Fire Dragon In Summer

[28yoKid]

Hi all, had a blast with my FD today and got some shots in the park, even with the standard 540 we had great fun esp when we noticed part of the green was being reseeded! Thought I'd share the day:

Some Air!

A well deserved rest

All the best, 28

[Jack_Truck]

That's one hot looking Dragon!

[Power Surge]

Looks like fun! Can you give me info on the wheels you're running?

[nakedsv]

I have always liked that body style. Very sharp and unconventional. I bet it is 1/10 of a mph faster than the boxy ones due to the highly aerodynamic shape...

I'm thinking of getting one to split the difference between a vintage but poor-handling Boomerang and a new-with-no-character Dark Impact.

[28yoKid]

Looks like fun! Can you give me info on the wheels you're running?

Hi there. Yep the wheels and tyres are from a Dark Impact. I was running brushless for a while and the old wheels kept cracking under the power. These ones are tougher, have foam inserts in the tyres and have a grippier compound. I did need to get some hex-type adaptors to get the wheels to fit though as the original FD adaptors are not compatible.

28

[Boothy]

Really nice pics

[taliesin]

Radio controlled grass seed redistribution system.

I bet the groundskeeper would have your hide if he saw you doing that. I love it!

Does the car need re-gearing for those wheels/tires? They look taller than stock and probably help the car go faster, no? Any overheating problems? Love the look of those; I've been looking for a nice alternative to the std spikes and those fit the bill nicely if there's no gearing problems.

[RobertvonGoess]

I guess the DF-03-wheels do roughly have the same diameter as the original wheels. You won't need to change gearing because of that.

[Power Surge]

I guess the DF-03-wheels do roughly have the same diameter as the original wheels. You won't need to change gearing because of that.

Dark Impact wheels are about a half inch taller than stock Thundershot/Dragon wheels.

[T. Smith]

Dragon wheels are 1.9" I believe. The same diameter as Falcon/Striker wheels and Madcap/Astute/Bear Hawk fronts.

The DF03 buggies possess an all new wheel which is 2.2" diameter.

[Power Surge]

Dragon wheels are 1.9" I believe. The same diameter as Falcon/Striker wheels and Madcap/Astute/Bear Hawk fronts.

The DF03 buggies possess an all new wheel which is 2.2" diameter.

The rims are 1.9 and 2.2, the wheel assemblies with tires are a half inch in difference diameter.

[MAD RACER]

Awsome!!!!!

I beeter start building mine. Any problems with it at all.????

They are so cheap on the Bay.

[Power Surge]

Awsome!!!!!

I beeter start building mine. Any problems with it at all.????

They are so cheap on the Bay.

Well this is a year old thread, and I haven't seen the original poster here in a while.

As for the Thundershot chassis.... To lessen the chance of having to replace parts on your car, I suggest the following:

Buy or make a brace plate to go over the A5 part. There used to be a guy on ebay that sold them, but you can make your own from some sheet metal.

See those blue solid upper control arms? Get them off there! They are quite hard to come by now, but try to find yourself a vintage Terra Scorcher upper arm kit. The gearbox plastic is very brittle, and the force of the upper arms moving front to back from good jumps and impacts will fracture the ears that the hinge pins go through. Switching to the ball end upper arm kits will eliminate that stress and save your gearboxes. Heck, you can probably MAKE your own uppers if you are handy. Let that suspension flex and it will save the plastic.

The lower control arms used to be a weak spot, but the re-re has re-enforced arms and revised rear spindles. Oddly, they did nothing with the front spindles, which are one of the most common breakages on this chassis. You will at some point have the arm snap on the front spindle where the ball stud screws in.

If you have some extra washers, put one on each screw that attaches the front and rear gearbox to the main tub. The area on the tub where the screws go through is thin and they always crack there. Washers help spread the load out.

To give yourself more wheel options, get some 12mm hex adapters and then you can run 12mm hex type wheels like the DF03 ones pictured above.

Like on most cars, getting rid of the dogbones is a good idea. You can still find Thundershot hop up U-joint shafts on ebay, but they are twice as much as DF02 CVDs which fit right in (do a search here and double check, pretty sure it's DF02s that fit).

On the pinion, as TA-Mark would say, get that butterly alloy gear out of there and get a steel one.

