RCPD 4WD Off-Road Buggy (TC3"O")

[BlueRacer]

*Picks jaw up off the floor*

Oh my my my... that's looks very sweet. Time to re-evaluate my budget. :D

[microrcdude]

now you know how i felt when i opened his E-mail he sent me lol

[DJ1978]

Thanks Microrcdude for posting the pics.

These are pics of our prototype car. Not sure when we can start producing it in volume. Soon I hope. We have one running and racing and it has been very sucessful. We have a couple more we are building and will begin intense testing in November.
We can build this car for you!!! This is an IRS Chassis, but any after market TC3 Carbon Fiber chassis can be converted. All you have to do buy a TC3 "O" V2 kit and provide me with a chassis of your choice and I will do the modifications necessary at a cost of $50 per chassis.
Thanks,
Dan
RC Product Designs.

[microrcdude]

Hey dan, your welcome. Any time you need pics posted just let me know.

[DJ1978]

We are working on the CAD files for the new chassis now. Should have production quality prototype up and running by the end of the month.
I will post pics then
Dan

[maxted]

very too long delay for parts ordering directly on your site web, one month........
order 20 september, we are 20 october........no parts

[DJ1978]

Maxted,
Sorry for the delay,
Please email me with the details and I will get it taken care of.
Thanks
Dan

[DJ1978]

maxted,
We just recieved your payment for the last part you ordered this week. We are shipping promptly.
Thanks for your patience.
Dan

[DJ1978]

We will be starting our indoor dirt season in one week. We will be putting the CF Chassis TC3 "O" Thru it is paces before finalizing the design.

Trying to decide on a name....

Any Suggestions?

Thanks
Dan

[RustlerBoy]

for your info guys, tehre is a TC3 O on ebay right now... buy it now for 230 i bleieve.... looks to be in good shape too...

[DJ1978]

We are recieving our first production versions of the new carbon fiber chassis this week. We will put them thru vigorous testing in then next month or so, make any necessary changes and then go to production.
I will keep you posted and post pics of my car as soon as I have it assembled.
Thanks for the interest and support.
Dan

[GT Freak]

can i take my tc3 and add some buggy rims :confused: to make a Awd truck for this winter??

[DJ1978]

The stock width of a TC3 is not wide enough to add buggy or truck wheels. The TC3 "O" V2 kit widens your TC3 to the width of a 4 wheeld drive buggy and extends the wheelbase.

[noony]

can i take my tc3 and add some buggy rims :confused: to make a Awd truck for this winter??
I have a tc3 truck that i may sell email me if you like r3nunez@aol.com

[microrcdude]

can i take my tc3 and add some buggy rims :confused: to make a Awd truck for this winter??
the best way to do it would just be to get the TC3 O kit

[autoxvw]

We are recieving our first production versions of the new carbon fiber chassis this week. We will put them thru vigorous testing in then next month or so, make any necessary changes and then go to production.
I will keep you posted and post pics of my car as soon as I have it assembled.
Thanks for the interest and support.
Dan

Dan,
Just checking to see how the testing of the CF chassis is going. Any update on when you will have it ready for all of us tc3ov2 owners? Still lovin the car by the way. I have run it every weekend since I put it together and still runnin strong. I have not broken aything yet. (knock on wood)
Thanks
Chris

[DJ1978]

Chris,
We have three of them running at our home track right now. One is the points leader in the 4 wheel open class. We have a couple of pre-production chassis's that are being assembled and tested. We already see a few changes we are going to make for the higher volume. Fit and finish is great and they look great. Now they just need a little fine tuning.
Thanks for the support and continued interest!
Dan

[Batfish]

Merry Christmas, Folks! :)

Carlos and/or Dan - I'd like to confirm that my emails have been getting through. I was hoping to have the kit ordered over a week ago :)
I know it's a crazy time of the year.

Thank you,

Joe

[Batfish]

Dan,

Thank you for getting back to me quickly after my previous post. My apologies for not posting sooner to say that you had replied.

My order was in with you guys on Christmas Eve and now I'm just watching the mail :)

Joe

[Batfish]

I got my TC3 "O" together and have had a couple occasions to practice. In my 3 packs of learning with the TC3 "O", I like it better than my XXX-4 or Academy SB Pro. It's very predictable on the track.
Dan and Carlos (RCProductDesigns guys) have been great for support as well. I've had a couple unfortunate issues with the buggy and Dan has really stepped up by helping me replace parts at no cost to me. Great support and service, guys!

Thank you!

