ok, here we go.
I have two recommendations.
1st. If you can afford it I suggest either getting a 2.4 MR-02 or the new MR-03. they don't typically come as an RTR so you would need a Chassis kit with body and a 2.4 TX. for the TX you can go a couple of different was, the cheapest being the KT-18 from Kyosho. it's about $90 new, but you can find used ones for $40+. the other option would be to get a nice radio and the 2.4 module. this will be more expensive however somewhere in the $250 range for the TX and module. This will give you the best combination to start with, but is also the more expensive option.
2nd. If your looking to spend considerably less than get a standard MR-02 with the AM board (avoid the "iSeries" at all cost, the boards are terrible.) the MR-02 has been race proven and is a fantastic car to start racing with. you can find a RTR kit for around $160 and then all you need is batteries.
Upgrades will depend on what chassis you get, but the back setup is the same for the MR-02 and 03 as the parts are interchangeable. I'll list the upgrades as I would get them and in order of importance to get started.
Upgrades in the order I recommend them
1. tires (PN 6 degree radials for the rear, PN 15 degree slicks for the front).
2. Bearings
3. Wheel Nuts (You'll need these as the plactic ones strip out pretty easy).
4. Disk damper (I like the PN Fiberglass one).
5. Front low down springs ( I run the PN yellow or white on the MR-02)
6. Motor Mount. you'll have get the Damper and Motor mount at the same time if you are running the RM chassis, but recommended to get both to take full advantage of the setup of the damper.
7. Ball Diff.
8. Aluminum Knuckles (not really needed until you break the plastic ones, but it will happen eventually
)
9. T-plates. (the stock ones is fine to start with but will break eventually)
A fully setup AM MR-02 will run about $350 with everything including the car, the 2.4 will be about $150. you will need some rechargeable batteries, and the enegizer rechargable AAA's a a good battery to start with.
that should get you a very good start. I have a thread on my MR-03 build that you can read through on how I built it up.
My MR-03 buildAs for practicing at home, the rcp tracks are available for purchase and are great to have for practice. others have build a small track out of the foam playmat tiles that you can get at Walmart and other places. I recommend the track as its the surface that we race on and the setup won't change from home to race night. but with will be better than no practice. I also have a track at home and your welcome to come practice at my house you'll just have to let me know when and I'll try and be available.
as for the shops that sell mini-z parts, I have a section to the right called "Member Quick Links" that lists the shop and you can link directly to them from here.
As for our club, we are all a bunch of RC nuts
We have competitive racing but by far the most important thing is for everyone to have fun, we are family friendly and have racer in age from 7 and up. Most are adults but we have a few younger drivers and the skills range from very fast to beginner. You'll fit right in somewhere and have someone to race against that is of your own skill. As I said the most important thing is to have fun. Also if you want to test the waters before making a purchase. We can hook you up with a loaner car for a night and you can test it all out. There are no fees to race with us, except for the occasional "Trophy Races" that we have a few times a year. and then it's a cheap $5 entry per class.
Everyone is more than willing to help you with your car setup and help you improve your driving the best we can.
Let me know if you have any other questions and I'd be happy to help out, I'm sure some others will chime in here as well.
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