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lsear2905

Clear Chassis Hop-ups - fragile or not?

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Apparently these parts are "fragile." Urban legend or fact? I think this is one of those oft-repeated "facts" that has no basis in reality (at least not in reality that is confirmed by searching Google images).

If anyone has any direct experience (photos preferred) that would be great. FWIW I'm looking at genuine Tamiya parts, not aftermarket.

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Does anybody know offhand, what material the clear chassis parts are made of? With that knowledge along with their non-clear equivalents some more factual comparison information could be gleened. 

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I can talk from experience regarding the clear shocks that come with some of the higher spec M-chassis. They are significantly more brittle than the standard black plastic, to the point that the eyelets and caps crack when clipping over standard Tamiya brass ball connectors.

No photos - I simply binned the cracked eyelets and caps, replacing them with black plastic ones which have lasted to this day. I kept the clear bodies though - they work well enough. 

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1 hour ago, TurnipJF said:

I can talk from experience regarding the clear shocks that come with some of the higher spec M-chassis. They are significantly more brittle than the standard black plastic, to the point that the eyelets and caps crack when clipping over standard Tamiya brass ball connectors.

No photos - I simply binned the cracked eyelets and caps, replacing them with black plastic ones which have lasted to this day. I kept the clear bodies though - they work well enough. 

I wonder if these older style clear shocks are the same material as the current releases of clear chassis. I'm thinking I might end up being the guinea pig for this experiment!!

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5 hours ago, lsear2905 said:

I'm thinking I might end up being the guinea pig for this experiment!!

If you do, post up the materiel letter code found on the the sprue so we can investigate further. 

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Clear plastic chassis/parts have been introduced for the,

M chassis

TL01

DT02 gearbox

GF01

G6-01 (polycarbonate, Tamiya USA)

SW01

And loads of mini 4wd cars

Quick Google list.

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TA03 F had some clear gearbox parts, very rare😳

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52 minutes ago, waterbok said:

Clear plastic chassis/parts have been introduced for the,

M chassis

TL01

DT02 gearbox

GF01

G6-01 (polycarbonate, Tamiya USA)

SW01

And loads of mini 4wd cars

Quick Google list.

I've got the clear chassis (and colourful gears) for the G601 - that's why I'm curious what people's experience has been?

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So this thread (as of 12th November) has now been viewed 176 times, and not one person has declared personal experience of a clear chassis failing.

I'm calling it: urban legend.

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I had g601 clear chassis and coloured gears, never ran it before selling though....

I have had the dt-01 clear gearbox a couple of times in runners and the dt-02 clear gearbox......both have been fine

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I have the M03, TL01 and TA03F in clear. I can confirm that they are indeed very fragile! The TA03F unfortunately has a broken corner on the back and a broken shocktower. The clear plastic is much more brittle, specially after being in the sun for years.

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On 11/6/2019 at 5:09 AM, waterbok said:

G6-01 (polycarbonate, Tamiya USA)

If the G6-01 chassis is PC, in theory, it should be just as strong as many other Tamiya chassis parts. A lot of what we call ABS is really polycarbonate (PC). The Lunch Box chassis is ABS. The Wild Dagger chassis is PC. I don't know what leaving the black dye out of the mix would do in terms of strength or UV resistance though.

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