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MF-01X Beetle - Any Love?

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I quite fancy building an M-Chassis car, but then spotted the MF-01X Beetle. Quite like the idea of a 4wd mini. Any love for this chassis? Anything to look out for or upgrade/weaknesses? Or would I be better off with something like an M-07 or M-08 as a started. Thanks.

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An interesting question, covering as it does two totally different classes of chassis, sharing virtually nothing apart from width and wheelbase.

The MF-01X is a versatile and fun chassis that goes rather well with minor mods as long as you don't take it too seriously. It works as a trail runner and a rally car, and can also be built to run as an on-road basher. Some people have tried to race them, but to my knowledge not all that competitively. Think of it as a small, mildly modernised TL-01. The M-07 and M-08 on the other hand are not suited to running off-road, but are very competitive track cars - in effect the FWD and RWD M-class equivalents of the TA-07 and TB-05.

So I suppose the question is very much what do you want from the car? Track-based competition or mixed-terrain fun? 

 

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I'm surprised that it's not mentioned much on Tamiya Club too.

Probably because it's less sophisticated.  The chassis look like the old TL01 chassis, except that the motor moved to the rear end. It would have been more exciting if it was a bit more like XV01. But obviously, MF01X costs half as much. I would've wanted something in between.  Not as cheap as MF01X, not as expensive as XV01 either.  Something more like 4WD version of M06.  

I wish Tamiya had released other shells with it.  Half the excitement is from the shell. 

VW is a good starter. But it's a very common-folk shape from folks-wagon.  You couldn't be more down-to-earth. 

I wonder if Porsche 959 would fit?  

sVBAaCs.jpg

Tamiya already made the shell in 1986.  

93xRVC1.jpg

Peugeot 206 Rally, maybe? 

Tamiya has enough data to release a static kit for it. (Below is not mine)

7wA6oGR.jpg

Or Peugeot 405 rally. 

These Peugeot rally cars have engines moved to the rear, so they might be good candidates for MX01 shells.  

UvSiwKR.jpg

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Imagine putting Manta Ray shell on a 3 speed chassis. It wouldn't sell. 

I'm waiting until Tamiya releases exciting shells for MF01X!!  

 

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I just got my kit.  I ordered all of the upgrades that I want at the same time SI I am just waiting on them to arrive so I can start the build.

as for the 959, a lot of people are building the MF-01X Jimny and putting the 959 body on it.  Gavin from RCKicks did the build on YouTube a month or so ago.

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The Peugeot rally raid cars really grabbed my imagination back in the day, however I see them as being more suited to the larger 257mm touring/rally format. I'd love to see them as options for the XV-01, TT-02, etc.

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The recent global situation has nudged me towards cars I can run at home.  I've passed up on the chassis before because it seems to be geared towards the sort of rally / light off-road duties that I never really do, however my own garden is the perfect spot for some mixed-surface rally racing.  The Beetle has really caught my eye recently and if it comes up discounted on Tamico it might be my next build.  But who knows, my fancies change with the wind :)

It irks me slightly that the Beetle isn't a 4wd car but it's on a 4wd chassis, however I'm not entire sure what small 4wd rally car I'd want to see on that chassis.

I have an M03 set up for rallying and although I haven't driven it in years, it's lots of fun.  It will probably get a refresh and a new body if social distancing keeps me from going racing for much longer.

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I built one & it was an ok build, making the body come alive with a cockpit added the interest for me. I ran it on gravel & it was a hoot. Tarmac not so much. Guess that figures with a rally car.

49841529783_f6f5a0a091_b.jpg

 

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The (right?) rear upright has clearance issues but they are relatively easily sorted. You can use M05-RA hubs too. It isn't the Beetle shell but there is a thorough build thread here

 

 

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Lots of love. It’s a great little fun chassis, won’t win any races but it’s a hoot to drive on loose stuff. It’s als ver versatile. I have a build “love bug and others”!. I built it as a gerbil lookalike firs. Then I shortened the chassis by removing spacers and using the short shaft and put off road tyres on it with a Pumpkin body. It makes a real fun trail truck. I have other plans for it with other chassis lengths.

for gerbil read Herbie 

Edited by Busdriver
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2 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

It irks me slightly that the Beetle isn't a 4wd car but it's on a 4wd chassis

That's what I thought too. 

But then I found that there were some Beetles that were converted to 4x4 for rally purposes.  

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I suppose 4x4 wasn't too much of a stretch.

Germans had a 4x4 version during World War 2 that swam too. (Which Tamiya should develop)  

HtI4rph.jpg

 

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11 minutes ago, Juggular said:

But then I found that there were some Beetles that were converted to 4x4 for rally purposes. 

Good find.

Sometimes I like to pretend to myself, when I have a car that doesn't match its drivetrain, that it was professionally converted by a race garage, like the converted turbocharged 4x4 saloons that I've seen in British GT racing, or the crazy engine and drivetrain swaps that you could do in Forza.

