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skom25

Plasma Edge II straight from box: Good or not?

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On 3/23/2023 at 9:43 AM, skom25 said:

Currently I have DT-03. It is quite fun to slide around and learn how to control car.

How it compares to 4WD? Will it go dead straight? If yes, I think I will loose much fun...

I think about Plasma Edge but if it will be so easy to control, it can be boring at some point.

Any car ought to be able to go straight if set up properly, and even if set up properly, they can still be challenging to drive with a sufficiently powerful motor. You just reach the point of challengingly powered quicker with 2WD than with 4WD. 😁

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5 hours ago, skom25 said:

Month ago I bought DT-03. Plan was to build stock as first model. Well, list of Hop Ups is veeery long...

'tis always the way! Build it stock, find a problem, fix it with hop-ups, find another problem, you know it'll be just so once you fix that with hop-ups, then find a new problem you've got a cunning plan all of your own to fix. Rinse. Repeat.... 

😁

I reckon don't worry about it. Think of it like getting a whole new car to play with for each problem/fix/hop-up/mod cycle. Then it's a bargain. 

I think every one of mine has some sort of mechanical to do list like this. If it doesn't (M-08R?) maybe it needs a hotter motor. 

TT-02s are great precisely because they're rubbish*. It's what we're here for! 

*they're not really. I'd quite like a TT-02B(R?) actually.

Sorry, I digress. This has little to do with the point of the thread. It's been a long week 🍻 😉

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On 3/24/2023 at 10:14 AM, skom25 said:

Month ago I bought DT-03. Plan was to build stock as first model. Well, list of Hop Ups is veeery long...

I do have both dt-03 and tt-02b… and i spent way more for tt-02b hopups than dt-03. (Just sheer amount of hop ups for tt-02b is crazy. Spent $150 for tt-02 kit, and about $300 for hop ups (all tamiya ones) .(at least i got hop ups mainly from plaza japan… so it couldve been much higher).

 

Though i think it was worth it.. enjoyment when adding hop ups and experiences..

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One thing that I'd like to bring up is that, at least here in the States, there aren't that many 4WD 1/10 scale RCs at the price point of the TT-02B.

The closest models that I know of are done by cheaper brands like Redcat, or Tamiyas own "Dragon" line-up.

That being said it can easily become a $200 RC once you've sorted the steering and drivetrain out, and its not hard to push into RC10/Losi territory if you go too far in hop ups.

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I checked parts prices and... standard parts are quite cheap. Hop Ups are not. 

I checked few times and was really, really surprised. DT-03 Hop Ups are much cheaper. Aluminium sterring set for TT-02 is almost half price of whole kit. Carbon shock towers are also quite expensive.

 

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25 minutes ago, skom25 said:

Aluminium sterring set for TT-02 is almost half price of whole kit. Carbon shock towers are also quite expensive.

Try GPM or 3R for parts, much cheaper and sometimes offer more than Tamiya parts.

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1 hour ago, skom25 said:

I checked parts prices and... standard parts are quite cheap. Hop Ups are not. 

I checked few times and was really, really surprised. DT-03 Hop Ups are much cheaper. Aluminium sterring set for TT-02 is almost half price of whole kit. Carbon shock towers are also quite expensive.

 

It doesn't help that most "higher end" kits, like the upcoming TT-02BR, still don't come with better steering (not even just a better plastic design that allows you to install bearings).

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That is interesting, especially that I read that those sterring parts and very flexible shock towers are the worst areas of TT-02.

 

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13 minutes ago, skom25 said:

That is interesting, especially that I read that those sterring parts and very flexible shock towers are the worst areas of TT-02.

 

 

29 minutes ago, Kowalski86 said:

It doesn't help that most "higher end" kits, like the upcoming TT-02BR, still don't come with better steering (not even just a better plastic design that allows you to install bearings).

Truth is, the TT-02 is a decade old chassis. Instead of coming out with a TT-03, Tamiya just kept reboxing them. Throw a few different bits in an call it S, R, X or as someone suggested, a 'brand new release' TT-02 SRXXXXXX.

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17 minutes ago, alvinlwh said:

 

Truth is, the TT-02 is a decade old chassis. Instead of coming out with a TT-03, Tamiya just kept reboxing them. Throw a few different bits in an call it S, R, X or as someone suggested, a 'brand new release' TT-02 SRXXXXXX.

For just bashing I don't mind an old design if its decent, an old but reliable design is better than revising it every 3 years and discontinuing parts.

