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bikerclubby

What 4wd build?

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Got a hankering for a new build and kits due to come in stock soon. Have a DT03 and a Gmade BOM and wanting some kind of fast 4wd build. Love the buggy look but with the 2wd buggy already also looking at a rally build. Got a few in mind. New iridescent green TT02b Plasma Edge looks amazing and I absolutely hate bodywork. Mk2 Escort also avoids any major bodywork and looks good. Dark Impact comes with bearings and better tyres than TT02, so price difference would be very close to TT02b. XV01 looks good too and seems pretty sorted out of box. 

Don’t intend any big upgrades, but do have a 3500kv brushless combo that I’d like to use with it. 

Thoughts?

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The DF03 is a better buggy than the TT02B but its an older model and parts could be an issue. Don't have one though so someone else should really comment.

The TT02B is pretty durable and goes well, but is more suited to flat tracks, very short grass or tarmac. Its based on a touring car so handles pretty well on tarmac. I have 2 of these and they are great loaner cars for my sons friends. The Plamsa Edge is obviously the best looking. The 3500kv motor will probably cause issues with the rear diff, the df02 diffs are a drop in but add more cost. They run great on the kit motor though

The Escort is on the MF01 chassis right? 12th scale, so smaller which means probably not great for rally. No idea, don't have one

XV01, don't have one but do have a FF04 Evo which is basically a TRF fwd XV01 kind of thing. Its great, just needs me to (start) finish the Mondeo body for it. Off topic now.

The XV01 by all accounts (and my half experience) is brilliant. It could be a rally car on tarmac/small gravel but won't be a proper offroader. If you want it to run on grass or rough gravel then it will disappoint. The buggy is probably going to be a better runner for you (based on my zero knowledge of how you run your cars, where you live, whats around you etc) as they can run in more places.

Just to be difficult, my favourite build and runner is the Top Force. You may be able to find one available still, and the Top Force Evolution is coming but they will cost a small fortune (interest rates are low right now which softens the blow)

Edited by Jonathon Gillham
Correction
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What terrain are you running on?  If a DT03 already works well on that terrain then a 4wd buggy should be good as well.  There's nothing wrong with the TT02B for bashing and generally having fun, the DF03 as @Jonathon Gillham says is a superior design and will perform better, but hop-ups have been thin on the ground for a while and some people have had problems getting spares.  It had a weak rear diff but can be fixed by using front diff parts, however some people have reported the recent DF03s are coming with metal rear diff parts so maybe that problem has been addressed.

I would also agree that the Top Force is an excellent buggy, or any of the plastic tub DF01 cars like the Mantra Ray - realistically for bashing they are no worse than a TT02B despite being a couple of decades older.  The Top Force is (was) the best of the bunch with its double-check chassis and multi-option shock towers and the re-release of the Top Force Evolution is the pinnacle of its form, albeit quite expensive for what you get.

The XV01 is fantastic and IMO one of the best designed non-TRF cars Tamiya have made in a long time.  However, check your terrain before buying.  In my experience, 1.9" rally tyres will not work on grass unless it's very short and the underlying earth very smooth (for grass).  My buggies run fine over my lawn (as long as I keep the grass short) but my rally cars get stuck after a foot or two.  I have an XV01T, which is the truck variant - it has bigger tyres which are enough to clear the grass and it's an absolute hoot on the lawn.  It can't corner as hard as a buggy because it's narrower and rolls over more easily, but it makes for a more challenging driving experience.  With that in mind, in a smaller garden like mine it makes for a great basher, I had a lot of fun driving mine around my little garden track when I wasn't allowed to take the bigger and faster cars out to the fields during lockdowns.

I don't have an MF-01X (the chassis under the Escort) but like any rally-ready chassis it will probably be great fun if you have a mix of light gravel and tarmac or pavement.  IME 1:10 scale rally cars have very limited real-world use - on proper tarmac the soft rally tyres wear out too quickly but as soon as the bumps get big they don't have the clearance to deal with it.  Packed dirt and light gravel are their natural homes but that sort of terrain is really hard to find where I am - when I do find a good location it's strewn with twigs that get bound up in the suspension arms and ruin the experience.

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I have the Tamiya pink TT02B Sand Scorcher (was it?) and DF02 AeroAvante both just bashers.  They are both very capable buggies for screwing around, but the ground clearance is short so more a rally buggy than off road. 

The DF02 turns better but TT02B has stability.  Whichever is a good choice, I think. 

I'm more into the comical cars so a GF01 with a WildWilly2 body would be more my style if modern AWD funny cars.  I also have a Comical Avante I do not plan to build..a shelf decoration along with others NIB. 

