The M - Chassis TOPIC

[Honza 1117]

5 hours ago, Alex97 said:

Has anyone converted their MB01 to 4wd yet? 

 

I've seen a few people have done the conversation on Facebook however it makes everything seem very top heavy have your lipo so high up. 

 

 

I just saw one in a Facebook group yesterday, but the post is taken down now..

Unfortunately the driveshaft is in the way of the battery and since shorty saddle packs are not available anymore, placing the battery over the propshaft seems to be the only way. 

[Carmine A 2078]

11 hours ago, Willy iine said:

.. must be nice to own M08R's.. 

I still want a M07 ..  Not even close to within my budget, but I dare to dream ..

RWD is fun to sling around, drift, and back in the 80's, was an on-road racer's ONLY option.  But, since discovering FWD with my first M03 back in the 90's, they have their own fun and forgiving nature. 

[Willy iine 18826]

1 hour ago, Carmine A said:

I still want a M07 ..  Not even close to within my budget, but I dare to dream ..

RWD is fun to sling around, drift, and back in the 80's, was an on-road racer's ONLY option.  But, since discovering FWD with my first M03 back in the 90's, they have their own fun and forgiving nature. 

Yeah, I still have my M03 and it's a great car!  

About the RWD m-chassis,  after trying the M06 last year for the first time, I was pretty amazed how stable the car was even on fairly loose surface.  The car would just understeer when loose, not oversteer out of control like the M04.. I mean I do need to be mindful and use common sense as it is RWD, but it's a very balanced car.  And when the grip is better, it starts becoming a rear biased proper RWD machine... like you can rotate the car under throttle and that is very addictive.  Considering how basic the car is, I was quite amazed and in no time, I had 3.. and my 4th is on its way to me.

Had Tower kept the SuperSaver coupon codes, I would have gotten the M08R already.. it's probably still in my cart since November.  I'm just scratching my head whether that chassis is really worth $300+.   The issue with me is since I don't have any parts associated to the car, I'd need to buy 2 units.. one for driving, and one for spares, so in reality it's a $700 car in my head.. that is what is stopping me at the moment.

[Rinskie 860]

15 hours ago, Sogogi said:

I also have m08 and agreed that it is more suitable for track/carpet. I only run m08 on a local track while m05/06 are for parking lot/ dirt runner which I prefer much more.

(glad i am not the only one who thinks the connection between front and rear part of m08 chassis seem bit fiddly or i should say flimsy?)

I remember from m08 instruction says it is not for dirt (gear box is not fully sealed?)

It is not too late to get an m06 and start having fun! 
 

 

I was looking last night. Trouble is, certain "hop ups" that I would want seem to be hard to locate such as the blue string linkage. I am looking into it for sure, that and the M05 look like a hoot to own. 

[Sogogi 3359]

1 hour ago, Rinskie said:

I was looking last night. Trouble is, certain "hop ups" that I would want seem to be hard to locate such as the blue string linkage. I am looking into it for sure, that and the M05 look like a hoot to own. 

Definitely things are getting scarce. I was able to get some from japan auction(which i think has more chance than us ebay etc)

[Mr. G 18]

Puzzled over why the M-07 is called a concept chassis kit? Is it still in this stage or is it a complete kit now these days without drilling holes in parts etc.

[Honza 1117]

1 hour ago, Mr. G said:

Puzzled over why the M-07 is called a concept chassis kit? Is it still in this stage or is it a complete kit now these days without drilling holes in parts etc.

It's just marketing to differentiate it from the basic M-xx models. Tamiya has never done true mid-range M-chassis before (and who knows if they'll make anything like that afterwards), so they wanted to make it clear that it's a new car designed from ground-up and not a cheap successor to the M-05

[Paulie73 43]

My m-06 beetle 

[Sogogi 3359]

Today ran M06RA for the first time… it is fun and runs much better than i’ve expected.. especially excels on rougher road than m05. Due to weight is biased towards rear, it just hooks and go… (on woodchipped or gravel surfaces, m05 struggles to get traction)

I want to have shorter wheelbase version too… 

tldr: m06 rally is fun. Want more m06.

