Kyosho Mini-Z Lit

An Even Smaller Mini-Z; M-chassis in Mini-Z

I noticed upon searching the Web that there isn't much information out there about the discontinued Kyosho Mini-Z Lit R/C cars, current or archived. I'm no expert when it comes to these, and I actually have no hands on experience at all with the standard main line Mini-Z cars. In spite of all that, I decided to jot down some of what I do know about the Mini-Z Lit, for my own record and in the off chance it might be useful to someone looking for info.

Still the Coolest but Short Lived Mini R/C Car Series

Kyosho introduced the Mini-Z line of miniature and realistic looking 1:27 scale R/C cars in Dec 1999. This is quite a neat and successful series that is still very active today. Kyosho says that the Mini-Z was "The RC industry's first palm-top size RC car" - which isn't entirely true - but undisputed was that it was a unique and innovative push towards a much smaller R/C car than the mainstream historical 1:12, 1:10, and 1:8 scales forming the hobby R/C market.

Traditional 1:10 scale R/C cars require large areas to run, typically outdoors or at a gymnasium sized indoor facility. At 1:27 scale, the Mini-Z can be easily run indoors in the basement of most homes, all while amping up the enjoyment with the beautifully finished scale realistic bodies. Of course, the physics don't scale, so the driving experience is a bit different.

In August 2006, Kyosho unveiled a subvariant of the Mini-Z called the "Mini-Z Lit". While still listed as 1:27 scale, these cars were even smaller than the standard Mini-Z cars. You could mistake them for being 1:32 scale. The Lit cars are smaller because they are modeled after real-life subcompact class mini cars (such as the classic Fiat 500 and Daihatsu Copen). The Mini-Z Lit is to standard Mini-Z, what the Tamiya M-chassis is to standard 1:10 touring cars.

Being a big fan of 1:1 scale mini cars and the Tamiya M-chassis series, it's only natural that I was immediately drawn to the Mini-Z Lit. Sadly, the Mini-Z Lit didn't take off in the broader market for Kyosho to continue offering them beyond a 4 1/2 year window, from August 2006 to February 2011. Since then, there hasn't been a comparable series of small scale R/C cars from anyone.

Miniature scale R/C cars don't have an especially long history. From the days of the earliest R/C cars, the mainstream car has always been in the realm of 1:10 or 1:12 scale, due mostly to the technological and manufacturing constraints of that era. In 1986, Tamiya released a series of miniature on-road R/C cars called TamTech. While a little bigger than the Mini-Z at 1:24 scale, they were quite an innovative thing for 1980s technology. These original TamTech cars never approached the mass commercial success of the Mini-Z, and perhaps they were a little ahead of their time. Unlike the Mini-Z, the TamTech cars came in assembly kit form vs. ready built. In 1992, Tamiya introduced 3 1:14 scale F1 cars under the TamTech banner, but they too didn't last longer than a few years before being discontinued. Most recently, in 2007 Tamiya re-introduced the TamTech concept under a banner called "TamTech-Gear". However, this was was a new series of much larger 1:12 scale on-road cars that were closer to 1:10 scale cars than mini scale cars. A series of 1:16 off-road buggies followed, but after 2009 there was nothing but crickets. The surprise August 2021 announcement of the new #56714 1:16 TamTech-Gear Grasshopper Mini, and a load of option parts to go with it, has been warmly received (even though Tamiya is limiting this to the Japan market only). For now, TamTech has not been broadly revived.

Mini-Z Lit Model List

The Mini-Z Lit model range ended up being a fairly limited one, owing to its relatively short run before being discontinued. I would have loved to have seen a rich array of models like Tamiya's M-chassis, but there are only 5 different body styles in the Mini-Z Lit line.

Model	Wheelbase	Colours	Part #
Daihatsu Copen (1st generation)	L	Red, silver	30752R/S
Classic Fiat 500	S	White, yellow	30751W/Y
Classic Mini Cooper Mk. 1	M	Green, blue, red, white	30753G/B/R/W
Mini Cooper Monte Carlo 177 Rally	M	Red	30753MR
Nissan Leaf (1st generation)	L	Blue, black, ruby red, silver, white	MCP004BL/BK/R/S/W

The Nissan Leaf models deserve special mention, since they were not treated as a general release. In fact, these were never even listed in Kyosho's lineup or catalog. Instead, the Leaf models were a quieter promotional and limited release with Nissan branding. These complete kits also came with a special charging jack on the car's hood, like the real thing. This allowed you to charge the battery without removing it, via a charge cable extending from the display case base. When you're done charging, you can put the charging cable back into a scale "charging station" for kicks.

