Comin' back at ya Harvey LOL

This is the re-release Top Force of December 2005, I just got this from Stella models on 16th March 2006 along with other things like a Tamiya HG Trigger type airbrush & Basic compressor etc. Stella is charging 115 USD for these re-re TF kits, i.e. 75 GBP approx. Came to me in England within 3 days of ordering, and I was able to track it via HK Speedpost website (EMS) and the Parcel Fo(a)rce web site (tracking within the UK). I didn't have to pay any Duty (VAT) or Clearance Fees on this parcel when it arrived, because it was marked as being worth 250 HKD (less than 18 GBP, Stella are getting more clever! :-) ).


I took the EMS option and it was quite a bit of money for postage for my whole order, 80 USD postage cost, but was almost the same price as air mail and much faster and trackable. However I still end up saving good amounts compared to our insane UK shop prices (IMHO). For example my last purchase was a Grasshopper from Model Zone, Liverpool, and cost me 80 GBP in that shop !!! They want about 150 quid for a Top Force, and they don't have any in stock LOL.


My TF box was absolutely wonderful, bright, clean, no crushes, dents or marks, better than they are from Model Zone's shop LOL. No blister packs of course 8-( since they were only on the original release... yeah I know that it makes the stuff difficult to open and get into but I love the way that it displays the parts like being at a sweet shop! All layed out and so tempting LOL.


I took a look at the TF manual and it would appear to be practically identical to the original TF one. The first thing that I examined was the FRP chassis and it is black and glossy, same shape as the Evo Carbon Fibre reinforced one but a LOT heavier 8-) I see that the TF has front Universal shafts, I wasn't expecting that ! I'll put them on the rear end I think, BTW the Evo has them front and rear. It lists the Short Hi. Cap. damper (53037, i.e. option #37) as being the correct
Hop Up dampers for it, so they must have been what the Evo had. They are the same dampers on the front *and* the rear, they just have a spacer collar on the front ones inside the cylinder to shorten the travel on the front end, but I don't
know what springs the Evo uses. I'll find all this out in time...
I got plenty of ball races for it from Stella and also have a Walawala Hotshot ball race set to purloin for it as well.


Now for a small pre-amble as to why I bought this kit :-) ;-


13 years ago our Local Hobby Shop owner Harvey, a rotund and bearded, very lively fellow, at 'Boats and Bits' [now defunct], Earlestown, Newton-Le-Willows, near St.Helens, Merseyside, England, used to race a Tamiya Top Force Evolution at our race track.


The place where we used to race our cars (in about 1993) was just around the corner from Harvey's shop, we were there like clockwork every Sunday afternoon in the Summer, it was a makeshift track made by partitioning off some of a local supermarket carpark with garden hoses (shops in the UK did not open on Sundays back then) and we all stood, about 10 of us at a time, on a medium sized podium made from a 3 feet high concreted-over-on-top brick walled flower bed, when we raced our cars.


Harvey beat the pants off everyone regularly as I recall, his TF EVO was more agile and faster than anyone's Schumacher or other cars.


So I would say that Tamiya were the State-of-the-Art and top of the tree in racing buggies in the UK at that time (on slippery light-grey 'tarmac' at any rate - it was notorious for being a very odd sort of surface and difficult to get traction on at speed) and Off-road buggies were almost exclusively used at our club back then (we had maybe 30 or 40 people, 20 regulars) however this was exclusively on hard surfaces, not on dirt or grass. This was long before the domination of the touring cars.


Only 2 or 3 years later though Harvey and his wife had some disagreement about the shop (they lived above the shop) OR Harvey just plain retired - I don't know which, but I have heard some differing rumours. Anyway, the shop dissappeared. Around this time when Harvey dissappeared from the scene and closed his shop the track also dissappeared and the people with it, reason unknown.


Then many years later a new shop opened in a new place but six months after, it relocated to the exact same place where Harvey's shop used to be, the exact same shop location. Funny that (Odd co-incidence I thought!). Shaun is the new bloke (Vulcan Hobbies is the new name). Nice chap.


I wish that Tamiya would bring out the Top Force Evo again. I would buy one STRAIGHT AWAY, LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE ON HERE WOULD, LOADS AND LOADS OF PEOPLE LIKE THE TF EVO, COME ON TAMIYA, RE-RELEASE IT PLEASE AND MAKE SOME PROFITS AND KEEP US LOYAL TAMIYA MODELLERS HAPPY :-)


For me, the current models of cars and buggies all suck big time, they're all identical to me, no character anymore.


For me, the golden age of Tamiya buggies was 15 years ago...!


For now though I have started to achieve my dream and get level with Harvey at long last (he'll split his sides laughing if he reads this but since this was 15 years ago and he and the shop dissappeared and he was an older guy (with some medical problems I think?), I think he may be dead now 8-(


If you ever read this Harvey, I would like to thank you for allowing me to have a go of your TF Evo all those years ago, and PLEASE get in touch with me!


