The Tamiya F1 Thread

[Qed296 250]

This is already my go to post....hope it keeps going 👍

[svenb 4267]

My F103 LM TRF

[svenb 4267]

And with its party frock on! 

[TurnipJF 10282]

On 1/26/2021 at 4:19 AM, Fabia130vRS said:

I also happend to own a F104 ver2 Pro, I get confused of how many F104s are out there.this chassis design is closer to a TRF102 or idk. In terms of t bar.

This particular car was raced in the xray winter series in italy and austraia from a guy me and my buddy bought it. Myself swapped out some hop ups from this car with standard F104 parts and sold it as a bargain.

 

The F104 V2 Pro was the second F1 to enter my fleet, and mine is also (mostly) yellow.

 

I agree - with the full carbon chassis and PBLR setup, it is pretty much a TRF car in all but name, especially once you swap in an alloy motor mount and a few other bits. My chassis is the Black Special version with all the alloy bits anodised in black, and I added a few hop-ups when I built it:

 

The kit comes with a lot of carbon and alloy in the box, but there are some surprising omissions, such as the aforementioned motor mount which comes in plastic as stock. I went for the alloy one (in black) as well as carbon damper mount and wing mount plates. These were joined by a TRF pitch damper and fluorine-coated roll damper, bringing the rear end to the same spec as the TRF101. To keep it attached to the rest of the car, the pivot ball mount and links were also replaced with carbon-reinforced versions from the L parts sprue.

For ease of use and adjustment, the standard roll spring adjusters and battery hold-downs were replaced with Exotek black anodised alloy knurled items which can be tightened by hand, rather than needing an allen wrench. Since Tamiya had not yet released their TRF damper in black, I also went for an Exotek black damper cap and adjuster ring so that it would fit in with the Black Special colour theme. I had a black carbon rear axle fitted for a while too, but went back to the steel one after a few outings - it acts as an inertial damper on throttle and brake inputs, making them smoother.

The stock F104 front end calls for a standard servo mounted on its end, but one can also fit a low profile servo upright, which most people do. It calls for a couple of extra spacers and screws not included in the kit, but is an easy mod to perform. I went for a Savox digital metal geared item, along with a Speed Passion ESC and 21.5t motor, and Spektrum DSMR micro receiver. The chassis can take a full-length LiPo or a shorty. I opted for a shorty, allowing me to move the ESC from the side to the centreline for better weight distribution. The left and right side pods are occupied by the ESC switch and micro receiver respectively. With the motor cabling routed down the left side of the car and the battery cables down the right, the lateral weight balance is within 0.1g of perfection. Fully assembled, the chassis looks like this:

 

It is an awesome car to drive, with the independent pitch and roll adjustment permitted by the PBLR making setup a doddle. Although released before the F104 Pro II (which despite the almost identical name is a very different car), I would say that the F104 V2 Pro is the pinnacle of the F104 range.

[LeftyAl 164]

I have F103, F103RS and F201. The F201 came in a 3 car ebay auction. I wasn't really impressed with the straight line  speed so put a brushless motor in it and broke the propeller joint that holds the spur. After 12 months of searches on ebay I finally found the replacement part. Back to a stock motor now. Parts are really hard to come by.

 

I prefer the F103 the best. Takes a bit to get to grips with it, but it can cut some quick laps when dialed in. You learn a lot about throttle control with an F1XX car.

[TurnipJF 10282]

Indeed - it is not an easy car to drive smoothly as it responds to every little command that you give it, including the bad ones, but it certainly improves your driving, and is immensely satisfying when you get everything right.

On the subject of F103s, the next F1 to join my fleet was this, a F103 15th Anniversary Edition. It is arguably the pinnacle of the F103 range. Everything that could be carbon is carbon, everything that could be alloy is alloy. Even the front wishbones are moulded in carbon-reinforced plastic. The only things I could think of possibly upgrading further were the bearings and diff balls, which were swapped out for ceramic ones.

 

It comes as a chassis kit - no body or wings, and no box-art colour scheme although it does come with a selection of stickers. I elected to top mine with a Tamiya "T" body, paint it black and position the stickers in a layout reminiscent of the Sauber C12, with the white Tamiya lettering where the Sauber carries its Lighthouse sponsorship and the red and blue Tamiya logos where the Sauber bears the red and blue Liqui Moly ones.

It came out beautifully IMO, and is the closest thing to a shelfer in my fleet, due to both its historic status and that it was a wedding anniversary gift from my beloved wife. It has seen the track for a brief test run, but it prefers to be admired on the shelf, leaving racing duties to the F104V2 Pro and my more basic F103s.

[TurnipJF 10282]

My F104 V2 Pro is undoubtedly the best-specced, most modern F1 in my fleet, capable of competing at a high level. However there is something rather satisfying about going up against a field of high-end modern carbon cars with a '90s classic and not necessarily winning, but finishing near the top of the field. I'd say a good finish with an old car is even more satisfying than an outright win with a new one. For this reason, the F103 is actually my main race chassis.

My original F103 is still mostly stock, but it has gathered a few hop-ups over the years in the form of an alloy motor mount, alloy damper (which used to be pink), turnbuckles, high torque servo saver, long upper deck, 2-piece servo mount and carbon-reinforced uprights. It also received a motor upgrade, and now looks like this:

 

It has also been joined by another base-model F103 that was restored from basket-case status and now looks like this:

 

 

Before paint:

 

You can read its full story here in the build thread:

 

 

[svenb 4267]

Two Group C

Jaguar XJR12 I've had since 91/92

Fitted every Tamiya hop up including titanium screws and CPR 100 unit. In my opinion the best looking race car ever! 

