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matisse

Astutely Forward!!! - TD4 & TD2 builds

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As has cropped up in the main TD4 thread, building any car is often about solving problems, no car is perfect , otherwise there wouldn’t be a market for Hop-Ups and aftermarket upgrades. 
I’ve already a couple of potential solutions to the slipper cover issue on the way, and it appears that the play in the diff is intentional, but can be easily shimmed, again I have more shims on the way.

The big issues for many seem to be the battery placement and the servo linkage, and whilst these are for sure design choices and not flaws given that they work as intended, there is untapped potential here to re look at how this chassis can work. Here is where your aesthetic choices  start to impact the solutions you can create…..On to Bag C!

no shocks yet as I’m waiting for Aeration dampers to arrive, so this step is pretty small, and starts with the side pods and chassis “brace”. The pods go In easily and are linked to the brave/esc mount. Having had a good look it appears to zero impact the flex of the chassis in either direction, and instead is simply a solution to carry the ESC and driver figure, whilst acting as a guide for the battery with the two prongs you attach the the bottom. 

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So if we move away from a stick pack and don’t use the driver figure, we can lose this part with little to no Ill effects and create a large flat space for electrics or a shorty lipo mounted across the chassis (mine fits), suddenly a very cramped space has much more room!

In tandem with this and inspired by the YouTube video by Modeler Oyaji that was shared on another thread, I’ll be moving the servo to the left side of the tub and using the TD2 mounting holes. To do this though, and to eliminate the flex others are seeing, I picked up some M3 threaded couplers. Went for 18mm as my servo is 17mm from tabs to base. The servo mount from the kit is 16mm but there is a spacer included. 

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they screw in easily using the kit screws and the servo is neatly lined up to the side of the tub. 

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I’ve got some AE servo washers on the way for a more secure fit, mostly as they are black and not the blue of the Tamiya Hop-Up servo screws.

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Plenty of space here for a shorty lipo to sit Inline with the chassis as the designers intended, which should help the balance and weight distribution, and it’s all an easy fix to go back to stock at any time. 

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On 12/31/2021 at 2:41 PM, matisse said:

Last few bits of this step to take care of.

Rear shock tower is pretty stiff for a single moulded piece, but the mounting could be a weak point with only 2 screws, time will tell I guess, no ball studs at this stage as going with aeration shocks which will use a bolt through standoff. Likewise leaving off the body and roll bar mounts for now.

Opted for the high level Wing mounts, as I think it just looks better, and found what seems to be a mistake in the manual? Swear it looks as if they ask you to screw into the rear hole and not the forward one? 
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Speed Passion 10.5T brushless going in at this point, gear chart recommends an FDR of 8, so went with a 26t pinion to match the 79t spur for an FDR of 7.9


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Couple of quick turnbuckles to be made (btw way, can highly recommend pre-threading the ends and using a dab of grease before construction…) and we’re done.

Cheated a step from Bag B and did the pinion cover so dust doesn’t get in. Cutting the sponge tape is a bit fiddly, but easy enough to do.

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What is that hole on the inside of k5 part? Oddly enough, mine had one too but it was a hole straight through that debris could get into 

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On 1/3/2022 at 4:08 PM, rwordenjr said:

What is that hole on the inside of k5 part? Oddly enough, mine had one too but it was a hole straight through that debris could get into 

No idea, perhaps it’s a moulding issue with your part? There is no hole on mine.

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Right, Bag D time. We start with assembly of the rocker arms and front camber turnbuckles. The rockers feel really smooth with the bearings on the metal posts, but you can def flex them a little, so you can see why they offer an alloy upgrade. Tbf though I doubt I’ll notice. No ball studs as the hard hex head ball connector upgrade is on the way.

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Talking of ball studs, saw on a few YT vids talk of weakness at the inner camber link ball studs, mostly them snapping when they crash. Now tbh this happens on most rc cars, so it’s not design flaw imo, but it can’t hurt to add a little more strength. To this end replaced the kit ball stud with a bolt through one, should make things a little more sturdy.

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Started a thread to collect ideas for mods etc…

 

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Front gearbox is very similar to the rear, only on a laydown form instead of a stand up. 
Goes together super easily, shims specified in the manual seems to be on that fine point of removing play but not binding, much as for the rear gearbox, lubed with a few drops of Boeshield again.

The long spring in the drive shaft cup looks to be pretty crucial for holding the drive shaft in the right place so used a bit of AW grease on the end to hold it in place.

