Saturday August 28, 2004

NINCO World Rally Race Set

One Lane Rally Action At Home!

Some track sets stray a little from the usual systems we have grown accustomed to and this World Rally set by NINCO is a perfect example. When I heard about this release a few years ago, I thought it would be an interesting approach and wanted to test one. Thanks to MRC our new set arrived safe and sound and it was time to see what makes this one lane Rally system tick.

One of the first questions one might ask is why get a set like this? Well, believe it or not there are quite a few "lone wolf" racers out there who enjoy the hobby. They do a majority of their racing alone, and here is where a layout such as this comes in quite handy. However, it is really designed for the hardcore Rally fan and these enthusiasts should take a closer look at what this set can bring.

All the components are neatly packed and arrived intact. The instructions are simple to follow and we had an operating layout up and running in just minutes. One of the nicest surprises for me was finding that the Toyota Corolla included in this set is the old style from years ago that has the popular NC-1 motor and wider ferrite bar magnet up front. This is perfect for a Rally car in my opinion and the racing results proved positive! There is also an electronic stop watch included so that you can time yourself. Operation of the watch is pretty straight forward and I thought it was a nice added touch.

Another thing I liked was the sheet that offered different designs for you to choose from. NINCO has named them Monte-Carlo, Safari, Catalunya, Acropolis, Finlandia and New Zealand. We chose the New Zealand design for our testing. The Safari layout allows you to race in a smaller area and the Acropolis stretches things out a little for and even faster design. I like having alternate layouts published inside the sets and think the ones suggested gives most any racer a good balance of choice.

Inside we find only one controller of course and the rest of the components are standard NINCO as well. You get a 2 lane power base (although it is the older style) so if you want to make a full 2 lane set later on you can. To use it in a 1 lane operation you simply have to make sure that one of the polarity switches is opposite of the other before you plug it in and start racing (See Photo). The controller is also of the older style and uses a very large jack plug adaptor that is provided inside. The controllers that come in NINCO sets are arguably the best matches for the models included in their sets, and such is the case here. Just barley moving the trigger gets good response from this light magnet model and this is a point we feel is very positive about.

Another important part of this set is the individual one lane curves. I say they are important as I have seen many enthusiasts over the years cut up original 2 lane track to make these, but with this set you won't need too. These pieces just might come in handy if you are thinking of building a 1 lane Rally layout in the future.

As with any NINCO set offered, this one has it's own element of fun. We took turns racing the Toyota and then brought out some other Rally models as well. Using the stopwatch we timed each other and competed for the fastest lap. As I stated earlier, that little Toyota is a great little slot car and the NC-1 motor makes overall control a pleasure. We had an average of 6.1 seconds running on this design and enjoyed sliding this model around the turns. Most slot car sets are designed to be fun...some accomplish this...some don't. This one does.

This set offers more than meets the eye. It has the components inside to allow your hobby to grow as your interests do and should give most anyone a great first exposure to the hobby. Most sets on the market depend on nice running models to compliment them and here is where this set also delivers. It would be a great starter set or can also be a nice expansion to your current NINCO layout.

- 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!