Man1c’s DT03 From Buggy to Truggy.

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

So if you want to jump straight to the changes from buggy to truggy/truck and an explanation of sorts as to why jump straight to it here...

———

So as the title tells you I’m a total beginner at this so be gentle!

I was unsure whether to do a build as I imagine it’ll be of little interest to the veterans, but maybe someone in my shoes at some point will come across it and find it of use. 

Here goes then. I’ve wanted an R/C on and off for years but never got round to it until now (is that a recurring adult theme?)

It was a definite heart over head moment as I did virtually no research(!) and pretty much jumped straight in. 

I looked at a few RTR’s but beyond the ease of getting up and running and the possible initial reduced cost I wanted the build part. If I’m honest that’s the part that’s most appealing to me, at the minute at least. 

So from that I started looking at Tamiya kits and was initially looking at 4wd kits but then I came across @ThunderDragonCy build and was totally drawn in by the build and tweaks he had done and bit the bullet on a 2wd DT03 Racing Fighter. 

Thinking about it afterwards I feel that was the right choice. Although the 4wd kits are by the look of it more involved to build I feel they would be less fun in use, possibly too easy whereas the 2wd kits once built and running should be more fun/challenging to drive. Time will tell...plus I can buy a 4wd later!

So to start I just bought the kit with the CVA shocks, ESC and Torque Tuned Motor, but nothing else beyond buying some bearings, although I did buy a couple more bits a few days later but I’ll detail those as they come up in the build. 

The plan is to research the rest, (servo/batteries/transmitter and receiver) as I go. I’m in no rush and at the moment have very limited time to build the car anyway (first clue for you all that this won’t be a quick build thread!)

Nothing exciting at first but I’ll be sure to document any issues etc I come across as a novice builder and then later with use I’ll share any tweaks etc. 

And if you’ve made it this far, well done 😂

So then, to begin...

 

 

 

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

So I made a start on things. 

I will be following the manual in order apart from where I’m missing a part such as the servo. 

Parts 2,3 & 4 then (1 being charge battery, but soon even if I did have any!)

So the chassis liberated from the sprue and only sliced my finger once, result!

I noticed at this point that the nose didn’t close flush, but needn’t have worried as the next step sorted that. 

Front ‘uprights’ fitted. 

We now skip to steps 9 through to 13(part 1) - Parts 5-8 being servo related which I don’t have yet. 

Front ‘Lower Arms’ assembled. 

Front ‘Lower Arms’ and ‘Bumper’ fitted to chassis and we hit a problem. Right side as we look at it was binding. Guess who didn’t trim the sprue nibs off properly 🙄

Front ‘Upper Arms’ on. 

Front ‘Axles’ time...

On they are on!

As you can see no ‘Steering Rods’ attached as they are part of the servo steps. 

Called it a day at this point.

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

Time for some spinning things now...steps 14 to 19. 

So to begin. The ‘Differential Gear’

The observant amongst you will notice the funky red grease and not Tamiya’s included milky white stuff. Well somebody seems to have misplaced that little tube 🙄

Fortunately I had some bearing/rotating parts Teflon grease in the cupboard so called that into action. I see no reason it’ll be an issue but if anyone knows of any then please shout up. 

I’ll likely be opening it back up at some point in the future as I start playing around with ‘tuning’ the diff with thicker oils/putty once I have learnt the characteristics of the standard setup. 

Moving on then. The ‘Counter Gear’ and with that the first ‘hop ups’. 

So when I bought the kit I ordered some 1150 Rubber Sealed bearings too. Then whilst reading around I came across a build which had used metal bearings in the gearbox (with rubber elsewhere) I enquired as to the reasoning and @TurnipJF came to my aid (not for the first time either!) and explained how the metal were freer moving (but not as well sealed as rubber but seeing as the gearbox is enclosed not really an issue) so better for this area. Whether I’d personally notice is debatable but for the cost I ordered some more.

