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MrTig

Plasma Edge first build tips

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Hi,

 

I've just bought myself a Tamiya Plasma Edge 11 and was hoping for some tips on my first build.

 

I've never built a kit (except a Hornet back in the 70s) so am looking to build it stock first and the add a few upgrades,

 

so any advice would be greatly apreciated 

 

Thanks

The Tig

Edited by MrTig
Correct information
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Hey mate, having been in the same situation as you only weeks ago, there are people on here with vast amounts of knowledge and experience that can offer far more useful tit bits than I.

However, I will say that it's good to make sure you have a good space to build and trays, pots, bowls, whatever to keep things organised when you build. And layout out everything from the box at the start is my preference. Study the instructions and have a look at the back pages which list all the parts.

Regarding the actual build, it's good to make sure have the tight tools to hand, I think No.2 posidrive screw driver was my most commonly used item. Also, screws do not need to be really tightened up, just snug them up and leave it at that, do not go back to them to torque them up like in wood or wall plugs at home, you risk stripping the threads in the soft plastic.

Other than that just enjoy it mate!! And if you can, then consider documenting the build with photos and start a build thread in the dedicated 'Builds' section :)

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1 hour ago, MrTig said:

I've never built a kit (except a Hornet back in the 70s).

Well you're miles ahead of anyone else. The Hornet was released in 1984.:)

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First, Welcome to Tamiya Club. 

Please think of us as a bunch of easygoing drinking buddies.  I think the best thing about TC is that we don't take ourselves too serious.  It's a hobby, after all.  Your goal should be getting maximum enjoyment. We'll try to be helpful to you, as others have been helpful to us in the past.  

Second: Ball bearings.  Top speed goes up 15%, acceleration goes up 15%, battery lasts 15% longer. (actually one of those is 10%, I cannot remember which.  But the gist is: a $15 investment on ball bearings does as well as a motor upgrade to Torque Tuned. Conversely, running a Torque Tuned motor without ball bearings is almost like using a silver can with bearings.)  

Nylon bushings wear out.  More importantly, they shave metal shafts. If it gets worse, by the time you replace the bearings, the shafts don't fit tightly because they got thin by these bushings.  

DORfJjB.jpg

Do you have a Japanese-Industrial-Standard screw driver? 

Tamiya screws are all in Japanese Industrial Standard.  Some of the 21st century screw drivers fit JIS screws (like the German brand Wiha #1). But some Phillips don't fit well.  I like this Vessel ratchet JIS driver better.   

VYmOeNq.jpg

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B019C821PC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

The other tip is that you might want to paint and finish your shell before the chassis.  I'd say 70% of us like the chassis building, but not so much for the shell.  If you are one of us, then it'd be better to get the tedious part done first and then finish the more enjoyable part.  I've built 3 dozen RC cars, and only now I learned of this from other TC members. (I can't say I'm the fastest learner on that part.)

A pair of curved scissors make body cutting easier. The pivoting point is close to the tip. That makes this a stronger pair.  It cuts slowly, so that helps too.  

Cp6wKTE.jpg

You can spray Lexan paint lightly, horizontally so the bigger droplets won't fall down on the shell.  Let it dry and repeat 2-3 times.  When that's dried, you can finish with a white spray.  That makes the colors pop.  If you can see the interior too well through the windows, you can hit it again with a black to make the interior dark.  (But the windows are small on Plasma Edge, and if you are going to paint dark colors, you can skip white and black.)  

Tamiya recommends 60/60 rule.  Above 60F (15.5C) in temperature, below 60% moisture.  This means I try to avoid spraying when it's soggy or cold.  

q1kgvMT.jpg

You might try some diff putty.  

WZOHpm1.jpg

It reduces 'diff-unloading" (if one wheel is up in the air, the other wheel gets almost no power).  With some putty in the diff, the wheel touching the ground gets the power it needs.  

SVM2427.gif

Because of diff unloading, you can make one tire balloon to twice the normal size, while the opposite wheel on the ground does practically nothing. (But if you put in the putty, you can't do below. It will run even if only one wheel has traction.)

mecAiRV.jpg

I have no idea how strong the plastic differential gears and shafts are in TT02B.  If yours happens to die, you can replace it with DF02's metal diffs.  

If you want better grease, I'd recommend this. Tamiya ceramic grease is fine.  But if you ever build stuff like Konghead or Dynahead, where there are lots of gears, you might like the grease with the least rolling resistance (use very sparingly). This would feel as if you have upgraded your regular steal ball bearings to ceramic bearings.  

nB5WB6D.jpg

There is no right or wrong way of doing things. 

Without any of above, your TT02B will run, so you can pick and choose what you like to do.  

Enjoy your build.  (I wish I could go back to the year 2000 when I re-entered RC.  I was so excited about all the new advancements, like ESC! I was like, "OMG, I can make it go so slowly!!")  

 

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I believe that @Juggular comments had been repeated a dozen times and that's the summary of what you will get from here.

I know you said you intended to build it stock at first, but please heed the advice of going at least ball bearings and steel pinion from the get go. I will not start building anything without having those on hand (and CVA's too, stock or aftermarket). 

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Good sound solid advice is always worth repeating IMHO if like me you only get on here in brief spasms I miss more than I can absorb so chances are I’ll catch up somewhere along the line 😉

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13 hours ago, Kol__ said:

Regarding the actual build, it's good to make sure have the tight tools to hand, I think No.2 posidrive screw driver was my most commonly used item.

