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Trf 2wd...

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Stunning piece of kit, Thoroughly enjoyed the build, everything was very precise and went together beautifully. Quality through and through,My only complaint is it was over too soon.

Only managed to drive it once as the weather here has been utter **** but it felt fantastic to drive.

I shot a short video on my track.

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Saw a couple running on local tracks. They are already moving up the mains.

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This thing is pretty pricey considering the DB01R retails for less with 4wd.

Not everyone prefers 4WD (Like me) - And I'm willing to pay extra money for the 'lack of parts' :lol:

And let's not forget the TRF201 is an actual TRF car, PLUS it is the first 2WD Competition Buggy since 18 years (and according to some the first ever, as the Dyna Storm might not have even been a serious competitor at it's time) - This project has cost Tamiya some serious investments in both money and time, so I think we shouldn't be complaining about the price, as they finally did release this type of car! :)

The DB01R on the other hand is pretty much a DB01 with harder plastics and some stock parts replaced for hopups, which doesn't make it much more expensive to make, as it doesn't require radically different moulds and less development (on both hardened chassis parts as the included hopups).

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Just had a squint at a TRF201 manual.

Any ideas as to why the front uprights are internally tapped for a screw to go on the end?

I was under the impression that it was due to inboard wheel bearings...but the bearings live in the wheel as per Tamiya's other 2wds?

I thought it may be due to the fact it can take an alternative wheel axle to suit Associated etc...but that doesnt make sense either? the whole wheel shaft would be replaced for non-metric (imperial/american standard)?

As i see it,Tamiya have replaced a thread and nylock nut and replaced it with a screw which requires threadlock'ed in? is this right?

surely cant be for weight savings?

any ideas?

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Just had a squint at a TRF201 manual.

Any ideas as to why the front uprights are internally tapped for a screw to go on the end?

I was under the impression that it was due to inboard wheel bearings...but the bearings live in the wheel as per Tamiya's other 2wds?

I thought it may be due to the fact it can take an alternative wheel axle to suit Associated etc...but that doesnt make sense either? the whole wheel shaft would be replaced for non-metric (imperial/american standard)?

As i see it,Tamiya have replaced a thread and nylock nut and replaced it with a screw which requires threadlock'ed in? is this right?

surely cant be for weight savings?

any ideas?

I don't know if it requires threadlock, but it's possible that it doesn't need any. The screw only touches the inner part of the bearing, which shouldn't be (or hardly be) rotating on the axle as the bearing should spin more smoothly than the bearing as a whole on the axle (because if that would happen, it wouldn't be any more practical than a bushing). As the inner part of the bearing doesn't rotate, the screw will not loosen by the rotation of the wheel.

As for other reason(s) they might do it... Look at all the 2WD (Competition) Buggies (or really any competition car). You have to do stuff that's different to stand out from the rest, because the cars are so much alike - It's all in the details that the real differences of these cars come to life, such as the front axles from Tamiya, and their chassis-integrated (and adjustable) servo saver.

One last thing I can think of is to make as much use of the (250mm) maximum width that is set in many regulations, as I can imagine a Nyloc Nut/the thread for a nut would make the car wider when you have the same wheels (which have no offset it seems)... :)

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ahhhh...width.

race legal width.hadnt figured on other brand wheels.makes perfect sense now you mention it.

Dont know if id risk losing a wheel over a few mm of wider front track tho.id deff threadlock it tho..vibration alone has undone bigger screws than that little fellow that holds the wheel on.perhaps Tamiya's rather nifty F1 carbon re-inforced off set front uprights would be an alternative if you had the space for a nylock nut?

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any ideas?

Common practice on competition spec 2wd buggies.

Imo I think its to keep the surface of the wheel as flat as possible.

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Yip,seems to be the way Metla.

