FINAL SHOWDOWN Ultimate Tamiya Durga Vs Modern Race Buggy. (IDENTICAL ELECTRONICS, DRIVER & TRACK)

Should you think about getting a Tamiya to go RC racing or should you look elsewhere? In this video, I finish installing all upgrades on the Tamiya Durga as well as fitting exactly the same electronics as I have in my PR Racing SB401 Type R. We now have everything to directly compare these two chassis against each other. Can a 2007 RC from Tamiya really punch it out with a modern race buggy while running the same electronics? Let's find out once and for all!
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#DB01 #durga #rckicks

[@RCKickschannel]

TAMIYA Durga RAFFALL will be live soon. raffall.com/RCKicks

[@Tech2Rush]

Can I just say that your intro is the perfection of simplicity and efficiency? Too many channels have intros so long that you eventually end up always skipping the first minute or so of their videos, and I really appreciate whenever I don't need to do that. :)

[@RCKickschannel]

:) Most welcome

[@joewood306]

The thing is: we are talking about a 20 year old design. It's actually impressive it's just losing 5% pet lap. But yes, I agree, for actual racing the Durga probably not the way to go. But it's fun upgrading ;)

[@extec101]

agree on everything.

[@RCKickschannel]

The Durga has grown on me and I would happily spend my money if Tamiya did another batch of DB-01RRR kits.

[@extec101]

@@RCKickschannel cant see why the durga cant work, just tune it to perfection and learn to drive it, im no expert driver but see alot of the driving that need to be cleaned up.

[@joewood306]

@@RCKickschannel Same here; would love to get an RRR. For the time being I went your way. Grab a Japan release and upgrade it like crazy. However I guess, my way was a bit cheaper since I sourced most of the upgrade parts from Japan, too. But you found some parts I didn't know they even existed (like aluminium bridge for the aluminium steering)... Plus I am desperately looking for the Lipo Chassis with the cooler hole. But I might just cut into a standard Lipo chassis with a Dremel or so. Just for pure interest I'd like to see a similar experiment with a Top Force Evo and/or a Super Avante. And finally a TRF511x. Just to see how good the actual competition buggy actually performes against nowadays race buggies...

[@bentravis99]

Great video, I love these direct comparisons thank you!

[@Andy_Yates]

I run Reedy Zappers and have a couple of the Redline LiPos. My local track stopped carrying the Gens Ace ones because too many people on both the carpet off road, and drift side were having issues with the batteries puffing. My Redlines have been fine but I don't think I'd buy more of them. Internal resistance on mine have been good too.

[@RCKickschannel]

I’ll keep using them and if I have any issues I’ll post about it. Thanks for the info 👍🏻

[@poorboysrc]

Great video, Gav. I'm happy to see you push the Durga to its limits. It gets around the track surprisingly well, but the PR Racing machine is just absolutely dialed! Great stuff, dude!

[@DLAdventures2]

Fun series! Glad it was your money spent on the project and not mine for the fun of the test!

[@RCKickschannel]

I had loads of help from RCKicks supporters with the upgrade parts so kept the spend under control to a degree. To build this spec DB-01 today on 100% current market hop up part prices would be eye watering.

[@DLAdventures2]

@@RCKickschannel thank you to all of the contributors for make the series possible!

[@Geo_art_RC]

Great series. Interesting and fun to watch. Good job!

[@NinetyTres]

Being Nutz is Neat

[@pugs1377]

How about a tt02b? Id like to see what that can do against the other buggy.

[@Metla666]

Next Project-TD4 goes racing.

[@matt_cars]

Kyosho. How many times do we have to say this! Excellent content

[@turboboostHoonicow]

Very good summary! 1.Tamiya(TRF is another thing!) have weak plastic and there is no actual layout! 2.Tuning is very expensive! 3. Absolutely right to buy a fast and powerful servo! To be fast, the combination of servo and radio is more important than the power😉 Keep on Racing 🐄💨

[@ST1VO]

4mm and 5mm... ;) Another great informative video :)

[@stevenjohnson1117]

Hi gavin just collected a tamiya tt02 alfa 155 from steve webbs and ordered aluminium wheels for it and bearing ste iam going to make as quick as I can with the super tuned motor in it keep the great videos going keep safe

[@RCKickschannel]

Have fun! :)

[@ktu831112]

If the Tamiya car is under, you can change the rear wheel hub to a thick one, but it's a pity that you didn't set the basic settings. After manual assembly, knowing how to set the car in the desired direction is more important than adding options.