[Kowalski86 4076]

10 minutes ago, Sogogi said:

Today ran M06RA for the first time… it is fun and runs much better than i’ve expected.. especially excels on rougher road than m05. Due to weight is biased towards rear, it just hooks and go… (on woodchipped or gravel surfaces, m05 struggles to get traction)

 

 

I've said it about a dozen times, but the M06 is basically an old-school, motor in the back buggy (complete with a flat chassis that "surfs" over terrain) that got turned into an M-chassis. Its probably the best candidate for a "rally" m-chassis build.

[Pylon80 3438]

16 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

I've said it about a dozen times, but the M06 is basically an old-school, motor in the back buggy (complete with a flat chassis that "surfs" over terrain) that got turned into an M-chassis. Its probably the best candidate for a "rally" m-chassis build.

I bought one at one point just because I loved the idea of the rear engine so much. But once I held it in my hands I could not get past the looks of the chassis tub and I sold it 😐

I really wish Tammy would make a modern RR m chassis. I would do a Renault 5 Turbo with it.

[Willy iine 18826]

@Sogogi  Nice!  Looks like fun.  I was pretty impressed with just the basic M06 that I have.. I'm sure your RA version is fantastic!  

[Kowalski86 4076]

9 hours ago, Pylon80 said:

I bought one at one point just because I loved the idea of the rear engine so much. But once I held it in my hands I could not get past the looks of the chassis tub and I sold it 😐

 

For me it was the "feel", whatever "PC-ABS" is felt a lot like the plastic thats used in New Bright RCs.

[Sogogi 3359]

First time building short wheel base version (just because not many bodies fit short wheel base..) but got the phat body mini for it… it looks substantially smaller and i like it.

(M05S vs M08L)

[IXLR8 1275]

1 hour ago, Kowalski86 said:

For me it was the "feel", whatever "PC-ABS" is felt a lot like the plastic thats used in New Bright RCs.

Apart from the SRB's, I think your comment applies to every Tamiya I own.

Cheap plastic poorly engineered RC's that are only slightly above toy grade.  Especially the modern stuff.

[Kowalski86 4076]

50 minutes ago, IXLR8 said:

Apart from the SRB's, I think your comment applies to every Tamiya I own.

Cheap plastic poorly engineered RC's that are only slightly above toy grade.  Especially the modern stuff.

That definitely applies to most of their entry-level on-road cars. I appreciate the vintage stuff for trying to be innovative or silly (and some models had some sturdy parts, like the solid axle models), I can't get on-board the "let's pimp out a touring car made out of a food tray" boat.

[Honza 1117]

10 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

For me it was the "feel", whatever "PC-ABS" is felt a lot like the plastic thats used in New Bright RCs.

Try cutting it with a power tool 😁 I can say that PC is much better than ABS or the recycled stuff they make Chinese toys from 😀  Arms and other parts are nylon, which can take quite a lot of abuse. I'd say these old M-chassis are surprisingly good quality.

Unfortunately it seems the quality took nosedive with MB-01...

On 1/15/2024 at 12:43 AM, Kowalski86 said:

I've said it about a dozen times, but the M06 is basically an old-school, motor in the back buggy (complete with a flat chassis that "surfs" over terrain) that got turned into an M-chassis. Its probably the best candidate for a "rally" m-chassis build.

Agree, I don't understand why they didn't make a variant with Ra uprights and dust cover over the bathtub and instead released RWD rally cars on the M-05..

[Kowalski86 4076]

1 hour ago, Honza said:

Try cutting it with a power tool 😁 I can say that PC is much better than ABS or the recycled stuff they make Chinese toys from 😀  Arms and other parts are nylon, which can take quite a lot of abuse.

Unfortunately it seems the quality took nosedive with MB-01...