Also of the debatable if I’d notice nature is the ‘Lightweight Gear Shafts’ (54560). They are noticeably lighter in hand to the standard solid ones however so that’s a plus right?!

‘Spur Gear’

Kit ‘540 Torque Tuned Motor Motor’ and the next hop up ‘08 Module Steel Pinion Gear 17T’ (54628) as by all accounts the standard alloy part is ‘soft/poor’ in comparison. 

And here is where I slipped up. You’ll notice I’ve greased the Spur Gear, however the instructions show it un greased. I’ve left it for now as I again see no likely issues, but again feel free to correct me and I’ll open the box back up and clean it. 

All done...

And a bonus picture! 

310g. Heavier on its own than the chassis with the front arms etc fitted so clear to see why the DT03 is such a lightweight at the front once built up. 

This is with the kit 540 Brushed motor, 6x 1150 Metal Bearings, Lightweight Gear Shafts and the Steel 17T Pinion Gear. 

I’ve taken it for reference for later as and when I change things. 

I have enjoyed the build so far and today could quite happily carried on. 

And finally in other developments I’ve ordered a servo. More about that later though.

 

edit: as per following post(s) differential bearings have been swapped to rubber sealed. 

[TurnipJF 4974]

Looking great so far!

 

One minor point of concern though - it would appear that you have used metal shielded bearings for the diff as well as the internal gears.

 

The outer faces of the diff bearings can "see" the outside world through the openings for the diff outdrives, and are thus also susceptible to dirt ingress. For optimum dirt resistance, you might want to replace these with rubber-sealed bearings and keep the metal-shielded ones for the spur gear and counter gear only, which are protected from dirt on both sides by the gearbox housings.

 

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

5 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

Looking great so far!

 

One minor point of concern though - it would appear that you have used metal shielded bearings for the diff as well as the internal gears.

 

The outer faces of the diff bearings can "see" the outside world through the openings for the diff outdrives, and are thus also susceptible to dirt ingress. For optimum dirt resistance, you might want to replace these with rubber-sealed bearings and keep the metal-shielded ones for the spur gear and counter gear only, which are protected from dirt on both sides by the gearbox housings.

 

Well spotted. Yes I used metal either side of the diff. Didn’t even think about that so once again thank you for the pointer. 

A quick swap done and happy to say it was obviously worth it for more than just the bearing protection aspect, the motor now weighs in at 309g. Bound to be quicker now 😂

(For reference that’s, 540 Torque Tuned Motor, Lighweight Gear Shafts, 2x 1150 Rubber Sealed Bearings, 4x 1150 Metal Sealed Bearings and 17T Steel Pinion).

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

Grabbed a quick half hour tonight on the build. 

Firstly apologies for the darker pictures, it’s dark here and even with the lights on the camera struggled and the flash just washed everything out. 

Anyways...

Parts 21, 22 & 23. The Rear Arms and Axles. 

21 & 22 are simple enough. No dramas here!

Part 23 I found a fiddly little sod at first. ‘Dogbone’ kept popping out as the Arms would shift whilst trying to put the screw pin in.  I was initially trying to do the bottom pin first, swapped to putting top pin in first, much easier. Not an issue just seemed awkward singlehanded or maybe I’ve just drank too much over Christmas! As can be seen I’ve again swapped the plastic bushes out for sealed bearings. This time rubber sealed and still 1150 as all the bearings for this kit are. 

The next step calls for the ‘Receiver Switch’ and it’s housing to be installed. Well I haven’t got my Transmitter/Receiver yet (still undecided) so I haven’t bothered with this step for now. I’ve not doubt the housing could be fitted and switch added later, I just didn’t bother!

Moving on from that and we would be mounting the Gearbox assembly to the chassis. Now I wasn’t going to bother just yet with the available hop-up (54566 Aluminium Gearbox Bridge) however I read a few people mentioning breakages in that area plus it was recommended by another forum user so I’ve ordered them so we will have a brief pause until they arrive. I’ve also ordered some Metal Hex’s for the rear (53056) as looking ahead to step 30 and attaching the wheels (specifically the rear) the hex’s are plastic in the kit and I see that as a weakness with the wheels being on and off as I try things out (it might not be, but I perceive it as a possible so ordered with the above g/box bridges). 

