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Macinnis

Best Backyard Basher Buggy?

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As I typed that I realized that is a LOT of B words.  I have seen the multiple best buggy threads and have read and re-read them and I am still confused as most of them went way off topic toward the end.  I need a new project and I want a buggy.  Not a fan of the FAV or the Holiday buggy style but more a grasshopper/hornet/bigwig style.  I need something that will get around well in lawn grass, gravel, and dirt and I need durability  I am open to suggestions on 2wd or 4wd but i want to make sure there are plenty of Tamiya hop up parts available to make it more durable as I usually drive my RCs with my 7 year old nephew.  I want to try to build one with genuine Tamiya parts and avoid ebay as every time something gets posted that a build is going, ebay parts skyrocket.

 

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You can't go far wrong with the dt03 chassis, in my mind it's one of the best modern tamiyas out there, easy to work on, loads of hop ups and spares available and you get a lot of car for the money. 

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I recommend the TT02B as well. Buggy version of the TT02. I have 2 of them, one for my 3yo and the other mine and they have had solid use for 4 months now. I have kept them pretty much stock, except the DF02 diff in mine as I have a 13.5T motor. The other is stock. They are really durable and haven't required any hopups, and my son crashes all the time with no breakages. The only repair that needed parts was when the little part on the shock which holds the pring on somehow came off, and that cost about $5 for a new one.

We run in the backyard on grass and 4wd is better for that. My only experience of 2wd is a Novafox which is about 10min runtime so far but it can struggle in longer patches of grass compared to the 4wd. My son bent a steering arm in a couple of minutes. I would recommend modern vs rere as a basher if kids are involved, they seem to be much more durable.

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Trouble is, "best" is so subjective that what you actually end up with is a list of everyone's favorites...

In general, however, I would offer the following bits of advice.

1. Older buggy designs (ie, most re-res) will have more "maintenance issues" than newer designs. Not problems, exactly, just more things that need tending to: a Frog will chew up diff gears once in a while, or develop wobble in its front end, while a DT03 won't (as much). Newer designs also tend to have more current aftermarket support, if you choose to stray from the Tamiya straight and narrow later.

2. Newer designs will be better at handling modern levels of power, should you choose to start upgrading. (The exception is the Grasshopper/Hornet, which could probably handle the power of a Lamborghini V10, if you could fit one under the body.)

3. And finally, consider other vehicles on the same platform. Sometimes it's just a wheel/tire/body change between one car and another, and this lets you change things up a bit in the future without shelling out for a whole new kit. Some cars have a zillion variants (DT-02 chassis for example), while others are unique (Fox).

The good thing is, Tamiya have never made a really bad model. Some have certain strengths and weaknesses, but there isn't a "wrong" choice in the bunch. So personal preference can be as good a guide as any.

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That's what I'm looking for.  Personal experience speaks volumes over site reviews.  I actually had settled on a bigwig until I heard someone refer to it as an over-engineered money pit.  That and I see no hop-ups on tamiya for it. 

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I should also add that my current favorite runners are a DT-02 Sand Rover (still with the RS380 motor, runs for ages on a battery and fast enough for my small side yard) and a very battered old "bitsa" Associated RC10. But I haven't built my brand-new MF-01X Suzuki Jimny yet, so that might change...

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I will agree with the DT-03 or DT-02 suggestions. The DT-03 has a couple of older style buggy shells, the Neo Fighter is a tribute to the Frog(even has Frog decals to use if you want) and the Racing Fighter is also rear cab. It is the successor to the DT-02, and I believe they have the same gearbox, and use many of the same hop-ups. I've had my DT-03 for a few months longer than my DT-02, so I have driven it more, but both are much more capable after driving vintage re-re's until now.

I have heard good things about the TT-02B, but being 4-wheel drive, it has a little more to it that could go wrong(not saying it will, just a possibility). On the other hand, as Jonathon Gillham said, there are advantages to driving 4 wheel drive also.

So yeah, a DT-03 Racing Fighter with a set of rubber shielded bearings would be my recommendation. I guess I didn't really add much that hasn't already been said :)

 

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One criticism of the TT02B is that the ground clearance isn't great, which is a result of it being a road chassis with longer arms and shocks. In short, it can't jump. Great handling though. I have noticed the Fox is higher with more suspension travel. Can't comment on any other buggies as they are the only 2 I have at the moment. Oh and a Boomerang still to be built, they are awesome but thats my 13yo self talking. They are though.

