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matisse

Top Manta Force! - the DF01 chronicles

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Yeah so It’s another Top Force build, big whoop wanna fight about it!?

 

right now that’s out of my system, back in the game after more than a few years, and as even average runners of Madcaps and Terra conquerors are getting mad prices right now (plus are we really gonna see a re-re if either) I’ve gone for a Top Force kit.

It’s currently stuck at a post office in Hong Kong due to Coronavirus a long with the basic essential hopups.

 

So this is basically the teaser trailer.

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2 hours ago, matisse said:

Yeah so It’s another Top Force build, big whoop wanna fight about it!?

 

right now that’s out of my system, back in the game after more than a few years, and as even average runners of Madcaps and Terra conquerors are getting mad prices right now (plus are we really gonna see a re-re if either) I’ve gone for a Top Force kit.

It’s currently stuck at a post office in Hong Kong due to Coronavirus a long with the basic essential hopups.

 

So this is basically the teaser trailer.

What do you deem to be essential hop ups?  I'm interested as everyone has their own views on that and I just built one of these last month.  Was a great build.

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7 hours ago, Superluminal said:

Thoughts on paint scheme?

Unsure, still plenty of time

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6 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

What do you deem to be essential hop ups?  I'm interested as everyone has their own views on that and I just built one of these last month.  Was a great build.

I guess this is a two part answer. What should have come in the kit and what I deem essential.

For a car of this level on release, it should have come with:

full ball bearings

plastic gear set

alloy hexes

ball diff thrust races

alloy motor mount

these are all the “What the F are you doing Tamiya?” upgrades, it’s a travesty that you have to buy these tbh. Especially the alloy hexes, plastic drive hexes? On a top end car in its day? GTFO.

Now what do I view as needed?

proper turnbuckles as the more you pop them off to adjust, the more slop you get. 
 

hex head screws, man but Tamiya make crappy screws. Either that or most of us have awful tools. 


I skipped the thrust race and when straight to the TA03 diffs, always good to have spares.

Proper shocks, nothing against the CVA’s it’s just that they are bit ****.

i also went for the Alu kingpins and an alloy rear diff cover just because.

 

 

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If you want to really run it or race it, some proper size/width 2.2 wheels. Those star dish wheels aren't full 2.2 so 2.2 tyres don't fit them well and the rears are narrow compared to modern spec wheels. Tyres are the biggest single upgrade you can do after bearings. If you want to stick with Tamiya, the DF03 wheels in white or black are the correct size, but expensive for what thry are and white ones seem to be a little scarce. Choose some good brand tyres appropriate to you common running surface and get some foams to put in them. 

After that, run the car and see if you need some different springs to get it handling well. You won't know which you might need before you run it though. 

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1 hour ago, matisse said:

I guess this is a two part answer. What should have come in the kit and what I deem essential.

For a car of this level on release, it should have come with:

full ball bearings

plastic gear set

alloy hexes

ball diff thrust races

alloy motor mount

these are all the “What the F are you doing Tamiya?” upgrades, it’s a travesty that you have to buy these tbh. Especially the alloy hexes, plastic drive hexes? On a top end car in its day? GTFO.

Now what do I view as needed?

proper turnbuckles as the more you pop them off to adjust, the more slop you get. 
 

hex head screws, man but Tamiya make crappy screws. Either that or most of us have awful tools. 


I skipped the thrust race and when straight to the TA03 diffs, always good to have spares.

Proper shocks, nothing against the CVA’s it’s just that they are bit ****.

i also went for the Alu kingpins and an alloy rear diff cover just because.

 

 

Thats pretty much where I ended up. Didn't do the screws though, and what are the king pins you're talking about?

