This question has been asked countless times by new drivers getting into Mini-Z's. I have scoured the forums in an attempt to get new drivers started off on the right foot.   more »

If you are new to Mini-Z's and you want to get an idea of what these things are all about, this is a good start. It introduces the different types of Mini-Z's and gives a little bit of information...   more »

This article tries to answer a lot of the questions someone might have when they are considering a FET upgrade or External Turbo...   more »

I don't know how many people know about this and I hope I am not opening the floodgates, but you can now order parts through the KyoshoUSA website.  You may think this is a good thing but in my experience it's not.  First, a couple of facts.

1.  You are NOT ordering directly from Kyosho stock. 
2.  What you order may not actually BE in stock.

Now here's my personal experience. 

I was checking out the KyoshoUSA site, and along with a massive redesign, I noticed the Shopatron link on the bottom left.  I clicked on it and poked a round for a while and found some stuff that I wanted to order.  I usually purchase as much as I can from the shop here but there were a couple of items that were out of stock and I figured I would use this as a test. 

Shopatron gives you the impression that they have accurate stock information and you can order everything directly from the warehouse.  As you dig a little deeper you realize that the stock isn't checked until after you place your order.  They farm your order out to Local Hobby Shops in an attempt to get it filled in one place.  Whoever has what you need and is close to you gets to fill the order.  If there is not a single shop that has everything, you may be hit with multiple shipping charges, but you are able to make that choice when you place your order.

So, I ordered some stuff.  It took about two business days to determine if my items were in stock.  In a list of 8 items, one was cancelled and one was delayed for a week.  I was able to cancel the delayed item (I am just going to get it from the shop) and I accepted the rest of the order.  At this point I was a little annoyed that I had placed the order on a Thursday and I was still dealing with it on Tuesday.  The order finally shipped on Wednesday.

Here's the kicker, the shop that is filling my order is on the other side of the country so it will take a week to get to me via UPS ground.  It will be almost two weeks after I placed the order and I am still not getting everything that I wanted.

I wanted to post this recount for several reasons.  1) Information.  I wanted to present facts to everyone to let them know how Shopatron actually works, I also wanted to provide feedback on an actual purchase experience.  2) Comparison.  Sometimes it's difficult to get information from the shop on incoming stock but even if it took a week to get that info, I would still have my products before I got them from Shopatron. 

Am I plugging the shop here a little bit?  Sure, but that's because I think it's a superior resource.  If you need one hard-to-find item and you can locate it at KyoshoUSA then maybe that's the way to go, but I would at least check in with the MZR shop first.  Otherwise, it's a crap shoot.  The shipping takes longer and it's not really cheaper.  If the shop heres steps up communication just a notch it would be a blowout.

Robitronic, a well known autrian R/C company, finally started shipping a new timing system.

Most important charactiristics:
- very small ...   more »

Read about another great Ann Arbor Mini-Z Get Together held on Feb 24, 2006   more »

Article on the Ann Arbor Mini-Z GTG on February 10, 2006. More HFAY OLPS racing and other fun experiences like trying out a custom Super Epoch on the RCP Track.   more »

Hi, I wanted to write an article regarding the formation and operation of RC racing clubs. We started THRC off road down here in Houston in the Spring of 2001. At that time we could not even get 6 people to show up and race. We started brainstorming on ideas to increase the interest and get more people involved and eventually racing. We recently started our mini scale racing program called (HMSR) Houston Mini Scale Racing. We started this program on the same premis as the off road club THRC. The first thing to do is identify the existing racers and car owners. Get their names and email addresses and start some sort of communication process. Even using message boards such as the mini-z racer forum will work. The key is having a place where the racers in your area will have clear access to your intentions and schedule on a local level.    more »