tom_chang79

iTrader: (13)

I need some help in determining which touring cars are in what sort of competitive level.

I'm looking at Tamiyas and Associated, and Tamiya doesn't make it easy to decide with such a wide range of product range.

From what I can tell, from the low end to the highest end for Tamiya:

TT-01
TA-03
TA-05
TRF416

And Associated's FT TC5 is pretty much the highest end, on par with TRF416?

I was eyeballing the TA05 version II. This rig looks really nice. It's like they improved upon the TA05IFS. Is there a R version or a MS version for the TA05versionII coming out soon? I really like tha touring car but some nice alloy threaded shocks and some carbon fiber shock tower is what I'm waiting for...

Also are there variants of that kit coming out soon? I don't care much for the Cusco body... Was hoping to get something more on the lines of Nissan or a Honda body...

Team STPN

If you are looking for a TC get a Photon from Top Racing. Great car and very durable.

amnesia

+1

However, if you're only looking at blue then the TA05 IFS is a good starter car, but you will wish you bought the 416 after a couple of months... more alloy parts, lighter, more durable, more pro'.


I would still get a Photon though... infact, I did

stitchy

iTrader: (13)

Hey Tom, long time. If you know you're gonna go crazy on hop ups anyways, then the 416 or TC5 would probably be your best bet. (Of those, I'd go 416) If you wanna start small and hop up as you go along, TA-05v2 or TB-03 would are good too. There are some guys winning a lot of races adding a minimal amounts of hop ups, although driving skill really helps!

stitchy

iTrader: (13)

oh yeah, no "R" versions for the TA-05v2 and TB-03 yet. Here's an alternative to the Subaru v2 coming soon:

http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/ite...oduct-id=58448

Grizzbob

iTrader: (2)

Agreed, a lot depends on your experience level, but I can tell you that I own both a TA05ver.2 & a 416WE, & I love 'em both. I'd say the 416 is a wee bit quicker(it is a bit more responsive, & easier to set up on a knife edge handling-wise, & it's a bit lighter), but the ver.2 is SOOOO forgiving, & runs VERY smooth, definitely makes it a great choice for the less experienced(but overall grip levels appear to be about the same for both cars). And of course, if you don't like the bodies that come with the ver.2, you can always just get a standard racing body(which for most racing purposes I'd reccomend anyway, you should preserve the Tamiya body for showing off & TCS races).....

tom_chang79

iTrader: (13)

Thank you so much for all your help everyone... I might just wait for that Corolla TA05v2... The body styling is soooo stylish!

I've read on some other TA05 thread that Tamiya is probably thinking of doing a TA06 if the TA05v2 is out... One of the annoyances I have with Tamiya is that they are too fast-paced for me, and they seem to pump out new cars every other year, which is great for them, but it sucks for the weekend racer who only operates their vehicle once a week (if I'm lucky) and end up with a car that's still not worn out after a year...

I've been looking at the TC5 from the pure standpoint of parts support because of this fact... But I really hate these Protoform bodies... They are so effective but so vanilla! Part of the reason why I want to get into RC touring is so I can drive a scale look of a model of a car that I probably will never be able to afford in real life!



But from a touring standpoint, are Tamiyas the king of touring cars? It seems like they know more about it looking at how many variants they have of the touring car...

I just love the price of the TC5 and absolutely cringe at the price of the 416. Reminds me of the TRF501x versus B44 in offroad. The TRF501x is a fine buggy, but the B44 is equivalent if not slightly better then the 501x due to parts support alone...

It's strange that Tamiya has a distribution point near where I live, but the local hobbyshops carry very little Tamiya stuff... Maybe I'm just shopping at the wrong stores!

Again, thanks for all your guy's help... Hope to keep this thread alive with some more input of touring cars. I'm a very big newb in this department. I've only done oval 2wd pan cars as far as on-road goes, the rest of the 90% of my RC knowledge are in offroad only...

flatspunout

iTrader: (38)

Out of brand loyalty, I have to mention XRay...with the T3 on the horizon I would imagine there will be good deals to be found on well cared for 008's and 009's, but I don't know how good parts support is in your area.

Having said that, it sounds like the TC5 is the car for you based on parts support alone. That shiny new 416 WILL however make a beautiful paperweight when you can't get the part you need when you need it. Plus judging from your sig, you are familiar with the AE brand and how their kits go together so the TC5 would make for an easier transition to onroad. And since you are new to the onroad scene and like realistic import bodies, the RCGT series (which just happens to be based in SoCal) would be the perfect class to work on your onroad skills. http://www.rcgtshowdown.com/about

-rocky b

CL

iTrader: (34)

Tom - I just sent you a private message.

stitchy

iTrader: (13)

Know what you mean about Tamiya changing models, so many out there, things getting discontinued quickly, etc There is a learning curve to the parts and what models they fit, but it's not that different than making the distinction between the TC5, TC4, TC3 and so on. I gotta keep reminding myself that just because a kit is discontinued, doesn't mean all the spare parts for it dropped off the face of the Earth. In fact, I just bought some parts for my demo derby TL-01 just yesterday. (The TL-01 has been discontinued for some time.) My point is, don't be afraid of the red and blue star, they do make the best bodies, perfect for RCGT!

As for where to buy (and local to us too), check my sig! Good luck!