[lornecherry]

We run both MR-03 and d'NaNo for event/party rentals. I spend a lot of time with each car and they are totally different in every respect.

Competitively, you'll find much more "action" with the Mini-z; d'NaNo has not really caught on. Unimaginative tracks, poor initial marketing and $24 for the same battery that the micro-flight crowd pays $5 dollars for, haven't helped. That said, they are still lots of fun and can be/need-to-be tuned just like the Mini-Z.

The cost for a fully hopped-up MR-03 exceeds that of the d'NaNo, simply because there is less to do on the d'NaNo, and fewer after-market parts that better Kysoho. Kyosho parts for either are expensive (overly so).

If there's a club running d'NaNos on something larger than the standard Kyosho track, go out and give it a try and see how you like it. Even though I'm hard on Kyosho, the d'NaNo is still a brilliant piece of engineering and light-years ahead of any other micro-scale that's ever been produced.

To be fair, d'NaNo is still in first generation; the Mini-Z is over 10 years old and that car has steadily improved and benefited from better 3rd party development, organized clubs and proper tracks.

Make sure you spend the extra $60-75 and get the programmable EX-5 transmitter and not the KT-18 for which ever car you pick. Makes a huge differnce.

Oh, and welcome to micro-scale!