Friday April 29, 2005

The New NINCO

 JGTC Toyota Supra!

I have to admit I am pretty excited about this latest release from NINCO. The main reason why is because since we first tested the NSX these cars have been 2 of our favorites due to the way they run straight out of the box, and I fully expected this model to bring the same results.

First I would like to point out that if you have not yet seen any of the 1:1 JGTC (Japan Grand Touring Championship) racing yet, I can safely say you need to. I must admit I did not care much for this series until NINCO released the NSX and I began searching for information. So does this prove that this hobby can educate you about the prototype? In my case, YES!

Since then I have seen a few races on television along with racing clips from the Internet and all I can say is that it is some of the best racing I have ever witnessed. Both the 500 and 300 class cars race together and coupled with weight restrictions and forced pit stops with driver changes make it a very close and exciting motorsport to witness. In December of 2004 this series finally made it to America in California for the All Star event and it was a huge success. This year the series is now the Super GT and here is the new website for more information.

As far as scale authenticity goes, NINCO seems to have done a fine job in this effort. There are several prototype photos I have seen that have small differences in items such as front air dam work, rear fender edging and wheel selection, but it really doesn't mean much to me. Many race teams make changes of their cars from race to race and I have seen several photos of this car with 2 different type wheels as well as numerous body work changes. So in the end it all boils down to personal scale preference as it usually does, and you will either feel NINCO came close enough or you won't.

Overall fit and finish is better than these photos really show. Since this car is molded in yellow with just a clear-coat over it, it does appear to look "toy-like" at first glance. However, when you finally see one in your hands this changes pretty quickly. The Tampo-stamping is near excellent and the heavy clear-coat does give this model an acceptable finished appearance.

A stated the wheels are very wheel done and more importantly they are round and true. The slick tires are of the same soft compound found on the NSX and needed only minimal sanding for near perfect tire contact with the track. We have not bothered to change to silicones with these models as we feel the stock tires provide more than enough grip for our racing. If you do want silicones either the IndyGrips #2011 or #3002 will fit. If you want Supertires the number is FLY-1003.

With just a few drops of oil on the bushings and motor along with a quick braid adjustment we headed for the track for the Out Of Box Test. As expected this model performed very well with quick throttle response and crisp braking. I have not been much of a fan of the NC-5 Speeder motor in some of the other NINCO releases, but as we stated in the NSX review, this motor has found a perfect home with this series.

Lap times were very even with the NSX with the average still at 4.3 seconds out of the box. The Supra did seem to have slightly more bite in the corners for my driving, yet other racers who helped us test it could not see enough difference to comment. This makes me like this model even more as having closely matched cars in the same series really helps build an even field.

After removing the 2 screws that mount the body to the chassis we see the now standard NC-5 Speeder motor in the same angle-winder configuration as the NSX with a 12 pinion turning the 32 tooth spur gear. Again, since NINCO uses a more half-tray type interior, you can see there is plenty of room inside for different tuning methods and/or adding lights. As with the NSX, I looked to shim the front axle up to minimize body roll. I was surprised to find my model being virtually void of the excess side-to-side free-play in the front axle, so I did not have to trim it like I did the NSX.

The standard NINCO button magnet is also present and for what it is worth, I hope they keep using it in the future. This is more than enough magnet to give the car decent overall pinning action, yet still forces you to actually DRIVE this model through the turns. However, as stated above there is plenty of room here to add more magnet if you so desire.

I have to admit that not every release I see these days impresses me the way these models have. After testing the NSX I knew that later releases such as this one would just make this series in our scale even better, and for myself I feel it has. They have a great combination of scale detail and performance that seems to just compliment each other almost perfectly. The operation of the models is usually the key to fun in our hobby and NINCO has accomplished this in my eyes. I only hope that NINCO and MRC bring enough of these models to us so that newcomers who will join our hobby in the near future can also experience them.

If there is a series of models currently available in our hobby today that is worth a closer look, these JGTC models are near the top of the list. Many current enthusiasts are already having hours of fun racing them and I think you will too if you choose to add some to 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 Sample

Here is a great link for the JGTC/Super GT with some very impressive photos and video! URBANRACER.COM