Let's Build a Dagger Without a Dagger

[MadAnt 347]

As some of you know from another thread, I regret not buying a WR-01 when I had the chance. The prices for a used model are high if found near me and on flea bay it's well... even more idiotic for a used example. So I figure why not choose the other idiotic approach to obtain a discontinued WR-01? I could build one from mostly new factory and upgraded parts, which would technically make it a new truck. As crazy as this sounds, I did the same thing with my TL01, so it may be cheaper than spending around $450 on a used worn out pile of trash.

I'll start working on a list, lol.

As of now this is just a discussion, but if it becomes a build I'll request to move the thread to "The Builds". 

[tamiya_1971 670]

I bought a WR-01 on ebay around 5-6 years ago for a ridiculously cheap price (i believe $65, seller didn't know what it was). It had been barely run, a dog looked to have chewed a couple of the tires and wheels if i remember correctly. No transmitter, but had the speed control and Tower receiver, no body at all. Strangely, TamiyaUSA still had the Double Blaze body, decals, wheels, etc for fairly cheap.  I'm sure because it was the most unpopular one.   I put bearings into it, slapped the body on it, put in the Hobbywing double motor esc, ran it a couple times and now it sits on a shelf.  I'll definitely follow your build.  I believe there was even an aftermarket chassis for it, but I cannot recall the company (or I could be way off). 

 

[JimBear 1070]

@MadAnt Am I correct in thinking that you would like to get something in the ballpark of a Mighty Bull, then?

[TurnipJF 10299]

I've just had a look myself, and was surprised by how many places claimed to have the necessary bits in stock. It looks like you may not have missed the boat after all! 😀

[MadAnt 347]

7 hours ago, JimBear said:

@MadAnt Am I correct in thinking that you would like to get something in the ballpark of a Mighty Bull, then?

I would like to have 4wd, but it should be an easy conversion if I get my hands on any of the WT-01 2wd trucks.

I have a list of parts now, but some parts have been in temporarily out of stock purgatory.

[MadAnt 347]

Alrighty, here is a list of available parts:

and some extras I might swap out or ad.

I should have the plenty of hardware like screws, bearings, metal diff gears and I think I have some long 5mm aluminum tubes that I can cut to the sizes needed for the gearboxes. The tie rods are easy to make, I have some chrome 2.2 in wheels, a matching pair of motors, plenty of servos, an MSC lol, but I'll pick up a HobbyWing 880 from the hobby store and order some steel pinion gears if I don't have a matching set in my pile.

The body I'm not worried about, but I do like the Traxxas Bigfoot 8 body, so I might go with that if the price is right.

Now for the hard to get parts:

I would need 2 chassis parts and 2 C parts. These seem to be the hardest to find in the USA and Canada. I can get them shipped from Hong Kong or whatever, but I will end up paying much more for it. The TL01 upright sprue I'm not worried about, at least some places have them. 

 

 

[JimBear 1070]

3 hours ago, MadAnt said:

I would like to have 4wd, but it should be an easy conversion if I get my hands on any of the WT-01 2wd trucks.

It struck me afterwards that I got the shorthand combinations wrong ... that you are talking about the WR-01 and me suggesting the WT-01.

[MadAnt 347]

RCmart giving me more reasons not to shop from them.

Maybe I should just make a chassis, I do have a big sheet of 3mm ABS. 

Or... for a 100 bucks on ebay.

I really don't want to spend that much money, but it is cool lol. Plus it's extra weight, so that may have an effect on handling.

[TurnipJF 10299]

Here are a few UK options. No idea what postage would be to the US, but I suspect it would be better than rcMart!

 

https://www.makeitbuildit.co.uk/products/tamiya-sp-chassis-1-for-58231

https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/tamiya-sp-chassis-1-for-58231-154307

https://alshobbies.co.uk/TAMIYA-SP-CHASSIS-1-FOR-WILD-DAGGER-0445718

https://www.timetunnelmodels.com/live/catalog/tamiya-10445718-0445718-chassis-58231-wild-dagger-p-14782.html

 

[MadAnt 347]

4 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

Here are a few UK options. No idea what postage would be to the US, but I suspect it would be better than rcMart!

