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Top force evo!!! Thunder dragon !!! 2021

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Ok now I'm getting antsy, UK has the models and they are just trickling into USA and so far I don't see any signs in Canada and even rcmart doesht havd it yet...

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12 hours ago, Saito2 said:

Strange it never made it to Tower. That price is typical Tamiya USA "painful" to protect retailers. I hope the Egress and Fire Dragon don't get "stuck" at Tamiya USA not making it to Tower for those in the US that want them.

Yea almost $300 for a fox is comical. Tower used to have the egress, before i ordered mine from rcmart i almost Ordered from them but i saved $50-75 more. I would think it has more to do with if tower orders from tamiyausa then just not getting it. 

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13 hours ago, nel33 said:

Ok now I'm getting antsy, UK has the models and they are just trickling into USA and so far I don't see any signs in Canada and even rcmart doesht havd it yet...

I talked to the guys at Zoom Room hobby in Ontario and they had no info about availability of the new kits yet.  That's unfortunate for you guys up there.  I thought US always fed at the Tamiya trough last, but apparently it's Canada.

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3 hours ago, Rb4276 said:

Yea almost $300 for a fox is comical. Tower used to have the egress, before i ordered mine from rcmart i almost Ordered from them but i saved $50-75 more. I would think it has more to do with if tower orders from tamiyausa then just not getting it. 

$822 for an Egress.  However, TamiyaUSA sales are extraordinary if you can time it right and actually pull the trigger.  I got a zahhak for $120 and my sons aqroshot for $135 or so.  But the best deal in the US is Tower and their coupons, especially if you buy into their preferred program or whatever it is.  The coupon you get on a $200+ purchase more than pays for the buy-in.

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11 hours ago, A-Baum said:

I talked to the guys at Zoom Room hobby in Ontario and they had no info about availability of the new kits yet.  That's unfortunate for you guys up there.  I thought US always fed at the Tamiya trough last, but apparently it's Canada.

thanks, i guess they didnt get the info from their suppliers yet. it might have to do something about customer demands/requests even if they have the ordering info on their system.

i thought i just got a huge can of RAID ant killer. i contacted my LHS Jachobby in Laval Quebec i raised the point of the TD with them and they added the TD to their list of things that could be ordered.  i just got home to see they did have it listed but when i go to complete the order it says no payment option available... im going to have to call them again to see why that is, i had no issues getting an order paid for my slash 2wd from their site a month ago. i tested it out by removing the TD and just trying to order the TT02 parts A and B trees and no payment method showed up... im gonna have to call them again which is a pain in the butt BC they dont always answer the phone. maybe tomorrow the netsafe payment system will be up again... the price is sane $230 CAD

at the very least i can put this on my to buy list terra scorcher/thunder front suspension mount.

https://www.rcmart.com/xtra-speed-aluminum-suspension-mount-for-tamiya-thunder-shot-terra-scorcher-2020-xs-ta29009-00101101

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The technical details states: 

  • Choose between rigid and one-way counter gear options

 

I'm not even sure I understand what that implies, but which option will you guys choose? And why? 

Also, is it May yet? 

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i figured out why my order wasnt going through, i forgot to put the order to CAD, the TD is ordered from LHS and the aluminum A5 part from RCmart. so far it around $280 for the TD and A5 and i havent yet ordered the Radio set which will be close to $90 but when the kit arrives i will order it.

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Not sure why people keep buying these alloy A5 parts? We've run Thundershots for 30 years (including all three of my kids) and we have never spent on money on after market A5 alloy parts or even the plates that fit over it. We just use a very cheap, basic and simple fix. We've not had a single front end suspension breakage since applying my own cheap fix to these buggies and we've run a fleet of them in hard use for decades. Seems some youtubers must get commission from the people making these expensive unnecessary parts to boost their sales. I see a youtube vid regularly recommended to me about replacing A5 with an alloy part. No way am I spending £30 for something I can fix for free (or at the very least for about £1!

