Buy Manta Ray to complete a TA02 Mercedes DTM D2?

[bakauata]

Hi, I'm new to Tamiya Club. My first RC car was a Kyosho Stinger MKII, when I was around 14 or 15. I never had another until recently when I decided to restore the old Stinger and that started me interested in all the cars I never had as a kid. I have since, over the last few years, collected a few cars which I mostly buy used with the hopes of restoring them. As for Tamiyas, I have a Re re Hornet and re re Hot Shot which I haven't developed a liking for and will be moving them on.

But!

I recently acquired a lot of cars which included a never assembled, but partial, AMG Mercedes-Benz C-Class DTM D2 kit (58139 ) along with a used but complete Michelin Pilot Ford Escort RS (58125).

This Escort really struck a chord with me. I really love the scale aspect of it, the details, and (not least) the design of the chassis itself.

I would really like to assemble the Mercedes as well, but I am missing most of the metal hardware. Most importantly the rear outdrives ("gearbox joints"), and various pins, shafts, bolts, ballheads, etc . All the plastics are there though, still on their sprues (including the body and body parts). Also the drive shafts, axles and front and rear differentials are complete. Oh, also missing the shock springs, but I figured I should be able to fit some from my parts bin.

So here is my question: There is a vintage Manta Ray on sale locally which, I understand, shares quite a few parts with these TA-01 and TA-02 chassis. Would I be right in assuming that i could source all my missing parts from here?
My second question is how would Tamiya fans see this? Would I be sacrificing a more valuable/historically significant car to get a lesser one built?
My other options are to hold on to the TA-02 parts for spares for the TA-01 Escort or, sell them off as spares.
Any helpful insight would be much appreciated.

Here are some photos of the Escort and the Mercedes parts lot. There were two Escort bodies in the lot. All very dusty as you can see.

 

[TurnipJF]

Acquiring a used car for parts is not unheard of as a restoration technique, but is typically employed when the parts required are too rare, expensive or numerous to be sourced on their own. 

TA-01/02 parts are still quite cheap and easy to get. Recently I built a TA-02 by starting with a chassis tub and a few other plastic parts, then ordering all the missing bits from Tony's Tamiya Parts and other online sellers. It worked out cheaper than buying a used donor car, and everything was brand new!

So perhaps it would be better to go through the manual, identify and inventory all the missing parts, make note of their part numbers, and just buy the bits you need to complete the kit? You may also want to put the list up on the forum as other members might have some of them going spare. 

[bakauata]

Hi. Thanks for the reply and for the info on Tony's Tamiya.
I had checked a few prices online (not very rigorously), but importing anything to Argentina is a hassle (and more so under the current Covid lockdown, which isn't going away for now), and this put me off.
But I haven't inventoried the parts I'm missing and costed them. So I will start with that.

I'll have to weight the price price of each option against the hassle and delay.

Thanks again.

 

[bakauata]

So I looked up (on ebay and other sellers) for a few of the parts I'm missing to complete the TA-02 Mercedes, and this route is definitely not going to be cost effective. No one seller has everything I need, so I'd have to source from different sellers and pay international shipping for each. 

So back to the Manta Ray option: I noticed the Manta Ray does not have the ball diff in the rear. Would the gear diff and out drives from the Manta Ray drop right into the TA-02 gear case?
Also, would all the suspension pins, gear box shafts, propeller shaft and screws from the Manta Ray be direct drop-ins into the TA-02? Most of the screw and pin dimensions coincide, but some part numbers differ.

I'm basically asking if all the metal parts (except wheel axles, drive shafts and shocks, which I have) are replaceable from one model to the other.

Any help appreciated.

[OCD]

Hello and welcome to the 'Club!

 

1 hour ago, bakauata said:

Would the gear diff and out drives from the Manta Ray drop right into the TA-02 gear case?

Yes, the gear cases are identical between the two.

 

1 hour ago, bakauata said:

would all the suspension pins, gear box shafts, propeller shaft and screws from the Manta Ray be direct drop-ins into the TA-02?

Suspension pins: yes, same

Gearbox shafts: yes, same as well

Prop shaft: No, the Manta Ray (DF01) uses a tub chassis that is longer than the TA02. The Manta and TA01 use the "long" prop shaft. You would need the shorter prop shaft for your TA02 chassis tub.

Also, the rear wheel axles are the same between the DF01/TA01/TA02, but the TA02 got updated front axles that require a longer (42mm) drive shafts and larger 1260 and 1510 bearings in the steering knuckles. If you need front and rear lower arms, they are also specific to the TA02.

 

1 hour ago, bakauata said:

I looked up (on ebay and other sellers) for a few of the parts I'm missing to complete the TA-02 Mercedes, and this route is definitely not going to be cost effective. No one seller has everything I need, so I'd have to source from different sellers and pay international shipping for each.

If you're okay with used parts, you might want to consider buying a incomplete TA02 chassis that has the parts you're after. They pop up here and on eBay semi-frequently and usually not too expensive. Tamiya hasn't stopped making parts for these chassis since their introduction so used examples aren't in high demand.

 

On 4/26/2020 at 8:40 PM, bakauata said:

My second question is how would Tamiya fans see this? Would I be sacrificing a more valuable/historically significant car to get a lesser one built?

I wouldn't concern myself with this. You're going to find that there's a whole array of opinions on this topic, but that's the fun of building models. There's no "right" or "wrong" way to do it!

 

Good luck and don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. This forum is full of knowledgeable modelers that are eager to help

[bakauata]

Great info OCD! Thanks.
When I said propeller shaft I meant propeller joint, which I'm assuming, from your message, is the same as the TA-01 and DF-01. The shaft is amongst the parts I have , luckily!

I also have all the axles, drive shafts, steering knuckles, and front and rear lower arms; so I should be good to go with the Manta Ray.

Now to see if I can negotiate a good price. He's already asking for less than US$100, but I may be able to get it down to US$75 or maybe even US$50. It really depends on the exchange rate each one is considering. Yeah, we're silly that way here.