Fastest Laps - Tamiya Thunder Dragon and Plasma Edge II
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- čas přidán 4. 07. 2022
- The latest runs for the leaderboard challenge to see how the cars in the collection do. Taking 10 laps without any practice with the cars and will take the fastest lap and the average of the 10 laps and place them on the leaderboard where they fall. In this one we take out the Arrma Granite 550 (the official pace car of the TaterDome Raceway), the Tamiya Plasma Edge II and the Tamiya Thunder Dragon. Let’s see how they do!!!
In all races the granite will get run prior to the others to loosen up the track to make sure all the cars are running on basically the same surface. We Have already posted the Granite’s fast lap on the leaderboard so that won’t change.
You guys are all awesome and I appreciate all the great comments and questions from everyone. Really enjoying talking to you all in the comments section.
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Plasma Edge II looking good! It’s one of my favorites especially for how well it runs at the low cost.
I was not terribly impressed with the way it drove just bashing it around in the yard but on the track it really came alive and just does everything you want it to. Once I figured out how to hit the jump well it really did good. I think I can safely say it is my new favorite track buggy!!!
I love this track you really did a great job
Thanks! It's getting better with more runs on it (and maintenance) helping smooth it out! It is much easier to not have to pack things up to drive somewhere for sure!
Cool! nice to see the plasma rip!
I was kind of surprised the dragon didn't do so hot but it was a real monster to try and keep under control! Better tires and maybe a lighter spring rate may help it out to roll a little more instead of flipping so easily.
Good run Addam ! Thought it would be a tighter race ! This was fun to watch. My fake $ was on the Plasma Edge! Awesome fun brother!🏁🏎💨
Thanks! I was not terribly impressed with the plasma edge when I drove it around in the yard, it was fun but not great. On the track it may be my new favorite buggy! It just goes! Very stable, very predictable and not over powered. The dragon was not as stable, nothing close to predictable and possibly overpowered for the tires on it. It was nice to be surprised like that honestly, it just goes to show how the right surface can make or break a cars performance!
Nice installment Addam! That tt02b was really impressive!👍😊
I was pleasantly surprised by it. It had not been one I drove very often as it doesn't do super great just bashing around in the yard but on the track a while different machine!!
Cute doggy, made an appearance in the video.
The TT-02B really impressed! I didn't like mine to begin with but I have to say it does drive well, and you proved it on the track today!
Yeah, I agree, the tyres on that Dragon worked against it. I guess your track is quite technical/difficult since the grip is so different in sections, but that's just something you need to learn, same for all cars.
I really enjoy this series, and I like that more CZcamsrs are doing them, I saw that Haydad started his also. I did an attempt last year, was good fun, but I doubt I'll be joining the fun this year.
Yeah, the TT02B really isn't impressive out in the grass but on the track it is a whole different beast! That low CG and wide stance makes it super stable. Some grippier tires for the dragon would have helped a lot I think. The run videos are kinda fun but are a lot of work to record and edit but as long as everyone is enjoying them it is worth it!!!
Enjoyed that Addam. If you put some thicker oil in the front shock and take all the shock collars out that adjust ride height that will make the thunder dragon go round the track better, you should be able to get that going round as good as the plasma edge. :)
Yeah, the high CG is killing on the areas where it is getting traction. I had a heck of a time slowing it down enough to not roll on the inside corner. I just ordered a few sets of tires to try as well. I hope with lowering it down and some better grip it can get around a bit faster. It works great in the grass but no time trials in the grass yet! I do have to say I am very happy with the Plasma Edge, might be my new favorite track car!! Thanks for the tips and we will see what it does once the new shoes get here!
Hi Addam, a fantastic track running of both Tamiya’s and I certainly saw the consistency of the TT-02B. Certainly shows that the performance of these great cars is situation specific. Hurray to the TT-02B underdog ! Great series. Looking forward to the next head to head. Take care and best wishes to you and the family 😊😉😊
Thanks, it certainly is interesting the difference from yard bashing to track driving these two buggies. Worlds different driving from both of them in different environments. I do think I found me new favorite track buggy though!!
