Kyosho Fazer Mk2 FZ02-R 2002 Subaru Impreza STI WRC 1/10 Electric RTR

I tend to go after regular build it yourself kits, but could not find anything w/ a rally type build that fit my requirements. This kit ended up being pretty good. The car is well put together and is quite fun even with the stock motor and a 2S battery. Can absolutely drive it anywhere and not be worried about bumps, rocks, or anything you could imagine. Does surprisingly well over jumps as well. I wish there was a slipper clutch as it really does need to stay on throttle to land flatter. The soft suspension really makes the body roll, dive and squat look even more realistic. It's a hoot just to see how much it squirms around. If you want to really seal off the interior get yourself some velcro and seal up the edges against the chassis, really goes a long way to helping to keep the dirt out from the electronics. The body isn't cut perfectly, so pull out your body scissors and clean up the fenders to ensure clearance. I also raised the body up on the posts to give greater clearance. I did notice that the eye bushings on the left knuckle are already showing quite a bit of slop, that will need to be upgraded. Unlike the previous review I did receive the shorter bolts when using the 0 offset rotors to set the width to 190mm.

This is my first Kyosho. I was eyeing their rally conversion for the regular Fazer but when this came out I knew I had to have it. First of all opening the box you’re greeted to a truly amazing replica of the 2002 WRC Subaru WRX body driven by Tommi Mäkinen, the details are simply amazing, and they even sell a light kit for it which I may have to get…light buckets already installed of course. When it came to driving, I wasn’t sure what to expect, being a standard touring car with longer travel. I was really blown away. This car handles exactly how you’d want a scale rally car to. It slides around on the stock tires, letting you power slide with ease. The shocks are tuned great out of the box, letting the chassis roll side to side in a realistic fashion, yet still be planted and give you confidence in the corners. I know the drivetrain is bulletproof from reviews of the other fazer models, but I’m not sure id want to go brushless here. It drives very scale as is, the 550 brushed power plant has plenty of low end torque to get around corners and through dirt and even low grass. I was suprised by the ground clearance too, and you can adjust it for even more, by simply changing where the shocks mount. Overall I am super impressed and happy with my first Kyosho kit. It’s built very well, has tight tolerances. The controller feels great in the hand and has many adjustments, it’s a wonderful car. The one thing to note, the kit comes with 0mm offset wheel adapters as an option. However it does not come with shorter screws. If you want to run a narrower width I’d suggest grabbing some 4x12 or 4x16mm screws to use with the 0mm offset hexes (provided), the screws they use with the box setup with 5mm offset (for 200mm bodies) are too long and will bind into the drive axle if tightened all the way. A very small issue but wanted to mention. Stop reading this and order it already!

The car that got me into the hobby. I strongly recommend changing the shock oil once you get it to something stronger so you don't bottom out as much. Add some wheel wells with some plastic cups and definitely get the light kit. That's all you need. This car is awesome.

Such a looker. Love the realistic body roll and scale driving experience. Wish the avantgarde tires were available stateside. Front bottom edge of the body rubs when driving on high grip pavement. Wish the esc had a more linear throttle curve. Dust cover does a good job. Such a cool car. This one is making me realize I enjoy the more scale side of rc driving than extreme bashing.

Fantastic body, typical Kyosho quality. It is about time Kyosho released a true rally car chassis with more ground clearance, I don't understand why so few manufacturers have rally cars. I like the dust cover, but I have ordered some Velcro strips to help hold the cover to the chassis, preventing dirt from getting in. Other than that it is a typical Kyosho Fazer, of which I have five models.