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

[Dead_head]

My favorite is my Blitzer Beetle, it goes anywhere and isn't too precious to bash with.

Least favorite is my bog standard Frog, will be giving it some 3D improvements to make it more drivable.

[chris.alex]

When it comes to actually driving them my favourite Tamiya at the moment is the XV02 Pro. 

My least favourite Tamiya car at the moment is the TT02B, the others that I didn't like so much I have already sold: TL01B, DT03, TL01, M05. 

[Pablo68]

On 4/5/2025 at 4:28 AM, Ferruz said:

Most favorite Tamiya car to drive: the Hornet.

Least favorite Tamiya car to drive: the Hornet.

Bravo Sir!!

[njmlondon]

Best…

The Porsche 959 was the most amazing drive ever, on a deserted beach that ran for miles, the tide was out and the Technigold had so much grunt in such a light chassis. Rooster tails of wet sand spitting off all 4 wheels, lights on full beam, I could have been watching the real thing. 

Worst…

The Porsche 959 suspension arms broke every time I looked at them wrong. One even broke running on the above mentioned mirror smooth sand, taking the car near any gravel, tiny jumps or small bumps inevitably lead to a very early ending.

[skom25]

9 hours ago, chris.alex said:

When it comes to actually driving them my favourite Tamiya at the moment is the XV02 Pro. 

My least favourite Tamiya car at the moment is the TT02B, the others that I didn't like so much I have already sold: TL01B, DT03, TL01, M05. 

Do you have comparison to XV-01?

[chris.alex]

1 hour ago, skom25 said:

Do you have comparison to XV-01?

Yes, I love my XV01 just as much. But I find its bad habit of collecting small stones between the rear lower arm and the chassis, as mentioned by @Andreas W , quite annoying. On top of that, I have the feeling that the XV02 can handle a slightly sportier driving style better. 

[Andreas W]

49 minutes ago, chris.alex said:

Yes, I love my XV01 just as much. But I find its bad habit of collecting small stones between the rear lower arm and the chassis, as mentioned by @Andreas W , quite annoying. On top of that, I have the feeling that the XV02 can handle a slightly sportier driving style better. 

To say something more based on my experience, mostly running on snow and gravel so far. The XV-02 will basically slide in every corner. It's very easy to get it into a slide. It rotates easy and goes around tight corners in an elegant way. With the stiff center (box solution) It's relatively consistent while sliding and after having some experience with the XV-01 it's fairly easy to drive it in an active driving style. 

 

The XV-01 on the other hand needs a bit more flicking and/or on and off the throtle at turn in to get into a slide. When it is sliding it is nice and consistent and it responds nicely to the inputs. I still think I run one of my XV-01 more consistent. But that said I like the XV-02 as well. 

 

A few things I like about the XV-02 is how simple it is. It's a lot easier to take the diffs out, electronics installation is a walk in the park and it's far less prone to have anything jammed by small stones. If anything it the steering. 

 

On the other hand you need to take the motor out to change the pinion, while that is ultra simple on the XV-01. 

 

Edit: One more thing I love about the XV-01: It's brilliant while linking corners/slides. I have a few hours and laps behind me on frozen lakes in my Audi 80 quattro. I can say the XV-01 behøves in the same way while sliding through an S corner. You have a slide in the first corner,  while exiting you get off, turn in ,the rear comes and you meet the movement/rotation with throtle while the front  wheels are pointing straight. With careful throtle and steering it goes nicely around the corner in a 4 wheel slide. You can also do that with the XV-02,  but the difference is that you do this consistent lap after lap with the XV-01, while the XV-02 tends to be more hit or miss. Especially after fitting the center diff.

 

[cobalt]

1 hour ago, Andreas W said:

To say something more based on my experience, mostly running on snow and gravel so far. The XV-02 will basically slide in every corner. It's very easy to get it into a slide. It rotates easy and goes around tight corners in an elegant way. With the stiff center (box solution) It's relatively consistent while sliding and after having some experience with the XV-01 it's fairly easy to drive it in an active driving style. 

 

The XV-01 on the other hand needs a bit more flicking and/or on and off the throtle at turn in to get into a slide. When it is sliding it is nice and consistent and it responds nicely to the inputs. I still think I run one of my XV-01 more consistent. But that said I like the XV-02 as well. 

