This video was supposed to come out last week before the test drive but it took too long to edit. Anyway, it is here now. Full test drive video: czcams.com/video/OPQcXryYVsw/video.html DIY light kit tutorial: czcams.com/video/SMfzZKPrFuY/video.html Time stamps Intro 00:00 Unboxing 00:30 The car 02:02 Manuals 03:53 Accesories 04:03 Transmitter 05:37 Why did I buy this? 05:56 Removing transporting bracket 06:18 Inserting batteries & testing 06:42 Turn off training mode 07:35 Closer look at the car 09:08 Announcing new project 10:16 Removing stickers 11:51 Light kit installation 12:09 Test drive 14:30 First impressions & conclusion 15:20
I've got a few of these myself and still din't regret it, They are great drift cars straight out of the box! I still haven't modified mine, and no gyro. I like the speed they carry, compaired to slower RWD drift cars. I've got mine for 2 years now, and as long as you use it for drift only, nothing will break. if you drive it on a foam track with rubber tires the plastic drive shafts might snap. It might lack a little steering angle, but you can make up for it by using the throttle to steer the car in. A little tip for anyone who's searching for a wide MA020, The new dodge challenger SRT hellcat is the only one that comes wide by default for now.
Thanks for the info. I was afraid they would give Dodge narrow chassis and compensate it with wheel offset but since they give it wide front and also the extended wheelbase, it's great value.
This. I got my first ma-020 recently (SRT hellcat) and I ve come to the same conclusion: throttle management is key, and most of the times you can compensate for the lack of steering angle.
I have both RWD mr-03 chrome red Lamborghini and ma020 skyline R34 MOTUL. Both are modded already and I'm still thinking of getting ma020 dodge Challenger and keep it as stock (hope so) since other AWD already mod. Maybe it's a waste to buy another? Considering the price? Lol
@@Velskud. I have the hellcat and I am seriously thinking of getting an additional ma-020 and set it up on a smaller wheelbase. The different driving behavior alone makes it worthwhile for me 🙂
Well Thank you for this video, I did not even know there was a training mode on the Mini Z, I should have but it did not cross my mind. Will say I have been doing well in training mode haha, now having that off driving the car is so much better.
Nice Supra! I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it. A few bits of advice for new AWD owners. Some of these are cheap and some are a good value. 1. Metal wheel nuts. (But you probably already did this.) 2. Motor heatsink clip. This was hard to find for a while but PN Racing ones came back in stock a few months ago. Check Kenon Hobby. Good for keeping the motor cool for longer life and for drifting you're going to be running hot so every bit helps. 2a. IC Graphite thermal pad to stick between the bottom of the motor and the heatsink to help conduct the heat from the motor to the heatsink. You can get one 30x30mm unit and cut it down to dize. Not a widely used method but one that I like. 2b. Metal motor mounts. Ideally for heatsink but even I'm not sure how much they really do. I'd make this a lower priority if you're already doing the above. 3. Metal swing arms. Especially if you're going to be doing grip. Don't even think about doing grip without them. You will break the stock plastic swing arms by torquing them apart giving the car gas while it's stuck against a wall with the grip from the tires. Drift tires won't grip enough to do this. I've used both official Kyosho brand metal swing arms and the heavy duty version by (I believe) 3Racing. I have no problems with either. Beyond this there's nothing else you need to do to have fun and keep the car running for a long time. Enjoy!
I just bought the Hellcat this evening. My first time drifting, in my gf's kitchen. I saw the "W" on the front end, wondered if that meant wide. I've been watching your videos for months now, and you helped me decide on this car. I know others are better, but was mostly worried about parts availability in the long term.
nice unboxing - i’m thinking i should just buy the SRT hellcat & get the new K989 later. look forward to more videos . I hope you do a comparison does mini z perform better drifting out the box.
I hope you enjoy it. Today I put batteries into mine and the chassis just cracked from this awesome effort of accepting batteries! It is my third chassis that cracks this way. I am done! I love your review of the AMZ. For maximum compatibility with all the spare parts that I have from my mini-z awd is there anything better than the AMZ? Something newer that I am not aware of? Thank you! That Toyota body looks phenomenal! Love your channel and the work that you are doing!