[kartrun]

I'm with you Bat, Dan and Carlos are super guys and their support and service is top notch. Mix that in with a fantastic product that is designed and manufactured right here in the USA and you have the perfect solution to your "Do I get a this car or do I get that car?" problem. Seriously, RCPD is a top notch operation, It's the only 4wd I'll ever own. ;) Dan, here's a name for your V3.....how about "Whiplash"???? I think it's a perfect name, especially since it accelerates like a rocket. Let me know what you think!
Take Care

Brad D.

[DJ1978]

Brad,
Great idea for a name.. We have been throwing a couple around and have not come up with one yet!
Anyone else have ideas for a name for V3?
Dan

[kartrun]

Dan, Thanks. Did you get the last email I sent you? Just curious. Brad

[Batfish]

I've been driving the TC3 "O" for 3 weeks of club racing now and have broken just one part, the right front block carrier. Since it's a standard Associated part, I was able to have the local shop order it and I'll be back up and running next week :)

The buggy is driving great and I'm finally getting the hang of driving it, thankfully. It seems a little nose-heavy, but I've got that figured out now and haven't played "lawn dart" in two weeks :)
My fast laps are equal with the fastest guys in their BJ4 buggies, so I know it's just me driving inconsistently that's holding the car back. If I had more time to practice outside of race nights, everything would be just peachy. The only time I run the buggy is on race nights and I run two classes (4wd Mod and Stadium Truck Mod) so time is tight for practice.
I'm still looking forward to a CF chassis for it. Any word on that yet, Dan?

Thanks again for great service on a very good product! This is definitely the competitive race buggy you market it as :)

[DJ1978]

The CF Chassis is in th final stages of testing and development... We are going to make some changes to the production version in comparison to the ones we are running right now.
Hopefully late spring or early summer.... Nothing is written in stone... Our full time jobs and family obligations take first priority.

[kartrun]

Just wanted to take a minute to introduce myself as the newest member of the RCPD team! My name is Brad and I will be a factory pilot for the TC3-O and RCPD and will be powered by Team DVS modified motors and Fusion Batteries, all exclusively. If you have any questions about RCPD's products, setups,etc.,etc. please feel free to post them here as I will try to help you out in any way I can or find you the answers if they are out there. Anway, just wanted to take a second to introduce myself! You guys take care.

Brad

[Batfish]

I wanted to check back in and post how the TC3 "O" V2 has been going for me over the past month or so.
First off - I still love this buggy :)

Here's what I've broken so far (none of which has been a fault of the buggy):
Front arm - this happened this past Thursday night when I drove straight into a pipe connector with the right front wheel. It was very cold in the track area, and I'm sure it had something to do with the break.
Front C-Hub (steering block carrier) x2 - I broke the right one three weeks ago. I'm pretty sure the bottom screw backed out and the carrier broke on the next hit. I broke the left one this past Thursday when I took the sweeper turn at the end of the straight too sharply and ended up rolling/cartwheeling 3 or so times.

Here's how my buggy is set up:
TC3 FT hexes with Academy buggy wheels and Holeshot tires (front and rear). The tires either barely rub or barely miss the steering knuckle extensions with these wheels. I'm going to be trying a set of Tamiya 4wd wheels I have with some Academy Fusion tires and see how the clearance is with the steering knuckles.
B4 shocks (non-threaded) with about 1/4" preload both front and rear. 40wt in the front and 35wt in the rear (don't remember pistons). Silver truck springs in front and blue in the rear.
1degree of toe out in front.
I used the body posts from the front of the donor TC3 with a couple extra holes drilled for the rear of the body, then added velcro. The posts keep the body stable in a crash while the velcro holds it on. I don't use clips to hold the body on.
I keep the battery positioned to the rear of the chassis.
It has the TC3 one-way front differential.
For electronics, I use a Nomadio Sensor radio and transceiver, Novak GTB 5.5R brushless, and BlueBird 631MG servo. I have been using nimh batteries, but will be switching the buggy to lipo soon (I've been using lipo for about a year in most of my vehicles).

The buggy is a little nose-heavy, but I've gotten used to that and it isn't really a problem any more. I'm hoping the CF chassis will help balance it out there, too.

I really like this buggy better than either my XXX-4 or Academy SB Sport Pro Carbon, both of which I still have. I know part of it is that I always like driving something that others aren't driving, but I also know that it's a very capable and competitive buggy and it's a joy to drive around the track.

[DJ1978]

Thanks for the info. We appreciate it!!

[microrcdude]

dang nice write-up batfish! wait...name sounds firmilliar......

[Batfish]

Two weeks ago I tried Academy Fusion tires in the rear with holeshots up front and it was a different experience. The buggy gained incredible take-off and great forward bite, but lost a bit of side bite. It worked well while I was running a relatively loose rear diff. I swapped the diff out for a spare diff that was a bit tighter and had to go back to the holeshots in the rear as the Fusions lost almost all grip with a tighter diff.

