By this point in my Mini 4WD journey, I’d started making myself a promise.

Every new kit had to teach me something I hadn’t experienced before (or at least it had to look so cool that the experience of building it would be worth it)

I never wanted two builds to feel exactly the same. Every new box had to surprise me in some way.

Thunder Shot Mk II managed to do exactly that.

I found this kit at Apex Glory, a hobby shop in Mandaluyong that I’d heard a lot of good things about. They had race tracks, shelves full of kits, and enough spare parts to keep any builder busy for hours.

Originally, I was hoping to pick up another Starter Pack.

Then I saw this.

The words “Clear Special” and “Polycarbonate Body” immediately caught my attention.

At this point I’d already built two Starter Packs, but I’d never even heard of a polycarbonate body before. That alone was enough to convince me to buy it.

I planned on building it right there in the store.

Then I opened the box.

I was too busy staring at what was inside to even think about taking a photo.

It looked something like this.

I just sat there staring at it.

“Wait…”

“That’s the cowl?”

“How is THAT supposed to become this?”

Unlike every Mini 4WD I’d built before, the body wasn’t a molded ABS shell.

It was a thin sheet of clear polycarbonate.

I immediately flipped through the instructions.

Then, like every impatient builder, I skipped straight to the last page to see what the finished product was supposed to look like.

It helped a little.

Not much.

Up until this point, my toolbox consisted of a pair of nippers, tweezers, and two screwdrivers.

That had been enough for every build I’d done.

Until now.

I asked one of the staff members how I was supposed to cut the body.

He smiled and pointed me toward a special pair of curved hobby scissors.

Unfortunately…

They were sold out.

So I did the only thing I could.

I built everything…

Except the part I had actually bought the kit for.

While waiting for the scissors to arrive, I got to appreciate the other half of this kit.

My very first MS chassis.

If the MA chassis impressed me with its engineering, the MS chassis impressed me with the way it went together.

It didn’t feel like I was assembling a chassis.

It felt like I was building a machine.

The modular construction, the separate sections locking together, the larger wheels, the dual-shaft motor tucked neatly in the middle… everything felt intentional.

It reminded me a little of the MA chassis because of the centered motor, but it somehow felt even more mechanical.

Every section snapped together with a satisfying click.

I couldn’t stop picking it up just to look at it.

For a few days, that’s exactly how it stayed.

A perfectly functional MS chassis.

Without a body.

There wasn’t much else I could do.

I ordered the scissors online and waited.

Thunder Shot Mk 1.5 sat on my desk looking unfinished, patiently waiting for me to catch up.

When the scissors finally arrived…

I realized this wasn’t going to be another ordinary build.

Cutting the polycarbonate body was honestly intimidating.

Every Mini 4WD I’d built before this felt forgiving.

If I made a mistake, I could usually take the part apart and try again.

This wasn’t like that.

Every cut was permanent.

Every little wobble stayed there forever.

I took my time.

Slowly trimming around the edges.

Holding the body up against the light.

Checking if I’d cut enough.

Then trimming just a little more.

Looking closely now, I can still see every imperfect cut I made.

And honestly…

I wouldn’t change them.

Those little imperfections are mine.

They’re proof that I built this.

The body may not be perfect, but it’s uniquely mine.

Looking back, I think that’s exactly why I enjoyed this kit so much.

It wasn’t just another Mini 4WD.

It was the first one that asked me to make something with my own hands instead of simply snapping pieces together.

It also taught me something about myself.

Most people probably would’ve complained that the polycarbonate body meant extra work.

I loved it.

The extra cutting gave me more time at the workbench.

More time building.

More time enjoying the hobby.

And for someone who got into Mini 4WD because he enjoys the process more than the finish line…

I couldn’t have asked for a better first MS chassis.

Historian’s Note

Every build before this taught me how to assemble a Mini 4WD.

Thunder Shot Mk II taught me how to shape one.

The crooked cuts around the polycarbonate body aren’t mistakes.

They’re fingerprints.

No two builders would trim this body exactly the same way, and that’s what makes this kit so special.

It was my first MS chassis.

My first polycarbonate body.

And the first Mini 4WD that looked a little different because I had a hand in creating it.