Thanks for reading, and as always feel free to encourage or put right as you see fit!

 

[wolfdogstinkus 983]

Flysky range(radio sets) is well regarded on here.

Flysky GT2, GT3 etc

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

Just now, wolfdogstinkus said:

Flysky range(radio sets) is well regarded on here.

Flysky GT2, GT3 etc

Cheers I’ll look into those. Have currently got a Futaba set in the top spot for my £’s but options are welcomed. 

[TurnipJF 4974]

Good call on the gearbox bridges and metal hexes. The bridges will make for a stronger rear end, and the metal hexes ought to make the vehicle more usable in winter, when the low temperatures make plastic hexes brittle and prone to cracking.

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

Less of an update as such and more of a musings and correcting mistakes 🙄

Firstly the mistake. 

On the last build progress I stopped at the point the receiver switch housing would be added and then the gearbox attaches to chassis whilst I waited for the hop-up Gearbox Bridge’s to arrive. Well, idle hands and all that, I figured I’d fit the standard bridges and attach gearbox etc just to see how it went. Well it went not very well at all 😕

I couldn’t attach the receiver switch housing as the screws I had left we’re too thin to bite into the plastic, crap. 

So the retracing of steps began and I narrowed it down to the screws that hold the differential gear housing lid on. Took the gearbox apart again and sure enough that’s what I’d put the wrong screws in. 

The instructions call for 2.6x10mm (silver screws) and I’d used 3x10mm (black screws). Now if Mr Tamiya had just said use the silver screws I’d have been fine 😂

On the plus side, I’m getting good at dismantling the rear end 👍

The musings. 

I’ve been undecided on what servo to get. Analog/digital, plastic/metal gears etc etc. 

Now as we know the DT03 is a lightweight at the front so I was leaning towards getting a metal geared servo to add some weight. 

Whilst talking to @TurnipJF he mentioned maybe considering a waterproof one too. 

In the end I decided for now I was overthinking/over complicating things and just needed to get a servo, get running and work from there. 

So what I’ve ended up with is the Alturn AAS-700STD which is a plastic geared but waterproof servo that seems to be well regarded for what it is. 

Keeping on the weight theme though. It’s listed as 37g but my scales make it 40g. With the standard servo mount it comes to 46g. And with the standard servo saver added too we hit 50g. All without screws etc. 

In a moment of weakness I’ve just hit the button on the aluminium servo mount so that’ll add a tad more front end weight. 

Anyway, all those words and no pictures, let me correct that...

Just need the postman to hurry up now!

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

34 minutes ago, TurnipJF said:

Good call on the gearbox bridges and metal hexes. The bridges will make for a stronger rear end, and the metal hexes ought to make the vehicle more usable in winter, when the low temperatures make plastic hexes brittle and prone to cracking.

Cheers. Glad to know someone agrees 😂 Hadn’t considered the hex’s going brittle tbh. 

[TurnipJF 4974]

Hmm. The diff screw issue concerns me slightly. Given that the holes in the diff housing have now been opened up to 3mm by the black screws, do the thinner silver screws have enough bite to keep the lid on?

Diffs can generate significant lateral forces when power is going through them - enough to deform the metal sides of the gearbox on models such as the Monster Beetle and original Blackfoot for example. I am a bit concerned that these forces might pull the thinner screws from their holes.

Might you not be better off leaving the black screws in the diff housing, and sourcing more 3X10 screws for the receiver switch housing?

[Jonathon Gillham 3167]

What radio gear are you considering? I have a range from the Flysky GT2, Futaba 2HR, 3PRKA, 3PV and Sanwa MT4S.

