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Old 2020.12.06, 01:39 PM   #1
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Talking Mini-ZRacer.com Turns 20!!!

Believe it or not, Mini-ZRacer.com turns 20 years old today! That's a lot of years by any measure, but in Internet Years that's like being 200! When the site first started, it was just static content - the wonderful community we have now had yet to form - and archive.org only seems to go back to 2002, after things started to take off (Members: 408, Threads: 1,430, Posts: 11,269) but one of the things I remember most about the original content was this POV Skyline that I made - and now, 20 years later, everyone can buy their own POC RC for $100 thanks to Mario Kart Live (well, plus the cost of the Switch I suppose!)!

I completely forgot that we once had paid auction listings, where vendors could advertise their wares, and: look at this early club list! And who can forget these featured rides? The shop has come a long way since then, but I love the old, exhaustive parts database!

I would love to hear other people's memories of the site over the past 20 years! Thanks to everyone in our wonderful community, hopefully I'll post another message like this in 2040!
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Old 2020.12.06, 01:52 PM   #2
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Wow, hard to believe for sure Can't really explain in words how much this site has meant to me over the last 20 years and the sheer number of friends I've made along the way. I remember when my gallery only had a handful of albums

Before the fiasco that is 2020, Mini-Z has had a surprising renaissance with 3rd party players putting out some absolutely fantastic stuff. So much so that Mini-Z IMHO no longer really refers to 'Kyosho'. Dare I even say that it may leave Kyosho behind if they can't seem to get their alternate (open) radio systems squared away.

I think the site needs a revamp for the 20th year! Maybe something simple and change up the color scheme or options for light/dark.
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Old 2020.12.06, 06:51 PM   #3
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Thanks R! Great call RE revamp - I did almost mention that as I gazed at the 10y anniversary logo in the corner but... Tell you what though, we had dark mode decades before everyone else realized it was cool!
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Old 2020.12.06, 07:40 PM   #4
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Prior to COVID, 2020 was shaping up to be a year in which I had planned to travel to more events, mostly to hit some mid-west, west coat events to branch out more and meet up with people I rarely get to see on the east coast. I doubt that this will recover enough in 2021 to allow that to happen but one can dream a little. God knows I haven't been anywhere near Michigan in ages. I did holiday in Athens and Rome a couple years back but sadly was never able to connect that with any Mini-Z activities. Our next big family vacation was planned to be Japan so odds are much more favorable but unlikely to schedule out that for a couple years more unfortunately.
2019 saw my expansion into NJ, DE on a frequently and even NC. I'm hoping we can recover to a point that this can resume to some degree. I see maybe some activity growing again in Columbus OH. Still remember fondly the long drive out there to meet up with you at the Kyosho Mini-Z Cup all those years ago. Poor planning on my part made it a very rushed trip. I've since learned to slow the pace a bit to enjoy the experience more. Miss the MS MIX events too. Long after events are over, few remember the results but all remember the experience and have learned for me, that is the better value. I treasure the experiences more than trophies to be honest. I still like to ear trophies The experiences mean far more to me though. For example, the many times I traveled down south to stay with old man Mike and race with his group are priceless. The trinkets still rest on the shelf but the time spent with good people is irreplaceable. I hate to sound like an old man at this point but it's just something that social media can't replicate and can never replace.

For the Logo, just a quick edit to change to 20th I would imagine that's a rather simple fix vs. a theme change. VB needs a good update and could take that opportunity to simplify and update. Keep the OG dark mode look and maybe offer a light version. May be a good time to condense subforums as well. They were expanded during past growth spurts but feel they can now contract a bit.
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Old 2020.12.08, 01:15 PM   #5
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Happy Birthday! Thanks for being an invaluable resource. I came in through the TinyRC back door via Bit Charg and Microsizers, which evolved into xmods, and then Mini-Z. Was really into it 2004-2006, then had kids and put it away for 11 years. When I got it all back out again in 2017, I was so glad MZR was still here, and there isn't a week that goes by that I'm not grateful to be able to search up two decades of information.
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Old 2020.12.08, 06:28 PM   #6
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My story is exactly like Superfly. I came in by way of Bit Charg, Microsizers and xMods as well which didn't take long to lead to Mini-z. I guess that also shows the progression of popularity of those various platforms but glad to see Mini-z is still strong after 20 years.