I do think that hop-ups really should be cheaper though, there's a lot of "perceived value" at play there.

Its too bad that they don't make a "GRX" edition though, I'd consider picking that up.

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49 minutes ago, Kowalski86 said:

For just bashing I don't mind an old design if its decent, an old but reliable design is better than revising it every 3 years and discontinuing parts.

Old designs are fine. I recently did a TA-02 and that is a three decade design, and I love it. But as you said earlier, the TT-02 is badly needing some updates, so IMHO, a new TT is overdue, rather than another reboxing.

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30 minutes ago, alvinlwh said:

Old designs are fine. I recently did a TA-02 and that is a three decade design, and I love it. But as you said earlier, the TT-02 is badly needing some updates, so IMHO, a new TT is overdue, rather than another reboxing.

IMHO, the TT-02 is still fine for its purpose and intended user base and is miles better than the chassis it replaced. If you want an updated, competitive chassis, you can always get a TA or TB chassis. We don’t need a TT series every 3 or 4 years. 
 

Regarding hopups, you don’t always have to get Tamiya. In my country I can get an unbranded TT-02 aluminum steering set for $5 and unbranded TT-02 aluminum adjustable motor mount for $3.50. Both are Yeah Racing clones, shipped from China. Aluminum prop shaft and joints are $5, bearing set for $3, 4 pcs CVD universals for $9.34. These prices are in USD. The only hopup that I would definitely get Tamiya and not from China are the dampers. 

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1 hour ago, one_hit said:

We don’t need a TT series every 3 or 4 years. 

No we certainly don't. But the 02 is 10 years old now, not 3 or 4, and looking at the cycle, 01 (2003), 01E (2008) and 02 (2013) a new one is probably on the way.

1 hour ago, one_hit said:

Regarding hopups, you don’t always have to get Tamiya.

Completely agree. I use a some AliExpress 'special' along with GPM, 3R and YR.

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34 minutes ago, alvinlwh said:

No we certainly don't. But the 02 is 10 years old now, not 3 or 4, and looking at the cycle, 01 (2003), 01E (2008) and 02 (2013) a new one is probably on the way.

Completely agree. I use a some AliExpress 'special' along with GPM, 3R and YR.

More like I build an M-05, then its replacement the MB-01 gets announced, now that I have a TT-02 the '03 will be announced shortly!

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9 minutes ago, Kowalski86 said:

More like I build an M-05, then its replacement the MB-01 gets announced, now that I have a TT-02 the '03 will be announced shortly!

Don't worry about it, unless you want to be the first, wait it out a bit for the price to drop. I got a preorder rere Thunder Dragon once and the price fell by £20 after a year. I am not looking for the latest or the best, just somewhat disappointed that Tamiya is still boxing up old 02 and 01E as 'new' release.

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So which hop-ups have y'all got on your TT-02Bs, which brands did you go for, and are you happy with your choices?

Mine has the following:

Hard chassis, Tamiya, totally happy.

Reinforced diff covers, Tamiya, totally happy. 

Carbon shock towers, Tamiya, happy with everything except the price. 

Carbon battery hold-down, Fastrax, totally happy. 

High torque servo saver, Tamiya, totally happy. 

Alloy slotted motor mount, Yeah Racing, totally happy, even more so than I would have been with the Tamiya one which isn't as adjustable.  

Alloy propshaft and cups, Miniature Manufacturing, totally happy, made by a local machinist in his shed to a very high standard yet cost less than a cheap import. 

Alloy dogbones, GPM, totally happy since I am using the DF-02 axles and drive cups which allow me to use GPM DF-02 dogbones. Would not have been happy with the shorter and unnecessarily chunky GPM TT-02B ones. 

Steel pinion, Schumacher, totally happy. 

Steel ball nuts, Tamiya, totally happy. 

Alloy ballraced steering rack, GPM, happy with the machined alloy pieces, the supplied bearings were a bit rubbish, but totally happy with the rubber sealed ones from RCBearings.co.uk that I replaced them with. 

Steel turnbuckles, Tamiya, totally happy. 

Lightweight kingpins, Tamiya, totally happy.

Metal DF-02 diffs, Tamiya, totally happy. 

Rubber sealed bearings, RCBearings.co.uk, totally happy. 

Alloy clamping hexes, EBay no-name, not great at staying clamped, will probably replace at some point. 

2.2 wheels and tyres, FTX, they wear quite quickly but grip well and are cheap, so I'd say I'm happy with them. 

Alloy wheel nuts, EBay no-name, no issues so far. 

