Rated M for Mini. Tamiyas M chassis Write Up

[Panko75]

I have a confession to make, I like most M chassis.

Most of them are very much borderline toy-grade, save for the M07/M08 you're looking at cheap plastic, bushings, friction shocks, etc.

I always felt that they made for fun, if expensive "novelty" on-roaders. Just something fun to run around on a dirty parking lot, more silly and very different from your typical touring car.

I even went as far as to buy a NIB kit (NSU TT M05), building the chassis was interesting, but I didn't like all of the extra crap that I needed to buy (bearings, etc). It was not a fun experience.

The newest MB01 is a neat novelty, still uses bushings and junk, but it still has the TT02s plastic suspension balls, suspension arms into chassis, etc etc. Basically, it's a cool idea but it'll wear out quickly, but it's great shelf filler if you're into that.

 

[Doom!]

Great write up.

 

[Panko75]

Great write up.

Thank you, I hope that anyone shopping these will find them useful.

 

[Tunedfrog]

I agree, nice write up. Awesome rigs.

 

[Lumikko]

I used to have an HPI RS4 Mini 25 years ago. Really not a good car but I thought the VW Polo body looked cute.

The good thing about current M chassis possibilities is the variety of Tamiya spec classes with heavy restrictions on motors and gear ratios to keep the speeds down. The M07 and M08 seem like kits you could drive with enjoyment without doubling the kit price with upgrade parts.

 

[bill_delong]

I used to race the M class close to 10 years ago, it was my favorite class which originated as the HPI Cup Racer class. After HPI went bankrupt and discontinued the car, then the class opened up to other brands where many guys ran the ABC Genetic which was a huge improvement, but I really fell in love with the Nanda NRX12 which was once rebranded as the M.Rage from HobbyKing for a short period, I no longer race on-road anymore but will always have a soft spot for the M class:

 

[Panko75]

I used to race the M class close to 10 years ago, it was my favorite class which originated as the HPI Cup Racer class. After HPI went bankrupt and discontinued the car, then the class opened up to other brands where many guys ran the ABC Genetic which was a huge improvement, but I really fell in love with the Nanda NRX12 which was once rebranded as the M.Rage from HobbyKing for a short period, I no longer race on-road anymore but will always have a soft spot for the M class:

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Between HPIs old offerings and all of the other companies that have folded over the years, sometimes I feel like I arrived to the party too late.

I'm surprised to see a T-word eac hidden in your Datsun! Neat car there. What made you pull out of on-road?

 

[bill_delong]

Between HPIs old offerings and all of the other companies that have folded over the years, sometimes I feel like I arrived to the party too late.

I'm surprised to see a T-word eac hidden in your Datsun! Neat car there. What made you pull out of on-road?

You're gonna have to educate me on which decal was is a "T-word eac", those decals came with the HPI Cup Racer body, and you can still buy it today!
https://www.rcmart.com/hpi-racing-d...mm-clear-body-set-for-cup-racer-7210-00108770

The on-road club in my area (15 min drive) shut down after a competing track opened up which became an hour drive away. The local off-road track is only 20 min away so they get my business. I guarantee if the off-road track were to ever shut down, then I'd switch back to on-road again and start doing the 1 hour drive.

Surprisingly the M Class is still going strong, if I were to buy a current generation design, I would go with an Express XM1S:
https://www.rcmart.com/xpress-execu...d-mini-touring-car-kit-artr-xp-90024-00086680

 

[Panko75]

You're gonna have to educate me on which decal was is a "T-word eac"

The on-road club in my area (15 min drive) shut down after a competing track opened up which became an hour drive away. The local off-road track is only 20 min away so they get my business. I guarantee if the off-road track were to ever shut down, then I'd switch back to on-road again.

I meant ESC, you have one of those older XL5s in there with the heatsink.

Unfortunately mini isn't a thing at my local on-road track afaik, it's all really expensive "serious" classes.

 

[bill_delong]

I meant ESC, you have one of those older XL5s in there with the heatsink.

Unfortunately mini isn't a thing at my local on-road track afaik, it's all really expensive "serious" classes.

Ah yes, the Cup racer class was a brushed spec 27T Axial motor and any brushed ESC was allowed where the XL5 seemed to be one of the more reliable brushed ESC's at the time, those same rules carried forward to the M class, I believe most clubs today have since migrated to 25.5T as the modern day equivalent.

I also raced 18R at one point too, on-road was popular enough that I would often run as many as 4 classes per race day!

from left to right: 18R (AE SC18) --> 12R (AE 12r5) --> GT10 (Nanda NRX10) --> GT8 (HongNor DM1)

Yes, I seemed to have had a Nissan/Datsun fetish, ha!

 

[Panko75]

Yes, I seemed to have had a Nissan/Datsun fetish, ha!

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I think you need one of HPIs Datsun 510 shells to "complete" your Nissan collection!

 

[bill_delong]

I think you need one of HPIs Datsun 510 shells to "complete" your Nissan collection!

Actually that was the shell that was included when I bought mine used!

Unfortunately, that body is based on the short wheelbase which was way too difficult to drive, I found it necessary to run the long wheelbase option for stability:
https://storage.googleapis.com/sodi...-reference/hudy%20off-road%20setup%20book.pdf