I agree that the low center of gravity on the Plasma Edge 2 was a huge help!
No surprise on that chassis. I have the Mustang GT, and it's surprisingly easy to drive.
It really does run very flat a predictable, it is a real pleasure versus the heavy body leaning other models I typically drive! I am looking forward to getting one of the BR models to see if all the upgrade parts it comes with are worth the extra money or is it mostly eye candy!
Here we are now we speak a new language with 4WD it's an other thing! Ciao Addam
It really is a whole different ball game with 4wd! The plasma edge is really my new favorite track buggy after that! It just went wherever I asked it to and that makes track driving so much easier and fun!!!
They look like great fun out on that track Addam, glad you are enjoying them
It was fun and surprising! I had not expected those results. I assumed the dragon was going to be faster but it was a real struggle to get it to do anything well. I think a really loose and soft surface it would have done much better but the harder surfaces it was just impossible to keep it going where I wanted it to!! In the grass they are complete opposites!
Great shoot out! Life keeps getting in the way of my RCing... I think you've inspired me to find a place to make a track. Thanks!
It is hard at times to find the time and the motivation to get out there and do things, believe me I know the pain. I think we all get the lack of mojo and are too busy at times to really be able to enjoy it as much as we should. Maybe focusing on the track part will give you something different to focus on and when you are done you may have the time to get out and rip on it!! I want to do work on mine but this heat and humidity here is not what I want to be out working in. Did that far too often in my younger years!!!
nice collection, great analysis, both great cars
Thank you! I appreciate you stopping by and checking it out!!
Awesome run! This just proves how good the TT02B chassis really is.😊👍 The thunder dragon was really struggling with traction and it’s taller cg made it’s handling unpredictable. This shootout really shows how much improvements have been made to Tamiya’s entry level 4wd buggies.👏
On the track they are much different than bashing around in the yard. They are totally opposite in the yard, the plasma struggles and the dragon rocks! I do think I found my new favorite track buggy though! The TT02B just runs so well out there!
@@AddamsPlayground I’m enjoying my Thundershot as a beach and garden basher right now. Have yet to see how it performs at a track.👍😊
I enjoyed the video. When they're sitting on the bench their stance tells you the Plasma Edge II will be the better car on the track. Someone else mentioned the Thunder Dragon looked better on the turf section of the track. It's tires worked better there.
It was either no traction or way too much traction with the dragon! It did not want to hook up on the dirt and on the carpet it had so much it wanted to roll over unless I almost came to a stop before the corner. The high CG and the not so perfect tires were a lot of it. I think with better tires and possibly removing all the preload spacers it may help the dragon. I will be trying to get some different tires for the dragon and and trying it again. I think it has a ton more potential in it, just needs some tweaks!
Hey Addam, great runs. The TT02B is a beast on the track. Mine was so good and easy to drive on the Orchard Raceway too. I think on our backyard tracks it is king! I am surprised by the Thunder Dragon but you could see how it would bite on the centre turn. Those tyres don’t do any favours on the dirt. I think that TT02B will take some beating to be honest! 🔥
Yeah the dragon had either no traction or way too much. The plasma edge just went! It didn't seem to care on carpet or dirt it just went for it and I only had to let off throttle some instead of completely like with the dragon. It is interesting to see how much different they behave on the track vs just bashing around in the yard!
@@AddamsPlayground that is the joy of the track buddy! Great content as always 👍🏻🙌🏻
Nice upload friend
Thanks for sharing
Thanks, glad you liked it. Thanks for checking in!!
