Tamiya’s Unique And Super Fun Three Wheel Trikes

Paul Onorato June 30, 2024 Stories

ABOUT THE TAMIYA T3-01 CHASSIS

When you closely look at the Tamiya T3-01 chassis, you will see how unique and incredibly ingenious the design is. Tamiya used a very creative method that they devised to make the Dancing Rider and Dual Rider function. The chassis is made of two main sections, front and rear, which are connected with a metal swing shaft. In the front section, the RC gear and battery pack is housed while the rear is composed of a gearbox integrated with the rear axle and the included 370 brushed motor.

Tamiya’s Unique And Super Fun Three Wheel Trikes — Tamiya Dancing Rider chassis.

The larger front chassis section has a monocoque structural system which proves to be very strong. Located at the bottom of the chassis frame is the battery compartment. It is a compact space which makes sourcing a rechargeable battery pack a bit difficult. Some of the Tamiya T3-01 kits include a battery case that holds four AA alkaline batteries and can be used as an alternative power option. If you want to run the four AA battery case and your kit does not include it, Tamiya offers it as an option part: item #51610. In order to access the battery pack, there is a plastic post that is held with a body clip. Once you remove the body clip and slide out the plastic post, the bottom of the chassis frame pivots open and you can retrieve the battery.

Found at the rear of the front chassis frame is a deck that hangs over the rear section and is large enough to mount the receiver and speed control. Just ahead of the deck rests the steering servo which drops in from the top and sits vertically. It is directly under the head of the driver figure. The output shaft faces the rear of the trike and Tamiya provides a servo saver along with a wide servo horn to actuate the unique steering setup. Attached to the large servo horn is a support arm that is used as part of the self-righting feature for when the T3-01 falls onto one of its sides. Just turn the steering to one side or the other and the support arm will push against the ground to make the trike sit back in the upright position. Along the right side of the chassis is the steering link that runs from the servo horn down to the bottom of the chassis frame. There it connects to the gearbox and when input is given to the servo, the link causes the chassis to twist thus initiating a turn. It is a very cool arrangement, especially when you see the steering of the T3-01 in action.

At the front of the Tamiya T3-01 trikes is the functional front fork that is even equipped with a fender for realism. Inside of the fork are metal springs to provide some dampening and at the top of the fork is the steering spring. This spring keeps the front assembly centered and allows the fork to turn when the T3-01 leans and then it returns back to neutral when the bike is standing upright and moving forward.

Although it may not look like it, but there is also a suspension system in the rear that Tamiya specially developed. It is a mechanism that is quite uncommon in the RC world…a cam slide suspension setup as named by Tamiya. Inside of a large tube opening in the front of the gearbox is a spring loaded cam that dampens the up and down motion of the rear gearbox. It is even adjustable to make it softer or harder depending on the roughness of the surface you are running on or the type of handling you desire.

Along with the cam slide suspension in the gearbox is a planetary gear differential that allows the trike to corner smoothly. All of the gears in the transmission, along with the axles are supported by plastic bushings. Power is delivered out to the rear wheels with aluminum dog bone shafts that are glued to a plastic axle sections. The wheel hexes keys onto the plastic axle section and the wheel then slides onto the hex. Tamiya selected M-series rubber treaded tires for the rear wheels and a ribbed rubber front tire to wrap around the 5-spoke plastic wheel. These tires do not need to be glued onto the wheels and do not run an insert. For a touch a detail, Tamiya made a rear fender that attaches to the top of the gearbox.

Both the Tamiya Dancing Rider and the Tamiya Dual Rider come with a once-piece molded polycarbonate body. In order to make finishing the body a breeze, Tamiya provides window masks, covered the body in overspray film, created the holes on the sides of the body for precise mounting on the T3-01 chassis and a complete sticker sheet. You just need polycarbonate paint and ABS plastic paint to complete the driver figure. Located on either side of the chassis are plastic nerf bars used to protect the body when the trike leans too much and hits the ground. Each nerf bar is held in place with two body clips and this also secures the body in place.

If you want to add LEDs to the trikes, Tamiya provides and LED mount that screws onto the front fork. The LEDs are sold separately from Tamiya. If you decide to go this route, make sure you use the correct headlight stickers so that the LEDs shine through the body. Tamiya includes two headlight options on the sticker sheet, one that is opaque and one that is translucent.

