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

[Spoolio]

Aww, now you lot have gone and got me all excited and I am really looking forward to them coming now. Sorry to sound so pessimistic earlier but I've learnt not to get excited by "unknown" parts - and I'm desperately trying to be a "glass half full" person. At the moment, i'm more of a "which b*****d knicked my half-empty glass" person .

[A.J. Gee]

I just ordered the front and rear aluminum suspension mounts, 501x aluminum wing mount, aluminum servo mount, a fresh set of front and rear white wheels, and a spare 91T spur gear. Im very happy with my purchase from Stella models that came to only $66.00 with shipping. You cant beat their prices. If i had made the same purchase from some hobby shop here in the states, it would have come to around $100.00 for sure. The reason i was able to make this purchase was because i just sold my Tamiya Manta Ray re-release for $55.00 to some guy off of Rcuniverse.

[Spoolio]

Originally Posted by jimmy

Are you talking about the 501X dampers they just released for the Durga? If so why are you unsure about their performance? They're the best you can possibly get.

Oops, didn't realise this - I just ordered them 'blind' from Champ purely because they actually had some in stock. Can't wait now, am hoping they turn up before the weekend.

[A.J. Gee]

How in the world do you guys ever order anything from Rcchamp? Everything is in Japanese. I cant ever find any of their products.

[Spoolio]

Originally Posted by Tamiya Slave

How in the world do you guys ever order anything from Rcchamp? Everything is in Japanese. I cant ever find any of their products.

Easy-peezy, we are all fluent in Japanese. Only joking , although I once watched every episode of "Shogun" back in the 80's!

I think everybody just sends a simple email to them listing the part number, item description and quantity required and it just flows from there. However, I have to agree that their website is a bit intimidating - I've never actually found anything on it, so I just go onto RC Model HK or similar to get the part numbers etc. It's cheating but it works.

Having said that, I've just tracked my parcel and although it got to the UK on the 11th (sent from Japan on the 10th) which is bloody good, it is now at "Heathrow Awaiting Customs Charges". Bugger! Thats the first time I've been pulled up, so I s'pose I shouldn't really complain, but it is a pain especially since everything I've ever bought from Stella has never been stopped. I bet I won't get my stuff until after the next Worksop meet now .

[TRF_AK]

Originally Posted by jimmy

that would of course be lunacy! I've been told they are pure 501X shocks so I assume they're ace.

The new Buggy Dampers are the same on as are found in the 501x Worlds kit simply packaged together so people can get the best dampers Tamiya has without having to buy them one piece at a time.

[Spoolio]

Now I'm even more pee'd off that my stuff is stuck in Customs. Its not the money I'm bothered about. I'm quite happy to be duffed up by the government for more tax - after all if I have some money spare it's only fair that I give it all to them (!). It's the inevitable and (if posts on this and other forums are to be believed) unpredictable delay that's got me steamed.

[DCM]

I have found RC Champ to be slower these days than rcmart, and always pay EMS, it dodges customs some how...

[Spoolio]

Hmmm. Not sure about that to be honest, I paid EMS and have to say that as I placed the order on the 9th and the package arrived in the UK on the 11th I think that is absolutely fantastic, so a big to Champ for their service. I don't really see how it could be done quicker. I posted a first class letter from Worksop to Sheffield by Royal Fail (16 miles and same district main sorting office) on Monday and it still hadn't got there by this morning so to get half way round the world in the same time is pretty amazing really. I guess I am just unlucky that I've been pulled for a Customs check this time. Still, life goes on, ho-hum and all that.

[DCM]

I think the difference between the likes of RC Champ and RCMart, is the value on the box, I was most dissapointed the last time I used Champ and unless I am really desperate I won't use em again.

[Spoolio]

I'll just have to wait and see what VATable value they've put on it when I get the letter from Parcelfarce. Thats one of the things that pees me off. They never bring the parcel out with them, they just send you a letter, you pay them and they arrange delivery for 48hrs later but - and this is the killer - they won't deliver to a re-routed address. For example I had a parcel delivered for a mate to my address from the states. It attracted a charge which we expected as Towerhobbies always state the true value on the label and this was $200. The letter came to say he owed £29 incl the ridiculous £8 charge. It was paid over the phone. We asked could it be re-delivered to his house seeing as it was now coming when we were on going to be on holiday. No they say, so I either had to drive a 32 mile round trip to fetch it OR we wait 2 weeks for a redelivery. WTF??

[gargadud]

Here is our Durga fitted with the "famous" TRF501 shocks (with low friction piston), that work quite well and help the car copping with the power delivered by the Nosram Storm 5.5 (selection based on the fantastic review done by Jimmy ).

Now we will have to work on the springs, the one fitted being slightly too soft.

No breakdown so far, but ...

[jimmy]

Where are ya racing it? The tamiya blue front and yellow rear 501X springs might be a good start. I tend to use AE springs usually since they're easier to find.

[gargadud]

in Switzerland near Geneva.

Thanks for the advice reg the springs. We have a quite good Tamiya shop with almost all the pieces available, will try there.

and thanks as well for this great web site, tremendously helpful

[Spoolio]

Just rung Parcelfarts, I've been charged £19.02 VAT + £8 fee which means Champ put a value on a Durga and Hop-Up shocks equivalent to £108.68. Can't really complain about the prices which I've guestimated at £73 for the kit and £35.68 for the dampers (they were $65 plus P+P on Jasons Store's ebay site), I just wished they'd done what everybody else seems to do and put "Toy Car Part $25" on the label!!!! In theory it should arrive at the Nottingham Farce depot tomorrow and thankfully they are open until 7pm so I'll have a nice 60 mile round trip to collect it tomorrow night. Deep joy .

[budgio]

Received mine today from jr-rc & worked out at £36.86 delivered in 10 days from Japan.

Hopefully be testing sunday at Coventry.

[Spoolio]

Do the new shocks still use the pop-on knuckle joint system or are M3 machine screws included for a "proper" fitting?

[Doomanic]

When I ran 501 shocks on Shorty's Durga there was too much rear droop and the driveshafts popped out a couple of times. This damages the outdrives and gets progressively worse.
I compared the droop to my X-5 and there was about 5mm more so I put two 0.060" spacers (Losi wheelbase spacers) in each shock. Much better.

Budgio, for Cov try Associated 40wt front and 30wt rear.

[jimmy]

I think you can change the ball cup at the bottom of the shock for a durga kit one (either off the old shocks or on the sprue I can't remember) which will limit the shocks enough - apparently. Peter Moss has an excellent Durga with loads of love put into it - and I don't think he has much or any limiters in the shocks.
I raced the car without limiters in no problems at all - but I do have limiters in there now mainly for setup rather than to stop the drive shafts popping out. Are you using the kit driveshafts Dom?

[Doomanic]

Originally Posted by jimmy

Are you using the kit driveshafts Dom?

Now you mention it, no, I think they are 501 CVD's. You'd need to ask Shorty's sponsor (Team Cobblers) of the exact spec of the car.