TA-07 PRO Item #58636

[Effigy3 1267]

After over a year of deliberation I have finally made my choice as to what kit I should build as my first on-road car.  I wanted something to run with my son and his TT-02 at the car park.  Ever since the TA-07 PRO was released last year I thought the chassis was just really awesome looking.  I'm not sure if I'm going to to a full-on build thread like I tend to.  There is already a great build thread on the RC Car Action website here.  This is going to be a fairly box stock build and I honestly don't know what I'm doing with on-road.  This build thread may end up being more of a what not to do example. 

FWIW here is my (edited) parts list:

• #58636 TA-07 PRO chassis
• #51526 Ferrari 458 Challenge body
• #93032 set of 5-spoke/0* offset 24mm wheels w/ pre-glued tires and foams
• #54705 aluminum steering bridge
• #54704 aluminum steering arms
• Futaba R204GF-E Rx
• LRP Spin Super brushless ESC #80230
• Speed Passion 21.5T Competition v3.0 MMM motor

Edit:

I needed to order some paint so I've added the aluminum steering bits to offset the cost of shipping.  Hobbyist logic right?  If I order $40 more in parts I'll save $8 with free shipping!

[Effigy3 1267]

I did an unboxing video too:

 

[svenb 3778]

Nice looking chassis

Might be my next chassis.

sven

[Jonathon Gillham 4607]

Very interested in this build and your impressions of the car. This will be my next car too.

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Nice.  I resisted and didn't buy one last year, so I'm looking forward to your build.

[Effigy3 1267]

Thanks fellas.  I guess I'll do a full build thread then.

First up is the body.  As previously stated I chose the Ferrari 458 Challenge body Item #51525.  I think this body looks amazing and will be a nice complement to my son's Raybrig Acura NSX.  I also hope that I can run it in the USGT class if my son wants to give on-road racing a go.  I'll set about to trimming up the body this weekend.  One thing I note is that the mirrors are part of what is usually the scrap of the body mold.  This time I won't toss them into the recycling as I did when building my wife's MF-01X. 

Now that I'm doing this... I see that the body is intended for chassis with a wheelbase of 257mm.  Is this body even going to fit my TA-07?

So after some researching I discovered that the wheelbase of the chassis is in fact 257mm.  I can safely trim the body now.

[Effigy3 1267]

The package the body comes in contains:

• instruction sheet
• H sprue molded in red
• decal sheet
• body clips
• servo tape
• "LED stopper" sprue

Presumably the H sprue is in red to match the PS-34 Bright Red paint called for in the instructions.  I don't plan on painting it red nor using the racer decals on this build.  I'm torn between pearl white or gunmetal.  I already have a new can each of Duratrax PC276 Pearl White and PC263 Gunmetal.  I've been dying for a project to use the pearl white on but pics of gunmetal 458s on the Internet look so sharp!  I wish Big T would have molded the H sprue in white to better take the paint I'm going to have to lay on it so the mirrors will match.  I'm leaning towards the gunmetal because I think I can match it easier than pearl white.  I'm fairly sure pearl white mirrors will look odd and I'm not sure it'll match up anyway.  I could just paint the mirrors white but I think they'll stand out something awful.  So if they're going to stand out, why not just paint them black?  I have a can of TS-38 Gun Metal on order, but I just don't know how well it'll match the can of Duratrax gunmetal paint I currently have on hand. So at this point I'm still in a quandary about what color to paint it.

Rough trim job:

[christam 205]

Myself, I would paint it pearl white, it is a lovely color and would suit that shell very well. Also, the color would help pronounce the darker decals more than if it was painted in gunmetal.

I've done a Raikiri shell in gunmetal and the black decals don't shout at you due to the body color being darker.

 

I think on the Ferrari, it would look better pearl white to emphasis the decal detailing.

As for the red sprue, you could give it a dusting of TS-26 or Tamiya fine surface primer to give it a foundation for any color, pearl white or gunmetal but i'd think black mirrors would look ideal with either body color.

Look forward to seeing the results.