If you want a set per car then the Flysky is a great option. If you want to use the same one for each car and have a whole heap of options I recommend the 3PV as valuw for money. The Sanwa is awesome but expensive, and sanwa rx are expensive too. If you want something like the MT4 theh grab a Futaba 4PV

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

10 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

Hmm. The diff screw issue concerns me slightly. Given that the holes in the diff housing have now been opened up to 3mm by the black screws, do the thinner silver screws have enough bite to keep the lid on?

Diffs can generate significant lateral forces when power is going through them - enough to deform the metal sides of the gearbox on models such as the Monster Beetle and original Blackfoot for example. I am a bit concerned that these forces might pull the thinner screws from their holes.

Might you not be better off leaving the black screws in the diff housing, and sourcing more 3X10 screws for the receiver switch housing?

Shhh. Don’t say that you’ll have me worried 😦  I was worried if they’d bite tbh but they seem fine. Gave them a good pull when not fully home and they stayed put. 

A bit annoyed with myself on this one tbh. I didn’t even notice until too late (obviously) The joys of so many screws being so close to being the same size. 

A lesson if nothing else. I’d look for some screws but we have no RC shops local so everything is online/delivery. Not really an issue as such as it’s not ready to run anyway. Worst case when/if I go down the diff route we talked about I’ll get a new housing too. Fingers crossed 🤞 

2 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

What radio gear are you considering? I have a range from the Flysky GT2, Futaba 2HR, 3PRKA, 3PV and Sanwa MT4S.

If you want a set per car then the Flysky is a great option. If you want to use the same one for each car and have a whole heap of options I recommend the 3PV as valuw for money. The Sanwa is awesome but expensive, and sanwa rx are expensive too. If you want something like the MT4 theh grab a Futaba 4PV

Thanks for that bit of info. I’ve been leaning towards the Futaba 3PRKA but will look at the 3PV too as I don’t really want a load of TX’s just the one for a couple of cars tops...at least for now!

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

Whilst waiting for my Gearbox Bridge Hop-Up to arrive I figured I’d do what I could with the build. 

So the CVA Shocks. This would be part 25 in the manual but with different shocks depending on your kit. 

Front...

Rear...

The observant might notice the bottom shock cups missing from this picture. That’s because the postman brought goodies 😁. Anyway...

Well, that was meant to be it, but like I said the postman brought goodies, so buckle up...

The ‘Aluminium Gearbox Bridge’ hop-up (54566) arrived, so I could continue with the build parts 23 and 24. 

Receiver Switch Housing. 

Gearbox to Chassis. 

Pretty little blue bits!

Starting to take shape...

Onwards we go. Parts 26 and 27. 

Front. 

Rear.

Why stop now when we are having fun 😁

Parts 29 and 30 (28 is electrics which I haven’t got yet). 

Kit wheels and tyres as you can see. Not running inserts yet. I want to run the car without and then with to appreciate the differences. 

1150 Rubber Shielded bearings again. 

Some seriously funky toe-out going on here! Still no steering rods fitted as can’t centre servo yet. 

1150 bearings and Metal Pin Type Wheel Adapters (53056). 

And would you look at this, it almost looks like a car!

In other news, and sure to be good news to @TurnipJF I’ve fitted the 3x10mm screws back into the differential gear housing. An unexpected bonus to buying the Aluminium Servo Mount was that it came with a full set of 3x10mm screws so the ones in the kit for the standard servo mount were now going spare. Feel better tbh. 

Again thanks for reading and apologies for the length. I got a bit carried away today! Likely be a bit quieter for now whilst I decide on parts and acquire them. 

 

Edit: forgot to mention above, but the shocks are running the recommended spacers which are the biggest on the front and middle on the rear. Will play around with those like everything else once I have a better understanding of the buggy.

 

[TurnipJF 4974]

Looks like you are making quick progress! Glad the diff screws are back to 3mm - the last thing we want is a chewed-up diff and gearbox putting an enthusiastic newcomer off this great hobby!

 

And please don't apologise for the length of your posts. A thorough and well-written build thread such as yours makes for a good read.

