Review: Mugen MBX-6T M-Spec Truggy
Review: Mugen MBX-6T M-Spec Truggy
Mugen Seiki recently released the MBX-6T M-Spec, a pre-built 1/8 scale Truggy with all the race-level components already installed. As part of the release party, a media day was scheduled at Revelation Raceway. A few tents had been set up, and under each tent was media pit space. This space included a table and chair, a killer Mugen pit mat and an identically prepared MBX-6T loaded with the Ninja JX21-B01A engine and KO Propo EX-1 UR radio gear. I immediately sat down and took the RC Driver wrapped body off. Under the hood was a gorgeous truck outfitted with carbon fiber and anodized aluminum bits. This truck meant business!
Knowing some of us might be Nitro-novices (ahem, that would be me), Mugen brought a few of its team drivers down to support us while we drove around the track. From fuel stops to engine tuning, these guys did it all…even marshalling our cars (yes, Mike Swauger and Robbie Collins did marshal my car more than once). After several hours of testing, I found myself having a renewed interest in 1/8 scale nitro! Beware…if you read on, you too will be sucked into wanting one!
AT A GLANCE
WHO MAKES IT Mugen Seiki
WHO IT’S FOR Everyone
PART NO. E0060
HOW MUCH $540
WHAT WE LIKED
• Prebuilt
• Predictable on jumps
• Predictable in the rhythm sections
• Excellent steering
• High-quality components
WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED
• I know tires are a tough call, but wheels would be nice
• A plastic ‘wear-skid’ under the rear of the chassis
THE BOTTOM LINE
For a prebuilt Truggy, I am very impressed with the quality and handling. I feel that anyone can pull this truck out of the box, hit the track and be competitive…in a very short amount of time.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• The MBX-6T M-Spec comes pre-assembled. I did a little poking around and found that Mugen has pre-prepped the M-Spec for you ahead of time; locknuts on the hinge pins to prevent them from falling out, loctite on any screws threading into metal, etc. This means you shouldn’t have to worry about parts falling off during your initial runs.
• The MBX-6T M-Spec is based off the Championship winning MBX6 Buggy. More traction and stability have been added with the addition of a longer 7075-T6 chassis (10mm longer than the MBX-5T chassis) and redesigned rear suspension.
• The differential outdrives have been lightened and durable, lightweight driveshafts have been included. These items mean less weight and less rotating mass, meaning more power can be put to the ground. In addition, a redesigned rear end and different shocks geometry provides plenty of rear traction in wet or dry conditions.
• The Big Bore, threaded shocks include aluminum caps and rubber shock boots over the shafts. Each is filled with 400wt oil which gives the M-Spec a good, balanced feel. Of course, if you feel so inclined, the shocks are easily removed to swap to a heavier or lighter oil.
• Because this is a race-level truck, Mugen has filled the diffs with a fluid from the factory. The front diff has 10,000wt oil, the center has 5,000wt and the rear has 3,000wt installed. This should be a really good starting point.
• The shock towers are super-thick 5mm carbon fiber units. While both contain 3 adjustment holes for the shock, the rear one also has 3 adjustment holes for the inner camber link.
• Most 1/8 scale vehicles continue to use the standard C-Hub front suspension. Mugen, however, has incorporated a dual-pilow-ball setup. The M-Spec also benefits from new upright steering arms and new Ackermann geometry.
• The front of the M-Spec comes equipped with a 2.5mm anti-roll bar while the rear sports a 2.9mm bar.
• Mugen has moved the running gear closer to the middle of the truck. This helps put a lot of the weight forward and helps balance out the truck. I also think this is what helps the M-Spec in the steering department!
• Mud guards are attached to the rear suspension arms to help keep rocks and debris from clogging up the rear driveline.
NEEDED TO COMPLETE
Transmitter, receiver, steering servo, throttle servo, receiver pack, engine, wheels, tires, exhaust pipe.
