Building Your Machine
Tips for creating an awesome racing machine.

Upon entering the Garage and choosing a slot for your vehicle, you're brought to a screen where several custom parts are waiting to be chosen. The first and most important part to choose is the body. The body is the largest factor in determining your machine's attributes, as it helps determine control, cornering, speed, acceleration, and overall durability. Try to avoid using an 'A' or 'E' body unless you plan to practice up; 'A' bodies tend to have stiff turning while 'E' bodies lose control quite easily when turning. For beginners, a 'C' body is an excellent choice.

The overall weight of your machine also influences how it performs, since the weight affects your acceleration, max speed, cornering (ie, grip) and control. Lightweight machines can be hard to control as they fishtail if you steer to quickly, while heavy machines don't lose control at all.

Hit the R button to switch to cockpit parts. The cockpit is directly related to your machine's control (cornering) rating, and also factors into your machine's durability. If you're using a C or D body, there's no need to make your grip any less than C. Hit R again to switch to booster parts. The booster affects your Boost rating, as well as the general balance between acceleration and max speed; higher rated boosters offer more max speed, while lower rated ones offer higher acceleration.

Something to keep in mind, is that an 'A' rated grip doesn't necessarily mean great cornering ability. If you've created a fairly heavy machine with an 'A' rated grip, turning will be smooth, but will also take very wide corners. Take a look at two of the standard machines... The Wonder Wasp has a 'D' rated grip, but it's only 900 kg so it can take tight corners. On Aeropolis Multiplex, you can take the big hairpin turn using only the L button. But the Black Bull has an 'A' rated grip and weighs 2340gk, so you need to drift with L&R on the very same turn..

The last 'part' section doesn't actually list parts; instead, it shows you all the different F-Zero pilots. Choose your favorite pilot, and you can see him/her on the machine settings screen, as well as the Grand Prix victory podium. Unfortunately, you'll only get an interview in that pilot's legitimate vehicle, so don't expect F-Zero TV to request an interview.

Notice your vehicle's name. You don't get to name your racer persay, but the combination of your machine's parts determine the name. Hit the A button to save your shiny new racer to memory card, then select it in the Garage again and go into the Change Color menu. Since the default colors of dark green, bright red, and pink are probably not what you want, tinker with the RGB settings of each part until you strike a color combination that looks cool. The user-friendly RGB bars make it super easy to spot and select any of the 16 million+ possible colors.

Time to take a test drive! You can choose your custom machine in any mode with a vehicle selection screen. Load the memory card data by pressing Y, then select your machine in the new column on the left or right. In either Practice or Time Attack, choose a course that has a balanced combination of curves and straightaways. My personal favorites for this task are Sand Ocean - Surface Slide and Big Blue - Drift Highway. If you dislike anything about your machine, head back to the Garage to swap parts. Don't forget that minor steering/speed problems can almost always be fixed by adjusting acceleration/max speed settings on the screen before a race. Heavy machines should be adjusted for more acceleration so they can corner, while lighter machines should be given more max speed so they can keep up with the pack.

Once you're satisfied with your racer, it's time for the final touches. The Emblem Editor offers an amount of possibilities that's only limited by your imagination (and artistic skills...). Unless you have a really distinct logo in mind for your car, it's probably best to skip the Editor and head straight to the Garage to attach emblems to your car. Be creative with the sample emblems that are available. You can paste stripes, camouflage, flames, and even numbers on the three different parts of your vehicle.

Once everything's all done, stare magnificently at the unique masterpiece (or monstrosity!) you've created. Don't stop tinkering with your vehicle's looks and performance until you're absolutely certain you have the perfect racer for your style. Don't be surprised if you find yourself spending countless nights in the Garage and on the test-drive track perfecting your custom racer. That's where much of the fun in GX lies!