Advice Needed For A New Car

[Stu74]

Hi everyone just joined this site today as i am looking at getting back into the hobby.

I want to buy a 4 wheel drive off road racer and am still deciding wich car to go for.

The new Boomerang (2008) looks like a good cheep option but i have never driven 1 and also i dont know how upgradable this car is.

I drove a Hotshot 2 years ago and was impressed.I would buy a second hand hotshot 2 if i could find 1 cheep enough in good nick.

The last car i owned was an Avante in the early 90s wich was great but dont fancy another 1.

I would be grateful for any advice on what car to go for.

Thanks

[tamiya monkey]

Hi and welcome to tc.

when you mention upgading im not sure if the re-re boomer or hotshot would be suited, sure they look great. maybe a df03, df02 or even the db01 would be better in stock form and would be more suited to upgrading.

[markbt73]

There's not much you can do to upgrade the old designs beyond the basics: ball bearings, more motor, better tires, etc. I have a re-re Hotshot that I really enjoyed building and tinkering with, but it isn't a great drive. The soggy front suspension and terrible turning radius get annoying after a while. There are some options to improve the suspension and steering, but they're hard to find and expensive. I know the Boomerang improved on some of the Hotshot's shortcomings, but I don't know how much.

I just finished building a re-re Fire Dragon, one generation newer than the Hotshot/Boomerang, and it seems like it will be a lot better. The steering is tighter and the balance feels better. I haven't driven it yet (rain all week), but I've heard that it's enough of an improvement to really make it a nice car to drive, but keeps the old Tamiya "soul" intact, something which (IMO) is missing in the newer designs. Maybe that might be an option for you.

[Stu74]

Thanks both of you for your help.

When i 1st looked at the df03 cars i thought they looked a little bit fragile.I had a quick look at some of the df02 cars and the Gravel Hound looked pretty good but still the Hotshot and Boomerang have something more special in way of looks for me.

I will not rule out the Gravel Hound yet though it is definately a strong contender.Nice and cheep too wich is always a bonus.

I will have a look at the fire dragon aswell.I cant remember what the fire dragon looks like but i am sure when i see a picture it will bring it all back to me.

[tamiya monkey]

i must confess the fire dragon isnt my fav re-re but i know the chassis is great, i have had a thundershot (same chassis with a single shock at the front). i know what you mean about the look of modern buggies, i have a hornet and although it does drive that well i love the look of it and that makes up for anything else it lacks, the hotshot or boomerang are tamiya at its best, they look amazing and good to build.

[jkyamog]

I was in the same boat a few months ago. I went for a re-re Boomerang because it was cheaper, I liked the body better and I could purchase some upgrades to it easily. I do like the hotshot also as its more iconic than the boomerang.

My Boomerang now has TRF dampers, df-02 universal shafts (great improvements especially the front), hex adapters, df-03 wheels and slightly faster motor (gt tune). Since its doesn't have a very fast motor it could keep up w/ my son's DF-02 w/ the same upgrades using a sport tune motor. I am currently building a db-01 at the moment. But definitely the old buggys have a different fun, even my 9 year old son can appreciate it. This is why he loves to drive his Hornet over the DF-02 as its so quirky.

I advice you to get on re-re and one modern buggy, as both has different kind of fun. Look for the re-release boomerang thread at rcuniverse and kontemax boomerang thread here for more info.

[Stu74]

So far then its looking like its a choice of 3, a Boomerang, a Df02 or a Db01.

I will try to get to see a Df02 and a Db01 in reel life to see what i think.The only thing that concerns me with the Db01 is the fact it is belt driven wich to me dosnt sound like a good idea

[Origineelreclamebord]

Well, if you were impressed with the handling of the Hotshot 2 back in the day, I think you will be blown away by the handling of the buggies sold nowadays (The new chassis', not the re-re's).

I think your best option would be a DF01 (Why oh Why hasn't anyone mentioned this yet!?).

Purchase price of a NIB Blazing Star (to name the cheapest DF01) the last time I saw them was under $100 (I thought it was $70-80 when I last checked it 6 months or so ago), the parts are cheap and still available, despite the old design (around 1990) still a very reliable runner, not many hopup options but the important stuff for handling settings is available (the weight saving hopups like FRP/Carbon chassis sets and shock towers however are expensive because they're getting rare), easy to build, use and maintain and can handle today's brushless technology (although the biggest of motors and jumps will eventually kill the car).