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1 hour ago, mud4fun said:

Not sure why people keep buying these alloy A5 parts? We've run Thundershots for 30 years (including all three of my kids) and we have never spent on money on after market A5 alloy parts or even the plates that fit over it. We just use a very cheap, basic and simple fix. We've not had a single front end suspension breakage since applying my own cheap fix to these buggies and we've run a fleet of them in hard use for decades. Seems some youtubers must get commission from the people making these expensive unnecessary parts to boost their sales. I see a youtube vid regularly recommended to me about replacing A5 with an alloy part. No way am I spending £30 for something I can fix for free (or at the very least for about £1!

Half of the alloy upgrades available for any car are unnecessary but people like spending money on hobbies.   I think it's quite a neat solution, I've done the repair using the rear mount and also tried the steel brace that goes over a standard A5 part on my thunderdragon but I have the alloy A5 part for my currently unbuilt terra scorcher.  An expensive and unnecessary upgrade maybe but so are the hi cap shocks, alloy wheel drives and all the other parts I have for it.  I'm trying to build what would have been my dream toy when I was younger.

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53 minutes ago, davidwj95 said:

Half of the alloy upgrades available for any car are unnecessary but people like spending money on hobbies.   I think it's quite a neat solution, I've done the repair using the rear mount and also tried the steel brace that goes over a standard A5 part on my thunderdragon but I have the alloy A5 part for my currently unbuilt terra scorcher.  An expensive and unnecessary upgrade maybe but so are the hi cap shocks, alloy wheel drives and all the other parts I have for it.  I'm trying to build what would have been my dream toy when I was younger.

Yeah the problem is that alot of these alloy 'upgrades' are actually 'downgrades' :

  • they add weight and make the car slower
  • they increase the stresses going into more critical and expensive to repair items (such as gearboxes)
  • they are generally only suitable for people that put bling before actual practicality.

There are exceptions naturally. I have 3rd party alloy hubs on my Avante class buggies but in that case they provide genuine improvement in ruggedness while not increasing stresses to gearbox (as the suspension and camber arms provide the crash flex).

In my opinion an alloy A5 is a complete waste of money. Only there for bling. Just my opinion but I (and all three of my daughters) have bashed and raced Thundershots for 30+ years and I have been one of the most vocal supporters of that chassis type on TC since the club started. If I have never needed an alloy A5 then I honestly question the need. I'm sure the makers of the alloy A5 parts must love the fact that so many naive people buy them instead of doing the much cheaper alternatives.

I generally fit alloy parts where they are absolutely the only/best option to solve an issue. Fitting lots of alloy parts is mostly the preserve of people that haven't a clue about performance and are just impressed by bling, as in most cases they make the car slower and worse performing - that is true of virtually all of the fancy parts sold. Sure, I've fitted hi-caps myself and paid alot of money for them but in reality they are no better than a set of plastic CVA's. So yes, I'm guilty to a degree but I am generally pretty careful with alloy hop-ups, I prefer my buggies to perform well rather than look pretty on a shelf.

AND as I say, there are several youtube videos suggesting that you NEED to buy an alloy A5 or a brace - all lies. You do not need an alloy A5 at all. Sure, if you just want bling then fine BUT these youtubers are giving very inaccurate information. They should admit that you only need an alloy A5 to look pretty. To actually fix the issue you just need to spend 10 mins with some basic tools and a much cheaper spare plastic B8! and if you fit a rigid alloy A5 or a brace you are now transmitting all the crash forces into the gearbox itself at the rear of the lower wishbone which leads to an entire new gearbox case replacement which takes alot more time, is alot more hassle and costs more. We've run a dozen thundershots for 30 years and I hope I can talk with some experience. If you want bling then fine BUT I do not agree with people sponsoring or pushing expensive parts that people do not need AND not making it clear that these parts are not the cheapest or even the best solution - especially when some of these youtubers are apparently making enough money from their naff advice to give up their jobs and make a living from their youtube vids......

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12 hours ago, Robert5000 said:

Also, is it May yet? 

Here in the US, Tower Hobbies is now showing the first shipment of the 47470 TF Evo in March. Same with the Thunder Dragon and the TA-02 Opel Calibra. So we may be seeing them in the US sooner certainly than I expected.  

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Oh noooooo, Tamico is still showing May 20th as the release date. 

