Avante Nero Advanced Pack vs Blast Arrow Starter
The Avante Mk.III Nero Advanced Pack 18662 and the Blast Arrow 18647-RTR can both look like an all-in-one first race purchase. They answer different needs. Avante Nero is a Tamiya assembly pack built around the three-part MS chassis; you install the included option parts yourself. The Monkee Mods Blast Arrow listing is its assembled and inspected version of Tamiya's MA Power Spec Starter Pack. Tamiya also sells that 18647 base pack as an unassembled kit. Decide first whether you want to build, then whether MS or MA is the chassis you want to own.
Three-part MS versus one-piece MA
MS and MA are both Mini 4WD PRO layouts with a central double-shaft motor. That common motor family does not make their chassis structures interchangeable. The MS chassis under Avante Nero separates into nose, centre and tail units, so you can remove a section for service or explore compatible MS-specific replacement units. MA uses a one-piece monocoque with motor and gear access through its cover. A new builder may find the MA structure easier to keep aligned, whereas somebody interested in the mechanical layout itself may enjoy the MS assembly and service process. These are practical design differences, not a claim that one chassis always corners or jumps better.
The Avante Nero model is 155 × 104 × 42 mm in Tamiya's published assembled configuration. The Blast Arrow starter is 155 × 104 × 41 mm. Those near-equal outer figures can conceal very different fixing points and body clearances. Consult the chassis compatibility list before moving plates, stays or a body between them.
What is in each curated parts package?
Avante Mk.III Nero Advanced Pack 18662 comes with a Light-Dash Motor PRO, 3.7:1 high-speed EX gears, wide FRP plates, mass dampers, black super-hard small-diameter low-profile tyres, metallic stickers, and basic spanner/wrench tools. Its tinted body, red MS chassis and white A parts distinguish the assembly pack from a standard Nero kit. It still requires two AA batteries and assembly. Tamiya says to fit its parts as a snap-and-screw build; “Advanced” describes the selection of hardware, not a completed car or an official skill grade.
Tamiya's MA Power Spec 18647 uses a white Blast Arrow body on a black MA chassis. It lists a Torque-Tuned 2 motor, 3.7:1 gears, black super-hard tyres, brake set, front underguard, mass dampers and front/rear FRP plates. The shop's 18647-RTR offer installs and inspects those parts. Both packs list 3.7:1 gears, so a simple ratio comparison cannot determine a winner. The Avante pack names a Light-Dash PRO motor; the Blast Arrow pack names Torque-Tuned 2. Their motor characteristics differ, but even a motor with a higher published speed range does not establish a faster complete car on a particular course.
What changes after the first maintenance session?
The build state is an initial convenience, not a permanent difference in what the owner may learn. A ready-built Blast Arrow will eventually need its tyres checked, gears cleaned and fasteners retightened; its owner can use the Tamiya 18647 instructions as a reference while doing that work. Building Avante Nero yourself gives you that familiarity from the first day, but you still need to record how the completed setup behaves before changing its included parts. In both cases, preserve the instruction sheet and spare pieces so repairs are based on the exact pack rather than a generic PRO diagram.
A useful way to choose
Buy Avante Nero if your intended experience includes sorting the MS nose, centre and tail, installing the tuning hardware and understanding the build from the start. Buy the Blast Arrow RTR if you would rather inspect a finished MA and make your first decisions at the track. Later you can disassemble either for maintenance. If the hardware list alone drives the decision, check which parts you already own: a plate or brake bundled in a pack has less value if it duplicates your existing compatible spares. The dedicated Avante Nero guide explores 18662 on its own; this comparison is about the alternative of a store-assembled MA starter.
Before an event, measure either finished car with all plates attached and check the event's current rules. Tamiya's general width maximum is 105 mm and both published builds are 104 mm wide. A prebuilt machine is not automatically approved for a particular class. Two AA cells remain separately required on both official pack pages.
Frequently asked questions
Is “Advanced Pack” another term for ready-to-race?
No. Tamiya item 18662 is an assembly kit with selected tuning components. The 18647-RTR name identifies Monkee Mods' assembled Blast Arrow listing.
Do they take the same kind of motor?
Both chassis use double-shaft Mini 4WD PRO motors. Verify the exact motor and mounting compatibility before replacing a kit part; neither takes a standard single-shaft FM-A motor.
Sources checked 26 September 2026: Tamiya Avante Nero 18662, Tamiya Blast Arrow starter 18647, and the linked Monkee Mods 18647-RTR listing.