If you are trying to decide between the Dancing Rider and the Dual Rider, there are only a couple differences. The most obvious are the two distinct body styles and the wheels. The Dancing Rider has white wheels with a slanted 5-spoke front wheel and multi-spoke at the rear. On the Dual Rider, Tamiya spec’d black molded wheels with a 5-spoke front and a 6-spoke rear. You will also find the Dancing Rider has a mix of gray and black chassis parts where the Dual Rider is all black. The last difference are the included driver figures with a Wild Willy driver in the Dancing Rider and the customizable Tamiya Multipurpose Driver Figure for the Dual Rider. This versatile figure gives you the option of two helmet types, attachable hands that rotate to fit a steering wheel and handlebar, and different sticker options.

TAMIYA T3-01 SPECS

Item: #57405 (Dancing Rider) / #57407 (Dual Rider)
Chassis designation: T3-01
Scale: 1/8
Construction type: Build-up kit
Length: 10.24 in. (260mm)
Width: 5.32 in. (135mm)
Height: 6.89 in. (175mm)
Wheelbase: 7.72 in. (196mm)
Chassis: Molded plastic monocoque style
Drivetrain: Rear wheel drive
Differential: Planetary differential gear
Bearings: Plastic bushings
Suspension (F/R): Telescopic front fork / rear cam slide suspension
Shocks: Friction type
Motor: 370 brushed type
Speed control: Not included
Body: Polycarbonate
Wheels: Molded plastic, multi-spoke
Tires: Soft rubber, ribbed fronts w/ treaded rears

REQUIRED TO COMPLETE

2-channel radio system
Steering servo
Speed Control
Battery pack
Battery charger
Polycarbonate & ABS Plastic Paint

If you don’t want to build your own Dancing Rider or Dual Rider, Tamiya does offer both in its Expert Built (XB) versions. They come out of the box fully assembled for you with even the bodies painted and include the radio system. All you need to get them running are batteries and a battery charger if using rechargeable batteries.

TAMIYA HOP UP OPTIONS FOR T3-01 CHASSIS

Following are just some of the numerous available Hop-Up Option parts available from Tamiya for the T3-01 trikes. We chose 10 Hop-Ups to check out.

T3-01 C Parts, Frame, Semi-Gloss Plated—#54822

Tamiya offers a few different color choices for chassis components and shown here are the semi-gloss chrome plated parts to replace the stock black and gray parts.

T3-01 Rear Wide Semi-Slick Tires—#54830

These wide semi-slick tires were made for the T3-01 platform and will offer more stability than the standard tires that come stock in the kits.

T3-01 Aluminum Servo Horn—#54858

The aluminum servo horn not only gives your T3-01 chassis steering linkage even more durability, it also allows the selection of a greater range of motion and provides smoother cornering.

T3-01 FRP Support Arms—#54859

This is a 2mm thick FRP support arm for the T3-01 chassis that will reinforce the chassis and gives the driver even greater controllability.

T3-01 Type 370 Sport-Tuned Motor—#54860

You can swap out the stock T3-01 motor in favor of this Sport-Tuned motor which will enhance the trike’s top speed and provide for more high speed thrills.

T3-01 Aluminum Front Fork Stabilizer—#54872

Replace the stock plastic front fender with these aluminum weights and aluminum stabilizer stay where the added weight provides more rigidity, increased front fork stability and offer more traction.

T3-01 Reinforced Differential Joint & Pinion Set—#54876

The carburized metal components in this Tamiya T3-01 Hop-Up Option set provides greater durability than kit-standard plastic parts. It provides the drivetrain more resistance to bumps and undulations, plus the ability to handle more powerful motor application setups.

T3-01 Aluminum Motor Mount—#54877

This precision aluminum motor mount can be used in place of the stock plastic T3-01 component and it yields exacting attachment and less motor strain thanks to the enhanced heat sink effect.

T3-01 Aluminum Bearing Holders—#54932

These are sturdy yet lightweight precision aluminum bearing holders, which when used in place of kit standard plastic parts will give you even greater control over your Tamiya trike.

T3-01 Rear Axle Weight Set—#54933

Use this rear axle weight set to beef up your T3-01 rear suspension, which will ensure the rear traction is improved and you have superb control over the model. The set includes two different types of weight.