What is your favorite and least favorite Tamiya RC when it comes to actually driving them?

[Mechanic AH]

A few years ago I built an MF-01x and I was underwhelmed and a bit disappointed with how it drove, and how noisy it was. Then I received a DT02 Kumamon with friction shocks and I had a blast running it. I do have others I like but those two stood out (oh and how I liked the TC01 a lot). What are yours?

[ImALlama]

Favorite would be my G601 Volvo dump truck, doesn’t need upgrades, it’s not fast nor does it handle great, and it doesn’t need to, just bounces around all silly and is impossible to not have a smile on my face, driving it feels like being a kid again, just aimless driving wherever it’ll go and enjoying the experience.

Least would probably be my grasshopper, not the hoppers fault though, I keep modifying it for speed and as a result the front wheels tend to fall off a lot so I spent more time looking for nuts/bearings/spacers than driving it every time I take it out.

[aphex4000]

I have a love/hate relationship with the Konghead. The 6WD and supple oil filled suspension makes it glide over small bumps and dips even at high speeds. But it's a thing of beauty only until I take a turn too fast and it goes rolling seventeen times across a field.

Favorite would be the old Monster Beetle. It's design is so outdated, but it's everything I appreciate about RC cars both as a kid and driving it now. Fun to wrench on, just enough chaotic handling, and plenty of speed to keep me entertained.

[skom25]

Favourite: XV-01

I really have mixed feelings about TT-02 and TT-02B. They run "ok" but nothing more. You can install a lot of Hop Ups but they still feel a bit cheap and are not very fun to drive. "ok" is the best summary.

I rebuilt XV-01 and TT-02 during winter. I ran XV-01 around 10 times ( 2 packs each run) and only 2 packs running TT-02.

There is nothing wrong with TT-02 but it is bit boring.

[Mad Ax]

Most favourite has varied over the years, depending on what I've had available.  The King Blackfoot is a good contender, although it has its flaws.  I loved racing it around my garden, although it hasn't had an outing for a while - the big set of custom upgrades I gave it a couple of years ago have made it more stable but have not necessarily made me want to drive it more.

The Blitzer Beetle would also be another strong option, although it got usurped by the G6-01.  With a brushless system, this truck is just awesome.  Yes, it will roll over a lot if provoked, but it's all about how you drive it.  I love the robustness of the handling, there's a reassuring solidity to it and it looks great with the 1:10 scale pickup shell that I modified for it.

The XV-01T Asterion also really surprised me by how much fun it was in stock trim, with a mild brushless system and hard Tamiya tyres.  Enough ground clearance to bounce over the grass without getting bogged down, plenty of grip on the grass but nice and loose on the patio slabs so I can powerslide it instead of rolling it.

I need to keep the lawn short this year so I can do more home running.

As for least favourite - it's hard to say, all Tamiyas have their flaws and there's been times when I've consigned all of them to the shelf, promising never to run them ever again.

For racing, it would be the TT01E trucks.  I joined a local series because it seemed like an easy way to bypass the cost and hassle of touring car racing, and do something that looked scale.  Club rules allowed oil shocks, bearings and propshaft, but everything else had to be stock, including tyres.  The main problem for me was that gluing the tyre sidewalls to reduce front grip was banned, meaning every race was a rollfest.  Other racers seemed to get the hang of it, but I never did, I like to be able to lean on a car in the bends and know it won't roll over, but I was coming last every week because I couldn't keep mine on its wheels.  I eventually gave up.  Knowing what I do now, there might be other ways I could tune out the grip - or even drive around it - but the time has passed.

That's not really a flaw with the trucks so much as an issue with the rules and the track surface.

For general bashing - sad to say, it's the Clod Buster.  I wanted one for years, and even built a mod clod before I build a standard one.  To be fair, the mod clod is a serious pain in the backside too - I don't know that I've ever finished a run without breaking something.  My TXT-1 was the same.  While the standard Clod is much more robust (I haven't broken anything so far), the steering is just impossible.  I have a high-torque servo and the cranks screws are turned right in, the front is adjusted for maximum throw and the rear for minimum, but even then, the front barely does anything and the rear steers constantly even when I don't want it to.  How people managed in the early days, I have no idea.  It looks great, but it's just impossible.

I've really got to get around to making some servo-on-axle mounts for it, but otherwise I want to keep it stock, because there is a special charm about it.

[Nick-W]

Favourites: XV-01, Top Force Evo

Both hugely fun out of the box. The XV has a couple of “quality of life” issues (that battery cover…) but they’re soon forgotten when you’re swept back to your Sega Rally playing youth. The Top Force is just lovely.

 

Least favourite: F104

I was so excited to build it and I knew I wouldn’t get much chance to run it but I was just completely underwhelmed. I don’t think it helped that between buying, building and actually running it I got the Mercedes Group-C car which I immediately clicked with. 

Quick mention: TT-02sr 

I loved it at first. First run in a car park was sublime. A completely different experience to the standard TT-02 and a really nice surprise. Since then it’s been used entirely as a carpet racer within a stock(ish) Tamiya class and my relationship with it has changed. It’s by far the car I’ve spent the most money and time on (setup, repairing and driving) but I no longer have any emotional attachment. I don’t like or dislike it, it’s now just a tool. Weird that. 

[skom25]

2 minutes ago, Nick-W said:

(that battery cover…)

Absolutely the worst thing in XV-01. Hands get dirty and it is hard to hold car and connect battery.

Each time I do this, I wonder why they did not place cover on the side or on the top of chassis. I understand reason, but it is so annoying.

13 minutes ago, Nick-W said:

longer have any emotional attachment. I don’t like or dislike it, it’s now just a tool.

This is exactly what I wanted to write about TT-02.

I like XV-01 because of handling. Pure fun.

I like DT-02/3 because they are RWD and look really nice. They are just good cars which are amazing when surface is bit slippery.

TT-02s are so neutral and boring, that it is hard to like or dislike them. They are not bad, but also not good. I really have problem to point at least one thing which is "nice" in TT-02, despite a lot of upgrades I installed. Well, maybe stock motor fan mount?

 

[Twinfan]

Favourite?  My beat up parts-built Lunch Box.  It's knackered, but I take it all over the place and have rebuilt most of it more times than I can remember.  I'm still trying to get it to drive straight under power (it only has a Sport Tuned motor) which is a Fools Errand but I enjoy trying   I've had hours of fun and value out of that thing with many more to come.

Least favourite?  Probably the DT-03, even though I do enjoy it.  The long wheelbase isn't really my thing and I find it a bit unresponsive to steering.  I've also struggled to find a nice fast motor that suits it.  I'm currently running a Sport Tuned at 8.4v which works pretty well with the 17T pinion.

[BuggyDad]

I think my favourite out of the box is also the XV-01, because out of the box it is broadly as I want it and the most fun to drive of any similar car I've tried, and I haven't broken it except in incidents where it really should break. Also it has driving character in a way that also corresponds to performance, where often "character" is code for "crap performance but I just like it". Oh, and I love that Martini Lancia body. 

But, it is still a bit "tool for the job" - if it wasn't I think I'd have built my second one by now. 

Of my less standard models, it might either my TD4, because it's sublime to drive and looks stunning with the aftermarket body, making it overall my "best" RC car, or my ridiculously modified Boomerang, which has just bags of driving character, so is reached for first now, and is tough. 

As a platform I think the Blitzer Beetle is great but that's as a platform for modification for me, which is a bit me-specific. Anyway, both my cars based on it either drive well and responsively or will with further setting up, and seem to be tough. And they're two different categories - buggy and truck.

A little sad to say it but I think now my DT-03 is the model I now favour least. Some understeer/wheelbase/unresponsiveness related characteristics as above, but mainly I think I've just run the course with it. However, it gave me many many hours of fun and development so it owes me nothing. 

An afterthought: my answer to this question is going to change a lot over time, which in itself is a joy about RC, Tamiya and tinkering. 

[2qwik]

Blitzer Beetle/Stadium Blitzer 2wds for me, just fun without breaking anything.. TA02 Chevy S10 and Clodbuster for 4wds, same reason. Least would be anything like TT01/2 OR TL01, not a fan at all....

[Guest]

My favourite would be the monster beetle. The worst would have to be the lunch box.

[Nikko85]

8 hours ago, Mechanic AH said:

A few years ago I built an MF-01x and I was underwhelmed and a bit disappointed with how it drove, and how noisy it was. Then I received a DT02 Kumamon with friction shocks and I had a blast running it. I do have others I like but those two stood out (oh and how I liked the TC01 a lot). What are yours?

Oddly enough my favourite is an MF01x - with the right mesh I've found it quiet enough.

I like driving most of mine, despite the fact that I love the looks of it I find the Pumpkin might be my least likely to get an outing. Compared to the brushless QDs it's not quite as fun, and it's a little larger and heavier than everything else when I take to the park.

 

 

[No Slack]

I always come back to my 1993 TA-01. (and DT-02).

My worst car is......? 

[Kowalski86]

For driving I've been enjoying the Hornet EVO, it looks like a Hornet but it drives like how a 2wd buggy should. I respect the ORV chassis for handling half-way decent despite being a very old design.

I never really liked my MF01X before I sold it, mainly because it was prone to traction rolling and it had trouble driving in a straight line. It's also rear heavy so it doesn't slide like your typical on-road car.

I'm also not a fan of the stock TT-02 chassis, hobby grade RCs should at least track straight and drive consistently.

[Torhaantje]

@Kowalski: great looking Hornet evo!

May I ask what wheel/ tire combination you are running in the photo?

Rick 

[Kowalski86]

10 minutes ago, Torhaantje said:

@Kowalski: great looking Hornet evo!

May I ask what wheel/ tire combination you are running in the photo?

Rick 

Thanks, the wheels are from a Wild One, the tires are an old Proline dirt pattern that's no longer available.

[Pablo68]

This could change as I think about it more.

For now my least favourite would be the M06 (Lotus Europa). With the standard bouncy oil less frictionless dampers it refuses to handle or even go straight. That and it seems to me to be  needlessly complicated chassis. I put a set of aftermarket oil shocks on it and it's ...ok now. Needs more tinkering though. I just don't love it.

