Some questions about Mini-Z's

[SkylineLvr]

I'm new to the rc mod scene and currently only have a couple of Xmods which I have been modding out. They are fun and inexpensive to upgrade, but I am wanting something a little more hobby grade. I've heard a little about Mini-Z's and am interested in getting one sometime this year.

My questions are:

In your opinions, which Mini-Z do you like better and why? (MA-10 AWD, MR-010, MR-015, or MR-02)

What are the differences in them?

I am partial to awd cars, but are they better then the rw cars? I know they handle better, but is it a huge difference?

Sorry if these questions are dumb, but I am new to modding and would like to get some good info before I start spending a good amount of money. I wanna get a good idea from experienced modders (especially one's that own Mini-Z's) before I dive head first into a Mini-Z that I might not fully enjoy.

Thanks for your time.

[TripleXmodder(akaXXX)]

Not dumb at all. I would definately get an AWD if you like to play around and race for fun. The rearwheel drive is not as easy to control if your not an experience driver. I have 6 Mini-Z, all are rear wheel drive But I desperately want an AWD to play with. The MR02 is the best for racing as far as What the AM team says and uses.

[zippo855]

like xxx said, most pro racers use rwd, and a lot of people use the ma010 for drifting, but some do for racing too. i own a mr-01, but parts can be hard to come by. your best best would be a ma-010 from the sounds of what you like. the mr-02 and ma-010 have the best part availability. so its kind of what you want. and you can get asc bodies, or bodies from older mini zs and they will work on the different chassis.

[2wdpancar]

You have to have a perfect surface to run on... or you can't drive them. You would need a homemade rcp track with foam tiles or find a race club near you..

Get a 2wd car for starters... there's a lot less maintenance (more moving parts, more work involved) and are pretty competitive box stock, much like the ma010. I would drive ti stock first then upgrade from there... on what you feel you need. The last thing you want is a ma010 for starters because the fact that you might feel very frustrated after trying to work on it. 2wd cars can be built for around $70.00 stock, but there are some nice readysets that run for $170.00 (body, chassis, transmitter)

[TripleXmodder(akaXXX)]

if your inexperienced then you should not start w/ 2wd. You'll just get frustrated and won't have fun with it. If your trying to get good at comp racing then get the 2wd.

[color0]

I'm with BLT on the RWD vs. AWD point.

I've owned an MR01, three MR02's and 2 MA010's (the AWD's) and to be honest, the MA010 chassis is a royal PITA if you're inexperienced with car maintenance. Dust and grime work their way into the chassis, which being "sealed", means that every so often you'll have to undergo the trouble of completely stripping down the chassis for a cleanout. Unfortunately, Kyosho's chassis design involves a lot of clips in strange places, which means it takes a REALLY long time to put the MA010 chassis all back together when you're done. It's actually harder to clean out the MA010 then a Gen 1 or Evo Xmod...

The MR02 is the single most versatile 1/28 with a little bit of setup knowledge, it can be run on prepared surfaces, concrete, carpet, asphalt... all you need is a good ball differential and a set of foam rear tires.

Whether the MA010 handles better than the MR02 or not is all down to how good you are at setting up a real race car. AWD + kingpin suspension design = really bouncy rear end, which makes many of the MA010's I've driven (borrowed from others or tested others' cars) rather twitchy. MR02's have various damping systems available for the rear end which makes most of them much more stable and driveable than MA010's.


The AWD's do drift well though, no doubt about that.


If you are NOT into racing at all, you might consider an MR015. It's a higher chassis, but you can fit nearly any body shell you like on that chassis. I rather like the new Nissan R35 GT-R that Kyosho just released, it pwns the Xmod version by a couple orders of magnitude... :)

[SkylineLvr]

Thanks for the input guys. Still undecided which one I want to go for. I'm leaning toward the MA-010, but am also interested in the MR-02. I really like drifting, and I enjoy racing (even though I mainly just race around the house by myself). It's still gonna be a while before I get one, so I'll just keep searching for more info.

I like the new MA-010 pearl white GT-R that came out. I'll probably end up getting that one, then hit up Atomic Mods for some upgrades.

[FinalGear]

SkylineLvr...

:lol: There is a lot of love & hate between Xmods Vs Mini-Z

Just as long as your local hobby store carry supporting parts and stuff for a Mini-Z, your good to go. Parts for the Mini-Z can become...:eyecraz: ...if your looking for local, instead of on-line....