I switched to the Tamiya 4wd buggy wheels (53086 and 53089) with holeshots last Thursday night and had to loosen the rear diff 1/4ish turn to reduce push. The front wheels have little nubs on the ribs inside that hit the arm, so I cut them back with my dremel and put a 1mm washer on the axle as a spacer. The Tamiya wheels are more narrow than the Academy wheels and have about a 1mm wider offset. They may be my choice of wheels now since I can make them fit pretty easily, not to mention they look different than what everyone else is running :) That's why I run the TC3 "O" to begin with - to be different! Tamiya will be coming out with other dish rims that use the standard 12mm hex soon, too. They may be another one to try.
I also upped the pinion to a 16t from a 15t and switched to my FMA/Kokam 2s 3200 lipo pack. The TC3 "O" sprouted wings :)

The next thing I'm going to try is the shocks from my "spare parts" Academy SB Pro buggy. They are very smooth shocks and they last quite a bit longer between rebuilds than the Associated B4 shocks I've been using. I just have to remove the ugly purple anodizing from the caps.

Dan - any news on the CF chassis? I'm itching for it bad...must...upgrade...TC3 "O"! :)
There still isn't a week that goes by when someone doesn't ask me what it is. I spend probably 15-30 minutes every Thursday night describing what the TC3 "O" is to somebody at the track, even though I've been running it since January :)

[DJ1978]

Batwing,
Thanks for the update!! We appreciate it. You are racing more than me right now... My racing is not existent at the moment. We are between seasons here in Michigan.
CF chassis is in final evaluation and some changes will be made to the design before final production. It will be a while yet.
Thanks again,
Dan

[Batfish]

Batwing,
Thanks for the update!! We appreciate it. You are racing more than me right now... My racing is not existent at the moment. We are between seasons here in Michigan.
CF chassis is in final evaluation and some changes will be made to the design before final production. It will be a while yet.
Thanks again,
Dan

Let me know if you want to unload a prototype - after all, you're not racing right now anyway. ;)

We race year-round on the indoor track every Thursday night. Sunday off-road is either indoor through the winter or outdoor during the warmer temperatures, depending on the weather. That means there's really no off-season here for me. :)

[gr1bb0]

Ok I love the idea of this car, but I have sold my TC3 recently :o . Do you think (with a little modification) the coversion will fit a team TC4( which i dont use so can be chopped up dremeled in anyway) Also may I ask what a splipper does?

[DJ1978]

gr1bb0
Components from the TC4 will work with the TC3 "O" V2 but not the chassis.
What you can use are the Gearboxes and diffs, center drive shaft, steering knuckles, all the bearings, I think the rear hubs and front hubs but not positive.

Slipper clutch is for adjusting the traction of the car. It is a tuning tool and helps absorb some of the impact on the drivetrain when coming off jumps.

[gr1bb0]

could I sand off the front of the chasis to make it flat or is it totally differnet?

[DJ1978]

Mounting for the A arm mounts has different hole locations. there is not enough room on the chassis to add the needed holes for the A Arm mounts.
If you picked up a TC3 chassis then you would need some additional parts to complete the conversion using the TC4 drivetrian components.
Look on our web site for list of parts you need.
www.rcproductdesigns.com

[Batfish]

The TC3 "O" ran well at the local trophy race yesterday - it's a shame the driver couldn't keep up :o

I got the purple anodizing off of the Academy shocks and mounted them a couple weeks ago. They are a marked improvement over the AE B4 non-threaded shocks.
I also switched the ESC/motor to the Novak SS5800 setup. While not as smooth or powerful as the GTB 5.5, it gets the job done.

I also learned that the wheels from the Kyosho Laser ZX-5 are a fit for the TC3 standard 12mm hexes. I have ordered a set of those and will report back on how they work out. They appear to have an offset of 1-2mm.

The car is still going great!

Dan - I'll probably be placing an order for a couple more front arms and a replacement body/wing. The lexan is VERY durable and the body shows literally zero signs of wear, but the wing on a 4wd buggy only lasts so long.

[Batfish]

With outdoor season starting (and my 1/8th buggy conversion nearly complete) it looks like I'll be putting the TC3 "O" into a temporary retirement. I could keep it going if I paid the $110 for another Nomadio Sensor transceiver kit, but I'm going to hold on to that money for the TC3 "O" CF chassis :)

Once the CF chassis is available, the TC3 "O" will come out of retirement for the next racing day! :)

Still looking forward to it, Dan!