 

[Effigy3 1267]

On 1/28/2017 at 2:49 PM, christam said:

Myself, I would paint it pearl white, it is a lovely color and would suit that shell very well. Also, the color would help pronounce the darker decals more than if it was painted in gunmetal.  I've done a Raikiri shell in gunmetal and the black decals don't shout at you due to the body color being darker.

As for the red sprue, you could give it a dusting of TS-26 or Tamiya fine surface primer to give it a foundation for any color, pearl white or gunmetal but i'd think black mirrors would look ideal with either body color.

Christam, that is a great point you made about the decals not really showing up well against the gunmetal.  Thanks for the pointer.  I do believe I will go with the pearl white on the body.

I have nearly a full can of  Tamiya Fine Surface Primer on hand which I did plan on using to prime the mirrors.  I also have some TS-36 Pure White as well.  I might have to do a test with it and the Duratrax pearl white before deciding on what color to paint the mirrors.  The mirrors on the 458 are pretty long jobbers.  I don't know how well they'd look in all black on a white body.

Google image search to the rescue.  I gotta say, this looks pretty cool...

[christam 205]

Oh god look at that it's a no brainer really.

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

The Duratrax paint line is a reincarnation of the old Pactra paint line.  Pearl white used to require a backing white to make it opaque.  Does the Duratrax can mention the same thing?  You may need the equivalent backing white from Duratrax as a final step inside the shell or the initial step on the mirrors.

[Effigy3 1267]

4 hours ago, speedy_w_beans said:

The Duratrax paint line is a reincarnation of the old Pactra paint line.  Pearl white used to require a backing white to make it opaque.  Does the Duratrax can mention the same thing?  You may need the equivalent backing white from Duratrax as a final step inside the shell or the initial step on the mirrors.

I do have the Duratrax white base cover paint.  The pearl white can has no mention of any backing required but I did plan to use it.

[Effigy3 1267]

Well, I'm at a bit of a road block  now.  I put in another paint order.  Some extra white and black backer along with some basic black to ensure I don't run low when painting the body.  I also got a can of TS-14 Black for the mirrors.  I don't know how polycarbonate paint will adhere to the plastic the mirrors are made of so I decided to play it safe.  I'll first spray the mirrors with the fine primer then the black.  That should work nicely.  The last thing I did today was take the wheels and tires out of the bag to clean them up a bit.  As you can see in the before/after pic below just a few drops of this Dirt tire refresher liquid on a toothbrush and scrubbed into the rubber really brings them up to par!

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

4 hours ago, Effigy3 said:

I do have the Duratrax white base cover paint.  The pearl white can has no mention of any backing required but I did plan to use it.

I just went to Duratrax's web site and they have this "Tech Note" published:

http://manuals.hobbico.com/dtx/dtxr4076-tech.pdf

Bottom line, it looks like an oversight on their paint can labeling.  There are also some good techniques / limits to understand about number coats, coat thickness, etc.  I just wanted to bring this up because I've used the Pactra Pearl White several times and have even backed it in non-white colors to get pearl/pastel effects.  I just want to make sure you get the best result possible because Pearl White can be tricky.

[Effigy3 1267]

45 minutes ago, speedy_w_beans said:

I just went to Duratrax's web site and they have this "Tech Note" published:

http://manuals.hobbico.com/dtx/dtxr4076-tech.pdf

Bottom line, it looks like an oversight on their paint can labeling.  There are also some good techniques / limits to understand about number coats, coat thickness, etc.  I just wanted to bring this up because I've used the Pactra Pearl White several times and have even backed it in non-white colors to get pearl/pastel effects.  I just want to make sure you get the best result possible because Pearl White can be tricky.

Thanks for the link!  I really appreciate it.  I'd like this to turn out in RL like I have it envisioned in my head. 

Edit:  I've read the instructions you linked and now I realize I don't have the Bright White that is stated to be required between the pearl and backer.  The Tower order is already placed.  Any changes must be made via phone, which is impossible on a Sunday.  I doubt I'll get customer service before they pick and pack my order.  Grrrrr.  I sure do wish I had a local hobby shop closer than a 2 hour drive!

