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Big Jon

Thoughts On the DF-03

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I've been thinking about the Dark Impact that I just built. It was a very pleasurable build, of course, and the basic engineering is interesting and "correct" for a buggy of this type. I'm pretty satisfied with the cost v. experience.

Here's my beef. Tamiya made this beautifully designed little buggy, then absolutely screwed it by choosing the wrong materials for production! The whole thing, except for the arms, is flimsy unreinforced ABS, which just isn't adequate for the intended use of the thing. If all of the plastics were the good stuff, the DF-03 would be a true modern classic, a yard buggy that's ready for anything. Instead, it's just another Tamiya that can't compete in the modern marketplace. The chassis can perform very well, but is so fragile that it can only be run as an '80s era classic.

Leaving out a slipper was an oversight too, even though the chassis can't reliably withstand a motor that would stress the gears. The plastic diff parts aren't adequate, either, although they're fine with stock silvercan power. Maybe that's an indication of what Tamiya intended for the chassis.

The chassis has been around since '06, so you'd think that someone at Tamiya would have had the idea to do a few runs of reinforced plastics as hop up parts, and to make a sturdier slipper gearset while they were at it. The MS added a bunch of cool bits without addressing durability issues, which is strange to me, too. 

This is all moot with the introduction of the TD4, of course, but I'd still like to see a "Special" before the DF-03 is discontinued so that I can experience it the way it should have been. Such a neat car, too bad it was let down so badly by a silly decision.

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15 minutes ago, Big Jon said:

Such a neat car, too bad it was let down so badly by a silly decision.

I think that statement could be applied to most Tamiya vehicles... :rolleyes:

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Can only agree with you, the DF-03 couldn't reach its potential with parts supplied in the kit. 

KM RC used to make a conversion kit to make it more of a race spec, but even then it had its weak points and would struggle with modern motor power:

 

oople-ultimateimpact01.jpg

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7 minutes ago, BuggyGuy said:

Can only agree with you, the DF-03 couldn't reach its potential with parts supplied in the kit. 

KM RC used to make a conversion kit to make it more of a race spec, but even then it had its weak points and would struggle with modern motor power:

 

oople-ultimateimpact01.jpg

Even with the incredibly slick conversions, the brittle gearbox housings make it too fragile for hard use. With it's design, it looks like it should handle a standard racecar beating. Unfortunately, it'd be hard pressed to complete a single heat club racing 

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That is an impressive conversion kit. I too am surprised why Tamiya chose to use ABS plastic for the gearbox housings. There's just not enough strength there for high output motors. I do think that Tamiya designs a lot of their models with the idea that the end user will use the standard silver can or upgrade to a sport tuned. Additionally, I've thought, and possibly incorrectly, that Tamiya cars are made for tracks in really small spaces. Small straightaways, little jumps and turf instead of dirt. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

 

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Completely agree with you @Big Jon. I loved the original DF03 concept. It seemed like such a step up from the DF02 before it. Like I mentioned in the Super Avante thread, a longer wheelbase, better plastics, improved drivetrain parts and possibly divorced lower control arm mounts would have made a killer buggy. I've said in the past, I think the introduction of the DB01 after it, overshadowed the DF03 as the DB01 was a better platform, but I'm a shaft drive junkie. It seems Tamiya rarely addresses core issues, like material choices (though they sometimes do) when offering "improvements". They seem to prefer the "Lego approach" swapping out or adding parts (think Thundershot blinged out to Terra Scorcher spec) without altering the base design.  

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I don't get why I can still buy a brand new DF03 but the DB01 hasn't been available for years.  Does the DB01 not break enough to maintain a steady flow of income from parts?

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DF03 for me, is the one that almost suitable enough to have avante name, because its motor and battery layout. Unfortunately the plastic material and alloy main shaft bring down its value so hard.

Why cant they(tamiya) make reinforced plastic as upgrade parts like what theyve done for DB01 and DB02......  

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28 minutes ago, Blista said:

I don't get why I can still buy a brand new DF03 but the DB01 hasn't been available for years.  Does the DB01 not break enough to maintain a steady flow of income from parts?

