The Manta Ray bodyshell
The bodyshell arrived in very good condition. I only had to remove a few stickers, to clean it a little bit and to put it back onto the chassis:
Before
After
First runs with the Manta Ray
I ran the Manta Ray for the first time last summer at the club (it took me some time to write this article). Once arrived at the track:
Once this model is on the track, it looks nice and original. I admit you need to think it twice to see a Manta Ray... may be:
From the very beginning, the DF-01 chassis feels great to drive. The handling is very predictable, the dampers and the tires work extremely well despite the (reasonable) power supplied by the Sport Tuned motor. To be true, the DF-01 goes better than my Rising Storm that is about 15 years younger. The biggest difference between the two is the reliability, but as far as the handling is concerned, especially the suspension, I found the DF-01 is superior despite its age.
For a leisure usage, avoiding big jumps at full speed and other more or less acrobatic tricks, the DF-01 chassis still remains a serious pretender at the track. The handling is very predictable and the vast offering in spare parts allows you to seriously consider buying a second hand model and keep the budget low. In addition, it is always very enjoyable to disassemble and rebuild a pretty old model before getting it back to the track where the driver will have a great time driving it, as long as you keep cool with the trigger.
Among all my models, this Manta Ray now has a special place, right after the most vintage ones I can not run very often. With this model, I am not afraid to break a very rare and expensive part: I can drive it safely on a more regular basis and enjoy the feeling of a vintage model.
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