How time flies...my last point of reference in 2wd was the likes of a Losi (with the big white nylon nut on the fronts) or my RC10 (with a big black nylon nut on the fronts) :)

seems the 4wd heydays have kinda obscured my view on what makes todays top 2wds competitive.

i must be getting old.... ;)

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I've been researching this buggy, as it sems like it might be a possible next purchase. I'm wondering what the difference in boxes is. One has the the box art and one has the black box with blue lettering. Any difference in the value or collectability per se between the boxes you guys reckon? Least expensive kit I found was $300 shipped. More than I paid for my buggy champ rere. I know it's a performance kit thuogh. After I add wheels, tires and body kit and the cost of painting said body kit, it will be somewhere around $400. At that point, I better plan on competing though. To have that expensive of a car sitting around that I drive only once in a while would be a waste in my opinion.

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Yip,seems to be the way Metla.

How time flies...my last point of reference in 2wd was the likes of a Losi (with the big white nylon nut on the fronts) or my RC10 (with a big black nylon nut on the fronts) :)

seems the 4wd heydays have kinda obscured my view on what makes todays top 2wds competitive.

i must be getting old.... :P

;) Hehe... Ah well, it was also an eye-opener for me when I joined TC and found the rich history of the RC world, plus what was cutting edge on technology with the new cars.

The Dyna Storm and TRF 201 show how 18 years of technological development, both in and outside the RC world, can comepletely change the same type of car. The last picture in both entries shows the difference at it's best, as the cars are in one picture.

It's funny to see how much smaller the TRF201's gearbox is! I always thought the Dyna Storm gearbox was small, until I saw this one. The biggest difference is that the motor is placed closer to the diff (less weight to the rear) and the spur gear is like 1/3rd smaller than the Dyna Storm one! Of course, the MDC is also gone and replaced for the lightest of slipper clutches, but this was no surprise really... :P This of course also affects it's Centre of Gravity 'a bit' :lol:

Second main difference is the materials they used. From standard plastics and FRP plated to reinforced moulded only parts (except for a few parts like the front bumper and rear guard), made in different grades of rigidity (and therefor strength during a crash as well).

It's wheelbase and it's width are also a nice difference to look at. The Dyna Storm is 245-ish mm at the widest point of the tires, the TRF201 is visibly slightly wider and doesn't have the wheel nuts standing out at the sides. The wheelbase is also about 10mm bigger (depending on it's ride height/suspension compression on the front).

One other thing, although also not surprising, is the length of the front dampers - One thing that did surprise me though is that the car cannot bottom out at the front, at least not when you're using the stock setup and default holes in the shock tower and suspension arm.

I've been researching this buggy, as it sems like it might be a possible next purchase. I'm wondering what the difference in boxes is. One has the the box art and one has the black box with blue lettering. Any difference in the value or collectability per se between the boxes you guys reckon? Least expensive kit I found was $300 shipped. More than I paid for my buggy champ rere. I know it's a performance kit thuogh. After I add wheels, tires and body kit and the cost of painting said body kit, it will be somewhere around $400. At that point, I better plan on competing though. To have that expensive of a car sitting around that I drive only once in a while would be a waste in my opinion.

Definetely buy it, it's worth it :) And regarding the wheels, they are already included. I was done for 250-ish euros - excluding the fact that customs grabbed my package to add some charges, that is... :P

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To keep owners informed, cross post from oOple:

Below is a quote from Randy Caster (TRF driver from the USA) found in RCTech's forum:

"Tamiya has recognized an issue with the idler gear material, and are already working on a more durable material. Some people are having issues, some aren't, I think it has a lot to do with how much motor you are using, and making sure your diff/slipper are set correctly.

For anyone building, or rebuilding their 201 transmission, before installing the idler gear, boil it in water a couple times. This will help to soften the material and make it less brittle, and should hopefully solve the issue altogether until the new parts are available from Tamiya.

If you do happen to strip an idler gear, I would recommend replacing the diff gear and idler gear. This is basically just to be sure that none of the teeth on the diff gear are chipped or cracked and would cause another failure."

And a run of one piece machined layshaft, gear, and idler gear is being done by RW racing also.

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To keep owners informed, cross post from oOple:

Below is a quote from Randy Caster (TRF driver from the USA) found in RCTech's forum:

"Tamiya has recognized an issue with the idler gear material, and are already working on a more durable material. Some people are having issues, some aren't, I think it has a lot to do with how much motor you are using, and making sure your diff/slipper are set correctly.

