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1 hour ago, Nicadraus said:

As a beginner's kit, the TT-02, R & D versions are fine. But I find the TT-02 S, SR and SRX overrated and ridiculous for the price Tamiya is asking for. As mentioned, the TA/TB chassis' are much, much better kits. There are also so many other options from other brands like Xpress (I mentioned this in the first page), LC Racing, Kyosho (Fazer as mentioned above), AE, MST, SNRC, Carten/MTS, and the list goes on, are out there with much better offerings than a supposedly high-end version of the TT-02 which is still so incomplete in terms of proper performance parts. If TCS is the only reason to buy this, I'd rather skip that class and jump to something else where there's a higher level of competition and not to the one that limits your car's set up.

But the whole point of a TCS is for a level playing field. There’s arguably far higher competition in a spec class than in an open with unlimited options

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11 minutes ago, Kowalski86 said:

 

I can explain all of Tamiyas weird pricing with two words, "perceived value".

See I just accepted that the current Tamiya prices were high in the UK and Japan cause both their economies in trouble? Arent these much cheaper in other countries (I want to say sub £250?)

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4 minutes ago, Kpowell911 said:

But the whole point of a TCS is for a level playing field. There’s arguably far higher competition in a spec class than in an open with unlimited options

The novice rules for TCS don't allow the SRX to run (unless if the sites out of date), but you can run any other non-drift TT variant.

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2 minutes ago, Kpowell911 said:

But the whole point of a TCS is for a level playing field. There’s arguably far higher competition in a spec class than in an open with unlimited options

The way I see it, the other objective of TCS is to manipulate the loyal fans and milk them with money by dictating and restricting the parts and electronics to use which is a win-win situation for Tamiya.

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1 minute ago, Kowalski86 said:

The novice rules for TCS don't allow the SRX to run (unless if the sites out of date), but you can run any other non-drift TT variant.

The Type S and SR and R are allowed however I believe. I was just pointing that out

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3 minutes ago, Nicadraus said:

The way I see it, the other objective of TCS is to manipulate the loyal fans and milk them with money by dictating and restricting the parts and electronics to use which is a win-win situation for Tamiya.

I think the electronic limitations are fine, my only gripe is basically freely allowing hop-ups...and forcing most of them to be first-party. I bet I'd get kicked out for running Robinson Racing pinions!

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30 minutes ago, Kpowell911 said:

See I just accepted that the current Tamiya prices were high in the UK and Japan cause both their economies in trouble? Arent these much cheaper in other countries (I want to say sub £250?)

They are cheaper in HK, or the Far East generally. However you cannot just do a whatever $ or ¥ to £ conversion comparison due to purchasing power (PPP or 'hamburger index'). Also, their overheads are probably lower all round.

Having said that, every time I flew out to the Far East, the savings on amount of kits I buy actually offsets the airfare*. The difference is so much that I don't even blink at the excess baggage fee. £75 for an extra piece of 23kg? Ha! It costs me that much to try and get a kit from RCJ/AT/RCM delivered!

*Note: this is more true when I live near a major airport like MAN, LHR and EDI, but now I need 3 flights to get there (more expensive), and am limited to one airline (no chance of finding a cheaper airline), savings are more difficult. Which is why the "shop till maxed out a second piece of extra luggage" tactic.

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1 minute ago, alvinlwh said:

They are cheaper in HK, or the Far East generally. However you cannot just do a whatever $ or ¥ to £ comparison due to purchasing power (PPP or 'hamburger index').

Having said that, every time I flew out to the Far East, the savings on amount of kits I buy actually offsets the airfare*. The difference is so much that I don't even blink at the excess baggage fee. £75 for an extra piece of 23kg? Ha! It costs me that much to try and get a kit from RCJ/AT/RCM delivered!

*Note: this is more true when I live near a major airport like MAN, LHR and EDI, but now I need 3 flights to get there (more expensive), and am limited to one airline (no chance of finding a cheaper airline), savings are more difficult. Which is why the "shop till maxed out a second piece of extra luggage" tactic.

For fear of going off topic. How much is a return flight? And Im guessing you have accommodation out there?