I should add that my plan for the TT02B was to have as a basher and see if my son liked it. I plan no hopups other than what is essential, as I think if you are going to upgrade a TT02B then buy a DB01 to start with.

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Not a buggy but WT-01 will run on most things and is tough, cheap and easy to work on. Love my big wheeled DT-03's though so it is horses for courses 

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From my experience, if you are running on anything more than small gravel, hardpack and short grass, you will feel the limitations of a 2wd buggy at 1/10 scale pretty quickly. 

You can still have great fun with a 2wd buggy but progress can be slow. 

A stadium truck like the blitzer beetle copes a bit better with the 2.2 wheels and c90-100 mm+ dia tyres. The CC01 can be pretty good if you don't want speed.

A 4wd buggy performs better in general off-road bashing conditions though. For a new 4wd buggy consider a TT02B otherwise look to one of the re releases like a hot shot. Ground clearance isn't great on the TT02B but the extra drive wheels do help.

It really depends on what surfaces you are running on. I always find myself disappointed with anything other than a truck/monster truck when in the garden, park or local woodland.

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While I agree that a modern DT-02 or DT-03 is very easy to drive and parts are not a problem, you need something a bit more rugged for a youngster to learn on..

You can't beat a Grasshopper or Hornet for sheer good fun!  there are lots out there on Ebay, and new re re s and parts are readily available. the crash bars make it very resistant to abuse, just look at some of the stories on here from back in the 80s, they took an amazing amount of abuse and still kept going!

I have 4 grandsons aged 2-11, and I am just building Grasshopper number 3, so they dont fight over the transmitter!  (youngest one will get one for Xmas!)

All built from "pre owned" parts bought from the internet....cheap as chips...

When they can drive it without breaking it every 5 minutes, THEN buy them a DT-02/DT-03/ TT-02B

 

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to be fair, the best buggy is the one that visually appeals to you, and can cope with where you want to run it.

that said, for grassy areas you really should run big wheels and tyres to get the chassis out of the weeds leaving only the resistance on the wheels to overcome, the df-02 has the gearing strength and options out of the box to handle doing just that, putting the gears from a df-02 into a tt-02b lends the tt chassis the same strength, but the both require the purchase of an alloy prop shaft, as the plastic one twists and flexes, and eventually gives up the ghost.

for 2wd the mad bull is a good choice, tho it is a monster buggy out of the box, but the varients on the same chassis will work well, they are easy to work on (or so I've read, yet to own one personally), and when speed becomes a factor, the gearbox can cope with a lot of abuse, next option in my opinion, although harder to get, is the blitzer beetle turned into a bear hawk, I have 2 of the blitzer chassis's now, lucked out so much in finding original gears, wheels and tyres for both front and rear, body, driver, and stickers, the gear box in the blitzer is tougher than old boot leather, and over all it can take quite a bit of punishment, which for a chassis that's around 30 yrs old× is really impressive by any standards. Admittedly for both these chassis's, genuine tamiya hopups are few and far between, and even 3rd party hopups and options aren't all that plentiful, but out of the box they are good robust buggies. This is all just my opinion, based on my personal experiences with a df-02 buggy, and the 3 bear hawk/blitzer chassis's I've owned/own.

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NO....... you're all wrong !

The DB01 is "THE BEST" Tamiya buggy.  

Admin, please lock this thread now that you all have the answer.....

Good Bye   :D

 

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I was in this situation a while back. I was looking for a buggy that I could just use anywhere, whether that was the garden, beach, woods, park or wherever I found myself. 

I was advised that the Mad Bull fitted the bill and ended up buying two of them so as to have spares. I got oil filled shocks, bearings and did the steering mod and the truck has been awesome. My two kids love it and I haven't second guessed my decision once.

It really is down to personal opinion though. If you like the look of one of the cars better than the others, choose that one and make it work for you. For me, that's half the fun.

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Being a regular Mad Bull basher myself, I can thoroughly recommend getting one. Back yard, parkland, trails, skateparks, even the race track once or twice - it handles them all and hasn't broken a thing.

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Surely with all the B's it must be the Blitzer Beetle...  in all seriousness, you can't beat it IMHO. Takes brushless and LiPo in it's stride and if you really want a more scale looking buggy, the Bearhawk is the same chassis...