[SkylineLvr]

Well guys, I just purchased my first Mini-Z. She is a beautiful new Pearl White MA-010 Skyline GT-R R35 off of Atomic Mods (A little pricey, but had to get it). I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. I also got the 3Racing AWD-40/WO Mini-Z AWD Graphite Front & Rear Gear Box (I'm thinking I'm gonna go carbon fiber w/ this one) and the light kit (I know lights don't give any performance boost, but I like how they look).

Do they have any carbon fiber chassis or aluminum? If not, I'll probably just get the clear black skeleton chassis. I've seen them on ebay. AM has the blue one, but I just don't think it would match the carbon fiber look I'm going for. I'll be getting some lithium-ion cells for it once I find some.

Besides the obvious upgrades (bearing, motor, battery), what should I be seriously looking for? I'm new to Mini-Z's and want to know what I need to really boost performance.

[himynamebebrian]

Post Pics! pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[SkylineLvr]

I will once I get it. Should be here hopefully by Saturday. AtomicMods usually has very fast shipping. I will include a link to one that someone is selling:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nissan-GT-R-White-Kyosho-Mini-Z-AWD-Readyset-30572W_W0QQitemZ200307747394QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRad io_Control_Vehicles?hash=item200307747394&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

[Skv012a]

Comes with smoky chassis. Get the gray and blue one because its much more durable. Good choice of the platform dude, fits all the fun bodies out there.

Get some drift slicks and all-offset kit to have some spare rims. Then I'd say get locked diffs or lock your stock ones for better drifting control.

If you want to start racing it, the MUST parts would be PN driveshafts (ver2, II, etc), 3racing Ball diffs, and prolly 3racing metal knuckles to smooth the suspension travel. Reflex racing has all/most of these parts, so give them a try. I'd also get a set of springs if you have another 5-8$. Lastly some lead tape (for weighing golf clubs or whatever) to balance the car due to battery compartment being on 1 side of it.

[Action B]

I would not add weight to your car. The cheapest way to go fast in my opinion is the following parts.

2 atomic 20 degree tires for rear - $4
2 atomic 30 degree tirest for front -$4
New body - I suggest Ferrari Enzo - $30
multi offset wheel set - at least +3.5 in front, +3 in rear -$20
98mm extension from 3racing - $10
lay down crystal adapter - $5
3 racing 1 degree knuckles for front -$8
3 racing 2 degree knuckles for rear - $8
avid bearings- $12
HFAY motor by PN - $8

This is the setup I ran for the last HFAY season, I was around 20th place out of around 80 or so people. This provides excellent stability especially for a beginner.

Check out the HFAY website too! http://hfay.tinyrc.com/

[SkylineLvr]

I don't really want to spend money on a new body. The reason I bought the new MA-010 is because I wanted the Skyline GTR. Eventually I will buy some other bodies since they have so many nice one's. I think my first upgrade is gonna be ceramic bearings. I know they are really expensive, but I want bearings that will last a long time. Then I will probably get some chassis and suspension parts. I will be getting a new motor, but not sure if I want to go with stacked fet's or a V2 board

[Spoon_Tuner]

Ceramic bearings for a first upgrade! Your Baller status has increased by 80%

Excellent...

That was the first thing I put on my MA010 and that was two years ago and I still have them and their like glass. Now that you have them, no other upgrade will seem like its expensive because you bought the most expensive one. You are a Baller, welcome. Its hard being a Balller

If you have a newer MA010. The clear grey chassis's are a little bit better then what they used to be. If you treat it just right and not crash you'll be alright. Everyone whines about the stock chassis but I think most of those people are crashing too much and over tighten their screws. But if you do go with the blue/grey thats cool too.

Keep us posted.

Make you a thread too. Would really like to see the GT-R!

[Action B]

I don't really want to spend money on a new body. The reason I bought the new MA-010 is because I wanted the Skyline GTR. Eventually I will buy some other bodies since they have so many nice one's. I think my first upgrade is gonna be ceramic bearings. I know they are really expensive, but I want bearings that will last a long time. Then I will probably get some chassis and suspension parts. I will be getting a new motor, but not sure if I want to go with stacked fet's or a V2 board

To start, I misread. I actually don't know whether the GT-R is a good body to race or not. I was thinking skyline R32 or 34, which is not a good race body unless its the race version (motul pitwork or calsonic) You'll have to decide that.

Please don't waste your money on ceramics. See HERE (http://www.minizracer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30021&highlight=ceramic+bearings)

If you want to track race your car don't make it too fast. My lap times are often faster with weaker motors due to control.