Right now there's GL Racing GLA which to me it is the best shaft-driven AWD at the moment. You can think of it as an upgraded AMZ. It comes with bell crank steering as standard, the motor mount is more solid and easier to adjust. The downside is that you'll have to choose the wheelbase to buy, it's not adjustable and it comes with different plates and suspension arms width. The 90 and 94mm wheelbase are narrow and 98mm is wide. As for this Mini-Z, I'm thoroughly enjoying it... for now... while the chassis stays in tact. Seems like every chassis cracks so it's just a matter of time until mine does.
No, not every car has the same wheelbase. But the chassis itself has adjustable wheelbase. If you buy a 90-94mm car, it will be adjustable between the two with the parts that are in the box already. There are also some 98mm cars. Basically it has extender and longer gear installed from the factory. This is also adjustable as well however I'm not sure if it comes with short gears inside the box or not. They sell spare parts so it'll be easy to shorten the car if you wish. By the way, 90-94mm car can also do the 98mm but you'll have to buy extra extension parts.
Great content as always man! Can’t wait to see a sequel on this series upgrading it and so on 🙂 Regarding the small steering angle you mentioned, wouldn’t a shorter tie rod do the trick for drifting? Would love to hear your thoughts on that
The knuckles can only move that far so a tie rod can't really change that. Different tie rods will result in different toe out so that's something I'm going to see if a shorter tie rod (toe out) works and gives me more aggressive steering.
I have a K969 stock only with the steering mod applied and I must say that I truly enjoy drifting with it. I was wondering how much better is this from my k969 and if its worth the money difference(except of the body where the difference in detail and material quality is obvious). I am troubled if this will be a good or bad idea especially since budgetwise we are almost reaching mst rmx 2.0 or yd2 levels of investment.
If you have a place to run, go for YD2. To be honest if K969 had the same tyres and use a better transmitter with the steering mod you already did, it will drift better than Mini-Z because it has better steering angle.
PLEASE HELP Hi, I've just bought a similar mini-z awd, my first ever rc car. I am stuck at the first step, I cannot even insert the batteries.... There is a piece of plastic that need to be removed in order to be able to insert the second battery. I have already slightly damaged the car trying to remove it Can someone please send me a link to a video that explains how to remove it ? Tx for your help
Use the included battery tool to push it down and pull it out of the side. There's also an instruction in the manual too. It's really tight so try and pull it out bit by bit. I also showed you how to do it in this video, skip to 6:29 .
Admittedly I did have tones and tones of fun with these little chassis but honestly the costs did not justify the joy I've since gone to more - budget friendly options and never looked back since as I'm having lots of fun with crawlers and such now 😊 many people will put off these k989/k969 kits from wltoys - mainly due to not putting the work in to tune properly or maybe not having the know how - easy to get lost or confused when just starting out but speak to the right people and you'll be good to go in no time K9 has had multiple chassis / front end 3d print kits to enable RWD and with a little bit of patience / steady hands / good people around you ... realistically you'll be able to tandem just as good as the higher end chassis such as XRX dpa/drift art 2/Hammer.. these being much much more difficult to build and tune - almost to the point of putting off new people 😐 many people have set to the task of building a more affordable chassis that can still drift with the big boys and I really wish these people got more praise/respect
It's already easy even without gyro. I can hardly spin it even when I want to. With gyro it would be even easier but it'll also introduce more understeer to this car, I mean even more understeer than it already is.
The board can get a bit warm but not too much. As for the steering lockup, it's not supposed to happen. Maybe The tie rod/steering arm has an excess plastic sticking out or the cover under the car is too tight and jam up the steering. You can loosen the cover and see if the steering is still getting stuck. If it is, you'll have to take the front apart to check if there's anything jamming inside.
Yes, it can drift on carpet but not the thick one. The ground clearance is 3.5mm so if the carpet is too thick it'll sink into the floor and won't move.