For anyone building, or rebuilding their 201 transmission, before installing the idler gear, boil it in water a couple times. This will help to soften the material and make it less brittle, and should hopefully solve the issue altogether until the new parts are available from Tamiya.

If you do happen to strip an idler gear, I would recommend replacing the diff gear and idler gear. This is basically just to be sure that none of the teeth on the diff gear are chipped or cracked and would cause another failure."

And a run of one piece machined layshaft, gear, and idler gear is being done by RW racing also.

:) Ouch! I hope they fix it soon!

I still don't understand by the way why Tamiya would use a metal idler gear in any of their cars, especially considering the rotational mass it adds to the transmission (which was something that was discussed earlier in another topic about the TRF201 regarding the thrust bearing)... And here is more proof why a plastic gear would be better... Unless someone else may have a good explanation for it? :unsure:

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:o Ouch! I hope they fix it soon!

I still don't understand by the way why Tamiya would use a metal idler gear in any of their cars, especially considering the rotational mass it adds to the transmission (which was something that was discussed earlier in another topic about the TRF201 regarding the thrust bearing)... And here is more proof why a plastic gear would be better... Unless someone else may have a good explanation for it? :unsure:

Where's my trusty Dyna Storm..... :P;):D :D

Good old vintage quality product, none of this new funky not-made-in-Japan rubbish :)

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I'm a little disappointed to see another chassis with a gear problem. No more butter gears Tamiya!!! Come on :unsure:

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Where's my trusty Dyna Storm..... :o:D :D :P

Good old vintage quality product, none of this new funky not-made-in-Japan rubbish :unsure:

I still have my runner Dyna Storm luckily :P and by the sound of this, I'm happy that I still have and that I decided that my TRF201 would be for the shelf :)

I think Tamiya may see sales plummeting now because of this... I at least am an example of a customer who now won't buy a second (or a third) one, and I'm sure there will be other people who take a good look at Tamiya's competitors first. I was considering another one or two TRF201s if I heard some positive sounds from bashers about it, but now I will leave it at my Dyna Storm (which I so far only has problems with regarding the spur gear, and that seems solved now with a better seal on the slipper clutch cover).

PS: I'm now even more curious to hear how it goes with the FF03 - which also has a metal gear in the same place... ;)

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I still have my runner Dyna Storm luckily :) and by the sound of this, I'm happy that I still have and that I decided that my TRF201 would be for the shelf :D

I think Tamiya may see sales plummeting now because of this... I at least am an example of a customer who now won't buy a second (or a third) one, and I'm sure there will be other people who take a good look at Tamiya's competitors first. I was considering another one or two TRF201s if I heard some positive sounds from bashers about it, but now I will leave it at my Dyna Storm (which I so far only has problems with regarding the spur gear, and that seems solved now with a better seal on the slipper clutch cover).

PS: I'm now even more curious to hear how it goes with the FF03 - which also has a metal gear in the same place... :lol:

Erm the gear is plastic. It seems that a very few people have had issues with it being brittle. Most people are fine with theirs but Tamiya are onto it anyway. I love the fact that for the first time in it's history tamiya have made a competition winning 2wd. You need to stick the dyna on the shelf and get using the 201

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Erm the gear is plastic. It seems that a very few people have had issues with it being brittle. Most people are fine with theirs but Tamiya are onto it anyway. I love the fact that for the first time in it's history tamiya have made a competition winning 2wd. You need to stick the dyna on the shelf and get using the 201

I checked the manual... Oops ;) Still, on average the metal gears were the ones to cause problems. Anyway, good to hear that it's not an issue on every single car :) And no, I won't stick my Dyna on the shelf if I have 4 of them :lol: Plus, as long as there is no track near me, I can't race or compete or whatever, and it doesn't really matter what car I go for :) Oh and if there would be a track near, the first thing I'd probably do is try out how fast I can get my Dyna Storm, then my Dyna Lightning and them compare those to for example the TRF201 and see how far Nimrod Racing has been able to upgrade the Dyna Storm :(

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