So I’ve been spending some time with a couple of older Tamiya chassis—the TA02 and the DF01—and as someone still learning the ropes of RC racing, I’ve got to say they’re pretty cool to mess with.
The TA02 is basically a touring car chassis, but what makes it neat is that it feels solid and balanced even though it’s from the 90s. Mine came with a body that looks like a classic rally car, and with its shaft-driven 4WD setup, it actually grips way better than I expected. The thing that stood out to me is how easy it is to work on. Like, I don’t have a huge bench of tools or hop-ups, but swapping in ball bearings and adjusting the shocks was straightforward. When I drive it, it doesn’t feel twitchy—it’s more forgiving, which is nice when you’re still trying to drive clean lines without smashing into every curb.
The DF01 is kind of the TA02’s off-road cousin, and honestly, I think it’s a blast. It uses a similar drivetrain, but the longer suspension arms and buggy-style setup make it feel totally different. Mine’s not super hopped-up, but even with just basic oil shocks it soaks up bumps on dirt and gravel better than I expected. It’s not a modern race buggy by any stretch, but for learning throttle control on loose surfaces, it’s perfect. It teaches you how to keep momentum and pick smoother lines rather than just pinning the trigger.
What’s kind of fun about both is that they share a lot of DNA—you can see how Tamiya basically adapted one platform for both on-road and off-road. For someone like me who’s still figuring out what kind of RC driving I like most, that’s awesome. The TA02 makes me feel like I’m practicing touring car skills, while the DF01 lets me throw up some dust and practice car control when things get slippery.
Neither one is crazy fast out of the box compared to newer stuff, but that actually makes them beginner-friendly. They’re tough enough to take a few hits, and when I break something, parts are still easy to find online because they were so popular back in the day. Plus, there’s a big community of people who’ve run these for years, so you’re never short on advice or hop-up ideas.
If you’re new like me and you want a classic RC chassis that’s easy to wrench on and gives you two totally different driving styles, the TA02 and DF01 are great little time machines to cut your teeth on.
Book updated Apr 2025.
Tamiya TA02 & DF01 Chassis RC Cars Practical Upgrade & Maintenance for Beginners has been developed from the ground up for beginners who are new to Tamiya TA02 & DF01 cars (onroad, truck, rally and buggy). It gives an introduction to their architectures. The primary goal is to explain various RC technical concepts and essential DIY upgrade & maintenance techniques in very simple language. Modern features such as 2.4G radio, Lipo batteries and brushless systems are covered in addition to the more traditional RC terminologies, techniques and technologies. We believe that this book and its support materials have everything you need for an informative, interesting, challenging and entertaining RC experience with cars based on these chassises.