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Old 2017.11.08, 02:49 PM   #1
mortimerXIV
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Which To Buy: MA-020s vs MR-03 edition

Mini-Z Members,

I'm looking at buying a mini-z, looking to buy cheap (yeah, I know) and get good value from a kit. I understand the MA-020S is intended for drifting, and that the MR-03 is for speed, and that the MR-03S is less expensive (and seems to have some negative points about its electronics options). My question is, if I'm pretty new to RC, and want to be able to switch between speed racing and drifting, is there one chassis that, provided I swap out tires, will be a better investment than another, which works well out of the box but also provides a good runway for hop-ups? Or are Mini-Z's basically "buy a new chassis for each type of racing"?

Thanks,
MortimerXIV
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Old 2017.11.09, 12:15 AM   #2
SuperFly
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I don't have an AWD car, and I don't really do drifting. But, I can tell you that your last sentence is correct, IMO. If you want to go fast on a track, MR03 is the way to go. If you want to do drifting on the kitchen floor, AWD is probably the way to go. As I understand it, the AWD also has a lot more parts and is more expensive to upgrade and maintain.

If you're totally new to Mini-Z, I'd also say that racing an MR03 requires a prepared surface, like RCP. Even a freshly cleaned gym floor isn't going to be great. An AWD might be more useful on common surfaces.
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Old 2017.11.09, 01:49 PM   #3
mortimerXIV
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Thanks for the feedback SuperFly,

By Freshly Cleaned Gym Floor, I assume you're talking about something like EVA tiles, and not a gymnasium? I see there are a number of tutorials for building your own track, but I'm curious if you've got any pointers or links you've favorited, that could help a newb like me analyze my options, if I'm not sure I want to go all in on the RCP track?

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Old 2017.11.09, 03:29 PM   #4
SuperFly
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mortimerXIV View Post
Thanks for the feedback SuperFly,

By Freshly Cleaned Gym Floor, I assume you're talking about something like EVA tiles, and not a gymnasium? I see there are a number of tutorials for building your own track, but I'm curious if you've got any pointers or links you've favorited, that could help a newb like me analyze my options, if I'm not sure I want to go all in on the RCP track?

Thanks,
mortimerXIV
No, I literally meant a clean gym floor. I got into Mini-z via X-mods, and our first attempt at racing was on a freshly mopped office floor, and an elementary school gym. Racing around paint cans. Even with the floor as clean as we could get it, and using the softest available tires, there was still a lot of sliding and spinning. It wasn't until we got an RCP track that you could actually tune the car and have predictable results.

I'm probably not the best person to answer your questions, but no one had replied for a day, so I thought I'd add what I could. I don't have any experience with AWD, or other prepared racing surfaces than RCP.

I'll just say this: an AWD will probably be more forgiving on a variety of surfaces, and much easier if drifting is something you're interested in. However, a RWD will probably be faster on a track, all else being equal.

If you're brand new to the scale it might be a bit daunting, but Atomic also makes a really nice looking belt drive AWD car that is priced competitively, but requires a little more knowledge of assembly and electronics. I don't think it comes as a RTR set.
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Last edited by SuperFly; 2017.11.09 at 03:55 PM.
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Old 2017.11.09, 05:22 PM   #5
Tjay
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Buy a 2WD. You can use this on any surface with a lot less maintenance that an AWD. AWD is a different beast. You'll need a lot of time learning how to drive and tune it. It is a very aggressive platform and you have to drive it aggressively as well. No need to finesse like 2WD's.

I have a little bit of AWD experience. Ahem... I started on warehouse floor with my coworkers back in 2003-2006 with X-MOD and MR015.

RWD takes a lot of skills driving around a slippery floor. I used to hack my rear tires to get more grip and I put AA battery in the back and under the body. Even at that, the rear can still swing out on-throttle and this is with Kyosho stock motor. Definitely don't want to use motor with strong magnet or the rear wheel will lock-out when off-throttle. AWD has a lot of understeer in this type of surface, but you can drive this platform very aggressively (drifting). My previous coworkers had more power than our cars and would beat us on straight-aways and highspeed sweepers. To even out the race, we had to make the track tighter. Although he was able to drift around us (which was fun to watch - his car going sideways while we, RWD cars, are trying to hold our line without spinning out), we would still beat him around the tighter corners because we had more control with our cars.

I'd suggest to get a MR03 and go to your local hobby shop that has RCP track. If none, setup a RCP track in your basement or garage. Forget the RCP bends of the track, since space is small, you can just use a rope and lay it out on your RCP track.

On a side note: With all things equal and the track is smaller (14-18 RCP tiles straight-away if I'm not mistaken), AWD is the faster car. This car is point and shoot. I know.
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Old 2017.11.11, 11:58 AM   #6
Minizorro
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As already mentioned:
- if you have a club nearby and want to race, get a mr03, even better from eBay so you get a cheaper one or for the price of new you’ll get one with upgrades.
Visit your local club first to see if you like it, if you think younwill partecipate, and ask club members what to buy.
- if you drive your miniZ for fun at home, Id go for an awd. You will not be able to take the awd to a club and be competitive, the awd has higher CG, more parts, but you will still be able to take part.
Track racing and home bashing are very different, personally lost interest in bashing at home when I started racing in a club!
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