Monday August 02, 2004

NINCO Pro-Race Mercedes

This latest effort by NINCO is another in the line of the ProRace series and some enthusiasts wanting a little more than a standard model should take a closer look. Although the Mercedes CLK body itself is not a new design, there are a few changes that make this car a very fast performer.

At first glance this might look like a regular CLK by NINCO but I assure you that it isn't. The body is identical in shape and weight to the original CLK made more than 5 years ago and comes with generic type Tampo markings. This is most likely a good thing that they didn't go overboard on the artwork as some enthusiasts are going to paint these right away to have a matching field.

Wheels and tires are also standard NINCO fare and match the original regular versions. After some light sanding these tires are very round and true and provide a decent level of grip but most of you are going to want silicones to get the most out of this model. Indy Grips #IG3002 are the tires you need and they do make a big difference in performance.

It is when you turn the model over that we see the first difference. The body is held to the chassis with only 2 screws as before, but these are the new metric racing screws and are flat tip instead of the usual cross tip (Phillips). They have very fine thread on them and a small shank for you to adjust the screws to allow the body to float easier on the chassis. If you like to tune your models in this manner, then you should find this mounting system to your liking.

Next we see that the NC-2 has not found it's way to this model, it has been replaced with the more powerful NC-6 "Crusher" motor rated at 23,500 RPM. This motor is MORE than enough for any type of racing you might be looking to do on regular home tracks. It is a little too much for my tastes running non-magnet on our smaller road course, but on the 24 foot oval this lightweight model is very fast and fun to watch barreling down the straights.

Inside there a few more changes. First the rear bushings are mounted on the new hardened steel axle and the crown gear is down to 24 teeth instead of 27 with the pinion the staying the same at 9. The bushings are of the Acetal/Nylon type instead of brass that most of you are familiar with, but these have the Pro-Race bearing system in the end. I did notice that you will need to glue the bushings (bearing housings) to keep them from spinning in the chassis, so before you begin any hard racing go ahead and take care of this along with a drop of oil on each bushing.

The standard button magnet is found mounted mid-position as normal and allows for a decent pinning action, yet forces you to actually drive the model. I can say that I have always liked these models simply because of the way they drive, and even with the more powerful motor, this model didn't disappoint.

Performance is very good right out of the box, although it will need some break-in to get it to quiet down. I noticed a slight rattle to the model upon the initial testing and I soon discovered the culprit. The motor was sitting a little loose in the motor mounts causing it to turn slightly under load. A quick dab of hot glue (you can use your favorite adhesive) cured this problem and things began to get a lot smoother.

This motor and gearing will take some of you some time to get used to as on very long straights this CLK can GO!! You will have to begin braking a little sooner than you might be used to as the motor/gearing combination has lightened the braking action slightly. On our smaller road course it was easier to drive than I expected and lap times fell quickly to the 4.6 second range and I managed a quick time of 4.534. With adding Indy Grips the lap times got even better with averages in the 4.4 range.

All in all if you liked these models before, you will most likely enjoy this one. Your standard Mercedes will not keep pace with it, but I found that changing the motor from the NC-2 to the NC-6 to even things out enough to where it didn't warrant a gear change. On larger tracks with long straights you might as well change both to get the models as even as possible. Non-magnet fans might find the car on the powerful side and look to tone it back down to an NC-2.

Although I am not into these type of models, compared to others on the market there is one thing that stands out about it: Simplicity. NINCO didn't have to make an all new interior, because previous  models already have them. 2 screws make disassembly quick and easy and there is tons of room inside for tuning.

In the end it seems NINCO has once again made a decent slot car. It isn't for everyone in the home racing arena, but for as many speed-crazed enthusiasts there are in our hobby, it should make them quite happy. If you are just joining us, you might want to give this model a closer look as it could be a great club series model. 4 to 6 of these painted in different paint schemes would look very appealing on any track.

- 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 Model!