Duratrax Ultima Pro

[terry.sc]

Differences between white and black Ultima Pros

White Ultima Pro
Alloy chassis with saddle pack cutouts, full length grp top deck, original Ultima short suspension arms

Black Ultima Pro (also known as Pro XL)
13mm longer wheelbase carbon(supposedly) reinforced chassis with no battery cutouts, batteries located by holes on hold down plates. No top deck, small plate at rear to hold ESC, small plate at front to support steering assembly. Long arm suspension, makes the buggy wider with adjustable rear toe in.

To see the manuals they are here, they have just about every electric Kyosho buggy manual.
http://www.retromodelisme.com/liste_manuel.html

[Mr. ED]

So the Pro XL and Pro II are the same indeed.
They used some fiber reinforced plastic for that chassis is n't it?

I never saw the II mark on the boxes with the black body.
check this picture: no II or XL anywhere
http://www.darrynsretrorc.rtox.com/kyoshopics/ultimapro.htm

and the white one:
http://tamiyaclub.com/pictureframe.asp?t=n&id=img1532_23082005201625_2.jpg

both japanese boxes but note the proportions are different: the XL has a shorter box LOL

[Asso_man!]

I don't think you'll ever saw any mark on an Ultima's box, the real difference is inside the box

[Mr. ED]

confirmed:
the box and the inside for the black one.

http://tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=7118&id=761

on the same line: does anybody know the difference between the turbo and turbo II?
(my mind is indulging sweet knowledge)

[terry.sc]

There never was officially a Pro II or a Pro XL, Kyosho just called the second car just Ultima Pro, with a different model number. It's known as the Pro XL in Australia as the importers put an 'XL' sticker on the box, everywhere else it was just the black Ultima Pro

on the same line: does anybody know the difference between the turbo and turbo II?
(my mind is indulging sweet knowledge)

The Ultima Turbo was based on the original, used the Option House thick bronze anodised version of the aluminium channel chassis. Full length grp top deck, grp shock mounts and platinum shocks. Anti roll bars and ball diff. Ultima Pro body and chrome wheels. Standard rib front tyres with dirt spike rear tyres. Rear wing mounted by wire on posts mounted on top deck. Lemans 240ST motor included.

Ultima II Turbo has the long wheelbase kelron plastic chassis, grp shock mounts and top deck. Gold shocks and standard suspension. Anti roll bars and ball diff. Ultima Pro body but with the rear cut off. Green wheels with treaded front tyre and standard rears. Rear wing mounted on rear shock tower using plastic mounts similar to the Lazer ZX-R. Outlaw Stock Mega Motor included.

Next question?

[Mr. ED]

Terry, I am deeply impressed.
Which is the best version released for you?
I'd expect the black PRO, right?

My personal favourite is the Turbo Ultima: just love that chassis.
But it would 've been even cooler if they had made it with the black Pro's longer front and rear arms ...

Do you know if the Option House Equalizer Shocks ('platinum shocks') are good at all?
I have 2 pairs of Medium length, NI,P but am holding from using them as the only ones I saw before were bleeding all over.

For looks the sprint version rules offcourse!

[terry.sc]

The best version, for racing, is the black Ultima Pro, the only one with the long arm suspension. My personal favourite is the original Ultima, purely for looks. My runner certainly attracts the most attention especially when run alongside an HPI Baja 5B.

The platinum shocks with their adjustable damping are better, but they do need putting together properly as it is very easy to damage the seals.

They never took off as they had to be properly maintained to be leak free, but the biggest problem for them was that the bigger diameter meant they did not fit standard springs, like the Associated and Kyosho gold shocks. The gold shocks being much simpler were much more reliable, so were preferred by everyone.

[RichieRich]

Wow, nice discussion going here. Anyways, My Pro XL has an "XL" sticker on the box. Otherwise, it's all Ultima Pro. It is the best car for racing with the longer suspension arms. Also, you can use 48 pitch pinions which greatly enhances gear ratios. I also have the Turbo Ultima. I actually raced that much more than the Ultima Pro.

In regards to shocks, I really didn't care for the platinum shocks. They look cool and work well, but I got better consistency from the gold shocks. I also have a set of equalizer shocks. I have another thread on another forum asking about the equalizers and no has has responded. They look good but I can't find any information on their performance.

Don't get me started on those rediculous front wheels and that internal disc. EEK!

[Mr. ED]

Didn't all versions after the original series have these 48 DP spur and pinion? My white pro had it, not sure for the first turbo.

Yep the original body fits the narrow chassis concept much better, I agree on that. And it would fit the turbo chassis no prob too.

I wish I had one: it would accentuate the lengthwise mount of the battery I'm doing on my new project. Would look like a B5 even more
The butterfly was very nice also.

