Mugen's Pro Starter B II Off-Road Starting Box

Nov. 01, 2005 By Glenn R. Viveiros

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Mugen Seki has long been known for its World Champion On and Off Road R/C racing cars. They also make a couple of World Class Starter Boxes for On and Off Road racing cars. I had the pleasure to review the BII Off-road starter box with several different cars and engines. I was extremely impressed with its compact size, durability and its very strong starting capabilities.

The construction of the box consists of a combination of materials that make for an over-all quality product. The main housing and lid of the box is composed of aluminum. The end caps and carry handle are a high impact plastic. The contact points for the switch are brass and copper, making for excellent and trouble free operation. Its outside dimensions are 11.5" long, 5" wide and 3" tall.

Front of box showing handle and switch components Click for full size image
Switch assembled and installed with motor wires connected. Click for full size image	Handle installed, it even has a place to store your glow igniter! Click for full size image

The box is powered by two 7.2 volt stick type battery packs (not included). Most racers keep several of these on hand, but if you do not they are fairly cheap and easy to obtain from most hobby shops. I recommend a pair of 2400 mha batteries for long a longer run time in between charges. The 14.4 volts of combined power turn two 540 series motors which turn the starting wheel using a pair of belts. The rubber starting wheel itself is durable yet pliant enough to give reliable starts when it engages the engine flywheel. The box is very easy to put together despite the sparse instructions in English. The drawings and diagrams are simple to follow and the screws are clearly marked as to which size to use. Each motor is independently mounted with slots in the mount which allow adjustments to the belt tension. The starter wheel rides on ball bearings, 8x16x5, the most common size found on 1/8 scale buggies.

Starting wheel and belt drive components for each side. Click for full size image
Starting wheel, belts and mounting bracket. Click for full size image	Starting wheel and belts mounted inside bracket. Click for full size image
Motors ready for installation into the starting wheel bracket. Click for full size image	Starting wheel with motors. Assembled and ready for install. Click for full size image

Once fully built with the batteries charged and installed, I took both a Mugen MBX4XR (look for upcoming review!) and a Thunder Tiger EB4S2 for a test run with no problems starting either car using the BII starter. As a matter of fact they were close enough to each other that I did not have to move the alignment pins to start either car. The engines used were an RB Concepts S7 (known for a very tight sleeve and being hard to break in) and an OS RZ-V99B. The RB was brand new and had to be broken in. Only once did I have to remove the glow plug and tap the piston down with a plastic dowel. The BII starter box was smooth and powerful and worked very well at starting both engines. I would not hesitate to recommend Mugen Seiki's Pro Starter BII to anyone looking for a great starter box. Its simple, reliable, strong, and lightweight. All this and it comes in a compact package that is easy to store and carry. Simply put you can't go wrong with the Pro Starter BII!!

After a few weeks of hard use, just a few light scratches and minimal starting wheel wear.

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Here is a shot of an MBX4XR ( review next month! ). To give you an idea on the size of the box.

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The whole shooting match before assembly. Click for full size image	Pair of 540 motors with belt pulleys and mounting plates. Click for full size image