The Mini-Z Lit chassis spawned a single generation, a RR chassis with the designation ML-010. Like the full size Mini-Z chassis, the ML-010 is smartly engineered to be adjustable in wheelbase and track. Not only is this needed to accomodate different body style dimensions, but it also offers noticeably different driving characteristics between the configurations. There are 3 wheelbase options (65mm/71.5mm/78mm) and 2 track options (48mm & 52mm).

The Mini-Z Lit Package

Like the standard Mini-Z line, the Lit cars come already assembled. Of course I prefer kit models, but perhaps at this scale, that's harder to pull off. The bodies do come beautifully finished and are much nicer than what I could achieve myself.

The Mini-Z Lit runs on a 27MHz FM radio system, having just come out in a period where the industry was beginning to switch to today's defacto standard 2.4GHz spread spectrum systems. As it were, at the time of its release, the Lit's FM system was considered a tech upgrade compared to the 27MHz AM systems the first Mini-Zs were released with.

As expected of ready-to-run packages, the bundled KO Propo co-branded Perfex KT-7 radio transmitter is a basic but functional one. The only extra adjustment provided is steering rate. The transmitter does have a decent quality feel to it, and the steering wheel has a durable rubber grip that I prefer over foam.

Like other older AM/FM systems, this transmitter needs 8 AA batteries to run. While the moderate 90mA current draw is on the high side compared to say the 40mA draw of my Spektrum DX3C and DX4S 2.4GHz transmitters, 90mA is still much better than the 270mA (!) consumption of its Futaba AM contemporaries. Of course I recommend using rechargeable AA cells. My old 700mAh NiCd AA cells that I had laying around work just fine, giving a runtime of around 7.5h. 2500mAh NiMH AA monsters are unnecessary in this application.

If you need to buy new, inexpensive but top quality 1000mAh Panasonic Eneloop Lite NiMH cells are an excellent choice. These Eneloop Lite AA cells used to be easily obtainable in Canada masquerading with LADDA brown wrappers at IKEA, and at a great price to boot (CAD$5 for a 4 pack). Then IKEA frustratingly and hastily discontinued them when I wasn't looking. I last bought some in April 2019, and all traces of them were gone from store shelves by Nov 2019. Your next best bet is the not-quite-as-good 1100mAh Panasonic branded NiMH cells sold nationally at Dollarama. You'll find them in 2 AA packs for CAD$5, making your total outlay in this case CAD$20.

Jan 2022 Update: IKEA has made up for the initial disappointment! In early 2021, the standard version Eneloop 1900mAh AAs appeared, item #005.098.14. A 4 AA pack of standard Panasonic branded Eneloops usually runs ~CAD$25, but IKEA is selling theirs for CAD$7, CAD$2 more than the previous 1000mAh Eneloop Lites. This is far and away the best deal anywhere for NiMH rechargeables, and you have to suspect that these are being sold as loss leaders (IKEA has discontinued sales of wasteful single-use alkaline AA and AAA cells).

The mysterious thing about the Lit's radio system is that Kyosho calls it a "revolutionary BET band" type. I can't find what "BET" stands for, nor can I determine what the actual technical difference is behind the marketing speak.

Digging in part number listings, there were 12 different crystal sets available within the standard 27MHz band. This suggests that the BET system may simply be a system with ultra narrow operating channels; 27MHz systems normally offer just 6 different channels. The claim is that the radio system requires special BET band crystals - standard 27MHz FM crystals apparently won't work. I have not been able to verify this. If true, this is a serious limitation; I haven't seen anyone other than Kyosho offer BET style systems. The frequency crystals themselves are manufactured by JCL. Note that in North America, only the standard 6 channels were ever sold - 12 channels were never on offer, suggesting local regulatory constraints.

The car iself is powered with a proprietary 4.8V 150mAh NiMH battery pack consisting of 4 1/3 AAA cells. Cleverly integrated into the display case's base is a battery charger. This is a simple affair, powered through 6 AA cells and providing a 15 minute timed charge. A single charge cycle is not a complete charge, but nets a respectable 10min runtime. This is an interesting arrangement to get started with, but if you're going to be a more serious user, you'll want to use a programmable feedback charger that gives proper complete charges. There's a wide range of these on the market, but if you're a R/C enthusiast you'll have one of these already; you'll just need to fabricate some appropriate charging leads (I'm using simple alligator clips).

