This is the first touring car I ever built. I acquired it as an impulse buy at my local hobby store because it was so cheap and I didn't have any open projects at the time. I didn't really know what to expect, but wasn't expecting much based on the low price. I was very pleasantly surprised with the performance, and especially the appearance. This thing is gorgeous.
The TT series are Tamiya's entry level touring car chassis. The TT-01 was produced from 2003-2012, with the TT-02 being introduced in 2013. The very first model was the 58560 Ferrari 458, and this chassis went on to be used for dozens more models becoming the most commonly used touring car chassis type. The Acura NSX that I bought came out in 2016. This is a one piece bathtub style chassis with shaft drive and four wheel double wishbone independent suspension. Out of the box it uses plastic CVA shocks and a "torque tuned" motor. The difference between this and a standard silver can is 25 turns versus 27 turns which makes it a bit faster. For just over $100, it actually came with both the motor and ESC!
The real star of the show is the beautifully sculpted body. With 100+ stickers to install, it really has a lot of detail including faux carbon fiber and headlight lenses which sit behind the polycarbonate body shell.
As my first touring car, I was amazed at how much differently it handled compared to a truck. Only later did I realize how simple it was compared with more advanced touring cars. The stock motor is plenty, but the box stock steering is pretty bad with a lot of slop which makes it difficult to go straight. I actually tried a brushless motor but found it to be too much for the capabilities of the chassis so I reverted. In a moment of weakness I made a huge number of aluminum upgrades to this one which you can read about below.
Update: This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire. It has not been replaced.
 Page 1: Stock Assembly |
 Page 2: Upgrades! |
 Page 3: Final Photos |