I recently bought an Avante MK.II Black Special at Tamiya Underground to replace my beat-up (no pun there) Beat Magnum TRF. The TRF-Racer was initially my first choice as I loved the supercar look, but with advice from the promoter there I got the Avante instead.
After a bit of searching around the stacks of models I finally found the TRF-Racer. To my surprise there was only one set left, so I thought it was my lucky day
But I wasn't too sure if most of my parts would fit back in the new model, or else I would have brought another TZ chassis home
So I went to the counter and asked one of the guys there for assistance, which turned out to be david tamiya.
David was very nice, showing me examples of the MS chassis and offered to inspect my car, which was deemed not legal for official Tamiya competitions
It was clearly evident that the designers did their homework before releasing a new product. The side wings were omitted, something which I never made use of. Also, the new gear positioning meant that the gears would mesh properly without the engine assembly running out of position which would grind the teeth of the gears, a problem with all the Mini 4WD cars I had. With the 4WD system linked via the motor, this meant no more 4WD shafts jumping out of cars when it hits a wall. I'm definitely happy seeing this design fault rectified in the new chassis.
David later showed me how the 3-part chassis worked. The the front and rear attached snugly to the central chassis with no freeplay at all. The catches were firm and tight, but perhaps too tight as I had problems removing the front after assembly. Tamiya should have designed the chassis for both pieces to be removed via the bottom as in the rear as it was a huge chore to grip the body, tweeze the latch and pull upwards at the same time. Some model featured different parts as the TRF Racer used the N-01 and includes a polycarbonate body where as the Avante used the N-02 with the usual plastic. David claims the latter is a newer revision of the N-01, sporting a sturdier design.
The TRF-Racer had the 3.5:1 gears included in the kit which I initally wanted for the gear ratio. The Avante offered hollow shafts which I already bought and used in my previous car. I guess the gear set could be obtained somewhere else. Anyone willing to sell me one?
Convinced, I got the Avante which cost me RM50, an extra RM10 over the TRF-Racer, most likely due to it being limited edition. Thankfully most of my old parts could be reused onto the MS chassis, which I greatly appreciated (I didn't want to spend another wad of cash like I did with my old BM TRF).
Of course not everything was perfect with the MS chassis, as there were a few mistakes that shouldn't be there at all. The clips of the grilled holder which covers the engine bay is seriously too thin. I almost broke a side of it when I was removing it off from the frame. Why did Tamiya have to make that particular section thin as a toothpick, especially when it's a removable part?
The chassis is no doubt heavier than the previous predecessors, due to the extra rigidity which trades off for the extra durability. The wheel shafts has been positioned slightly higher, making small diameter wheel usage a bit of a problem. The battery compartment also intrudes the wheel space, which posed another problem as the tires would grind with the edge of the said compartment if the wheel shaft is too short. I wasn't aware of this till I switched on the car with specks of rubber flying at my face.
Now, some pictures of my car.
Yes, I am aware that the green extender doesn't match with the rest.
The spoiler couldn't go all the way in too.
Anyway, I'm trying to get some info from my motor which I threw its packaging a long time ago. The only thing that I remember that it was called Item No. 3 by Nine Products. On the motor body has a sticker which labels it 'Triple-layer, Special Rotor Motor." Wow, wordplay by Nine. Anyone seen them before?
And if anybody's willing to let go two pairs of 4cm screws, I'll buy them from you.
This post has been edited by colinwong89: Mar 28 2008, 04:56 PM 
Mar 26 2008, 11:34 PM
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look petty.... 
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