K969 has more open-ended upgrade with electronics but Mini-Z has the edge at how easy it is to start without having to fix anything. So it depends on how much you want to pay and do you have time/skill/parts to fix it. With Mini-Z you can play it right out of the box so if you aim for that, it's better for you. If you can fix the car and you want an open-ended car that you can change and upgrade the motor, ESC, transmitter easily without having to get the proprietary parts then K969 is better.
@@BeaversHobby guess the about the only thing you can do is change the linkage degree, I changed mine to 1 or 2 degree, gets you a little bit extra might be enough, I know it gets the RWD doing nuts easier.
It depends on what you find to be fun. If you want to drive fast on a track or do touring car racing then get a RWD. If you want to drift and also a bit of track driving then AWD is what you need as it can do both. If you want to do some jumps then there's the buggy. And finally if you want to drive slowly and climb some stuff then take a look at 4x4. Personally I recommend the AWD because it's versatile and can drive around the house even if the floor doesn't have grip or is dusty. RWD will need a prepared race track to get the most out of it.
It's still a massive nope from me buddy - thank you for the content though 🙏 If you want 1/24th scale then go to k9 RWD 3d print chassis or front bulk kit If you plan to just stay strictly to AWD then I'd consider Kyosho but keep in mind that upgrades and such are not cheap at all 👍 just something for people to think about before taking the dive - advice from experience
Only thing kyosho are good for is the autoscale bodies but even then - kits are best for budget 👌 you get the same thing for half the price and the joy of painting what ever colour you like - many many videos and tutorials online for new people just starting out and not wanting to break the bank - trust me I sank nearly 5k into these and got nothing back in return pretty much
I have a feeling that i would regret if I didn’t say this. Dont feel weird. Here it goes. Im about to say it. In 3. 2. 1. Are you ready? Okay. Here. We. Go! I love you daddy.
Many of you may have seen me moan and complaining before but I do this to save you money I don't want people to make the same mistakes I've made and end up with nothing to enjoy
This video was supposed to come out last week before the test drive but it took too long to edit. Anyway, it is here now.
Full test drive video: czcams.com/video/OPQcXryYVsw/video.html
DIY light kit tutorial: czcams.com/video/SMfzZKPrFuY/video.html
Time stamps
Intro 00:00
Unboxing 00:30
The car 02:02
Manuals 03:53
Accesories 04:03
Transmitter 05:37
Why did I buy this? 05:56
Removing transporting bracket 06:18
Inserting batteries & testing 06:42
Turn off training mode 07:35
Closer look at the car 09:08
Announcing new project 10:16
Removing stickers 11:51
Light kit installation 12:09
Test drive 14:30
First impressions & conclusion 15:20
Many many thanks for the great content beaver ❤ its lovely to know your still going strong broski
I’ve only just discovered these things, getting tempted to buy😎
I've got a few of these myself and still din't regret it, They are great drift cars straight out of the box! I still haven't modified mine, and no gyro. I like the speed they carry, compaired to slower RWD drift cars. I've got mine for 2 years now, and as long as you use it for drift only, nothing will break. if you drive it on a foam track with rubber tires the plastic drive shafts might snap.
It might lack a little steering angle, but you can make up for it by using the throttle to steer the car in.
A little tip for anyone who's searching for a wide MA020, The new dodge challenger SRT hellcat is the only one that comes wide by default for now.
Thanks for the info. I was afraid they would give Dodge narrow chassis and compensate it with wheel offset but since they give it wide front and also the extended wheelbase, it's great value.
This. I got my first ma-020 recently (SRT hellcat) and I ve come to the same conclusion: throttle management is key, and most of the times you can compensate for the lack of steering angle.
I have both RWD mr-03 chrome red Lamborghini and ma020 skyline R34 MOTUL. Both are modded already and I'm still thinking of getting ma020 dodge Challenger and keep it as stock (hope so) since other AWD already mod. Maybe it's a waste to buy another? Considering the price? Lol
@@Velskud. I have the hellcat and I am seriously thinking of getting an additional ma-020 and set it up on a smaller wheelbase. The different driving behavior alone makes it worthwhile for me 🙂
@@BeaversHobby is it better to have a wide front for drifting?