Didn't join the forum until 2005 when I was completely addicted to this scale and this forum definitely didn't help. Fortunately, life intervened to get in the way of my habit. Getting hitched and having kids only slightly slowed down my collecting but did affect my racing quite a bit as it's a hard sell to "go racing" when there's a lot of little ones running around.

My active attention to mini-z comes and goes but it's still my favorite scale due to the collecting aspect. My collection is half what it was at peak as I've used it to fund other scales and hobbies but I don't think I'll ever shake it completely.

Was looking forward to getting back into things in this year as I had bought all new stuff and was about to get some readysets for the kids but looks like we're all waiting for a safe return to normalcy.

Immense thanks to Arch2b for being a consistent fixture of this site as well as the regional club i used to frequent. Thanks also to the rest of the community here for sharing their knowledge and always being helpful.
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Old 2020.12.08, 10:06 PM   #7
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Old 2021.01.23, 07:55 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arch2b View Post
I think the site needs a revamp for the 20th year! Maybe something simple and change up the color scheme or options for light/dark.
Alain made a 20th Anniversary graphic, I just need to find a moment to swap it in! Been working 8:xx AM to 10:xx PM for ... many months so those moments are quite rare at present. I hear you on the upgrade/themes, but just want to note that we had "dark mode" way way way way way before it was "cool"!
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Old 2021.01.26, 10:15 AM   #9
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Happy 20th!! I appreciate this site still being online and the wealth of knowledge contained here. I too started with Xmods and Microsizers/Zip Zaps and have kept pretty active with 1/28 scale ever since. This site has definitely helped fuel that addiction. Keep up the good work!
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Old 2023.06.11, 07:44 AM   #10
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I was the first member on here, after Mini-Z and his test account.
I still vaguely remember the original low tech forum, before this one.

I started mini-z in '99-2000 when I was looking for small RC cars to setup a small track to drive via camera via the internet.... it was not entirely possible back then.. so I never did it. Now people do similar things all the time, and even drive them around their town via camera.

I started off selling magnets on here, which grew to spare parts acquired from Tower Hobbies scratch and dent list (I still have a large bag of those parts). Later quantum RC turned into SlotCarRental.com which eventually turned into VirtualRaceways.com

Did a 20 year event ever take place?
If this happens now that the cooties are less scary, let me know I will bring my Race Simulator Trailer.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FkMSuX2WMc[/url]

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Old 2023.09.20, 04:41 AM   #11
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hi all! sorry to have missed this... so I guess its happy 20th +3?

i too remember being one of the first few members on these forums.... haven't been posting as of late...
remember most of you all... drac (nice truck and trailer!), mugler, solstice, superbly, arch2b, and of course mr. mini-z

i miss writing articles on mini-z's and what the mini-z scenes are like in different countries... just came from h.k. last aug. but alas didn't have any time to pass by any of the hobby shops. in my previous trip however, i was able to pass by and hobby shops are getting lesser well in the mongkok area at least...

i am still crazy about mini-z's but like most of you, i have been quite busy... so been just collecting bodies here and there... and lurking...

Well happy anniversary!
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Old 2023.10.14, 03:36 AM   #12
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Thank you Mini-ZRacer.com for keeping all the useful information archived to help out the new ones. So many sites have dropped off the internet, losing so much valuable information.
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Old 2023.10.19, 04:37 PM   #13
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Just logged in for the first time since 2018 apparently!

About to buy a MR03 readyset off a friend, and falling down the rabbit hole once again.

Nice to see some of the OGs are still around!
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Old 2023.10.21, 03:07 AM   #14
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OT: Trying to hastily rebuild the old track I once raced on, because an entirely new generation has all bought mini-z to race for this weekend.
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