QUICK START
AWD Readyset
Open the box, add batteries and slide. Forgiving, compact and fun—but it drives as a four-wheel-powered car.
Start here if you want easy →
MINI-Z + 1:28 DRIFT
Sideways.
Without the
racing detour.
Find a first car, sort your tyres and stop buying parts that do not fit.
01 AWD slides
02 RWD counter-steers
03 Tyres follow the floor
THE FIRST DECISION
What kind of drifting do you want?
SCALE TECHNIQUE
RWD drift
Counter-steer, gyro tuning and electronics chosen to fit. More convincing movement, more decisions before the first lap.
Understand the commitment →BUY USED
Completed used build
Potentially the smart buy—if the listing names every electronic part, the battery state and the exact chassis version.
Compare cars →TYRE COMPOUNDS
“What tyres should I buy?” is not a complete question until you know the floor.
P-tile, polished concrete, smooth timber and EVA can make the same car feel completely different. Name the floor before you choose the tyre.
STARTING GRID
Choose your way in
FIRST-CAR FINDER
Want to drift
right now?
Answer five quick questions. We’ll point you to a car you can run tonight, a rear-wheel-drive build with realistic counter-steer, or a kit you assemble yourself.
CARS + PARTS
Find what fits.
Know what is missing.
Open any car for its running gear, body fit and shopping list. Open a part before assuming “1:28” means compatible.
FIELD GUIDE / 001
What to buy
for your first night.
Buy a Kyosho MA-020 AWD Readyset if you want the simplest reliable first night. Buy or commission a documented complete RWD build if what excites you is counter-steer and scale movement. Do not buy a bare RWD chassis because the product photo looks finished.
AWD is the uncomplicated answer
An MA-020 Readyset gives you an assembled car, painted body and matched transmitter in one box. Check the battery requirements and make sure the listing is for an AWD drift model, not an MR-series RWD grip racer.
RWD is a system, not one purchase
A dedicated micro RWD chassis can produce slower, more recognisable counter-steer. It also turns the shopping list into a compatibility problem: chassis version, servo mount, gyro, ESC, motor, receiver protocol, battery dimensions, connector polarity, body wheelbase, front mount, wheel width and offset.
Read the omissions before the features
- Kit: assume substantial assembly and no electronics unless explicitly listed.
- Rolling chassis: it rolls; that does not mean it has working electronics.
- ARR: “almost ready” has no universal completion list.
- RTR bundle: ask who completed it and get the exact component list.
- Readyset: usually the clearest package, but batteries may still be separate.
The floor chooses the tyre
Buy the car before a drawer full of compounds. Clean the surface, ask a local track what it uses, and change one variable at a time. Internet setups copied across different floors are noise.
BEFORE YOU BUY
Small cars.
Very specific parts.
Mini-Z is a Kyosho product line. “Mini-Z scale” is how sellers often describe the wider 1:27–1:28 world. The two overlap, but they are not interchangeable.
AWD and RWD feel different
Kyosho AWD Readysets are the easy way into four-wheel-powered slides. Dedicated RWD cars use counter-steer, a gyro and a much longer parts list.
Affiliate links
Some Amazon and eBay links earn Voltheadz a commission at no extra cost to you. They are searches, not promises that the right version is in stock.
Check the exact car
Wheelbase, wheel width, offset, front body mount and electronics can change between versions. Follow the product link and compare the full model number before ordering.