C.A.R.

Wondering if those fender flares are just painted / stickered on? Or a separate moulding?

It did! And even more time making it a project thread worth reading with decent pictures! Time for another installment... Almost finished Metal Bag A now...

Surely it would act as a giant heatsink...so no worries about temperature there! I'm sure if you could afford one of these then you'll have more than enough for a spare motor...

Think you need to turn the heaters on - the windscreen is looking a bit misty! ...still think it needs tyres a fraction bigger

Shamelessly I'm going to copy and paste this from Tamiyaclub where I originally started writing it - So I have a bit of a love affair with the TA03 chassis design, which has led me onto my latest project. I love the diverse ways the chassis can be configured - front or rear-engined and long and short wheelbases. I already have 3 different chassis in different configurations, but have amassed so many spare parts over the years that I took a look at my big kit box and decided I wouldn't need to add too much to it to build a runner, allowing me to keep my other 3 chassis pristine, with very light use. I needed something I could abuse again! So what is a TA03? Naturally it followed the shaft-driven TA01 & TA02, it was (correct me if I'm wrong) the first Tamiya touring chassis to utilise a belt-driven drivetrain. With sealed gearboxes at either end, one containing the spur / pinion and the other just containing the rear counter gear and differential, a single belt runs the length of the chassis on gearbox-mounted pulleys. This effectively makes both gearboxes kind of 'planetary' and separate from the chassis. The aforementioned usually comprising a plastic tub, not dissimilar to a TA02, albeit without any drivetrain attachments, merely mounting points for the gearboxes. The more desirable 'Pro' & TRF models got FRP or CF twin-deck chassis which vastly simplifies the appearance and layout. The double-wishbone suspension on all 4 corners (mirrored front to back) with vertical shock absorbers closely mimics a design seen in road cars (part of the reasoning for my affections). Whilst I have never personally raced a TA03 the chassis did have success at a high level during its prime, but ultimately it was far too complex and a bit heavy, which is the difference you see when comparing it to its successor the TA04, which exhibits a much more conventional mid-rear mounted motor with two belts directly driven from the central spur shaft. The weight distribution of the TA03F (F denoting 'front') which placed the motor in front of the steering axle was looked upon fondly in the mid 00's when the drifting craze took over, prompting a TA03F Pro Drift Spec chassis kit. It was this arena where my history with the TA03 started. With the weight in the front and a correctly set up car the TA03F could get aggressive steering angles effectively swinging itself around the heavy nose weight, like a pendulum. I witnessed a couple at a UK event and they put the TT01D I was building to shame! Sadly the following season the TA03F chassis was outlawed from the UK championship as it was felt there was an unfair advantage, still a source of many bitter feelings on my part after I spent a lot of time and money pre-season building a TA03F! I was allowed to participate in practice events but could not compete I still have that same TA03F chassis today. So on to my project... I want a drift car I'm not afraid to use. It would be cheaper and probably more fruitful to pursue a Sakura D3 or more widely-supported Yokomo drift chassis, but where's the fun in that?! So below are some pictures of the parts I have gathered, starting with the NIP Hop-Ups, the Spare Parts and finally some loose parts I've sourced: Whilst not on-par with the likes of a Woodst0ck build thread, I thought I'd put a little more effort into my project and make it a bit easier to follow. I'll update daily (hopefully) until it is complete. Apologies for the photograph quality, I was only armed with a (not-so) trusty iPhone!

Totally awesome, very neat lines in the painting too. One thing that bugs me is the body is wonky in some of the pics! I recently discovered these o-rings Tamiya market as body post spacers, simply putting one under the bodyshell on each post holds the body firm and flat. Having seen your other pictures I'm intrigued how you take them? It's like some giant light box, very professional looking!

TT01 / 02 is an entry-level chasiss. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just a bit 'sloppy' with big tolerances for ease of construction for beginners. A belt driven car will drift a bit better, something like a second-hand TA05 maybe? What is your budget? The Veterra offerings look superb value for money, but as a relatively new name on the market they are often overlooked. I'm not sure what the parts availability or upgrades are like?

Yup, that ESC has a 1.5A 6V receiver output so that shouldn't cause a problem...

The drop links are sooo expensive though, even

No this is the older style, 4 mounting holes only. I've found where it's binding, it's on the chassis mounting points for the upper links if you were using the long-wheelbase configuration. It could be easily resolved with a bit of cutting with no effect on the strength of the chassis. However, since then I have ordered the Junfac setup because I sold something on eBay and used the proceeds!

Tamiya have announced they are releasing some front universals /swing shafts for the CC01 - the announcement so recent that they don't have a part number yet. I'm more excited to find out whether they will fit my TA03 (same shaft length) but that's for another thread! I'm not impressed with my GPM 4-link setup, it binds and severely limits suspension travel. I think it requires modification of the chassis tub to work correctly? I'm using it with the adjustable rear suspension mounts too (which you can't make use of the lower 2 mounts because they bind on the shock retainer - grrr!). Anyone else have this trouble? I'll get some pics of my CC01s up tomorrow.

What ESC are you running? If it doesn't have a BEC like the Tamiya 101 / 104s then you could have fried the circuit, it's not very obvious when something is wrong. Fortunately if it does turn out to be the receiver a new one is less than

First post here, been registered for a while though - finally got around to it. Some background - My first job was actually working for a small independent Model Shop which distributed Tamiya cars and parts. I guess it's fair to say that this shop (which is still going) is probably a competitor to Modelsport, so I won't mention what it is. I worked there on-and-off for 3 and a bit years whilst studying at college and eventually starting a career. It is where my addiction to Tamiya models and RC really began. My first hobby-grade RC was a TL01 Castrol Tom's Supra - I wish I'd been more careful with it! I still have the chassis but it's looking very sorry for itself. My collection has varied over the years as I keep starting new projects before finishing others, but my current fleet includes - TL01 - 306 Maxi runner - bit rough around the edges! TT01E/D - Gran Turismo Skyline body TT01D - RX-7 project car (unfinished) TT01D - Supra project car (unfinished) TT01 - R32 Skyline project car (unfinished) TA03F - Lots of GPM hop-ups, R34 project (unfinished) TA03R - Porsche 911 (996) GT3 project (unfinished) TA03R-S - carbon-chassis Porsche 911 (993) GT2 project (unfinished) M-03R - Mini Cooper light runner / shelfer - actually finished! TA05R - Drifter, currently awaiting new electrics FF02 - 306 Maxi WRC project (unfinished) F103GT - NSX-R project (unfinished) Off-roaders FAV Shark Mouth - finished, complete with LEDs and still covered in mud... CC01 - Jurassic Park Jeep project - mostly finished, needs driver figures painting WT01 - Monster truck with Subaru Brat body, my most frequent runner - on Lipo and 10.5T brushless CC01 - New Pajero project, currently in progress Turnigy 1/16 Brushless Buggy - My only non-Tamiya, needed a small runner and it's great, if a little fragile. Usually in pieces. I also have a King Blackfoot body in bits I want to put on another CC01 (eventually) and I'm about to start (!) another TA03F build, which was going to be a standard car for use as a runner but things have got a little out of hand and I have a heap of hop-ups for it. So that's me, hope to read some decent project threads and product reviews and maybe even make a contribution myself!