[@ggbear1043]

I'm a huge Tamiya fan and have about 20 cars, but when it came to racing I would use a Schumacher cougar. Tamiyas become expensive flops when used for racing, I wish they would actually use some of their resources to make a competitive car.

[@paulus842000]

absolutly brilliant, from what i was seeing, the durga was loosing time over the jumps and whoops whilst the PB racing seemed to be more slick and smooth over the jumps and whoops

[@RCKickschannel]

Yep the Durga doesn’t just that well on anything big but some setup improvements would help dial that out I think. If that didn’t work I would fit some B6.4 shocks

[@JeepsCafe]

Rckicks you drive like a pro. That Durga handles well.

[@RCKickschannel]

Yep the Durga did better than expected

[@acetomatocompany8258]

I have to say you're a really good driver but there seems to be a difference between your lap times at the start versus end of qualifying, which can't be helped unless you race professionally. Also for sure the pr racing is SO much quicker in the corners which is where it climbs ahead.

[@RichardsRcs]

Got my tickets on this one. First time entering yours. Fingers crossed 🤞

[@RCKickschannel]

Good luck 🤞

[@msuffian76]

Tamiya did win British National 4WD in the early 90s. And Jamie Booth did it with a mod Manta Ray. Stuff of legend…

[@RCKickschannel]

Did you see how modified that Manta Ray was?

[@msuffian76]

Apart from the carbon deck and some suspension mod, rest are bog standard. Google “Jamie Booth Manta Ray” and you’ll find some nice old magazine write ups and photos of the Tamiya buggy that shook the racing scene back then 😂…

[@msuffian76]

Apart from the carbon deck and suspension factory mod, mostly it’s bog standard. But you have to be super human to win races with a Tamiya 😂… Hats off to Jamie

[@msuffian76]

Hey, how about interviewing Jamie and let him bring the race winning Manta too?

[@markbruton-young9228]

You can get stepped connectors that suit 5mm and 4mm battery connections

[@RCKickschannel]

can you? Cool I will see if I can get a set as that would be great.

[@19Marc79]

Has anyone noticed that the motor in a Durga gets much hotter than in other cars ? I tried Element 19x2 tuning motor (39km/h), Robitronic Razer 4000kv (46km/h) and the famous and cheap 4370kv brushless with smaller rotor inside from China (40km/h with 15T pinion instead of 17T ). All on 2s Lipo. Motor was very hot after 8-9min runtime full speed on parking lot with a 1800mAh 2s Lipo (SLS Xtron).

[@1980VINZ]

My conclusion : THE DURGA IS BEAUTIFUL :D

[@RCKickschannel]

YEP!!! 100% I would snap up a rere DB-01RRR if Tamiya ever did another batch for sure.

[@1980VINZ]

@@RCKickschannel oh yesss…

[@hondofourfivetwo9347]

I see we use the same type of battery management with the label maker 😄 As far as the 4mm/5mm terminals on my cars when it’s an issue I have a LP stepped bullet connector that has both vs using an adapter along with a bit of fuel tubing when necessary for insulation on the few 4mm batteries I have left in service my real solution was everything be 5mm. Not only would having the terminal standardized be nice but also the location of the + & - terminals which would make those through terminals unnecessary (I have no better solution and do what you do on those) my original solution was to use the same brand battery on everything (so terminals are all the same orientation and size) great until I needed new batteries and the MFG changed the layout 🙄🤦‍♂️ BTW I’m not surprised by the outcome of this series I too decided to torture myself and my wallet taking a non TRF Tamiya racing but I’m running Touring Car using a TB05R against all the other high end TC’s on the market I’ve tried to level the field by sticking to a spec class with motor and tire requirements it’s all in fun anyway

[@CheckYourSheds]

The Durga did a lot better than I expected in the end. You wouldn’t call it an underdog after having that much spent on it but considering the age difference it wasn’t bad. Was there much of a weight difference? This has been a great little series.

[@RCKickschannel]

Hi, The weights can be seen in the video, sorry can't remember off the top of my head but not much in it really, 35-50 grams ish

[@CheckYourSheds]

I should have paid more attention 😅 That’s a lot closer than I thought. Again, great series

[@RCACTIONAUSTRALIA]

Actually surprised how it went Gav, just looked like it lacked front end bite in some of the turns and lost lap time. Good series demonstrating how well a race buggy is compared to a fully loaded Tamiya/ basic kit

[@RCKickschannel]

Yep just needed a little more weight on the nose as well as a thicker ARB and it should turn in a little sharper.

[@jefftroxell4923]

Just an fyi 5mm bullets are pretty much the standard for 1/10 scale race vehicles. 4mm or less is basically unheard of.

[@RCKickschannel]

So why do we even have 4mm, do you know?

