I'm reviewing both the strengths and weaknesses of the MP9e Evo. I wish we could post pictures with our reviews so I could post photos of the parts that've broken over time, but alas, there's no way to do it, yet.
First off, let me say that the MP9e Evo is an amazing 8th-scale buggy, but there are components that will bend and break, unfortunately. The Evo is slightly more expensive than many of the competitors in this class, but that said, I'd reckon it's in the mid-range cost-wise; you're paying for a superior build and performance. Box stock, I can say without question that it's a race-ready machine. It floats like a dream and the components are well designed and strong, but not invincible. The handling in the air was the most impressive thing to me during the first practice laps at the track.
My setup is as follows:
-Kyosho Inferno MP9e Evo V2 Buggy
-ProTek LiHV 5600mAh, 4s, 15.2V, 100c Batteries (unavailable currently) + Protek Prodigy 625 Charger
-ProTek RC Low Profile 5mm "Super Bullet" Solid Gold Connectors (2 Male).
* Before operating I soldered 5mm 'Super Bullets' vs. using Dean's plugs and the Y-Cable that comes standard *
The MP9e Evo rips, but I exchanged the stock pinion gear for a Robinson Racing 16T mod 1 steel gear. It's remarkably faster and stronger than the stock pinion. 3-teeth broke off the stock pinion and so it needed to be replaced. I'd expect this to happen to anyone who drives regularly or races off-road. Cornering is sharp and the servo is wicked fast for a stock buggy, and because of the wide and low-profile chassis, it's easy to control when cornering. The hardware on the Evo are Philips head screws, so I replaced them with stainless steel hexes as I worked. Every time I wrenched I'd swap out the old with the new (MP9e Evo RC Screwz). Hexes are a personal preference but for racing my thought is that they're better.
The negative aspects of the buggy are that things inevitably break. If you're told that nothing breaks or needs upgrading on the vehicle, don't listen to the bull. These little buggies go r-e-a-l-l-y fast and jump r-e-a-l-l-y far/high, so what do you expect? It was approximately 5-months into owning the vehicle when this stuff started happening, so that's a huge win by comparison to other manufacturers' rigs.
Some people have noted the front of the chassis can bend and break, though that hasn't happened to me, thank goodness. I already mentioned that the teeth of the pinion gear shattered. The center driveshafts bent, both the long and short ones; this happened at approximately the same time. I assume that when one went (the longer one), so did the shortie. That's with regular use at the track on the weekends. Next, the front and rear driveshafts bent. The front was severe enough that the bent shaft scraped against the shock spring and left blue paint on them. The rear was less severe but yet they still bent to the point the rig wasn't drivable. The front kingpins became loose as well, (this happened to me several times before I figured out what to do), and as a result, the driveshaft popped out of the front differential outdrive during a race. You'll want to apply a fair amount of blue Loctite to the kingpins before driving the Evo, that's the trick! The outdrives will be worn to the point you need to replace them at the same time the rest of this stuff happens. It's all interconnected so it makes sense that the components went out together. And finally, the front and rear suspension towers bent due to repetitive jumping.
Always make a mental note to keep an eye on this stuff and avoid further harm to your Evo. Pay attention to the sound of the machine as you're racing and if anything feels off, shut it down. That's how I figured out the driveshafts bent because they were rubbing on the suspension springs, I.e., NOT GOOD TO HEAR! The final drawback is that finding parts can be difficult. A multitude of parts is out of stock regularly. You have to pay attention to the product pages to catch them at times. The aftermath of the COVID pandemic continues to wreak havoc on supply and demand, but that's not AMain Hobbies fault. They're the absolute best in the business, even compared to companies outside the RC industry. Best customer service in decades! Most hobby shops don't typically carry the parts you'll need, so I'm thankful for AMain which allows for preorders/backorders, even if it takes some time. AMain has more specialty parts than any other local hobby shop and/or online retailer also. The parts can be spendy but to reiterate my previous sentiment, you're paying for quality.
To close, I'm certain additional problems will arise in terms of broken components, so I'll update the review consistently, as I always do with mine. I think quality reviews should offer fellow consumers a fair breakdown of what to expect with their new toys, especially when considering the copious hard-earned funds we spend on the gadgets. Feeding the addiction! Compared to other vehicles at this price point, scale, and caliber, Kyosho has easily outdone the competitors. Overall, despite the replacement parts and occasional headaches, the MP9e Evo gets 5-of-5 stars. Well done Kyosho!
I bought the 1st version MP 9 e evo ready set in May; I bought the V2, ( which has some nice upgrades) for my son in November. I’ve put at the minimum of at least 15 hours on this buggy and it has been bulletproof! This is a great Buggy for anyone looking for to start racing or just Bash! I can’t recommend this car enough! Yes it’s a bit pricey, but you are getting Kyosho quality and a racing pedigree! Five stars!!!