Mega news for folks in the US, obviously, but I’m starting to fear I’ve placed my bet on the wrong horse. 

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1 hour ago, mud4fun said:

Yeah the problem is that alot of these alloy 'upgrades' are actually 'downgrades' :

  • they add weight and make the car slower
  • they increase the stresses going into more critical and expensive to repair items (such as gearboxes)
  • they are generally only suitable for people that put bling before actual practicality.

There are exceptions naturally. I have 3rd party alloy hubs on my Avante class buggies but in that case they provide genuine improvement in ruggedness while not increasing stresses to gearbox (as the suspension and camber arms provide the crash flex).

In my opinion an alloy A5 is a complete waste of money. Only there for bling. Just my opinion but I (and all three of my daughters) have bashed and raced Thundershots for 30+ years and I have been one of the most vocal supporters of that chassis type on TC since the club started. If I have never needed an alloy A5 then I honestly question the need. I'm sure the makers of the alloy A5 parts must love the fact that so many naive people buy them instead of doing the much cheaper alternatives.

I generally fit alloy parts where they are absolutely the only/best option to solve an issue. Fitting lots of alloy parts is mostly the preserve of people that haven't a clue about performance and are just impressed by bling, as in most cases they make the car slower and worse performing - that is true of virtually all of the fancy parts sold. Sure, I've fitted hi-caps myself and paid alot of money for them but in reality they are no better than a set of plastic CVA's. So yes, I'm guilty to a degree but I am generally pretty careful with alloy hop-ups, I prefer my buggies to perform well rather than look pretty on a shelf.

AND as I say, there are several youtube videos suggesting that you NEED to buy an alloy A5 or a brace - all lies. You do not need an alloy A5 at all. Sure, if you just want bling then fine BUT these youtubers are giving very inaccurate information. They should admit that you only need an alloy A5 to look pretty. To actually fix the issue you just need to spend 10 mins with some basic tools and a much cheaper spare plastic B8! and if you fit a rigid alloy A5 or a brace you are now transmitting all the crash forces into the gearbox itself at the rear of the lower wishbone which leads to an entire new gearbox case replacement which takes alot more time, is alot more hassle and costs more. We've run a dozen thundershots for 30 years and I hope I can talk with some experience. If you want bling then fine BUT I do not agree with people sponsoring or pushing expensive parts that people do not need AND not making it clear that these parts are not the cheapest or even the best solution - especially when some of these youtubers are apparently making enough money from their naff advice to give up their jobs and make a living from their youtube vids......

I agree with most of this, I can't stand blue anodized parts, I think they look tacky and I hate to see alloy suspension arms which, as you say, transmit the damage to another part of the car. But I still think this A5 is a good option.  It's black so not noticable from standard and I paid about £20 from rcmart so not bad value in my opinion.  A new A tree or B tree would be about £15.

In the case of this part the weight wouldnt make much difference and I cant see how it could transmit forces to damage the gearbox.  My main worry was that it would be made from poor cast alloy or the holes would be too loose.  I cant comment yet as I have yet to built it.

I'm no racer, I mainly do this hobby for nostalgia and tinkering but all of my cars are runners.  I've had my Thunderdragon since the early 90s and did the B8 repair a back then it works well but it's only cheap if you have a spare B tree. 

I'd say the steel brace and replacing hinge screws with hinge pins would be the best option for a basher.

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@davidwj95 I guess it depends on when you buy the sprues? (prices fluctuate significantly depending on timing of re-res and demand) but I have never paid more than £10 for a B sprue and in fact most of my B sprues, bought 10 years ago only cost a few pounds. I just sold off the remaining B sprue for pretty much the price I paid for it as others needed some of the other parts such as body posts and shock mounts.

