufactures chassis it cleans up. So much so that they all moved over to M07's 

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I love my MF01x trucks. Out the box they don't make much sense perhaps, they are not quite fast enough to be exciting rally cars and have an odd weight distribution which makes them poor crawlers with that (relative to the car) giant motor out the back.

However with a faster motor and larger pinion they can be pretty speedy, and with a smaller pinion, much softer springs and bigger wheels they can make a good trail truck too. They are a kind of do everything a little chassis, they are not going to excel at anything, but are versatile to work well at a few things and lots of fun. Other than the design flaw in the upper mounts there are very few issues with running them at all. 

I also love the fact the wheelbase is easily changed, and with longer arms you can increase the track width too.

I just wish the motor was at the front - that would help make them feel like a rally car perhaps and crawl/trail better too.

 

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12 hours ago, Sogogi said:

M05 is definitely easier to build, though I think it could be even simpler. Enjoy the driving characteristic so i plan to convert it to m05ra to probably replace my mf01x spot.

Good to know about the build, I just ordered an NSU TT for my first proper kit. I will caution you with the RA conversion, on my old M05 the RA conversion (mixed with 40wt shocks) caused a good bit of traction roll on pavement, it had a Mini JCW body at the time.

For me I didn't mind the MFs quirks other than it losing gear mesh ocassionally...or dropping a rear dogbone, I just didn't look forward to servicing it. I have an M06 that I plan on making into an M06Ra of sorts to fill its shoes.

@Nikko85

It felt pretty close to how a rally beetle probably feels, seems like an odd choice for the upcoming Golf Mk2 though.

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I only have experience with the M04 and the M05 but I have to say I think the M04 was a better-driving chassis out of the box. The M05, to me, has the same issues the box-stock TT02 does with being darty and inprecise. It feels like it's impossible to trim the steering and no matter what you do you're always correcting for it drifting one way or another, and even with serious amounts of steering expo it still feels very very twitchy.

I fixed this on my TT02 by replacing the steering rack with an aftermarket aluminum unit as well as replacing the servo saver with a solid servo arm. I've already ordered the steering rack for the M05 and I'll delete the servo saver while I'm installing the steering upgrade and I'm willing to bet that resolves much of the problem just like it did on the TT02. 

Even with that, though, I love the M05. It's such a neatly-designed little chassis. I really want an M06, M07 and M08 but the latter two are still too expensive for me to splurge on (especially with the M07 lacking the 210mm wheelbase option) and I have to find a MR body I really want for the M06. Though the Lowrider Pumpkin is kind of neat...

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I have build a M05 and upgraded it to a M05ver2 with some other hop ups, so it can take lipos.

I also have a M02 and had a M05-RA. 

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Of the ones I have, the Iconic Cup-legal M03 gets driven most, and that's at 2-3 events per year.  It's taken me a long time to learn how to set it up properly and get the necessary hop-ups installed, but I put in some very impressive times for a mid-field driver last year and had a blast with it.  So, I'd probably say the M03 is my favourite.  It's simple but very effective, tough, easy to drive, with tonnes of hop-ups still available, and (in the UK at least) the very best national race series where it's still absolutely competitive.

A year ago I bought an M05 to start doing local racing with, but after a couple of disastrous days I walked away in shame.  Nothing wrong with the car, the build was good and it didn't really drive any different to the M03, I was using the wrong tyres so my racing was miserable.

BITD, when the M05 first came out, I was racing my M03 in a local stock class against some M05s.  I consistently finished several laps down in every heat, although the top-level racers told me an M03 shouldn't be far off an M05 on a small carpet track.  Well, a few years later somebody was helping me set my car up for tarmac, and he said the setup was way wrong, even for carpet.  So perhaps I'd been listening to the wrong advice, or at least following a philosophy that wasn't working for me.

The M03Ra was made a long time back, and was really just an M03 with longer shocks and 1.9" rally blocks.  It ran surprisingly well on loose dirt, although it didn't get used a lot.  I haven't even seen it in years, it's stored away somewhere and would be a fun project to restart, if only I had somewhere good to run 1.9 rally cars.  Everywhere is either too hard (dusty tarmac) or too bumpy (heavy gravel).

I've got an M04 somewhere.  Maybe even two of them?  Mostly it sat on the shelf.  I think I once or twice drove it around the tiled kitchen where I lived 16 years ago, did a few donuts, then cut it up for a project that was never officially finished.  The last time it "ran" was then I loaned the back half of it to a friend to use in a theatre production.  He installed it in a broken laser printer so it would eject sheets of paper across the stage during some crazy office dance number.  Shame, I never got photos of that.  One of these days I'll get around to painting one of those HPI Miata bodies and putting it back on the shelf.  Maybe I should build the other one as a runner and find out what all the fuss is about.  I always felt the design was horribly compromised, but maybe it'll be fun?  Maybe I should even test it in a practice session at the Iconic Cup.  I think somebody races one at the Cup with reasonable success.

Finally, I have an M01/M02 hybrid.  It's got a Saturn 20 in each end, a custom plastic-welded mid-section to retain the short wheelbase to fit a HPI Mini Classic body, it still has the standard friction shocks, no anti-roll bars, standard plastic steering assembly, it looks like badword and goes like a demon.  On tarmac it handles surprisingly well, and really needs more run-time - we need to do more open bashing on tarmac tracks - despite the horrific body roll it doesn't want to flip over all that much.  Some people are still running M01s and M02s in the Iconic Cup, so they can be made competitive, somehow.  Although I really love my hybrid for its insane speed and talking-point craziness, it is definitely my least favourite of the M-chassis designs.  It's amazing how Tamiya managed to completely refine the M-chassis philosophy between 01 and 03 to implement proper independent shocks and a sensible steering system (although technically the 01 geometry is superior, at least in theory, if you can get it to work without twisting or binding).

