This car is a model of the popular 'Aero Avante'.  The base body colour is blue as are some of the accessories provided such as the spinners, with a standard black chassis.

As with all 'starter packs' and 'advanced packs' that Tamiya produce as well as the basic car kit you also get a pack of additional upgrade (sometimes call 'hop up') parts and an uprated motor as opposed to the box standard 130 type. 

These upgrades are entirely optional and you don't have to use them on the car in this kit.  In fact in some ways purchasing these kits can be a very cost effective way of getting upgrade parts to be applied to other kits that use the same chassis type.

• Body: ABS plastic
• Chassis: AR
• Motor: Upgraded 130 with a single shaft which transmits power using a prop shaft to gears on both axles.

Myself I used some of the upgrade parts that comes as standard with this 'starter pack' including the carbon fibre stays (think bumpers) and screws, nuts and the balls on top of the posts.  Naturally, I also used the supplied upgraded motor.

To this I added some 3rd party aluminium parts including the spinners (with integral ball-races), spacers and aluminium wheels.

I still need to paint/decorate the body to finish this model off which I will do in time... 

23/07/2025 - Added this new model to my collection.  Will be updated when constructed.

• Body: ABS
• Chassis: Type II
• Motor: Stock 130 with a single shaft and prop shaft which transmits power to gears on each axle.

Here we have another version of the Avante, this time a Mk III model designated 'Azure'.  This is a special edition with a clear polycarbonate body.

• Body: Polycarbonate plastic
• Chassis: MS
• Motor: Stock 130 with a dual shafts each which transmits power directly to gears on each axle.

So far I've only constructed and tested the basic chassis until I decide if I'm going to complete the model as a 'box' version or modify it using various upgrade parts.

Similarly I also need to decide on the colour scheme for the body, however as the car is designated 'Azure' I will probably opt for a blue colour of some sort.

21/07/2025 - Added this new model to my collection.  Will be updated when constructed.

• Body: Polycarbonate plastic
• Chassis: VS
• Motor: Stock 130 with a single shaft and prop shaft which transmits power to gears on each axle.

This is another of Tamiya's excellent starter packs which gives you a car as well as a bundle of upgrade parts as standard allowing you to dip your toe into the world of modifying your Mini-4WD cars.

• Body: ABS plastic
• Chassis: MA
• Motor: Upgraded 130 with a dual shafts each which transmits power directly to gears on each axle

So far I've constructed and tested the basic chassis until I decide if I'm going to complete the model as a 'box' version or modify it using the included and/or additional upgrade parts.

Similarly I also need to decide on the colour scheme for the body, I'm still undecided on the base colour, but want something colourful and will probably use the stickers as they are pretty nice metallic type.

23/07/2025 - Added this new model to my collection.  Will be updated when constructed.

• Body: ABS
• Chassis: Super II
• Motor: Stock 130 with a single shaft and prop shaft which transmits power to gears on each axle.

23/07/2025 - Added this new model to my collection. 

• Body: ABS
• Chassis: VZ
• Motor: Stock 130 with a single shaft and prop shaft which transmits power to gears on each axle.

So...  I waited a whole day before I went ahead and built this car, just couldn't resist it as it is such a cool looking car.  I was going to originally paint it, but decided instead to go with the stickers for now as it is quite a complex bodyshell with lots of gaps in it (including the latticework on the sides of the main body) the stickers are also pretty cool.

I did decide to go for a full upgrade as well, under the hood I added hollow stainless steel shafts, a hollow prop shaft, carbon reinforced pinion gear and directional gears and the main drive gears to a set of 'Super speed ones'.  The motor is a broken in 'Light Dash', also added ball race bearings to the wheels - the main gear kit came with one as standard.

On the outside I left off the plastic bumpers and replaced them with carbon fibre stays, mass weights front, side and rear with metal spinners with ball race bearings on each corner.  There are also front and rear brakes as well to help with slopes and jumps/landings.  The wheels I left as the standard ones that come with the model as they are a fairly nice and bright colour and come with a set of 'super hard' low profile tyres.

I may change the rear spinners to some 19mm versions as opposed to the ones on there at the moment as I just used what I had to hand today.  So there you go.

One little tip if you build this kit be careful that you get the wheels on the right shafts.  The rear wheels have an longer axle fitting on them which pushes the wheels out a little wider.  I missed this totally originally and ended up with one front and one rear on each axle.  It was only when I came to mount the body and found it fouling the wheels on the rear that I realised my error.  Easily done as the wheels/tyres are the same size and width.