The reason I say it transmits impacts into the rear of the front suspension mounting (eg. the gearbox itself) is that with an alloy A5 there is zero flex so all impact forces are instead diverted to the rear of the lower wishbone and it sheers off or cracks the rear suspension pin mount on the front gearbox. Been there, done that and learnt the lesson. The B8 (with lower half of A5 mounted to bumper) alleviates this issue as the B8 itself is much more flexible than the A5 and allows a certain amount of flex of the front pin mounting and will generally break before the gearbox in major impacts. However since using B8's we've not really had any more breakages of those parts. 99% of our breakages have since been confined to the steering hubs. The steering arms on the hubs normally snap at the plastic step where the ball screws in for the steering linkage. However these are cheap and very quick to replace. I'd rather live with those being the weakest link/sacrificial part rather than a gearbox. And I am probably exaggerating the issue there as in all honesty, in the last 10 years (400 hours use) we've only broken two or three steering hubs across 12 buggies. Prior to using the B8 fix we broke every A5 on every buggy every 20-30 hours use! I originally (back in the 90's) fitted homemade steel braces to the A5's but got a string of broken gearbox mounts as a result - hence the switch to using B8 and a sliced off lower A5 on the bumper. Been the most rugged and reliable solution for us :) and the cheapest, as I had to do the fix to twelve thundershot based buggies!  :o

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6 hours ago, mud4fun said:

Yeah the problem is that alot of these alloy 'upgrades' are actually 'downgrades' :

  • they add weight and make the car slower
  • they increase the stresses going into more critical and expensive to repair items (such as gearboxes)
  • they are generally only suitable for people that put bling before actual practicality.

There are exceptions naturally. I have 3rd party alloy hubs on my Avante class buggies but in that case they provide genuine improvement in ruggedness while not increasing stresses to gearbox (as the suspension and camber arms provide the crash flex).

In my opinion an alloy A5 is a complete waste of money. Only there for bling. Just my opinion but I (and all three of my daughters) have bashed and raced Thundershots for 30+ years and I have been one of the most vocal supporters of that chassis type on TC since the club started. If I have never needed an alloy A5 then I honestly question the need. I'm sure the makers of the alloy A5 parts must love the fact that so many naive people buy them instead of doing the much cheaper alternatives.

I generally fit alloy parts where they are absolutely the only/best option to solve an issue. Fitting lots of alloy parts is mostly the preserve of people that haven't a clue about performance and are just impressed by bling, as in most cases they make the car slower and worse performing - that is true of virtually all of the fancy parts sold. Sure, I've fitted hi-caps myself and paid alot of money for them but in reality they are no better than a set of plastic CVA's. So yes, I'm guilty to a degree but I am generally pretty careful with alloy hop-ups, I prefer my buggies to perform well rather than look pretty on a shelf.

AND as I say, there are several youtube videos suggesting that you NEED to buy an alloy A5 or a brace - all lies. You do not need an alloy A5 at all. Sure, if you just want bling then fine BUT these youtubers are giving very inaccurate information. They should admit that you only need an alloy A5 to look pretty. To actually fix the issue you just need to spend 10 mins with some basic tools and a much cheaper spare plastic B8! and if you fit a rigid alloy A5 or a brace you are now transmitting all the crash forces into the gearbox itself at the rear of the lower wishbone which leads to an entire new gearbox case replacement which takes alot more time, is alot more hassle and costs more. We've run a dozen thundershots for 30 years and I hope I can talk with some experience. If you want bling then fine BUT I do not agree with people sponsoring or pushing expensive parts that people do not need AND not making it clear that these parts are not the cheapest or even the best solution - especially when some of these youtubers are apparently making enough money from their naff advice to give up their jobs and make a living from their youtube vids......

 

thank you for all that info. i know most of the aluminum parts are mostly for bling factors. i  dont mind too much if it adds a bit more weight to the buggy but the milling and mounting pins are the reason i chose this aluminum part. id rather have the pins that lock with C clips than the screws into plastic eyelets. RC mart does have a cheaper priced solution the rectangular aluminum tab  with pin and clips.  i dont really plan on adding more aluminum parts to the buggy at this point anymore. maybe just getting an aluminum brace for the A5 may have been the better option for weight but i already placed the order and im fine with the purchase. i was planning to find a pin/C clip solution for the A5 parts to begin with if possible, the aluminum parts are just with the package as far as i have been able to locate. i could consider a B8 instead and lower the risk to the gear box but i plan on babying the buggy for the most part.

 

i do hope they release info on metal bearings for the kit or atleast confirm the older model bearings are identical.

