The MP9 is designed to be an uncompromised competition 1/8^th scale buggy with another Worlds win in mind. Here is some of the design criteria Yuichi used for the MP9's development:

• He started with lowering the overall mass of the drive train and chassis. Weight reduction on the drive train alone has resulted in 200g of reduced rotating mass over the MP777 WC. This has enhanced the acceleration, lowered the Center of Gravity as well as improved overall handling for the buggy.

• Centering and redistributing the mass on the chassis to improve on the MP777 series of cars. The result has been improved dynamic handling over the MP777 series of buggies which translates into more aggressive and responsive handling characteristics. Cornering speed has also been improved by the changes. The engine has been moved forward 15mm and moved toward the center by 4mm.

• The completely new suspension geometry work hand in hand with the improved mass distribution, weight reduction, lower C.G. and improved chassis dynamics creating a better accelerating, jumping and turning buggy.

• Improving the aerodynamics was also high on the priority list. A new body and wing were designed using a wind tunnel. This has resulted in a body and wing combination that provides optimum aerodynamics when airborne and efficiency when flying down high speed straightaways.  Improving the stability of the car is yet another achievement for the aerodynamic design.
  

Picture of Kyosho Burns (Thanks Jordan Krup!)

Chassis:

New 3.5mm thick CNC Milled 7075 aluminum Chassis

• Revised positioning of all the components on the chassis has resulted in better weight distribution for aggressive handling, improved corner speed and improved dynamics.
• Servos positioning and steering linkage have been re-designed to achieve more centered weight distribution.
• Engine has been moved in the Kyosho Inferno MP9 compared to the Inferno MP777 SP2 and WC forward by 15mm and centered by 4mm.
• Engine has been lowered in the Inferno MP9 by 1mm into the chassis compared to the Inferno MP777.

• New Wind Tunnel Designed Body and Wing specific to the Inferno MP9 improve air time handling as well as overall stability and efficiency.
• Special attention has been taken to cover the internal chassis from dirt and debris entering.

Drive Train:

• Lightened drive train components compared to MP777 include:
• Smaller differentials in the front and rear of the MP9.
• They are lighter with hardened aluminum gears as well as narrowed overall by 4mm.
• The Diff outdrives are now lightened by machining and drilling them.
• The Drive shafts are all new lengths and are made from lighter thinner and stronger Chrome Molly steel.
• Differentials have been lowered in the chassis.
• Smaller Bulkheads.
• Center bulkhead incorporated brake disk guids.
  
• Overall the drive train is over 200g lighter than the Inferno MP777!

Big Bore Shocks:

• The Kyosho Big bore shocks were developed for the Inferno MP9 and released early to improve the Inferno MP777 WC.
• The Inferno MP9 versions have several enhancements over the original design including the new Velvet Coating. This improves the action of the shock by reducing internal sticktion as well as increasing durability, plus they just look awesome!

Lowering the Weight:

• All the suspension and steering balls on the Inferno MP9 have been made from specially hardened aluminum to lower the weight and improve durability over the older steel balls.
• The wing stay and chassis braces have also been designed to reduce weight and improve strength.
• Overall the Inferno MP9 has been lightened by over 300g over the Inferno MP777 WC

Center Differential

• To improve constancy in long mains the center differential has been increased in size by 5mm.
  
• This increases the internal oil volume and helps the differential maintain consistency under 1 hour or longer mains.

Brakes:

• A new brake rotor has been incorporated into the Inferno MP9 to further improve the consistency on the brakes. It uses a ventilated design to improve cooling.
• The Inferno MP9 uses aerodynamics to route air to the brakes to also improve cooling for almost no fade in those long mains.
• Disk brake guides built into center bulkhead
  

Radio Box

• The radio box has been completely re-designed in the Inferno MP9 incorporating a wire channel for the servo leads. This helps protect them and aids in simplified maintenance.
• The radio box is much flatter and lower to improve CQ as well as giving the driver free choice of battery configuration. You can run any flat or stick receiver pack!
• The On/Off switch is incorporated on its own plate for easy replacement. No more ripping apart the whole radio box to replace!
• The on/off switch has a guard to protect it from side impacts.
  

