Tamiya in RC i think still see more manufacturer credibility and kudos on the TRF tourers than off-road. They seem to release a new tourer or update them every 6 months or so whether they need to or not, where in off road we wait years before a new TRF buggy release or even basic platform upgrades - like the 502 updates.
Its a shame tbh, 20 years ago they had a very strong UK off-road team that made the Tamiyas into competitive race machines. Now we just have Lee Martin as the UK's sole TRF factory driver. But of course the UK Tamiya Distributor back then was more inclined to support Tamiya racing buggies and their drivers - i cant ever see the Hobby Company doing the same now and helping the brand by part-sponsoring a couple of extra TRF drivers... I sometimes think the Hobby Co. would rather the TRF buggy brand in the UK didnt exist at all, and I always have this sneaking feeling they are part of the reason why we dont have any other UK Team TRF buggy drivers... or maybe thats me just being paranoid ??
There have been rumours of a mid TRF 2wd for ages now, i have a feeling one, or a conversion kit, will turn up sooner or later. Maybe before the start of the season next year ? Maybe even a decent truck conversion too...
For 4wd, i dont think there will be one for a while. The 501x/511 is still up there with the best in the world, and the 502 isnt far behind now. I think they will release another 511 batch sooner or later, even if it has been 'updated' slightly as has already been suggested. I cant see the DB02 ever being released as a TRF version....
Hey ho, ill probably be proved wrong on every count and Lee will win the next Worlds with a TRF'd DB02
