Radio Control Car Action

A lot of hardcore RC racers think it’s for amateurs, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I’ll put the challenge to anyone who thinks he’s above wheeling a Mini-Z.

above: indoor night races are a blast. right: Find a club, join a race and have fun!

114 MORE FROM THIS ISSUE AT rccaraction.com

few. Some of the faster cars will top 20mph down the straights (over 500mph to scale!), but even at those speeds collisions rarely result in much damage. That doesn’t really matter though, because parts tend to be pretty cheap. Finding a hobby store that sells Mini-Z spares is sometimes a bit of a challenge, but until your local shop starts stocking parts, there’s always the Internet.

You’ve gotta tr Y these things

The more you think about it, the more sense Mini-Z racing makes. A lot of hardcore RC racers overlook the 1/28-scale segment of racing because they think it’s for amateurs, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I’ll put the challenge to anyone who thinks he’s above wheeling a Mini-Z. Get yourself down to your local track and show everybody what you’re made of. In the process you’ll realize a couple of things: First, you’ll see that the typical “racetrack tension” you’re used to really doesn’t exist at a Mini-Z venue. It’s a lot more like an old-school slot car track, where your fellow racers care a whole lot less about who’s good and who isn’t and instead just have fun. The second thing you’ll realize is that you’ve become hopelessly addicted to racing Mini-Zs, which was the point of my challenge in the first place.

Now that you’re hooked, getting started in the world of 1/28-scale rides is mercifully easy. Pick a chassis (Elliott recommends the MR-02EX ready set as a good place to start), find a track, and drive. A few hundred bucks and a bit of practice is all you need to put yourself right in the middle of the Mini-Z racing community, and that’s a good place to be. Who knows, maybe you’ll even run into me or Elliott while you’re there. It’s a small world.