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TD-2 - New Astute

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12 minutes ago, BelknapCrater said:

Most will vote to go straight for the MIP hex set. I did, and they're great. Not great if you prefer replaceable driver tips.

I'll probably get a cheap set then end up getting a decent set later only to realize I should've done it in the first place.  I recall Arrowmax used to have a good reputation but they look the same as every other generic set to me but for twice the price.

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1 hour ago, Blista said:

I'll probably get a cheap set then end up getting a decent set later only to realize I should've done it in the first place.  I recall Arrowmax used to have a good reputation but they look the same as every other generic set to me but for twice the price.

Just noticed your location. MIP might be pretty steep by the time the order reaches you. For a new kit, I'd just find the best price on something local. It's when you have to remove seized, scraped, or gouged fasteners that the higher quality tools pull their weight. Really, you'll only need a 2mm to put the TD2 or 4 together.

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I bought Turnigy ones a while back. Iirc they were around £3 each and you could buy whatever sizes you needed. They have been great for me and never once stripped a head or damaged the hex driver bit at all. My only complain is the handles are bare aluminium with only the alloy textured to provide a grip. Fine for a few screws or routine maintenance but putting a whole car together you would feel it afterwards.

James.

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19 minutes ago, BelknapCrater said:

Just noticed your location. MIP might be pretty steep by the time the order reaches you. For a new kit, I'd just find the best price on something local. It's when you have to remove seized, scraped, or gouged fasteners that the higher quality tools pull their weight. Really, you'll only need a 2mm to put the TD2 or 4 together.

Everything is expensive by the time it reaches here so we're used to it.  :lol:

3 minutes ago, InsaneJim69 said:

I bought Turnigy ones a while back. Iirc they were around £3 each and you could buy whatever sizes you needed. They have been great for me and never once stripped a head or damaged the hex driver bit at all. My only complain is the handles are bare aluminium with only the alloy textured to provide a grip. Fine for a few screws or routine maintenance but putting a whole car together you would feel it afterwards.

James.

Yeah, I've wondered about how those aluminium handles would feel after putting a whole kit together.  Especially with tough modern kit plastics.  The Turnigy ones look a bit nicer than the generic aluminium ones though.

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Is the TBLE-02s really that bad?  I'm a very causal builder/driver and I don't mod much and I'm still straight Nimh and brushed so I've never needed anything other than the stock ESC.  I did get 2 hobbywing 1060 for kits that lacked ESC as they were cheaper than a Tamiya ESC. 

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48 minutes ago, A-Baum said:

Is the TBLE-02s really that bad?  I'm a very causal builder/driver and I don't mod much and I'm still straight Nimh and brushed so I've never needed anything other than the stock ESC.  I did get 2 hobbywing 1060 for kits that lacked ESC as they were cheaper than a Tamiya ESC. 

A Tamiya ESC is just fine if the kit included it. But if I have a choice, I prefer the LVC, small footprint, and low price of a 1060. 

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2 hours ago, InsaneJim69 said:

My only complain is the handles are bare aluminium with only the alloy textured to provide a grip. 

James.

I worked with a guy at a bike shop who would purposefully remove any cushioning from the handles of his bench tools. He said it kept the salesbots from stealing them. But he was Ohian, so had a work ethic that bordered on martyrdom.

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5 hours ago, Blista said:

I'll probably get a cheap set then end up getting a decent set later only to realize I should've done it in the first place.  I recall Arrowmax used to have a good reputation but they look the same as every other generic set to me but for twice the price.

I have the Arrowmax purple and after 4 years need a replacement tip on the 2mm. It was worth spending the extra for them. Hudy/MIP are the gold standard, but if you buy Arrowmax they are decent and then replace the tips with Hudy if/when you wear them out. I got a starter set with 1.5/2/2 ball/2.5mm driver plus a 7mm nut driver for reasonable money. Have added others too and they all match (which is important). They are the most popular I've seen at the clubs I go to.

On topic now, the TD2 looks good to me, not sure if I will buy one as i have enough buggies (is that a thing?) and would rather add some onroad cars before more buggies.

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6 hours ago, Blista said:

I'll probably get a cheap set then end up getting a decent set later only to realize I should've done it in the first place.  I recall Arrowmax used to have a good reputation but they look the same as every other generic set to me but for twice the price.

Hobbystation in Auckland sell MIP. I bought my hexes years ago from maybe RCMart or Ebay, but I bought my 5.5mm and 7.0mm MIP drivers from Hobbystation. They sell the three pack of 1.5mm, 2.0mm, and 2.5mm for $75nzd...

