Dust off the pit box and make room on the shelf. This week in Mini 4WD brings us a famous Emperor, commemorative motors, lightweight rollers and enough brightly colored plastic to make a highlighter feel underdressed.
Tamiya is continuing the 40th-anniversary celebration of its Racer Mini 4WD series, and nostalgia is very much in the driver’s seat. Fortunately, nostalgia remembered to bring some modern racing equipment along for the ride.
A Modern Companion for the Emperor
Builders who like the Emperor’s history but prefer modern chassis performance should look at the Zenperor 3 Polycarbonate Body Special.
Released in August as a 40th-anniversary special-project kit, the Zenperor 3 is inspired by the customized machines associated with Mini 4WD personality Yasuyuki “Mae-chan” Maeda. It uses a lightweight clear polycarbonate body mounted on a dark-blue VZ chassis.
The kit also includes super-hard, small-diameter low-profile tires, a 3.5:1 gear ratio and removable bumper sections that give builders considerably more setup freedom than the vintage Type 3 offers.
The Zenperor 3 creates a great old-versus-new pairing (to the original Emperor). One shows how Mini 4WD racing developed its personality; the other shows what decades of chassis development can do with that personality.
95189 Tamiya Zenperor 3 Special 40th Anniversary
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Anniversary Motors Bring Sensible Speed
Tamiya also released commemorative versions of its Atomic-Tuned 2 motors on August 29.
The 40th Anniversary Atomic-Tuned 2 Motor PRO is intended for double-shaft MA, MS and ME chassis cars. Its black endbell and black-and-gold label provide the anniversary appearance, while its performance remains focused on a usable balance of speed and torque.
That balance makes the Atomic-Tuned 2 particularly useful for newer racers. A faster motor is not automatically a faster race car if the machine launches itself out of the lane every time it sees a corner.
Speed is exciting. Finishing the lap is also surprisingly helpful.
95189 Tamiya Atomic-Tuned 2 PRO 40th Anniversary Motor
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Lightweight Rollers Return
The 13-12mm Lightweight Double Aluminum Roller Set joined the August 29 releases.
Designed primarily for front roller installations, the set uses 520 ball bearings and includes the necessary spacers and mounting hardware. Its two-stage profile helps guide the car while the lightweight aluminum construction reduces unnecessary mass.
Tamiya also has a new 13mm blue plastic ball-bearing roller scheduled for September 12. Its enlarged plastic section keeps weight down, while an aluminum bearing retainer helps prevent the bearing from being knocked loose during harder impacts.
These two releases set up an interesting question for intermediate builders: when is an aluminum roller actually better than a plastic one? That comparison deserves track testing, because “shiny” remains scientifically distinct from “faster.”
95379 Tamiya LW Double Aluminum Rollers 13/12mm
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15551 Tamiya 13mm Plastic Ball Bearing Rollers
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September Brings More Retro Color
The anniversary celebration continues on September 12 with the Dash-1 Emperor Silver-Plated Body Set. It includes metallic-style stickers and fits Type 3 and Super II chassis cars.
Tamiya will also release a red spike tire and silver-plated wheel set. The combination recreates the look of early Racer Mini 4WD machines and fits many large-diameter-wheel cars, although it is not compatible with every chassis.
On September 19, the color dial gets turned even farther with fluorescent orange and yellow Super FM chassis sets. These include matching chassis components, rollers and rear stays.
They may not be subtle, but subtlety has never won a concours trophy from across the room.
Green and black versions of Tamiya’s 2mm aluminum lock nuts are also coming September 19. These use internal resin sections to resist loosening and can secure rollers, mass dampers and other frequently punished components.
95712 Tamiya Dash-1 Emperor Body Set - Silver Plated
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95713 Tamiya Spiked Red Tire/Silver-Plated Wheel Set
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95710 Tamiya Super FM Chassis Set - Fluorescent Yellow/Orange
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