 

https://www.makeitbuildit.co.uk/products/tamiya-sp-chassis-1-for-58231

https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/tamiya-sp-chassis-1-for-58231-154307

https://alshobbies.co.uk/TAMIYA-SP-CHASSIS-1-FOR-WILD-DAGGER-0445718

https://www.timetunnelmodels.com/live/catalog/tamiya-10445718-0445718-chassis-58231-wild-dagger-p-14782.html

 

I don't think all of them actually have it in stock.

I have an idea, but I would need to jump on it quick. One person in the USA has a chassis half in stock. Using the chassis half as a template, I can make two chassis plates out of 3mm ABS. That just leaves me searching for the control arm C parts sprues #0005688. I could use aluminum arms with TL01 bumpers or maybe the bumpers from the GF-02, but I really don't like using metal suspension arms for this application as they don't absorb impacts well and transfer the shock to the next weakest link. 

Finding original control arms is proving to be a big challenge right now, so I wonder if I can substitute or retro fit something else. If anyone has the measurement of the length hole to hole that would be greatly appreciated. 

[JimBear 1070]

1 hour ago, MadAnt said:

I have an idea, but I would need to jump on it quick. One person in the USA has a chassis half in stock. Using the chassis half as a template, I can make two chassis plates out of 3mm ABS.

Go get it if it isn't too expensive - that's a start.

"Is this a Dagger which I see before me?"

[MadAnt 347]

2 hours ago, JimBear said:

Go get it if it isn't too expensive - that's a start.

"Is this a Dagger which I see before me?"

Gee I sure picked the wrong time to plan this out, lol. I have to prep for Christmas and I'm already treating myself to the Hornet Evo, and now thinking about throwing a couple hundred bucks on a monster truck build. Am I crazy? Did I get brain damage from my brain surgery? This really does not seem necessary right now, but I also feel that I'm procrastinating like I did in the past. 

You know... well... hmm... Ok, let's do this!

I have a vision!

We'll see... I might just use a body I have temporarily.

[MadAnt 347]

Alrighty, I have a bunch of parts on order. The WR-01 dagger build will be happening in the future. Although it's a little more than I want to spend, it's still way cheaper than buying a used truck. Really, it seems like the people on ebay, marketplace and Craigslist must be desperate for drug money or something, I'm pretty much building a new WR-01 with some upgrades and maybe custom parts for a fraction of these insane asking prices. 

Anyway here is what I have spent so far.

Some stuff I bought is not just for the dagger build, but I will tally everything up in the end.

To save money, I will use parts I already have in my inventory which are:

1x Robinson Racing .06 mod 18t pinion gear.

3x 5mm Aluminum tubes that can be cut into multiple pieces.

2x Matching set of 540 Johnson motors.

4x Mini CVA shocks

4x Traxxas long shocks still new in the package.

A really big sheet of 3mm ABS for many projects.

Loads of self tapping and machine thread screws.

Plenty of bearings.

Plenty of metal gear servos.

Two Futaba S-Fhss 2.4Ghz receivers and other old but good AM 75Mhz and FM 75Mhz radios.

Two dual motor MSC's. Lol, I will pick up another Hobbywing 880 ESC.

I should have HPI or RPM chrome 2.2 truck wheels somewhere.(I think the offset is fine.)

I do have a few bodies I can use temporarily until I find something else.

Stay tuned!

[JimBear 1070]

I am looking forward to your future Bitsa build!

[MadAnt 347]

A pretty well used Wild Dagger came up for sale. It definitely needs work, but I'm sure it would be a reason deal for the right offer. Sounds like should jump on it and make an offer, but there is one problem. I ALREADY ORDERED THE PARTS FOR THE NEW DAGGER BUILD. This just feels like a big oof, I'm already invested in the new build and have almost everything needed on order and in my inventory.

That's my luck, but I can't take every deal, I think I'll still make out fine. 

[MadAnt 347]

Alrighty, I have some other decisions to make.

The control arm parts trees may be in out of stock purgatory, or not a piroirty to manufacture in the near future. 