The DB01 is stellar. With a new body and the RR chassis (and better ball diffs), it'd be a great addition to the lineup.

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While re-watching the Super Avante video, I was reminded of something. The test track they were using (featuring an actual type of dirt) had (what I consider) reasonable sized jumps. Watching the Super Avante work its way around, I saw no reason why the DF03 with its unreinforced plastics would have any issues. Take the same DF03 to the US tracks I've seen and those stock plastics wouldn't survive long. Its not an excuse for the fast wearing alloy gear, etc, but it is enlightening. 

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I know this is a Tamiya forum and I seem to knock Tamiya loads lately BUT the kits are not made the same way now. Yes I know times change and styles etc BUT for the top price we pay for Tamiya kits does not know relate to whats in the box. Fed up with all the "re ashes" and using classic names etc to cash in. I am 58 and had loads of cars when young mainly Tamiya then realised Kyosho was as good if not better,then realised there was proper "race" cars out there. but as my model interest left cars when in the model shop always looked at the Tamiya kits, don't no more. Too boring, nothing new and too costly. The only thing that Tamiya do that's really good now is the scale big rigs etc. Tamiya are lucky they get by on the name and history. That "latest" release,wont say the name. That should of been higher grade materials for the asking price. I will wait for a designer to arrive,that look at the topforce and egress and avante, sees what a car should look like and be built like,then I will buy one BUT I bet it will be called a classics name AGAIN followed by 2025!!!!!!

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The DF03 was the first Tamiya (and first RC) I ever built 11 years ago.  I chose it over the DF02 Gravel Hound at the time because I liked the standard ball bearings, adjustable upper links, standard wheels and tires, better ground clearance, shaft drive, etc.

It was a mixed bag of good and bad for my son and me.  We took it to the local indoor clay track, and I really liked the way the buggy drove.  With some threaded aluminum dampers, different springs, turnbuckles, slipper clutch, and 19T brushed motor it was actually pretty responsive and maneuverable.  At the time we ground some Pro-Line Holeshot M3 pin tires into slicks and treated them with sauce, and the buggy went wherever we pointed it.

Unfortunately it wasn't that durable for us.  Lots of screws would loosen during a run, the front diff joints chipped, the front damper stay snapped easily, the body clip on the battery tray retainer would get lost, the rear diff needed lots of rebuilding, the gear on the layshaft would wear too easily, some of the kingpin screws would loosen in the knuckles, etc.  I did make some changes over time, such as running the front diff joints in the rear and using tungsten carbide diff balls.  In the end it felt like the plastics weren't up to the task and we rebuilt the entire buggy from spares, put in a silver can, and shelved it.

The second buggy was a DB01 Durga, and it was significantly better out of the box.  Again, it came with ball bearings, turnbuckles, CVA dampers, standard wheel and tire sizes, etc.

To me the DB01 felt more stable and controlled than the DF03, but the DF03 was more sprightly.  The softer springs on the DB01 actually worked better with the kit CVA dampers.

However, the DB01 crushed the DF03 in terms of durability.  The nylon plastics and machine screws did a far better job of staying together.  I didn't have any diff joint, gear, damper stay, or knuckle issues.  The two biggest issues I remember included the rubber cement slipping between the diff rings and joints, which required a second application of glue, and the rear suspension block flexing a little too much, requiring an aluminum upgrade.  Otherwise the sealed belt drive setup was quiet and robust even with a 4200kV brushless system.

I kind of want the handling of the DF03 in a more durable chassis like the DB01.  Something like a TB03 chassis running TRF502x diffs and DB01 arms, or a TA05V2 chassis running TRF501x diffs and DB01 arms.  Just something with a shorter wheelbase, better plastics, and machine screws.  Maybe the TD4 will be that buggy?  Time will tell...

 

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You can activate the translator, it gives an idea of what's going on even if it's mostly a weird translation!

 

Maezumi drives for about 2 minutes and a half and then... wishbone broken as well as the rear suspension holder.

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