Racing Fighter Build

[DaveBuildsRC 210]

I am really liking these dt03 builds. I am starting to regret my tt02 purchase now.

[Granddad Stinky 975]

Do both! 😁

DT-03 Fast. TT-02 Tough as old boots.

[ALEXKYRIAK 1046]

Finally.... I have managed to resurrect this build thread. I managed to salvage all the photos from the disgraceful, fetid, debacle that was Photobucket photo storing service, and transferred this build thread photo-shoot onto Flickr, a much better service (so far...).

It was a bit of a ball-ache, but explorer side by side with Google chrome (installed with the 'Photobucket Embedded Image Fix Extension', which could reveal the images I used in the original build thread) allowed me to resurrect the image order fairly easily.

I have several other build threads still laying dormant in the cemetery of Photobucket (Hotshot, Novafox, Mad Bull) which hopefuly will make the light of day again after a rebirth....

TLDR: Flickr is good for image embedding. Use it.

 

[Man1c M0nk3y 564]

Looks great bud. Can’t wait to finish the paint on mine now. Body colour going on currently. 

Have you done much more to it?

Did you find the C-hubs and arms affected the toe and wheelbase at all?

Off to find the monster buggy thread now...assuming you got round to it!

Oh and I’ll second the use of Flickr. Have used fro years with no issues. 

[ALEXKYRIAK 1046]

Thanks Man1c, haven't done anything more to this one (yet), it'll be a 'shelfer' / 'experimental' car.

However am currently working on my new 'runner' car.... have been planning this for a while, and has partly been holding up my queue of kits to build. Over the recent months have been very slowly assembling a range of upgrades (as a relatively recent newbie I have come to appreciate the term 'RC budget')

So have assembled this lot. Won't be using everything in the photo, for various reasons as I'll explain. There's also a couple out of shot that I'll get onto later in this thread). Some of these are new, and some of these are from previous purchases that didn't make it into the first car, for various reasons.  Today I started this DT03 Racing Fighter and got as far as assembling chassis and most of the front end.

 

Ok so just to be clear, this is a second DT03 I'm building. I'm not going to go to town on a fully detailed build thread, as it's basically going to be identical to the one I already did earlier in the thread. However, I will touch on some hopefully interesting bits, mostly around the subject of slop / play removal in the various mechanical components of the chassis, and any new components I use.

First topic to cover then is the front lower arms suspension. Using the GPM metal mount here, and have added one 3mm dia. / 0.5mm thick shim each side, onto the BA14 U-shaped Shaft, to reduce front to back slippage of the part D1 lower arms. There is still some roll of the D1, but I can't shim the shaft diameters themselves...! Perhaps there's some sort of sleeve I could fit, but the thickness of it would need to be minute to mitigate for this roll effect.

Overview of the assembly prior to fitting to the chassis. You can clearly see the shims to the back edge of the U-shaped shaft. It feels nice and tight. A little anti wear grease is applied.

 

 

 

 

Next up, installed some aluminium front stays. These items are right on the borderline of my opinion as to whether these constitute an actual upgrade or a just a bling item. I'll let you know how I get on with them. These are GPM Racing, DT3027-B.

 

Here mounted to the front end:

 

On the ends of the lower arms you can see the aluminium c-hub and knuckle arms. From previous experience on various cars, I can say that aluminium C-hubs and knuckles are major step up from the stock plastic parts in terms of slop / play, they're much more precise fitting and engineered. However, even they still have a tiny bit of play, so have tried out some shims here too. Again, will let you know how these get on, whether it's overkill or not, but with the shims it's definitely now all super tight and free moving. Parts in question:

 

Assembled hub assembly, this has a 0.2mm thick,  3mm diameter shims in place, on the top side of the knuckle arm:

 

 

 

 

Following photo shows the c hub / knuckle arm assembly on the end of the lower suspension arm. Here I added two 0.2mm thick / 3mm diameter shims either side of the c-hub to mitigate longitudinal front / back slop of the hub along the BA11 screw pin. To a good extent, this also mitigate roll across the axis of the shaft due to inconsistencies of the shaft diameter and the arm and knuckle hole diameters, as there is less space to roll into due to the shims.

 

Started a bit on the rear end. Bought a DT03 Lightweight gear shaft hop up for the last car, and didn't end up installing it,  so will put it in this one; no idea whether this is any sort of improvement, but hopefully making the rear lighter is a good thing on this car as it's well rear heavy. I should've weighed the components prior to fitting.

