Most
of my Tamiya collection consists of vintage re-releases or models of
historical significance. This is certainly neither of those, so
why did I buy it? I was mostly drawn by the appearance. I
particularly hate the new style "cab forward" buggy bodies and much
prefer the old classic shape, although neither can be considered scale
since they don't exist in the real world. The Neo Fighter
represents something else entirely: a long, sleek missile of a
shape. I also figured it would be a good opportunity to see how a
"modern" Tamiya 2WD chassis compares with all the classics.The DT-03 chassis (Dirt 2WD) is fairly recent, dating back only to 2014 and this body style represents the original release. If we don't count custom colored versions, then there would only be one other, the 58628 Racing Fighter from 2016 which actually looks a bit like a real sandrail style buggy. The DT pedigree goes back to the DT-01 from 1996 which, in turn, gets its DNA from the Grasshopper. The other strand of DNA comes from the historical "fighter" designation which includes others such as the 58071 Sonic Fighter, the 58184 Fighter Buggy, the 58275 Mad Fighter, the 58416 Rising Fighter, and several others. These are all 2WD entry level buggies. This particular incarnation has four wheel independent double wishbone suspension and came with CVA oil dampers.
Despite the simple assembly and inexpensive price, this thing is an absolute blast to drive. It is very stable and planted, handles bumps and jumps well, and is clearly capable of handling a lot more power than the stock motor can provide. I really have no complaints nor can I think of anything I would change at this price point. I'm quite surprised we don't have more DT-03 based models to choose from. It may be just that 4WD is a lot more popular now.
Update: This model came with some optional stickers to decorate it like a Frog. I didn't have a Frog at the time and I liked the light blue livery so I went with that. However, later when I actually got a Frog and saw how similarly the bodies were shaped, it seemed pretty clear that I needed to convert this to a Neo Frog. I painstakingly stripped the blue paint and applied pink while also changing over the stickers.
Update: This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire. It has not been replaced.
 Page 1: Assembly |
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 Page 3: Final Photos |