Kyosho Mini-Z: The Best and Least Expensive Way to Start Your Mini-Z Hobby! (MR-03, Bearings, Tires)

Today let's talk about the best and least expensive way to start your Mini-Z addiction.. I mean hobby! Kyosho Mini-Z is one of the most iconic RC cars in the hobby today. With 23 years of history and evolution, Mini-Z can be complicated to understand and daunting to get into.

MR-03 Audi R8 LMS Red: https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/1-28-mini-z-2wd-audi-r8-lms-rtr-red/KYO32323R.html
FastEddy bearing kit: https://www.amainhobbies.com/fasteddy-kyosho-miniz-rwd-mr03-sealed-bearing-kit-tfe6099/p1252625
Front tires (MZW39-30): https://www.amainhobbies.com/kyosho-miniz-low-height-slick-tires-4-30-deg-kyomzw39-30/p1205942?v=1126909
Rear tires (MZW38-20): https://www.amainhobbies.com/kyosho-miniz-11mm-wide-racing-radial-tire-4-20-shore-kyomzw38-20/p385403?v=212143

This red MR-03 Audi R8 ready-to-run (32323R) is the best way to start. It's US$130 and cheaper than others by quite a lot.

In today's product line, Mini-Z offers 1:28 road cars, 1:24 buggies, and 1:24 crawlers. The 1:28 road cars are definitely the most popular and they can be categorized into rear wheel drive (RWD) and all wheel drive (AWD) models. MR-03 is the current ready-to-run RWD chassis designed to race on prepared surfaces such as short carpet or RCP foam. MA-020 like this 2002 Subaru WRC is the current ready-to-run AWD chassis good for drifting and general purpose driving around at home.

In the US, a standard MR-03 is sold at around $175, while a MA-020 at around $190. Kyosho doesn't make a big deal of it, but they produce a few $130 MR-03 models as well, like this red Audi. The cheaper MR-03 lacks ball bearings out of the box and arguably has a tiny bit less details on the autoscale body. The good news is an aftermarket ball bearing kit is only $9, and the bearings are all easily accessible on the MR-03 chassis.

This red Audi R8 also has a few other things going for it. It's running on a 98mm wheelbase with a wide front track out of the box, which provides stability for racing. It uses the MM motor pod which has a low center of gravity. Plus, Audi R8 is a good handling and durable body for racing. While the red color may not be everyone's cup of tea, I think it looks great in person.

Throw in some tires and flip the king pins (if allowed), and you have a solid base for racing in the Box Stock class. For more speed, gear up with the provided pinion gears and upgrade to the brushed XSpeed MotorV (50T). Other common upgrades are carbon t-plate and aluminum tie bar.

Kyosho produces their products by the batches. If you are not able to find these $130 MR-03 today, just wait until Kyosho delivers the next batch to retailers within a few months.

Since this is a ready-to-run, it comes with a KT-531P transmitter, wheel hex wrench, extra parts to convert front track width, and a comprehensive manual.

Very important! The car comes out of the box limited to 50% power. Don't forget to use these instructions to exit training mode.

Mini-Z steering and throttle are fully proportional. While the electronics are proprietary, they work well on the MR-03. The servo is fast and responsive, and the throttle control feels linear. People love racing Mini-Z because it's so controllable.

As mentioned earlier, the $130 models come with plastic bushings instead of ball bearings. I picked up these $9 FastEddy ball bearing kit for MR-03, and they are easy to add to the chassis. Plastic bushings aren't unusable, but they add drag to the drive line and wear out over time.

Let's start with one of the front wheels, which holds two 2x6x2.5 bearings (2mm inner diameter). Here we can see the black plastic bushings. To unseat them, I use the end of a paperclip to push them out from behind. MR-03 uses four 2x6x2.5 and three 3x6x2.5 bearings. Choose the ones with the smaller 2mm holes for the front wheels. The bearings fit quite snuggly on these plastic rims. Use the kit's wheel hex tool to push the ball bearing all the way in. Insert the second ball bearing on the back side. This is it for this front wheel! Mount it back on the front axle.

The next part is optional but recommended. MR-03 comes with plastic wheel nut that will eventually wear out. I'm replacing them with aluminum 4.5mm m2 lock nuts like this.

When putting the front wheel back on, screw down until it's finger tight, then back out a quarter of a turn or so. It needs a little slack to spin freely, but not too loose as to introduce too much play to the wheel.

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Music: Corporate Background Music Compilation, FreeCopyrightMusic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G8xcaethuQ)