[SkylineLvr]

I just read the thread and it seems like everyone was saying that ceramics are better

[Dr. Kustom]

Those ceramics bearings DOES make your car goes smoother...A LOT smoother.

[Action B]

I just read the thread and it seems like everyone was saying that ceramics are better

Christian Tabush is like the world champion of Z racing and says avid bearings perform just as well. they are 12 dollars.

I've got money saying you can't find a tangible difference between my car and my friends identical setup with ceramic bearings. There is better ways to spend your money trust me. I could drive my car around the track for 8 minutes, switch bearings and I'll bet the laptimes are exactly the same, actually I'm willing to give it a shot, I'll even do a blind test and run the car without knowing which is which.

[TripleXmodder(akaXXX)]

Well guys, I just purchased my first Mini-Z. She is a beautiful new Pearl White MA-010 Skyline GT-R R35 off of Atomic Mods (A little pricey, but had to get it). I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. I also got the 3Racing AWD-40/WO Mini-Z AWD Graphite Front & Rear Gear Box (I'm thinking I'm gonna go carbon fiber w/ this one) and the light kit (I know lights don't give any performance boost, but I like how they look).

Do they have any carbon fiber chassis or aluminum? If not, I'll probably just get the clear black skeleton chassis. I've seen them on ebay. AM has the blue one, but I just don't think it would match the carbon fiber look I'm going for. I'll be getting some lithium-ion cells for it once I find some.

Besides the obvious upgrades (bearing, motor, battery), what should I be seriously looking for? I'm new to Mini-Z's and want to know what I need to really boost performance.


Go to atomicmods.com and click on "atomicbuilt cars" from there look at the 2 different AWDs that they make (not the drift) in the descriptions they explain (in order of importance) what you need for performance.

[Action B]

Go to atomicmods.com and click on "atomicbuilt cars" from there look at the 2 different AWDs that they make (not the drift) in the descriptions they explain (in order of importance) what you need for performance.

Yeah, this is simple. They want your money. Trust me. Christian Tabush used to work for them and speaks of their "marketing". Those cars were ran by Christian Tabush, he is the one who drove them competitively. Why don't you ask him about it personally if you don't beleive me. His shop is www.reflexracing.net . Contact info is on the website. He has more setup ability than atomicmods will ever dream of having and has won championships to prove it. I have no reason to lie to you guys, I'm seriously just trying to save you a few bucks.

[SkylineLvr]

Thanks for the help. I do appreciate it. That is why I like to post my questions here, before I actually go and spend my money. I've heard from a lot of different people that the ceramic bearings last a lot longer. I wouldn't mind spending $60+ on a set if it will last longer then having to buy multiple sets of open bearings. I'm gonna research some more before I make my decision.

For now I'm just using 8 bearings out of my gen 1 Xmod (since the ep is fried). They fit perfectly on the inside and outside of the steering knuckles. Can already tell a difference in speed

[Action B]

For now I'm just using 8 bearings out of my gen 1 Xmod (since the ep is fried). They fit perfectly on the inside and outside of the steering knuckles. Can already tell a difference in speed

Those xmod bearings actually work pretty well. You'll see that a year from now they are still fine I'm sure. You might want to clean them out every couple of months. Its good to take apart your car like that anyhow to make sure that everything is still okay and to clean debris out from the different parts. My girlfriend has been running those xmod bearings in her car for about a year now and they still are rolling nicely. If you want to be cheap order two of the shaft bearings off of atomicmods website. They are 3 bucks a peice and then you got a full bearing kit. Christian Tabush might clean or replace his bearings more often than you because the guy is a proffessional racer. His car gets more track time in a month or two than most of ours will in a year.

I hope your enjoying your new Mini-Z :)

At first mine was harder to drive because it felt so touchy, I got used to it within a few days. These things are a blast!

For now I'm just using 8 bearings out of my gen 1 Xmod (since the ep is fried). They fit perfectly on the inside and outside of the steering knuckles. Can already tell a difference in speed

Whats wrong with you board? I do FETs a lot so if its that I can probably help you out.

I don't know how old your or, or if you can drive, but there are a lot of mini-z clubs around. I know at least one is in NC. We also have one up in VA beach. A club usually has a track and lap counter if you wanted to meet up with some other people and practice.

[SkylineLvr]

I had a couple boards that the fets fried on. Not sure what I did, but I think it was bad wiring and soldering. I'm gonna be getting a new ep soon. I'm 26, so yes I can drive. Haven't found any Z clubs near me, but I do know of a hobby shop nearby that has a track.