there’s been very little interest in racing in the lounge for a long while… it took a while to figure it out, but as i pulled apart the layout and prepared to install the next, i finally saw it: with the same flooring as F1R, F2L was too similar in look and feel. it was like F1R’s little brother who just couldn’t live up to the feats of the elder. what it needed was its’ own ‘personality’. with this in mind, i decided to go ‘retro’ and installed the black tiles, giving it a unique surface. the black tiles have been in warm storage, and therefore have become very hard and smooth. this of course forces one to tune differently for optimal handling. at first, i couldn’t figure out what was happening when driving on the new layout but after installing a soft suspension setup on my F40, i could see that the sweeping curves forced it to ‘power slide’ its way around the circuit. i could hear the diff working hard and feel the ‘slide’ as it hit the tighter corners. this is exactly what F2L needed! Hugh, Tony, Boris & Dahm stopped by for a few practice races and were instantly excited about the new look and feel. 3 days of creating my latest masterpiece for the moment it could bring joy to those who appreciate it – that makes every drop of sweat & every second spent worth it = life is good.
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.
our website was designed for high resolution monitors and ideal for browsing with Firefox. are you using the latest version of Firefox (Ver 3.6)? if so, that means you can modify the theme of your browser with Personas. show your love for mini r/c racing by ‘wearing’ the NanoTrax Persona.
Policy Change / Service Update Notice (22/02/2010)
1) club racing is now a members only event. occasionally, we will have special races that will be open to non-members and will announce these events in advance. all non-members will be required to pay a registration fee for special events in addition to normal facility use and maintenance fees. 2) for groups interested in holding organized race events at nanotrax, Circuit F2L is available for reservation at a fee of 500THB/hour (2 hour limit) and a limit of 8 drivers (12 total visitors allowed including drivers). the reserving party must notify nanotrax management at least 24 hours in advance, pay a non-refundable 1000THB deposit and during the event, the party will have exclusive use of the circuit. racing event fees are in addition to facility use & maintenance, beverages, food and incidental damage. 3) local members storing items in the ‘garage’ at nanotrax must visit the facility at least once every 90 days to avoid having items placed in extended storage. the ‘garage’ is a place provided to give regular visitors convenient access to their property. there is limited space available and while we appreciate all members, the ‘garage’ must be available for customers who visit on a regular basis. 4) annual membership is ‘stopped’ when a member travels abroad for a period of no more than 9 consecutive months. if the suspension period expires without a visit into the shop, said membership will automatically expire. all property stored at nanotrax then becomes the property of nanotrax and can be disposed of at nanotrax management discretion. 5) starting February 1, 2010 dnano available for rent will all have basic option parts and fees will be 300ThB/hour and a 500ThB damage and rental fee deposit per car. damage to rental cars will be assessed at 150THB per incident, with a maximum of 450THB per car. for questions or concerns regarding our policies, please contact support@nanotrax.net or visit the support forum.
this is a fee change notice for the new year starting January 2010. currently, our annual membership promotion fee is 4,999THB but that promotion will expire returning the annual membership to its regular rate of 6,999THB. additionally, the NanoTrax Facility Use & Maintenance fee for all visitors will increase from 80THB per day to 120THB per day and storage fee will be assessed at a rate of 50THB per day. benefits of membership include: Complimentary storage and facility maintenance + 15% discount on all items purchased in the store or online. members are also provided rechargeable batteries for transmitters and ‘house’ batteries for use with their dNaNo models (batteries remain the property of nanotrax and are not allowed to leave the premises). time on membership is only based on visits to the shop so if one is not ‘local’ then membership can be considered ‘lifetime’ (please contact support for further details). interested customers have until closing time on December 31 to register for membership at the discounted rate. finally, starting in January 2010, sunday club races will carry a registration fee of 80THB for non-members. future ‘Special Race’ events (race meets held at nanotrax in addition to normal club racing) will carry a registration fee of 100THB for members and 200THB for non-members. registration fees are in addition to facility use & maintenance fees. thanks for your continued support!