Just last night I bought some more parts for my TF, since I fancy recreating as close as possible as I can get to the original TF Evo. There's a couple of Evo's right now on the Bay, NIB, but they are 450 GBP... I mean like what's the point when you can get a NIB TF for 75 quid and hop it up to close to Evo spec. for a lot less money. Anyway I can't afford a NIB Evo (the impossible, unreachable dream car LOL), so I'll have to settle for a hopped up TF.


Also if I paid 450 quid for a NIB Evo I would be terrified to race it, whereas this one of mine is 'merely' a cheapy one from Stella LOL.


Firstly I bought the Hop-Up TF Carbon Graphite chassis ;-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6043184153

...because TF Evo had a Carbon Graphite double deck chassis. BTW I just weighed my TF FRP chassis plates and they are 100 grams on my kitchen scales (not properly accurate, or repeatable, results, need to buy some 'proper' ones with 1 g accuracy and digital readout)...they are very heavy (e.g. a Modified motor is 150 g approx. LOL) and this is a bit rediculous so I bought the Carbon fibre ones.


Interestingly there are 2 types of Carbon composite materials commonly used in R/C...


One is called 'CARBON / SILICA COMPOSITE' or CSC, and is cheaper, whereas the 'real deal' one is the more expensive 'Graphite' Carbon fibre. BTW explanation for Carbon Graphite / Fibre technology here ;-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fibre

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphite_reinforced_plastic


Secondly I wanted to get the TF Evo's lightweight Aluminium ball diff. housings / plates / caps, since the ordinary TF comes with the standard 'heavy' ones which are cast in Zinc or something, so I bought the following hop-up which achieves this ;-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6042832959

...I think you only get 1 set of housings though, and I will eventually need another set 'cause there are 2 ball diff's, not 1, in both TF and TF Evo.


Thirdly I wanted to get the TF Evo's lightweight hollow transmission shafts (more Carbon fibre parts) instead of the standard (Nickel plated Steel?) ones that the ordinary TF has, so I bought this ;-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6044068902


...whoops, later I found out that the TF Evo never had them as standard, it only had the TF standard silver coloured ones LOL. Still these will be lighter :-)


Then I bought the smallest available pinion, the 16 T one, that the TF Evo comes with IIRC (standard TF comes with 21 T one) ;-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6044028447


Finally I bought the Tamiya miniature TF for a bit of fun ;-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6036737776
...:-)


Fortunately the TF body shell, tyres, prop. shaft, and quite a few other parts, are identical to the Evo's, so there's only a few things left to hop up but they will have to wait 'cause next I need some paints for my Ranger LOL.


UPDATE : 4th April 2006 ;- I have now added these Hop-Up parts for my TF Evo project to my showroom, see the following ;-


Carbon Graphite chassis plates ;-

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=46193&sid=5475


...I recently had a stroke of luck, and was able to do a swap with TC member 'Bibbo', and I obtained his original genuine Top Force Evolution Top Plate, and I gave him my Upper Carbon Graphite Chassis Top Plate out of this NIP set. See the picture of it in this same showroom entry for my chassis plates.


Promotional miniature Top Force LOL ;-


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=46086&sid=5475


TA-01 / DF-01 [TF chassis type] Hollow Carbon Gear Shaft set ;-

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=46319&sid=5475


...I have since found out that the TF Evo never had these, they were a later hop-up that came out 3 years after the TF Evo was released!


Top Force Lightweight Aluminium diff. plate set #53112 ;-


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=46211&sid=5475


The officially recommended Hot-Up motor for the TF Evo, as pictured in the Tamiya catalogue pictures of the TF Evo, the Dynatech 02H ;-


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=46383&sid=5475


9 Spare NIP rotors for the Dynatech 02H, all 13 Turn double ;-


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=46212&sid=5475


...because I won another 6 of them NIP to go with the 3 that I already had ;-


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6047437705


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6048900831


...and finally a 10 Turn double rotor for this motor just in case I want to go a bit faster :-) ;-


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6047040678


UPDATE [out of date order, I know LOL] :- 11th March 2006 ;- I said to my TC pal Mike T. 'The reason that I got this is that I decided, since it was Stella, to get a cheap basher for racing with (finally, it's taken me long enough), and was really set on getting the Manta Ray since that was one of the cars that I really liked from back when I used to race them (I never had one, but a lad called Jason that I knew did, he raced at Earlestown with us and Harvey, his Manta Ray was hopped up to the eye balls), but I decided that on reflection the Top Force would be a better bet as
it's closer to the car that Harvey (owner of model shop Boats and Bits, he's dead now I suspect) used to have and which used to win all the races (his was the EVO version)...no doubt that Tamiya will bring out an Evo version next week and I will be slightly narked at just having bought the ordinary TF LOL but hey it's a cheap basher for racing with so I don't much
mind.