So my options are:

Keep waiting for something to show up.

Over pay and pay for pricey shipping.

Buy aluminum control arms.

Have someone 3d print control arms. (Someday I might buy a 3D printer.)

Have the control arms cut out with a water jet, then I just need to drill the holes and round the edges.

Okay, some of these ideas are getting a little expensive. I really don't want aluminum control arms and would prefer the impact absorbency of plastic, but my options are slim right now, so that may be the path I'll take.

Hmm...

 

[MadAnt 347]

Ok, due to the anticipation of the Hornet Evo and my limited time during the holidays, the Dagger build will begin next year. For now it will just be a discussion and maybe I might prepare some things for the project. 

[MadAnt 347]

Update!

Control aluminum control arms are on order and I have some plans for the build which I'll write down here just incase I forget in a month.

I've been checking out other builds on TC for inspiration and getting ideas. So this build will be in stages.

Stage 1. Almost stock with just a custom Chassis, Mini CVA's, maybe a homemade bumper.

Stage 2. Extra tuning, make easy improvements using mostly the stockish existing stuff. (Very little custom parts added, maybe a skidplate or bumper.)

Stage 3. Possibly look into aftermarket or homemade shock towers to fit longer shocks if not already done in "stage 2". Maybe upgrade motors with something faster and make other modifications if it seems needed.

For all three stages the dagger build will be using a replacement chassis made by me which will have the stock mounting locations for the gearboxes and whatnot and use the same aluminum control arms. This is because these particular stock components are hard to get right now. Certain things from the 3 stages may overlap, but the goal is not to ruin the car and make changes when it seems like a good idea based on my experiences. Discussion and suggestions are very welcome and I'm excited to start this Dagger build next year.

[TurnipJF 10299]

If you are making your own chassis plates, you have an opportunity to address the model's biggest handling issue from the get-go, namely the lack of front kick-up. In stock form it has negative kick-up (kick-down?) which can be addressed by changing the angle at which the front gearbox mounts in the chassis. 

[Saito2 7724]

2 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

namely the lack of front kick-up.

Good point! The missing kick-up and huge front scrub radius make this chassis quite a handful when the power is turned up. I remember just keeping things "straight" when on pavement could be tense.

[MadAnt 347]

6 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

If you are making your own chassis plates, you have an opportunity to address the model's biggest handling issue from the get-go, namely the lack of front kick-up. In stock form it has negative kick-up (kick-down?) which can be addressed by changing the angle at which the front gearbox mounts in the chassis. 

I might do that and I have been giving it much thought. I also have some 3D printed C hubs with built-in caster that I bought on ShapeWays which should do the trick, but I only have one set, so if they break, I'm looking for replacements or going with stock. We'll see, I need the stock chassis half first to use a template. 

[bavee 1181]

Daggers are going "cheap" at my location lately. Picked up a new build Twin Det for € 90,00 last year.

There is a Dagger with little use online right now:

https://www.marktplaats.nl/v/hobby-en-vrije-tijd/modelbouw-radiografisch-auto-s/m2208989951-tamiya-wild-dagger-58231-met-doos-en-boekje

I always fancied one but got second thoughts regarding runtime (we use NIMH). And runtime is an important aspect for the kids. So I sold mine a few weeks ago.

Enjoy your build!

[MadAnt 347]

This sucks! I needed that chassis half to use as a template. 

Not having it will make things more difficult, which means having factory mounting positions may not happen on the new chassis plates.

[tamiya_1971 670]

Are those the A parts you are looking for?

[MadAnt 347]

Plan B!

I could measure the position of the mounting holes on the gearboxes, then scale this drawing from the manual to the correct size and make a paper template.

I can then make the necessary design changes, like tilting the front gearbox for caster and make the battery hole suitable for a modern LiPo pack.

The other option would be ordering the chassis from the UK, but I don't want to deal with the extra international fees and customs mess, unless it comes from Canada.

Edit:

Due to the postal service strikes in Canada shipping from Canada may be an issue. I don't know how DHL, UPS and FedEx will work out with fees and whatnot.