TT02 vs Fazer Mk2

[Kowalski86 4751]

Having owned too many TT02s to count and currently a Fazer Mk2, I figured that I'd make a simple post to compare the two. Keep in mind that neither of these are "race chassis" in my book, they're both basic body-holders meant to look good in action or on the shelf.

TT02:

+Plenty of aftermarket support

+Standard touring car wheelbase (257mm)

+More spec classes available for newcomer races.

+Parts are cheap and plentiful, more plentiful than Kyoshos

+Bigger variety of kits to start with (TT02R or SRX).

+It's possible to mount a rear bumper to protect your bodyshell better

+Front bumper foam fits bodyshells better.

-Poor steering, and none of the kits address this, issues tracking straight without modifications.

-ABS plastics, Fazer is nylon.

-Lots of plastic on plastic in the stock steering and suspension system.

-0.6 Gearing stock, not a very common type of gearing.

 

Fazer Mk2:

+Bodies are more detailed than Tamiya, and even feature separate parts like wipers.

+ Better stock motor, 14t 550 can with a built in fan, vs the slightly beefed up silver can motors in Tamiyas.

+Tracks straight, steers fine, it doesn't need any fiddling with or hop-ups to drive like a regular RC car. Less slop overall.

+Hex head screws and nylon plastic, though it still uses self-tappers in a few areas.

+Both use Hobbywing 1060s, but Kyosho gives you a Deans plug vs a molex.

+Body mounts can have their height adjusted, and are a better design overall.

+More classic muscle car bodyshells to pick from, there's even a pick-up truck.

+The bellcranks are braced and covered up to keep junk out, vs step-screws and exposed like a TT02.

+Shocks are held on with screws, vs Tamiyas ball connectors (which you need to upgrade just to have a set with hex heads).

? Most Fazers are RTR, most TT02s are kits. You decide which you prefer.

-Wheelbasea are weird, 260mm for the regular length, 271 (I think?) for the longer chassis. This can limit aftermarket body choice.

-Kyosho bodyshells are very expensive, almost as expensive as a basic TT02 kit.

-Propietary wheel hex system that involves screws to hold the wheels on, and you can only use Kyosho hexes. Aftermarket wheels work though. My Fazer has Tamiya wheels/slicks on it.

-Bumpers aren't always flush with the bodyshells, leaving a noticeable gap.

-Stock driveshaft isn't great and neither is the aluminum one. The TT02s is quite robust in comparison.

-First party upgrades are generally more expensive than Tamiyas, when they're in stock.

-Some first party upgrades aren't well thought out, and can either be downgrades or financial rip-offs (see the "rally" part set).

-Less adjustability out of the box than a TT02 (you can't change the shock positions).

-Shocks don't accept aftermarket springs, and Kyosho doesn't make any stiffer springs.

-Tends to bounce a bit at speed and bottom out sometimes. Thicker oil might fix this.

-The Fazer uses a slipper clutch...which is more or less pointless on a touring car and just adds to the complexity. This seems more like a feature for the "Mad Van" variant.

Neither chassis will beat a race-grade without a ton of money, so going on ease of repair and parts availability I'd go with the TT02. The Fazer is nicer out of the box (whichis good for cheap bums like me), but you can't take it nearly as far as a TT02.

[A2591 351]

I have several Fazer MK2's and TT-02's in various configurations and I agree with pretty much all of this.  While I generally like the Fazer, one thing that also bothered me was the fact that Kyosho doesn't make it easy to throw a oil filled differential or a locked spool.  You'll pretty much have to either piece one together or buy the ball diff, whereas you can throw in a locked spool, ball diff or oil filled diff in the TT-02.  The sintered gears in the Fazer make for a fairly loud drivetrain when compared to the TT-02.  Also don't like the fact that the front and rear diffs in the Fazer only have two bevel gears instead of four.

What is nice though is the nylon Kyosho uses is pretty resilient compared to the ABS in the standard TT-02, though no option for a somewhat more rigid chassis like the hard deck option Tamiya has.  The fact that you can throw on sway bars onto the Fazer is a plus, albeit an expensive option like most of the other factory upgrades availaible for it.

The Fazer does have a "kit" option which gives you several upgrades out of the box like the CVD for the front, aluminum center propshaft and the aluminum motor mount but does away with the body, radio gear and electronics.  Unfortunately its 40% pre-assembled.

They do handle pretty good for a RTR out of the box and the 550 has plenty of speed on 3S, and I do think they'll take more punishment than a box stock TT-02.

[Kowalski86 4751]

13 minutes ago, A2591 said:

What is nice though is the nylon Kyosho uses is pretty resilient compared to the ABS in the standard TT-02, though no option for a somewhat more rigid chassis like the hard deck option Tamiya has. 

Yea I'm not a fan of ABS plastic when it comes to "hobby-grade" RCs, not only is it weaker than nylon, but over time it gets brittle and you kinda have to baby it.

I can't say if a Fazer or a TT02 would be more durable than one another, most touring cars will destroy their bodyshells before anything else, the steering in the Fazer is much more secure though.

 

[stockae92 20]

I have both. Kinda of. I road my TT02 on road and the Fazer MkII (Rage 2.0) as a beater. I have yet broke something on the TT02, but the Rage was TOUGH. I broke a front up right, stripped a hex hub, cracked the front suspension support (crap, forgot what it called). But the car took TONS of ABUSE, including just hand it to a bunch of 8 year old kids with no supervision, and all they want to see is how it crash. 

I found that I enjoy building / rebuilding the Fazer more. The thing I wished is Rage 2.0 is RTR , I would love if Kyosho release it as a kit.

[Kowalski86 4751]

On 4/7/2024 at 6:24 PM, stockae92 said:

I found that I enjoy building / rebuilding the Fazer more. The thing I wished is Rage 2.0 is RTR , I would love if Kyosho release it as a kit.

Same here, I'm generally not a fan of RTR servos, and I'd rather assemble my own shocks vs having them tightened down too much in a factory.

I was looking at Fazer hop-ups and if there's any big point against the Fazer it's that a lot of the hop-ups are out of stock.