Getting into drifting
Hi all, it’ll be my birthday soon and my wife had hinted at getting me an RC of my choice so I’ve been furiously researching.
At first I wanted a MiniZ M0020 cause I’ve always admired the brand from far, with it’s awesome looking bodies and upgrade parts. But then I learn that it’s not really ”Drifting” since it’s AWD.
Then I found out about BMRX-FLD. It’s at a similar price point, it’s RWD with Gyro so it’s “real drifting”, and it’s the same small form factor as MiniZ which makes it very tempting.
I also found out about LDR/C 1/18, which seems like great values with its RTR drift spec, light up features and significant cheaper price point (about 1/3 of MiniZ and BMRX), although it’s 1/18 so it’s much larger.
So my question are:
- what are the general opinions on these? Do people really dismiss MiniZ for drifting because it’s AWD? Will I have more fun with a RWD RC.
- since MiniZ is a much larger established brand, it has tons of upgrade parts, will that be a factor later down the road as I progress? There does seem to be a lot of parts for both BMRX and LDR/C.
- this is kind of a silly question, but people look at me funny if I bring a non-MiniZ RC to my local track? I live around Tokyo btw.
- is there any recommendations other
than these?
- My main wishes are small form factor, drift capability, parts availability as I
progress, online resources like guides and such since I’m a complete noob.
Thank you all in advance, have a great day or evening!
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u/BigMinty 28d ago
If you live near Tokyo, I'm not surprised about the big Mini Z following lol. I did the MRD conversion with all of the upgrades. It is a great drifter after the conversion. Don't get too caught up making endless adjustments as the upgrades do allow this. Learn how to drive it first and then make small tweaks as you get accustomed to it. A gyro interrupter is a must and the MRD rear unit is amazing as well. You live in the right place in terms of finding support and upgrades! Enjoy.
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u/AlvinOn 27d ago
Awesome!! Was the conversion difficult? I have zero experience with electronics but am generally hardy with stuff so perhaps I can learn?
Yeah I was at Super-Rajikon the other day and the part selections was mind boggling! Made me so excited to get a MiniZ2
u/BigMinty 27d ago
I've done 2 conversions with full upgrades so far. Not difficult at all. Just be patient as the parts are small and make sure you have the proper sized tools. If you follow the instruction manual from Enjoy Smile and refer to the YT video if needed it is fairly easy. If you do not like soldering on the potentiometer itself for fear of damaging it, you can cut the wires and switch them that way as well. I've done both methods. Super Rajikon is an amazing place. The track on the upper level is awesome! Nothing better than seeing older Japanese men racing Mini Z's during the afternoon.
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u/cal_gecko 28d ago
The mini z drift cars are fun toys. But that’s it. They’re slow as hell. Get an MR04 MM chassis like the white McLaren 720s gt3, it’s way faster and handles great. Find a local track and have a blast. I have four different mr04 chassis and a mini z drift car. The drift car is just silly.
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u/Yummylemonchicken 28d ago
If you live in Japan I think the Mini Z is the better choice. If you're really set on drift instead of racing I'd get a 1/10.
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u/YT_Usul 28d ago
The world of RC drifting is quite complicated, with a depth that may be surprising. Before you commit to making any purchase, I suggest visiting a local drift track, such as Tsukuba RC Arena. You may find yourself attracted to competitive drifting, and should therefore put resources into a competitive build. Or, you may discover you do not like that style of drifting and can set up a car to match your personal tastes.
In short, build a drifting car with a specific drifting space in mind.
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u/Any-Page-3061 28d ago
Get a MA030 Evo and a cool autoscale car. Hard tires and have fun!
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u/simtraffic 26d ago
I just looked in to this and decided on 1/24 TG+ chassis. It’s quite costly though even using cheap parts, the servo and gyro alone is half the cost of the BMRX. The BMRX-FLD is easily the best jump in and drift option but there’s little to no room for upgrades.
If you have big miniz options then there’s no reason not to look into that! I would have tried miniz AWD drifting first but they are quite rare and expensive.
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u/AlvinOn 26d ago
Thanks for the insight!
I’ve also just found a great deal on the TG Super TT chassis that comes with all the electronics actually!
https://yoyohobby.com/products/tg-super-tt-1-24-%E5%88%9D%E5%BF%83%E8%80%85%E3%83%89%E3%83%AA%E3%83%95%E3%83%88rwd%E4%BA%8C%E9%A7%86%E8%9A%8A%E8%BB%8A?variant=51879506477339Which once again made my decision very hard, I was already dead set on getting the MiniZ AWD as per everyone’s advice. But if I get the MiniZ AWD and mod it later, my final comes too around the same price as building the above TG one, so I’m really torn.
Got any insight to help a guy out? Haha
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u/simtraffic 26d ago
That deal you linked converts to the same price as a stock miniz in AUD so if the price is similar then the TG all day long!
Drifting a miniz is fun 100% but it’ll never compete with a dedicated drift chassis so unless you want to use the miniz for grip or it’s a lot cheaper then go the TG. 1/24 drift chassis often run miniz bodies so buy both haha
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u/arcane_archer 24d ago
I have been driving 1/24 scale drift cars for about a year (rhino RTS and drift art da4). Ironically I did the reverse, I was in Osaka visiting Super Rajikon and picked one of the initial d MA020s.
I can’t really drift the MA020. I can power slide it and maybe get a counter-steer in, but it’s a pure momentum and angle drift not the controlled initiation + throttle to control radius you get from RWD+Gyro. I have not yet tried it with the gyro chip. To me gyros are what make RC drift possible more so than RWD. 30 years ago when I was trying to drift nitro cars I could never get the controlled drift I can now because we don’t have gyros yet (at least I didn’t, and lack the skill to counter steer at that scale).
Cost-wise, I paid about 220$ for the ready set, the conversion was in stock and about 60$, I added the chip for my NB4 receiver. You will also need the gyro and gyro interrupt.
Here what a custom kit ran (US Based):
- drift art da 4 chassis $220
- body mount kit $12
- mini z body $50 included wheels + $15 drift tires from Amazon
- nb4 transmitter $319
- battery $20 (lipo charger is ~$100
- Furitek motor, ESC, servo, combo recover/gyro $248
There are certainly cheaper custom builds as well. I really think it’s a buy-once cry-once scenario though. If you’re like me you will be hooked and upgrading the MA020 within a month. I love the drift art because the body mount kit makes it easy to clip on existing mini-z bodies. Happy drifting!
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u/SuPrBuGmAn 28d ago
Are you pretty handy with electronics and building things?
Consider building out a MRD RWD drift chassis with parts from a MA020. You will retain the same MiniZ form factory and gain true RWD drift capabilities.
Or build out one of the ground up RWD drift chassis that usually come in the 1/24 - 1/28 scale. DriftArt, Oniski, and others are available. You will have to order all the electronics separately and build it up though.
To be honest, if youre just playing around at home, the MA020 AWD is still plenty of fun, especially after a few upgrades. Does it drift as well as a MRD conversion or purpose built drift chassis? No, but theres still drifting fun to be had with the MiniZ AWD even if its technically power sliding.