So one of my latest project has been building a Tamiya Rover Mini Cooper RC.  This was a definite change from all my other RCs as this is not only the first on-road RC I've purchased, but the first one I had to build from scratch.

The instructions had six different languages in them so space was certainly limited leaving the written instructions fuzzy.  Fortunately for me, the illustrations were excellent and easy to follow.  It took me about six hours from start to finish to complete the project including paint.  Originally I had planned to paint the RC the same colors as my real MINI Cooper but I decided to wait until I get my hands on the BMW MINI body instead of the classic Rover Mini body.

The Tamiya Rover Mini uses a M-03 platform which is unique in it's front wheel drive design.  This allows for incredible steering however acceleration is adversely affected by the weight shifting to the back wheels, not unlike a full size FWD vehicle.  To compensate for this I will be replacing the rear shocks with stiffer springs to transfer the weight back to the front of the vehicle under acceleration. The front wheel drive design does allow for a predictable level of understeer and makes the vehicle much easier to steer than any of my other RCs which are all rear wheel drive.

The kit came with an ESC and motor but not a transceiver.  The stock ESC and motor are not terribly powerful but for a car of it's size with the stock gearing it does make for a decently quick vehicle out of the box.  The braking however certainly lacks in the stock motor.  I have already ordered the Tamiya sport tuned motor to upgrade the stock one but eventually intend to install a Mamba Max 7700 ESC/Brushless motor kit with a 2s LiPo battery for additional speed and run time.  I installed one of my Spektrum transceivers and servos into the car and find them to be an excellent match for the vehicle.  Response is very quick and allows me to make controlled hairpin turns.

Overall I am incredibly impressed with the build quality of this Tamiya RC.  I've never owned a Tamiya RC before but I would certainly say it's a safe bet that I will purchase another Tamiya RC in the future.  Driving an on-road car is certainly a change for me and while I enjoy the handling of an on-road car I've been using the web site RC-Mini.net for information on a rally tire and suspension set up for the car to increase versatility.