The TA02FF, more commonly known as the FF, is a direct development , by Tamiya, from the original TA02 4WD chassis. In fact, it was released before the first TA02, the Alfa Romeo 155 V6ti(58128), if we refer to the model numbers. The first FF car, the Idemitsu Mugen Civic (58121) could be released before the Alfa, but I cannot confirm this.

The FF, out of the box, has understeer - lots of it. This is due to the then-unique Front Motor, Front Driven setup. Such cars, even in real life, then to understeer, all else equal. The car is remarkably easy to drive, suitable for beginners and experts alike, and is quick. The only reason I did not choose the FF as my first car was because of it's low ground clearance, and that it was 2WD. In my opinion, the 2WD is the FF's only performance handicap that cannot be easily eradicated. On take-off from a standing start or coming out of a tight hairpin turn, the FF is prone to wheelspin. This is impressive to bystanders, but in fact wastes tire rubber, and battery power. However, the speed of the FF more than makes up for this flaw, as it is slightly faster than a similar motor-ed TA02.

Driving notes: I have not driven an FF with this setup for any sufficient length of time to form my own opinions, but I shall convey what the owner of this car thinks of it. For a car with a standard S148 servo, this FF is very responsive to driver input (too much so in my opinion). However the owner likes the way he can flick the car around (he uses a box radio). His favourite trick is to dive down inside other 4WD cars in hairpin turns. The FF in this setup can get its tail around quite quickly, but it appears the car cannot carve nice long sweepers easily, but this could be his driving style. In addition, the rear tires of the car seem to "tuck" under the car and cause tire srub. This could also be the cause of the inability to take sweepers. He drives around the track "point-to-point", ie, he does not take the fastest line, but the most direct line through the corners.

Please email me if you have any suggestions, questions, hate mail etc.