First of all...Excellent drive'n Bro. You can definitely see the difference in handling. Very interesting vid. I'm gonna go back and watch the first one. don't know how I missed it. Always a pleasure Brother. Right On 👊
Thanks Kevin! The Plasma Edge buggy was a joy to drive and made my driving look good! The Thunder Dragon was a handful and it was making me look like I had never driven an RC before! I had to post the string of laps it made here as they were the only ones that I wasn't flipping it over or resetting back on the track 3 times every lap!! I just ordered some new tires and will do some suspension tuning to try and get it to go around in a reasonable time as I was very disappointed in it. In the grass it runs like a champion!! I appreciate ya checking them out and checking in!
Fun stuff. We need a proper track.
You do but this time of the year it is not the best weather to be running a shovel!!! It's a lot of work but a lot of fun too so it balances out!
Wow, I don't know what to think Addam. I guess the tires played a key roll in this video. Down sloping Elf Mountain seems to be the way to go also. Both buggies have a place, as you said, in grass the TD did better and on the track the PE2 did better. All in all, it gives someone something to think about when trying to figure out what to buy and where they run. Awesome video and can't wait to see if you take out the Kyosho buggies.
Yeah, totally different on track vs in the yard for sure. In the yard the TD was way more fun and the PE2 was kind of lame. The right surface makes a ton of difference! I think the Tomahawk will get out there, not sure if I want to beat up the Turbo Scorpion though. Who knows, they may both go out...
Hello from southeast alaska I hope you are having fun bro
Hey there! I am, this was a fun one to do and surprised by the results! Thanks for checking in!!
Interesting stuff, interested to see what the Thunder Dragon will do with some changes. Good luck 👍🏼
Yeah, it definitely needs better tires for track days!! I think the sway bar helps in the dirt but hurts on the carpet so that one is interesting... Do you suffer one slow carpet turn or possibly lose some in all the dirt turns?? Not sure, it may help all the way around possibly. I'll have to find out eventually!!
Great run Addam! The Thunder Dragon seemed to struggle a bit but the Plasma Edge performed exellent! 🙂👍🇸🇪🇺🇸
Yeah, that higher CG and the lack of traction really slowed the dragon down. I think so different tires and possibly removing the sway bar may help. Tires for sure!
cool rc's and lap runs,awesome video,have a great weekend brother
Thanks brother! Have yourself a great weekend as well!
@@AddamsPlayground thank you
Maybe the thunder dragon is a bit top heavy? The plasma is so much more stable. It’s really quite cool to see the differences in car performance on your track.
I actually checked the weight of them out of curiosity and they were very equally matched in weight but the dragon does carry it all a good bit higher. The tries had a good deal to do with it as well. The sway bar on the dragon may have made it tippier on the carpet section to as I really had to go slow around that inner corner to keep it from flipping (it flipped almost every lap for the first 10 laps until I got the speed down low enough though there!). On the grass both are completely opposite, the plasma is slow to turn and just doesn't feel good. The dragon goes like mad out there in the grass! I will try and get some better tires and disconnect the sway bar for the dragon and see if it can pick up the pace!!
Nice comparison. I was able to move my shocks to the inner most holds and got my ground clearance to 2 hands thick with 335 mm tires compared to the stock which I believe are 320. Much better on the grass.
Thanks! Out of the box the Thundershot chassis cars have it beat but on the track they are pretty even. The TT02B actually is less tippy on the track so it may have a slight advantage there. Both are great and the lower price and more parts support would be a big seller for the TT02B!
Another great video Adam👍glad I'm in the middle of building a plasma edge 2 for my 2nd car now 🙂 I nearly went with nostalgia and was looking at dragon's and shots as well at the time but the plasma was more budget friendly and obviously a lot newer design so went with that. Be interested to see what the neo fighter buggy goes round in ( my first build) as that seems to handle my little track pretty well
I have not gotten the Neo Fighter back out there yet but it does fairly well, not as fast as the plasma but handles it rather well. I am going to stick a tiny bit of weight in the front end to try and get it turning a bit better and will get it back out on the track soon. It is a really great buggy for the price, you get a lot with it!