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2 hours ago, alvinlwh said:

Don't worry about it, unless you want to be the first, wait it out a bit for the price to drop. I got a preorder rere Thunder Dragon once and the price fell by £20 after a year. I am not looking for the latest or the best, just somewhat disappointed that Tamiya is still boxing up old 02 and 01E as 'new' release.

I like sitting back and reading everyone elses builds, then giving my own a shot if the chassis doesn't have any serious faults.

What I'd like is a DT-04, the 02 and 03 are fine but you can't really hop them up like a TT-02B.

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1 hour ago, TurnipJF said:

 Alloy propshaft and cups, Miniature Manufacturing, totally happy, made by a local machinist in his shed to a very high standard yet cost less than a cheap import. 

I wish I had a local machinist (or even knew more about it myself), are they anonized or just regular alloy?

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24 minutes ago, Kowalski86 said:

What I'd like is a DT-04,

Yes please! With hex fronts.

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4 hours ago, alvinlwh said:

Don't worry about it, unless you want to be the first, wait it out a bit for the price to drop. I got a preorder rere Thunder Dragon once and the price fell by £20 after a year. I am not looking for the latest or the best, just somewhat disappointed that Tamiya is still boxing up old 02 and 01E as 'new' release.

I still have lots of chassis to try.. so focusing on chassis that are currently available + some what old (such as ta-02)… before tamiya stops making them

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5 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

I wish I had a local machinist (or even knew more about it myself), are they anonized or just regular alloy?

Regular alloy, as are all of the visible alloy components on my TT-02B. I didn't think that blue alloy went very well with the pink metallic body and wing. 

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On 3/26/2023 at 7:34 AM, skom25 said:

I checked parts prices and... standard parts are quite cheap. Hop Ups are not. 

I checked few times and was really, really surprised. DT-03 Hop Ups are much cheaper. Aluminium sterring set for TT-02 is almost half price of whole kit. Carbon shock towers are also quite expensive.

 

Let alone the aluminum dampers

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Personally, if i were to buy a brand new tt-02b and get hopups, I will get bearing + carbon shock towers + adjustable turn buckles. 

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First off I have a TT02b. (I also have a dt02 and dt03)

I also have a team losi 22 5.0. I bought the roller because you just cant beat the price when its on sale.

Night and day difference. No amount of hoppus can compare or come close to the Losi except the trf201xm which is no longer available

Now there is nothing wrong with Tamiya.  But some basic kits just don't cut it. The tt02b is one of them.  I spent money on dampers, turnbuckles, universals, dual block tires, and some df03 wheels. It still needs a long list of hopups and going this route its cheaper to get a tt02br kit which is basically an unbuilt roller without tires. The price is around 252.00 US

My Losi 22 5.0 dc roller was 259.99 on sale and is also a roller but prebuilt.

Both need tires, servo, motor, esc, battery, and paint.

the only obvious difference is 2wd vs 4wd. They perform worlds apart.

Everyone here loves Tamiya including me. Everyone also wants a buggy that can perform and has parts availability. I hear a lot about parts support for 3 years and then no parts. the 22 3.0 was released in 2015 and still has parts support and interchangeability with the most recent model.  most parts even compatible with the original 22 and 22 2.0 all the way back to 2011.

I'm not trying to shy anyone away from Tamiya but what has Tamiya done to fill that gap? Nothing but a BBX which is not what I am looking for.

If you want something really decent that is Tamiya id say there is the TD2. Out of box it is set up for dirt because of the ball diff.

If you want to do carpet then you need the gear diff and sways.

Just my .02

 

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Hi, hope you don't mind me asking a question or two ?I've decided to get the TT02Bas it's pretty much the only budget 4wd kit and I don't want to mess with the df03 ball diffs and lack of spares. I'm familiar with the chassis and it's shortfalls as my son had the road version. I'm happy to upgrade some parts as I enjoy it as a project. I would like to run my trackstar 13.5 3000kv in it from my DT02 which is a bit too lively now I use 2s lipo and 19t pinion so I can put the kit TT motor in that . This is not a powerful motor compared to some 13.5t's and lots run it in the TT02 with stock diffs on NiMH & lipo without issue so I'll see what happens first before upgrading the diffs . What I would like is some pinion size advice , I don't bash, I drive mixture of surfaces in the park, short grass ,dirt under the trees, loose tarmac etc. What pinion size will suite this best, I have a spare 24t but feel it may be too big, is a 20t more appropriate, any advice appreciated  

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