 

Shaft is visible to top of photo fitted through counter gear:

 

.....and that's all for today. Was about to press on with rear end, when I realised I had run out of motors.... By installing the motor intended for this vehicle into the impromptu 'TT02B MS Monstery Thing' project, which very rudely jumped the projects queue.... so I was motorless... d'oh! Noobo alert..!    I'll pick this DT03 project up again in a few weeks when I can hopefully get a new motor.

 

 

 

[Man1c M0nk3y 564]

Very interested in this new build certainly from the de slopping aspect. That’s a direction I’ve been taking with my build lately with some success too imo. 

A lot less bling involved however(!) Something I’m curious about however. Is there really any benefit to the metal parts beyond strength/look? Or do we just end up moving the potential for breakage further along the chain? My girls have bashed the Racing Fighter good and proper and it’s come out of it unscathed (so far) so I’ve held off. I wonder whether the flexibility (however slight) in the plastic allows it to get away with it in some instances. 

Anyway, will be keeping an out on developments. 

[ThunderDragonCy 7877]

That is goibg to one blue bling Racing Fighter @ALEXKYRIAK! Couple of things. Firstly on thr aluminium tower uprights, they are way stiffer than the plastic ones. Whether that's a moot point with the prpper shock tower i don't know, but as you know i cut the tower on thr Grasshopper3 to get the body on. The plastic originals creaked like mad!

Second thing: on the c hubs replace the kingpin with a e clip shaft. You can see the mod on my build thread with part numbers for the shaft. The GPM kingpin screw threads are garbage. Mine were thrown off the buggy after about 30 seconds running in the street.

Looking forward to this one.

[ALEXKYRIAK 1046]

@Man1c M0nk3y yes there’s a fair bit of discussion on this forum on the matter of metal parts vs plastic parts. You’re right to wonder about the benefits of the flexibility of plastic. There are some areas where this is very much beneficial to have some flex  

On this build I freely admit to upping the bling factor slightly! 

In terms of my thinking;  I will not put metal suspension arms on as these are apparently too stiff, plastic arms are better as they absorb some of the shock. I haven’t tried them, but I think they’re a bit OTT on a buggy (visually and materially)

hubs and carriers; from my relative experience I think these are legitimate areas to reinforce. I’ve also found that the engineered parts have more precise movements. These metal parts obviously are available in blacks and silvers so the bright colours isn’t always part of the deal if you go down this route. 

I am going to try a universal shaft on this build as these are apparently more robust  in use.

the aluminium tower uprights; was in two minds about this, had read that @ThunderDragonCy used them on his build (albeit in a different car and suspensions support requirements, see his post above), but I thought I’d give it a go, wil be using with the carbon damper stays also so this front end should hopefully be nice and stiff (not too stiff I hope...)

the aluminium skid plates: probably way overkill and provide little to no additional performance or robustness, but it tickled my fancy. I suspect I’ll end up hating them....!

There’s a couple of other metal mounts such as the front u shaft support and the rear gearbox bridge elements which I think make sense, so will fit those  

so yes this car may end up a little on the bling metal side..... but am interested to see how it works.

@ThunderDragonCythanks for the tips on the Gpm,  will check out your mod. 

[ALEXKYRIAK 1046]

So after an obscene amount of time being unable to do anything RC, a few measly additional developments on the runner build. Now attending to the rear end gearbox fitting, with suspensions arms, knuckles, and turnbuckles.

 

So I used the gearbox bridge again:

 

(^^^plastic filed down prior to fitting the box).

 

...and proceeded to fit the gearbox to the rear end of the chassis. I used 0.3mm shims on the lower arms at the gearbox pivot arm to remove longitudinal slop. Using the Speedpassion 13.5T MMM brushless sensored motor.

 

Some notes on the rear end parts in the following part of this post. I fitted the GPM rear knuckles in bling blue, using rubber ball races on the areas potentially exposed to water.

 

I also fitted the GPM CVD to the rear drive. This is an all in one piece connecting the gearbox to the wheel axles.

 

 

 

Also using the turnbuckle set, so no rear upper arms are present in these photos. I also used @ThunderDragonCy's e-clip and shaft connection on the ends of the lower arms at the lower joint to the knuckle. The reason I used this was honestly and simply because I liked the idea of trying something new, with new hop up parts and bits! But I understand this is a more durable fitting and connection, so will post back here with Hard Science Results (tm) once I've run it myself.

But I also like it because it becomes a non-destructive, purely mechanical connection, which is in a way much more satisfying from an "engineering" point of view. Parts used are 53301 TL-01 Stainless Steel Suspension Shaft Set and 53539 5.5mm diameter Aluminium Spacer Set. Thanks Mr.Thunder.