Those are really the main breakage spots on that chassis.

This chassis design was way ahead of it's time, and performs VERY well. It's a shame it's not seen in the same light as some other models that people hold in high regard.

Here's what mine currently looks like. Note the carbon fiber front shock mount

[MAD RACER]

Thanks power surge.

I have the A-5 alloy brace and will make some camber links up.

I have a set of yellow df03 wheels so will use them.

Thanks again.

[JeepnMike]

Hi there. Yep the wheels and tyres are from a Dark Impact. I was running brushless for a while and the old wheels kept cracking under the power. These ones are tougher, have foam inserts in the tyres and have a grippier compound. I did need to get some hex-type adaptors to get the wheels to fit though as the original FD adaptors are not compatible.

28

If you decide to buy some of these black Dark Impact wheels, I thought I would share my experience since I just recently bought a set myself. I realized they aren't that easy to find! I think there is only 3 places left on the web that I could find selling them. Two are in Hong Kong: www.rcmart.com & http://toyeast.com/v3/index.asp . The only other seller I know of that has them is on the bay, he is in The UK. Though I could not find them by searching "DF03", I had to actually search "Tamiya Dark Impact" to find them.

Also, if you do get a set of those wheels and you want a set of the Tamiya high density spiked tires like everyone runs on them, you can buy those from all of the same sources as the wheels above. However, here is some nice alternatives.. All should fit those wheels: http://www.prolineracing.com/catalog/Tires-37-1.html . Those Dirt Hawg tires look pretty nifty... Almost bought a set but got buyer's remorse considering I just spent $60 USD for wheels and the traditional HD spiked tires that I really didn't need anyway.. LOL.

Anyway, hope that helps!

[JeepnMike]

I know these are everywhere... But since the wheels finally arrived and I like it, here is a pic with the new wheels mounted:

[Boothy]

Well this is a year old thread, and I haven't seen the original poster here in a while.

As for the Thundershot chassis.... To lessen the chance of having to replace parts on your car, I suggest the following:

Buy or make a brace plate to go over the A5 part. There used to be a guy on ebay that sold them, but you can make your own from some sheet metal.

See those blue solid upper control arms? Get them off there! They are quite hard to come by now, but try to find yourself a vintage Terra Scorcher upper arm kit. The gearbox plastic is very brittle, and the force of the upper arms moving front to back from good jumps and impacts will fracture the ears that the hinge pins go through. Switching to the ball end upper arm kits will eliminate that stress and save your gearboxes. Heck, you can probably MAKE your own uppers if you are handy. Let that suspension flex and it will save the plastic.

To give yourself more wheel options, get some 12mm hex adapters and then you can run 12mm hex type wheels like the DF03 ones pictured above.

Dragging this back to the top, I have found out the part numbers for the upper control arms, however I cannot work out if one kit is enough or do I need two kits?

Also do any of the cheap hex adapters found on ebay under tamiya do the job for fitting DF03 wheels?

Could I fit the dish type DB01 wheels using the same adapters rather than DF03? (there just seem to be more about)

Any tips on a part number for the A5 part chassis brace? or pics of one in place? I dont have the kit yet so I am not sure what I am looking for.

Andy

[Power Surge]

Dragging this back to the top, I have found out the part numbers for the upper control arms, however I cannot work out if one kit is enough or do I need two kits?

Also do any of the cheap hex adapters found on ebay under tamiya do the job for fitting DF03 wheels?

Could I fit the dish type DB01 wheels using the same adapters rather than DF03? (there just seem to be more about)

Any tips on a part number for the A5 part chassis brace? or pics of one in place? I dont have the kit yet so I am not sure what I am looking for.

Andy

Andy, you need two kits to do one car. They are very hard to find though.

On the adapters, get a set of Yeah Racing adapters, part number WA-017BU. They are great quality and fit.

DB01 wheels won't work.

[Boothy]

Andy, you need two kits to do one car. They are very hard to find though.

On the adapters, get a set of Yeah Racing adapters, part number WA-017BU. They are great quality and fit.

DB01 wheels won't work.