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6 hours ago, Blista said:

I'll probably get a cheap set then end up getting a decent set later only to realize I should've done it in the first place.  I recall Arrowmax used to have a good reputation but they look the same as every other generic set to me but for twice the price.

Tbh I think you end up paying through the nose for any RC specific tools, I bought Wera Hex drivers as I figure it’s best to buy good tools from a good tool manufacturer.

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Yeah, standard brand tools would be far more sensible from a cost perspective, I have Teng tools for my 1:1 endeavours, including hex drivers and compared to RC branded tools they're 1/5 of the price... and probably higher quality.

Having said that... my 1:10 hex drivers are LRP branded and probably silly expensive (can't remember)... doh! 🙄😂 But hey, ~15 years in they're still fine.

lrptools.jpg

 

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On a side note, I showed my wife pictures of the original Astute next to this new TD-2 version and she liked the TD-2 more. I asked why and she said the old one looks like all the other buggies from that era to her but the new one was at least unique. Then I showed her the original Avante next to the new Super Avante and she like the original one more. The reason why? She felt the Super Avante looked toyish next to the original. I found it an interesting take from someone not really involved in RC without  any nostalgia bias.

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Think I'm going to pre-order one of these. Looks fun, will be interesting to see how it handles with the mid motor.

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On 10/31/2021 at 1:16 PM, Kol__ said:

mwVwghL.jpeg

I have never seen so much monstrosity in a single image.

Max

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4 minutes ago, kontemax said:

I have never seen so much monstrosity in a single image.

Max

Horses for courses as they say.

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4 hours ago, kontemax said:

I have never seen so much monstrosity in a single image.

I love your honesty @kontemax.

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Just can't like that Avante colour scheme at all 😕☹️, the modern Astute looks as cool as ever though !!

James.

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The TD2 Astute has that F1 nose going, and I'm kinda 'eh' on that, but they left the holes beside it exposed, possibly for light mounting?

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On 11/1/2021 at 9:32 AM, rwordenjr said:

From Tamiya :

58697 1/10 R/C Astute 2022 (TD2)

• Due around 2/20/22

NOOOOooooooooo...........  :(    Although they should have said 2/22/22 at that point...  for the 2wd...

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23 hours ago, Saito2 said:

I love your honesty @kontemax.

Thank you. I studied too much history of art, design, color theory, modelling, shaping theory, graphic design, photography, visual arts, theatre and cinema in my life to do not recognize beautiness and ugliness.
And this is pure ugliness, believe me.
Max

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On 11/2/2021 at 7:18 PM, Busdriver said:

Horses for courses as they say.

Sorry, I'm not English mother tongue so I can't fully understand this line.

Max

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45 minutes ago, kontemax said:

Sorry, I'm not English mother tongue so I can't fully understand this line.

Max

It’s an expression. It means different people like different things. Some will find the TD2/4 ugly, some will find it lovely etc.

In terms of the expression… different types of horse are used on different race courses.

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2 hours ago, Cynan said:

It’s an expression. It means different people like different things. Some will find the TD2/4 ugly, some will find it lovely etc.

In terms of the expression… different types of horse are used on different race courses.

Ok, thank you, I was not sure about the word "courses" that obviously means courses but most commonly I always met "races". Probably the use of the word "courses" it's because the other word "horses".
In Italy we use other expressions like "I gusti sono gusti" (Tastes are tastes) and the meaning is that it's useless discerning about tastes.
By the way we use also the latin locution "De gustibus..." (About tastes...) that is an abreviation of the complete locution "De gustibus non disputandum est" (Don't argue about the tastes).

Max

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14 hours ago, kontemax said:

Ok, thank you, I was not sure about the word "courses" that obviously means courses but most commonly I always met "races". Probably the use of the word "courses" it's because the other word "horses".
In Italy we use other expressions like "I gusti sono gusti" (Tastes are tastes) and the meaning is that it's useless discerning about tastes.
By the way we use also the latin locution "De gustibus..." (About tastes...) that is an abreviation of the complete locution "De gustibus non disputandum est" (Don't argue about the tastes).

Max

Yep, it's funny how these phrases are often contracted so the original meaning can be hard to discern. For example we often say "shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted" to  mean that they have tried to prevent something happening but they have done so too late to prevent damage being done...but very often we'll just say "the horse has already bolted" - which makes less sense unless you know full meaning.

Either way, when it comes to the TD-2, I may have to say I gusti sono gusti!

 

 

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Any ideas on the RRP on the TD2? Really tempted tbh, but not if it's £300+ GBP. Like the TD4. Hoping for around £240 or so (I know wishful thinking!!)

James.

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