Should do a 1995 ford f 150 race truck. Against the remake one with blue plastic underneath
Lovin this series. Thunder Dragon take a lot of finesse with the throttle i find or its too twitchy
On the dirt yes 100% agree. In the grass it does so much better. Going from the dirt to the carpet inner turn was also super sketchy, I almost had to stop to make the turn. I need to recalibrate the ESC as I was having issues with it going into reverse. There were a lot of laps where there was additional time spent just trying to get it to go into reverse... I know reverse is not race approved but neither is my driving skill 😂😂
@@AddamsPlayground I hope thats the only issue
Can't wait for the Clod!
I will take the clod out there and see how fast/slow it is around the track... that might not be a full 10 laps though... not sure if it will be interesting enough to watch all that!! I am putting the junker body on it though, not risking the pretty black edition body set!
@@AddamsPlayground deal! - just want to see 1 lap of that legend bouncing around! :D
@@AddamsPlayground perhaps the clod can be the pace car for a high-ranking pair?!
@@DudesRC I can run it against the Ground Pounder. They are close to the same size. Maybe do 3 with the SMT10 in there as well although that is a lot of truck to be hauling out to the race track!!
@@AddamsPlayground yes!!!
ชอบทั้งสองคัน มันเจ๋งทั้งคู่
ขอขอบคุณ! Plasma Edge ทำให้ฉันประหลาดใจมากว่ามันขับไปรอบ ๆ แทร็กได้ดีเพียงใด ขอบคุณสำหรับการตรวจสอบ!
I see what you mean with the Thunder Dragon, it was super squirrely. When you got a clean lap it was really quick though but definitely not consistent.
I just ordered some new tires and when they show up I will see how it changes. With some tires and suspension tuning I think it can make much better laps! The plasma edge did really well and may become my new go-to buggy for the track!
TT-02B lower center of gravity seemed to pay off!! I really want one now!
Yes! It drove very flat and handled great on the track. In the grass it does not do so great but on dirt it works way better! It is one of my favorites on the track now!
It's definitely a Track Buggy! I've got lots of hard packed dirt here. 😊
That was quite the opposite result I had in mind! That Plasma Edge was amazing. After watching this video, I'm thinking I need a TT02 B platform rig at this point! 😃
When I first got it I wasn't terribly impressed with it. Just driving it around in the grass doesn't let it shine. Out on the dirt and carpet it just took off and was super predictable and consistent! For track fun it is a real winner and probably my new favorite track buggy! Time to stock up on parts!!
@@AddamsPlayground
No doubt! I wonder if it would do ok on my "track area" which is nowhere near as amazing as yours. It has definitely piqued my interest!
@@redbeardrc1452 I think it would do great out there. about the only thing you are missing is the piping to give it the look of a pro rc track but the surface you have it would do fine one. Maybe a little drifty when it is hard packed but a few laps in it should finds it grip. Ad I like you track with all the pipes on it. Serves better as a fun track and way less expensive!!! That pipe has gotten pricey!
@@AddamsPlayground
Yeah, I left it without pipes to be able to run "unrestricted" for bashing purposes, as well as just running laps. I really appreciate the conversation brother. I know you're a busy man, so the fact that you're willing to chat with me is really cool of you. 👊🏻👊🏻
@@redbeardrc1452 always! I try my best for sure. There is always something to do and stuff waiting but I enjoy chatting with everyone in the comments. Keeping up with all the videos can be the harder part!! Never seems to be enough time for that but I do my best there as well. I gave up on TV years ago so pretty much all I watch is CZcams now!
Quiet astonishing that the Dragon caused so many issues. I hadn't expect it to be faster than the Plasma, but more constamd in drive. Do you another run with the Dragon after doing some changes?