 

A few things I like about the XV-02 is how simple it is. It's a lot easier to take the diffs out, electronics installation is a walk in the park and it's far less prone to have anything jammed by small stones. If anything it the steering. 

 

On the other hand you need to take the motor out to change the pinion, while that is ultra simple on the XV-01. 

 

Edit: One more thing I love about the XV-01: It's brilliant while linking corners/slides. I have a few hours and laps behind me on frozen lakes in my Audi 80 quattro. I can say the XV-01 behøves in the same way while sliding through an S corner. You have a slide in the first corner,  while exiting you get off, turn in ,the rear comes and you meet the movement/rotation with throtle while the front  wheels are pointing straight. With careful throtle and steering it goes nicely around the corner in a 4 wheel slide. You can also do that with the XV-02,  but the difference is that you do this consistent lap after lap with the XV-01, while the XV-02 tends to be more hit or miss. Especially after fitting the center diff.

 

Just curious at the end of the day, would you choose the XV-01 or XV-02 with center diff?

Also does the center diff makes a huge difference on the XV-02?(slippery surfaces) 

[Super ally]

My favourite 2wd buggies to drive are the novafox and wild one.4wd buggy would be the thundershot.Least favourite the grasshopper.

[Andreas W]

7 hours ago, cobalt said:

Just curious at the end of the day, would you choose the XV-01 or XV-02 with center diff?

Also does the center diff makes a huge difference on the XV-02?(slippery surfaces) 

If starting from the ground up and I would have picked the XV-02 today. Mainly because it's the newest, but also because of the simple construction and because it's less prone to fill up with stones. With an Embie top deck with servo upside down and direct steering mod I think you have eliminated jamming steering completely. 

 

The center diff gives more off power oversteer at corner entry, which I like. The trade off is less consistency at long slides, which I don't like. All in all you can manage without the center diff. Especially if you like sliding.

 

 

[Pylon80]

17 hours ago, Andreas W said:

If starting from the ground up and I would have picked the XV-02 today. Mainly because it's the newest, but also because of the simple construction and because it's less prone to fill up with stones. With an Embie top deck with servo upside down and direct steering mod I think you have eliminated jamming steering completely. 

 

The center diff gives more off power oversteer at corner entry, which I like. The trade off is less consistency at long slides, which I don't like. All in all you can manage without the center diff. Especially if you like sliding.

 

 

I feel a bit silly for having just sold my XV-02 (at a huge loss, Pylon80-style 🤣) when I think it would have been better suited to my specific off-road conditions than the XV-01.

I had an XV-01 years ago in fact, but never ran it off-road and when I recently built a new one I just assumed it would be impervious to rocks and stones jamming the steering and belt, if only based on the unanimous praise from The Internet. It does great anywhere that doesn't have small stones so it's a shame.

Of course I could always design complicated fenders/wheel wells to try and prevent rocks from going in the bell cranks and front pulley, but that's taking me back to modifying regular touring cars and is a lot of fiddling I shouldn't have to do on a dedicated rally car.

[Big Jon]

23 hours ago, skom25 said:

Do you have comparison to XV-01?

I’m still faster with my XV-01. The XV02 has a very “direct” feel and is harder to drive near the limit, but I have not spent much time tuning it yet. The 02 jumps better. One of the strengths of the 01 is that it’s easy to correct mistakes if you get too ham fisted, while the 02 is hard to catch in comparison. 

[Andreas W]

1 hour ago, Pylon80 said:

I feel a bit silly for having just sold my XV-02 (at a huge loss, Pylon80-style 🤣) when I think it would have been better suited to my specific off-road conditions than the XV-01.

I had an XV-01 years ago in fact, but never ran it off-road and when I recently built a new one I just assumed it would be impervious to rocks and stones jamming the steering and belt, if only based on the unanimous praise from The Internet. It does great anywhere that doesn't have small stones so it's a shame.

Of course I could always design complicated fenders/wheel wells to try and prevent rocks from going in the bell cranks and front pulley, but that's taking me back to modifying regular touring cars and is a lot of fiddling I shouldn't have to do on a dedicated rally car.

Well, that's a shame. Everyone knows so well you need them both . For comparason, but also if the conditions turn out too hefty you can always switch to the XV-02. 

 

I think the XV-01 can be made more stone proof without too drastic work. You can start with textile tape over the steering like chris.alex did and over the opening at the front belt pulley. Ihave loads of different types of foam,  so for next winter season I will try to come up with solutions for the stone problems. I don't want to run the XV-02 only when it's no frost in the ground. The winter XV-01 is too good to just get parked.

