JatoTheRipper Tamiya M-07 Concept

[JatoTheRipper]

A year or two ago my trailing buddies got the on-road bug and I joined in by buying a Sakura XI Sport and a Sakura D4 AWD drifter. A new trailing buddy got an on-road car just recently which reignited our on-road flame. We had an on-road outing a couple of weeks ago. I saw a couple of Tamiya M-Chassis cars and I knew I had to have one.

I decided on the brand new M-07 Concept. It's FWD. I hate FWD in real life for any kind of fun, but I guess the scale nuts among us have rubbed off on me. I wanted an FWD chassis to go with an FWD body. It would be a new challenge for me as I've never owned or driven an FWD RC.

One thing that is often cool with Tamiya is the box art. This box is different as it contains a "blueprint" of the M-07 Concept chassis and it has a cool carrying handle.



The only upgrade I started with was the Tamiya titanium screw set. I don't like dealing with Phillips screws if I don't have to. They are not a deal breaker for me like some, but I prefer hex socket head screws. The screw kit is very pricey for what you get, but the hardware is the highest quality I've ever used. My MIP drivers fit very closely in the heads of the titanium screws. It was quiet satisfying to have the drivers "pop" when pulling it out of a screw. It's the little things that make me giddy.



Ah the smell of a new RC kit. Cough, cough. I forgot about the fumes. There aren't many parts here. This shouldn't take too long.

[JatoTheRipper]

One of the cool things about this chassis is the monocoque design. This must be the new thing at Tamiya as the TA07 has a similar design. The chassis is not exactly a tub, but it is a one piece molding to which the other components bolt to it. The plastic is very high quality composite blend and it is more modern than the ABS that Tamiya uses on a lot of their vehicles.



Tamiya makes the most precise plastic parts in my experience. Everything is typically molded to perfection, things fit like a glove, and cleanup is rarely needed. Still, aluminum parts are great to have in some places like the steering posts. This obviously adds strength and helps with smooth operation.



As I was saying, Tamiya knows what they're doing with plastic. Look at the tolerances between the gears and the chassis. This makes engineers, like myself, geek out!

The included motor plate is aluminum. Plastic motor plates should be dead and part of a bygone era.

[calcagno45]

That plastic is much different for sure. Will be interesting to see if they roll it out on more models. The M07 is definitely on my list now.

[svt923]

I really want a M07 to replace (or in addition to ) my M05. The M07 looks like it going to be much more stable and put the power to the ground better than the previous version.

Hopefully Tamiya threw some better tires in the box in addition to all the other improvements. The kit tires lasted about 5 packs on my M05 before they were slicks.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by calcagno45

That plastic is much different for sure. Will be interesting to see if they roll it out on more models. The M07 is definitely on my list now.

A lot of people are saying it's on their list after seeing them. It's a cool car and a very fun build. This car is about as simplistic as it gets. As I stated, this is my first M-Chassis so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I'd recommend it.

Originally Posted by svt923

I really want a M07 to replace (or in addition to ) my M05. The M07 looks like it going to be much more stable and put the power to the ground better than the previous version.

Hopefully Tamiya threw some better tires in the box in addition to all the other improvements. The kit tires lasted about 5 packs on my M05 before they were slicks.

I can't comment on the handling of the previous generations, but this car handles very well. I'll have a better idea of how it compares to the previous iterations when I get in some parking lot racing with my friends.

The kit includes wheels, but not tires. The tires and body are up to you. I think they could have and should have included some kind of tire in the box, but oh well.

[JatoTheRipper]

While building the transmission I found the first thing I would consider a potential problem and a design flaw. They include adhesive foam to seal the gap between the motor plate and the transmission cover. This is to prevent any debris from getting into the transmission gears. I am not sure if any pebbles would bypass the motor plate if the foam wasn't installed in place, but I'm not taking any chances.



A more glaring issue and something I just can't get over is the fact that there is a gaping obround in the transmission cover which will be the bottom of the chassis once installed. I have read that it is to allow access to the set screw on the pinion gear. Tamiya includes aluminum tape to cover the hole. The manual states to only put the tape on the outside which is the bottom of the chassis. I knew this tape wouldn't last long as the chassis is bound to bottom out in my parking lot racing so I also installed tape on the inside as well. There has to be a better solution. I have ideas. More on this later.

Here you can see the obround/slot. The rectangular slots won't matter. They are on the motor side and allow some cooling to the motor.

[Shinchu]

rad. I am also considering an M chassis since they are more "in scale" to 1:10. I look at yokomo AE86 trueno body and its like bigger than a vaterra blazer lol
I need a RWD M, or maybe TT02 with YR's coming soon RWD coversion. OR? MST FXXD.

FWD could be fun with something like a civic body.

[JatoTheRipper]

Once I get really into a build I either forget to take photos or I'm too excited to get to the next step.

Here is the transmission closed, motor installed, steering, front suspension and drivetrain installed.



Here's the rear suspension. It's odd not having bones or CVDs in the rear! It really doesn't get much simpler than this.



Tires installed as soon as possible because, well, I'm an overgrown child! The kit does not include tires. It only includes wheels. These are not the kit wheels. I bought premounted Tamiya S-Grip tires.

[JatoTheRipper]

One thing I forgot to mention that seemed very un-Tamiya-like to me is that they require you to drill a hole in the rear hub for the grub screw that will hold the hinge pin in place. The hole is partially molded and it literally takes a second to drill through the very thin wall of plastic. It's just odd.



