Superkarter

iTrader: (2)

Yeah that's the car.

ambo

iTrader: (48)

The design parameters from what I've seen is very sound. The problem is the material (plastic). It won't last the rigors of Pro-level racing IMO. I agee with STEALTH that it won't be as competitive as the other brands, be it American or Japanese alike. I suggest we all wait and see for the pro version to arrive if ever at all. But from the look of things, Tamiya cannot take this sitting down because most of it's fellow competitors, Kyosho and Yokomo have released their 4WD racers and are getting great response from the buying and racing public.

Serzoni

iTrader: (13)

actually, if you look at the pics from Germany, the a-arms looks to be made of a fiber-filled composite plastic instead of the shiny, flexible plastic that Tamiya uses on it's budget cars.

ambo

iTrader: (48)

Serzoni: You could be right but check out the rest of it. It's entirely made out of PLASTIC! I've owned several Tamiya kits over the years and most of them are for off-road use. Believe me, you will take out all the weak parts and end up spending three to four times as much to make it durable and competitive. If you really want to run this car, get the TRF version in a few months time if they will ever make one.

bender

iTrader: (4)

Well spotted

I don't think there will be any durability issues with their standard ABS plastic except for the shock towers - and these are likely to be one of the first items that Tamiya will release hop-ups for - just like they did with the TA05.

I have always found their tradition of moulding gearbox housings out of ABS to be very effective, as this very stiff plastic offers better moulding precision over large production runs.

I ran a Top Force competatively for quite a while and the car was not only very strong, there was no more wear than any other 4wd of the day - so I've never understood the durability issues that others often comment about

C van der Hagen

It looks that the transmission is based on the one that was used one the TRF 411X, only now with a shaft to the front.

Any idea when it will be released?

fabolousRC

iTrader: (1)

Probably later this summer.

Those pictures definitely shut somebody up!! I think he is in the corner right now.

Bender, this is the shaft design that I had in mind for Tamiya to change. I can't believe they finally figure it out! I know exactly which weak point in the transmission design you were talking about but it should not create too much drag, does it?

There are a few more weak points that I saw on the chassis.

One point is the steering system. This is an old system that they lifted out of the Avante/Avante2001/Egress/Vanquish chassis. What worries me was that rod could become weak overtime unless Tamiya/Aftermarket can come up with a stiffer version of that rod to prevent it from bending too much.

Second weak point the the electronics layout. I think it's a bit high centered don't you think? Considering there aren't too many space available, I think most people will probably relegate to either QC3 ESC and some micro receiver in addition to Futaba 9550 to reduce the high center of grafitiy.

On the positive side, it looks like you can reverse the front arm and shock positions so you can extend the wheelbase for longer tracks and leave the standard for shorter tracks. That's neat because I don't think you can do that with Lazer ZX-5...at least not that drastic.

This is probably going to be the car to buy in 2006!

STEALTH

iTrader: (21)

Well if you want to Generalize the entire R/C market I guess that's true.

I on the other hand would rather make a distinction between the different kinds of R/C cars. There are those made for Wal-Mart/Toys-R-Us shelves and those just a step above them for Bashing in the backyard or a football pitch. Then there are R/C cars that are Model Racing Car Kits.... a much more serious investment but just as much fun.

I also bet these WORLD & NATIONAL CHAMPIONS below would beg to differ as well.







Very Good Point! Yes, an inexpensive introductory Wheeler for those just getting into the hobby. I definitely agree cause if this is the best Tamiya can do with regards to a truly competitive 4WD Off-Road buggy... well then they need a new Off-Road R&D Department. As it has been pointed out... Tamiya has ALL the resources at it's finger tips. They can hire the most skilled Engineers to develop an almost unbeatable stable of kits. They can pirate a number of Drivers to assemble a "Dream Team" Racing Program as well. They have proven it in On-Road. This is why looking at this "Dark Impact" (Oh Please! ) it is comical to even think this is their Best stab at a Competitive 4WD Off-Road buggy. I'm willing to bet my modified Hot Shot with it's Checkpoint Gold Motor from the early 80's can still give it a run for it's money considering it's over 20 years old!




Wow! Go for it then!

Cain

iTrader: (294)

I will be watching this very closely to see what comes out. There is a guy who is very pro Tamiya at a track that I will be running at off and on and he may get this.

Serzoni

iTrader: (13)

Why is everyone harping about the electronics layout?? HELLO! XX4, anyone? The servo was/is mounted standing up towards the rear of the car with a long tie-rod linked to the bellcranks. And the esc/rx being stood up? Well, at least the receiver isn't mounted up high on the spine of the chassis like like some other car. I wouldn't bother with a low-profile steering servo, as you would actually raise the center of gravity. A low profile servo would only raise the position of the servo motor/pot in the chassis relative to using a standard servo.

Freaking internet engineers...

windellmc

iTrader: (4)

That long steering link is trouble. It will need to be stiffer or you will have a new kind of "bump" steer.

Serzoni

iTrader: (13)

2 ballcups and a titanium turnbuckle.. it's not rocket science.


edit-

http://www.lunsfordracing.com/mm5/me...egory_Code=3MM

If it's not long enough, use Losi ballcups instead. If it's still not long enough, get some Revo pushrods.

MadRacer

iTrader: (33)

If any of you guys doubt that Tamiya can't cut it in off road you are just kidding yourselfs. Yes Bender i have your old Top Force i think and it's has to be the best in drive friction i have ever come across in all my time in rc that goes back to 1986.
Tamiya knows how to build good off road cars but still look at the back yard basher for there market, look out if they decide to put it to the rest in comp level Can't wait Bring it on TAMIYA..

bender

iTrader: (4)

Who is this? I don't even remember what I did with that car it's such along time ago

Actually, like Serzoni, I don't think these are big issues. As he said the XX4 has an upright servo, and 2 long ballcups with a nice titanium turnbuckle will fix any perceived problem with the steering linkage. The standard linkage is still better than the crap one the X10 predator comes with

For the rx and esc, unless your going to run a GTB then most current esc's will fit ok. Even if you have to stand it up, those components are light enough to not make that much difference.

When you consider some of the other advantages in this cars design, some small trade-offs like this are acceptable.

I'd actually like to see a better pic of the steering bellcranks to see just how they've squeezed them in there.

Serzoni

iTrader: (13)

Another thing to look at is the battery mounting.. it looks as if scallops are cut out of the "top deck" in just the right spots for soldering bars to stick through for hardwiring. I doubt the car will load the battery grasshopper style, because if you look down into the battery tray, you can see the steering servo wire stretched across the bottom just like on a 2wd bugggy (B4/XXX). That would make it pretty awkward to pop the bottom off and then have to loop the battery underneath a servo wire, but I could be wrong. What I'm curious about are the 2 "buttons" on each side of the chassis towards the front. Maybe the front of the car pivots up and out of the way like a large cargo plane in order to slide the battery into place.