Review: Tamiya TA05 VDF Gold Edition Drift Car

Living in Southern California, you are exposed to quite an array of motorsporting events. Indy and GT-cars, short course, drag racing, motorcross and, of course, drifting. I’ve driven drifters before (well, SCALE ones!) and even built one for a project, but nothing prepared me for the uber-coolness that Tamiya’s Gold Edition VDF has. Carbon fiber and gold-anodized aluminum are everywhere in this kit, and its front-ish motor and twin belt design provide the optimum balance for drifting. While I’m sure I have the skill to drive the full size versions (uh, ya), I was pretty excited to get behind the wheel of this baby for some slide-time.

AT A GLANCE
WHO MAKES IT: Tamiya
WHO IT’S FOR: Intermediate to Advanced Drivers
HOW FAST: n/a
HOW MUCH: $440
BUILD TYPE: Kit

FACTS
-The first thing you’ll notice is the TVP-style chassis (TVP stand for Twin Vertical Plates). While not a common design for on-roaders, the off-road market has used this setup with great success. This design allows for a wide range of chassis setups and, since the VDF isn’t completely dependent on having a low CG, this design works out great for this car.

-You’ll also notice that most of the weight is up front. The motor is the further-most electronic part (and the heaviest), and then the servo, ESC and receiver. I chose the low-profile Futaba BLS551 for its speed but mainly to allow some breathing room on the chassis for the other components.

-Any 2S LiPo pack should fit in the battery area of the VDF. I chose MaxAmps new Hard Case 120C 5450mah LiPo for two reasons; it’s got plenty of power and runtime for my application and it comes in a killer orange flame hard case which, coincidentally, ties in with the gold anodizing. Take care of which pack you use, though, as the MaxAmps bulky 26mm height does interfere with Tamiya’s out-of-the-box rear belt tensioner setting. You will need to adjust this to fit any tall batteries.

-Drifters rely on tons of steering throw and Tamiya has addressed this with the VDF. Gold aluminum extenders mount to the stock steering knuckles to give the VDF maximum steering throw. This helps ‘catch’ the car during extreme sideways action.

-The VDF comes with a fully adjustable front and locked rear diff. The locked rear diff helps initiate the sideways motion. You can then adjust the front diff to suit your driving style.

-The gold anodized aluminum trim looks fantastic against the dark carbon fiber. Each part is extremely precise and there are no fitment issues. The VDF makes you feel like you are holding exactly what it is…a high-end, purpose built drift car.

ITEMS NEEDED
– Electronic Speed Control
– Brushless Motor
– Radio System
– Steering Servo
– LiPo Battery
– Drift Tires
– Drift Body
– LED Light Kit

ITEMS USED
+ LRP Ultimo Drift ESC — LRP80460
+ LRP X12 Vector 8.5T Brushless Motor — LRP50652
+ Futaba 4PKS radio — FUTK4901
+ Futaba BLS551 Low-Profile Servo — FUTM0564
+ MaxAmps 5450mAh 7.4V Hard Case LiPo Battery
+ Tamiya DriftSpec Pre-Mount Super Driftech Tires — 54021
+ Tamiya Nismo Coppermix Silvia Body — 51258
+ Tamiya LED Light Control Unit TLU-02 — 53937
+ Tamiya LED Light Unit TLU-01 — 53909

PROS
• High-end components, including the carbon fiber chassis plates
• Gold anodized aluminum looks absolutely BLING on this car!
• Tons of adjustment to get the VDF dialed in
• Ball diff up front, locked diff out back
• Kit setup provides extremely controlled drifts
• Plethora of tire, wheel and body options allow you to completely customize your VDF

CONS
• Rear belt occasionally slides off of the bearing-supported tensioners

ON THE TRACK
Since the Tamiya TA05 VDF is the king of drift cars (why else would there be all that gold), I decided to give it a double-dose of drift. The first run was at my secret test track; a large, flat parking area that has just a hint of dust. Powering up the VDF, I put her down and let ‘er rip! I’ve used the Tamiya Driftech Tires before and found they had really way too much traction, but with this car they seemed absolutely perfect! Drift control was amazing, and I was a hero at everything from large, fast sweeping slides to tight, constant circles. I really thought I had mastered the drift in a huge open space.

The second test was at Drift Jam at Cal Raceway. Every Wednesday night, Charlie Barnes opens his track to all the local drift guys that want to come out and have some fun. The track is tight and a bit technical, and will really test your car control. I set the car down again with the same setup I used at the test track and, to my surprise, the Driftechs worked awesome! In a straight line, the VDF had pretty decent acceleration. Initial turn-in was good and a quick flick of the steering and stab of the throttle and I was performing pro-style drifts through the sweeper. Control on the tight infield was excellent, and thanks to Tekin’s extremely smooth throttle software, easy modulation of the throttle had me powering through the hairpins like a seasoned veteran. I actually looked like I knew what I was doing! Since this was an evening adventure, I took full advantage of it and fired up my super-groovy drift-style flashy lights! With a flick of the switch, my VDF was rocking around the track with a full set of illuminators.

THE LAST WORD
Any kind of non-competitive RC event is always a blast, but to throw down a car and have it be super competitive in a class I don’t drive very much says quite a bit. The VDF is all business, and whether you get it for competition or not, you’ll want to gather the crew and show them how awesome your golden child really is.

LINKS
Tamiya, www.tamiyausa.com, (800) TAMIYA-A
LRP, distributed by Team Associated, www.teamassociated.com, (714) 850-9342
Futaba, www.futaba-rc.com, (217) 398-8970
MaxAmps, www.maxamps.com, (888) 654-4450