Mark Bryan has a great video for setting up a TT02 for rally racing. The second half of the video addresses the limited steering. It may help you get your turning circle down to 3/4 of a country mile.
I would give anything to have a Frog again. That was my first "race" car back in the 80's and I was somewhat competitive even against the new RC-10's. I replaced the frog shocks with front RC-10 shocks and was always a top 3-5 car. Oh those good ol'days. Lol
You were doing something right to hand with the RC10s out there! The Frog is a good running car and even though it has some limitations I always have fun with mine. One day you will be able to get another!
Definitely Apples and Bowling Balls!!! The TT-02B should have been a Rally Car Chassis. Would have excelled at that! The Frog is.... Classic. My second RC that I bought new in 1983. It just IS! 😎
Very true, I knew going in they are two totally different beasts but hey, why not! I think on a track surface the TT02B may perform pretty decently... I'm gonna find out fairly soon! I plan on it being one of my crash test dummies for the new track I am working on. .
Yeah, not a typical matchup for ones to run head to head. I think it just worked out both of them had not run yet so I figured why not. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. In the grass the TT02B just feel sluggish and slow to turn due to it dragging its belly through the grass. On the track a whole different story but I did not have the track then.
Congrats on getting the Frog. I completely understand as many, many kits in my collection are ones I drooled over in catalogs and magazines growing up that we just couldn't afford. Now I have big kid money I am checking off a lot of those wish list items from long ago! I still have a few older radios, I keep them for nostalgia but run all mine one 2.4ghz just to be glitch free, I remember the years of random things happening where you loose signal for a few moments and the cars is just going by itself! Hopefully yours works well and you get not interference where you are and I get wanting to use it. Thanks for stopping by and checking in!
Love the Frog. It was my first real RC in the 80s as a kid. I wish I still had it but I have a brand new one waiting in line to be built. Can’t wait to run it again. I like my Plasma Edge II as well.
The Frog is a cool kit! My first was the Blackfoot on the same chassis. Both are fun but the frog has it beat in handling for sure!! I want to do some upgrades to the plasma edge but everyone I think about doing it I end up finding another kit and and blowing the hopup budget!!
The Frog has a fatal flaw in the diff gear design. The gearbox doesnt hold the gear together well enough and they start grinding. Luckily you can find videos to mod or replace the diff setup with kits to address the issue.
I think with a few upgrades the Plasma Edge would run circles around the Frog but box stock it seemed a bit lacking. Still a fun build and a blast to drive.
i did build the plasma edge ii. i decided to put some crawler tires and mount 3660 brushless from the aliexp. i had to also set up the end points down to 60%. i am gonna upgrade to the df02 metal diff and maybe aluminum motor mount and pilot shaft.
Well that should give it the ground clearance it really needs!! I have a spare set of wheels and tires, I may have to try that out!! The brushless system are kind of tough on these plastic gear trains but surprisingly they seem to hold pretty well in most cases. With those bigger, heavier tires in there beats them up even more so I don't blame you for going to the metal gears.
I wish I could!!! I am working on it but until I find my rich Nigerian uncle wants me to hold onto his fortune I'm gonna have to do it one at a time!!!
Once I get a track built then I plan on doing some stuff like that! I want to do some old vs new and then some similar vehicles against each other, just need to find the time to get the track built!!!
This video is great timing for us. I’ve got a rere Frog the we’re taking to the track tomorrow for a vintage race. And their entry class is a TT02-B which I think we’ll try next month. Great video mate
They are both fun to run and the plasma edge will probably do better on an actual track than the grass like I was driving in. Have fun racing, sounds like a blast!
They are great buggies, the tall grass slows them down a bit but in the dirt they really shine! The DT03 is a great kit as well, I really enjoy building those and they drive really well also in all conditions. Have fun and enjoy them!!!
Not too late, just sitting there waiting for you!!! The TT02B has a ton of hop-up options for it and replacement parts are easier to find. I am glad you found it helpful and also glad you got one of them. Have fun with it and be careful... They multiply!!! Thanks for checking in!!!
It's funny about the Plasma Edge's turning circle because you could be describing The Hotshot. That thing does _not_ work well on turn-in. The only real way is the way you desribed, with a touch of brake to bring the nose around. If you catch the dive when you come of the throttle too it works well to help turn in. One of the problems on the 'Shot is the front sway bar is much more effective than the rear, also the suspension up front is quite soft so it is stable to a fault. The biggest positive about it is the car does not tend to flip at speed.