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22 minutes ago, Kpowell911 said:

For fear of going off topic. How much is a return flight? And Im guessing you have accommodation out there?

For me, currently, in the region of £600 - 700. From a major airport, can be below £500. Depending on date, timing, how far advance, etc of course.#

Depending on country, I may or may not have accommodation*. HK, for example, I do not. SG I do, sometimes, less now after a falling out. However, HK prices are far lower than SG (for comparison) so is my preferred destination. But how about JP? Their prices are quite low too right? Well, for starters, I do not speak the language and am unfamiliar with that place, so I do not know where to go. Furthermore their accomodation costs are insane.

*I never said the savings will offset the accomodation (or other) costs, just my airfare. The way I see it, it is still a vacation and there will be costs to it no matter where I go, but being able to come back loaded with kits that offset the airfare, kits that I will probably (want to) buy anyway is a win. In my most recent trip, my wife just threw out most of the children's clothes to make even more room for my stuff to max out the possible savings.

#airfare costs seems a bit wild at the moment, treat these just as a ballpark.

This maybe mostly off topic, so going back to the SRX, it weighs maybe 2kg? Yet it is over £100 (RCM USD 229/£185, MIBI £318) cheaper. So for a 23kg check in (my normal BA allowance x 2 if I pay £75 more), I can buy 11 kits for at least £1100 savings. Now of course no one will be buying 11 SRX (or will they?) but a spread of various kits. Pay particular attention to hopups, almost no weight and volume, yet massive price difference.

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25 minutes ago, alvinlwh said:

They are cheaper in HK, or the Far East generally. However you cannot just do a whatever $ or ¥ to £ conversion comparison due to purchasing power (PPP or 'hamburger index'). Also, their overheads are probably lower all round.

Having said that, every time I flew out to the Far East, the savings on amount of kits I buy actually offsets the airfare*. The difference is so much that I don't even blink at the excess baggage fee. £75 for an extra piece of 23kg? Ha! It costs me that much to try and get a kit from RCJ/AT/RCM delivered!

*Note: this is more true when I live near a major airport like MAN, LHR and EDI, but now I need 3 flights to get there (more expensive), and am limited to one airline (no chance of finding a cheaper airline), savings are more difficult. Which is why the "shop till maxed out a second piece of extra luggage" tactic.

How is the RC store situation in HK? Last time I was there was in 2018 and a lot of stores were gone. I did manage to bring home a Scania R620, Manta Ray and Isuzu Mu CC-01. I hope there are still a lot of stores still open, can’t wait to visit again especially now that I have a kid, that means more check-in luggage, more space for Rc stuff :lol:

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4 minutes ago, one_hit said:

How is the RC store situation in HK? Last time I was there was in 2018 and a lot of stores were gone. I did manage to bring home a Scania R620, Manta Ray and Isuzu Mu CC-01. I hope there are still a lot of stores still open, can’t wait to visit again especially :lol:

Unfortunately I was there even further back than you, 2015. Since having kids (2016), I had not been there, only SG. Was planning to go in 2020 but we all know what happened that year. Now planning for 2024. I have local resources there and they can help point me in the right direction. Sadly, on Google Streetview, I can see most of the shops are gone from "the model street".

https://maps.app.goo.gl/8MGaA8Vbj7osDV8j9

The good thing about shops in the Far East is they seem to hang on to old stock there, which make it a treasure hunt for rare long discontinued kits no longer available in the west. For example, last year I was at Tamiya SG showroom and picked up a FF03 kit that is "reduced to clear" for ~£125 and according to a fellow member, it had been on that clearance price for like 5 years!

6 minutes ago, one_hit said:

now that I have a kid, that means more check-in luggage, more space for Rc stuff :lol:

That's what children are for. 😉

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4 hours ago, Nicadraus said:

As a beginner's kit, the TT-02, R & D versions are fine. But I find the TT-02 S, SR and SRX overrated and ridiculous for the price Tamiya is asking for. As mentioned, the TA/TB chassis' are much, much better kits. There are also so many other options from other brands like Xpress (I mentioned this in the first page), LC Racing, Kyosho (Fazer as mentioned above), AE, MST, SNRC, Carten/MTS, and the list goes on, are out there with much better offerings than a supposedly high-end version of the TT-02 which is still so incomplete in terms of proper performance parts. If TCS is the only reason to buy this, I'd rather skip that class and jump to something else where there's a higher level of competition and not to the one that limits your car's set up.