WHAT WE USED
• KO Propo EX-1 UR 2.4GHz Transmitter and Receiver—Item no. KOP80190, $259.99
• KO Propo PDS-2368 ICS Servo—Item no. KOP30046, $149.99
• Ninja JX21-B01A Engine—Item no. JX21B1A, $349.99
• Ninja JX Manifold—Item no. JX14005, $49.99
• Ninja JX Pipe—Item no. JX15001, $149.99
• Proline Pre-Mounted VTR 4.0” Caliber Tires—Item no. PRO9032-40, $28.49
• Upgrade RC Custom Body Wrap
HARDWARE TYPE
Metric hex
Mugen Seiki MBX-6T M-Spec
DIMENSIONS
WIDTH 17.01 in. (433mm)
WHEELBASE 14.6 – 14.8 in. (373mm – 378mm)
TUNING OPTIONS
• Camber— front and rear adjustable length
• Caster—adjustable caster clips
• Droop—adjustable set-screws
• Front Toe—front adjustable length
• Rear Toe—rear toe block
• Wheelbase—hub adjustable spacers
• Shock Springs—standard or optional springs
• Shock Locations—standard or optional springs
• Shock oil—use oil in a variety of viscosities
• Bump-steer—add or subtract shims under the steering ball stud
COMPETITORS INCLUDE
Team Associated RC8T Championship Edition, Team Losi 8ight-T 2.0, Hot Bodies D8T
PERFORMANCE SCORECARD
Test Venue: Revelation Raceway – Ontario, California
Conditions: Slightly technical, relatively smooth, lots of jumps
Revelation Raceway is a great track to test at. When the track is wet, traction is at its best. When the track dries out, it can get a bit slippery. These changing conditions really help test a vehicles true handling in any situation.
STEERING Understeer Neutral Oversteer
When the track is nice and wet, the MBX-6T M-Spec handles like it’s on rails. Teamed up with the KO Propo PDS-2368 steering servo, Mugen’s new upright steering arms aided the Truggy in ripping through the corners like it was glued to the track. For those that drive a little less crazy (like me…most of the time), the steering was still crisp and predictable. When the track dried out, however, things got a bit hairy! A little more care was involved to successfully put down some fast laps, but once in the zone the M-Spec was amazingly comfortable to drive.
BRAKING Poor Fair Good Excellent
One thing you need at Revelation is good brakes! There are quite a few hairpins, hard corners and big jumps, and good brakes will definitely help in all 3 areas! For my driving, the front brakes seemed a bit strong so, thanks to the independently adjustable front and rear brake setup, I was able to back the front brakes off a tad. Under heavy braking, the combination of another KO Propo PDS-2368 servo and the super soft Proline M3 Calibers brought this beast to a standstill with minimal effort. I never felt like I ever needed more brakes.
ACCELERATION Poor Fair Good Excellent
In addition to the numerous hairpins, Revelation Raceway also has a pretty sizeable straightaway! The lightning fast response time of the KO Propo EX-1 Radio and the sick power of the Ninja JX-21 engine provided excellent acceleration. Setting up for the jumps, this combination felt super-smooth and didn’t require much brain power to figure out how much throttle I needed to clear anything! In addition, the lightweight drivetrain allowed more power to be put to the ground instead of being wasted on a heavy truck. While the gearing seemed about 1 tooth to low, it is definitely a good start for most medium-sized nitro tracks.
SUSPENSION Poor Fair Good Excellent
After running the MBX-6T for a couple hours, I had a chance to test every line on the track. In the ruts or on the smooth sections, the pre-built setup is really good. One thing I’ve always found interesting is that no matter how much you overshoot the landing, most 1/8 scale cars land flat with very little bounce. The M-Spec is no exception to that. Even through the rhythm section, the M-Spec feels very forgiving and just glides over the moguls. Drive it hard, and you’ll definitely get a little bit of controllable drift. Mugen did a great job on the suspension of this Truggy!
DURABILITY Poor Fair Good Excellent
1/8 scale usually means big jumps, lots of power and a heavy throttle finger. Revelation has big jumps, long straights and the ability to use lots of power. It was inevitable that, at sometime during the test, the 6T was going for a tumble. As it did numerous times, the MBX-6T rolled and cart-wheeled but remained solid as a rock! No damage whatsoever was recorded on this test, nor did anything break on a followup run a couple days later! If you break something, you did something seriously wrong. Really.
THE LAST WORD
If you are in the market for a Truggy, give the M-Spec a look. For one, it will save you a ton of time since it’s prebuilt! Pull it out of the box, drop in your electronics, add fuel and go! The best part is that the box-stock setup is really, really good! It has exceptional steering yet very stable through the rough sections of the track. It includes a ton of race-level components that you usually don’t find in a pre-built vehicle. And, the price is very comparable to other Factory-level rides. I’m not a nitro guy…I’ll be the first to admit it. But I can say that this truck has really got me excited about Nitro racing! I guess I’ll be seeing you at the track…with my pre-built MBX-6T M-Spec!
Links
Mugen, www.mugenracing.com
KO Propo, www.kopropo.com
Revelation Raceway, www.revrace.com
Proline, www.prolineracing.com
Ninja, www.ninja-engines.com
Upgrade RC, www.upgrade-rc.com
[as seen in: RC Driver Buggy & Truggy Volume 2]
