ORIGINAL: djnelsen
Well, if the chassis breaks, it breaks... it was definitely going to break again in the same way, so if it breaks somewhere else, same result... a broken chassis is a broken chass: scrap plastic. Regardless of where it breaks.
Here's how I figure it: the more points you can make share the load, the less force each point sees. Having the hingepins supported by the chassis adds two extra points.
Having the forks pass into the spur case doesn't mean that the spur case is taking all the load. The hingepin supports are still taking some load, as are the closed ends of the fork.
I gotta shiny nickel that says something else breaks before the chassis does. And that's just fine with me. Replacing the chassis is a massive rebuild. Replacing shock towers or suspension arms isn't.
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My vote would be front shock tower
Rears built more sturdy
And the front sheering off I doubt would happen(unless it gets run over by a car) the front and rear are very well secured, and the points this passees through actually bear no load as of current seeing its just to enclose the sides of the chassis.
It was just the way the pin holds it in isn't the best. All the HPI's I own use a 3mm piece of aluminum between those points to prevent the issue. Due to how tamiya designed the DF-02 that really isn't an option without some decent mods(which involve a longer pin to be made either way, and if I remember right making a plate to cover the bottom).