How is TT02 SRX incomplete in terms of proper performance parts ? And why is TA/TB chassis much better ? Which one ?

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2 hours ago, akimrc said:

How is TT02 SRX incomplete in terms of proper performance parts ? And why is TA/TB chassis much better ? Which one ?

Current TA/TB chassis are designed with racing in mind, though the typical out of the box setup is normally suited to lower traction tracks (the cars have quite a bit of flex for example) - they can be made to perform well against top level cars with minimal additional parts.

I didn't do a lot at all to my TA08 to get it competitive - you would need to do a great deal to a box stock TT02.

My TA08 with aluminium suspension blocks and a top deck cost less than an SRX, and it's a really quick car. TA07 was a good car, but needed more hopups out of the box to be competitive on high grip tracks IMO, TA06 was a bit of a flop outside of Japan. TA05 is just lovely.

SRX should really have come with aluminium dampers and the aluminium steering set IMO for its price point though, and the aluminium motor mount as well TBH. 

Some aspects of the TT02 tub prevent getting the adjustability you can get with the TA/TB cars, as some of the suspension mounts are moulded into the tub and can't be adjusted, can't fiddle with droop in an easy way either.

TBH unless your racing at a decent level there's nothing wrong with the SRX - it's just expensive. It makes sense for TT02 based racing classes - though a lot of those in the UK club scene don't allow Type S/R/SRX anyway. Some clubs race a class where the only requirement is a TT02 tub with no other restrictions - but a club near me with this set of rules have TT02s running round that cost more than £500!

 

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17 hours ago, akimrc said:

How is TT02 SRX incomplete in terms of proper performance parts ? And why is TA/TB chassis much better ? Which one ?

@akimrc  @BuggyGuy covered the answer pretty much to your question.

EDIT: Sorry @Busdriver :lol: I was reading the FF thread and this (SRX) alternately and I mixed it up and tagged you instead of BuggyGuy.

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46 minutes ago, Nicadraus said:

I was referring the reply to @akimrc that you covered the answer to his question. :lol:

Really!!!what did I say cos I have a absolutely no knowledge in respect of the SRX🤔

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28 minutes ago, Busdriver said:

Really!!!what did I say cos I have a absolutely no knowledge in respect of the SRX🤔

I think he meant to say BuggyGuy?

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43 minutes ago, Kowalski86 said:

I think he meant to say BuggyGuy?

Thank god for that!!! I thought I was going crazy 😜 

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2 hours ago, Busdriver said:

Really!!!what did I say cos I have a absolutely no knowledge in respect of the SRX🤔

OMG! I got mixed up. Only realized now. Hahaha!

Ok now back to regular programming. :)

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I watched the last few minutes of RClicks video, the mount of extra shims and spacers makes me think that there was a bit of hodge-podging going on to get everything to work, and I guess I could see collectors buying this chassis...why you'd want to collect a bare entry-level chassis is beyond me (granted I don't get collecting in general but I can understand vintage or iconic stuff). In 20-30 years will we all be waxing nostalgia about our first TT-02 chassis in the same way as the vintage models?

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4 minutes ago, Kowalski86 said:

In 20-30 years will we all be waxing nostalgia about our first TT-02 chassis in the same way as the vintage models?

By then it will be the rererere of SRXXXXxxx.... Special Color Limited Edition.

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5 minutes ago, alvinlwh said:

By then it will be the rererere of SRXXXXxxx.... Special Color Limited Edition.

I think you mean "SRX-Type RZ Grey Blockhead Edition"

It'll have pink tires, brittle transparent shocks, shiny metallic tub, TRF599X arms, blue ball bearings, plastic motor mount, plastic shocks, all for the great value of $300!

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2 hours ago, ChrisRx718 said:

We should all just start a trend of tagging @Busdriver in all manner of obscure threads just to mess with him :ph34r:

I don’t need any more messing, it come quite naturally!!!

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