[Effigy3 1267]

I masked the body up and laid down the black today.

Mask only:

• 1 light and 2 medium coats of Basic Black
• 1 medium coat of Black Backer

Masking peeled away except for the windows, ready for the pearl white:

I have a paper due tomorrow and it's in like the 50's but I can't let these window masks stay on for too long or they'll get tacky.  As it is I'm nervous about leaving them over night but it can't be helped.

[Effigy3 1267]

OK, I laid down:

• 2 light coats of Pearl White
• 1 light and 2 medium coats of Bright White
• 2 medium coats of White Backer
• 1 medium and 1 heavy coat of Black Backer

There are two spots where I missed that the masking had slightly pulled away and I have some black over spray.    It wasn't apparent until I had completely finished and pulled the protective masking off the body so there is no fixing it.  C’est la vie!

Throughout the week I will apply the decals.

[christam 205]

Don't beat yourself up about a little overspray, we've all done it and nobodys perfect. I bet you went over the masking time and time again before laying on the first coat? pressing every line of tape making sure there's no uplift. It happens, and it's not apparent until you spray the second color which reveals where the masking lifted.

 

Looking exactley as it should right now, the black and white was definitley the right color combo IMO. Slap them decals on, fit the wheels

[Effigy3 1267]

20 hours ago, christam said:

Don't beat yourself up about a little overspray, we've all done it and nobodys perfect. I bet you went over the masking time and time again before laying on the first coat? pressing every line of tape making sure there's no uplift. It happens, and it's not apparent until you spray the second color which reveals where the masking lifted.

Looking exactley as it should right now, the black and white was definitley the right color combo IMO. Slap them decals on, fit the wheels

Yep, I thought I did everything right but apparently missed those two spots.  I think that they must've just pulled back up a touch after I pushed them down between coats.  I'm sure these two "mistakes" will hardly be noticeable once I decal up the body. 

I'm detailing the wheels and doing the decals this week.  I hope to start on the chassis build this coming weekend.

Question to all the on-road experts out there.  The manual calls for 900 CST damper fluid to be run in the diffs.  I'm seeing anywhere between 2K and 7K suggested.  What should I use in the front and rear diff?

[Butler 338]

All the rage is much thicker oil, if not a locked diff up front, and thinner in the rear for racing. The opposite for drifting. 

[Effigy3 1267]

4 minutes ago, Butler said:

All the rage is much thicker oil, if not a locked diff up front, and thinner in the rear for racing. The opposite for drifting. 

So 7K front and 5K rear?

[Butler 338]

Way more up front. 

https://www.tamiyausa.com/articles/the-ta-zer0-7-is-here-by-fred-medel-743?article-id=743#.WJjlLpHfWf1

I use 500k in my FF03 and it feels like I could get away with stiffer, which would echo the build thread up. 

[Effigy3 1267]

1 hour ago, Butler said:

Way more up front. 

https://www.tamiyausa.com/articles/the-ta-zer0-7-is-here-by-fred-medel-743?article-id=743#.WJjlLpHfWf1

I use 500k in my FF03 and it feels like I could get away with stiffer, which would echo the build thread up. 

Holy cow!  This quote is from the linked build thread:  "In my build I chose 20-million weight diff oil for the front gear diff unit because it gives me stability, good initial turn-in, and exceptional corner speed. 20-million front diff fluid also gives me “spool-like” driving characteristics."

20 MILLION CST diff oil in the front. 

Wow.  Just wow.

Edit: The highest I can find is 1M CST.  The highest I have is 10K SCT.  I guess I'll order the 1M bottle and run with it in the front with 5K in the rear.

[Effigy3 1267]

I got the decals on the rear of the body tonight.

[chickenman242tk 266]

500k is like working with thick glue , i run it in the centre diff in my e maxx .

I would suggest 10k in the front and 5/7k in the rear , too thick and the diffs wont work at all