I've had my eye on this for a while since I have the inferno st nitro and it is awesome I'm no racer or pro rc driver but I'm sure glad I got this mp9e. So far i have about 45 minutes on a 3s 5300 gens ace and 30 minutes on 4s 5000 gens ace battery's barely fit in the car but are doable for some reason I couldn't find and info on battery size. This car is a beast on 4s and I have to say durable also as my nephew ran it on 4s and he has yet to learn throttle control and likes to hit jumps so it's been flipped, crashed and ran into things so far nothing has broken! Awesome car! And Amain ships quickly
Ordered back in Jan 2021. My 3rd vehicle from Kyosho. Compare with my previous MP-5 nitro buggy, this one is a RTR, had being running this at local track for past 3 months, no issues!!
Added few upgrades, such like additional differential gears, stock only had 2 planetary gears on all 3 diffs. Shock boots to protect dirt and mud.
Future upgrades might be the center universal shafts, rear universal drive shafts.
Great 1/8th scale e-buggy! Amain shipped super fast had it within 4 days. I upgraded steering servo, added receiver for my futaba controller, heat sink with 2 fans to keep motor cool, purchased 2 venom 4s 5000 mah batteries and this bad boy has been flawless at my local track. Will upgrade motor and escape once it goes but for now its doing a great job. I highly recommend! Especially if your new to electric like myself.
My first electric buggy and so excited to bash this one! Very fast and nimble! Still tweaking transmitter settings, but having too much fun ripping this buggy!!
If it’s anything like the nitro version infernal it’s going to be great can’t wait to get it?
I've always wanted a kyosho mp9e and I finally got one a great introduction to any one who's looking to start racing I love this rc buggy
This thing absolutely rips. Only the me run in but I love it.
Absolutely a beast of an rc! Fast, handles on rails! Just like other reviews the pinion broke a tooth off on the second battery. Must get extra hard pinion gear 13 tooth to match stock right off the bat. First time Kyosho owner from AE and the quality is much better! Awesome for the price! Great buy for getting my dogs running and tired out. Had to back down to 45% throttle to go be them a chance lol. Will even tow toys filled with peanut butter for my dogs to chase. Couldn’t be happier!
Great beginner buggy. If you want to race or bash hard consider upgrading the following, Front knuckles, chassis, center shafts to universals.
Love it! Real durable, good for clay track racing and jumping.
I absolutely love this car, but the downgrades from the kit are too dramatic and too numerous. It will hold together great for mild abuse, but if you plan on trying to competitively race it, the whole car is basically a ticking time-bomb.
Admittedly, racing is super abusive, and I was very rough with this car. I bought it so that I could get into racing, and the performance upgrade over my typhon 6S was HUGE. The handling is AMAZING, the car is super quick and responsive without being overly touchy, as many kit race cars are. But stuff will just continue to break as you use it. Basically every component that is metal has been downgraded vs the kit it was based off SUBSTANTIALLY. The front spindles are a joke, they're cast aluminum and brittle as glass. That right there is a must have upgrade, but is just the start of the list. The others include the front and rear axles, each and every diff outdrive cup, all 4 of the front and rear suspension insert holders, the shock towers, the chassis, the motor mounts, the center differential mount plate, the list goes on. The chassis was a fun one to look at after replacement. It is a stamped aluminum downgrade that was warped like a piece of cooked spaghetti after a half a season of racing.
Maybe if its a shelf queen or a car you just mildly push occassionaly, sure. I dont know though, look at the serpent ready to runs by comparison. They hit the same price point, but dont suffer from all the insane durability issues this car does. I love this car, but I have spent over the cost of the car on upgrade parts. I dont think it was worth it.
Can not recommend this car. The car itself has some very nice features, one of the best looking RTR buggies visually, high quality plastics, and good electronics. On top of all that, the handling of the car is phenomenal right out of the box. However the metal used is absolute junk. In the first two months of owning this car, I broke three steering knuckles, bent both shock towers, and bent the chassis, from simple cartwheeling from driving around my yard and traction rolling. I didn't even manage to get it to my local track to try and abuse it to find it's weaknesses. Nine months later I have completely given up on this car. I have been completely unable to find a replacement chassis or shock towers for this car to test if the poor quality metal parts were somehow all a fluke. I will not be purchasing another Kyosho. Compared to things like my old Losi 8ight 3.0 and a E-Conversion Hyper 7, this is the worst E-Buggy I have ever owned. Very disappointed. Heard nothing for years but good things about Kyosho quality, but this car has ended up being a nearly $600 waste of space in my storage unit.
I really appreciated you as a seller
But 126,97 USD taxes in addition to my purchase are definitely too much
Kind regards
