Tamiya T3-01 and why its great!
One of the kits that I always come back to is the Tamiya T3-01. I reviewed the Dancing rider and loved it back in April 2018. To me this is...
Let me explain. When you look at the general RC scene, it is quite stale in many ways. There are many classes of car, TC, Buggy, Truggy, Scaler, Basher etc. Every year you see the the next iteration of these chassis, they are faster, lighter, stronger or have moved a component. Whilst there is a fascination with this progress (I appreciate marginal gains as much as the next person). Very rarely do you see things that are completely new.
The T3-01 was one of these moments. Tamiya created something that was neither a bike or a car but something in between. It was quirky, a fascinating build, and most importantly it was great fun to actually run.
To drive one of these chassis is an experience like no other. I've driven RC cars for decades, I've also raced Rc bikes but this was something different. It combined the nuanced cornering you get with two wheels alongside some of the stability you would expect with a touring car.
As you would expect they are a buzz to race against each other, the speed is quite immaterial, although with the Tamiya sports tuned motor they do really come alive, throw in a cheap brushless and they are really one of the most thrilling things you can drive around a track.
Unfortunately there isn't many places where I can race them locally, but thanks to a few people also buying into them I have managed to having several exciting head to heads or slightly larger carpark races. Watching the large race events elsewhere in the world makes me a little jealous.
This year of lockdown has also ensured that the T3-01 chassis has had some action. The ability to turn on a dime has made this three wheel wonder a great indoor racer. Racing duals with my son as we race around the house are always fun, and the fact that we don't need any marshals as the bike can right itself if it falls over is just something we factor into the racing.
So after a couple of years of running, I thought I would treat myself to a new shell in my racing colours. I really love the bodyshell designs of Takayuki Yamazki (PDC Design works), so I thought I would treat myself to the Dual Rider bodyshell. The racer in me hunted down the lightweight version from Japan (Tamiya Part no 54911). The subsequent paintjob by my buddy Jay was brilliant and had made made me look forward to racing it even more.
So why do I love the Tamiya T3-01 so much? Well as someone that has spent my entire life in design I love how Tamiya took the bold step to make something new in the marketplace. It takes vision, commitment and passion to deliver anything like this. It's much easier to not take risks and refine and update, so to put your neck on the line and develop something that is genuinely new commands a lot of respect. The fact that its not just innovative but also fun to build and great to drive just endears it to me even more. Do yourself a favour and give one a go.