The included documentation, with one exception, is excellent. The manual is well written and diagrammed. There is one significant omission though - the manual fails to mention anything about the ML-010's compatibility with the interesting KO Propo developed ICS.

ICS (Integrated Communication System) Compatibility

The only mention of ICS compatibility was in a brief blurb on the back of the complete kit package, as well as on Kyosho's marketing webpages for each of the complete kits (such as the archived Fiat 500 page at Kyosho Japan), Apparently, ICS is a standard feature across the Mini-Z and dNaNo (discontinued) lines, but Kyosho is so low-key about mentioning this with the Mini-Z Lit models, you might not even be aware of this functionality.

ICS is simply a a PC-to-car interface and data communication protocol that allows adjustment of certain control system parameters, which change the car's steering and throttle control characteristics. This is an optional endeavour that requires the purchase of a USB adapter, and the installation of the driver and ICS Manager application software (for a Microsoft Windows 2000 or later PC). Kyosho's part # is 82083, the "ICS USB adapter set". KO Propo has a "ICS-USB Adapter HS" (#61028) that should also work. The only problem with either of these options is the crazy high price ~CAD$50!

The Driving Experience

The Mini-Z Lit cars drive well out of the package. You get a proportional control with sufficient resolution, and there's enough speed to be entertaining, but not so much to be wholly unrealistic and uncontrollable. In fact, I don't even want to run any faster than the stock configuration with the pre-installed smaller 6T pinion gear. The steering doesn't always perfectly return to center, but that's to be expected given the analogue servo and limits of mechanical precision at this small of a scale. With two exceptions, you will not need to make any changes to make the ML-010 enjoyable in the base configuration.

The driving experience between the Copen/Leaf (longest wheelbase, widest track & larger wheels) and the Fiat 500 (shortest wheelbase, narrowest track, & smaller wheels) is quite a bit different. I enjoy switching between the two and adapting my driving technique to suit the strengths of the respective setups. I haven't driven the medium wheelbase Mini Cooper, but I'd expect it to split the difference between the Copen and Fiat 500.

The larger Daihatsu Copen and Nissan Leaf make these models quite a bit more stable and easier to operate at higher speeds vs. the Fiat 500. These wide track, long wheelbase chassis are the most beginner-friendly. On the other hand, the Fiat 500 is significantly more nimble and manoeuvrable in tight spaces. On the whole, driving the Fiat 500 will challenge your skill more, and newcomers to the Lit will find the Copen easier to drive fast, esp. over a large open area.

The Copen in open top configuration weighs 105g fully equipped, vs. the Fiat 500's 94g. This 11g difference gives the Copen more inertia - it's a shade slower in getting up to speed, and it coasts further off throttle. Kyosho recognizes the inherent lack of inertia in small scale R/C models, and offers a "virtual inertia" adjustment through the ML-010's ICS interface. I have yet to try this out, but I am quite curious to see how it can make the Fiat 500 coast down a little more realistically.

I have found the internal loop antenna of the Fiat 500 a mixed bag. Hiding the antenna does create a nice scale look, but in my environment, it is prone to glitching in the worst way (glitches don't seem to manifest in any other way than momentary full throttle spikes). The Daihatsu Copen in the default open top configuration, has the more typical protruding metal rod antenna, and does not suffer from the same issue.

Key Out-of-the-Box Changes to Make

The execution of the Mini-Z Lit is fairly solid. There are only a few simple adjustments you should make to correct some out-of-the-box flaws:

All Models: The way the battery is designed to fit flush into the chassis makes it extremely difficult to remove once installed. Before fitting the battery, put a strong and thin piece of fabric (the thinnest you can find) into the battery compartment first, to act as a pull tab. Removing the battery then becomes trivially easy.

Daihatsu Copen Models: Out of the box and somewhat comically, when running, the wheel caps won't stay on the car! This seems like a rather odd oversight or manufacturing error, and Kyosho sells a wheel tape specifically to fix this (LT015). This tape came bundled in later complete set shipments, but why waste time and $ if yours did not, when the fix is easier than that - simply cut four ~3mm x 10mm pieces of common household/office transparent tape, and affix one to each wheel hub. This snugs up the friction fit just enough so that the wheel caps get the tighter fit on the hub that they need. Easy breezy.