For a first build I would pick up one of Tamiya's tool sets. Either the red (74023) or the blue (74085) one. Because as Juggular said Tamiya uses JIS screws.

 

20211017_092529.thumb.jpg.195fab67b0c8c4b8dad6e1eeffdc1d26.jpg

Have fun building!

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37 minutes ago, bavee said:

For a first build I would pick up one of Tamiya's tool sets. Either the red (74023) or the blue (74085) one. Because as Juggular raid Tamiya uses JIS screws.

 

 

Have fun building!

Today I learned there are red tool sets!

I don't know if I'm happy, or upset that I must buy them.

  • Haha 3

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1 hour ago, Tbird232ci said:

Today I learned there are red tool sets!

I don't know if I'm happy, or upset that I must buy them.

Trust me, if you don't buy them you'll be upset...

If you use a Phillips or Posidriv screwdriver you will be one of the many people who come on the forum and complain about the "terrible Tamiya screws".

If you use a JIS driver (and Tamiya's tool sets are pretty much the easiest way to get them), your build will be so easy you won't even notice the screws... B)

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OK,

 

thanks for the help and advice

 

I've got the bearings, but what or where do i get the "Steel pinion" ?

 

and where do people go to get there spares etc

 

Thanks

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You can use 16t, 17t, 18t, 19t pinions as long as they are 0.6 module.  

https://www.amainhobbies.com/robinson-racing-mod-0.6-metric-pinion-gear-18t-rrp1118/p-qeaxq2yqtbzxactz?v=50496

You have some choices when it comes to the pinion. 

16t (11.4 ratio) isn't useful unless your terrain looks like this: (climbing this isn't ideal for buggies anyway. you'd need a crawler with a 40:1 ratio.) 

a4Fhn7s.jpg

17t is still tall, at 10.7 ratio.  18t would give you about 10:1 and that's a good compromise. 

But if I go with a brushless motor later, I would definitely get the 19t. That's about 9.5:1 final drive ratio (FDR).  Even with mild brushed motors like torque tuned or sport tuned, 9.5 should be perfectly fine. (Unless you are running on tall grasses. On a flat paved surface, 19t should be perfectly fine even with the stock motor.)  

FYI, DT03 has factory gear ratio of 9.28.  With an optional pinion gear, it would go down to about 8.5.  2WD chassis are a bit lighter, so the gearing tends to be slightly taller.  On flat ground with a stronger motor, people go down to 7:1 or 6:1 ratio.    

Also, remember that Tamiya's stock gearing is designed for bushings which adds a lot of resistance to the motor.  Since you are going to install ball bearings, the motor's load would be less. That allows a bit taller ratio. I always install ball bearings, and my rule of thumb is 8.5 ratio.    

So, if you are going to upgrade the motor sometime later, I would not stay with 17t.  I would go with either 19t or 18t.  Unless the ground is exceptionally rough, I'll just get a 19t.  

I buy spare parts from ebay.  There are people who buy new kits and sell the parts. We call them "kit breakers."  They allow us to run our RC cars with little less reservation.  

 

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5 hours ago, MrTig said:

and where do people go to get there spares etc

If you are referring specifically to spares and not new hop ups, Ebay usually. If you are in the UK, I sometimes uses JK RC or TTM as well. TTM carry or can supply a very wide range of parts. 

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15 hours ago, Tbird232ci said:

Today I learned there are red tool sets!

I don't know if I'm happy, or upset that I must buy them.

Do note there are differences between the red and blue set. 

 

 

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On 10/18/2021 at 2:56 AM, alvinlwh said:

Do note there are differences between the red and blue set. 

Indeed.

Mainly, the blue set is made for building RC's :lol:

There's really no point in getting the red set if RC is what you'll be using it for.

Edit: In an effort to stay on topic for the original poster, I would strongly recommend you research the steering through-bolt mod for the TT02B chassis. The steering cranks have a habit of wobbling loose after a while, and this completely eliminates the problem. In a nutshell, you put 2 long screws through the chassis fastened with a 3mm locknut at the other end so that the steering arms stay put. This works best if your steering is ball-raced.

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On 10/17/2021 at 8:23 AM, bavee said:

For a first build I would pick up one of Tamiya's tool sets. Either the red (74023) or the blue (74085) one. Because as Juggular said Tamiya uses JIS screws.

 

20211017_092529.thumb.jpg.195fab67b0c8c4b8dad6e1eeffdc1d26.jpg

Have fun building!

+1 for that tool kit, it’s great. Add a decent set of plastic side cutters and a good modelling knife 

+1 for full bearings 

+1 also for the clear, organised work space. It makes everything much calmer 

Tamiya’s visual instructions are brilliant and to scale, so take the time to lay the screws bearings etc over the illustrations to make sure you’re using the right part

Specific to your project, the first thing I looked to change on the TT02 was upgrading the outdrives, axles, hubs, prop shafts and prop to metal / aluminium, but that’s just cos I’m no fan of all the plastic. Pure personal preference. 

And on a more general level…forgive yourself. It’s fun after all! I was new to the hobby just over 2 years ago and learned that mistakes are part of the process, but with persistence and the amazing advice and support of the TC community, it’s possible to improve and quickly 👍

 

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