BTW the TF has front and rear ball diff's. Now ordinarily I hate ball diff's, but in the case of racing, they are absolutely essential since I will set them quite tight and they then
don't allow one side to unload and this obviously keeps the power down on the road, also obviously it's 4WD and I have never raced with a 4WD before so I wanted to see what it is like.


Interestingly it's a 250 mm wide car and thus takes the Old Skool body shells LOL i.e. the overscale wide ones that were all the rage when I used to go racing. See my showroom for some of the old wide bodyshells for these Off Road Buggies ;-

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=46280&sid=5475

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=46573&sid=5475

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=46281&sid=5475


...Wonder if Parma still make the Cossy shell in wide format LOL ? Ideally I want one TF for a shelf queen, and one for bashing... but I can only afford one right now anyway!'


UPDATE :- 13th March 2006 ;- I said to my TC pal Mike T. 'I
just spent a whole day researching Hop Ups and alterations to my soon-to-be-delivered re-re Top Force, and found out some very interesting things...I condensed it down to these which were the most relevant ;- [brace yourself LOL]

[BTW I only searched the old TC Forum so far]


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4998&SearchTerms=top,force,alloy


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3757&SearchTerms=top,force,alloy


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6364&SearchTerms=top,force,alloy


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6711&SearchTerms=top,force,alloy


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6705&SearchTerms=top,force,alloy


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=22739&SearchTerms=top,force,alloy


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=24737&SearchTerms=top,force,alloy


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1296&SearchTerms=top,force,aluminium


http://home19.inet.tele.dk/martinjordt/ressources/motors/motors.htm


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6521&SearchTerms=top,force,aluminium


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6539&SearchTerms=top,force,aluminium


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6462


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6571&SearchTerms=top,force,aluminium


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16167&SearchTerms=top,force,aluminium


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2777&SearchTerms=top,force,aluminium


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4345&SearchTerms=top,force,aluminium


http://www.tamiyaclub.com/xforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6348&SearchTerms=top,force,aluminium



I want to have this car at TF Evo spec., a pretty hot motor, an ESC with a current limiter / programming
facility, etc., this baby is going to go like a BULLET. Well it's been 15 years since I raced anything, and the last time I tried racing all those years ago, all I could afford was a couple of 1700 packs, a cheapy Hitec ESC, a Hitec CG-315 charge-A-matic (they still make them 15 years later, can you believe it LOL) and a Kyosho Raider (crap) and a Schumacher Cougar 2 that never performed for me.


Believe me I KNOW what it's like to be a late-teens teenager (I was 19 when TF EVO came out) and not have any large amounts of money to spend on a decent high spec. R/C off road buggy! I remember it just like it was yesterday. It was a magical time but it SUCKED in the way that I could not afford a Top Force Evo. Why I bought that Schumacher piece
of crap I will never understand...I should have bought a Tamiya Top Force.


This time around I turn 32 years old in April 2006, and things are going to be different, I am going to have the entire resources (i.e. brains LOL) of all the Usual Suspects on TC to help me, I can ask all kinds of stupid questions for advice, I can afford to hop it up to the eyeballs, and this time round nothing is going to stop me acheiving my dream of racing R/C cars and actually coming in the top 5 !!!!!


I cannot tell you just how happy buying that Top Force has made me feel, I am giddy with excitement, it's just like it was when I was 19 but even better LOL since this time I can have basically any car that I want 8-)


Funny how I have chosen a 13 year old design and gone with Tamiya again!!!


I just CAN'T HELP IT. I grew up with the Top Force, it's very special to me, I just can't imagine buying a different make of buggy.


COME ON TAMIYA GIVE US THE EVO LIKE NNNOOWWWWW!!!
I'M DROOLING OVER HERE.


Also at some point I will have to change the screws and nuts on this car since the screws on the EVO are Titanium, and the nuts were Aluminium, for lightweight, instead of the usual high tensile steel.'


UPDATE :- 14th March 2006 ;- I said to my TC pal Mike T. 'I've been looking at these and marvelling / lusting at them (particularly the one underneath!!!) ;-

http://www.tamiyabase.com/guidebooks/guide_1996.htm

http://www.tamiyabase.com/guidebooks/images/1200/guide1996_07.jpg


...EVO!!


Black and Orange, with Red and Yellow, and some Silver, man, what a combination, it looks so agressive and stylish and cool 8-)


UPDATE :- 16th March 2006 ;- BTW you need a metal motor mount before you try a modified motor in this car, the stock plastic motor mount flexes on TA-01, TA-02, DF-01 chassis...and ruins your gears as a result (strips them), this is a well-known issue, discussed many times in the TC Forums.