Awesome Video! IF you come up with a good way to add more turn in please do a tutorial video.
whoa, you are here as well???
Will do!
Well Thank you for this video, I did not even know there was a training mode on the Mini Z, I should have but it did not cross my mind. Will say I have been doing well in training mode haha, now having that off driving the car is so much better.
Excellent: I love your VDO. Very good content. Blessings.🌹
Nice Supra! I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it. A few bits of advice for new AWD owners. Some of these are cheap and some are a good value.
1. Metal wheel nuts. (But you probably already did this.)
2. Motor heatsink clip. This was hard to find for a while but PN Racing ones came back in stock a few months ago. Check Kenon Hobby. Good for keeping the motor cool for longer life and for drifting you're going to be running hot so every bit helps.
2a. IC Graphite thermal pad to stick between the bottom of the motor and the heatsink to help conduct the heat from the motor to the heatsink. You can get one 30x30mm unit and cut it down to dize. Not a widely used method but one that I like.
2b. Metal motor mounts. Ideally for heatsink but even I'm not sure how much they really do. I'd make this a lower priority if you're already doing the above.
3. Metal swing arms. Especially if you're going to be doing grip. Don't even think about doing grip without them. You will break the stock plastic swing arms by torquing them apart giving the car gas while it's stuck against a wall with the grip from the tires. Drift tires won't grip enough to do this. I've used both official Kyosho brand metal swing arms and the heavy duty version by (I believe) 3Racing. I have no problems with either.
Beyond this there's nothing else you need to do to have fun and keep the car running for a long time. Enjoy!
Helpful!
I just bought the Hellcat this evening. My first time drifting, in my gf's kitchen. I saw the "W" on the front end, wondered if that meant wide.
I've been watching your videos for months now, and you helped me decide on this car. I know others are better, but was mostly worried about parts availability in the long term.
Yes, the W means you have the front wide chassis.
One day I came across your wltoy video. Now I have spent more than I expect on my k969. Still having with it tho.
Me too
I recommend the first mod to be rear locked diff and front one way diff
Honestly doesn't need much just a one way front diff, locked rear diff and a gyro if you like them but I don't run one
nice unboxing - i’m thinking i should just buy the SRT hellcat & get the new K989 later.
look forward to more videos . I hope you do a comparison does mini z perform better drifting out the box.
Comparing with AMZ and other kit cars, no, it's not. But comparing with other RTR then it's the best.
@@BeaversHobby i always appreciate you replying thanks for the help. 😎
@@burn1gotbeats My pleasure.
I hope you enjoy it. Today I put batteries into mine and the chassis just cracked from this awesome effort of accepting batteries! It is my third chassis that cracks this way. I am done! I love your review of the AMZ. For maximum compatibility with all the spare parts that I have from my mini-z awd is there anything better than the AMZ? Something newer that I am not aware of? Thank you! That Toyota body looks phenomenal! Love your channel and the work that you are doing!
Right now there's GL Racing GLA which to me it is the best shaft-driven AWD at the moment. You can think of it as an upgraded AMZ. It comes with bell crank steering as standard, the motor mount is more solid and easier to adjust. The downside is that you'll have to choose the wheelbase to buy, it's not adjustable and it comes with different plates and suspension arms width. The 90 and 94mm wheelbase are narrow and 98mm is wide.
As for this Mini-Z, I'm thoroughly enjoying it... for now... while the chassis stays in tact. Seems like every chassis cracks so it's just a matter of time until mine does.
Great video, looking into getting one for myself. are the wheelbases the same for all MA-020?
No, not every car has the same wheelbase. But the chassis itself has adjustable wheelbase. If you buy a 90-94mm car, it will be adjustable between the two with the parts that are in the box already. There are also some 98mm cars. Basically it has extender and longer gear installed from the factory. This is also adjustable as well however I'm not sure if it comes with short gears inside the box or not. They sell spare parts so it'll be easy to shorten the car if you wish.
By the way, 90-94mm car can also do the 98mm but you'll have to buy extra extension parts.
