Jutty 42 Posted April 3, 2020 Hello everybody. I’ve just joined the forum and this is my first post. I’ve been a Tamiya fan since the early 80’s and have several original and re-release kits and just coming back into the hobby. I’m looking to buy a new kit that I can enjoy upgrading. Doing some research I realise that the more advanced kits I’d like are no longer available in the U.K. (eg dbr, trf) and Tamiya don’t seem to do a modern equivalent. I have been looking at the DT03 chassis (therefore I’m not fussy 2 or 4wd) as an option but I’m reading that upgrades are becoming limited. Any advice welcome and I’m looking forward to picking up my hobby again after all these years. thanks. Jut. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TurnipJF 9192 Posted April 3, 2020 Both the DT-03 and TT-02B have loads of upgrade potential, more so the TT-02B because there is more to it being 4WD. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bromley 681 Posted April 3, 2020 DT03 is a great just above entry level kit. I love the drive of my near stock Racing Fighter. I think if you do a quick search you'll find there are plenty of upgrades that are still available. There are more than a few build threads on TC to give you some inspiration. Here is my Hornet inspired DT03.... 7 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jutty 42 Posted April 3, 2020 2 minutes ago, Bromley said: DT03 is a great just above entry level kit. I love the drive of my near stock Racing Fighter. I think if you do a quick search you'll find there are plenty of upgrades that are still available. There are more than a few build threads on TC to give you some inspiration. Here is my Hornet inspired DT03.... Nice car Bromley. I did think about a Grasshopper inspired DT03 as it was one of my favourite kits as a kid. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jutty 42 Posted April 3, 2020 8 minutes ago, TurnipJF said: Both the DT-03 and TT-02B have loads of upgrade potential, more so the TT-02B because there is more to it being 4WD. Thanks Turnip. I’ll have a look at the TT-02B Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jutty 42 Posted April 3, 2020 I’m still curious as to what higher end Tamiya buggies I should be considering or have they simply stopped making them for the uk? Maybe a DB01 Durga? Not sure I could even get one these days. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problemchild 2149 Posted April 3, 2020 TT02b all day long if you want a buggy lots of body options (neo scorcher, dual ridge etc) and loads of cheap upgrades plus mods to update things like the gearbox plus it’s mega easy to fix yet a fun build 4WD is great fun too and a must if you are gonna start going for a bit of extra speed I’d you want retro the terra scorcher rere is out v v soon. happy to offer any other advice JJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TurnipJF 9192 Posted April 3, 2020 16 minutes ago, Jutty said: I’m still curious as to what higher end Tamiya buggies I should be considering or have they simply stopped making them for the uk? Maybe a DB01 Durga? Not sure I could even get one these days. While still a strong club level competitor, the DB-01 and it's R variants are very hard to get hold of these days. They are also overkill for bashing IMO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juggular 4964 Posted April 4, 2020 Instead of a buggy, how about a rally car? XV01 is modern, a bit of a challenge to build, and a superb runner. Smaller in wheel diameter, but comparable to DB01 perhaps. It just got re-issued (even though it's not such an old vehicle). 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwordenjr 1890 Posted April 4, 2020 2 hours ago, Bromley said: DT03 is a great just above entry level kit. I love the drive of my near stock Racing Fighter. I think if you do a quick search you'll find there are plenty of upgrades that are still available. There are more than a few build threads on TC to give you some inspiration. Here is my Hornet inspired DT03.... Lovely car! Are those the stock shock springs ? The ones that came with my dt03 black edition are stifffffff Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thommo 1217 Posted April 4, 2020 DB01 Durga will satisfy..... best build experience and best performing plastic Tamiya buggy ever ! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonathon Gillham 4606 Posted April 4, 2020 What are you wanting to do with it? If its a runner and you are talking TRF/DB01R(R)(R) then I think you'll be disappointed by any of the current modern buggies, but if you just want something for the backyard (and just mentioned the top shelf stuff) then the DT03 or TT02B could fit the bill. They run fine and have plenty of hop ups available. Bear in mind you'll spend a fortune and it still won't perform that well, but it'll be fun to do and for many thats more satisfying than buying the latest and greatest anyway. I have a mix of Tamiya and modern race kits and there is no comparison between a TT02B or DT03 and a RC10B6, HB D413/8 or Kyosho Lazer ZX6 etc. In my opinion the Top Force is the closest you'll get of the currently available offering, and that has plenty of hop ups available. Maybe the Super Astute too, but mine is sitting in its box waiting to be built so I can't say, other than it looks heaps better than a modern 2wd. If you want high performance and Tamiya then you need to look at their onroad cars - the TA07 or TB05 are great club racers, or the TRF419/420 or TA07MS will keep up with the best from the competitors. Its a shame there is no buggy equivalent, especially to the TA and TB cars as they are great bang for buck performance. Or as @Juggular suggested, the XV01 looks like an interesting build and is a bit of a crossover being a rally car. There is a truck version of the XV01 I think, that could be worth a look? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Finnsllc 917 Posted April 4, 2020 https://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-DB01-Durga-Buggy-Vehicle/dp/B000X1A8QC/ref=sr_1_13?dchild=1&keywords=tamiya+db-01+durga&qid=1585964065&sr=8-13 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jutty 42 Posted April 4, 2020 Thanks for the feedback so far, all very helpful. I should have been a bit more explicit on what I was looking to use it for. I don’t plan to race so yes it’s a basher but I’d like to put it on a track on my own land and would like a challenging build and some complexity to keep me interested. I’m not against the TT or DT chassis but i am just exploring options. I did look at the XV after the suggestion but it’s probably too low for running across fields. I think has Jonathon said, it’s a shame there are no buggy equivalents to Tamiya on road kits (I have a TA04R and love it) I’ll have a look at the other suggestions, Terra Scorcher, super astute... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jutty 42 Posted April 4, 2020 Well I managed to find a DN01 which seems a good balance between complexity, hop ups and price. I ordered the slipper clutch at the same time and would have ordered a few more bits but the postage tripled to £80. so I’m all in at £183 shipped. I’ll go shopping for some hop ups when it arrives. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwordenjr 1890 Posted April 4, 2020 50 minutes ago, Jutty said: Well I managed to find a DN01 which seems a good balance between complexity, hop ups and price. I ordered the slipper clutch at the same time and would have ordered a few more bits but the postage tripled to £80. so I’m all in at £183 shipped. I’ll go shopping for some hop ups when it arrives. The zahhak ? There is a hookup version already available called the trf201 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jutty 42 Posted April 4, 2020 1 hour ago, rwordenjr said: The zahhak ? There is a hookup version already available called the trf201 Yep if you can find one, available now, ready to ship and less than £1.2m. I’ll buy it 🙂 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bromley 681 Posted April 4, 2020 22 hours ago, rwordenjr said: Lovely car! Are those the stock shock springs ? The ones that came with my dt03 black edition are stifffffff Stock springs, they actually seemed pretty soft to me. The back especially, I added some spacers shortly after finishing the build. It's now setup for tarmac. So probably could be stiffer still. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
