After my last entry, the Aero Avante introduced me to the world of Mini 4WD tuning and racing. Naturally, I wanted to see what all the hype around the FM-A chassis was about. Everywhere I looked, people kept recommending one body in particular: the Mach Frame.

Not just any Mach Frame, though.

The Philippine Cup Special.

When I first saw this box at Brickyard, I was immediately drawn to the body. It looked completely different from my previous kits. Instead of the usual ABS plastic finish, this one had a metallic blue plated body that practically shimmered under the lights.

Then something caught my eye.

In the bottom-right corner of the box was… a red Mach Frame.

“Wait… are there two versions of this?”

I assumed Tamiya had released separate blue and red editions to match the colors of the Philippine flag. Looking around the store, though, I could only find the blue version. I figured the red one had probably sold out.

Honestly, I preferred the blue anyway, so I grabbed the kit and headed home.

Or so I thought.

The moment I opened the box, I couldn’t believe it.

The red body was included too.

I genuinely felt like I’d won the jackpot.

At that point, I couldn’t wait to build it. While waiting for my fiancée, I ducked into a nearby coffee shop, ordered the cheapest drink on the menu, and spent the next hour admiring the two bodies.

The blue one was still my favorite…

…but I have to admit, the red one started making a very convincing argument.

Since I had some time to kill, I started applying the stickers to the blue body right there in the café, taking tiny sips of my drink every now and then just to justify staying a little longer.

By the time I got home, the body was already finished.

Then another pleasant surprise was waiting for me.

The wheels had lettering on them.

It may sound like a small detail, but every kit I’d built before this had plain black tires. Seeing “Philippine Cup” and “The Brickyard” printed around the sidewalls instantly made the car feel more like an actual race machine.

I even caught myself wondering,

“I wonder what these look like when they’re spinning.”

Since I’d already built an FM-A chassis before with the Geo Glider, and because I’d finished most of the decals in the coffee shop, this ended up being my fastest build yet.

When I finally put everything together…

I was in awe.

I feel like I say this every time I finish a build, but the Mach Frame looked incredible.

There’s a reason this became the hero image of the blog for a while.

The plated body didn’t even look like plastic anymore. It reflected light almost like painted metal. The white rollers complemented the body perfectly, and those printed tires somehow made the whole car feel faster, even while it was sitting still.

What really stood out, though, was the design itself.

Unlike older Mini 4WD bodies that completely hide the chassis, the Mach Frame proudly shows parts of the frame underneath. It almost felt like the chassis wasn’t something to hide anymore—it had become part of the design.

It was clean.

Angular.

Minimalist.

And I absolutely loved it.

Months later, I started noticing something.

Every time I watched BMAX races, Mach Frames kept showing up.

Apparently, I hadn’t just bought a pretty body.

I’d accidentally bought one of the most respected race platforms in the hobby.

By this point I’d already built the Aero Avante Starter Pack, but now I had another idea.

I wanted to build my own custom BMAX machine from scratch.

Not one that came preconfigured in a Starter Pack.

One that I picked every single part for myself.

The rollers.

The bumpers.

The weights.

The motor.

Everything.

That’s still a project for another day…

But here’s a little preview.

Looking back, the Mach Frame wasn’t memorable because it was fast.

It wasn’t memorable because everyone recommended the FM-A chassis.

It wasn’t even memorable because it came with two beautiful plated bodies.

It was memorable because this was the first kit that made me think like a collector.

Limited editions.

Special releases.

Exclusive colorways.

Alternate bodies.

Suddenly, I wasn’t just looking for my next build.

I was looking for stories worth adding to the shelf.

Historian’s Note

Geo Glider introduced me to Mini 4WD.

Ray Stinger made me curious about its history.

Aero Avante showed me the engineering behind tuning.

The Mach Frame was the first time I understood why people collect.

Until then, every purchase had been about finding my next build. This kit made me appreciate the stories behind special editions, the excitement of discovering unexpected extras, and the joy of owning something that felt a little more unique than the standard release.

Looking back now, I don’t remember this build as “the FM-A kit.”

I remember it as the day I opened a box expecting one car…

…and found two.