[DJ1978]

Thanks for the support.
Things are slow right now for RCPD. Real life is getting in the way of development and the final design changes on the CF Chassis. We are working on them though!!
What is your 1/8th scale conversion???
Dan

[Batfish]

I've got an older OFNA Ultra MBX Pro that I'm making a new chassis for and will be running a Lehner brushless motor, BK controller, and 4s2p 6400 FMA lithium polymer batteries.
I'll be doing what I can to get it all together, sturdy, and balanced to compete with the local nitros.
Previous conversions include a Hyper 7, Associated MGT, and Traxxas Jato. This one should be the best so far.

As far as the CF chassis for the TC3 "O" goes, remember that I'm more than willing to further your testing on any prototype you have :)

[DJ1978]

check out the video at www.rcguru.proboards2.com under the Washtenaw post for videos of some electric 1/8th scale conversions.

[Batfish]

check out the video at www.rcguru.proboards2.com under the Washtenaw post for videos of some electric 1/8th scale conversions.

I couldn't find the video. Which post is it in? I tried the two that say there are videos, but they don't have valid links.

Joe

[gr1bb0]

Hows the CF chassis going? I want to use it in my conversion, but I am also swaying towards using a Bj4 chassis

[DJ1978]

gr1bb0-CF Chassis moving slowly at this time. Unfortunately, Life has gotten in the way of RC.
Thank you for the Interest in the TC3 "O".

[gr1bb0]

Its ok matey ;)

[Batfish]

I actually snapped a hinge pin last night - doh!

Dan - I put in an order for hinge pins and a new body. Hoping to have it back together for next Thursday night.
How are things going there for you guys?
I know it's almost an indefinite hold, but I'm still looking forward to a CF chassis :)

[DJ1978]

There have been changes at RC Product Designs.
Check out the revised web site!!! www.rcproductdesigns.com
New email address. New contact information.
RC Product Designs is now RC Product Designs LLC.
There is a discussion forum now available to to discuss your TC3 "O". Share your set ups and tell us all about your racing!!
If you own a TC3 "O". please log on the web site and email me to get on the new mailing list to get updated information on upgrades and more!!
Thanks
Dan

[DJ1978]

You can now find discounted Not quite right (NQR) parts listed for sale in the RCPD discussion forums in the swap and sell area. These are parts that are not quite up to my quality standards for a kit.. but would be usable for racing or bashing at a deeply discounted price.
Also look for TC3 "O" updates and set up information to be listed there and also on this site.
www.rcproductdesigns.com
in the forum section.
Thanks
Dan

[gr1bb0]

and news on the CF chassis?

[DJ1978]

I have placed an initial order for 20 TC3 "O" V3 chassis's. I will post when they arrive.
The chassis will be available as a stand alone for current TC3 "O" owners, as a kit for those who want to use their TC3 or TC4, or as a complete kit for the rolling chassis with a new TC3 Team kit included. The only thing you will need is Tires, Shock Oil and electronics.
Pricing is to be determined.
I have attached a pic of the prototype chassis. This one is made from a IRS chassis, The production one is almost identical, just a few dimensional changes and refinements. The V3 will use a TC4 motor mount. You can use drivetrain components from a TC4 to complete the kit.
I will be willing to take advanced orders. Email me at dan@rcproductdesigns.com to get your name on the list.
Thanks for the interest and support.
Dan

[welshy40]

DJ1978

Dan, I doubt youd remember me but i sent you a new gear box from a Lazer ZX to see if you could make any out of delrin. I never had a reply and was wondering what has happened to that gearbox, if you still have it or sent it on to my friend?

Anyway your design is still a stunner and am wondering if you are going to do the same for the new belt drive touring car the TC5? If you do I will buy the first kit.

[DJ1978]

No plans on doing the belt drive version. That was the reason I did the TC3 "O"... I personally have never cared for belt drive cars.

[Miedin]

How do you keep dirt from getting inside the transmission case? That is a problem I have with the TC3.

[DJ1978]

How do you keep dirt from getting inside the transmission case? That is a problem I have with the TC3.

Properly installed bearings with the outer seals still in place and a small film of grease or diff lube around the mating surfaces of the case do a great job of keeping out almost all debris.

[van1]

What is your most current kit for the TC3? The v3? I was looking on the website and I cant find it.

[van1]

So will I need a tc4 or a TC3.....for the newest conversion?

[jtom617]

So will I need a tc4 or a TC3.....for the newest conversion?

Bit late hopefully they helps others tho.

You can get a v3 roller from their website, roller = all you need is electronics =) (servo, motor +esc, rx/tx)

I personally own this buggy with a digital servo, mamba max 5700, and currently only 3300 6cell nimh, but it RIPS! great buggy, but make sure to stock up on extra parts, nevertheless, amazing. :wave: