Talk to me about the MF01X Please!

[Grumpy pants]

I bought this nearly 3 months ago and I’m struggling to get excited about it - the chassis doesn’t do anything for me and whilst I love air cooled V dubs, the body doesn’t inspire me at all.

It was a good deal and the reasons for buying it was in part price, in part to build and in part to learn about lexan. 
 

Am I missing something? 
 

Is it a good build and a great chassis? 
 

Do I spend time and money on it or should I just move it a long? 

 

 

[technics]

@Grumpy pants It is the worst chassis I assembled and owned briefly.. (I have multiple M-05´s, TT02, M06, TA02´s I apperciate the charm of "old" simplicy and basicness) but

1 - The chassis has awful turning radius / steering throw out of the box

2 - Suspension collides with itself the chassis

3 - The body and what you do with it is up to you ... but then it could very well sit on "any" chassis instead. Since you do have it already might be worth to build it up and get your own opinion on it but i´d personally let it go and get a M06 with the bug body if you do want that body that is.

4 - If you want a 4wd mini chassis pickup the XM01

Just my opinions!

[chris.alex]

For a while the MF01X was my most driven street car. It is easy to control, even at high speeds. I've had a lot of fun with it, even though it's an entry level kit. The chassis is compatible with TL01 / M03 / GF01 parts, rectangular batteries fit in. I installed the TL01 high speed gear and oil dampers.

Unfortunately I don't have the VW Beetle body, but I think it's beautiful. I would say: build it and have fun! 🙂

[Verskis]

What if you removed front drivetrain, locked the rear diff, raised the suspension as much as you could and then drove it off road like a Class 11 Baja Bug?

 

[Kpowell911]

Is this chassis much different to the MF-01X Jimny?

[Grumpy pants]

30 minutes ago, Kpowell911 said:

Is this chassis much different to the MF-01X Jimny?

I’d guess it is the same. 

[jonboy1]

I haven't driven it, but I built this for a mate and did a custom paint/detail exercise on the body (somewhere in my showroom if you're interested) - I can't say I found it a particularly interesting build, did it in an evening. If I had to be more specific, I thought it had whiffs of TL-01 about it, which I couldn't use as an endorsement.)

The body is lovely, but I think I'd stick it on an M-06 for a proper rear wheel drive chassis if it were me.

[Alex97]

The MF01X was a massive let down for me and could of been a badword of a lot better if it was based on a TL-01 rather than the tail happy car that they created. IMO the only reason it sold so well was due to the range of bodies that Tamiya offered. 

If you want a Tamiya M chassis the best route to go is M07/8 or XM-01 as they are worlds apart from the M03 to MF01x era of cars and better in every way in terms of performance and quality. Saying that my favourite RC is an M03 🤣

 

 

[Honza]

All the red parts (except for stock uprights) were needed to make somehow decent chassis. Of course front CVDs and some modifications to improve turn radius, ball bearings and oil shocks are necessary upgrade.

The issues I had and solved:

- The rear was too heavy especially with short lipo. The new motor position is also considerably lower.

- gearing taken from TL-01 didn't really fit M-chassis - the longest stock gear ratio is slower than slowest M-05. And the speed tuned gear set doesn't engage entire teeth.

- it's nice that it supports square lipol without need for option parts, however, the holders don't work well and keep battery exposed. On a narrow rally chassis... It's worse with short packs, which cannot be even secured with stock holders.

- I just couldn't find spring combination that would work well with stock front axle and had to use water-like oil to get soft dampong.. I had to redesign front arms, which helped, but I'm still not happy with it.

- this is not exclusive to MF-01, but the front "bumper" is a joke.

In the end, it cost$ about the same as XM-01. And although I have some criticisms towards XM, as a rally chassis it's the better option.

 

[TurnipJF]

If you want a car that works well if built stock according to the instructions, it is a very poor choice. However if you want a base for tinkering that has many issues to solve, it is great! 😀

[Kowalski86]

I think the Beetle body is nice if a bit delicate (the mirror in particular snaps easily). The side profile isn't 100% perfect but that's just me being picky.

On the other hand I'm not a fan of the MF-01X chassis, it's not a good "rally" chassis and as an on-road chassis it likes to traction roll. It's also difficult to service.

It's worth doing the body for practice, I wouldn't throw money into the chassis beyond bearings and a non-useless pinion.

[Re-Bugged]

Keep the body for a XM-01 😉

[Honza]

One positive thing I forgot to mention about MF-01X is its flexibility. The simple shaft and range of chassis inserts allows you to set up any wheelbase from 170mm to infinity and beyond 😃 and I'm not exaggerating (a photo I found on Facebook)

Its compatibility with old stile Tamiyas adds range of compatible suspension widths from M-chassis to buggy, which makes it a great platform for non-standard bodies.

[chris.alex]

11 hours ago, Honza said:

And the speed tuned gear set doesn't engage entire teeth.

Your modifications are impressive. I just don't understand what you mean by "doesn't engage entire teeth". In my MF01X the speed-tuned gear set fits perfectly and works flawlessly. Could you please say a few words about that?

[Honza]

29 minutes ago, chris.alex said:

I just don't understand what you mean by "doesn't engage entire teeth". In my MF01X the speed-tuned gear set fits perfectly and works flawlessly.

(Image from rctech)

The small spur/idler engages from opposite side than in TL-01, and since speed tuned gears are narrower, the contact between teeth is quite narrow. It does work, but I'm concerned about longevity with a stronger motor, I stripped couple of stock ones back in the days with TL-01.

The issue could be probably solved by shaving the tube part and getting narrower bearing or some insert with a smaller bearing, to get the gear closer to the motor.

Since I already needed an extra gear to relocate the motor, I used M-05 gear set to achieve the exact same gearing as other Tamiya M-chassis. But I also designed it with wider range in mind, covering gearing of TL-01 and M-07 as well. It does not go as low as the original MF-01X, the lowest possible ratio being roughly equivalent of 18T pinion with the original gearing, but IMO that's not needed as long as it's used as an onroad/rally car.

[markbt73]

On 6/19/2024 at 8:21 AM, Verskis said:

What if you removed front drivetrain, locked the rear diff, raised the suspension as much as you could and then drove it off road like a Class 11 Baja Bug?

 

That is exactly what I'm doing with mine, along with Grasshopper/Hornet front tires on all fours. It's only half finished, so I have no idea how well it works, but it looks great so far.

[Verskis]

12 minutes ago, markbt73 said:

That is exactly what I'm doing with mine, along with Grasshopper/Hornet front tires on all fours. It's only half finished, so I have no idea how well it works, but it looks great so far.

Surely those grooved front tires must be lacking forward traction on the rear? 

[ChrisRx718]

Don't get me wrong, I love the MF-01X. I have 4 - plus the parts to build one of @Honza's mid-motor 3D printed creations (which I still haven't got around to by the way)

But it's compromised - it's quick, but lacks articulation for it to be like a trail truck (as the Jimny and Mercedes G bodies might suggest). It's a TL-01 with a bit more ground clearance and lots of annoying quirks. Any particularly 'brisk' running can see the slot-mounted motor move away from the pinion mesh. Even with the metal hop-ups I'm having this issue, which either gives a nasty grinding noise or complete loss of drive.

I like continually fiddling - so I have one which has TL-01 parts for a touring-car width chassis the same length as the 934 body for a much cheaper 'runner' capable of using that bodyshell. But it's still compromised ultimately.

That Beetle will be popular enough to probably sell on without bother, then put the money towards an XM-01 which seems way more capable (effectively a scaled-down XV-02).

[naturbo2000]

On 6/20/2024 at 4:25 AM, Honza said:

One positive thing I forgot to mention about MF-01X is its flexibility. The simple shaft and range of chassis inserts allows you to set up any wheelbase from 170mm to infinity and beyond 😃 and I'm not exaggerating (a photo I found on Facebook)

Its compatibility with old stile Tamiyas adds range of compatible suspension widths from M-chassis to buggy, which makes it a great platform for non-standard bodies.

Versatility is where it's at. Mine's not unique in that regard, or even the shortest, but it was relatively easy to be the chassis for my 1/12 Porsche build (190mm).

I wouldn't bother using it unless it's for something non-standard. It drives quite nicely on smooth surfaces, but probably because it's so slow out of the box. 

[Grumpy pants]

Thank you  everyone for your thoughts and feedback.

You have pretty much confirmed my suspicions + more 😳

I’m not made any decisions as yet, think I’ll leave it marinating for a bit and see where I go from there 😎

 

[Dirt-540]

On 6/19/2024 at 12:45 PM, Grumpy pants said:

I bought this nearly 3 months ago and I’m struggling to get excited about it - the chassis doesn’t do anything for me and whilst I love air cooled V dubs, the body doesn’t inspire me at all.

It was a good deal and the reasons for buying it was in part price, in part to build and in part to learn about lexan. 
 

Am I missing something? 
 

Is it a good build and a great chassis? 
 

Do I spend time and money on it or should I just move it a long? 

 

 

Love the look of that! Please give me first refusals if or when you move it on. Is the chassis a front wheel drive?

[Grumpy pants]

4 minutes ago, Dirt-540 said:

Love the look of that! Please give me first refusals if or when you move it on. Is the chassis a front wheel drive?

It’s 4WD, no problem if I move it a long I’ll let you know 👍

[Dirt-540]

58 minutes ago, Grumpy pants said:

It’s 4WD, no problem if I move it a long I’ll let you know 👍

Brilliant and thanks Grumpypants

[Nikko85]

I really like mine. The chassis is not without issues, but the fixes are simple. The rear right suspension arm does hit the prop cover, but this can be fixed with long ball mounts for the shocks and upper arms pushing both slightly forward. I've also found that using non rotating washers can stop the motor sliding out. I also fixed the rear dog bone issue at high ground clearance on the land rover for pennies, so whilst it is not perfect, for me none of the flaws are impossible to solve or require expensive hop ups like some Tamiyas. All in all the issues can be fixed for an extra £5 or so.

For me the good points are that they are just super flexible. They can take a 13 - 20T pinion (and so take lots of tire sizes without over heating), they can be pretty much any wheelbase you want and they can take lots of different arms (M chassis, TL01, TL01LA, TL01B, GF01CB) and c hubs. Although they are not amazing at anything, they can be pretty ok at most things and a nice all rounder. I can drive mine in my small garden, or at the BMX track or dirt pitch. The 4x4 design makes them great for off road, and they can tackle things my buggies can't.

Here are mine.

Left to right. First  is an LD90 with 82 mm wheels, this is a trail truck with a 13T pinion. I've not weighted down the front or locked the diffs, but it could make a nice little trail truck or lite crawler if I did. Only real hop ups are CVA dampeners and bearings. This has a custom wheelbase with aluminium prop shaft.

Next is the FJ45 I'm just in the process of finishing which has the same wheels, but will have a lighter Li-Ion battery and a 16T pinion. This uses TL01 arms and dampeners, giving around 25 mm clearance.

Lastly the Pumpkin, which is a 21T motor, 20T pinion and goes really nicely on dirt. Again this has the TL01 arms, which means it can go much faster without worrying about roll overs, and has softer and longer suspension travel. I use sand scorcher rears on m wheels.

Each car has around 25 mm of ground clearance, and can tackle quite long grass if needs be.

Here's the LD90 with bigger tires:

And an MF01x as the JP Jeep

To sum up, as competitive vehicles are sure they are pretty rubbish, nor are they crawlers, dedicated trail trucks or anything else, but as platforms to build on they are amazing. As well as mine I've seen lovely 959s and other vehicles too. The issues are there, but nothing that really stops me running them, and I've had very little issues whilst driving too. If parts do break they are super cheap.

I like the new XM01, but it's quite expensive, so I would love the MF01x with a forward motor option. That would give rally and crawler types much better driving characteristics and be a little more scale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Alex97]

10 hours ago, Nikko85 said:

I like the new XM01, but it's quite expensive

I don't think the price is too bad. The cheapest MF01 is £135 with a basic ESC, motor and Jimny body. To get it to the same base spec as the XM-01 you'll need...

- bearings = £15

- geared diffs (yeah racing) £60 for two (the stock Tamiya ones aren't really tuneable) 

- oil shocks (yeah racing) £30

- servo saver £10

- both shaft lengths £10

- CVDS (yeah racings) £25

 

Once you add all this into the mix it's another £150 so the total outlay is £285 for a much lesser car and using Yeah racing parts Vs official Tamiya ones. If you can get a XM01 from Asia for around £200  it's a no brainer IMO and even for £270 from the UK it's still the better choice. 

 

Yes you don't need all of the upgrades to have a good time but it's the only fair way to compare the two.