if you’re a Kyosho Auto Scale collector, you may be interested in the rare beauty i’ve put up for auction at eBay: it’s the limited edition Kyosho Alice Motors Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X in mint condition with a rare quality control error. of course, the item is here in Thailand at our fulfillment office and will be shipped anywhere worldwide to the winning bidder. in other product news, the dNano Toyota 86 will arrive sometime next week and you can order it only @ nanotrax online shop. act now, i’m holding a free Nanotrax t-shirt promotion while supplies last, visit our online shop for details.
don’t be alarmed, all operations are going on as usual but due to a new project i’m deeply involved in, i have no choice but to consider finding a new owner for the intellectual and physical property under the ‘nanotrax’ brand. what’s the project? ThaiRoomRental.com is a directory of all budget and premium ‘rooms for rent’ currently in Pattaya. if you’re looking for a long or short-stay room to rent, there’s no need to walk around town asking for availability as you’ll find them all listed in our database. the website provides free listings for owners and free access to visitors searching for rooms. the project requires time consuming groundwork so its difficult to maintain both alone. any interested parties? contact sales@nanotrax.net to discuss the opportunity.
so it’s been a while since i posted an update…this is my first for the new year. so what’s going on with nanotrax? the legendary indoor mini r/c racing heaven has been shut down, a victim of economic difficulties and just bad business planning. dreams are great until they meet with the realities of the real world. nonetheless, it was a fun ride and i do look forward to making it happen again in the not-so-distant future.
the online shop is still open and dnano’s popularity has not only remained steady, judging by worldwide sales, interest is picking up especially in places like Japan, Australia, USA, South Korea and Europe. DIY home circuits, small clubs and fans in general have continued to feed their hobby hunger with the full selection of optional and replacement parts, chassis and body shells available at nanotrax online shop. thanks for your support, though the blog is quiet i’m still around.
visit the dnanoclub.com forum for the latest info and updates!
we visited Pattaya R/C Powerboat again on a sunny sunday and enjoyed an afternoon of 1/8th nitro buggy action that inspired me to make some changes at nanotrax….there were race queens, new facilities and a new layout along with a plethora of asia’s best drivers participating in one of the region’s ‘big’ events. check out the pics, stay tuned for another post covering my Mini Z Buggy ‘Race Spec’ build within the next day or 2. i’m about 80% done with the build and already have 40+ hi-res images to share for anyone interested in this new potential indoor racing phenom.
since it’s been quiet in the shop recently…actually it’s been quiet for a very long time now. this means we’ve had to come to a disheartening conclusion: Nanotrax R/C Hobby Shop must close. those are words i thought i had many years to have to write but…there it is and here we are. the global recession has claimed many victims and based on the way things are going, so it shall claim the world’s only fully serviced, 1/43rd scale r/c racing venue. members have already been contacted to claim property in storage and we’re doing what we can to ‘save’ our little home. business takes no prisoners and has no sympathy. worldwide customers, fans and supporters need not be too concerned as our online shop will continue to provide your dNano needs (among other hard to find items).
with reality looming, our hope has not been dashed. if clearing the building is necessary, we’ll stay optimistic and if the wind gets blown into our sales over the next 60 days, then we’ll continue with our sights set on trimming expenses and getting into another growing interest which could attract more visitors: the buggy. Calvin and I started a little project with some of the items still left in stock. we both are now shocked, awed and hopelessly addicted to the technical design wonder called Mini Z Buggy. if we can weather the storm, a plan to build an indoor, off-road Mini Z Buggy track is in the works. stop by to show your love, buy some stuff -or- have a bite to eat to inject some needed cash into our efforts!
our most recent club race included 4 drivers: Dahm, Brian, Arrow and myself. the outcome was identical to last week’s match. Dahm maintained form with a good car setup and mistake-free driving to insure another victory. any loss is disappointing but it shows you actually have to put track time and maintenance work in to win on Sundays. sitting on your ass thinking natural talent’s gonna cut it will only insure you’ll be racking up multiple losses. i’ll see what i can do about turning things around next week when we should have a full grid of 5+ drivers on ‘wR3cKed’.
a few days ago, a customer from Australia contacted me about our custom built, Ultra Grip dNano. he asked for advice and requested we build a 360 modena that was ready to blow away the competition as soon as he received his package and we built just that. check out the pics of the chassis and customized shell with spoiler and you’ll see what we are all racing with. want one of your own? contact sales@nanotrax.net and we’ll have you taking the checkered flag at your own club race in the near future. speaking of Australia…that’s the 4th order we’ve filled at our online shop for customers ‘down under’ so i think dNano Australia is finally becoming reality. how are things going in your home country? tell us all about it on our forum @ dnanoclub.com – see ya next time :-)
yes, we’re still alive and kickin’ but just barely :-P …Pattaya is now seeing a business slowdown the likes it hasn’t seen for over 10 years according to complaints from many business owners. even with that fact looming in the background, the nanotrax crew took the time to install a new circuit layout last week which we’ll call ‘Wrecked’. it deserves this name because both Arrow, Brian, Dahm and me broke something in the steering assembly (tie rod slider or servo gear assembly) within 24 hours of opening for practice. it’s ultra high speed, designed with almost all straights…a very different look from the previous layout that should provide a load of fun once we get used to it.