So - in summary, M03 is my fave for its simplicity, ruggedness and close, competitive racing, and M01 is my least fave for just being a bit of a clumsy, dated oddball.

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4 hours ago, Fabia130vRS said:

I am def sure the M05 is superior to the M03 in terms of grip

The M05 has better weight distribution, but the M03 can accelerate a little better thanks to it being as front heavy as it is.

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LOLZ, . I very much doubt it will be worse than the M05.. I imagine it will be better.. but we will see. 

I think it will look nice and tidy if the electrics were installed professionally. 

 

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40 minutes ago, toyolien said:

My least favourite m-chassis is the MB-01. Just sayin'. 

I have my own critiques but I think we should wait until its out and about before being too harsh.

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I am a MTC class fan and my collection consists of both Tamiya and non Tamiya. I bash alone not race so my views may differ from others.

M-05Ra - A bit meh and need quite a bit of hop ups to get right 

M-06 - PITA to build as you said, some how felt like it is a badly designed/messy chassis.

3R MG Evo - Felt much better to drive than the M-05, better OOB and cheaper as well. 

3R M4 - My favourite MTC! Great OOB.

MST TCR-M - A bit of a formula crossed with pan car MTC (also available as a standard TC car). Can be built as a FF, MR or RR or even twin motor FF + RR 4WD which is great fun. My second favourite.

MF-01X - My second entry to the budget rally build off, not started yet.

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4 hours ago, alvinlwh said:

M-05Ra - A bit meh and need quite a bit of hop ups to get right 

M-06 - PITA to build as you said, some how felt like it is a badly designed/messy chassis.

MF-01X - My second entry to the budget rally build off, not started yet.

Other than the wiring I haven't found the M-06 all that hard to work on, its more or less a buggy chassis with extra bits of reinforcement that make it a bit "messy". It is a bit easier to work on than the MF-01X in my experience. 

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1 hour ago, Kowalski86 said:

make it a bit "messy".

Yes messy. That was the word I was looking for. Felt like parts thrown together to make a car.

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My M-chassis fleet runs from 03 to 08 + an 01X in scaler trim. Favourite is hard to decide. It is definitely the 07 or 08 - both are superb - but there is so little to choose between them. Both are fast, reliable, easy to tune and easy to work on, with excellent materials and a good spec out of the box. 

Least favourite is the M-04. I know that some people have mastered it, but I just don't have the tuning or driving skills to make it behave on a track. 

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Pardon the bump, but after building and owning several M chassis at this point I'd like to revise my list:

Favorite: MF-01X...as an on-road basher. I always felt thats where this chassis would work best, so I migrated my NSU shell and wheels to one to make the perfect mix. Now it drives like a rear motor car without any of the drawbacks of the M06. It is not a good "rally" chassis despite Tamiyas marketing, but it is a fun on-road basher.

The M-05 is a little annoying to build, not a good rally car (same reasons as MF-01X) but a solid basic on-road basher. It is very much an evolved M-03, which was also a good chassis. Bonus points for only needing one part swapped to accomidate all 3 wheelbases. The instructed wiring/electronics placement works surprisingly well for as odd as the chassis is.

My M-03s were simple, drove fine if front heavy, the back servo pocket will collect pebbles and dirt. Might be unpopular but I prefer the M05 for its better weight distribtion.

Least: M-06, battery installation is annoying, rear damper access is difficult, the tub chassis collects debris (even on asphalt), weights more than other M chassis, instructed wiring is a mess, but more than anything else I would run it with a Torque Tuned/18t pinion and it would overheat like mad, the weird "cage" around the motor just suffocates it along with the poor air flow to the motor. If I had to rank my least favorite Tamiya chassis it'd be in the running.

I am curious to see how the MB-01 will turn out as looks very different to previous M chassis, no TL-01 style chassis or a-arms. Might sit too low to really make into a rally car.

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I had finished my MF-01X build and I had to say it is the worse Tamiya build I ever had done. First there is the uneven rear droop problem which I fixed. Then there is the dogbones popping out when on high suspension setting. Built exactly as per the instructions and it didn't work. And unlike the Frog, expensive CVD also pops out! Lastly, it is impossible to set the pinion mash right as it is not visible through the little hole. Even shining a light through will not work. I had to go just by feel and hope I felt correctly.

Now, the build went badly, but driving it is another story. While I geared it too fast with the speed gear set, it handled the rough conditions next to the canal path just fine. It even does small jumps/hops nearly. I have TC sized rally wheels on BTW, not the little 60D things, and that could be why it did off road better, even on the low suspension setting to prevent popping dogbones.

I had since regeared it but had not driven it yet.

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6 minutes ago, alvinlwh said:

Now, the build went badly, but driving it is another story. While I geared it too fast with the speed gear set, it handled the rough conditions next to the canal path just fine. It even does small jumps/hops nearly. I have TC sized rally wheels on BTW, not the little 60D things, and that could be why it did off road better, even on the low suspension setting to prevent popping dogbones.

Touring size wheels do make a difference, 60D rally wheels really struggle on anything more than a baseball diamond.

My biggest issue with the MF-01X is that as a "rally" chassis it is challenging to work on it, and if you drive it in gravel/dirt it will get into the front chassis half.

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