LOL. I guess you could actually spend $1300 fielding a mini if you started from nothing and went top-of-the-line... not that this in any way resembles my actual setup

radio (KO EX-1) $350
race ready M05 V2 (build from scratch - only use chassis from kit, includes ceramic brgs, all 3 racing and Tamiya options, dual cardan driveshafts, BLS551 servo, ORCA 2200kv spec ESC/motor combo) $620
battery (ORCA Infinite shorty 100C 4800) $90
battery charger (hyperion 615 duo3) $250

total: $1310.

Can one really notice the difference between brushed and brushless servos?

BLS551's spec isn't really anything spectacular... just pricey. Just going by spec, the S6070 is pretty much identical.

I run these servos in all my cars. Nothing wrong with them, especially for the price (I bought a bunch when they were 20 bux on rcmart).

Yeah they are 16g heavier than the bluebirds. Where I race, we have a minimum weight so this is not how problem. We also run a spec esc/motor combo in Canada for Mini's so that we don't have to worry about guys running new "flavour of the month" motors.

FM radios? I believe there are basic 2.4ghz radios out there for $30.

Thanks for the input. I might give these servo's (Power HD 1207TG) a try next time. Good to hear your races are more controlled for fairness.

Even if you take the charger out, it's still over $1000 ...wow.... All the power to you, and win lots of tcs races... I just hope it does not deter newbies to join in the mini action....

If an experienced racer wants to go full retard on a mini, then power to them. They likely already have the charger, radio, transponder, electronics, setup station,etc. They are at the level they are because they enjoy the competition and know full well what they are diving into.

If a newbie decided to go full retard on a mini, with no experience, with no support, with no tools, then that truly is a fool with too much money.

TCS wasn't meant for newbies to win races and become the next TRF driver. It was meant to let newbies feel comfortable with racing their basic cars, which should be done at the club level anyways.

The problem with TCS now is that the spectacle has surpassed the reality. Newbies don't want to attend a race that is filled with a bunch of serious guys who want to qualify for the regional TCS race. They simply want to run against people of similar quality and enjoy themselves. It's like the Indy 500. Nobody is stopping Joe blow from spending 10 million dollars to try and qualify with a non-sponsored car. But the reality is that Joe blow doesn't have the R&D, the money, or the skill, to qualify for the Indy 500.

TCS has become warped because average Joe blow racer thinks he has a chance of advancing to regionals if he gets an edge on something, be it bearings, motor, body, etc. What makes it worse is when a newbie thinks the same as average Joe blow racer, and ends up spending big money for no other reason than to get his butt kicked and realize that HE IS A NEWBIE.

This is where club racing is extremely important. It helps average Joe blow racer realize that he is more likely to get promoted at his accounting firm, than become the next TRF driver. It helps the newbie understand how to tune their car and drive better lines. And once they accomplish this improvement, they can feel more comfortable in attending big races and enjoy the experience - as opposed to believing they will become a TRF driver at the end of the race.

The problem with newbies who get deterred after spending big money to lose at TCS, is that they either did not get enough level headed support at the club level - or they decided to not listen to level headed people at the club level.

Ooh, good find! I may try one of these next time I replace one of my standard-sized servos.

Very interesting stuff, 000000000000.

There should be a basic class for just oil dampers and diff mods only. Everything else stock.

In other news, my M01 is arriving today.

Hey howard, I like that we think alike! (I think)

Usually that's bad news... not for me, for the other guy.

Not intended to deter anyone with my post - You're the one who posted about the $1300 minis out there...

I was just trying to prove a point that there is no such thing - it takes all the support gear to get close to the price.

Bert is not the first to troll that expensive minis are ruining the class. Unfortunately he wont be the last.....

I can't - but that's just me.

Over the years of racing, I have realized that I need a servo that can respond to my steering inputs as fast as I make them. This means about 0.10 sec / 60°. After that, I want metal gears and ball bearings for durability and reliability - I hate part failures that cost me a race. Next comes size - it needs to be small and light enough to fit in any chassis - I only use lightweight options when I specifically need to meet minimum weights for a racing class. I could care less about the case materials and the bling.

I actually got the BLS551 off ebay, new, for less than the price of a 9551. Only reason I have it.

Thanks for the info. I've not tried a BL servo yet so just wondered. I will stick with my brushed servos for the time being. I too agree that 0.10-0.11sec is a good speed to have if the torque is there too.

The 0.09sec/60 degrees offered by the Spektrum and Savox is a noticeable improvement over the 0.11sec Futaba though (my S9452 is 0.11sec). These days I use minimal steering exponential and run full servo speed.


axle- I think Tamiya should have 2 classes. Modified and Basic (oil dampers and diff mods only, maybe bearings).