Newbie who doesnt know much

[jonathanvillada]

cheers mate guess thats what i will do the get the durga

[sim]

Consider a Yokomo B-Max 4

[jonathanvillada]

any idea when i can pick 1 up for a decent price?

[Spoolio]

There were a couple for sale in the oOple traderoom.

[tom_chang79]

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!

[jonathanvillada]

cheers mate. i cant make my mind up. i think im a bit of a phsyco!!!!!!!!!

[B44&501xRacerEX]

The only thing I dont like about the durga is what it comes with.
You must put alot of $$$ into it to make it reliable on the track.
They need to make a DB-01 MS, kinda like the DF-03 MS,
and include the slipper, metal outdrives, universals, and other extra's.

[Spoolio]

Depends on how hard you want to be on the car though. One at our club raced initially and very reliably with just a slipper and alloy hingepin mounts as it was on a 10.5T motor. Yes, you may find duability issues if you go down to a 6.5T but if you are sticking to a budget I think the Durga is a very good car for the money. As stated earlier though, if you have the money and intend to race rather than bash, a BMAX or CAT may be better options.

[stampede vxlboy]

Originally Posted by tom_chang79

The DF-03MS is an awesome car... If you're willing to shell out the money for it...

I've spent as much money on this car as you would on a 501x kit.

I own a B44 and this car. With brushless setup in both. I have to say that I have not pushed my DF-03 to its true potential.

The unique drivetrain of the DF-03 is what attracted me to spend this much money on it.

The weight distribution, how it's laid out like out a 2WD, is superior to that of even my trusty old B44...

When I took it out to the track, I was so used to driving my B44 that I would react to the car with the same precaution as I do with my B44, and my DF-03 is saying "what are you doing? I'm not going to freak out, keep pushing it faster"

The DF-03 is a superb machine if you're willing to put up with some of its downfalls, such as it not being "TRF" worthy out of the box...

Would be sweet if Tamiya came out with a TRF version of this car. The layout is truly superb...

Attached is the pic of my car, or as I like to call it "TRF-DF03"

hi mate i wanted to race but. need a better car than i have the traxxas rustler vxl i like is your buggy 4*4 buggy how much do they cost?? hundreds ov pounds

[JJ The Boat Wizzard]

You Can Pick A Decent Team Assosiated B4 Up For About £150 Including Electrics m8 U'll Never Regret Buying One Hope This Helps - BE WARNED RACING IS ADDICTIVE AND EATS MONEY FOR FUN!

[F1END]

Hi,

I was in here asking a similar question a couple of weeks ago.

Thing is, I was on a tight budget, and it was pushing it to get a DB01, which was what I went for in the end. I didn't like the look of the DF03's layout for electrics, as I knew I'd be using my old acoms radio-gear from around 1996, which is on the large size compered to modern stuff. Also, I knew I'd want to take it racing at some point, and the DF03 would cost more to get up to speed than the durga.

I have finished building it now, and am very happy with the way it handles, even with no hop-ups. It seems to be pretty tough too, I have crashed it into a few walls and metal posts in my garden, and it has just shrugged them all off. My old boomerang would have probably needed some new parts by now.

The one thing I did wrong was to get a really cheap ESC, thinking that I'd just run with the 'tin can' out of the box until I can afford a brushless system. I had forgotten how bad the Mabuchi 540s(hit) was... it's been a very long time since I used one (late eighties). So now I have very little choice on motor, as my ESC will only handle a 20t.

I'm very happy with my durga for the money, but as others have said, if you can afford it, and want to race, get a TRF501, B44 or a cat sx. I like to support local business, and the Schumacher factory is about 10mins from where I live, so I'd have got a cat if I had the money.

[tom_chang79]

Just bringing back an old topic. My DF-03 has gone through some changes since my last post, mainly the electronics, a couple of DIY (do-it-yourself) braces, and the front skid/bumper from T-Bone.

My new electronics in it are:

HobbyWing Ezrun 60A V2 + 4300Kv motor (the 4300 from HW kicks! lots of torque and runs cool).

Airtronics FHSS-2 receiver (VERY VERY TINY for any compact and crowded layout!)

Front Skid/Bumper from T-Bone Racing (this is a crucial one to stop breaking the front upper brace above the steering assembly)

DIY Rear shock tower brace - a chopped up portion of a spare rear shock tower used to hold the rear shock tower in place as the rear shock tower mounting on the rear transmission casing is a weak point.


Other then these things, my DF-03 has not had anything major break. Just the usual stuff that other cars tend to break during a fatal accident... I've only replaced the rear shock tower once (nasty crash against an 1/8th scale who lodged his wheels on my rear shock tower and gunned it to 'break' free)


This car runs great, no issues. Just fiddling with the suspension since the local track layout has drastically changed in style (it's more geared towards CORR and SC style of trucks with more rolling hills and nasty rythm bumps).

One final gripe left however, I'm not sure if you 501x/511 and DB-01 owners see the same thing:

What's up with the soft steel that Tamiya uses on the outdrives? My B44 predates the DF-03 by a whole year of bashing, and the outdrives still have not "grooved" up where the dog bone meets the outdrives... My Tamiya outdrive cups looks chewed up!!!

I think the Tamiya outdrives are made of Japanese steel... Wish there was a way to convince them to use good ole American steel...

[Fredrik Emilsson]

The outdrives on my TRF511 looks new after approx 70 full battery runs including 4 races this summer.
No problems with those.

I´ve also tried the DF-03. The problem I had was that the rear gearbox cracked.

I will try a DB01-R just to see how good it is. Think it will just as good as a Bmax, maybe even better...