 I'm pretty sure that the MB-01 is a mix of ABS with some nylon (think TT02). It is ridiculously sloppy for what I assume are new molds.

[IXLR8 1275]

My problem isn't with the quality of plastics, but with the overapplication of those materials.  Especially in Tamiya's lower tier models, plastics are used everywhere and for parts that really should be metal (suspension pivots, bearings, etc.).  I know this topic has been discussed ad nauseam and I apologize for fueling the debate.

Tamiya might have us believe that their extensive use of plastics over metal saves cost but I think there's a bit more to it.  Consider the HG P407 (I have three of them) vs. the Bruiser.  I believe parts for those models are very similar not just in design but in overall quality and yet the '407 is priced at around 25% of the Bruiser.   I understand that Tamiya can demand higher prices based upon reputation and perhaps greater margins are needed to cover higher costs (Tamiya's operating expenses, ad budget, etc. are almost certainly much greater than HG's) but that doesn't fully explain that incredible price gap.  Or maybe Tamiya is simply unable or unwilling to partner with low-cost metal parts suppliers and for reasons other than quality but the '407 certainly proves they can do better.

We know that in today's world, 1150 bearings are manufactured for much less than a dollar each.  Like everyone else who's built a Tamiya, I'd gladly pay a few bucks more for a kit that included proper ball bearings.

Even in the lowest priced models, plastics shouldn't be used for bearings - not for both of a bearing's mating surfaces anyway.

Anyway, I'm not saying anything new.

[Kowalski86 4076]

10 minutes ago, IXLR8 said:

My problem isn't with the quality of plastics, but with the overapplication of those materials.  Especially in Tamiya's lower tier models, plastics are used everywhere and for parts that really should be metal (suspension pivots, bearings, etc.).  I know this topic has been discussed ad nauseam and I apologize for fueling the debate.

Even in the lowest priced models, plastics shouldn't be used for bearings - not for both of a bearing's mating surfaces anyway.

Oh no worries, from an engineering stand point I find it an interesting topic.

Plastic pivots really aren't a great design and they quickly wear with any "rally car" use, the old screw design holds up better. Even some of my "toy grade" RCs don't use plastic on plastic pivoting.

The older screw design can rust, but you can replace them with stainless shafts/e-clips. Your M06 uses this setup. It's a bit sturdier and holds up better vs the "TT-style" setup.

[Honza 1117]

6 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

I'm pretty sure that the MB-01 is a mix of ABS with some nylon (think TT02). It is ridiculously sloppy for what I assume are new molds.

Yep, it surprised me that TT02 still uses mostly ABS (I went from PC/nylon TL-01 straight to mid range kits and other cheap Tamiyas I have are M-chassis). And it was quite let down that Tamiya went for worse TT-02 design for their whole base range.. At least the BT-01 variant has some potential of "S-type"  upgrade, but I cannot se such upgrade path with the mini.. That's why I think that previous M-chassis gen is good quality. It is cheap plastic, but not cheap cheap plastic with plastic on top.

 

[Raman36 1712]

@Willy iine Saw this on RCtech and thought of you!  

https://www.rctech.net/forum/r-c-items-sale-trade/1120031-new-tamiya-m-08r-limited-edition-upgrades.html

[Pylon80 3438]

7 hours ago, Raman36 said:

@Willy iine Saw this on RCtech and thought of you!  

https://www.rctech.net/forum/r-c-items-sale-trade/1120031-new-tamiya-m-08r-limited-edition-upgrades.html

I wonder how much he wants for it...

[Sogogi 3359]

Looks like a rare m05 hopup is available on tamiyausa?

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/option-parts/rc-m05s-alum-rr-sus-mount/silver/

[Pylon80 3438]

36 minutes ago, Sogogi said:

Looks like a rare m05 hopup is available on tamiyausa?

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/option-parts/rc-m05s-alum-rr-sus-mount/silver/

It's been there for a while. It's good if you don't plan on doing anything other than 210mm. I still think you can tweak the car such that you don't need more than the stock 2deg toe-in though.