Typicall of any review, lowest score is an 8, thats awsome, I cant remember ever seeing anything lower then a 6 in a magazine, ???
This is from XRC mag on the world 2000 champ Taimya 414m
Acceleration • The stock motor provided some decent acceleration. Running stock reminds me that I like the power of modified. Off the line the MII was on par with the shaft drive cars and other dual belt cars. The car was especially perky in mid speed acceleration. The MII never displayed any torque steer or other odd feeling under acceleration.
Rating: 4.5
Top Speed • The rather tame top speed of stock was adequate for the close quarters of the track. The stock pinion (40-tooth) actually was pretty close to a good ratio for the track. Since top speed is highly dependent on the motor and batteries all that is required for more speed is some extra cash for a mod motor.
Rating: 4.5
Braking • If stopping on the straight was all that was required the MII’s double one-way setup would be great, but unfortunately like all one-way equipped cars if you need to slap on the panic brakes the car will tend to spin out if you are anywhere near a corner. If the kit included a ball diff up front this wouldn’t be a problem. If you are running on a small tight track consider picking up a diff. If you a high-speed sweeping track this setup will work well.
Rating: 3
Low Speed Handling • Through the technical section the MII carved up the turns. Keep the throttle on and point the car in the right direction and the MII handles well. Even in the slower sections letting off the throttle completely breaks the rear loose slightly. This characteristic comes in handy when you want to go into a corner tighter than usual.
Rating: 4.5
High Speed Handling • The stock setup made for a slightly sensitive feel on the straight. It felt a little too sensitive to steering inputs. It felt more like driving a 12-scale car. The MII carried speed through the sweepers well but felt slow coming onto the straight. Overall the car was very predictable at speed.
Rating: 4
Rough Track Handling • Socal is unique in that the outside of the track is a banked oval. This transition to the flat infield created a bumpy transition. The MII held a straight line through the transition and
even over the slightly rough sections felt stable and never felt like it wantedto wander.
Rating: 4.5
Tuning • The MII is adjustable enough to dial the car into any track and condition. The camber link is the only questionable limit to tuning but it looks like Tamiya did their homework since the location seems to work well. The MII also responded well to the changes made. There were noticeable differences in the cars handling, but not huge jumps that could cause some confusion in tuning. I stuck with the stock springs and made small changes to get a feel for the track and car. I was able to make improvements with changes to shock angle and ride height.
Rating: 4.5
Damage • I sometimes like to play jump the corner dots and before I got used to the track I sent the Tamiya for a few rides in the air. Aside from a few scratches on the chassis nothing broke. For some reason it felt like I should have painted a target on the body since I think everybody in the A-main and qualifying wanted to borrow some paint off the body. Even through some T-bone action nothing broke or felt tweaked after the collision festival, oops,I mean A-main.
Damage: 4.5
Last edited by dawgmeat; 02-07-2005 at 08:50 PM.