the past few days, Joom and I have been working on our custom livery project. after extended discussion with several members, we all agreed that it would be really cool to have racing liveries for existing dNano since we haven’t seen anything new since XP’s release of the Reventon and Kyosho’s most recent release in February of the C6-R. with this in mind, i located Patto’s Place for decals, ordered a few sets and Joom skillfully installed the Brummel #8 livery on my Ferrari F40 (see gallery). it turned out pretty good but the auto scale models already have a clear coat which makes it difficult to install permanent decals. if we wanted to install decal sets on completed models, that would mean starting with a fresh, blank body or finding a way to strip the paints without damaging the plastic. since we’ve already got blank bodies for the 911 GT3, Gallardo and R8, we found a nice livery that matched a set of decals we picked up and went to work on our ‘from scratch’ project.
my task was to paint the base colors using an airbrush. this lays paint smooth, even and secure with no mess as long as masking is done properly. after the base colors, Joom‘s task was to install the decals. she’s a professional nail stylist so applying tiny stickers to small objects is already an easy job for her. while she installed decals, i built a spoiler and mount that would suit our needs for this project. Joom entered the final stage by attaching all the detailed light fixtures, our home-made spoiler and other model parts with acrylic. we both feel it turned out well for our first project but i almost wrecked it when i added a final clear coat and tried to wipe off the excess paint with a tissue. take my advice, paints and tissues don’t mix. we were able to save it but of course it wasn’t as pristine as we’d like it to be. i think we’ll keep this one but will probably add a ‘custom livery’ service to our online shop if we can perfect the process. have you done custom livery for your dNano? send a photo to qon@nanotrax.net and i’ll post it on a future blog update with your name and location included. i’ve got to do maintenance to prepare for upcoming races so i’ll share my technique in my next update.
yes, its been quiet around here and that reflects the general conditions of things in Pattaya at the moment. the economic slowdown, the strength of the Thai baht and the weakening of normally very strong currencies around the world has severely reduced traffic and sales @ nanotrax and many other local businesses. we’re lucky to see many of our regular customers returning and doing their best to support the shop. while things are a bit rough, we’ve done our best to cut costs while maintaining high quality service on and offline. a big thanks to our customers around the world who have reached out and continued to support our shop from thousands of miles away. because of that, we continue to bring you the latest in items that will hopefully enhance your experience with this hobby we all care so much about. we haven’t seen a new body for dNano since the Chevrolet Corvette C6-R was released in February and dNano fans have been longing for something new. X-Power has answered the call with a new, handmade shell designed to fit the (DNC502) Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Chassis. the Limited Edition Reventon Type Shell is now available @ our online shop. additionally, the new XP Screwdriver for dNano has been added to our long list of available parts and accessories. for those on a budget, this is definitely an interesting, economical option for working on your moving chassis.
racing still continues weekly @ 5pm (Sundays) and with Robby, Erwin and Vincent back in town, expect to see some high speed, heated competition on both circuits in the coming weeks. for race reports and other topics, visit our dNano forum. have questions or concerns? e-mail the webmaster!
i love dNaNo. i think its a model that opens the world of R/C racing to a broader demographic; its been designed, developed and produced at excellent quality; the costs of enjoying it are minimal compared to larger scales; its tiny and allows us to enjoy it indoors. wait… isn’t there another R/C racing model that offers all these features? that’s right… Mini-Z. from the beginning of this venture, my goal was to build a venue and we’ve done that successfully with a new scale (dNaNo) at the forefront. unfortunately, while my love for dNaNo has not faded, it has yet to gain the following it needs to support NanoTrax. Mini-Z has been around for 10 years and there are a plethora of aftermarket parts, auto scale collection models, and chassis sets available allowing us to increase sales to a wider demographic with a larger existing fan base. NanoTrax is a Mini R/C Racing Lounge and whether we’re racing dNaNo, Mini-Z or any other available miniature scale model, it should be a mini R/C paradise and that’s always been my goal. what do you think? should we maintain our commitment to dNaNo or should be we focus more on Mini-Z? if you’re reading this, i need your feedback so post a reply here or send an e-mail to qon@nanotrax.net and give me your thoughts.
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just as online starts slowing down, the shop begins to show signs of life with new members and rental customers flowing in on a regular basis. on sunday, we had a group of young men from Sweden and Norway who came thru to rent dNaNo for some group competition. as they departed, they all pledged to come back, buy a car and join the club. as i opened the gates at NanoTrax today, two of them were waiting outside on the deck and one of those two became our newest NanoTrax Racing Club Member. Robert (NOR) chose the Sebring No.3 1971 (Porsche 917k) with the required assortment of option parts – of course! as usual, i invited the members in for a round of beer on the house and some practice racing, so around 7pm, we had a full house. we also had the pleasure of welcoming Sam from Netzone RC (Rialto, CA – USA). he’s obviously a dedicated R/C lover and went out of his way to locate the shop so after a long discussion in both English and Thai, he rented a 360 Modena for some practice racing with the guys on F1R. in short, this day was an absolute blast and it feels good that we’ve come this far in less than a year. expect this weekend’s club race to be insane!
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last week, a quiet American named Brian visited us and seemed to have a genuine interest in R/C of all types including airplanes and gliders. he attended last week’s club race and he was hooked. shortly thereafter, he chose the first in his collection, the Porsche 917k 1970 LeMans Winner. like me, he’s a guy who likes to study his car and slowly add option parts to observe how each improves handling & stability. i’m sure he’ll be a formidable competitor in our championship points race. for this week’s race, i’ve decided to go with the Porsche 911 GT3. unfortunately, its not competitive without adding weight for stability during high speed cornering. i’ll post pics and discussion about that on the forum, so check-in with your input and start your own threads to help our community thrive. tomorrow (Saturday, February 20th) is our next race day, so look for the latest race report and championship points race standings on the forum as well. for the latest info on products available in the shop. browse to our online shop to conveniently pick up any and everything you need for your dNaNo and even various items for Mini-Z and Minium AD.
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come on… 300 million USD & 15 years of development resulting in 2.5 hours of action packed 3D and you think i’m not gonna post about it? Avatar is an absolutely stunning movie which will almost certainly go down in history as one of the best visual experiences ever released for public consumption. Calvin, Joom and I went to see it at Central Festival Mall (Pattaya Beach) last night and from opening to closing credits, time just flew by. yesterday was Calvin’s last day @ NanoTrax and it was rather slow with only a few visitors and a couple of members stopping by for a few practice laps. he hooked up his Perfext KT-18 Transmitter with the new PRO Fit Steering Wheel from R246 which just came in a couple days ago. i don’t think anyone will be confused about who’s transmitter that is now ;-) …as for dNaNo news, the rumor is that the Corvette C6-R will be the next released in the series and specs are almost identical to the Mazda 787b. i’m not sure when it’ll arrive but you know i’ll let ya know. this sunday’s club race will also be the date for our 2009 NanoTrax Driver’s Champion Award presentation so if you’re in the area, stop by to congratulate our inauguaral season champion, Olaf Stuermer. we’ll have club racing as usual along with complimentary draft beer for members, food and all day happy hour for visitors. hope to see you all there…