Great stuff, thanks for that. I have just managed to order up two sets from e-bay, quite a few sellers seem to have them here. I am just going to get some ball races and then I'll get the hex adapters

How come the DB01 wheels wont work? what do I need to look for when looking at wheels? some wheels seem to suggest they fit the DB01 and DF03.

Andy

[MAD RACER]

Im in the process of building my F/D.

I odered a alloy A-5 brace of Pargu 2000 for $7.

Just odered a set of yeah racing shocks. Front will be in mono configeration to begin with.

Hey Power Surge how can i fit a wing on my F/D??????

Really want a wing on mine. Might order a new Terra Scorcher shell of bluegroove. Just waiting to see my other shell of them to see if they have improved.

Cheers.

Mark.

[Boothy]

Hey Mad racer,

I have done a member search for Pargu 2000 but I cant turn anything up? can you still get them? I think at some point I am going to get the TRF damper set for mine along with the DF03 wheels.

Even though it seems to be uncool to like the shots/dragons, I think there is some secret underground love going on. I think we need a shot chassis area or a thread for all those fire dragon lovers out there

Do we know if a thundershot ball race set is the same as the fire dragon? I am guessing it is?

Andy

[Power Surge]

Im in the process of building my F/D.

I odered a alloy A-5 brace of Pargu 2000 for $7.

Just odered a set of yeah racing shocks. Front will be in mono configeration to begin with.

Hey Power Surge how can i fit a wing on my F/D??????

Really want a wing on mine. Might order a new Terra Scorcher shell of bluegroove. Just waiting to see my other shell of them to see if they have improved.

Cheers.

Mark.

My shell picutred above is a Bluegroove. It's excellent quality, way thicker than stock tamiya.

You'll laugh how my wing is mounted. I'm using one of the stock tamiya "switch mounts". You know, for the on off switches that you use with a AA battery pack. It's like an L shape with the sides re-enforced.

[Power Surge]

Hey Mad racer,

I have done a member search for Pargu 2000 but I cant turn anything up? can you still get them? I think at some point I am going to get the TRF damper set for mine along with the DF03 wheels.

Even though it seems to be uncool to like the shots/dragons, I think there is some secret underground love going on. I think we need a shot chassis area or a thread for all those fire dragon lovers out there

Do we know if a thundershot ball race set is the same as the fire dragon? I am guessing it is?

Andy

Yeah, Thundershot/Thunder Dragon/Fire Dragon/Terra Scorcher are all the same chassis.

Do a search on ebay for "A5" and the brace should turn up. I just made mine out of sheet alloy though.

DB01 wheels use a different attachement than DF03. The fronts use a very shallow 10mm hex and the rears just have a slot to slip over a drive pin. While it's a very common and popular attachment method used on many brands of 4wd buggy, I dislike it and think it sucks. I converted my DB01 Durga and TRF501x both to DF03 wheels as well.

DF03 wheels aren't that hard to find. Search for Dark Impact and Keen Hawk. DI wheels are black, KH wheels are white. I also like the 5 spoke wheels from HobbyPro that are on ebay as well. They come up under a search for df03.

[Boothy]

Yeah, Thundershot/Thunder Dragon/Fire Dragon/Terra Scorcher are all the same chassis.

Do a search on ebay for "A5" and the brace should turn up. I just made mine out of sheet alloy though.

DB01 wheels use a different attachement than DF03. The fronts use a very shallow 10mm hex and the rears just have a slot to slip over a drive pin. While it's a very common and popular attachment method used on many brands of 4wd buggy, I dislike it and think it sucks. I converted my DB01 Durga and TRF501x both to DF03 wheels as well.

DF03 wheels aren't that hard to find. Search for Dark Impact and Keen Hawk. DI wheels are black, KH wheels are white. I also like the 5 spoke wheels from HobbyPro that are on ebay as well. They come up under a search for df03.

I tried the search for A5 and got Audi's, so I tried tamiya A5 and got tanks

I have now ordered two sets of upper arms and bearings tho so all I am waiting for is the Kit, once I have run it a few times I'll change to the new wheels then the shocks.

So the next question is do I go box art? I do quite like the red but something inside is telling me to try something different... do we have any suggestions for a cool looking dragon?

Andy

[Saito]

I have seen green Fire Dragons which kinda follows the "dragon" theme more than the "fire" one.