[@RcRalf96]

​@@RCKickschannel4mm was the standard for a long time before the 5mm. I'm still on 4mm because I have some old Lipos that refuse to die (Optipower/SLS).

[@herbert394]

Position 1 in both races! You are going to have to update you merch hoodie to 'Average to ok RC driver'

[@RCKickschannel]

Well, I did find myself in the A final that night so... LOL

[@davew1285]

Try AGFRC servos, thryre just as good as Reefs (AGFRC make Reefs) and cost less.

[@kentonian]

Nice work on all this gav, you put a lot into it. I'd be interested what you think of the corally as those can be had for £350

[@Pablo668]

Very good series on this car. I think you've pretty much proved your point. I have more Tamiya than anything else, but I wouldn't take them racing. The TRF's are good enough, but spares is a nightmare. I could feasibly 3D print any parts I need, but even so....

[@RCKickschannel]

Like to try a 501X

[@Pablo668]

@@RCKickschannel I have one, never raced it though. It does drive nice in general. I guess I was to scared to try.

[@mbehbehani8716]

Hi any idea of the tamiya rc car number end with -60A, I have two blitzer beetle 58502 and 58502-60A, all same kit nothing special.

[@mikaelbenard6370]

Hello thanks for this match. I think that durga is very good for a old buggy and less 1 second on best lap is not enough to be sure that Pr is better. is it possible to add a kyosho mid long chassis and td4 to compare . Thanks

[@oozzee74]

What was the final drive ratio of both cars ?? Did they have the same final gearing That can account for a lot of lost time

[@RCKickschannel]

Same pinions but the PR Racing had a slightly larger spur but not much in it.

[@oozzee74]

@@RCKickschannel what about the diff gears mate, that will all affect the FDR, just saying that I think DB01 would be under geared to lose that much time per lap on a track that short, maybe figure that out and test again before you raffle it off Also can you by raffle tickets in other countries

[@oozzee74]

@@RCKickschannel what about the diff gears mate, that will all affect the FDR, just saying that I think DB01 would be under geared to lose that much time per lap on a track that short, maybe figure that out and test again before you raffle it off Also can you by raffle tickets in other countries

[@ronaldoignacio7739]

Here in the RP that Durga would be racing in the open class but still it will be with other Tamiyas. But with the "pro" series with any brand it could also be entered. I've seen a Tamiya won but the driver's skill is way ahead of the other driver. I've seen him drive a "race prep" TLR but noticeably he drives much faster. I could not understand why also but the important thing [again] is having fun. Thanks.

[@RCKickschannel]

The Durga is kind of in a bit of a limbo as 2007 is just outside Iconic vintage currently but not by much and too old to run with latest modern really if you are looking to set your best lap times. If you already have a Tamiya and you fancy racing, 100% give it a go as you already have the car to see if you enjoy it.

[@coventrykid08]

Did you then swap cars to see if the results repeated? This would of shown how the driver affects the cars performance.

[@RCKickschannel]

I drove the two cars myself so it was the same driver

[@TheUsmc0802]

Not too bad for a over 10 year old chassis. If you are a Tamiya fan boy you can still have fun today with the Durga .

[@RCKickschannel]

Yep you can but you need deep pockets

[@TheUsmc0802]

@@RCKickschannel very very deep

[@TheUsmc0802]

Do you think belt vs shaft drive gives the difference in feeling?

[@RCKickschannel]

Not sure

[@Glocktologist]

Touring drivers say belts feel more consistent through corners because there’s less backlash. Also, belts add drag when rolling unloaded but as load increases their efficiency goes up and surpasses shaft drives. In my mind, the problem with belts in off road cars is that the chassis must be rigid to avoid skipping teeth when flexing. And we like to tune the chassis for the right amount of flex. That’s why most manufacturers have gone to shafts even if they previously used belts with great success (looking at Yokomo and Team Associated.) These days, I don’t think anyone makes a serious off road racing wheeler with a belt drive except Schumacher.

[@valkyrievillage3673]

Definitely cheaper and better to just buy a proper pro chassis for 4 wheeler

[@kenblockx2010]

Previous track looked better and more challenging.........

[@Alan-cg8gx]

If Tamiya can design chassis's like the MB and BT I sure they could make a new club + level race buggy if they could be bothered. A NEW TT-03B.

[@dj4monie]

Has anybody tried to race a TT-02BR before asking Tamiya for a new chassis?

[@Julsnalice]

17 year old mid level Tamiya vs Current model race chassis…. The difference should be alot more, the durga was only ever a sport racer nothing more. If you had been able to start with a DB-01RRR (at the price they where at release) the difference in money would have been alot less, but.. its still a 17 year old car.

