I know what you mean. I love that one too, and almost bought it instead of the NSX.
If you want a nice RTR, look at Kyosho Fazers. They aren't priced bad at all. That Merc will be my next road car.
Yeah right? It is a wear area. I thought that was pretty ridiculous too. The fact that the entire car is held together with Phillips screws is another big minus for me also. This was my first Tamiya build, and the other one is still in the box. I doubt we will be building it any time soon.
Here is a quick demo of the steering issues.
If Tamiya option parts weren't so ridiculously overpriced for these TT-02's, it would be a fun car to build stock, and slowly upgrade. But you would want to start with the front end upgrades first.
I have two TT02's, and after pouring a bunch of money into one of them, I am simply not impressed, in fact, pretty disappointed. If it were me, I would probably be looking elsewhere. Maybe a Kyosho Fazer chassis would be better?
The reason I don't like the TT02 is the steering and front A-arms...