Durability:

• The entire car and all its parts are completely manufactured in Japan to improve consistency and quality.
• Only 7075 aluminum is used.
• Specially designed no-compromise composite plastics are used in the Inferno MP9. These composites are what make the Kyosho models stand out from the crowd for durability and have been formulated over decades for maximum strength and durability.
• Same goes with all the metals in the MP9. All have years of development behind them to ensure maximum performance and usable life.
• A Kyosho may be more expensive to purchase in the front end, but due to the long life of components and durability of the design the cost of ownership is much less than any other brand!

Tires and Wheels (Rims):

• The Inferno MP9 now incorporates newly designed wheels. There have 10 slots in the rim to improve drivability. This allows you to see when there is wheel spin or lock while you are driving. Much more visible feedback than a closed dish wheel. It also allows dirt and debris escape while driving on loamy or muddy tracks.
• The overall diameter has been increased by 3mm (same as the new AKA brand rims). This improves roll center and ground clearance for the buggy.
• The overall thickness of the wheel has also been increased by 1mm. This makes the new rims stiffer and more consistent than the older MP777 rims.
• The combination of a thicker stiffer rim as well as a lager diameter greatly improves overall stability.
• The new AKA I-Beam Tires and machined foams are also included with the kit for great advantage in price to performance ratio for the kit.

Wheelie Brace:

• The new wing stay and spoiler actually are designed to act as a stability mechanism or “wheelie brace” for the MP9.
• Older 1/8^th buggies that were out of shape and landing on the wing mount would usually flip on the roof. Now with this new design most landings of this type result in the car landing on the wheels. Less time on the roof means more time spent moving forward in a race, nice way to lower lap times!

Fuel Tank:

• The new fuel tank was redesigned to fit perfectly into the new tight quarters on the Inferno MP9’s chassis. Now incorporating a molded in fuel splash guard as well.
• Improvements have been made to ensure a perfect supply of fuel in any condition.
• The tank lid also incorporates a special grip, no longer do you need to use tie wrap for a grip.

Dirt Guards:

• The Inferno MP9 now comes with rear arm dirt guards to keep dirt and fuel away from the rear drive components as well as the shocks.
• Rear wheel scrapers are also a standard feature to scrape mud and dirt off the inner rim surface during messy mains!

Oher Notable Improvements:

• Captured Hinge pins, no more e-clips
• Eccentric inserts for suspension block changes
• 4 positions for width changes on blocks
• Many more tuning options than the MP777 or any other Buggy on the market today
• Hex screws instead of Phillips all machine screws!
• Includes CNC 7075 machined aluminum steering knuckles
• NO Carbon Fiber (thank you!)
• Seems like Kanai chose not to have blue anodized aluminum parts
• Side guards that wrap around the car for more protection from hits and dirt. There is another feature built into the side guards that we will find out about later!
• Steering link on the inside of the chassis
• Steering servo squeezed into the center of the chassis
•  Looks like the front exhaust mount's hole is angled towards the end of the pipe (check the screws on the bottom of the chassis for it)
• The new locknut hub nuts are include.

• Is the clutch a new design? (hope not!)
• Will the clutch use larger bearings for more durability?
• What bearing sizes are used in the drive train?
• How did Kanai make the diffs smaller?
• Will the diffs use machined gears?
• How about the gear ratios used on the drive train?
• Breaks – more info…
• Does it have a split center diff mount?
• How will the radio tray incorporate optional battery types (Hump, stick Li-poly)?
• Will Kyosho use rubber sealed bearings?
• Will Kyosho come out with revised shock pistons and springs?
• Are the shock shafts the same lengths?
• Will there be soft and hard arms like the Mp777?