The car will need bearings, modern tires would help it's handling but are not necessary, the hopup alloy motor mount will prevent the plastic one from warping and with that saves your gears over time, but other than that not much is necessary.

If you are looking for something more modern and Tamiya, skip the DF02 (Outdated, ugly and not worth the money imo) and DF03 (Nice car, but people had problems with the rear part of the gearbox, which strangely enough contains a soft alloy gear) and go for a DB01. The DB01 is not much more expensive than a DF03, is well balanced (the geometry being based on the TRF501X, Tamiya's 4WD Competition Buggy from just a few years back), has many hopups available since many of these hopup parts are from or for the TRF501X (but will fit the DB01 too), has the option of a slipper clutch (which protects your gears a little) and is highly adjustable already in stock form.

[Power Surge]

If you're looking for a 4WD basher, and don't care if it's vintage or modern, then go DB01. Pretty much bulletproof, and now with the DB01R out, there's tons of upgrades (very little from th 501x fits the DB01).

[Stu74]

I am going to look seriously at the db01.I could always buy a re re boomerang later to remind me of the old days.

Is the db01 belt driven though?If it is is this a good idea?

[Origineelreclamebord]

I am going to look seriously at the db01.I could always buy a re re boomerang later to remind me of the old days.

Is the db01 belt driven though?If it is is this a good idea?

It is belt drive, but this isn't a problem as long as big stones and large amounts of sand don't end up between the pulleys and belts. And as the DB01 has a cover (besides a body) to keep most of the dirt out, it shouldn't be a problem

[Stu74]

On most things driven by belts in my experience they tend to need adjusting or changinging from time to time due to stretching or wear.

Is this the case for radio controlled cars that are belt driven.

[jkyamog]

So far then its looking like its a choice of 3, a Boomerang, a Df02 or a Db01.

I will try to get to see a Df02 and a Db01 in reel life to see what i think.The only thing that concerns me with the Db01 is the fact it is belt driven wich to me dosnt sound like a good idea

I am lucky enough to have a wife to allow me to have 3 of the above. I just finished building the DB01 and made a test run a short while. Here is from a bashers perspective w/ a son getting into the hobby and not a racer.

DF02

- cheap, really its as expensive as a 2wd

- simple to build and maintain

- handles great and very predictable, not entertaining to drive

- stock suspension has low ground clearance.

- have upgraded to sport tune, trf dampers, UJ, DF03 wheels this fixes the low ground clearance issue.

- not much tuning or upgrades to make it race worthy

Boomerang

- nice build and I personally like the shape, color, etc.

- noisy and under-steers

- have upgraded to gt tune, trf dampers, UJ and DF03 wheels now its more silent than the DF02 and oversteers. Putting back the stock tyres makes it more neutral handling, still edgy compared to the modern buggies.

- great fun to drive and not that slow as it can keep up w/ the DF02 on similar upgrade level.

- upgrades from modern buggy parts is available, but after that not much can be purchased off the shelf.

DB01

- expensive, but I guess cheap for its capabilities

- have upgraded to trf dampers.

- lots of tuning, but also means more maintenance as its more complex.

- build is harder build than normal, but its also not entertaining just a chore to put together.

- handles great, the way it soaks up bumps is just amazing. The DF02 compared to the Boomerang is great, but the DB01 is even better.

- pain to fix and maintain, lots of unscrewing and screwing back.

if I can only have one, just for bashing and having fun... I would pick the Boomerang. Only real negative it has over the 2 when bashing is parts availability. If you plan to race, the DB01 should be great. DF02 is also great for bashing, I feel its very under-rated and most people compare it w/ a higher spec car which is not fair. The DF02 is the basic entry level car, for this purpose I believe its really great. My son drives the DF02, but it seems he loves his own built Hornet now over the DF02.

[Stu74]

I think the db01 is going to be the car for me.I do want to get into racing and want something that can compete.

So glad i came on here to find out more about what is available these days.You have all been a great help.

I will also buy a boomerang later in the year for racing against my sons non tamiya car in the park and streets.

Thanks again for your help i will start shopping round now for the best price for a db01.