I just ordered some tires for it to give it another chance. I hope they work well and improve it's track capabilities! I think lowering the suspension some or disconnecting the front sway bar will be things I try as well after the tires to see what works the best. I was kind of shocked it had such a hard time out there but it was a real struggle to get it to go remotely where I wanted it to go... I will give it another go once I try some new tires on it.
@@AddamsPlayground great. I'll watch it for sure😉
Just watched this. The Thunder Dragon loked like it was driving like a 2wd. 4wd you should be able to drive on power through a turn to steer it. The TD was just tasil happy like the front end wasn't driving at all.
It is probably part my driving style (poor usually) and the tires on the TD. Those wide spaced cone spikes grip well on the grass but tend to no do as well on the dirt, especially the hard pack stuff.
i do own both of them. something about the thunder dragon doesn't perform that great. i usually run mine on grass so i ended up mounting monster wheels and tires on plasma edge 2 and 108mm tires on the thunder dragon. both are running with 3660 brushless motors.
In stock setup the plasma edge was kind of lacking just running around in the yard where the dragon handled better and seemed to do better. On the track a completely different story! The high CG and not so grippy tires hurt the dragon on the track. It was hard as on the dirt it got no traction and on the turf it got way too much. The Plasma Edge just went and didn't seem to care! It was fun seeing how different they handled it!
اجمل لايك وتعليق
Thanks and thank you for watching and for checking in!
It must be tough to be consistent when switching vehicles. Though...the Thunder Dragon does look like a handful! Like you said, you may need to do some tweaks and have a second go with it.
It is a little wonky going from one car to another but it makes it honest. Normally it isn't too difficult but going from the super stable TT02B to the dragon was a more significant jump than I imagined! In the grass they are polar opposites! The dragon runs rings around the plasma in the grass. I think that is why I found it so shocking as this was the first time on the track with either and I expected similar results of running them on the grass and that was not the case at all!!
@@AddamsPlayground for sure the Dragon has the clearance and right tires for grass and clumpy dirt. Flat track...not so much! 😋 I can see the dragon being really "steery" (twitchy) just from its geometry.
I am still super jealous of your track... I'd fly down and steal it in the middle of the night but I don't think the track would fit in the overhead storage.
@@canuckchuck8836 nope, a little bulky even for checked baggage!!!
Hello friend, how are you? I saw your review and I'm thinking of buying this plasma edge ii (my idea is to drive it at 25-30 mph, max) do you think I can clear the gears and diffs quickly? Are there metal engraving updates? (differential, spur gear) Regards
Thanks for stopping by and checking it out. The TT02 chassis (the regular one and the B) have a tone of upgrade options out there. Pretty much everything on the car has an upgrade part and they do have some nicer oil filled diffs for it for better tuning. I have not looked into metal gear diffs before but I am sure someone has made them. The speed you are looking to achieve is not crazy fast and the stock diffs should be able to handle that. Upgrades I would suggest are the metal center drive shaft and drive cups for that, the metal cvd drive shafts and out drives, the aluminum motor mount and high speed gear set. I think this all the it should be more than tough enough and fast enough. But there are a ton more things you can get for it as well but those few things will make it hold up tot he faster speeds longer. Have fun with it!!
Keep mentioning my name I need more exposure.lol
I think the thunder dragon needs different tyres
I did later put on some different wheels and tires on it and it did much better with more traction. The stock tires are not good on hard packed dirt. Either need loose dirt or grass for them to grip well.
I'm loving this leader board series👌, great video Addam.
Go the TT02B 🍻😁🦘🇦🇺
It was surprisingly a little ripper on the track. Definitely moved to the top of my fun track cars!!! I was very pleased with how predictable and consistent it was, that is not something I can normally associate with my driving!!!
@@AddamsPlayground
I was surprised also, I've heard they don't have enough ground clearance but you showed that on the right surface they work well, I guess "horses for courses" thanks again for your video's Addam, looking forward to seeing more mate👍