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Why don’t tower just list the lower price?  Coupons that big baffle me, always have done. 
 

My grandmas used to drive all over north jersey to do the shopping just to spend all their coupons, almost certainly spent a good amount of the savings in gas. But it did keep them out of trouble for a day so.....

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2 hours ago, matisse said:

Why don’t tower just list the lower price?  Coupons that big baffle me, always have done. 
 

Purely conjecture on my part, but maybe some manufacturers don't like seeing such a discounted price flashed on the screen with their product (vs other hobby shops and outlets) and coupons provide a work-around. On a deeper level, there's is a whole psychology behind the use of coupons from a sales prospective. Everyone likes to save money and Tower offering coupons does just that (even if it is somewhat of an illusion, as, like @matisse said, they could just lower the prices). The pull coupons have works on shoppers of all income levels too. There's just something pleasing about the feeling of getting "a deal".

Tower coupons in particular invite people to spend more. If the coupon is good for $299 and above and a person has $275 of items in their cart, they are likely to purchase more to get over the $299 mark to allow use of that next level coupon. This also means people will buy/try things they might not have otherwise. Who knows? Maybe they'll get something outside of their normal interest, like it, and buy more in the future. And, as always, it builds customer loyalty and keeps them coming back.

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[

4 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

 Tower coupons in particular invite people to spend more. If the coupon is good for $299 and above and a person has $275 of items in their cart, they are likely to purchase more to get over the $299 mark to allow use of that next level coupon. 

Works on me😁

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19 hours ago, msgimartin said:

Here in the US, Tower Hobbies is now showing the first shipment of the 47470 TF Evo in March. Same with the Thunder Dragon and the TA-02 Opel Calibra. So we may be seeing them in the US sooner certainly than I expected.  

I am always skeptical of those dates. Been burned in the past.  Had a Wild One on back order.  Due in April, then May, then August, then Oct, then discontinued.  Seems odd the US would get them 2 months before anyone else, but who knows.  Still on the fence about getting one. I REALLLLLLY want an Egress and can't do both.  But not seeing any Egress availability in US.  Tower hasn't responded to me.

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On 2/12/2021 at 10:47 AM, A-Baum said:

I am always skeptical of those dates. Been burned in the past.  Had a Wild One on back order.  Due in April, then May, then August, then Oct, then discontinued.  Seems odd the US would get them 2 months before anyone else, but who knows.  Still on the fence about getting one. I REALLLLLLY want an Egress and can't do both.  But not seeing any Egress availability in US.  Tower hasn't responded to me.

Back order really sucks, apparently Traxxas slash models are low on stock/back order or at least when I ordered one with LHS still no update on stock... it's been a month and no info though I don't think it will DC.

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I am doubtful on the tower march date  for the evo too, but it hasnt stopped me from buying hop ups lol. 

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9 minutes ago, Rb4276 said:

I am doubtful on the tower march date  for the evo too, but it hasnt stopped me from buying hop ups lol. 

Which hop ups have you been buying for the evo? 

In a cruel twist of fate/stroke of luck Tower doesn't offer international shipping, so my plan to order one just in case the March date is correct was a no starter. 

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3 hours ago, Robert5000 said:

Tower doesn't offer international shipping, so my plan to order one just in case the March date is correct was a no starter. 

try calling them on the telephone.

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7 hours ago, Robert5000 said:

Which hop ups have you been buying for the evo? 

In a cruel twist of fate/stroke of luck Tower doesn't offer international shipping, so my plan to order one just in case the March date is correct was a no starter. 

Aluminum motor mount, ceramic diff balls, aluminum shock mount support and gearbox covers. The gearbox covers im not sure i will use. That sucks about not shipping outside the US but i still have my doubts about March especially after talking to my local shops telling me tamiya usa has no clue

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wow, prices for the TD are a game of dart boards. i paid $181 USD/$230 CAD through the LHS i ordered a slash. i just noticed Tamiya USA has listed a MSRP price for the TD as $259 USD, before today it was listed for the perfectly low price of $0.00 and now its $259, i wonder if they will lower it to $181 USD or not. in any case im just glad of the price i paid for my order and hope to see my TD in within 2 months...

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