New NINCO 1 Series - Home Racing World & Slot Car Garage

Tuesday January 27, 2009

New releases are starting to arrive in 2009 and the latest from NINCO is not only an all new model, but one built a little differently than the rest. This new line of NINCO 1 models are built for the younger/beginner enthusiasts in our hobby. It is intended as a starter model that should resist heavy impacts and help newcomer in learning to drive 1/32nd scale models.

First of all there is an all new case for these cars. Smaller than the usual found in regular cars. I actually like these cases as they take up much less room than a standard case. In fact I would like to see all of the models come like this as for those of us who keep our models in the cases, this is a great space saving idea.

The model chosen for this line is oddly a Chevrolet. NINCO does not make many American brand cars so I was rather pleased they chose Chevrolet. This car is based on the 2006 WTCC Concept car.

REMEMBER - These models are not designed for the scale purist. They are intended for the younger racer who quite frankly could care less if the headlights are slanted too much or the wheels are too big. NINCO did do a good job with the model overall aside from one of the Chevrolet emblems on the passenger side being backwards.

Seeing as this car was made to take a little more punishment, I was curious about the mirrors and rear wing. The mirrors are a flexible plastic and should take much more abuse than standard ones. They are not rubber however so they will break over time. The wing too is flexible plastic and should take some harder crashes without damage. Again, there is always a limit. Our road testing should tell us more.

One of the first things we notice is the absence on an interior. This is common practice for models such as these with the glass blacked out all around the car. For what it is, no problem with me. This makes the car lighter and helps keep costs down. Also, this is one of the first models from NINCO built in China and not in Spain. This also should help us see a lower introductory price.

Wheels and tires seem nice enough and initial inspection found them to be mostly round and true. I found it odd that it has visible brake rotor detail and tire markings on a model that has most of the detail removed. Not that I don't appreciate it, I do and it makes the car look better overall.

Turning the car over I found 2 surprises: A new motor and a new magnet. Yes, this model has an all new motor with the NINCO 1 label. We will look at this a little closer later on. First it was time to see what these cars are all about!

ROAD TEST

Plastic Magnet Track - 12 Volts - PARMA 25 OHM Control

I have to admit it. I like this car. No it is not the body style that I find attractive, it is how this model OPERATES. This milder motor combined with the smaller bar magnet makes this car a joy to drive around the track. Lap times were an average of 4.7 seconds on our modest layout. Is it lightning on 4 wheels? No, of course not. My opinion? GOOD!

For those just learning this hobby, this car is ideal. Yes, it has more magnet that other NINCO models but I cannot say it is a lot more. The car still slides out when you go too fast in the turns which is a good thing. It allows the driver time to correct it. Heavier magnet cars may be faster, but when that magnet finally lets go...well, so does the entire car usually off the track and you are picking up the pieces.

Not so with our Chevy here. Even when I would de-slot it was a milder crash with mostly a light roll over or just tipping over on one side. But how about durability? Well, I can tell you this car can take a lot of punishment. I purposely crashed this car as hard as I could many times and so far no damage to the wing or mirrors.

Looking Closer

Turning the model over we see the new motor and bar magnet placement. There are 2 screws that mount the body to the chassis. The front screw is hidden by the guide so turn it to the side and you will have easy access to it.

Inside we see things are neat and tidy. Let us first look at our new motor. This is the NC-11 which is rated at 16,000 RPM at 14.8 volts. It is nearly identical in performance to the newer NC-8 Thruster motor. I am not sure why NINCO felt a new motor was needed just for this line when the NC-8 would have been just as good. In any event, it is a nice little motor in its own right. It has the new quick disconnect wiring system as well. Some may find it odd that the chassis will only except this style of motor. But I don't. This was meant to be an introductory model. NINCO even states on the website that after racers progress they can move on to more advanced models.

At this time this motor is not available as a separate part. But I was informed that could change in the near future. We will keep you posted as always.

It is equipped with a plastic (not brass) 9 tooth pinion that turns the 27 tooth crown gear. In most other inline models we see a brass pinion but do not think this is a bad thing. The gear mesh is smoother than you normally see (and hear) on new NINCO models. Also, plastic pinions on home racing models can last a VERY long time so do not think it is unreliable. The rear axle is held in place by plastic bushings instead of brass but like we said about the pinions applies here as well.

The magnet is rectangle shaped and thicker than I thought. Simply by flexing the chassis by hand the magnet will pop out.

This is a pretty strong magnet but the ride height of the model keeps it from having too much magnetic traction. I wonder if this may be the future for other models to come? Only time will tell.

Advanced Testing

So why bother with this test? Simple. Many of the veteran enthusiasts in our hobby have a variety of track systems. And more and more I see wood tracks popping up. And many of us out there are Dad's and Grandpa's too. Where do you think the kids will come and race? That's right. So it was time to see how this model fared on the lumber.

In honesty this car was much better than I thought. In fact, I might offend some veteran enthusiasts by saying it is very close to the NINCO classic line in operation and control. Very smooth through the corners with a mild range of control in the corners. Yes, as silly as some may think it is, I like it...a lot.

One of the first things advanced racers do is clean up the wheels and tires by sanding them. You can look here to see some methods of doing this. The funny thing is these wheels were nearly perfect. Most NINCO wheels have excess flash molding on them that in turn makes the tires sit out of round helping to create the "NINCO Hop". Not here. These have been cleaned prior to tire installation. All that I needed to do was lightly sand the tires and we were ready to go.

Closing Thoughts

Ok, most of this review has been positive and honestly the car itself earns it. It meets all the claims NINCO has published.

Except one: Price. NINCO states the model is to be priced "considerably lower" than standard models. Yet, the retail price of this model at the time of this writing is $52.98. The new Lexus SC430 "TEAM TOM'S" regular model is $57.98. I do not think that is a considerable amount. I cannot help but feel this could be an issue. As much as I like this car mechanically, I dislike it due to the high price. With the economy the way it is today, and with other brands of models with prices much lower than this, it hard to recommend buying these models if you are on a tight budget.

Mechanically speaking it is a nice slot car that will provide plenty of fun for the younger and beginner racers. If you want a durable car so your kids or Grand kids can play with when they visit you, this car will function as intended and you should have all the fun you were hoping for. In fairness though, the same can be said for other models with a much lower entry fee.

However as we always do, we will let you decide.

- 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 Sample!