Main Page Editorial Column Anime 101 Features [1] [2] [3] [4] Reviews [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] ___________ Home    Email		Let’s & Go: The Mini-4WD Mania continued... Retsu Seiba won’t allow his Blitzer Sonic to be beaten by his brother’s Lightning Magnum.      Now we come to the model kit selection. Tamiya has established a foothold on the market since the early 90s but it wasn’t until 1994 when it increased in popularity when the vehicles it featured were the same as the ones on the Let’s & Go anime series. All their model kits fall under a certain series which can be seen at the edge of the box. Taking note of these model lines is significant as they share a common structure and certain accessories can only fit them. For starters, the most famous and established one is their “Fully Cowled” line. These kits are the ones seen in the original TV series and follow the vehicles of Retsu and Go.      Next up are the Aero, Super, and Mighty mini-4WD series. They’re the follow up vehicles of the sequels to the original Let’s & Go and if you’ve seen Let’s & Go Max, then you’ll find some of the kits familiar. Some kits from the Aero line are derived from the manga, meshing vehicles of the characters from Let’s & Go and Let’s & Go Max. Please bear in mind that the Fully Cowled, Aero, Super, and Mighty mini-4WD series does not come with a motor and must be purchased separately.      Next up is the original 4WD released vehicles. Unlike its successors, these vehicles come with a motor. Also, they don’t have an insignia mark on the box that identifies them as belonging to a particular series but they usually have titles like Dash-001, etc...      Lastly is the Mechanical mini-4WD line which is actually just a stylish model kit. It’s static and does not run so you don’t need a motor. This is for people who like appearances rather than actual racing of mini-4WDs. You can do anything with it just as any other kit except that it doesn’t run.      Warranting a buy and a more expensive price tag are kits that have color plated bodies. Vehicles such as Bergkaiser or Diospada have somewhere on the box mentioned “Black Plated Body” or “Gold Plated Body”. This gives the vehicle a more stylish and cleaner look and worth the buy if you’re interested.      Once you’re done selecting the base structure, it’s time to choose a motor. The box originally recommends that you use the ff types: torque, rev, atomic, and mach dash. However, Tamiya has also come up with newer motors such as Plasma that gives the car more speed. Whatever you choose is up to you. However, it’s a misconception that the faster the motor, the better it is. In reality, this is only partially true. The best motor varies from course to course. The faster a motor is, the more rapid it drains the battery as well as the quicker it overheats. Obviously, we can’t have the latter. It is advisable to use a really fast engine in a small course and a slower engine in the longer courses (or those with many laps). The stability of your vehicle should also be taken into account. We don’t want it to go flying out of the track due to the sheer speed of its motor, unless you’re ready for the next step: spare parts.      You just don’t need spare parts in the case you break your mini-4WD kit while racing, it’s for customizing the vehicle as well. It’s also handy to remember that certain parts and pieces fit on certain lines of machines. They’re marked on the packaging on which lines they’re compatible with. Choosing the right tires, bearings, and even base body is all part of being a racing fan. These little things all add up to dictate the performance of your vehicle while racing as well as its appearance.      Last note, it’s also advisable to keep a wide selection of motors and spare parts on hand. Keep them in a case (Tamiya sells one) along with your mini-4WD kit. The thing is, the best vehicle depends from situation to situation, from course to course. You will need to make changes to your kit to achieve the best performance in a race and not every track is the same. In the end, it is you who determines how well your car performs and thus the intriguing challenge of mini-4WD racing begins. Yasuhiro Imagawa, of Giant Robo and G Gundam fame, was initially chosen as the director for the Escaflowne series. [ prev page ] [ top ] [ next article ]
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