a few good things to note while i have your attention: dNano Foam Racing Wheels in Soft & Very Soft compounds finally arrived into stock a few days ago and all pending orders awaiting this item have been shipped. Kyosho is releasing a special, Limited Edition dNano Chassis that includes red anodized aluminum optional parts and we’ve put together a nice bundle of cool bonus optional parts for those who pre-order from our online shop. last but not least, many of our clearance items are gone but you’ll still find a few good deals on items we’re moving out in our discounted section.
this monday, we had 2 surprise visitors who went out of their way to visit Nanotrax. they found us online and they wanted inspiration in person for their own project, now in development in Khon Kaen (North Thailand). good luck to Aof & Eck on making their dream of a new R/C paradise become a reality…we know how you feel!
if you haven’t checked out the dNanoclub forum, then you won’t know about the most recent dNano mod that has taken over racing at our shop. i recall a visitor asking about wide wheels but not having anything available, now Dahm once again comes up with the perfect solution and the basis for a new ‘Ultra Grip Race Spec‘ now available for order at our online shop. i call it ultra grip because the car setup is low profile and the rear wheels are made of 2x 18FA size X-Power Racing Wheels (1 pair on each side), mended together and 2x tires (X-Power 20° compound for RCP type surface). aluminum rear wheel hubs are size 1 and ball differential/pinion gearing is either 31-32 spur & 6-7 pinion depending on circuit layout. front wheels are 17FRA or 18FA depending on body and preference, front tire compound is X-Power FRA20° Slick Tires (for high grip, FA20° for less grip). we’re now using the new Kyosho Super Soft FRP Rear Suspension plates with soft front springs. this setup only works well with bodies designed for a 6+ rear wheel hub size, any more narrow and the rear wheels/tires will stick out from the shell. you’ll want your front suspension plates at 6+ so this also limits the number of shells that can be used (available sets use X-Power size 8 carbon front suspension plates). this is a racing setup and if you want to win, this will get you there. buy the full, pre-built race spec from nanotrax or just buy the necessary parts and build it yourself! if you order from nanotrax, you’ll get handmade 17FRA dish wheels with an ‘edge’ that prevents your tires from coming off during collisions or rubs against the side of the track. discuss this with your local club in case it violates any rules, the cornering and high speed stability of your car will be vastly superior to other standard setups!
we had an interesting Thai New Year with new visitors and lots of company on the deck, check out the photos below. as always, if you need any assistance or have questions about dNano, please visit our online community @ dnanoclub.com for lots of info and assistance from other dnano fans!
i’d say we have a head start on the world when it comes to dNano. that’s not bragging, its just that we’ve had to do everything to keep it interesting and find new ways to be more competitive amongst our small group of dedicated racers. Dahm -for example- is one of the most talented mechanics in the business of go-kart racing and he so happens to be the most innovative, creative member of our club. recently, he’s taken on the responsibility of setting up our rental cars as his technique is to always make a car as easy to drive as possible for anyone. he always comes up with unique ideas and always finds a way to ‘make it work’. with this in mind, i asked him to tune an F40 but added the additional challenge of converting it to an MM (mid motor mount) chassis. could he do it?
at first, he tried it as an RM…it was horrible. the bounce in the RM chassis is simply impossible to completely eliminate. he knew he had to do something radical and so he did. he toiled over which of the many dNano body mounts could be used that would allow an MM motor mount and finally came up with one that worked – backwards. he used a 506-Ferrari FXX body mount turned backwards and sanded down would allow him to install an MM motor mount with a standard rear suspension plate. the difference was startling. no more rear chassis bounce and a comfortable installation of a Kyosho friction shock gave us an F40 that was competitive with all other GT style dNano. have any radical mods you’ve done with your dNano? share them with other fans, owners and interested r/c addicts like yourself @ dnanoclub.com!
Joom surprised me with a birthday party on February 12 and it was definitely unexpected as my birthday is on the 14th (PJ’s is on the 13th). you can check out photos from that on our Nanotrax Facebook Fan Page. we all got a bit tipsy before tuning, practicing & racing on a new layout we call ‘The Bends’. there’s no definite ‘straight’ as its mostly a mix of long and swaying curves. Dahm has come up with the best setup so far, dropping times just above 8 seconds. i haven’t had much practice time recently so i’ve had only moderate success at competing with the other 3 consistent club members. the online shop has kept me busy, most images for products have been loaded and we’re clearing out a lot of items that won’t get re-stocked in our ‘discounted section‘. check that for great deals, new items like the HOT Motor 2S and a full re-stock of the popular Foam Racing Wheels for dNano. both Dahm & Brian C have helped develop a new mod to increase rear chassis grip, be sure to check that out on the dnanoclub forum and if you’re in Pattaya, stop by to enjoy the experience for yourself! just a quick update to let you know we’ve still got a pulse, back at ya when i have something interesting to share.