Great content as always man! Can’t wait to see a sequel on this series upgrading it and so on 🙂
Regarding the small steering angle you mentioned, wouldn’t a shorter tie rod do the trick for drifting? Would love to hear your thoughts on that
The knuckles can only move that far so a tie rod can't really change that. Different tie rods will result in different toe out so that's something I'm going to see if a shorter tie rod (toe out) works and gives me more aggressive steering.
@@BeaversHobby I am also waiting on the shorter tie rods I have already ordered. Cant wait to test out and see if it works in practice 🙂
I have a K969 stock only with the steering mod applied and I must say that I truly enjoy drifting with it. I was wondering how much better is this from my k969 and if its worth the money difference(except of the body where the difference in detail and material quality is obvious).
I am troubled if this will be a good or bad idea especially since budgetwise we are almost reaching mst rmx 2.0 or yd2 levels of investment.
If you have a place to run, go for YD2. To be honest if K969 had the same tyres and use a better transmitter with the steering mod you already did, it will drift better than Mini-Z because it has better steering angle.
@@BeaversHobby I really appreciate your opinion. I will do as you suggested. Thanks!
PLEASE HELP
Hi,
I've just bought a similar mini-z awd, my first ever rc car.
I am stuck at the first step, I cannot even insert the batteries....
There is a piece of plastic that need to be removed in order to be able to insert the second battery.
I have already slightly damaged the car trying to remove it
Can someone please send me a link to a video that explains how to remove it ?
Tx for your help
Use the included battery tool to push it down and pull it out of the side. There's also an instruction in the manual too. It's really tight so try and pull it out bit by bit. I also showed you how to do it in this video, skip to 6:29 .
Admittedly I did have tones and tones of fun with these little chassis but honestly the costs did not justify the joy
I've since gone to more - budget friendly options and never looked back since as I'm having lots of fun with crawlers and such now 😊 many people will put off these k989/k969 kits from wltoys - mainly due to not putting the work in to tune properly or maybe not having the know how - easy to get lost or confused when just starting out but speak to the right people and you'll be good to go in no time
K9 has had multiple chassis / front end 3d print kits to enable RWD and with a little bit of patience / steady hands / good people around you ... realistically you'll be able to tandem just as good as the higher end chassis such as XRX dpa/drift art 2/Hammer.. these being much much more difficult to build and tune - almost to the point of putting off new people 😐 many people have set to the task of building a more affordable chassis that can still drift with the big boys and I really wish these people got more praise/respect
Would adding a Gyro help with beginners learning to drive this car? Or does the AWD give this enough assistance to make this an easy beginners car?
It's already easy even without gyro. I can hardly spin it even when I want to.
With gyro it would be even easier but it'll also introduce more understeer to this car, I mean even more understeer than it already is.
@@BeaversHobby Thank you again. I may forgo for Gyro until I mod the RC with LK001-FR.
@@shrimperlincs3395 Try without gyro first and if you feel it tries to spin all the time then you can think about getting one.
@@BeaversHobby I will do this. I may order one can keep it for experimentation.
ไม่ได้ดูนานพี่บีไปไกรมากๆๆครับ
kyosho should make a rwd drift car
Yes
僕もMINI-Z RWD(MR-03)LMN～LMWのドリフト仕様を開発した方が良いかも。
京商はMINI-Z RWDのドリフト仕様を作ってくれればな～っと思う。😏😏
@RX-9安藤耕一の言う通りだよな～、
They used to make rwd mini z and if you put drift tyres I believe you can drift it easily
I bought an awd n i noticed the board gets pretty warm an the steering locks up is this typical for this chassis?
The board can get a bit warm but not too much. As for the steering lockup, it's not supposed to happen. Maybe The tie rod/steering arm has an excess plastic sticking out or the cover under the car is too tight and jam up the steering. You can loosen the cover and see if the steering is still getting stuck. If it is, you'll have to take the front apart to check if there's anything jamming inside.
What was the degree that the toe bar came with this rtr kit?
Around 0.5 degree. I'll have to measure again but it's only slightly.
I have a question! Can you drift/drive this on carpet? My house is carpet and not hardwood flooring.....
Yes, it can drift on carpet but not the thick one. The ground clearance is 3.5mm so if the carpet is too thick it'll sink into the floor and won't move.