Daytona Thunder I got about 7-8 years ago, bought it still in kit form just for the  Dyna tech motor but that went in the Jaguar. I was going split it up and sell on but there was no interest so built it👍 added all hop ups again this time with a CPR 160 unit. 

[svenb 4267]

[Fabia130vRS 2098]

6 hours ago, svenb said:

Seeing your cars, they are very nice and here and there some rare parts.

just had a insight on Tamiya. Its nothing like this feeling... you can bash and race Tamiyas but there is no feeling like... taking a perfect conditioned shelfer and take it on a sunday out for a run. Trying not to damage it and bring it home in same condition.

I only have one shelfer and its one of the best responsible feeling in this hobby so far.   feels almost like FOS at Goodwood.

 

@TurnipJF 

 

do you happen to know the part nr for this body? Its the same as mine I would like to do a new one. I think they dont sell anymore

[Wez-li 1797]

Great thread, and some lovely cars guys!

I've recently bought a parts lot for a 787b project

And then a donor car

And also a random f1 car, can anyone ID this chassis? 

Gonna be fun sorting this lot out, hopefully I'll have a nice 787b runner in the end. 

[Wez-li 1797]

10 hours ago, svenb said:

Two Group C

Jaguar XJR12 I've had since 91/92

Fitted every Tamiya hop up including titanium screws and CPR 100 unit. In my opinion the best looking race car ever! 

Daytona Thunder I got about 7-8 years ago, bought it still in kit form just for the  Dyna tech motor but that went in the Jaguar. I was going split it up and sell on but there was no interest so built it👍 added all hop ups again this time with a CPR 160 unit. 

I'd love a daytona thunder nib to build, yours looks stunning.

[svenb 4267]

1 hour ago, Wez-li said:

 

 

 

 

 

And also a random f1 car, can anyone ID this chassis? 

 

F102! 🤔 

[Qed296 250]

I'd say f102, it has the ears for the steering servo to attach to, the f103 is attached to an upright holder?

[TurnipJF 10282]

Correct. It is an F102. The servo attachment is quite distinctive. The earlier F101 uses a similar method but the chassis plate is wider and the "ears" less pronounced. The F103 servo is taped to either one or two upright holders depending on the version.

I'd love to add one to my fleet one day, as I really enjoy taking on modern cars with my old F103s, and I suspect that it would be even more satisfying to take them on with an even older design. 

[Wez-li 1797]

Cheers guys, f1 and group c is an area I've never really got involved in till now, feel like an newbie again! 

Great to have some knowledgeable people around 

[TurnipJF 10282]

5 hours ago, Fabia130vRS said:

@TurnipJF 

do you happen to know the part nr for this body? Its the same as mine I would like to do a new one. I think they dont sell anymore

It is a TRG3001B. If you can't find this specific one, TRG make others with a very similar look, for example TRG3052.

[svenb 4267]

On 24/01/2021 at 7:45 PM, Mark3gti said:

Great idea! 
 

I recently ( Xmas ) had to good luck to convince my wife to buy me a f103rs off @svenb so means I can join the party! 😁

Don't scratch it 🤨

[TurnipJF 10282]

It is very pretty!

[DayRider 311]

Hay guys, after seeing a lot of F1 cars lately on this site, I would like to dip my toe into it, but it's something that I don't have the foggiest about. So I would like to know where is the best place to start and what do I need to look out for?

[TurnipJF 10282]

1 hour ago, DayRider said:

Hay guys, after seeing a lot of F1 cars lately on this site, I would like to dip my toe into it, but it's something that I don't have the foggiest about. So I would like to know where is the best place to start and what do I need to look out for?

Unless you want to build one for the shelf, I'd say the place to start would be to make sure you have somewhere to run it. You don't need a perfectly smooth indoor surface, but the smoother and cleaner it is, the better. The cars are unlikely to be damaged by a rough surface apart from a few scratches to the underside, but they react to every little irregularity, so you won't really be able to appreciate the car's handling if you are fighting to regain control after bouncing over every pebble. (Of course if you have an onroad club nearby that races F1, you're golden.)

Then perhaps consider how seriously you want to compete, if at all. If you fancy trying to win the Nationals, the latest TRF (the 103) is a brilliant car. The F104 Pro II, F104V2 Pro or one of the earlier TRFs would be great for serious club racing. Or if you just want to have fun (or embarass the racers with modern gear), one of the earlier F-chassis would do nicely. My personal favourite is the F103.

Once you have picked your car and running surface, we'll be able to give more specific advice about tyres, setup, etc.

[DayRider 311]

37 minutes ago, TurnipJF said:

Unless you want to build one for the shelf, I'd say the place to start would be to make sure you have somewhere to run it. You don't need a perfectly smooth indoor surface, but the smoother and cleaner it is, the better. The cars are unlikely to be damaged by a rough surface apart from a few scratches to the underside, but they react to every little irregularity, so you won't really be able to appreciate the car's handling if you are fighting to regain control after bouncing over every pebble. (Of course if you have an onroad club nearby that races F1, you're golden.)

Then perhaps consider how seriously you want to compete, if at all. If you fancy trying to win the Nationals, the latest TRF (the 103) is a brilliant car. The F104 Pro II, F104V2 Pro or one of the earlier TRFs would be great for serious club racing. Or if you just want to have fun (or embarass the racers with modern gear), one of the earlier F-chassis would do nicely. My personal favourite is the F103.

Once you have picked your car and running surface, we'll be able to give more specific advice about tyres, setup, etc.

A lot of food for thought there, thanks. I like the research bit.

[Mark3gti 153]

10 hours ago, svenb said:

Don't scratch it 🤨

I’ll try not too! 🤷‍♂️😭😭

[Wez-li 1797]

The 787b is almost ready to roll 

Not the correct wheels and a need some steering arms but so far so good. 

[Qed296 250]

Looking good