Quote:
Originally Posted by Spoolio
Personally I'd forget about a DF03 in any form as even if you spend hundreds on it, it is still essentially a sows ear. Sorry to all you DF03 owners out there but it is true.
|
I respect your opinions but I must disagree. After driving the B44 exclusively and switching to the DF-03MS when I got my kit, the car handled way more aggressively then the B44. Granted that I'm not at the level to notice any difference in handling if you took away one set of my washers underneath ball studs...
But I will have to say that the DF-03MS is a hard car to work with due to the lack of parts available. Unsure if it's like that in the UK, but where I live in the States (Southern California), many of the shops simply do no carry any parts for the DF-03 because it's considered a "toy car" rather then competition-grade stuff like the 501x and Durga.
It took a lot of parts and $$$ to get my DF-03MS up to speed, I'm not sure how it runs out of the box since I never ran it bone stock. It is interesting to note that I generally ran 10 to 15wt thicker oil in the shocks to get it to perform right, even when I used the pistons with the least amount of holes.
There is also some geometric flaws in the suspension that will force you to use more limiters in the shocks then in the instruction manual, otherwise your suspension links will try to travel beyond what it's designed to do and it pops off potentially causing a failure.
If you're in the UK, I would have to agree with some of the posters on the CAT SX. I don't own one myself, but it is a UK car, so I'm guessing that parts are more readily available there, and from what I read on this and other forums, it's a sexy cat that handles very well out of the box...
I also heard from some of the guys at my local track that drives the Tamiya 501x that it's like a tank and it's the most durable 4WD out there in their opinion, but it's quite a pricey car so a Durga would probably be better bang for your buck (or pounds in the UK)...
If Associated parts are readily available in your area, the B44 is a fine vehicle. It's shaft driven and a solid 4WD. 4WD in general will seem fragile at first but like all things, as you get used to it, you'll tend to break less parts...
The opinion of the Durga is a sensible one, the Durga is very friendly on the wallet and a solid car to drive, provided you replace the shocks with something more reliable like the ones for 501x, XX/XXX-4, or B44.
Ok, gotta get back to working on my DF-03MS. I've shuffled the electronics (VERY TIGHT FIT WITH THE NARROW CHASSIS) and bought a new servo, the AE DS1015. Can't wait to finish it and test drive it this coming Saturday...
EDIT:
-----
I don't know how much international shipping is to the UK from HK but I have to recommend two places for all things Tamiya:
http://www.stellamodels.net/catalog/default.php
http://www.rcmart.com/catalog/default.php?language=en
If the shipping is not too bad, any of the "DB01" chassis cars are identical. The difference between a "Durga" and the "Baldre" is just the body style.
Of course, if you add the shipping and it's nearly even with your local shop, I say go with the local shop! You get it in your hands right there and then and your impulse buying won't wane!