@@BeaversHobby do you recommend any tires that would work if my carpet is too thick??
@@David2on Unfortunately no tyres will work if the carpet is too thick for the car to run.
Hello @Beaver's , for first drift car, which is the better, k969 or mini z awd? Thank you
K969 has more open-ended upgrade with electronics but Mini-Z has the edge at how easy it is to start without having to fix anything.
So it depends on how much you want to pay and do you have time/skill/parts to fix it.
With Mini-Z you can play it right out of the box so if you aim for that, it's better for you.
If you can fix the car and you want an open-ended car that you can change and upgrade the motor, ESC, transmitter easily without having to get the proprietary parts then K969 is better.
@@BeaversHobbyi just subscribe at you fantastic channel, thank you
@@guidigilberto2452 My pleasure.
Wonder if wide set with narrow steering link would help?
Tried that on MA-030, the steering link for narrow was too short to make it work. Somehow steering is the same on both narrow and wide.
@@BeaversHobby guess the about the only thing you can do is change the linkage degree, I changed mine to 1 or 2 degree, gets you a little bit extra might be enough, I know it gets the RWD doing nuts easier.
Are ball bearings pre installed?
Yes, they are.
Hello sir I have a question about the mini z which one is more fun to drive I’m looking into buying one
It depends on what you find to be fun.
If you want to drive fast on a track or do touring car racing then get a RWD.
If you want to drift and also a bit of track driving then AWD is what you need as it can do both.
If you want to do some jumps then there's the buggy.
And finally if you want to drive slowly and climb some stuff then take a look at 4x4.
Personally I recommend the AWD because it's versatile and can drive around the house even if the floor doesn't have grip or is dusty. RWD will need a prepared race track to get the most out of it.
@@BeaversHobby thank you very much I might get an awd just cause I have laminate floor that gets dusty fast
The cvd are plastic?
Where can I get light kit and gyro for this ?
You can DIY the light kit. As for the gyro for this version with new board, check out local or any Kyosho dealer for part number MZW446.
@@BeaversHobby thanks brother !!
What is the AM Zed you referred to? It was red and you were comparing the steering
Yes, the AMZ is the red car.
@@BeaversHobby But what is AMZ? Sorry I am new
@@seasidebruin1723 It's a kit car, 1/28 scale. Here's my review of it. czcams.com/video/u7Jsw8IW-zY/video.html
how to buy in india
Do you have Kyosho distributors or dealer near you? If not check out rcmart.com. They ship pretty much anywhere in the world.
Was it costly dude?
Just car and transmitter are worth 420 Euro at the moment. Luckily the transmitter is a sponsored part so I didn't pay out of my pocket for it.
Where did you buy it?
I bought it from Mini-Z Italia minizracing.it/minizshop .
@@BeaversHobby ok thanks
@@tristanhoogstra1323 My pleasure.
TOYOTA GR SUPRA(A90)はドリフト走行向け。
Is it brushed ?
Yes
It's still a massive nope from me buddy - thank you for the content though 🙏
If you want 1/24th scale then go to k9 RWD 3d print chassis or front bulk kit
If you plan to just stay strictly to AWD then I'd consider Kyosho but keep in mind that upgrades and such are not cheap at all 👍 just something for people to think about before taking the dive - advice from experience
Please link the amz
Only thing kyosho are good for is the autoscale bodies but even then - kits are best for budget 👌 you get the same thing for half the price and the joy of painting what ever colour you like - many many videos and tutorials online for new people just starting out and not wanting to break the bank - trust me I sank nearly 5k into these and got nothing back in return pretty much
You know you can just unscrew the car without tearing apart the box 🤦
No, I did not know that.
I have a feeling that i would regret if I didn’t say this.
Dont feel weird.
Here it goes.
Im about to say it.
In 3.
2.
1.
Are you ready?
Okay.
Here.
We.
Go!
I love you daddy.
Many of you may have seen me moan and complaining before but I do this to save you money I don't want people to make the same mistakes I've made and end up with nothing to enjoy
These little RC Cars are very overrated and to expensive for $5 of China plastic