DigiT

I recently was able to put to rest my search for the perfect indoor r/c car or truck. When in search of the perfect r/c you have to consider when and where you are going to drive your new toy. Considering I was wanting a r/c that could be indoors when it was rainy or dark outside I had to look at the layout of my small apartment. After a quick scan of my rooms I noticed first off the need for a vehicle that could take on the rugged terrain of carpet, to the vast plans of title or wood floors. Of course what would a fun r/c race be with out obstacles and limitation's to one room? I would want to turn some bowls upside down and make use of old cardboard boxes. I considered getting something cheap such as an x-mod but realized I would only be playing in my kitchen or bathroom. Now I knew I would have to spend a little more cash to really enjoy my nights. I looked into 1/18 scale tlt-1 monster truck - 1/28 scale mini-z monster truck..

After much consideration I went to lhs and bought a Kyosho mini-z monster truck for 150 after tax. The rtr kit includes a remote and truck. It requires 8 double aa batteries for remote and 4 aaa batteries for truck. I took my truck home and ripped the box open pulled the mad force out of the box and started with good look over. Pictures of the truck found on the Internet really don't seem to do it justice. The truck is put together very well. Tires are soft and able to grip any surface. Shocks and springs leave some more to be desired and seem lacking in force and bounce. The body has a nice paint job, from the front to back you see a smooth coat of paint. Kyosho has also put plastic head and tail lights allowing for an optional light set. The kyosho mini-z truck added a high gloss chrome finish to wheels and real wing. There is little you could ask to add to the truck, Kyosho even added a wheelie bar for !QUOT!wheelie battles!QUOT!

Now to play with the truck. After a look over of the truck I noticed a small bit of assembly need on the antenna. It was simple enough with a single screw. I charged up my batteries and inserted them into the truck turned everything on and it was ready to go. With a quick squeeze of the throttle the truck came alive and jumped forward. It effortlessly charged threw my carpet and title floors. The soft tires help it grip most surfaces. With a quick tap of reverse and squeeze of forward the truck stood up with authority on its rear wheels and made its way a good 6 to 8 feet before planting its front wheels back on the ground. The Mad Force had more spunk than I had thought, however it seems it could have had a little more torque for climbing. I looked to the instructions and noticed at the bottom of the box a small set of goodies, Kyosho added a set of gears for the motor with complete description of what each gear does. They included a smaller gear to help climb. Kyosho also added a small sheet with track ideas, that where fun to try out.

After taking the truck apart and replacing the gear with there smaller t9 it was ready to try a few more obstacles, this time I went to the bedroom where I put pillows on the floor and a few books covered by my sheets. The truck effortlessly ran over them all with little or no bogging down. The Mad Force only became stuck one time on a book that was over its ground clearance. I consulted the included obstacle sheet for more ideas, There was an idea of placing bowls on there tops of different sizes. This was extremely fun and really showed off the the suspension of this 1/28 scale truck at work. The shocks and springs adjusted to a perfect grip every time. Once again very few bog downs. All in all a Great TRUCK. I couldn't put the remote down until the truck gave up after an hour on nimh rechargeable batteries. The Kyosho could almost be TO MUCH FUN.

Next I took the truck outside and ran it threw the grass, dirt, sticks and even mud. The truck left me speechless, it was able to run over all types of surfaces with out a problem it ran threw grass and dirt effortlessly. The truck however did get stuck in mud and on some sticks due to ground clearance. What can you expect from a 1/28 scale truck though? My neighbors immediately surround me ask where, how much.. and a few where just left in shock. It was fun to watch so many people with confused looks on there face as they watch such a small truck hop around the dirt with such furry.

I highly recomind the the Kyosho truck for indoor play. It will keep you busy for hours, it is small enough to make use of a small apartment but strong enough to send flying down steps and jumps.
Conclusion
pros
The truck is well made and could take any beating I threw at it.
The body is sturdy and pleasing to look at.
Batteries last an hour (nimh rechargeable)
For inside fun, you cant beat the Kyosho Mini-z Mad Force.

cons
lacks in speed
could use alittle more torque for climbing (one dollar fix for this listed below)


overall I give it a 9 out of 10

*fix for torque is a aaa battery holder from radio shack $.99 install and you will get a boost in speed and play time.
*Also note that Kyosho has a long list of upgrade parts for you Mad Force Mini-z

DigiT

Here are couple of pics of the truck next to a larger savage 25 and mini-t

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/my_mini%27s/m_1755547/tm.htm]click here for pics.[/link]

vizaracer

seems nice! i may consider one for my next car possibly.

Tigger N. Bennie

If you want more speed, simply install an optional Kyosho X-Speed and a bearing kit.

Edit: Another option would be to use at least 800 NiMH rechargeable batteries.

DigiT

Im giveing a review of stock product, I did post at the bottom the option of better batt's upgrade. I just didnt feel like getting into upgrade options. Im working on getting new FET's and NML motor that should push this little guy to 30 or so..

thanc for the input though Tigger

DigiT

just placed order for new motor.

nitrobashinauz

keep us posted man