[Big Jon]

25 minutes ago, Andreas W said:

Well, that's a shame. Everyone knows so well you need them both . For comparason, but also if the conditions turn out too hefty you can always switch to the XV-02. 

 

I think the XV-01 can be made more stone proof without too drastic work. You can start with textile tape over the steering like chris.alex did and over the opening at the front belt pulley. Ihave loads of different types of foam,  so for next winter season I will try to come up with solutions for the stone problems. I don't want to run the XV-02 only when it's no frost in the ground. The winter XV-01 is too good to just get parked.

A vertical servo mount will cure 99% of the stone jams on an 01. I run mine without fenders, have never had a belt issue, and seldom get stones in the wheels or suspension, which has been a problem on the rest of my rally cars.

[Pylon80]

24 minutes ago, Big Jon said:

A vertical servo mount will cure 99% of the stone jams on an 01. I run mine without fenders, have never had a belt issue, and seldom get stones in the wheels or suspension, which has been a problem on the rest of my rally cars.

I must be really unlucky then 🤣 I fell right in that 1% Big Jon!

What it comes down to is that these issues are totally dependent on the type of surface your run on. One place my look gnarly but the pebbles will be either too small or too big to cause issues, for instance. Another spot might have impressive jump but otherwise harmless dust and therefore be totally fine. It's really a case by case thing.

@Andreas W I am actually looking forward to fixing these issues one by one 😬 and I already have a few ideas. Will check our Chris Alex posts for ideas too 👍

[NeonScorcher]

At the onroad race track my favorite is the M07, runs great out of the box (and matches my driving skills).

I did not like the RM01 onroad and the Grasshopper offroad (well, it's called Grasshopper for a reason).

My favorite everyday basher is a TT02B with a bug body on it and 1/12 short course wheels. It somehow mutated from my avatar into this:

 

 

[Killajb]

Favorites:

• DT-02  Nissan Truck  Oil dampers, ball diff option with larger street rover wheels and 2.2 tires with softer compound than the stock rubber on a blitzer.  Just pure joyful to drive.  The raised center of gravity and larger tires give just enough body roll and front grip to allow this rig to whip the back end around at full steering lock just after releasing the "go trigger".  I'm sure the relatively short wheelbase helps as well, but it is also very stable at full sprint (with a GT tuned motor and stock gearing).  Jumps over moderate heights and off of curbs with good balance.  No, it's not a skate park basher but quite durable for what I enjoy it for.

 

• BBX  Very enjoyable in on a trail or in medium-grip conditions.  10.5 brushless with big bore dampers and aftermarket sway bar.  Jumps very well and handles uneven surfaces with ease and very fun to drive.  Can traction roll on high traction surfaces at higher speeds, even with the rear sway bar addition but otherwise just a lot of fun.  Smooth, quiet drivetrain and predictable handling.

 

• TD4 Super Avante  Smooth and capable, if not the athlete some wish it was.  10.5 brushless, big bore dampers and modified steering servo mount.  I enjoy driving it because of its control and quiet operation.  It does what I want it to do;  jumps level, lands straight and then scoots out of its own way nicely.  I can feel the difference in ability of this compared to say.. a highly modified DF-03.  Just a nice upper-mid level 4wd buggy and drives like it.  Sure, it can't compare to my Yokomo YZ4 or Schumacher SX3 and probably doesn't belong on the track with the likes of those but for what it is I really like it and enjoy driving it.

 

• DF-03 since it was mentioned prior.  Pretty much every option available for this guy: One way front bearing, slipper clutch, ceramic diff balls, carbon shock towers F/R, alloy dampers.. heck what else did I throw at it..? Guess that's all I can remember.  And I love it!  It wails like a banshee (HW 1060 and 19t brushed mod motor) at full tilt, maybe a something about the molded drivetrain gears because turning things by hand and all is very smooth.  Handles nice, jumps and lands fairly well though I wouldn't try to win any races with it.  Just a fun rig to take out and rip up and down the street with or take to an open area where I know I can stretch it out a bit.  Motor gets a little toasty because of the mid-mounted location, even with a cooling fan slapped on top of it.

