Today let's check out the new Mini-Z Subaru Sambar truck! Kyosho has had the "Mini-Z First" series for a while, and it's always been a confusing product line as it's not hobby grade. Confusing or misleading it may be, Kyosho brings out interesting body shells, such as this Subaru Kei truck (part# 66607)! In this video we will take a close look at the truck, and see how the body works on other mini-z chassis.
The packaging for Mini-z First is more basic compared to other Mini-Z products such as MR-03 and MA-020. But for $50, it's totally fine. The truck itself is reasonably protected. Inside the box, we have the truck body, Mini-Z first chassis, transmitter, and a simple manual. The little bag of accessories contains some oversized cones, a steering trim tool, and a battery clip for the chassis.
Let's first examine the Mini-Z First chassis. It sort of looks like an MR-02 pan car design, but clearly a very cut down version. It's got a kingpin-based front suspension and a t-plated HM style motor pod. It's got a connector cable to power the front lights on the body. I'm not sure what radio protocol this uses, but it's not the same as the standard Mini-Z FHSS. I really like these scaled looking truck rims. I wish they could be reused on other Mini-Z chassis. On the back side, we can see the 2 AA batteries powering the car. This is different from the usual 4 AAA batteries setup.
The springs on both front and rear are quite soft. Since this chassis doesn't go very fast, just having some suspension is fine. Driving the rear wheels is a solid axle. It doesn't have a differential there. This is a rear wheel drive chassis so the front wheels just spin freely. The rims wobble quite a bit.
Steering is the part that screams toy grade, because inside is not a standard potentiometer regulated servo. Centering relies on some spring action, and trim is done via the rotating knob at the bottom of the chassis. Interestingly, steering is not all or nothing like the usual toy grade stuff. It's somewhat proportional. Precision and resolution are pretty poor though.
Throttle is also proportional. Power is pretty weak, but the throttle control is actually quite good. Kyosho didn't do just the bare minimum for the Mini-Z First series. That said though, the performance of this chassis is quite limited. It's certainly not intended for 1:28 scale enthusiasts. Since I run other Mini-Z cars, this will become a display chassis for me.
The reason for buying this kit is for this fun JDM mini truck body! This type of pickup truck is quite common in many Asian countries. They are small and fit narrow alleys and tight parking spots. This body works just like any other Mini-Z body with its front body clip and side mounts. It will mount on an MR-03 and MA-020, but please keep in mind that the truck bed sits a bit low and it may interfere with something like an MM2 top shock.
There are many cool details on the hard body, such as led-capable front lights, side mirrors, painted side and rear lights, door handles, license plates, "roll cage", and a very scaled bed. Mounted on the chassis with wheels, the body looks amazing! One of the reasons I love Mini-Z is all the beautiful bodies that can be used mostly interchangeably. Now I have a truck body to rip through the tracks. The front LED lits up when going forward or reverse.
The wheelbase of the body is 90mm long, so it's good for 90mm MA-020, and MR-03 in the 90mm RM configuration. The track width is around 68mm. This will require a narrow front chassis, and at most 0.5mm offset narrow tires all around.
The Mini-Z First transmitter is equally basic. There's no trim functionality, but it supports two speed settings. It takes 2 AA batteries.
As expected, Mini-Z First doesn't provide much performance. It can be driven fine, but not very fast and steering feels abrupt. The stock tires are not great. Standard narrow Mini-Z tires can be used here. I can see potentially some fun racing in this "First Box Stock" class. There is some skill in extracting control over this truck. Yes, there's enough power to do donuts!
Okay, I'd like to think we are a serious channel here. Let's get serious here. Under the truck body this time is a brushless MR-03VE, with ASF radio, configured at 90mm using a PN motor pod. This is a pretty fast MR-03. How does the truck body work on it? The difference in the driving experience is night and day. But that's not a surprise to anyone. The important thing here is that a regular 90mm MR-03 works with the truck body. It also works on the MA-020. Remember, use 0.5mm offset wheels.
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First Mini-Z Subaru Sambar Truck: www.kenonhobby...
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28 авг 2024