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1 hour ago, Juggular said:

Germans had a 4x4 version during World War 2 that swam too. 

Germans also had 4x4 with beetle body - KdF 87.

 

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22 minutes ago, Honza said:

Germans also had 4x4 with beetle body - KdF 87.

 

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The photo is actually of one of the two Type 287 built under British administration of the VW-plant in 1946.  The roller  and shortened bonnet are specific for the Type 287, whereas the Type 87 produced during the war had regular bumpers. Also, as most were sent to Africa for use by the DAK, almost all Type 87 had large canvas "sunroofs" and the same high flotation tires used on the DAK-version of the Type 82 Kübelwagen. The drivetrain was virtually identical to the drivetrain of the Type 166 Schwimmwagen, but with a longer propshaft because of the longer wheelbase.

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I think that MF-01 was good idea, but it lacks in realisation.  It solved some issues of TL01 and added modularity to make it truly versatile. But high-mounted rear motor and weird rear geometry offset those improvements for me..

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I've really enjoyed my MF01X. I've got the Jimny, and it's been a light trail truck, a rally car, and now, in low ride height, it's an agile gymkhana car. Mine has a few hop ups, speed gears, and a 33 turn Tamiya motor intended for tractor trailers. It's no race car, just a fun, simple, reliable and durable little chassis. It's good enough that I'd buy another, for sure.

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I've got the Rally Beetle, and I do like it, for the most part.

I'd say

What I like:
+ Easy to build
+ AWD chassis is a laugh to drive around
+ Quite a few upgrades available for it. Yeah Racing do Long Span suspension conversion kit for it.

What I don't like:
- Exposed battery so any rough terrain can and will tear batteries up. A hard case is essential, really
- Getting to things like the servo basically requires taking the entire car apart
- I personally find the gear mesh hard to get right because the little hole is tiny so its hard to see. I am old though!
- It's not great on bumpy terrain, its more suited to flat land
- Has a high centre of gravity too

BUUUT. It's fun, and I like zipping it around my loval gravel carpark. 

 

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2 hours ago, Honza said:

I think that MF-01 was good idea, but it lacks in realisation.  It solved some issues of TL01 and added modularity to make it truly versatile. But high-mounted rear motor and weird rear geometry offset those improvements for me..

Agreed - especially since the geometry issue at least is so easily sorted. All Tamiya needed to do was include 4 long ball connectors and alter the assembly instructions slightly.

The motor placement is an odd one too, restricting the choice of bodyshells to those with a significant rear overhang.

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I love my MF-01x.   I left the drive shaft out so it's strictly RWD.   Fun sliding it around and getting sideways!

47925008421_1f783c1944_h.jpgUntitled by Joe, on Flickr

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4 hours ago, Honza said:

I think that MF-01 was good idea, but it lacks in realisation.  It solved some issues of TL01 and added modularity to make it truly versatile. But high-mounted rear motor and weird rear geometry offset those improvements for me..

 

1 hour ago, TurnipJF said:

Agreed - especially since the geometry issue at least is so easily sorted. All Tamiya needed to do was include 4 long ball connectors and alter the assembly instructions slightly.

The motor placement is an odd one too, restricting the choice of bodyshells to those with a significant rear overhang.

Agree with you both. Personally I consider the design of the TL-01 to be almost flawless for its intended purpose. The lack of overlap between the gearbox halves is annoying , multiple wheelbase options would have been nice and as the TL-01B (buggy) it isn't much good, but apart from that, it's robust, simple to work on, logical and without any unnecessary complexity.  The MF-01X however, is in my humble opinion unnecessary complex, awkward to work on and has a higher parts count than necessary.  The basic idea with countless possible wheelbases and the possibility of fitting TL-01/FF-02 suspension arms (WT01/TL-01B too for those mad enough!) make for so many possibilities, but there as so many things "wrong" with the MF-01X that I had very little joy building even my first one.

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13 hours ago, 78Triumph said:

I love my MF-01x.   I left the drive shaft out so it's strictly RWD.   Fun sliding it around and getting sideways!

Actually I hadn't even considered that - it's rear motor :o 

If I ran it with a GT5 receiver I could use the built-in gyro to stabilise the tail-happy driving experience...

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4 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

Actually I hadn't even considered that - it's rear motor :o 

If I ran it with a GT5 receiver I could use the built-in gyro to stabilise the tail-happy driving experience...

A four wheel drive beetle just didn't seem right to me.  RWD and rear motor is a lot more fun with a Beetle!

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1 hour ago, 78Triumph said:

A four wheel drive beetle just didn't seem right to me.  RWD and rear motor is a lot more fun with a Beetle!

I'm actually having to try quite hard right now to not pull the trigger on this, I've spent too much already this month!! 

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4 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

I'm actually having to try quite hard right now to not pull the trigger on this, I've spent too much already this month!! 

Think of it as supporting the economy!  Ha! 

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My son and me love the MF-01X, we won some crawling contests with it, the conteners don't have it on their lists of capable chassis....ok...we modified it a little bit.....

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