Fiat 500 Models: The Fiat 500 body fits a bit loosely to the chassis at the main front attachment point. While this not enough to cause actual running problems, it does create an additional and unnecessary vibrating noise when running. Stuffing a small bit of foam into the Fiat 500 body's mounting socket (I simply cut a small piece of black packaging foam) easily eliminates this problem.

Upgrades

One of the neat things about the Mini-Z Lit ecosystem is the relative lack of hop ups that were on offer. This is perhaps a side effect of the series' slower sales, relatively short market run, and a lack of any significant racer culture developing around the series. IMHO, the base cars run well enough that upgrades are not needed. There can be a culture in the R/C community bent on spending needless effort and $ upgrading everything to gain some perceived edge, so it's refreshing to find a series where you can simply enjoy the models as they are.

The only upgrade I suggest and personally run in my cars is ball bearings. The performance gain you'll see is not nearly as noticeable compared to 1:10 scale cars, but there will be a decrease in rotating friction and the associated long term wear and tear. Avoid Kyosho's pricey official bearing set (part #LTW001). For the same cost, you can equip 5 or more cars if you simply source these standard cartridge bearings yourself (such as through AliExpress). You'll need four 2x5x2.5mm and two 3x6x2.5mm bearings to equip one car.

Current Product Availability and Pricing (2024)

It's sad to finally acknowledge, but we've hit the end of the road. If you're intrigued with the Mini-Z Lit and want to jump in, getting your hands on a complete kit plus some extra spare parts - both finding them and finding them at a non-extortionist price - is an extremely difficult task. With the series being discontinued since 2011, we've reached a point where I do not recommend buying into the series today, unless you're extremely patient, determined, and have too much money to pay a greed premium over the face value. For hobbyists already enjoying this series and only really looking to add some spare parts, your task is similarly difficult. Whatever remaining original supplies out there are scarce.

The greedsters have taken over the eBay listings. The items listed there are always significantly over face value. I will go so far as to call out one particular seller out of Japan, happynet306 who used to consistently list simple spare parts at 10x or so the face value. Avoid!

There has not been a new Mini-Z Lit release since the Nissan Leaf in Feb 2011. The face value for complete sets is CAD$200, but you'll have to pay around 2x that if you can find them today. Extra body sets (what Kyosho calls their "Auto Scale" collection) have a CAD$40 face value, and current asking prices are at least 2x that.

Due to their smaller mass and lower speeds, it must be said that I have not found that breakages occur to the same degree as when running 1:10 scale R/C cars. In fact, even though I've accumulated a spare parts stash over time, I've actually used up very few of those items, despite many years of winter indoor running. So while having a few strategically chosen spare parts on hand would be wise, the good news is that hoarding a large indiscriminate stash of spare parts isn't necessary.

Parts List

The official Kyosho manual has a lot of good info, including a convenient exploded diagram and a mostly complete parts list table with the face value pricing in JPY¥. However, in some instances the included parts are not all related to a single function, and so the parts title description doesn't tell the complete story.