Yeah, in 2wd buggies I'm kinda of used to doing it but I figured being 4wd it would turn in better but it is worse than the rest of my buggies, 2wd or 4wd! Still was fun to build and drive but needs some work on that front end to work right..
Your channel is great! Do you have any suggestions for street tires for the old tamiya buggies? My son has a hornet and I just built a grasshopper 2. It would be cool to have an extra set for the street. Thanks!
I have not done it but the stock wheel will take a 1.4-1.5 inch tire which are not the easiest to find since it is not a common size for today's cars and trucks. It looks like the Duratrax DTXC7130 is a popular slick tire for the rears. I think they are a discontinued model but you may be able to find them online. Otherwise you may have to go to different wheels and those I am not sure what the best would be honestly. I know you can run 2.2 buggy wheels and tires on them you just need the 12mm he's adapter for the rear.
My Plasma Edge 2 has oil filled shocks, them look the same as my white shocks I got in my kit? I got the frog and the TT02B does circles around it. Lol
You are correct. I was wrong when I said they were just friction shocks. I guess since there was a a month or more from the time I built it to when I actually drove it I had forgotten.... I think I am used to driving the 2wd buggies more than this 4wd type so to me it felt the frog turned in better. They both are not great turning under power but I am getting used to it more and it is a bit better. I still have issues at times blowing intended lines, probably my crap driving!!! Thanks for pointing out my goof, I appreciate it to clear it up for others. Thanks for watching!!!
I did, I misspoke when recording it and didn't realize it. It had been a while between the builds and I had forgotten they had oil filled shocks when I was talking. Old man moment!
Hi Adam hope you are doing well. I has a question about the plasma edge. My front cva dampers are so stiff and the rears are really soft. I’m just wondering if this is how it’s supposed to be or if somehow the wrong springs were in the kit lol. Thanks!
The front springs on mine do feel a bit stiffer and I am only running a single large spring spacer in the fronts. In the rear I have one large and one medium spacer on those. It seems to be pretty balanced once it is all built. The fronts are a smaller shock size so the spring rate will feel a lot stiffer in the hand but under the weight of the car they feel pretty balanced.
@@AddamsPlayground thanks Adam. I got it sorted out. The manual says to install both shocks to the middle hole on the suspension arm. I moved the front shock to the inner most hole. WOW what a difference. It’s perfectly balanced now. I’ll take it for a spin and if it handles wired I’ll move the front back to the middle setting. Front has no spacers and rear has medium and large spacers. I remember you saying sometimes you have to go back to the original settings. I have read of so many people who could not solve this problem on forums going back to its original release. Everyone spent the money on expensive trf dampers and it was totally unnecessary. I did notice that in the rear if you put it in the outer or inner hole it makes the damper stay flex. It doesn’t do this in the stock middle setting. Thanks for helping me out.
@@danielandrews7028 I didn't even think about the positioning of them being an issue. I will have to see where mine are placed now!! I am glad you got it figured out and it is feeling good now!
@@cutterbacon That should be a ripper with the added power and bigger motor! 3 bodies? Wow! I assume the hard body, the lexan one and another lexan one for the basher body?
@@AddamsPlayground Yeah i bought a fully finished blue brat lexan shell also a brand new lexan and the hard body ,the brand new chassis failed before first outing and i had to send it to tamiya uk. You can fit a 8.4v nimh battery using the steering arms from a lunchbox in place of the side plate battery holder. The car is fantastic fun i love it. Next is a black monster beetle.
@@cutterbacon That sucks you had to send it back. I love the Black MB, it is such a great looking kit! The red one is a true classic but The black edition looks much nicer in my opinion. Have fun with it and hopefully no issues with this one!
Mark Bryan has a great video for setting up a TT02 for rally racing. The second half of the video addresses the limited steering. It may help you get your turning circle down to 3/4 of a country mile.
Thank you for the tip!! I appreciate it, I will go find that and check it out!!!
I would give anything to have a Frog again.
That was my first "race" car back in the 80's and I was somewhat competitive even against the new RC-10's.
I replaced the frog shocks with front RC-10 shocks and was always a top 3-5 car.
Oh those good ol'days. Lol
You were doing something right to hand with the RC10s out there! The Frog is a good running car and even though it has some limitations I always have fun with mine. One day you will be able to get another!
Definitely Apples and Bowling Balls!!! The TT-02B should have been a Rally Car Chassis. Would have excelled at that!
The Frog is.... Classic. My second RC that I bought new in 1983. It just IS! 😎
Very true, I knew going in they are two totally different beasts but hey, why not! I think on a track surface the TT02B may perform pretty decently... I'm gonna find out fairly soon! I plan on it being one of my crash test dummies for the new track I am working on. .