Now the extra length of the 'XL' has some things going for it also

CRP axles or modified monsterbeetle axles , drastic frontwheels, dropping in asso carriers and knuckles,... , many choices back then to use other front wheels. Especially to have more tire choices too. Option house spare tires were o so expensive (for my wallet in those days at least)

Edit: the platinum and equalizer shocks are not the same thing?

The 2 option house kits I have don't include springs and if standard springs don't fit I could try some old losis maybe, but I hate to open the package if I'm not sure I can use'm

[RichieRich]

The first turbo has the same gear set as the original ultima. I remember using other brands of wheel/tire combinations too since Option House was too expensive for me too.

Platinum and equalizer shocks are different. The platinum shocks have larger bores and thick shafts due to the adjustable dampening. It's hard to find replacement springs for the platinums since they are so large. The equalizer shocks are also silver in color but have the thickness of the gold shocks. They also have rubber seals at the end to block dirt and the newer Kyosho shock cap with the plastic top/metal ring. They may be teflon coated but I'm not sure.

[Mr. ED]

Did they ever release a car with these equalizer shocks?
They came in 3 sizes which suggest there would be at least 2 different cars they were intended to be used with. Any ideas which?

(Good to hear the standard sized springs will fit )

Anybody driven the new release by the way?

[terry.sc]

The Platinum shocks were from the mid 80's, used on the Ultima Turbo and Turbo Rocky and are a bigger diameter than all the others.

The Ultimate shocks came with a separate seal cartridge and are teflon coated bodies so the same colour as Associateds Factory Team shocks.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, things are a bit vague as recent Kyosho buggies haven't made it to the UK. The Equalizer shocks are similar to the Ultimate shocks, but are silver and don't have the teflon coating. They were used on later models, such as the Ultima RB Evolution and were an upgrade for the rest of the Ultima RB range.

The latest Kyosho shocks are known as Pro shocks and are fitted to the new Lazer ZX-5 and Ultima RB5, and are similar to the Equalizer design.

In the UK an RB5 has been reviewed by Jimmy at oOple.com http://www.oople.com/rc/photos/reviewrb5x/index.html and one of the UKs top racers is running it in the BRCA nationals as a long term test.

As for front wheels I ran RC10 wheels on mine, the Ultima bearings could be pressed into the RC10 wheels so they were a direct fit. My runner now uses HPIs front wheel adapters to fit nylon Dynamite copies of the Wild One front wheels.

[RichieRich]

So that's who makes those wheels! Dynamite?

Anyways, Kyosho did not release any cars with the equalizer shocks that I know of. They did release the Pro-X team version which has the ultimate shocks. Right, the equalizers come in short, medium and long lengths like the gold shocks. I have not driven the new RB5, though I have one on my birthday list. Hopefully, the wife notices.

As far as I know, the newer Ultima shocks were/are called TCP shocks. TCP=twin cap pro, I think. They look identical to the newer shocks on the RB5 save for the threaded bodies. The equalizers use a similar cap design but the bottom end is like the bottom end of the gold shocks (o-rings w/ metal clip) but with a rubber boot too. The TCP shocks have a bottom screw-in cartridge.

I've read the oOple review and it's very complete. All the pictures really help.

[Mr. ED]

I like the Sand Viper/Desert Gator shells that sounds like a good plan I will wait to here from you on the fit.
...
As this one is only to be a shelfer radio instalation is no real issue, I want some form or battery straps to finish it off, I will try and get hold of the ones you suggest.
Thanks.

My wife got a call from the shop; the desert gator shell arrived.
I was gonna pick it up today, walking home, but it's a long detour and it was raining...
Hopefully better weather tomorrow

Did you find some shumacher straps yet?
It 'll be hard to find something to fit the existing holes. Maybe you'd better get handy and build something thold a velcro strap.
Or just find out what duratrax proposed to use with its chassis

[Mr. ED]

... there must be a good 15mm extra on the wheel base with this chassis. I like the Sand Viper/Desert Gator shells that sounds like a good plan I will wait to here from you on the fit.
...

I picked it up, cut it to fit and goofed up the paint all in one afternoon.
Here is a picture of the fit and in this tread another one: http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?p=15212#15212

I would definitely recommend it, but be aware the 2 mount holes are pre-drilled and so is the antenna hole.
The Desert Gator has about 10mm left in front and 3 in the back if you don't follow the original trimlines.
It is lower than the original body.
(The dampers and shock stay in the rear are shorter than the PRO's.)
Edit: forgot to attach the pic, corrected.

From a quick glance in the box I think the Sand Viper body is not so well suited for your longer wheelbase: because of the way its nose is formed in the mould. It is a bit higher and more reminiscent of the original ultima body though, so you may want to compare them closer before you decide.