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I've been into casual driving with my Mini-Z MA-020 at home, so I bought some more upgrade parts. At the moment, this MA-020 is set for 94mm wheelbase and narrow front. Out of the box, it can convert between 90 and 94mm. For an autoscale body like this narrow 90mm Subaru, MA-020 can mount it easily. However, I also have many wide 98mm bodies like this Audi R8. Unless you have the Dodger Challenger, MA-020 doesn't support wide or 98mm out of the box.
To understand Mini-Z body compatibility more, let's look at my MR-03. The two on the left are configured with narrow width front end. The one on the right is set for wide (hint: see spring spacing). With MR-03, Kyosho provides enough parts with each kit to convert between narrow and wide front end. To get different wheelbase like 86, 90, or 94mm here, I'd get an RM motor pod and t-plate like this. For 94 or 98mm, get an MM2 pod. For the common 98mm wheelbase, there is the MM or MML pod like this here. The basic plastic motor pods are relatively cheap. I think Kyosho did a great job at making an MR-03 so modular.
Now, making an MA-020 wide and 98mm takes more work and money. To get a wide front, MD203 gives us the wide upper bulkhead cover and wide tie bar. Kyosho makes us buy the wide lower bulkhead cover separately with MD202B. Let's not forget the need for a pair of longer CVD swing shafts to go with the wide front. I already have these Atomic 10.5mm swing shafts. The standard CVDs are 8mm long. Independently, extending the MA-020 wheelbase to 98mm requires this MDW100-04 spur gear set. Plus MDW205B which are the extension blocks so the stock rear end can be mounted further back. It's easy to see why most people don't bother with doing this for the MA-020. Please note that the MA-020 Civic comes as narrow 98mm, and the Dodge Challenger is wide 98mm.
Let's start disassembling the front to convert it to wide. Narrow vs the wide upper covers. Here we have the narrow lower cover and tie bar (PN), vs the wide version on the left. As expected, it's straightforward to replace the top and bottom covers. It's part of the Mini-Z charm. Here's a comparison between a standard CVD (3Racing) and long CVD (Atomic). I forgot to move the pivot balls from the narrow bottom plate to the new wide one. Be careful with these front springs. The wide front is done! It's 2.5mm wider on each side.
I ran into a problem though that took some troubleshooting. With the stock gear diff and Atomic CVDs, they were just a tad too long and caused binding with the driveline and suspension. I switched to this Mini-Q ball diff with deeper drive cups. That did the trick.
Let's look at extending the MA-020 wheelbase to 98mm. The length of the MA-020 central drive shaft is adjusted by using different spur gears. To get to 98mm, I need this long spur gear set. The idea of the extension blocks is extending the two ends of the chassis so that the back end assembly can be mounted 4m back. Sounds easy but the installation is actually much more involved!
Due to limited space at the bottom of the right block, the installation calls for drilling an 1.5mm hole on the chassis. Start with the thinnest drill bit to mark the hole and verify, then drill a small hole. It's not difficult to drill this hole, but it's unexpected for a Mini-Z upgrade from Kyosho. The end result looks a bit odd but the blocks are quite secure on the chassis. There's gotta be an easier way to design this right?
In terms of tools, I use this Tamiya Pin Vise D, and a dremel drill bit set. They are super handy! For small scale RC, hand drilling is usually all that's needed.
With the back end attached to the extension blocks. The chassis looks kind of funny with the big gap there. This stock sliding king pin rear suspension isn't all that smooth and sophisticated. I will upgrade it in another video. The conversion is done! It's now a wide 98mm MA-020. For me, it's an odd sight to see a somewhat large MA-020 after having mine in narrow 90mm forever. Will it make a difference in performance? Probably not but it looks pretty cool. I can mount bodies like this McLaren Senna, a wide 98mm body. Being AWD, MA-020 drives more reliably at home, and now it can drive with style too.
Do I recommend the conversion? While I really enjoyed the process of modifying a Mini-Z, I think it's more expensive than it should be.
This is Sammy and thanks for watching!
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