I`m also swiching from mugen to JQ, mbx6r to WE :nod:

I have the White Edition already since a couple months and ran it a lot for practice and in a couple races. I am coming from the MBX7 and I don't regret at all my decision to join JQ. The car is fast, easy to setup, and what I have seen so far (and I am still getting used to it) is that I am faster than with the Mugen and more consistent. Nothing broken so far, everything holding up very good and I had some good crashes with it already.
I am living in Brazil, and this is probably one of the worst countries for you to get RC Cars. Besides the import tax of minimally 60% we suffer with a lack for serious Hobby Shops in the country. But we all here learned that if you want something, you can always get it. The car is available in lots of places, and in todays world of ebay and online shopping, I simply cannot accept the excuse that somebody hasn't been able to get the kit. Furthermore, complaints that spare parts are not available... I do accpet this from somebody bashing, but somebody racing gets the most important spares anyhow. If you brake something on Sunday, there is no Hobbyshop where you can get your parts, so you need them in your bag.
But as always, it is a personal decision, and I am not judging somebody for not running JQ or Mugen or whatever brand. I only wanted to say that there always is a way if you really want something. As JQ says... Against the odds...
For all out there still thinking about getting a WE... you won't regret it!
By the way, I do pay for everything out of my pocket...

Elaborating a bit more on why I prefere the WE over the MBX7..

I found the MBX7 to be a very nervous car and I had serious issues and a) getting the rear under control and b) being consistent with it. When everything was right (and I had some luck) I was able to be very very fast for one lap. Much faster then with a MBX6R for example. But the 6R is much easier to drive in my opinion than the 7. Now the WE feels much more consistent for me. I have no issues with the rear traction, and everybody seeing my driving says that my laps look much calmer now. I feel the WE is faster especially in high speed corners and reacts much better in the air than the 7.
What surprised me a lot was the suspension. While the 7 is already much better than the 6R, the WE does it even better. What other guys who drove my car commented are the brakes. Everybody loves them.
I was racing the 7 for a full year, and I became vice champion of the Rio de Janeiro State and Champion of the Rio-Minas two State championship with it. I had no issues with breaking parts or whatever, the Mugen is definitly a reliable car. What I don't like is the (in my eyes) excessive chassis wear. I went through 3 chassis in one season. To be fast with the 7 you have to race it much lower than for example the Losi. If you race the Mugen on an abrasive high grip track, you can measure the chassis wear of one single day!
To summarize... would I race Mugen again? Yes, its a reliable and fast car. Then why JQ now? I am more confident with the JQ and I am convinced that I do have the right car to improve as a racer, besides getting a lot of help from both JQ and all the JQ racers around the globe. This makes a difference too.

I can appreciate everyones viewpoint of order it on the internet, but JQ should be aware of the issues for some ppl. Not everyone has a credit card or trusts doing buisness over the internet. Would it be better if no one said anything and let the issue go? I applaud JQ for his determination and love of his products. The availability of the car and parts in North America is a large issue for a lot of folks. There were 6 of us ready to roll with JQ this year, but 5 have bailed due to the uncertainty of parts availability and the delay on the kits. Nothing spooks a racer more than not knowing if they can get parts in a timely fashion. Our season in Canada is short, May through September, and if your machine goes down for 2 weeks, you lose a lot of that season.

I wish JQ the best in his endeavor, and if the supply issue gets resolved, I'm sure the car will do quite well.

Gary, you are right, and you are definitly giving constructive feedback. This is what this forum should be about. It's not about being a fanboy or whatever, it should help everybody, from the producing company to the distributor, the LHS and the racers. Availability of both kits and spares is an important point, but if I would just look at this point, I would continue to be racing Mugen. A good friend of mine is the distributor of Mugen for Brazil and one of the most professional guys in RC Racing in Brazil. I think in the recent post we summarized the most important points, now it's really up to every single racer to take the decision.

Online shopping is usually safe and in case problems would arise, the credit card company takes over from there. Just don't link anything to a bank account where you can be drained if you have anything to be drained of. My problem with online shopping currently for the White Edition is the simple fact that if buying from Ebay, you're going to pay right at $700 to get one. If I wanted it, I could get it but it's principle and common sense. I don't over pay because of supply and demand plus I know the cost. Not gonna happen and don't know how it could really happen to anyone.
Once HRP receives the cars, any hobby shop in the country can get them. Just hang in there.

www.amainhobbies.com has all the parts and we received WE kits. If we are ever out of a part is is only for a short time. Our system orders automatically when we are low on any specific inventory.

And if there is something we do not carry, please let us know and we will get it in for you.

Well the same thing happens to me I have to pay high taxes and I have to buy 2 kits to make sure I have enough spare parts cause I can not trust any LHS because in CR no one supports any type of RC Brand.
To me taking 1200 USD was not an easy call just because I wanted to race a new car, I honestly felt in love with the car, the dedication behind it and saw the potential behind it... specially because I used to run an Agama which in my numbers is one of the hardest car to race for me, simply because I do not have a fine/soft driving style.
But once again I need to move forward, I lost the first race of the year and now I have to resolve now how to get my money back and see what to race... maybe the new Xray cause you have to accept that car looks beautiful and Xray always present their products in the most luxurious way.

When I got the White Edition about 3 months back, I had not even a single spare part for the car. I got the plastic parts compatible from the Yellow and started racing. JQ told me "you don't need spares, the car doesn't brake"... well, I honestly didn't feel confortable with that, but went ahead. I did 3 races and lots of practice without spare parts.. i traveled on one occasion 700 miles on the weekend to race... without spare parts... JQ was right, you don't need them... I thought about getting a 2nd car too, but I now know that I don't need one. I got myself the front and rear arms, shock shafts, the plastic ball ends, front diff housing, one set of brake discs, hinge pins and one set of internal diff gears. Thats it... A lot on the car is made out of aluminium and won't break. A Main is quick with shipping if you need something from one week to the other. Go ahead and get the WE, you won't regret it.

AC500 where do you race at? Just curious as to what buggies are well supported in your area?

Amain is probably the best online retailer and there site is very secure.If you don't like doing business over the internet I'm sure you can give them a call and order over the phone.JQ and Amain customer service is some of the best in the industry.I've raced the car for 3 gallons of fuel on high bite track and the car shows no signs of wear and had several head on's in practice at the Midwest champs race and the only damage was a slightly bent hinge pin and shock standoff.If you get the chance to drive one I'm sure you'll own one no matter how you have to get it because its an amazing car to drive.

Northeast...Mostly Moog, Losi and the AE's, a couple D812s and a lone Kyo thrown in, I have feeling we'll see more Kyo's this season, as it seem to be the one to catch.

I have alot of respect for JQ, I dont fault his car or him for chasing his dream, late spring I got back into the hobby after a 6yr leave of absence, I tried a car I never would've thought of, an RC8.2. Hated it....looked around and almost bought the YE, I wanted a car quick that had a soild background, and after running the MBX5's before,I wanted another Moog, so I went that way. I like the WE, alot, theres great feedback on the car and seems to be growing popularity, I wouldnt hesitate to buy one, Im just a little leary the lack of availibty and parts support. I know my LSH wont be carring them so that could be a turn off. So for now, I'll run my new MBX7, if she's as unsable as some claim, I'll bounce back to my 6R.

I want to get my hands on a WE when amain gets more in stock and people haven't bought them all up. I have a MBX6R, MBX7, Team C T8, and a MP9. I have drove many others as well. We love our Mugens and are testing others to see if we like anything better.

Are there any UK distributors for this kit? I am looking for a new kit but dont know if I can wait till this comes back in stock.

Looks very promising & in budget.