ข่าวด่วนแจ้งให้ทราบ สำหรับ ปี 2010 นี้ คือ ค่า Member จากโปรโมชั่น 4999 บาท จะกลับไปเป็น 7999 บาท ตามราคาเดิม , ค่าสนาม+ค่าบริการ จาก 80 บาท เปลี่ยนเป็น 120 บาท ต่อ 1 วัน และเพิ่มค่าบริการรับฝากของสำหรับลูกค้าที่ไม่ได้เป็น Member กับทางร้าน อีก 50 บาท ต่อ 1วัน, ประโยชน์ สุดคุ้นที่ได้มาจากการเป็น Memberกับทางร้านของเราก็คือ ฟรีค่าสนาม+ค่าบริการ , ฟรีค่าฝากของ,ได้ส่วนลด 15% สำหรับซื้อสินค้าจากทางร้าน หรือจากทาง Online ของทางร้านเรา,มีถ่านสำหรับวิทยุ และแบตเตอร์รีสำหรับรถ ให้ใช้ฟรีตลอดระยะเวลาที่เล่นอยู่ภายในร้านแต่ไม่สามารถนำกลับบ้านได้ และ พิเศษ สำหรับการเป็น Member ทางร้านของเราจะนับจากช่วงเดือนที่เข้ามาใช้บริการกับทางร้าน เท่านั้น เพราะว่า หากว่าเดือนใดไม่ได้เข้ามาใช้บริการกับทางร้าน ทางร้านเราก็จะไม่หักเวลา Member ของเดือนนั้นออก และพิเศษไปมากว่านั้น สำหรับลูกค้าที่อยู่ตางจังหวัด หรือ ต่างประเทศ ทางซื้อ Member แล้ว แต่ไม่เคยเข้ามาใช้บริการที่ร้านของเราเลย นั่นก็หมายความว่าท่านก็จะสามารถเป็น Member กับทางร้านของเราได้ตลอดชีวิต หรือ ถ้าหากว่า ท่านอยู่ตางประเทศ หรือ ต่างจังหวัด ใน 1 ปี ท่านมีโอกาศเข้ามาใช้บริการที่ทางร้านเราแค่ 1 ครั้ง นั่นก็เท่ากับว่าMemberของท่านจะมีอายุถึง 12 ปีเลยทีเดียว หากมีข้อสงสัย หรือ ถ้าต้องการรายละเอียดเพิ่มเติมสามารถส่งเมลล์มาติดต่อสอบถามได้ที่ joom@nanotrax.net และ สำหรับท่านที่สนใจต้องการจะสมัคร Member ในราคา 4999 บาท รบกวนสมัครภายในวันที่ 31 ธันวาคม 2009 นี้ และสำหรับเรื่องสุดท้ายที่ต้องการที่จะแจ้งให้ท่านทราบคือ สำหรับ ปี2010 นี้ ในทุกอาทิตย์ที่ทางร้านได้ทำการจัดแข่งสำหรับ Member หากท่านต้องการลงแข่งด้วย แต่ท่านไม้ได้เป็น Member ท่านต้องจ่ายค่าสมัคร 80 บาท ต่อ 1 คน และสำหรับการจัดแข่งพิเศษ ที่ทางร้านได้จัดขึ้นมา สำหรับ Memberจ่ายค่าลงสมัคร 100 บาท แต่ถ้าหากท่านไม่ใช่ Member ท่านต้องจ่ายค่าลงสมัคร 200 บาท และในค่าสมัครลงแข่งนี้ั ยังไม่รวม ค่าสนาม+ค่าบริการ ของทางร้าน…ขอบคุณที่ท่านช่วยสนับสนุนกับทางร้านของเรา
i figured i should put together a “Race Spec” car for sale for dNaNo fans who want a ready-to-race car with fully installed options at a great price. i chose the Lamborghini Gallardo since i was doing a custom paint job on the body and surprisingly it performs similar to its “big brother” the Murcielago without the imbalance problems i noted in my forum post. check out the Race Spec Gallardo in the shop and expect new incoming items by this weekend. since it’s included in the project, i did get a chance to test the Atomic Ball Differential and i think criticisms of it have been a bit overzealous. i still would choose the Kyosho Ball Diff since modifying the tension is a bit more accurate. adjusting the Atomic is easier but not as precise and the containing collar nut tends to back out of the desired setting (replacing it with a rounded nylon nut should resolve this issue). one advantage is the weight it adds cuz it’s constructed of metal and this can be beneficial in cars like the LP640.
NanoTrax is earning that “lounge” feeling as we expand our food selection. our chef, Pim is very good at just about everything “Thai” and our customers are taking notice, often coming in just to eat and have a drink. speaking of customers, we had four guys in the other night from Sweden. it seemed they just wanted to cool down from the humid weather when they came in for a beer but they immediately took to Circuit F2L and spent a half hour battling for “who would pay the bill”. Miguel (the redheaded, tattoo’d guy) was very good and beat his friends by 10 laps, thereby forcing them to pay his way… he was very satisfied. as always, its great to have so many people from so many different countries visit us and enjoy a new experience. see ya this weekend for an inventory update.
after several races and 3 different layouts on F1R, i figured it was time to refresh the look and interest on F2L, our lounge circuit. on our day off, i updated the curbs and added a chicane (sp) to the layout adding a small level of difficulty. there’s not much we can do with it at the moment considering its “L” shape and only 18 square metres but i think its now a bit more of a challenge and will be a comfortable place to hold our next club race. take a look at the gallery for photos of F2L and a few shots of PJ’s Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 and my Mazda 787b with new Auto Scale Body.
for the past few days, i’ve been working with our template editor on the shop layout which is about 70% complete. i’ve also invested in an SSL Certificate to make shopping more secure for our customers. payment options now include PayPal, Google Checkout and Bank Wire. registered users here on the blog will receive discount coupons by e-mail so if you haven’t registered, click here to register for a blog user account.
