Friday May 26, 2006

NINCO Volkswagen TOUAREG

DAKAR 2005

One of the most grueling and demanding RALLY events in the world is the DAKAR Rally. An awesome spectacle that many Rally fans feel is the Super Bowl of the sport. NINCO is one slot car company that has it's fair share of Rally cars for fans of this racing, but they also give a little more with the truck series of models. We have looked at these models before, but this latest Volkswagen deserves a closer inspection on what it has to offer.

First and foremost, this truck simply looks outstanding. NINCO has applied the famous Red Bull livery on this model almost perfectly to my eye. The deep blue finish and Tampo-stampings were excellent as I found no runs or fades in either them or the clear-coat that seals everything in place.

Accuracy is a detail most enthusiasts appreciate, and again this model should satisfy most. I have seen many prototype photos and NINCO has done a decent job overall. My only real source is of course the Internet, and variations of the truck can be seen with or without the side number panels. In any event, I was very impressed with the final product in our scale and most of you should be as well.

Detail level here is at an ideal level for my tastes. Both driver and co-driver are present and nicely done along with visible roll bar detail. Some might wish for more but I think this truck has plenty in the interior department. Other small items such as the mud flaps which are made of a more flexible rubber for durability are a nice touch.

Wheels and tires on this beast is a far cry from the ones we see on many cars of course, but I still like them. These trucks are designed for certain types of racing, including the Off-Road track system NINCO released in 2004. And let's face it, if these tires came in any other form such as slicks, scale purists would certainly not be happy and neither would I. Wheels appeared very round and true and they appeared very closely matched to the 1:1 prototype.

Out Of The Box

It was now time for our first road test out of the box. I noticed that braid contact was not ideal so a slight adjustment was needed. This is the case with almost every car on the market, so no real issue. This truck ran as intended, although I did not push it too hard. I had not taken any photos of it, so I decided to take it nice and gentle at first...but later on would be a different matter.

Under The Hood

Turning this truck over we see familiar ground as the chassis is equipped with full Blue (Medium Action)  Pro-Shock suspension and front drop arm for the guide. If you are wanting to race this truck on the Off Road curve or just want to add your own small obstacles, this drop arm design does work as it helps keep the guide planted in the slot.

A small bar magnet is provided underneath which is  thicker in design and easy to remove from the chassis by use of a plastic clip. As far as it is from the rails it doesn't give the truck a stuck down feel to it at all, but it does help keep it pinned to the track and reduces body instability. I left the magnet in place as it just makes the model easier to control. Without the magnet, the truck can be a little "tip happy" if you push it too hard in the corners.

There only 2 screws up front that hold the chassis to the body and were easily removed. However, easy does not describe removing the chassis from the body. The rear of the chassis has a small tab inside and is very tight along with difficult to get to. Be careful removing the chassis by using a very small flat tip screwdriver to reach inside and pry the tab clear of the body. Once inside we see the NC-7 19,300 RPM motor sitting in the inline configuration. It is equipped with a 9 tooth pinion that turns the 27 tooth crown gear.

We also see the dual pulley 4 wheel drive system in place using 2 rubber bands. This system works well but can also be easily removed if you so desire, although I am not sure why you would want to. Gear mesh was actually better than I expected and with extended break-in, it will only get better.

Performance

If you are expecting blistering lap times from this beast, you may be disappointed. However, this is an entirely different kind of machine and should be looked at as so. Lap times of 5.4 seconds were common on my smaller road course, a full second off the pace of recent hot rods such as the Mosler and Supra.

But do not let that fool you. This truck delivers ACTION and in a big way. This model loved the longer straights on my oval and watching it rock and lean from side to side through the esses on my road course was simply a joy to watch. Yet, the most distinctive trait of the truck was the SOUND as the knobby tires provided a great "roar" to it as it blasted down the straights.

My first trucks were a lot of fun, but I never appreciated them as much then as I do now. Kurt Moser and Mark Thomas from Derby City Speedway often spoke of them and how much fun they were having. It had nothing to do with lap times or top speed, it was simply enjoying to watch these larger slot trucks work their magic. The suspension combined with the larger bodies and ground clearance do make for fantastic eye candy as they work their way around your layout.

At the time of testing, fellow TEAM HRW members Tom Terriah and Nick Nesbitt were on hand for a weekend of slot racing. They quickly confiscated this truck and ran it through the gamut of abuse. Placing items such as Plastruct tubing on the track to see how it would react at full speed. Well, this truck took all they could dish out as the suspension worked and so did the drop arm! This truck rolled right over these obstacles and only de-slotted once out of countless laps. It may not have wings...but it flew over these bumps like it did:)

Conclusions

I may not be the biggest fan of Rally, but I certainly am when it comes to our hobby. These trucks are a very unique series of models, and once you accept them for what they are, you are in for some great fun on your layout.

Sometimes having something truly different to race is a breath of fresh air, and these trucks certainly provided that for me. I can only advise that you look closer at the special fun these models have to  offer and consider a pair of them for your current stable.

- Harry

As always feel free to contact me about this article or just the hobby in general at harry@homeracingworld.com, or better yet drop into our Message Forum and share your thoughts with other enthusiasts!

Thanks Go To MRC For Providing Us With This Great Truck!