"The Mini-Inferno gave me a big shock.
I was surprised by its sudden arrival and tension was immediately up!
Packaging was not finalized so it arrived in eco-friendly cardboard that was easy to dispose of. After opening the box I saw the Mini-Inferno 09 for the first time!
Fantastic! Nothing could wipe the smile from my face!
A 1/8 buggy condensed into this size!
The electric version already on sale has a dummy engine head and muffler; well this one has the real thing. Not only that, but the engine even has a slide carburetor and rear exhaust with a special tuned muffler. I was also amazed that all wheels on a model this size were supported with large capacity oil shocks. Awesome! But would be performance be as good? This was the big question that I was looking forward to answering.
I get the feeling this model lifts the bar for the model hobby. I wonder if I am the only one that feels this way?
Anyway, this stylish machine is impressive just to look at. Not just its shape, but down to the screw positions it looks so much like a 1/8 buggy. The metal gears look really durable and the diff gears use 4 bevel gears!
The chassis feels very rigid due to the torque rods on front and rear. Front caster and rear toe-in are adjustable as are the camber and shock angles so you can produce a real off-road setup. This one is definitely not just for kids.
The items you need to run the model are few and no burden to get. The only thing I thought it was missing was a hex wrench. I think this is needed by beginners for engine maintenance. But I think its great that an air filter and spare glow plug are included. These are two things that beginners don't normally think about - as I didn't with my first engine car.
However, I think the Multi-Charger IV is great because you can use it from a DC 12V battery outdoors (to charge starter box battery and receiver battery), but I don't think beginners are likely to use this. I already have one so I recommended it to my friend as well but he said he doesn't need it. Other components like the plug booster etc. seem reasonable, but the Multi-Charger IV makes me question if this is really a beginner package. Actually, it would be better for a beginner to buy a charger for the starter box and receiver battery so I guess this may be the reason. However, for people that want to charge up at home, do not have a car, or owners or electric RC cars changing to engine cars, the inclusion of an AC charger would be better.
An Engine Starting Guide for the first run! This is excellent for beginners. Used with the R/C system, this guide is clear and easy to follow. However I thought it would be better if it also covered the air filter and fuel filter. Beginners wouldn't necessarily know about these and I have had several friends who have missed these as well. It would be good to mention these in the guide as well.
Finally ready to start running, but rain the previous night turned my off-road track into a bog. So I took the Mini-Inferno 09 together with my FW-05RR to a paved track. This time my wife and child came along. She showed no interest at all in my RC hobby, but the Mini-Inferno was ""cute"" so I thought it might also be an attractive model for women to use. The engine started easily. Normally beginner models have a recoil starter. Even if it is carefully explained in the manual, there is still some confusion about how hard and how many times to pull the starter cord. This can lead to breakage and blisters and some people throw in the towel at this point. But the Mini-Inferno includes a special starter so it starts easily the first time so must be the better option for beginners. The engine has a sweet high-pitched ""racy"" sound. I wonder what it will sound like with the soon to be released racing exhaust set. I followed the break-in procedure as per the instruction manual without any problems. I finished break-in after 8 tanks. The plastic part (88) on the throttle linkage came loose and caused a panic! It seems the screw came loose on the rod. I lost a spring and finished what ended up being a trying break-in. Even though this is a Readyset and I checked each part, some parts might still come loose and this can't be avoided. I fixed this by myself but I think this needs improvement.
I took the head off for a look. Although I was a little nervous after the break-in, everything seemed to be fine. I finally opened it right up. It was fast! Really fast! Top speed is shown to be about 42km/h and the sharp acceleration gives away nothing to touring cars. Amazing! A big smile was plastered on my face. Suspension worked great around corners for smooth handling.
I thought this machine was great for both on-road and off-road and for practice as well as racing. A new category for go anywhere RC! The ultimate versatile machine."
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Time to start! The excitement builds.
First scene from the break-in. The starter box acts as the perfect stand for the recommended free-wheeling start.
Break-in scene. This is how it happened.
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