Review: Tamiya TA-06 Pro

The touring car market is one of the most expensive segments in our industry. Ruled by anodized aluminum, carbon fiber and titanium, these components make for a fast, agile and lightweight vehicle. While this is certainly a plus for performance, the downside is the expense at which the end user must fork out for a top-of-the-line car. Tamiya thinks, however, that there is another option; a budget-priced TC that uses inexpensive plastic in place of all of the high-end components. The result is the TA06 Pro. This TC is certainly a step away from the typical touring car design but has itself set on capturing the podium at a very reasonable price.

AT A GLANCE
WHO MAKES IT: Tamiya
WHO IT’S FOR: Everyone
HOW MUCH: $330
BUILD TYPE: Kit

FACTS
– At first glance, your eyes will shoot straight to the unorthodox front shock system. Known as the IFS front end (or Inboard Front Suspension), this type of shock mount has been used by Tamiya for quite a while now. Its design works well, and allows the use of some pretty low-profile bodies.

– The drive train is bit odd, too. A three-gear, rear-mounted transmission powers the rear wheels. Running along the right side of the chassis, a low-friction drive belt connects to a layshaft that Is just above the steering system. This layshaft turns another belt that connects to the front differential. While there appears to be a lot of shafts, belts and gears, the drivetrain is incredibly smooth and quiet, and doesn’t seem to rob much power from the car.

– Yet another odd TA06 Pro tidbit is the battery compartment. This compartment is molded right into the chassis. To access it, simply flip the TA06 Pro over, remove 4 screws and the battery and battery plate drop free. Reverse this process to install a new pack.

– A trick little gear cover is attached to the rear transmission that covers both the spur and pinion. While not something that is especially needed, it is good to see Tamiya concerned about their customers safety.

– The TA06 Pro should accept most 1/10th scale servos. To mount them, a molded servo tray is included and hangs off the side of the chassis. It’s a firm mount so there shouldn’t be any problems with it getting snapped off in a crash.

– Tamiya includes their oh-so-fabulous TRF threaded shocks with the TA06 Pro. Easy to build and smooth as silk, my face forms a smile each time I get to mount these to a vehicle.

ITEMS NEEDED
– Electronic Speed Control
– Brushless Motor
– Steering Servo
– Battery Pack
– Wheels and Tires
– Body

ITEMS USED
+ Tekin RS ESC
+ Tekin Redline 17.5 Motor
+ Savox SC1251-MG Low Profile Servo
+ Peak 5000 45C LiPo Battery Pack
+ Tamiya Type B3 Tires
+ Tamiya Honda HSV Body

PROS
• Tamiya threaded shocks are among the best in the industry
• Can be built with either stand up or lay down shock setup
• Lightweight, aluminum turnbuckles and ball ends
• Motor mounted near the rear of the car for better rear traction
• Uses some suspension parts from the TA05 (great if you own a TA05)
• Durable, fluid-filled gear differentials front and rear
• Spur and pinion gears are easy to replace
• Can use low-slung, aerodynamic bodies if using the IFS front end

CONS
• Battery compartment is pretty cool, but having to remove four screws to get the battery out, not so much
• Electronics hang off the chassis just a tad

ON THE TRACK
STEERING – Neutral
One word…surprised. With all the weight near the back of the car, I really expected it to push around the track. The steering was crisp and predictable, and felt like it carved hard going into corners. Exiting a corner was a little lazy, but that could be fixed with a little tuning. The Savox servo helps keep the weight towards the center of the chassis and is plenty fast for the TA06 Pro.

ACCELERATION – Excellent
For a car with multiple belts and driveshafts, the TA06 Pro felt really good under acceleration. There wasn’t any hint of side-stepping when you mashed the throttle, and the low friction belts are just that…low friction. They don’t seem to rob the TA06 Pro of any of the horsepower the Tekin system provides.

BRAKING – Excellent
Tekin’s excellent RS ESC is as good as they come, and has excellent power and braking qualities. Pair that up with some grippy tires and a 4WD system and you have the makings of a braking beast. Bringing the TA06 Pro to a stop is as easy as mashing the throttle, except in reverse. As long as I hit my braking marker the TA06 Pro would wind down perfectly each time with no brake fade whatsoever. Good to know you can avoid a crash if you’re in a panic braking situation.

SUSPENSION – Excellent
The TA06 Pro’s suspension is smooth as butter and has plenty of adjustment to fine tune your ride to almost any track conditions. Caster, camber, toe and Ackermann are all adjustable, as well as the IFS front suspension system. Reversible front and rear suspension arms allow you to adjust the lower shock mount in finer increments. Even the arm mounts are replaceable with Tamiya’s TRF line of aluminum units.

DURABILITY – Excellent
One thing that I’m pretty good at is driving a nice, smooth line around the track. That being said, this sometimes doesn’t allow me much opportunity to test out the durability of our test vehicles. And, since the killer Gulf body turned out awesome, I wasn’t about to jump the TA06 Pro into a wall to see what I could break. So, I borrowed a body from my buddy Charlie and proceeded to jump a few islands and ‘graze’ the outside retaining wall. The TA06 Pro faired just fine, but it pained me a bit ‘trying’ to actually break a car.

THE LAST WORD
Tamiya has a good thing with the TA06 Pro. Even though some of its design puts it in the ‘RC Oddities’ category, the low price and exceptional handling make it a viable choice for someone starting out or looking for a second TC to race with. Heck, it’s even a great choice for a spec class!

If you’re interested in how this vehicle goes together, I have a complete build elsewhere on this site (http://www.competitionx.com/rc-support/onroad-vehicles/tamiya-ta06-pro-build/). Check it out and don’t forget to stop by and say hi!

LINKS
Tamiya, www.tamiyausa.com, (800) TAMIYA-A
Savox, www.savoxusa.com, (855) 76SAVOX
Tekin, www.teamtekin.com, (208) 634-5559
Peak (distributed by Kyosho America), www.kyoshoamerica.com, (949) 454-8854