Another issue was that there was a lot of flashing down in the rearmost recesses on the chassis. These recesses hold nuts for the rear suspension mounts. The nuts would not lineup with the holes and that's when I realized the flashing was preventing them from seating in the holes. It took an X-Acto knife and some patience to clear it out. Again, this seemed very unlike Tamiya. A minor hiccup. I did not take photos of this.

Next up was my least favorite part of building - the shocks. They were very easy to build even for a shock building scrub like myself. I tried my hardest to get them all even using my RPM tool. I got two very close and then two others semi-close. By then I had run out of patience so I installed them on the chassis. Just like that we have a roller. All that's left are electronics and the body. Very fast, easy, and fun build.

Tamiya's love of ultra long steering links always cracks me up. I plan on buying the upgraded aluminum turnbuckle just so I can easily adjust the length of the rod and perfectly center the steering. With this threaded rod you have to pop the ball cup off each time you want to make an adjustment. It's less than ideal.

This car, thankfully, is designed to accept modern, rectangular LiPo batteries. Both sides of the battery tray are removable which is nice, but you have to remove two body clips for a battery change. I think one body clip and a hinged side piece would have been much better. Another minor complaint.

[CM9000]

to adjust the wb just flip the rear arms? im liking this kit myself.. but seeing as I haven't picked one up yet, I know ill like it. ill probably get 2 of them. Tamiya kits are fun to build, and hardly ever need a replacement part.

what body are you going to run? ABC hobbies or a Tamiya?

also.. I actually like that the battery "holder" slides down. don't even need to take the body off really. but I see your point on the hinged plate. would be nice, but the drop down style is new.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by CM9000

to adjust the wb just flip the rear arms? im liking this kit myself.. but seeing as I haven't picked one up yet, I know ill like it. ill probably get 2 of them. Tamiya kits are fun to build, and hardly ever need a replacement part.

what body are you going to run? ABC hobbies or a Tamiya?

also.. I actually like that the battery "holder" slides down. don't even need to take the body off really. but I see your point on the hinged plate. would be nice, but the drop down style is new.

Yes, the rear arms just have to be flipped to select the longer wheelbase. Tamiya did away with the 210mm wheelbase on the M-07 Concept. I'm not happy about that because there are a lot of awesome 210mm bodies, but you can't have everything.

Tamiya kits are the most fun to build for sure!

I will post pictures of the body soon.

That's a great point! I never thought about trying to remove the battery without taking the body off. Getting to the battery plug will be a hassle with the body on, but I will give it a try.

[CM9000]

keep the battery lead short batt side and long on the esc side. make it easy.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by CM9000

keep the battery lead short batt side and long on the esc side. make it easy.

Good point. I could do that, but I'm not going to cut battery leads when I use them in a lot of other RC's.

[JatoTheRipper]

I ordered a body from Europe. It'll probably take a month to get here and I can't wait that long to drive a new RC so I found this "gem". What is this ugly thing? A Honda SMX-Lowdown. A mini minivan sold in Japan. It's ugly, but still cool and unique enough that I like it. And, hey, it was relatively cheap at $25.

I like the old-school box. I'm not sure if this is yellow because it's NOS or because that's the way it's made. I'm thinking it's old NOS.

I decided to go with the awesome HobbyWing WP1080 brushed ESC. I use this in my scalers and I'm a huge proponent of it. This will be my first time trying it in a go-fast vehicle. I decided to use a Tamiya 27T silver can I had at home because my friends are also running silver cans in their minis.

The servo is a Turnigy 1251MG that I had lying around. I believe I used this in my B5M when I raced off-road. I thought it kicked the bucket during a wreck, but it still works. We'll give it a chance.

The radio will be my Airtronics (now Sanwa which I simply can't get used to) MT4.

[svt923]

Nothing beats a Tamiya body of a weird Japanese micro van.

[CM9000]

now that's a cool van. I might have seen one before during my travels but I was mostly trying to spot iron mask skylines.. im a geek sometimes when it comes to nice jap cars. not the plastic deformities we see today.

Tamiya will always be my favorite rc kit company. don't beat that body up too much.. to nice to ruin.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by svt923

Nothing beats a Tamiya body of a weird Japanese micro van.

Thanks! Great minds think alike!

Originally Posted by CM9000

now that's a cool van. I might have seen one before during my travels but I was mostly trying to spot iron mask skylines.. im a geek sometimes when it comes to nice jap cars. not the plastic deformities we see today.

Tamiya will always be my favorite rc kit company. don't beat that body up too much.. to nice to ruin.

I like old school Japanese cars. The 1993-2002 Toyota Supra and Datsun/Nissan 240Z/260Z/280Z are some of the all-time best looking cars IMHO.

Tamiy is my favorite RC company too. They are all about fun from the box to the build to the driving and that's the most important aspect of this hobby.

I can't promise not beating up the body. I'm a balls to the wall kind of driver! The bodies are still available for sale. If they were discontinued I'd treat it better.

[Mudflap84]

The Supra was a high revving,quick shifting,shit eating grin, go to favorite


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[calcagno45]

That van is legit! You need to find those matching wheels too.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by calcagno45

That van is legit! You need to find those matching wheels too.

Thanks! The wheels look too dated for my liking. And there's something about 3-spoke wheels that drive me nuts. They just don't look right at all to me.