 

 

 

 

 

That's all for now. See you as soon as probably next year for the next update!

 

 

[ThunderDragonCy 7877]

Looks great that!

[Juls1 1661]

I think you have a problem I’m very familiar with.... 

[ALEXKYRIAK 1046]

Ok so bit of an update, found a bit of time today to get the shocks on. I am using a DF03 aluminium damper set. (Yes, more blue).  

To shorten the length of the dampers I used the o-ring trick to shorten the travel of the piston - this trick as advised to me from several forum members here, so thanks guys

I used three rings on the front and four on the rear, front damper is now 70mm length and rear is 92mm length, measured eye to eye. Each o-ring is about 2mm thick.

 

Post build, I realised that I perhaps should have used black o-rings instead of the red ones. Black are firmer and are intended for this type of usage. Oh well...

So the front looks a bit like this:

 

To remove the play at the base of front shocks - in stock form they can slip longitudinally along the pin that sits in the lower arm - I installed a metal bearing to eliminate this movement. These bearings can be found in various kits, I had a bunch as leftovers, it’s a gold coloured metal ring about 4mm internal diameter, part number 9805185, they’ve proved quite useful in various situations. You can just see it at the base of the shock where the pin is mounted:

 

 

 

The front shocks now feel super solid, no moving about. It was a bit fiddly to fit, but worth it in the end. It’s tight, but the movement is not inhibited.

 

So this is the completed chassis:

 

 

 

Next up was to fit the front axle hex hub wheel adapter. I wanted to experiment with fitting hex type wheels to the front of this non-hex chassis:

 

These are standard shaped aluminium hex hubs, but they have two small ball bearings mounted inside, instead of the cross and pin, as these are designed to fit over the standard front axle of the DT03.

They were an absolute pain to fit, as the fitting and tolerance was so tight. For the wheels I had in mind to fit first, I needed to space the hex hub away from the c-hub and steering knuckle to ensure clearance of the inside of the wheel. I used 5 0.3mm shims to achieve the offset. There’s probably something more sensible I could have used but it was all I had to hand.

 

And then I fitted the wheels...

 

 

 

 

These are the wheels and tyres from an Egress (and other cars?) if I recall (I ordered these ages ago so hopefully my memory is correct). I am 50/50 as to whether I like these on this car and chassis, but I think maybe it’ll grow on me. I am interested to see what other shells can be made to fit this chassis, but these wheels are definitely your classic ‘Buggy’ look... old school, pointy and aggressive (The inner 13 year old in me is delighted). I also LOVE the smell of new rubber tyres, unbelievably nostalgic.

So with the new shocks on and the various slop removals that I’ve done, and the drivetrain improvements, this chassis feels a lot more solid and planted than my other DT03.  Will be very interested to see how it performs. 

Hopefully more updates to come soon

[ThunderDragonCy 7877]

Looks fantastic that Alex. Pretty jealous of those dampers. Been hanging my nose over a set for a while. 

Nice job on the lower front wishbone mount. I ended up filing down some of the ball collars to fit. Works well but yours looks neater.

[Man1c M0nk3y 564]

Very nice 👍 

Also jealous of the shocks! Were and still are on the list of future upgrades.

Like what you’ve done to eliminate the play at the bottom of the front shocks. Been looking at that area myself but have nothing suitable/thin enough. Will have to another rummage in the box when I rebuild the shocks later. 

[ALEXKYRIAK 1046]

Ok so took a plunge with my hunch and went for a little bit of slightly old school vintage look with this. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made a few modifications to this car to give it a more unique look and to make it look a bit more ‘vintage’. 

I cut the body differently from the ‘stock’ shape: I left the side panels longer to make it look more chunky around the back area of the body, the stock shape is more swept back. 

I also cut the rear wing to have bigger side plates to make it look a bit more chunky. I did the same mod to the rear wing to push it up, with a steeper angle from stock, for a more aggressive look, as documented on my previous DT03 in this thread.

For this car I  also pushed the rear wing further back by about 8-10mm by using longer screws with some spacers off the back of the rear damper mount.  Again, this makes it look more balanced overall in my opinion (I think stock racing fighter looks a little squashed at the rear compositionally) and helps reinforce a slightly more unique look.

 

 

I went with what I thought might look like a bit of a classic buggy colour scheme with the two colours. It’s ok - I think. I made all my usual hideous painting and masking mistakes. I will add a few more decals, so the body is not quite finished yet but pretty much achieved the intent.

Last thing to do will be to finish the electrics.

Then it’s run time...