This was a great video of course I thought it was a strange matchup but I like that the frog won over a four-wheel drive car
Yeah, not a typical matchup for ones to run head to head. I think it just worked out both of them had not run yet so I figured why not. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. In the grass the TT02B just feel sluggish and slow to turn due to it dragging its belly through the grass. On the track a whole different story but I did not have the track then.
I got an early 90’s Futaba radio for mine, I hope it still works. I used to dream of getting a Frog as a kid. 30 years later it’s finally mine.
Congrats on getting the Frog. I completely understand as many, many kits in my collection are ones I drooled over in catalogs and magazines growing up that we just couldn't afford. Now I have big kid money I am checking off a lot of those wish list items from long ago! I still have a few older radios, I keep them for nostalgia but run all mine one 2.4ghz just to be glitch free, I remember the years of random things happening where you loose signal for a few moments and the cars is just going by itself! Hopefully yours works well and you get not interference where you are and I get wanting to use it. Thanks for stopping by and checking in!
Love the Frog. It was my first real RC in the 80s as a kid. I wish I still had it but I have a brand new one waiting in line to be built. Can’t wait to run it again. I like my Plasma Edge II as well.
The Frog is a cool kit! My first was the Blackfoot on the same chassis. Both are fun but the frog has it beat in handling for sure!! I want to do some upgrades to the plasma edge but everyone I think about doing it I end up finding another kit and and blowing the hopup budget!!
The Frog has a fatal flaw in the diff gear design. The gearbox doesnt hold the gear together well enough and they start grinding. Luckily you can find videos to mod or replace the diff setup with kits to address the issue.
Love the frog. I just got one from my wife and son for my birthday
It can lead to an addiction so be careful!!!!
Awesome comparison mate, I would have never guessed the outcome without seeing your video.
Thanks for sharing your video, subscribed👍🦘🇦🇺
I think with a few upgrades the Plasma Edge would run circles around the Frog but box stock it seemed a bit lacking. Still a fun build and a blast to drive.
i did build the plasma edge ii. i decided to put some crawler tires and mount 3660 brushless from the aliexp. i had to also set up the end points down to 60%. i am gonna upgrade to the df02 metal diff and maybe aluminum motor mount and pilot shaft.
Well that should give it the ground clearance it really needs!! I have a spare set of wheels and tires, I may have to try that out!! The brushless system are kind of tough on these plastic gear trains but surprisingly they seem to hold pretty well in most cases. With those bigger, heavier tires in there beats them up even more so I don't blame you for going to the metal gears.
Just buy and build them all! Cool video Addam, Like so many kits, the Frog is in my shopping cart too.
I wish I could!!! I am working on it but until I find my rich Nigerian uncle wants me to hold onto his fortune I'm gonna have to do it one at a time!!!
@@AddamsPlayground Me too!
It would have been nice to have a time trial run between them both. Good video! Thank you!
Once I get a track built then I plan on doing some stuff like that! I want to do some old vs new and then some similar vehicles against each other, just need to find the time to get the track built!!!
This video is great timing for us. I’ve got a rere Frog the we’re taking to the track tomorrow for a vintage race. And their entry class is a TT02-B which I think we’ll try next month. Great video mate
They are both fun to run and the plasma edge will probably do better on an actual track than the grass like I was driving in. Have fun racing, sounds like a blast!
Thanks
Thanks for checking it out!
GREAT VIDEO THANK YOU I VE GOT TT02B ONE NEO SCORCER AND ONE PLASMA EDGE THAT JUST FINISD THIS WEEK 😁😄😁😁😁MY NEXT BUY IS TAMIAYA DT03 BUGGY
They are great buggies, the tall grass slows them down a bit but in the dirt they really shine! The DT03 is a great kit as well, I really enjoy building those and they drive really well also in all conditions. Have fun and enjoy them!!!
Great comparison keep up the good work 👍🏻
Thanks!
@@dreyn7780 you ok?
@@voodootrucker I hope that this person realizes that these are not real cars, itʻs a hobby that has not limits or restrictions!
I know I'm late but I loved the video it was very I formative. In the end thanks to your video I ended up with the tt02b
Not too late, just sitting there waiting for you!!! The TT02B has a ton of hop-up options for it and replacement parts are easier to find. I am glad you found it helpful and also glad you got one of them. Have fun with it and be careful... They multiply!!! Thanks for checking in!!!