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The DF03 will need diff parts and a slipper to run brushless, which (if you can get parts, bit if a back log atm, with the world situation, I was 4 months from Rcmart recently....) pushes the price up around £50. Then the chassis isn't the biggest, not a show stopper, but makes fitting some esc's, interesting.

Has to be tamiya?

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Doesn’t have to be Tamiya, but does have to be a kit. Building is as much fun as bashing! 

Local park is hardly used and has big areas of firm grass. Probably gets a bit long for a rally build. Also have a military firing range nearby with miles are rough tarmac and gravel parking areas. 

Not completely set on the brushless combo, bought it for the DT03 but was too much of a handful. Eventually went for a 21t speed passion BL motor that suited it better, but this could be swapped out for original torque tuned and used in new build. 

 

Does sound like like I might be better sticking with buggy, as much as I love the look of the Escort and Lancia. Or just get both or all three. Think I’ve been on this site too long. :D

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8 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

The DF03 is a better buggy than the TT02B but its an older model and parts could be an issue. Don't have one though so someone else should really comment.

The TT02B is pretty durable and goes well, but is more suited to flat tracks, very short grass or tarmac. Its based on a touring car so handles pretty well on tarmac. I have 2 of these and they are great loaner cars for my sons friends. The Plamsa Edge is obviously the best looking. The 3500kv motor will probably cause issues with the rear diff, the df02 diffs are a drop in but add more cost. They run great on the kit motor though

The Escort is on the MF01 chassis right? 12th scale, so smaller which means probably not great for rally. No idea, don't have one

XV01, don't have one but do have a TB Evo 4 which is basically a TRF fwd XV01 kind of thing. Its great, just needs me to (start) finish the Mondeo body for it. Off topic now.

The XV01 by all accounts (and my half experience) is brilliant. It could be a rally car on tarmac/small gravel but won't be a proper offroader. If you want it to run on grass or rough gravel then it will disappoint. The buggy is probably going to be a better runner for you (based on my zero knowledge of how you run your cars, where you live, whats around you etc) as they can run in more places.

Just to be difficult, my favourite build and runner is the Top Force. You may be able to find one available still, and the Top Force Evolution is coming but they will cost a small fortune (interest rates are low right now which softens the blow)

@Jonathon Gillham I'd just like to correct you on this. You must have been thinking the FF-04 Evo. Because the TB Evo 4 is completely different from the XV-01. The OP might get confused.

@bikerclubby, I'd also reccomend the XV-01. Great 4WD kit on and off road.

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2 hours ago, Nicadraus said:

@Jonathon Gillham I'd just like to correct you on this. You must have been thinking the FF-04 Evo. Because the TB Evo 4 is completely different from the XV-01. The OP might get confused.

@bikerclubby, I'd also reccomend the XV-01. Great 4WD kit on and off road.

Yes you're right, FF04 Evo. At least someone here knows what I have!

Fixed in the original post now, thanks. Long day yesterday....

Edited by Jonathon Gillham
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3 hours ago, bikerclubby said:

Doesn’t have to be Tamiya, but does have to be a kit. Building is as much fun as bashing!

Depending on budget, something like the Turbo Optima?

 

3 hours ago, bikerclubby said:

Not completely set on the brushless combo, bought it for the DT03 but was too much of a handful.

I'm running a Castle 3800kv / 3s in my DT03 with paddles ,for beach running. Took a bit of time to set the punch on the way, and throttle curve on the radio, but it's awesome! 

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Yeah, cheeky brushless on sand paddles is  good fun as long as you’ve lots of space. Kind of unpredictable when you hit a stony patch though. 

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13 hours ago, bikerclubby said:

Also have a military firing range nearby with miles are rough tarmac and gravel parking areas. 

I have one of those, the Imber Range - I sometimes take my monster trucks there :) 

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10 hours ago, bikerclubby said:

Yeah, cheeky brushless on sand paddles is  good fun as long as you’ve lots of space. Kind of unpredictable when you hit a stony patch though. 

Adds to the fun! 😁

 

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based on my personal experience, I'd stay away from the DF-03 unless you're doing something to strengthen the rear diff. 

 

Please don't ask me what to use as if I knew that, I'd have been bothered to get mine back up and running again!

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12 minutes ago, markb_s1 said:

Please don't ask me what to use as if I knew that, I'd have been bothered to get mine back up and running again!

Just got all the parts, to do a YouTube vid on the diff upgrade, its on the project list...🙄

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Thanks for all the advice. Buggies are just too similar to what I have already  

Ordered a MF01X Escort this morning , with bearings and a set of alloy dampers. XV01 was tempting but pre cut and painted body of the Escort plus the fact I can have one now, swung it for me. Think I’m going to build it with the 21.5t BL Speed Passion motor from the DT03. 

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