Part #	Official Description	Notes
LT001	Chassis set	Includes all of the "backbone" chassis bits, plus the two battery terminals. You're quite unlikely to break any of these, so I suggest this part only if you wish to assemble a complete running chassis from parts. Included are the special wheel nut and pinion/motor/C-ring tools that come bundled with the complete car sets. There is an otherwise identical more expensive blue coloured version listed as a hop-up part LTW005BW.
LT002	Gearbox small parts set	Despite the name, this parts package also includes the L&R steering knuckle arms, as well as the front suspension limiter/spring spacer. This is a useful part to have on hand; I've broken a steering knuckle in a hard crash.
LT003	Wheel & small parts set	On the surface, this seems like a less critical package of wheel hubs and bushings. However, I recommend keeping at least one of this parts package, since it includes the critical small plastic C-ring clips that hold the front suspension assembly together. Also oddly included is a part from the steering servo saver assembly.
LT004	Diff gear assembly	This part includes the entire diff gear and solid metal rear wheel shaft. You don't really need this part, except to build a new running chassis from parts. This could also be an alternate source of diff gears if you are unable to find LT005.
LT005	Gear set	Includes the entire diff gear, plus 6T and 7T pinions. In many years of running, I've yet to need replacing a gear set. In theory, with enough use, this is an item that will eventually wear out. So I suggest having at least one in your spare parts supply. If you are looking for just the 6T pinions, see #MZ6BK-06.
LT006	Servo saver assembly	Includes the entire servo saver assembly already put together. I've crashed many times, but have never needed replacing one. Still, steering components can always be damaged in a crash, so it's good to have on hand.
LT007	Front axle shaft	This is a humble little part, but I've bent one in a particularly nasty crash. I keep a few in stock.
LT008	Screw set	This is a convenient part to have on hand, simply as insurance against the frustration of losing one of the many tiny screws when maintaining/working on your car. This set includes all of the screws needed for a complete car, and is an easy turnkey solution if you want to assemble a complete ML-010 chassis from parts. However, if you know how metric screws are specified, with some time and effort, you can find suitable replacements on your own.
LT009	Loop antenna	This is the unique internal loop antenna used in every body configuration except when running the Daihatsu Copen in open top configuration. Not a part that's liable to break.
LT010	Motor	This is just the kit supplied brushed motor with the appropriate leads and a noise reducing 0.01µF capacitor already soldered on. The full specification of this motor is a Mabuchi SH-030SA-12110, a well balanced 10,000RPM motor which yields good driving performance while not overwhelming the platform. If you know what you're doing, you could source this motor much cheaper elsewhere, and solder in the appropriate capacitor and leads yourself. Should you fancy a change in motor characteristics, there are slower and faster motors in the same SH-030SA family. Kyosho themselves offer a hop up item LTW006, which is just a faster spinning Mabuchi SH-030SA type motor (the specs of which Kyosho coyly avoids listing). However you decide, I suggest keeping a spare on hand, since motors can wear or burn out with enough operating time. These SH-030SA motors are not rebuildable.
LT011	R/C unit set	This is a rather expensive part at the face value price. The radio Rx and electronic speed control are integrated on this board. The PCB is a KO Propo R-1266018. Also wired on are the FF-N20PA-08260 steering motor, steering feedback potentiometer, and main on/off switch. I don't know that much about electronics, so I bought a few of these on discount, as a hedge against possible PCB failures. So far, the original PCBs have proven to be reliable in use, and I've never had to replace one.
LT012	Servo gear shaft set	This part is very unlikely to get damaged, but nonetheless I suggest having at least one hand. This package includes an absolutely tiny bushing that could be very easily lost when disassembling the steering system for maintenance or repair.
LT013	Charger	This is the original 6x AA charger and display case set. If you're already into the R/C hobby, chances are you already have your own programmable charger and thus have no need to use this one. The most useful aspect of the original charger is the appropriately sized display case (a little smaller than a standard 1:24 car case). However, if you're solely looking for that, you're better off buying a body set.
LT014	Mini-Z Lit battery	This is a 4x 1/3 AAA cell 4.8V 150mAh battery in Kyosho's proprietary format (the actual cell manufacturer is Zhejiang Kan Battery Co). Examples still around nowadays will be old stock, which if still working, will not perform as well as a freshly manufactured battery. I've never seen a compatible pack produced by a 3rd party, so there will come a time where you'll have to pay a bit of premium and have your battery pack rebuilt at a battery specialist to keep going (your total outlay should be around CAD$35).
LT015	Wheel tape	At some point, Kyosho realized the easily falling off wheel caps problem. This is a running addendum bundled in later Mini-Z Lit complete set shipments, and given its own part number. I've never seen this as its own retail packaged item, but who cares, when your own easy fix is at hand.
