Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

So, a friend of mine got a Chaos as a gift from his girlfriend for Christmas this year. Now that I've seen it run a few times, I think I want to jump into the nitro mini scene. I'm not new to minis(had an RC18MT which I passed on to my brother), or nitro(currently have an MGT), but I am new to mini-nitro. So far, I have considered the schumacher rascal, the kyosho mini inferno 09, the trinity next and the team vtx truggy. I was also thinking about the upcoming jammin crt.5, but I'm getting impatient. It seems like they all have pros and cons, so I'm having a tough time deciding which route I should go if I decide to sink some money into this segment. I don't think anybody races nitro mini around here, and Im just looking for a backyard/baseball diamond/gravel lot basher. So far I've come up with this:

Rascal pros: .18 pullstart engine, uses std tires and wheels, thick chassis should take abuse well, build quality
Rascal cons: short wheelbase, 2WD

Mini Inferno 09 pros: 4WD, kyosho parts support, popularity, build quality, sirio engine, some parts interchange w/ electric KMI
Mini Inferno 09 cons: bump start only, less ground clearance, special glow plugs

Next/VTX pros: 4WD, truggy stance w/ better ground clearance, drake 09(NEXT only)
Next/VTX cons: specialized tire sizes, .06 engine(VTX only), parts support?, build quality?

Just curious to see what others think about these vehicles. I really like the KMI 09, but having to lug a bumpstarter with me is kind of a liability, and I could buy a Hyper 7 PBS or an SHO for the same price! The NEXT/VTX look pretty good, but I'm a bit worried that parts might not be available a year from now...

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

The Piktor MIWI rocks !!!!

http://www.piktor.fr/blog/images/model2006.jpg

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

I would wait for the 1/12th scale Jammin Mini CRT.5
http://www.jamminproducts.com/Produc...s/IBN_1275.JPG
http://www.jamminproducts.com/Produc...s/IBN_1300.JPG
http://www.jamminproducts.com/Produc...s/P9211056.JPG

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

Rascal!!!:D Or the Jammin.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

The rascal looks pretty swet, but I am waiting to see what CEN's new nitro mini is like before I decide on one.

I saw some pics somwhere that showed that they will have MT and ST versions.

http://www.cenracing.com/area51/51_mini_g.html body isnt my favorite, but it might be alright for the price.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

Id go with a NT18T.

Jammin is nice but price will be up there.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

Either the SportWerks Chaos, or the Kyosho Mini Inferno 09.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

I would get a NEXT or VTX Truggy. The NEXT has some parts support, I don't now about the VTX Truggy but I imagine they have some.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

Hey what site is the Jammin Mini CRT .5 at. I like the looks of it.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

Did you look at the Xray NT18MT before deciding the above choices? Or were you specifically after a 1/16th size only?

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

I have heard good things about the chaos, but I think the KMI09 is the nicest off them all, all depent on your budget I guess.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

The Xray never really entered the picture. It's pretty expensive, like $300 w/o radio, no? If the price is lower than the kyosho, I might add that one to the list.

Yeah, the jammin does look really nice. I just wish they'd release the dang thing. I get tired of waiting. The jammin was suppsed to be aroung $300 RTR, which doesn't seem too bad since it's right around the KMI 09 price and should be more capable.

Thanks for the opinions all. It's interesting to see what others out there are thinking.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

So you are after RTR?

According to Stormer and Kyoshos site, the NT18MT is $100 less!

NT18MT = 309 RTR

Inferno 09 = $409 RTR

So add it yet? ;)

BTW: Both of these come with starter boxes while the others you list rely on pullstarters. Pullstarters as you know make the engines less reliable/lower life/less top end.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

Mini Me,

That's weird. I was going off of Stormer's ad in a recent RCCA which listed the NT18T kit as 299.99 with engine, pipe, and servos; it also said a starter box, Rx, and Tx were required(more $$$). The link you posted looks like a MUCH better deal. I didn't even know there was an MT version out, let alone an RTR. I still think a 1/16 might be a little better for my needs by virtue of being a bit bigger and more stable, but I'll definitely think about the xray. How come I don't hear more about these trucks? I know xray is a quality item......as for kit vs rtr, I really don't have a preference.

To level the playing field a little bit, Ultimate Hobbies has the KMI 09 RTR version listed at $329, so if I shop around, the xray and kyosho will wind up in the same ballpark pricewise.

I'n not sure where I stand on the pullstart issue regarding these minis. On a larger vehicle, I like drill/roto start--I've always avoided bump start cars because I'm lazy and don't like buying and carrying more gear than is absolutely necessary.:eek: I never had many problems with the pullstart on my old RC10GT, but then again the pullstart on the MGT didn't last long.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

Well the KMi09's bimp box fits in your hand. Not much bigger than a 7.2v sub c pack. And yes it is awesome. Starts up right now and is totally reliable. As far as the "special glow plugs" are concerned.....no one tries to get mini t arms for their 18t so why are they any different. Each car has their own parts....I think thats how it's supposed to be.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

Maybe nobody tries to put mini-t arms on an 18t, but have you seen all the crap people will bolt onto a stampede[sm=lol.gif]?
The reason for that observation is the simple fact that in all my years of messing about with glow powered planes, I've only needed either "long" or "short" plugs for two-strokes. The short plugs would work in an engine that needed a long plug, till you could get a replacement anyway(it didn't work the other way around though); even the four-strokes would run on a standard plug in a pinch--this makes it a lot easier to manage field gear for a half-dozen different engines. The only engines I ever dealt with that needed proprietary plugs were Cox and Norvel 1/2As, and even in those cases, the same plug would fit 3 or 4 different engines in their lineup and were interchangeable with adapters. The real problem I have is that no one locally carries kyosho or sirio parts, so if I don't carry a spare, I'm dead in the water if the plug burns out--can't just run to hobbytown for a new one. It ain't such a big deal as long as I can find an online source with reasonable shipping.

Well, that's good to know. I haven't actually seen one in person and it's hard to judge scale from quarter-screen internet images.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

The Bump Box has to be bigger than that be realistic man. At least the size of the chassis.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

also the 09 is availiable for 350 on ultimatehobbies

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

i am thinking bout getting a chaos cause that is really all i can afford right now but my choice would either be vtx buggy, piktor miwi, schumacher rascal or wait for the crt...but it is all up to you

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

The Pikto Miwi is the same as the Chaos but different wheels, Body, and thats it.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

but the pikto is cheaper than the chaos??

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

welll where are you guys looking thats says the piktor is cheaper??? and i am not looking for a brand new one...well i would like a brand new one but i cant find one in my price range and i cant find a used piktors for the the price range i have...i found a chaos for $90 shipped and that is what i am thinking bout getting...

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

do you know if any of the 2 speeds made will fit in the chaos...thanks for telling me that they are the same matt...and matt if i was to choose i would pick the piktor strait up i just like the look of buggies...wat kind do you really want like truck buggy what??

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

I dont understand what you are saying.

RE: Which Nitro Mini Would You Choose?
 

what do you not understand the $$ art or the 2 speed thing part??