 

• Agrios  aka Big Mama. Wifey determined her gender based on the original wheels and tires when compared to the Bullhead "we" already have. Still rocking the stock silver cans but being persuaded by 3s via a HW880 esc.  Dampers were upgraded with essentially 3Racing Cactus Pro rear dampers (8 total) and really made it her plush and capable monster.  Finally, some reassignment surgery in the form of wheel adapters and clod wheels/tires (but she's still a she: wifey's call).  Quite the macho mama now too. The stock silver cans really wake up on 3s and seem to handle the task of bashing, wheelie starts, hill climbs and hauling all that mass in flat-out squat down sprints just fine.  Threw a couple of cooling fans over the lot to keep temps in check.  Haven't broken anything yet despite tumbling down a large hill, landing on the lid from attempted backflips or mis-judging an approach to a jump and spiraling into the weeds.  Definitely our go-to basher for varied terrain because fun is all but assured and we are always able to drive back home (as opposed to me having to carry it)

 

• Bullhead  Were it not for the servo-on-axle conversion and oil dampers I would have put this guy on the least favorite list.  Bone stock, driving this thing was a major disappointment.  Like trying to walk an overweight toddler on a leash, control of any sort to go in a straight line was by a prayer.  Meanwhile, you get all of this plastic clacking about as the pogo shocks just seem to want to shake the body off of the chassis with any chassis disturbance.  Well, all of that is resolved with oil dampers and a servo steering the front axle. The rear steering (or what was hoped of it) was locked.  Sure, the turning radius is larger but the payoff in steering control is by far worth it.  With just this mod alone, I had what felt like a hobby-grade vehicle that rattled and bounced around a lot.  Adding the very expensive and not-quite-worth the price Tamiya dampers (8 in total) with reservoirs completed the maturity of this ride.  It now drives like a true monster truck.  The shaky rattles are gone, truck squats under full power and jumps with authority.  Landings are manageable, especially compared to what it was before.  Much much much more fun to drive, the fact that it is fun to drive at all being a marked improvement.

 

• Monster Beetle & Blackfoot  I'm grouping these two together since they are essentially the same chassis, even though I took a different approach to modifications on each because essentially they reward with a very similar level of enjoyment when driving them.  The Monster Beetle has a MIP diff, 21.5T brushless combo but is otherwise stock.  The Blackfoot has the chassis brace by @Xeostar , a Superstock BZ/HW 1080, aeration dampers and alloy front steering knuckles with the steering link mounting points raised to eliminate some of the bump steer.  Both are fun to drive in grassy terrain.  I keep a little more aware of the Blackfoot's motor temps on warmer days.  The Beetle can run until the battery cutoff without worry.  Both could give you a traction roll scare if you get going fast enough on a high traction surface.  Both are a joy to drive/watch lumbering about in their element; chugging up grassy hills or sloshing through loose dirt.

Least Favorites:

• MF01x  Purchased as a rally beetle kit, but used as a "Cal look" street beetle.  I was just never impressed with this chassis.  I'm not quite sure why, maybe the smaller m-sized wheels on the MF01x chassis left some of the charm out.  I put oil dampers and with a HW 1080/ 16t brushed motor and still didn't find things any more enjoyable.  Would love to hear any helpful hints, but otherwise this car is relegated to shelf queen duty.

 

• DF-02  I feel bad for putting this guy here, but alas I did anyway.  To be fair, it was one of my least favorite cars to drive because I couldn't seem to get the slop out of it.  Purchased as an XB Rising Storm kit, I went with every conceivable hop-up  one could find short of alloy suspension arms.  I do like driving it now, but because of the hassle I went through, I had to put it here in retrospect.  Sorry fella, we're on good terms now and I'll never get rid of you.

 

• Honorable Mention: Grasshopper    This car is quite enigmatic in that it seems that I don't fancy driving it bone stock because I have so many higher expectations for the chassis.  It looks so nice and scale, it just feels like it should be able to do more.  Of course back in the 80s this was the epitome of driving pleasure and I often have to remind myself of that.  Still, with so many more modern and capable options it is (as they say) what it is.  I enjoy looking at it more than I do driving it.  I have 3 and any range of hop-up options short of just going all Hornet EVO on the thing won't help in the "fun-to-drive" factor much.

[JeffSpicoli]

On 4/5/2025 at 5:34 AM, compass said:

My favorit are absolute the F104W gp and the Group C chassis (both on foam tyres).
My least favorite is the TA08 and the TA07.

wha?!?!   why don't you like the TA08?