LTT001	Tire set (for Fiat 500)	This a set of 4 tires to fit the smaller wheels of the Fiat 500 and probably the Mini Cooper too. These tires are smooth solid rubber, and it's unlikely that you'll ever need to replace tires due to wear. Dry rot may be an issue in time, but my original tires show no signs of degradation whatsoever in 15 years. Keeping one spare set seems plenty. I would suggest skipping this part entirely if you'd like to find a complete spare body set instead (which already includes 4 tires).
LTT002	Tire set (for Copen)	This is a set of 4 tires to fit the larger wheels of the Daihatsu Copen and Nissan Leaf. Again, I would suggest skipping this standalone part and try to find a complete body set instead.
LTH001	Wheel cap & bumper set (Fiat 500)	Kyosho's bundling of unrelated parts on this one is frustrating. You get 4 wheel covers (specific to the body style), a rear shock stay (already included with each complete set, and is only used when running the optional rear shock), and the body-specific front bumper. The most useful and breakage-prone part is the front bumper. The weak spot is at the fastener holes; on big enough impacts, the bumper irreparably fractures at the holes. I've had three break this way so far. There's not much point to the spare wheel covers. They don't really get damaged or even all that scratched up in use. Besides, the matching wheel covers come already as part of the body set, but Kyosho makes you buy them here anyways just to get the useful front bumper. Nevertheless, since this is the only way of getting the bumper part, I strongly recommend picking up the appropriate bumper set you need as spares.
LTH002	Wheel cap & bumper set (Copen)	The Copen specific set. A few of these as spares is strongly recommended.
LTH003	Wheel cap & bumper set (Mini Cooper)	The Mini Cooper specific set. Again, I strongly recommend keeping a few of these as spares if you're running this body.
LTH004	Wheel cap & bumper set (Mini Cooper Monte Carlo 177)	The Mini Cooper Rally specific set. If you run this body, keep a few as spares.
LTH005	Wheel cap & bumper set (Nissan Leaf)	The Nissan Leaf specific set. If you run this body, keep a few as spares.
MZ8-1	Servo gear set	This is a current part from the standard Mini-Z line. While availability is ongoing and plentiful, I suggest keeping this part on hand just to minimize downtime when a replacement becomes necessary. These servo gears are exposed to debris that can wear on the teeth and create additional steering sloppiness that makes straight running more difficult. Replacement is the only fix. There is a 3rd party upgrade part available from Atomic, the AR-229. This is a version made of Delrin plastic, which is supposed to be low friction high strength, compared to the stock nylon gears.
MZ10	Antenna set	Also a part from the standard Mini-Z line, although discontinued given Kyosho's move to 2.4GHz radio systems. 2 rod antennas are included, which are used only when running the Daihatsu Copen body with the open convertible top (when running the Copen hard top or any of the other bodies, the LT009 Loop antenna is used instead). It's safe to skip this part. You could easily make your own replacement instead if need be.
MV12	Shaft set	This is actually a part from the (equally discontinued and difficult to source) Mini-Z Overland line. 2 short and 2 long shafts are included; the ML-010 only uses the 2 short shafts for the steering king pins. Even though it is part of the steering system and potentially exposed to knocks, this is a strong metal part unlikely to require replacing. You probably only need this part if you want to build up a complete ML-010 chassis from parts.
LTW002	Front spring set	This is a set of 3 pairs of compression springs, with different hardnesses for the front suspension. In this application, it's doubtful that the different spring rates make that much of an impact in how the car drives. Although listed as a hop up part, one pair of springs is required when building up a complete working chassis from parts. If you need a pair of springs, I say forget this route, and source perfectly fine springs yourself via AliExpress. The specs are wire ∅ = 0.3mm, overall ∅ = 4mm, overall length = 5mm.
MZ6BK-06	Pinion gear set	Current part from the standard Mini-Z line. Includes 3 of the standard 6T pinion gears.
AZW206-01 to AZW206-12	BET band crystal set	These are the unique 27MHz FM "BET band" crystals that Kyosho says are the only ones compatible with the radio system designed for the Mini-Z Lit. These are both quite expensive (at a face value of CAD$20-25) and difficult to find.
MZ8-4	Potentiometer (for Mini-Z series)	The steering feedback potentiometer as a standalone part that, as far as I can tell, is used in the standard and many other Mini-Z series, if not across the entire Mini-Z line. No need to keep this part in your inventory, since availbility will not be an issue for the forseeable future. It's not a common breaking part anyways.
MCG001W, MCG001Y	Fiat 500 white/yellow body set	A complete set including a body, dummy display chassis, 4 tires, 4 wheel covers, and display case. In running, you can expect the side mirrors to break off in short order; a necessary consequence of accurately modeling the mirrors, the stalks are thin and fragile, and won't withstand even a mild direct impact. If this will bother you, your only option is to find a 2nd body set for display purposes.
MCG002R, MCG002S	Daihatsu Copen red/silver body set	A complete set including a body, dummy display chassis, 4 tires, 4 wheel covers, and display case.
MCG003BL, MCG003G, MCG003R, MCG003W	Mini Cooper Mk. 1 blue/green/red/white body set	A complete set including a body, dummy display chassis, 4 tires, 4 wheel covers, and display case.
MCG003MR	Morris Mini Cooper 1275S Monte Carlo Rally body set	A complete set including a body, dummy display chassis, 4 tires, 4 wheel covers, and display case.
MCP004BK, MCP004BL, MCP004S, MCP004R, MCP004W	Nissan Leaf black/blue/sliver/red/white body set	A complete set including a body, dummy display chassis, 4 tires, 4 wheel covers, and display case.