The Original TRF201 is likely my favourite, though it doesn't have the fun element in it's handling.

Special mention to the Wild One. For what it is, it's an excellent chassis.

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, Pablo68 said:

This could change as I think about it more.

For now my least favourite would be the M06 (Lotus Europa). With the standard bouncy oil less frictionless dampers it refuses to handle or even go straight. That and it seems to me to be  needlessly complicated chassis. I put a set of aftermarket oil shocks on it and it's ...ok now. Needs more tinkering though. I just don't love it.

The Original TRF201 is likely my favourite, though it doesn't have the fun element in it's handling.

Special mention to the Wild One. For what it is, it's an excellent chassis.

I have an M06 VW Beetle, I can agree with you there. I upgraded the rear shocks on mine, carbon fibre front and rear shock mounts, didn't make much difference IMO. 

[Kowalski86]

5 hours ago, Pablo68 said:

For now my least favourite would be the M06 (Lotus Europa). With the standard bouncy oil less frictionless dampers it refuses to handle or even go straight. That and it seems to me to be  needlessly complicated chassis. I put a set of aftermarket oil shocks on it and it's ...ok now. Needs more tinkering though. I just don't love it.

It really should have been more basic, the M06 is mostly a 2wd buggy but with a lot of unnecessary bracing done to it, which also adds a handful of extra screws.

[magnumb]

On a track....TRF-201 

In the backyard...Blackfoot 

In the street...Dancing Rider 

In a construction site....Clod 

I don't have any right now i dislike....got rid of those a long time ago 

[Torhaantje]

I guess I like driving each and every one of my models, wether it's a bouncy ride with my Cheetah leaning in corners, the excitement of shifting on my Blazing Blazer, or the smooth ride of my XV01....

For me the enjoyment lies in treating each model how I  (and probably/ maybe Tamiya) think it was intended.

Keep in mind though that I am an oldtimer who is unable to keep up with all the brushless and lipo developments let alone the blistering speeds.....😉

Rick

[Wooders28]

Favourite,  The DF03 Dark Impact. I don't know if it's because we moved on from the old brushed motors and Nicad/Nimh together, (grew up together...?) .Had the car since around 2007, it was first car I swapped to brushless and lipo, so fitted a slipper etc and it's sublime with the Castle 5700kv on 3s.

 

 

 

 

Least, probably the Frog (original not re re, as I've not tried that). After the gearbox got new parts and then, new parts, it became less enjoyable, because you know its a ticking time bomb, one thumb push away from costing me money.

[Rinskie]

My favorite is my TT02R and it just keeps getting better and more fun. I don't race so I put a spool in the rear. It's my go-to when I want to slide and hoon around. It's also super smooth and consistent. I think of it as my ballerina. It's also super easy to live with. It's just a great car. 

My MB-01 is quickly becoming a contender to my favorite for the exact opposite reasons. Set up front wheel drive, it's nimble and predictable and very hard to get out of sorts. It's just a joy to drive. It also has proven to be very easy to live with. Things like battery changes and general maintenance are easy and not a pain. Both cars share that in common. 

 

My least favorite is the M-08. I wanted to love it but it had other plans. The thing was just not user friendly and handled like petting a cat's belly. You might get along with it for a minute or a minute or longer but at some point it will decide to curl up in a ball around your hand and bite and scratch you until it decides to stop or you throw it across the room. I just never really got along with it very well. Sold it. 

[OoALEJOoO]

I love all my cars, be it for racing, trails or offroad. The only thing that saps enjoyment is paring a Tamiya TEU ESC to a Silvercan motor, the motor whine is unbearable!

If a car has lower performance, then I try to drive it in a way to get the most performance out of it. This makes any car to be fun.

Choosing a single favorite is tough. I would say these are the best of each category:

• Rally: XV-01
• Trail: CR-01
• Racing: XV-02RS and TT-02S
• Modding: MF-01X
• Eyecandy: Monster Beetle by far!

[MadAnt]

This is a bit hard for me to decide which is my favorite to drive, but I'll pick a few.

My Bigfoot Dagger WR-01. I built it from mostly new, some reused and some custom parts. It's not fast, but the low gearing is great for when you want torque, which is all the time. I've had so much fun with it, that I'm considering building a 2WD version which would be the WT-01.

I own two Clodbusters or Super Clodbusters. Both have been modified in some way, but the one I find myself using more is the one I bought off of ebay. It was incomplete, so I bought some aftermarket goodies for it to make it just good enough without going crazy. The result was 100% worth it. 

I gotta throw a crawler in, my CC-01/XC Bronco is something I've enjoyed running with and against the Axial SCX10's years ago. I've spent some good time optimizing it for a fraction of what some people spend on their tiny trail trucks and has surprised a few when they see a plastic bathtub keeping up. Now it's sitting on the healing bench awaiting it's next update.

My least favorites to drive would be my two F103 cars and the buggies with hard bodies(so all the SRB's). I do like them, but damaging them is not something I want to do, so they just sit on the shelf looking pretty.