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do you know tony tamiya parts sells kits and at a very good price plus free delivery.

i got mine of him for less than £200

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10 hours ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

If you want to really run it or race it, some proper size/width 2.2 wheels. Those star dish wheels aren't full 2.2 so 2.2 tyres don't fit them well and the rears are narrow compared to modern spec wheels. Tyres are the biggest single upgrade you can do after bearings. If you want to stick with Tamiya, the DF03 wheels in white or black are the correct size, but expensive for what thry are and white ones seem to be a little scarce. Choose some good brand tyres appropriate to you common running surface and get some foams to put in them. 

After that, run the car and see if you need some different springs to get it handling well. You won't know which you might need before you run it though. 

For sure, my 1/10 buggy racing days are coming back to me so dish wheels and correct tyres are in the future. As are springs, but I tended to use oil and piston more than springs one I was happy with the basic setup.

part of the reason for buying the TA03 diffs is I could have a spare, same as buying the Tamiya alloy mount for the spare drive shaft.

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1 hour ago, topforcein said:

do you know tony tamiya parts sells kits and at a very good price plus free delivery.

i got mine of him for less than £200

No I did not but it’s too late now.

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Parts are starting to turn up, and I’ve found a torque splitter in Germany. Nice.

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It’s arrived!  Also here are a steel hex head screw kit, a Novak Brushless set up and a Hitec low profile servo.

more stuff on the way from Germany, Hong Kong and japan before I can start building in earnest

C867D126-6CD1-41A1-B29B-55DC849C20C3.jpeg

8A266087-9296-4561-9FEB-FA7C66E3CEC3.jpeg

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On 1/30/2020 at 8:25 AM, matisse said:

Yeah so It’s another Top Force build, big whoop wanna fight about it!?

 

right now that’s out of my system, back in the game after more than a few years, and as even average runners of Madcaps and Terra conquerors are getting mad prices right now (plus are we really gonna see a re-re if either) I’ve gone for a Top Force kit.

It’s currently stuck at a post office in Hong Kong due to Coronavirus a long with the basic essential hopups.

 

So this is basically the teaser trailer.

I’m drawing a blank, what is that first line from? TV or Movie? I can hear it, even the accent, just don’t recall from where

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34 minutes ago, mtbkym01 said:

TV or Movie?

I think its a bit from Family Guy IIRC.

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55 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

I think its a bit from Family Guy IIRC.

Yeah that’s ringing a bell

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Hop ups are arriving!

this whole build started as a way to build a terra conqueror, but obvs as soon as I bought the TF and a few hop ups to release the TF parts for the TC, the inevitable happened and it’s become all about a proper upgraded TG and then the TC sometime in the future. Still, I’ll have the ball diffs, shocks, drive shaft etc sat waiting.

23906E8D-4732-4DAB-AECC-6AAE59D396AC.jpeg

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12 minutes ago, Superluminal said:

Where did you get your high speed gearset from in the end?

Tamico. Postage doubled the price but it was one of the only places I could find it

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We should be better at organising group buys on here for places like Tamico so we can split the cost of postage

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1 hour ago, matisse said:

Unsure what battery to get, will go lipo  but what fits the Re-re?

I have a Gens ace round case that fits. This one is too long for my F103 though, but will fit the Boomerang.

https://www.rchobbies.co.nz/gens-ace-2s-7-4v-4000mah-25c-classic-rc-car-lipo-battery-roar-with-xt60-connector/

This Core RC battery fits the F103 as per TurnipJF so is a bit shorter than the Gens ace.

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/core-rc-4000mahr-7-4v-30-60c-2s-lipo/rc-car-products/388538

I would go for the Core RC since it fits mor cars

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14 minutes ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

I have a Gens ace round case that fits. This one is too long for my F103 though, but will fit the Boomerang.

https://www.rchobbies.co.nz/gens-ace-2s-7-4v-4000mah-25c-classic-rc-car-lipo-battery-roar-with-xt60-connector/

This Core RC battery fits the F103 as per TurnipJF so is a bit shorter than the Gens ace.

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/core-rc-4000mahr-7-4v-30-60c-2s-lipo/rc-car-products/388538

I would go for the Core RC since it fits mor cars

Thanks bud

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