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1 hour ago, TurnipJF said:

Being a regular Mad Bull basher myself, I can thoroughly recommend getting one. Back yard, parkland, trails, skateparks, even the race track once or twice - it handles them all and hasn't broken a thing.

I bashed my Fighter / Bull for ~15years! Iam not Kidding. They only Reason why i gave up on it was that a got a Blitzer for less than the replacement parts for it would cost now :D

Blitzerś are great too but the Beetle Body is (now) kinda low quality and the Truck body is a pain in the a§§ to paint for beginners

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I know it's not a buggy but I love my lunch box best for back yard bashing. Its loads of fun. Between that and my hornet. They're  both tough as badword and have plenty of spares out there if something goes wrong. They go great even a silver can too. They both have the same gearbox which is known to be very durable. 

There are more capable buggies but as I've found this doesn't translate into more fun. I think the larger wheels on the lunch box allow it to take the bumps that bit better than the hornet. Some on here monsterise their hornets fitting the lunch box wheels.

Whatever tamiya you chose I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Always have whichever kit it has been.

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19 hours ago, Nobbi1977 said:

Not a buggy but WT-01 will run on most things and is tough, cheap and easy to work on. Love my big wheeled DT-03's though so it is horses for courses 

I have a WT-01 Bush Devil 2.  Every time I feel like the thing is bullet proof, my nephew finds a way to break something in an open field.  I think he can find the only rabbit hole in the area.  My WT-01 is solid as its well up on the Tamiya top speed list.  I think all the broken parts have just been dumb luck.  Its actually a great chassis.  Easy to work on, easy to modify, and stable at high speeds for a monster truck.  I just wish Tamiya parts were easier to get in the middle of the United States.  Everything I order is 7 days out, minimum.

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If you're running on lawn I'd definitely be going 4wd.

My Super Shot mows through lawn while my GrassHopper has a hard time getting hung up and spinning a lot.

Have fun shopping!

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5 hours ago, Macinnis said:

I have a WT-01 Bush Devil 2.  Every time I feel like the thing is bullet proof, my nephew finds a way to break something in an open field.  I think he can find the only rabbit hole in the area.  My WT-01 is solid as its well up on the Tamiya top speed list.  I think all the broken parts have just been dumb luck.  Its actually a great chassis.  Easy to work on, easy to modify, and stable at high speeds for a monster truck.  I just wish Tamiya parts were easier to get in the middle of the United States.  Everything I order is 7 days out, minimum.

It is worth considering the quality of surfaces you are running 1/10 trucks / buggies on.

This is one of the reasons why 1/8, 1/6 and 1/5 are becoming so popular. Obstacles do scale so a 2cm pebble is the equivalent of 20cm rock to 1/10 etc. 

It may be slower on a good surface than most other Tamiyas but go off road and a Super Clod Buster really does cope significantly better as their tyres are forward of any bumpers. You can run straight up a kerb (140-160mm) with them. Obstacles, ruts, divots and long (still relatively short) grass that will slow or stop a WT-01 hardly phases it.

You can find the limits of the CB standard chassis with a Hobbywing Quickrun 0860 ESC + 3s Lipo + Standard Silver Can Motors which is great value. Then use 2s or NiMH when it's not you driving.

Bar some ball bearings and the servo horn mod, a standard clod buster although bouncy is great fun. Then if you are managing to break a super clod, it's time for an x-maxx.

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8 hours ago, Terz1 said:

I know it's not a buggy but I love my lunch box best for back yard bashing. Its loads of fun. Between that and my hornet. They're  both tough as badword and have plenty of spares out there if something goes wrong. They go great even a silver can too. They both have the same gearbox which is known to be very durable. 

There are more capable buggies but as I've found this doesn't translate into more fun. I think the larger wheels on the lunch box allow it to take the bumps that bit better than the hornet. Some on here monsterise their hornets fitting the lunch box wheels.

Whatever tamiya you chose I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Always have whichever kit it has been.

+1 for the lunchbox, we have been using a lunchbox and frog for a number of years now and the lunchbox has only been down due to a broken rear shock mounting point, however this was after landing some big jumps. CVA shock all round are a must, the frog is a great buggy but quite high maintenance.

 

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