As for the rear the Diff needs shimming, to take up the space that appears to be there to accommodate the TA06 gear diff, but that will be done later. Gearbox goes together with a silly amount of screws again…….

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Finishing off the D Parts bag with the steering assembly. The GF plastic really works here imo, from ABS this would very pretty flexible I feel, but this feels stiff enough that I’m sure it will be more than okay on the track. Fairly standard twin crank set up, mounts under the front gear box to match the caster angle of the front hubs I assume.

it’s all ball raced and despite the warning found it impossible to overtighten the bolts and seize the movement. Likewise no combination of shims had any effect on the slight amount of play .

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Those lugs you see key into the chassis and two screws top and bottom secure the front bulkhead to the main tub, after which it’s time to add the drive shaft.

5F1D3BCC-47BB-494D-82D1-884064A87D73.md.

 

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E parts start with the front arms.

hingepin carrier is linked to a cover for the steering assembly and attaches both here and to the main chassis tub. Arms the selves are just as beefy as the rears and are also unsided. 

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Front bumper captures the pins and attached to the carrier, it’s weirdly shiney compared to the rest of the plastic. Assembled there is a bit of play, enough that a 3x0.3mm shim was needed on both sides. 

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Front dampers, but ummmmm, yeah, they’ve not arrived from PJ yet. 

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I’ll not be using the steering link set set up from the manual as mentioned before, but I’m still gonna build it because why not…

The manual is a great help, all the diagrams to line up the attachment pins are full size, and the links are easy to assemble. Although complex I can see how easy it will work. 
 

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The tiny o-ring on the retaining screw for the moving shock mount is a pain to fit, plus you don’t get a spare.
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I found this whole assembly a bit of a faff to open and close mostly as it’s not accurate in its width, glad I have gone the route of eliminating the need to do this I the long term. That said, I admire the overly engineered solution to a problem of their own making. :)

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Chose this step to finish off the servo mod I started earlier, used;

2 x Ball Cups (i used low friction just because) & 3x65mm turnbuckle/rod for the steering connection. You'll need an 82mm length in total.

M3 x18mm threaded tube /connecting nut - Accu.com has these for a good price.

https://www.accu.co.uk/en/threaded-hexagonal-spacers/464694-HHTPS-M3-5-18-S-Z

no issues with clearance if you use the left most hole on the Q part of the Hi-Torque saver as listed in the manual.

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Pretty happy with that :)

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WARNING! Do it attempt the next step late at night when you are tired, you may well get confused and get things mixed up. T in their infinite wisdom decided to have the hubs and arms interchangeable from L-R, which of course means they look exactly the same which ever way you hold them. Not a huge issue, but annoying when you’ve put everything together only to realise that the steering ball stud is the wrong way up….you just feel stupid. :)

anyway, front hubs and link rods finish off this step. Link rods are easy, the spacers make it a doddle to make sure h the lengths match. 
 

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what appear to be TRF501X Kingpins hold the hubs together, so I’d be interested to see if any of the hop-up low friction ones fit. Pretty easy to throw together and shimmed with a single 3x0.2mm on each set. 
 

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Used bolt through ball nuts again here for added strength. 
 

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ta da!!

Yes, no drive shafts or limit screws on the hubs as I’m about to fit CVDs.

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Front CVDs seemed like one of two essential hop-ups for this chassis, so super happy that I could grab some courtesy of @toyolien


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If you’ve built a set before, nothing new here. As is getting common uses a spring instead of a grub screw to hold it all together. Note that the springs are directional with rotation.

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Also note that I had to take apart the whole front hub assembly again as they don’t fit through the holes once its screwed together…sigh.

Hop-up Aluminium 6mm hexes used instead of the kit plastic as they are silver, obvs.

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Fitting the Aluminium Rear Suspension Mount courtesy of @Cynan.

Stripped and lightly polished to match the colour scheme. 


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As is pretty common now, uses inserts (pills) to change both the toe in and anti squat. As you can see the sheet included is pretty comprehensive.
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Inserts are labelled with lines instead of numbers.

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The standard mount has a lot of play, possibly as much as 0.5mm,. But once assembled the alloy mount  reduces so that a single 3x0.1mm shim is enough.
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This is due to the small protrusion you can see on each insert.  
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Hingepins slot straight in to the inserts, no need for the suspension balls. Imo you  it’s looks pretty nice.

A9B96C35-5AA4-4AC1-BFA8-C1B8F0A57EE8.md.

