The Tamiya Mini Cooper thread is getting a fair amount of posts from M04 drivers... thought I'd set up a home just for us.

Post your pics and specs of your Eunos, Beetle, S2000, Giulia Sprint, etc. Ask lots of questions, post lots of answers. Let's help each other out with these cool little cars.

-Matt

Thanks for starting the thread!
I'll post some photos M04 tomorrow and post my current set-up.
Looking forward figuring out my ride and being more competitive with the M03s.

First thing, anyone have a source on the Alfa Guila bodies? I cant believe that Tamiya keeps selling the kit but wont sell the bodies.

They DO sell the bodies...they just come with a complete set of spare parts for your car

I agree, I'd sure like to be able to buy the body on it's own. Would make me MUCH more comfortable playing hard with mine.

Wow, that's pretty strange. Tamiyausa.com lists the body as discontinued, but the kit still seems to be around... though they say it's not in stock. I wonder if they're going to discontinue the entire thing, like they've done with the Eunos. If that's the case, what's coming next for the M chassis? They recently came out with the Beetle on an M04L chassis. Maybe an updated Eunos based on the new Mazda MX5? Something else?

What other small, RWD sports cars are out there... BMW Z4, BMW M Coupe, Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky... I'd love to see an M Coupe, but the original one from the late 90s rather than the Z4-based car of today.

I have an mo4m with the alpha body.
so far two practice runs at Tamiya's HG track and to lock ups during first 5 minutes.

Both times I found little pebbles inside the gear box. The first time I forgot the little cover, the second time I think the little rocks got inside thru the optional gear mesh holes in the gear case. I will cover the hoes with tape or shoe goe next time.

Also after i rolled it, the inside output bearing on the left side popped into the gear casel, causing a loose gear mesh with the diff.

Would using orings in the out put cups help eliminate this. or am I doing something wrong?

thanks
wn

What other bodies fit the M04M? I may buy another Alfa kit and put the body away, but I am bad need of a new runner body. One thing for the M04 is it dose not go through steering knockles like the M03, I haven't broken anything on the Alfa but the body, and I let my kids run it at the track a lot.

I think Tamiya should consider making bodies such as the Honda Beat the Toyota MR2, first generation and possibly the second generation. Other considerations could be the first generation Mazda RX7 and the Shelby Cobra. There are many unnamed historical and modern rear wheel drive minis that could be recreated for the M04, Tamiya just needs to give us more choices for the chassis!

If you're not racing TCS I THINK the HPI Miata will fit. HPI might offer other bodies as well but NONE of them are TCS legal...MUST be a Tamiya body.

Hey Scottrik,
Will the Honda s800 body fit on the M04m chassis?

Not even close. The S800 is 210mm--identical to the Rover (Classic) Mini. I've got an extra S800 body that I'll do a RWD conversion M03 under (unless someone offers me ridiculous money for it...hint hint) if I like how the one I'm doing now works under my Datsun 510 body. Also doing a RWD M03 for one of my Abarth bodies and have an NSU and Subaru 360 bodies on order.

Not worried about TCS, if I was I would run M03.

Is it true that a M04 has won the TCS nationals for the past two years?

I don't know that they won, but I know they do very well. Especially now that the gearing restriction was lifted.

I thought they ran in a separate class?