[Man1c M0nk3y 564]

Nice. Like the colours. Needs dirt now 😁

[ThunderDragonCy 7877]

That looks great Alex! Lots of lovely touches and interesting little twists to get a better look. Really keen to know how it drives.

[howaboutme 247]

This is an amazing build! I have a Racing Fighter chrome edition waiting to be built and this thread is a huge inspiration. Good going!

[ALEXKYRIAK 1046]

10 hours ago, Man1c M0nk3y said:

Nice. Like the colours. Needs dirt now 😁

Bring it on...! Although always worried about making it look less pristine. But it will need some battle scars at some point to give it character...

@ThunderDragonCy yes it’s always fun to give the build a bit of a twist, as you have proven many a time.

 In terms of running I think this will be a good performer.  I also have added some weight over the nose to hopefully reduce understeer. This obviously will require some testing iterations to dial it in properly. 

@howaboutme I need to check out the chrome edition one day, don’t think I’ve seen a build thread on here for that one so hoping you’ll do one!

[ThunderDragonCy 7877]

The more at look at this the more impressed I am with the Racing Fighter body. It really does have quite a nice old school shape. I think the big difference here is the block colours and lack of box art decals. Those big "grill" decals that go down the side of the nose really do ruin the shape on the stock version.

[Juls1 1661]

Looks awesome,

job done,

right what chassis number to get started on now? 

[ALEXKYRIAK 1046]

13 hours ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

The more at look at this the more impressed I am with the Racing Fighter body. It really does have quite a nice old school shape. I think the big difference here is the block colours and lack of box art decals. Those big "grill" decals that go down the side of the nose really do ruin the shape on the stock version.

I totally agree.  I had such a hard time painting and decorating my first two shells before this one.

The first one was Stealth Black (and avoided the issue of colour and decals entirely!   ) which I actually quite like, then the second was a runner shell that I started doing in stock orange colour and decals, but couldn’t bring myself to finish the decals as they’re so outrageous and busy, so this ended up being a bit of a halfway house.

The blue and white scheme here for this build was just trying to keep it simple and pure. With a mostly non-reliance on main stock decals, and with the modifications to the shape and arrangement of the body, I think it now looks similar, but sufficiently different to look more old school and more interesting. To me it looks a little more classic Tamiya. The crazy decals of the Racing Fighter with the black infill bits and the silver frames and the swooshy logos and chequered flag 🏁 motif - I can only imagine the scene in the Tamiya design office the day someone dreamt that one up. I reckon it looked at the more Astute end of town originally and someone said ‘make it look more modern!’, and the Racing Fighter shell was born. It looks halfway between two things and it isn’t either of them. It’s trying way too hard and it’s basically just caked in make-up.

With some tweaks, the car overalll can be made to look more purposefully Tamiya (at least in my humble opinion). 

@Juls1, next chassis.... ooohh tough one! Am already looking however..... I’m on the case  

 

[ALEXKYRIAK 1046]

14 hours ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

The more at look at this the more impressed I am with the Racing Fighter body. It really does have quite a nice old school shape. I think the big difference here is the block colours and lack of box art decals. Those big "grill" decals that go down the side of the nose really do ruin the shape on the stock version.

I totally agree.  I had such a hard time painting and decorating my first two shells before this one.

The first one was Stealth Black (and avoided the issue of colour and decals entirely!   ) which I actually quite like, then the second was a runner shell that I started doing in stock orange colour and decals, but couldn’t bring myself to finish the decals as they’re so outrageous and busy, so this ended up being a bit of a halfway house.

The blue and white scheme here for this build was just trying to keep it simple and pure. With a mostly non-reliance on main stock decals, and with the modifications to the shape and arrangement of the body, I think it now looks similar, but sufficiently different to look more old school and more interesting. To me it looks a little more classic Tamiya. The crazy decals of the Racing Fighter with the black infill bits and the silver frames and the swooshy logos and chequered flag 🏁 motif - I can only imagine the scene in the Tamiya design office the day someone dreamt that one up. I reckon it looked at the more Astute end of town originally and someone said ‘make it look more modern!’, and the Racing Fighter shell was born. It looks halfway between two things and it isn’t either of them. It’s trying way too hard and it’s basically just caked in make-up.

With some tweaks, the car overalll can be made to look more purposefully Tamiya (at least in my humble opinion). 

@Juls1, next chassis.... ooohh tough one! Am already looking however..... I’m on the case  Will let you know.

 

[toyolien 4680]

I know this is an old thread, but i just wondered if you had ran this and how it performed? Just about to embark on a similar build!

[Seanster43 222]

Likewise a bit of a bump any updates on this or was it retired straight to the shelf?