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Wait, there’s more Hop-Ups!!?

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Not sure if a wing counts but the stock wing is very underwhelming, grabbed the TRF201 wing set to give me options. Both looks pretty good tbh, must do more research about how they alter handling….

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Whilst I had the bodywork on my mind gave the front end some thought. There are clear cut lines where a large black sticker goes at the front, altering the shape there would balance the look imo, also the front end is too wide and clunky, so drew some new lines that I’m considering.
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Thoughts anyone?

 

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Not so sure how that will look with the very thin section at the front and exposed screw heads. Likely will depend on the overall colour and lines of the body.

I think the body has been designed around those clear windows so the lines work around them. I painted the side ones in and reckon it is much better- but would be even better if they weren’t still moulded in the polycarbonate.

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1 hour ago, Alangt4 said:

Not so sure how that will look with the very thin section at the front and exposed screw heads. Likely will depend on the overall colour and lines of the body.

I think the body has been designed around those clear windows so the lines work around them. I painted the side ones in and reckon it is much better- but would be even better if they weren’t still moulded in the polycarbonate.

Yeah, front section will be white, so I can see it working. 

My thing with those side panels is the shapes, I can’t see that they add much in the way of protection, and it makes it look uneven imo. That swooping front line would make it flow much better I feel.

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Yeah worth checking it out - will help add your own uniqueness to it.

Reckon I’ll do that servo mod - less linkages and simplicity is a good thing. Will wait until my universal joints arrive but dogbones have been fine so far.

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On 1/9/2022 at 2:25 PM, matisse said:

Go big, or Go Home.

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Those two little bumps at the front seemed like an afterthought - I think I like it a LOT better without them.

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6 hours ago, SlideWRX said:

Those two little bumps at the front seemed like an afterthought - I think I like it a LOT better without them.

Agreed!!! Already masked it ready for painting, just need it to stop raining 

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Few small jobs last night as some parts orders begin to arrive. Frustratingly the PJ order with the dampers placed in December is still showing as preparing for shipping….

 Anyway, servo washers arrived as well as some shims for the diffs. 
washers are countersunk and really do make it feel more secure when installed.

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Shimming the diffs took more than I thought. Bought a pack of 10x12x0.1 and 10x12x0.2 shims, found there was space for 0.8mm in thickness to remove all the lateral play. At that amount though some binding was evident when spinning the front diff, spins but not freely. Went for an extra 0.4mm on the right and 0.3mm on the left, so 0.7mm in total. Spins easily and the tiniest amount of play is there.

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What you end up with is A LOT of shims, 1.5mm in total width.

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Early look at the paint scheme. Better pics to follow when TRF decals have arrived.

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My usual colours, some bleeding where it’s difficult to stick the tape over all of the creases which is a shame. Tinted the window as well.

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Started looking at the electrics install this evening, one thing was immediately apparent in that it’s very much designed around stick pack batteries. The front bulkhead has a protrusion that holds the stick pack in the centre of the chassis and away from the servo.

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A shorty lipo is wider, so had to take a mm or so off the protrusion in order for it to fit. 
 

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In both the above layouts removing the battery isn’t exactly easy, but I don’t have to remove any steering links etc So much better than the stock layout.

Having the Rx opposite the servo works for balance aesthetically and also to keep the lipo central. 

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On 1/11/2022 at 11:11 AM, matisse said:

Early look at the paint scheme. Better pics to follow when TRF decals have arrived.

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My usual colours, some bleeding where it’s difficult to stick the tape over all of the creases which is a shame. Tinted the window as well.

Body looks pretty good with those cut lines !

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4 hours ago, rwordenjr said:

Body looks pretty good with those cut lines !

I think the whole thing is just better balanced, really leans into the Fighter Jet look that the cockpit alludes to

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On 1/11/2022 at 7:11 PM, matisse said:

Early look at the paint scheme. Better pics to follow when TRF decals have arrived.

029040BF-3F2B-4F5C-827E-8EBF9B2F67E6.md.

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My usual colours, some bleeding where it’s difficult to stick the tape over all of the creases which is a shame. Tinted the window as well.

I really like the look of this - think it's going to look awesome all finished! Can't wait to see it!

Great work mate!!

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I did very similar cut lines to you( but by mistake) I cut the black panels out but left the bit over the screws. I think it looks much better. A more formula 1/ jet fighter look. I also painted in the transparent sections. Did a very simple paint scheme of BRG and Yellow in a 1960’s lotus homage.

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