Tamiya Durga DB01 EP Buggy (A cheaper 501X?)

[DCM]

Well, I conceded and modified it, I cut the central drivetrain cover so you don't have to keep removing it to change the pinion or motor.

[wayneski]

Already!!!
Can you get some pics? Sounds like a good move to prevent future faffin..
Have you driven it in anger yet?

[DCM]

going to give it bash on the weekend, just got to knock up a cap for the spektrum receiver and set the esc up.

[trf14]

Hi guys,
Fantastic forum on de Durga.... just wondering, I currently have a TRF501x and is it possible to use the Durga chassis ( and closed drive train) with all the TRF501x parts?
How easy is this modification? Just take out the trf501x upper and lower deck and replace by the plastic Druga chassis.

In Belgium we will be allowed to use Lipo in hard cases and as I didnot found any saddle pack like this, the Durga chassis would be a solution, except I think to make it fully competitive (vs. the TRF501x) we need to full trf501x options.....

Your thoughts?/ Input
Trf14

[bender]

TRF14,

All of the suspension from the 501 will fit straight on, and all of the internal drivetrain components will as well - but that's all.

You can't use the 501 alloy bulkheads, upper arm mounts, suspension mounts, or shock towers on the Durga.

[mrbiccies]

I am having real problems sourcing some 501x dampers, want to find an asian seller to keep the costs down, can anyone help please......

[budgio]

May give mine a run out tomorrow with a 19t checkpoint in it.Dont really fancy putting my brushless kit in until my slipper arrives.

[sosidge]

Quick pic of mine before it gets wrecked at the Teesside regional tomorrow...



Bought it Friday lunchtime from Cleveland Models. Straightforward build, took about 5 hours to get the rolling chassis sorted last night, spent another few hours today getting the electrics installed and the alignments correct. Body took 20 minutes! Not my forte so just went for the usual Tamiya PS-1 spray.

[jimmy]

I think I managed to keep all the paint on tonight, I raced at york club meeting. Finished 2nd behind bruce thompson with his new B44. It was all good until bruce put a one way in his B44, then I just couldn't stay with him.

I didn't change the car and ran it 'kit' in qualifying. The only part I wasn't happy with was landing from the jump where the car would bounce a little. In the final with 501X shocks it was better but the rest of the track was flat anyway so it wasn't a huge improvement.
A one way would have really suited me round there but the standard car was still good.

[ashleyb4]

Originally Posted by jimmy

I went for the hot weather cuts on mine so the clip is not near the shell


chrome line done - took 3 hours! just gotta paint in the flames and it's done! woohoo... well gotta back it and tint the windows and then create some stickers for it and paint the wing..

colours are a bit muted in the ole studio (kitchen), looks nicer in the flesh

Wow thats sex on wheels jimmy.

A

[stefke]

Originally Posted by trf14

Hi guys,

In Belgium we will be allowed to use Lipo in hard cases and as I didnot found any saddle pack like this, the Durga chassis would be a solution, except I think to make it fully competitive (vs. the TRF501x) we need to full trf501x options.....

Your thoughts?/ Input
Trf14

Just wait a while. Maxamps is working on a hard cased saddle Lipo. I found out in the past that stick pack 4wd buggies compare badly to saddle pack buggies when on bumpy tracks or when there are a lot of jumps.

BTW, I made this point to the federation meeting (no hard cased saddle pack Lipo's available yet) but they wouldn't listen. 4wd drivers are 2nd rate in Belgium I guess.

[ashleyb4]

I believe trackpower are working on a hard cased saddle pack lipo. Which should be out soon.

A

[Carlos69]

I'll give the Apogee Magnum 3800 LiMn a try

[drinternat]

Cool paint job Jimmy. Is it better to cut out the body before you paint it or after. I cut out the two I have painted so far but been told to paint them first???? Whats best?

[jimmy]

I always cut first, its easier to move the airbrush & easier to mask. you don't risk damaging the paint when cutting it out either.

[DCM]

ran mine today, and apart from it being little portly, it handled excellent, and that was on everything kit, shok oil etc. The only thing I didn't like was the spring in the slipper clutch and the pad material, took loads to stop it slipping, so might try the B4 pads and springs.

[sosidge]

Originally Posted by Bsr241

Well, first race night with the car ended after a tumble in the first heat. Broke the rear shock tower where the wing mount screws pass through it. Those 3racing shock towers are looking pretty interesting right now. Can't seem to find replacement in stock here in U.S. Might have to try to fabricate something until parts are available. Back to the Lazer for now.

Just broke mine today in the exact same place. Hoping it doesn't prove to be a weak spot!

That being said, I did give the car a serious strength test at the Teesside regional today. Spent the first round totally misjudging the jumps and landing on every part of the car except the wheels (been a while since I ran a buggy ). Nothing broke or got knocked off even though I wouldn't have been surprised it it did.

Unfortunately I then started to have a lot of problems with my batteries.

First the Corallies were getting shaken loose (never ever had this happen before, happened three times in the space of two races!). A bit of electrical tape solved this.

Second, my batteries were actually breaking apart at the bars in each of my first three races. Now my soldering is not that bad, but looking at the design of the chassis it keeps the front cells in the pack pretty snug while the rear three are free to move around quite a lot. I tried putting a lot more sticky foam around the pack, this didn't seem to make a difference, so in the end I had to run a little superglue between the cells and wrap them in tape to hold them together. Something to watch out for maybe.

Setup wise was totally as kit except I put the small and large spacers on the front shocks to get it up to level wishbones. Handling was very good except for jumping a little bit nose down. Plenty of steering and rode the bumps surprisingly well considering the shocks.

Unfortunately the combination of 19T motor power and nose-down jumping was to be my undoing, tried to take the big tabletop in one during the D final (which I knew I couldn't do consistently), landed clumsily, flipped, and broke the rear tower.

Until that happened, my best laps were in the 24s range, which considering I was running a 19T motor was pretty pleasing. Best time was a 12/303, getting me 17th best time in round 4.

[wayneski]

good to hear people are happy with the performance of the car.
Can't wait to get mine going. I hate waiting !!!(radio on backorder)
Jimmy does its appearance at a meet mean the review is going to be soon?

[sosidge]

Having looked at my broken shock tower again this morning I noticed that the rear wing is actually mounted directly above the tower moulding, rather than offset to the rear like on most cars.

This means that if you land on your roof the wing will be forced down onto the top of the tower.

I wonder if this results in more force being transferred onto the shock mount? Maybe I should redrill the wing to move it back 5mm?

[94eg!]

If anything, I would think that would actually cushion the impact since the lexan must first deform before impacting the shock tower. This should help to slow the car down before the hit. Of course with the wing a little further back, the ground may not touch the shock tower at all and the wing will absorb ALL the damage...

Tough call sir...