[lornecherry]

ADHD at play here; forgot to answer your questions:

dNaNo uses very easy to change Lipos. They seem to last less than Mini-z though; although its not really an issue; either car will get you through any race less than 15 mins.

The new low-discharge-over-time NM-HI make a huge difference for the Mini-Z, very convenient. I'd still give the convenience edge to d'NaNo, . An AAA four-pack is cheaper than they Kyosho Lipo, but not worth worrying about, other than the fact that the Lipos cost less than a dollar to make and should thus be much, much cheaper.

d'NaNos have a very low mass and thus break very little, even on full-speed collisions. There is an issue with the front axle being so low to the ground that one hair will tweak the car and you cannot properly run on any fiber surface; hence you still need to do maintenance. MR-03 is well designed and your breakage will be mostly from collisions; the Kyosho bodies are still "brittle". Expect more repairs with the Mini-Z if you race with others.

Disregard everything I've said until you DRIVE both; all of the issues you've brought up are really non-issues; with perhaps the exception of breakage; for which the d'NaNo will certainly be cheaper in the long run.