TA-Mark 195 Posted May 16, 2013 Sorry, I'm a bit of a Fox noob - in it's day, was the Fox marketed as THE high performance Tamiya 2WD i.e. better than the Hornet etc. And, was it actually better than the Hornet? Have you never driven a Hornet? They are worlds apart in handling. Bounce vs suspension is no contest. At the time, The Fox was the best 2WD Tamiya had ever offered by far. It was still a few years before it was surpassed with the Astute. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JWeston 493 Posted May 16, 2013 I think it's FANTASTIC that Tamiya have resurrected the Fox! Give me a vintage Fox all day long though. Struggling with the new name too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mtbkym01 4008 Posted May 16, 2013 Yep, can't wait to crack into one of these, and build a Fox from new again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kontemax 1725 Posted May 16, 2013 The name wasn't a problem imho. "The Fox" would have been a better solution than "Nova Fox" imho. The graphics of the stickers is not that great. Ugly false sponsors and the word "Nova" could have been much smaller than the "Fox" lettering. For the rest, I am glad is has been reprinted. I'll buy it, maybe two. Max 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B.M.T. 127 Posted May 16, 2013 Fox MX was around when the first release happened. Not really digging the look of that new sway bar, just making the optional part standard would of been sufficient. All in all, it could of been much worse.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigSteve 149 Posted May 16, 2013 The most important questions are: handling, price and UK availability. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mtbkym01 4008 Posted May 16, 2013 Sorry cant multi quote for some reason, but in relation to the name change between originals and re-re's to easily identify between them, Maybe its a new trend, as some of the later releases have been that way, (SuperShot - Super HotShot) (Wild One - Wild One Offroader) (Fox - NovaFox). Whereas the older re-re's it didnt happen as they didnt consider the differentiation (Is that even a word LOL) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kontemax 1725 Posted May 17, 2013 I hope for a hop up ball diff. Max 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kontemax 1725 Posted May 17, 2013 Thinking about this new anti sway bar: I suppose Tamiya did perfectly know that the Fox cannot run without it. But one of Tamiya re-release policies is "Don't spend on re-release!" in my opinion. So, this new anti sway bar is probably the cheapest solution possible. I observed better the bar and what I can note is the extreme cheapness and poverty of the materials, components, design and technical solution. I'll build an hand made anti sway bar like the original one when I'll buy the model. Max 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GregM 1109 Posted May 17, 2013 Kontemax, I would like to know details of how you've come to judge the new front stabilizer weaker in technical design than the old one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wandy 1527 Posted May 17, 2013 It may look something of a lash up but I think the new stabilizer will be more effective than the old one. The torsion effect looks like it will be more effective as it will occur across the whole mass of the suspension arms, rather than just at the front of them with the old set up. The only way we will find out though is to get someone to thrash the living daylights out of both of them on a track and see how they compare. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MAD RACER 566 Posted May 17, 2013 Being running Fox's for the past 20yrs and on a proper 10th race track I smash my lap speed by over 3sec a lap without the front sway bar. The Fox has terrible steering throw due to the steering system directly mounted to a extended servo horn/Saver. When the front mono shock is dampened correctly it does a pretty good job. Yes it slops around but that's a mono shock set up. Add to the equation when a front bar is really needed to reduce the limited steering it's way over size . More like a 8th scale thickness on my MP9. Even with the hard plastic tires in the day the front bar was tossed by the local racer's. So it will be tossed again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kontemax 1725 Posted May 17, 2013 Hi GregM I didn't say "weaker" but "what I can note is the extreme cheapness and poverty of the materials, components, design and technical solution." I other words, as we say in Italy, it has been designed with the feet, it's ugly, it's poor... Probably it works great but I don't like it, it's poor, just a steel wire, two longer screws with washers and ball connectors. Did you know original Hot Shot like anti sway bar? Max Kontemax, I would like to know details of how you've come to judge the new front stabilizer weaker in technical design than the old one. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kontemax 1725 Posted May 17, 2013 Probably I'll dramatically change the steering set up and will mount modern front ribbed tires so I'll need the bar on front end. Max Being running Fox's for the past 20yrs and on a proper 10th race track I smash my lap speed by over 3sec a lap without the front sway bar. The Fox has terrible steering throw due to the steering system directly mounted to a extended servo horn/Saver. When the front mono shock is dampened correctly it does a pretty good job. Yes it slops around but that's a mono shock set up. Add to the equation when a front bar is really needed to reduce the limited steering it's way over size . More like a 8th scale thickness on my MP9. Even with the hard plastic tires in the day the front bar was tossed by the local racer's. So it will be tossed again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beefmuffin 1156 Posted May 17, 2013 Hi GregM I didn't say "weaker" but "what I can note is the extreme cheapness and poverty of the materials, components, design and technical solution." I other words, as we say in Italy, it has been designed with the feet, it's ugly, it's poor... Probably it works great but I don't like it, it's poor, just a steel wire, two longer screws with washers and ball connectors. Did you know original Hot Shot like anti sway bar? Max i agree with max. the new freebie stabilizer looks to be a 2mm thick bit of wire mounted to the existing front arm press parts and held in place by a couple of big washers added under the screws that hold the upper chassis in place. it really doesn't get more bare bones and i definitely believe will be welcomed for people who want something for free, but not a very good item. it reminds me of the Wordpad program that comes with the windows OS. technically, yes, it's a word processor. it's free with the OS. but it's not very good and almost everyone uses MS Word or something other than Wordpad. it's nice of tamiya to bundle it in, but it'll be easy to leave it out of the build. and i - personally - saw a new original fox stabilizer come up on the bay yesterday and snapped it up b/c i know that if i build a nova fox i'll want to add it on (notwithstanding MAD RACER's performance observations... i also just love the look). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kontemax 1725 Posted May 17, 2013 I can add that is possible to change the anti sway bar set up with 1 penny. You just need to swap the 2 mm thick steel wire with a smaller one, 1.5 mm for example, to obtain a softer anti sway bar system. http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/32933517 At minute 40 the Nova Fox. And new alloy chassis and aluminum piggyback dampers for the TXT-2 but this is off topic. Max Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beefmuffin 1156 Posted May 17, 2013 ok - well upon looking again i'm wrong. it doesn't attach to the press part, it's a whole new upper arm design. which seems to jut straight out from the upper surface of the arm... ehhh. sound like a part that will bread a lot. i might just get a razor saw and cut it off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beefmuffin 1156 Posted May 17, 2013 so in light of the fact that it was used for nothing in the original fox, and also apparently is used for nothing in the nova fox... can any of you FOX HOUNDS (<--- see what i did there?) tell me what the heck this part is for? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MAD RACER 566 Posted May 17, 2013 Tie rod guard used on the original fox to stop the steering rods fouling on the arms under suspension compression . I never saw the point of it but the factory must have thought it was needed back then . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wandy 1527 Posted May 17, 2013 ok - well upon looking again i'm wrong. it doesn't attach to the press part, it's a whole new upper arm design. which seems to jut straight out from the upper surface of the arm... ehhh. sound like a part that will bread a lot. i might just get a razor saw and cut it off. Pretty sure it's just a bog-standard 5mm adjuster that has been screwed into the top arm with a screw on the underside. Don't think the arm has been modded, that would have added unnecessary production costs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kontemax 1725 Posted May 17, 2013 Yes the arm is always the same. There's a 3 mm tapping screw in that point, now probably a special turnbuckle screw is used, or something similar, to fix the top 5 mm ball end. Max Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kontemax 1725 Posted May 17, 2013 The Nova Fox has modern chromed half shafts. No rubber boots on the shafts probably, I didn't see very well. I hope for better ball diff, stronger gears and some CVD axle. Max Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Champ85 609 Posted May 17, 2013 The Fox had a ball diff? In the video I thought I saw the rear wheels spin easily when the guy spun one of them, like a gear diff. Timeindex 40:38 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TA-Mark 195 Posted May 17, 2013 Tie rod guard used on the original fox to stop the steering rods fouling on the arms under suspension compression . I never saw the point of it but the factory must have thought it was needed back then . The rod guard prevents the steering from turning inside out. Leave it off, and your steering will jam one direction when turning full lock and you hit a bump. My experience without a swaybar on the front, when running on a dirt track was that the inside rear wheel would lift on a corner causing loss of drive, momentum is lost, and it cost huge amounts of time to get back up to speed. Upon fitting the swaybar I had no more inside rear wheel lift. I did not encounter any understeer either. Chassis balance remained completely oversteer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TA-Mark 195 Posted May 17, 2013 The Fox had a ball diff? In the video I thought I saw the rear wheels spin easily when the guy spun one of them, like a gear diff. Timeindex 40:38 Fox has a gear diff standard. There was a Thorp hopup ball diff years ago. Like hen's teeth to find now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