It's funny about the Plasma Edge's turning circle because you could be describing The Hotshot. That thing does _not_ work well on turn-in. The only real way is the way you desribed, with a touch of brake to bring the nose around. If you catch the dive when you come of the throttle too it works well to help turn in.
One of the problems on the 'Shot is the front sway bar is much more effective than the rear, also the suspension up front is quite soft so it is stable to a fault. The biggest positive about it is the car does not tend to flip at speed.
Yeah, in 2wd buggies I'm kinda of used to doing it but I figured being 4wd it would turn in better but it is worse than the rest of my buggies, 2wd or 4wd! Still was fun to build and drive but needs some work on that front end to work right..
Your channel is great! Do you have any suggestions for street tires for the old tamiya buggies? My son has a hornet and I just built a grasshopper 2. It would be cool to have an extra set for the street. Thanks!
I have not done it but the stock wheel will take a 1.4-1.5 inch tire which are not the easiest to find since it is not a common size for today's cars and trucks. It looks like the Duratrax DTXC7130 is a popular slick tire for the rears. I think they are a discontinued model but you may be able to find them online. Otherwise you may have to go to different wheels and those I am not sure what the best would be honestly. I know you can run 2.2 buggy wheels and tires on them you just need the 12mm he's adapter for the rear.
@@AddamsPlayground ok, I’ll start looking for those options, thanks for the reply!
My Plasma Edge 2 has oil filled shocks, them look the same as my white shocks I got in my kit?
I got the frog and the TT02B does circles around it. Lol
You are correct. I was wrong when I said they were just friction shocks. I guess since there was a a month or more from the time I built it to when I actually drove it I had forgotten.... I think I am used to driving the 2wd buggies more than this 4wd type so to me it felt the frog turned in better. They both are not great turning under power but I am getting used to it more and it is a bit better. I still have issues at times blowing intended lines, probably my crap driving!!! Thanks for pointing out my goof, I appreciate it to clear it up for others. Thanks for watching!!!
You didn’t put the oil in the Plasma Edge shocks?
I did, I misspoke when recording it and didn't realize it. It had been a while between the builds and I had forgotten they had oil filled shocks when I was talking. Old man moment!
Hi Adam hope you are doing well. I has a question about the plasma edge. My front cva dampers are so stiff and the rears are really soft. I’m just wondering if this is how it’s supposed to be or if somehow the wrong springs were in the kit lol. Thanks!
The front springs on mine do feel a bit stiffer and I am only running a single large spring spacer in the fronts. In the rear I have one large and one medium spacer on those. It seems to be pretty balanced once it is all built. The fronts are a smaller shock size so the spring rate will feel a lot stiffer in the hand but under the weight of the car they feel pretty balanced.
@@AddamsPlayground thanks Adam. I got it sorted out. The manual says to install both shocks to the middle hole on the suspension arm. I moved the front shock to the inner most hole. WOW what a difference. It’s perfectly balanced now. I’ll take it for a spin and if it handles wired I’ll move the front back to the middle setting. Front has no spacers and rear has medium and large spacers.
I remember you saying sometimes you have to go back to the original settings. I have read of so many people who could not solve this problem on forums going back to its original release. Everyone spent the money on expensive trf dampers and it was totally unnecessary.
I did notice that in the rear if you put it in the outer or inner hole it makes the damper stay flex. It doesn’t do this in the stock middle setting. Thanks for helping me out.
@@danielandrews7028 I didn't even think about the positioning of them being an issue. I will have to see where mine are placed now!! I am glad you got it figured out and it is feeling good now!
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💪
I am glad you enjoyed it! Both are great buggies and in the dirt the plasma edge is a real blast!
Frog.
I do love the Frog for the nostalgia for sure!
@@AddamsPlayground Ive just built a brand new brat, 3 body shells and fitted a 550 motor and 8.4v nimh battery with graupner motor.
@@cutterbacon That should be a ripper with the added power and bigger motor! 3 bodies? Wow! I assume the hard body, the lexan one and another lexan one for the basher body?
@@AddamsPlayground Yeah i bought a fully finished blue brat lexan shell also a brand new lexan and the hard body ,the brand new chassis failed before first outing and i had to send it to tamiya uk. You can fit a 8.4v nimh battery using the steering arms from a lunchbox in place of the side plate battery holder. The car is fantastic fun i love it. Next is a black monster beetle.
@@cutterbacon That sucks you had to send it back. I love the Black MB, it is such a great looking kit! The red one is a true classic but The black edition looks much nicer in my opinion. Have fun with it and hopefully no issues with this one!