RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

I've wanted to get another Mini Cooper for some time now. When I lived in Jersey City I would race my old M03 in the parking lots with a few friends and it was some of the most fun I've ever had with r/c. The little Minis are just a blast to drive. Super simple, very little maintenance and they're nearly indestructible. Plus, they're cute. Finally I broke down and bought another. I put it together last weekend. I got the one with the pre-painted body because winter is here and I don't have a place to paint bodies inside. The newer M05 chassis looks to be a pretty good improvement over the old M03 that I used to race. For upgrades so far I've only added bearings and a ball diff. I think it's going to need oil shocks. I've very happy to have a Mini again.

nice. i love mini's, i race both fwd (m03) and 4wd (abc genetic). they are just so much fun!

the m03/m05 is so tough, how tough? tough enough to beat sc trucks into submission in demo derby!
i jacked my m03 up using 1/18 mt tires and long shocks, took it to motorama last year and if i wasn't racing in my classes i was
walking around driving the m03 and picking fights. we had alot of fun, there were a few of us.

i have found that the car, both m03's and m05's, are better with the friction dampers over the oil shocks (on carpet anyway). i don't know what it is, but our m03's and m05's seem to hop around the turns with oil shocks but with the stockers they are on rails. some of the aussie racers (rc-mini.net guys) have found this as well.

that prepainted body looks sharp. i don't have a m05, yet, so i can't offer much set up help or anything except for tire's and the like.
i ran foams all last season until we adopted tcs rules, kind of a bummer.

Great looking Mini!

Looks great!

Here are the pics of mine... put it together a few weeks ago over the holiday break. I still need to tidy up a few items (add shims to the susp, trim body posts, etc).

I have a passion for minis 1:1 scale, 1:8 and 1:10th. I have a small collection which I enjoy.
This is my latest toy. I need to paint it but Have to decide what colour my 1:1 scale will be before I cna do this. I kno its not on a Tamiya chassie but it will be soon.

Cool minis guys!

Meanee, who makes that countryman body?

MkI Clubman Estate body... I love it!!! Where did you find that, and what is the scale? I'd be willing to pick up a new model just to have something to mount that body on!

I recently sold my 1:1 mini sedan. It was a 1980 imported from New Zealand. I completely rebuilt the car, drove it as my daily driver for a couple years, then sold it to make room for another Triumph TR6.

I love british classics... Morris, Austin, MG, Triumph... the passion runs deep!

the Countryman shell from abc hobbies...from what I understand its avalible from their website. I got it here in New Zealand.
jkelm its a morris/austin bodyshell.....clubman has the square nose.



Thats soo cool you had a mini. Did you enjoy driving it?
British cars are the best if they are a classic.

Hope this helps

Yes, you're right. Clubmans had the square nose, introduced in the 70's. I missed the minor detail in my excited haste to respond to this awesome thread!

I had a great time driving my sedan. It was like driving a go-cart on city streets!!! I had it imported to the US from Christchurch, NZ. The guy I purchased it from said it was 'rust free'. When it arrived, I discovered the whole bottom of the car was rusty. This discovery began a two year restoration and forced me to sell the TR6 I had at the time to finance the Mini restoration. I chose to resto the Mini because TR6s are relatively easy to find in the states, while Mini's are less common because they weren't imported for very long due to US safety standards.

But after getting my fill, I decided it was time to get another TR6 so the Mini was sold.

Here's a pic I took before selling...

jkelm24 wrote:MkI Clubman Estate body... I love it!!! Where did you find that, and what is the scale? I'd be willing to pick up a new model just to have something to mount that body on!

I recently sold my 1:1 mini sedan. It was a 1980 imported from New Zealand. I completely rebuilt the car, drove it as my daily driver for a couple years, then sold it to make room for another Triumph TR6.

I love british classics... Morris, Austin, MG, Triumph... the passion runs deep!

buy the abc genetic, you can get it with this body on it, i got mine with the austin mini pickup body. it's the most fun mini i have ever had.

http://www.abchobbyusa.com/austinminicountryman.aspx

I've been pondering a mini to run on my road this Spring. How's battery fitment on these? Can they take a rectangular lipo, or do you need one of the rounded ones?

the tamiya minis can only accept the rounded lipos and even some of them are a bit tight.
the abc's can fit up to a 4000mah hardcase, more if modded a bit.

Thanks. Kinda looked that way. I need to pick up a couple of the rounded ones anyway.

our fwd class has taken off so i refreshed my m03.

i found the 225mm wb extenders and installed them as the lwb cars seem to glide though the turns much easier then the swb's. (carpet oval track)
tamiya gt tuned motor, was running a silver can but now we have a field of "cheater motors" and the guys using silver cans were getting crushed by 10 laps.
tamiya low friction dampers, the pinkish ones, limited to 56mm end to end.
intellispeed esc, was using the teu-101bk.
3racing carbon fiber servo mount reinforcement w/transponder mount
hpi tires on multispoke m03m swift wheels.
alloy spindles
cvds, one pin failed. now a cvd on one side and a bone on the other. lol
protoform 225mm "panel wagon", looks like a chopped beetle.
orion 3500mah 25c rounded lipo

after these additions and a complete rebuild i'm back on the lead lap.

Nice Minis you blokes. Here's some pictures of my newly finished Tamiya M05. I still have to trim the posts. Hot ups are on the way.