[@RCKickschannel]

DB-01RRR was a lower spec than this Durga. The RRR never had carbon towers, ceramic bearings or gear diffs. Yep the Durga did way better than I expected for its age and not being a carpet buggy. A RRR sold for £1000 last week! 🤯

[@davidwalker6396]

Slight correction the RRR had new 39t oil filled gear diffs with the longer belts from the TRF501 Worlds edition, it also had fluorine coated bearings, a unique 3 deg rear tow in mount and 12 deg skid angle front suspension mount specifically for carpet racing. Bang on though madness to buy one for club racing unless your a die hard Tamiya nut with a fat wallet

[@richwrag3308]

And the whole suspension setup probs need tuning. There's many adjustments possible with the durga to improve performance. I'd start by reducing the understeer gavs db01 is showing. He races the pb car weekly too, the db01 track time has been limited at best. All the vid showed me is that further setup is needed and the durga still did well

[@Julsnalice]

@@RCKickschannel The RR and RRR both had gear diffs, i did say if you could still buy them at there RRP because you can still buy durga’s NIB at retail price from japan. But yes really at their age and cost these cars really are ready for the shelf. But for the sake of having fun and still running a Tamiya, every modern day car you beat at the track is all the more rewarding and that really to the right person is priceless. I would never recommend anyone to buy a tamiya to go racing unless you had a room full of Tamiya’s and doing so had a higher value to that person than money or being competitive, yes there is a few people about like that! 😂 to those few the ebay/buyee/international shipping thing is 90% of the fun!!

[@duncanmcgregor7946]

I reckon you could find that time….how much did the different jump make?

[@RCKickschannel]

Not sure, I never ran the same car before and after the jump was added. It didn’t feel like it added anything or too small an amount to notice without looking at race lap times closely.

[@duncanmcgregor7946]

@@RCKickschannel camber/toe adjustments? Gearing same on spur/pinion?

[@CraigOverend]

Kyosho Dirtcross.

[@herberwang2677]

TAMIYA always need OP ........Ha Ha......

[@Triggered-RC]

In your lap stats, the title said 2wd Buggy. Were they running in 2wd?

[@RCKickschannel]

Mixed 2WD and 4WD

[@Triggered-RC]

@@RCKickschannel I think the TD2 on carpet and the BBX on dirt would be worth racing for 2wd. But, as you say, Tamiya just aren’t really the thing for racing. I just built a TLR 22t, and what really struck me was the tolerances and fit. Tamiya’s are “sloppy” out of the box. Classic Kyoshos like my Optima Mid are quite a bit tighter and more suitable for racing I think.

[@VUO4E]

So, a cheap belt driven vintage car, with mostly useless upgrades to make it expensive (so the story would fit) and obvious understeer that wasn't properly dealt with only lost 0,8s a lap on average ?

[@RCKickschannel]

Slipper, gear diffs, reinforced belts, adjusted length carbon towers to lower the chassis, upgraded shocks to name just a few that are not necessary for carpit racing? 🤔 Let me have the link to your video, I can see how it’s done 👍🏻

[@CraigOverend]

Durga looked slow like it was undergeared, and understeered, no difference from the last video. Just needs someone to set it up correctly for carpet.

[@Jaysqualityparts]

So the best times were less than a second apart for a 16 yr old buggy I think the Tamiya takes it.

[@RCKickschannel]

Yep the Durga did better than expected and if the RRR was rere it would make more sense for the Tamiya fan.

[@dj4monie]

1) You aren't Adam Drake 2) Who buys a Tamiya buggy for off-road racing? Seems like a UK thing 3) No mention of TLR (Team Losi Racing) buggies. Southern California is the home of 1/10 scale off-road racing, Team Associated, Team Losi are still dominant brands, I know X Ray and others have entered the fray the last decade or so, but these two remain the standard to which everybody follows. Funny that a Kyosho Optima Mid is still competitive 30+ years later, interesting.

[@RCKickschannel]

"1) You aren't Adam Drake". I checked the video and yep, at the start it has Gavin Evans in the title so, well done DJ4monie for working that one out my friend. Team Associated and Schumacher Racing are popular in the UK. I have some vintage Losi cars but nothing modern currently.

[@Zombles581]

Gavin >>> Adam

[@oldngreybmx5573]

Can I have the Durga please? 😁

[@RCKickschannel]

Well you can enter the Raffall for a chance to win it. raffall.com/RCKicks

[@oldngreybmx5573]

@@RCKickschannel yea I just saw that so I bought 10 tickets 😀