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

1 hour ago, TurnipJF said:

Looks like you are making quick progress! Glad the diff screws are back to 3mm - the last thing we want is a chewed-up diff and gearbox putting an enthusiastic newcomer off this great hobby!

 

And please don't apologise for the length of your posts. A thorough and well-written build thread such as yours makes for a good read.

Cheers. Yeah made better progress than planned/expected today. Was just enjoying the build. Especially enjoyed building the shocks. Speaking of which, I forgot to mention in post they have been set up exactly as the instructions with the big front/middle rear spacers. Something else to learn the effects of changing. 

And no need to worry, had I left the ‘right’ screws in and ended up destroying the diff/gearbox up I’d have just chalked it up to a silly mistake and an expensive lesson!

Well I certainly hope some are finding the posts of interest. I appreciate to most this is easy and second nature and they’d have the build knocked off in a flash but I’m trying to work at it methodically swapping parts where beneficial now and taking my time to look how things go together and work. 

[Badcrumble 1921]

I’m certainly enjoying your build and new threads like this help to replace any lost following issues with Photobucket.

Keep ‘em coming! 

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

1 hour ago, Badcrumble said:

I’m certainly enjoying your build and new threads like this help to replace any lost following issues with Photobucket.

Keep ‘em coming! 

Cheers. 

[ALEXKYRIAK 942]

Great thread Man1c M0nk3y. Nicely written and well photographed.

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

49 minutes ago, ALEXKYRIAK said:

Great thread Man1c M0nk3y. Nicely written and well photographed.

Cheers. Glad people are finding it interesting. 

Surprised the pictures are as clear as some are. The lighting in my house is appalling. Gloomy no matter what time or season 🙄. 

[OwainP 38]

Very intresting build, I'm looking forward to seeing this complete and will be 100% following this thread. Are you doing this box art or are you going custom with the body?  

 

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

11 minutes ago, OwainP said:

Very intresting build, I'm looking forward to seeing this complete and will be 100% following this thread. Are you doing this box art or are you going custom with the body?  

 

Thanks. I’ve certainly enjoyed the build. Obviously it could have been done a lot quicker, but I’ve enjoyed doing it mostly piecemeal and learning the sections better. 

Looking forward to learning the characteristics and adapting and tweaking to my wants. 

Initially I intended to just do it box art, but I’ve already got a bright orange car as my daily(!) so figured I’d do it how I wanted instead. Make it more ‘mine’. 

Had a good google for ideas but seems to be little out there (that I could find) that aren’t box art. The idea I’m going with (just waiting on paint) probably won’t be to most tastes but hopefully it’ll work well. Just need to decide on transfers as I don’t think they’ll all work with what I have planned. 

Should have a bit of an update later hopefully. 

[Man1c M0nk3y 508]

Well the postman has brought me everything I need to finish the build now. Only issue is I’m back at work so finding the time will be difficult. Typical 🙄

At least I’ll have a nice box of goodies to open when I get home!

[OwainP 38]

On 02/01/2018 at 12:30 PM, Man1c M0nk3y said:

Thanks. I’ve certainly enjoyed the build. Obviously it could have been done a lot quicker, but I’ve enjoyed doing it mostly piecemeal and learning the sections better. 

Looking forward to learning the characteristics and adapting and tweaking to my wants. 

Initially I intended to just do it box art, but I’ve already got a bright orange car as my daily(!) so figured I’d do it how I wanted instead. Make it more ‘mine’. 

Had a good google for ideas but seems to be little out there (that I could find) that aren’t box art. The idea I’m going with (just waiting on paint) probably won’t be to most tastes but hopefully it’ll work well. Just need to decide on transfers as I don’t think they’ll all work with what I have planned. 

Should have a bit of an update later hopefully. 

An idea for the decals to consider, if you are not sure that they will work with your colour choice would be a custom set from MCI Racing. You can change every colour and the quality is amazing. I would 100% recommend the company to anyone.