Reviewing My Budget

[Grooves]

Hello fellas, I'm getting ready to order my first buggy.

Here's what I'm starting up with:

Tamiya Dark Impact DF-03

Tamiya Anti-wear grease

For the controller/servo/ESC I'm looking at a futaba combo I found trough Tower Hobbies

Futaba 2PH 2 CH AM piston controller

Futaba S3003 Servo

Futaba MC230CR 82 ESC

This ESC is rated to handle up to 7 cell bateries and down to a 20 turn motor, wich for me, since I want this car just for fun and bashing, I think would be allright.

for power I'm looking at

DuraTrax IntelliPeak AC/DC Pulse Charger

DuraTrax 6-Cell 7.2V DTX4200 NiMH Stick Standard

I want to be able to run for long periods of time, so that is why I picked the battery.

My budget for now is $350, and I will upgrade from there later on, slowly.

Please any suggestions or comments are welcome before I order, I don't wanna miss anything.

[pagedm_f350]

Make sure you get full set of bearings (ball bearings, ball races, whatever you want to call them).

I don't see them listed on post, but I never build a kit without them, bearings for Tamiya kits are pretty cheap these days, even if you have to resist the urge to dirve it for another week or two, do them all even the steering posts if they have provision for them.

By the looks of your list you are planning on running your Dark Impact a fair bit. Bearings will increase your run time, throttle response and top speed compared to running with the kit supplied bushes, and that is on top of the fact that all your driveline will last indefinately.

When I built my first buggy in 1992 (Manta Ray) I saved for weeks with my new job, when I finally bought the kit I wondered about bearings but the rip-off LHS was too expensive and told me I didn't need bearings anyway. He knew nothing about R/C, he was a model train shop with a few other things but he was the only one in town at the time. Anyway, after a few months all the drive shafts and gearboxes were totaly trashed and the cost to repair it was the same as buying a whole new kit.

Back then we didn't have internet to ask advice, ahhh the internet....

BEARINGS, BEARINGS, BEARINGS

[Grooves]

yes, unless I mistaken, according to tamiyausa.com, the dark impact comes with full bearings from factory, is it not?

Thanks

[pagedm_f350]

yes, unless I mistaken, according to tamiyausa.com, the dark impact comes with full bearings from factory, is it not?

Thanks

"Full Bearing" kits from Tamiya are not always full bearing, I just downloaded the manual for the Dark Impact and as I suspected on step 18 you can see that the steering has only the brass sintered metal bearings included, not ball bearings. For the extra $8.00 bucks it might cost you it is heaps easier to put those bearings in the steering during the build than it will be to replace those steering posts and brass bearings later on. I read through the whole manual and that looks like the only ones left to replace.

You should download the manual and have a good read while you patiently wait for your pile of goodies, the Dark Impact looks like a fun buggy to build, and should be a blast to drive.

Best of luck!

Daniel

[adam1973]

A Kimborough type servo saver would be a better option than the kit one, a motor heat sink would be a good item to get now as well.

[pagedm_f350]

A Kimborough type servo saver would be a better option than the kit one, a motor heat sink would be a good item to get now as well.

Really? I have never broken a Tamiya servo saver yet!

[adam1973]

I've broke more servos with the Tamiya saver fitted, than with a K'boro type fitted.

[markbt73]

Looks like a good start. I'd suggest getting 2 battery packs, and then look into some decent tools, especially hex wrenches, small pliers, and good Phillips screwdrivers. You'll enjoy the hobby a lot more if you aren't trying to build or repair your car with cheap tools.

[Grooves]

Thanks for the replies fellas.

I do want another battery, but that is a far as my budget (erm wife lol) allows.

On the tools side, that is a goos sugestion. I already have good tools. But you got me thinking, are there hex screws for the DF-03? I hate normal screws that will wear easily with time.

[PSXBatou]

Can you really have a budget when doing anything in this hobby? I tried to stick to budgets but 9/10 times that budget gets ignored and the amount I wanted to spend nearly doubles or sometimes triples.

Of course I made it no easier on my wallet when I started flying RC Helicopters either

This hobby may be expensive but I love it, plus unlike playing my PS3 it actually gets me out of the house lol

Good luck making the numbers work to the OP, I never could.