the McLaren Racing Shell came and went recently… a testament to how rare items for dNano get snatched up quickly by dedicated fans. if there’s anyone who knows about dedicated, its the nanotrax crew and we’ve pushed for important replacement parts (main frame -plastics only with ic tag- set) that you can find now available @ our dnano and mini z online shop. there are also new dnano optional parts on their way into stock + the latest optional parts for Mini Z AWD. currently, we’re weathering the storm of the current economic atmosphere and we expect to be here for years to come, providing a special little something in an infamous city called Pattaya.

on sunday, we held the last race on the disastrous ‘WTF’ layout which i believe drove everyone away from play at the shop. it was difficult and certainly, that word and ‘fun’ just don’t seem to fit together for most people. as a matter of fact, we held only 2 races and ran in only one direction before removing and installing a new one. Hugh was rather direct, frank, honest…. even rude with his vocal melee on the layout but… he was right. it had to go and now, i’m sure he and everyone else will find fun again with ‘Blur’ on F1R. i call it that because the lanes are wide and action will be ridiculously fast. Gary surprised us with a rare visit and Calvin re-joined us on sunday so i suspect we’ll have some interesting racing to say the least during the next 5+ weeks before he leaves us again. i’ll get around to posting the race report over @dnanoclub soon so visit there to check that out and share your thoughts and experiences with dnano and club racing in your area.

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Niky-O from Austria contacted me recently about a special order. he wanted a Race Spec Porsche 911 GT3 which i thought was strange considering this particular car is not very competitive with other GT Class dNano cars. in its stock setup, the track measurement is the most narrow of all available cars and its got a short wheelbase with a rear-mounted (RM) motor. an MM mounted motor with a longer wheelbase will normally give better overall handling. to compensate for some of these issues, there are a few things i’ll do to make this car competitive but just like every dNano, it starts with a basic chassis set.  normally, i don’t do extra things like lowering the car, changing spacers setup or wheel sizes but in this case, i decided to put my own touch on this one so he could be at least a few degrees closer to a winning car… after its over, its all about who’s driving the car.  if you have additional questions, comments or just want to say hi, shoot me an e-mail or post on the nanotrax forum to share your thoughts and experiences with our growing dnano family!

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i’ve always considered myself a dnano ‘purist’ because i championed the aspect of ‘realism’ because each car is designed to be a replica of its full size counterpart. unfortunately, racing had slightly altered my view of things since many of the available choices just aren’t race cars. their stock setup would get you killed in a race with guys who ‘know what they’re doing’ so don’t be afraid to ‘play’ with things a bit. the first photo in my gallery is of the underside of my Lamborghini Gallardo. it has some serious battle scars since this chassis started as a Porsche 911 GT3. after finally realizing that car is just too narrow to be competitive with the GT type dnano, it’s been a Lamborghini Countache LP500S and a Ferrari F40 in its’ previous ‘lives’. the custom body we made proudly wears more scars, none of my four (4) dnano are shelf queens so they all have felt the pain of bumps and crashes in the heat of a final. i’ll be tossing the Gallardo into the fires of F1R on Sunday for the next club race but i couldn’t do it without a few small changes, here’s what i did to make it perform just as well as my Mazda 787b (which is no small feat for those who know about the Mazda):

the stock setup for the Gallardo is extremely narrow but there’s room underneath the shell to modify a few things but first, you’ll need a Kyosho Friction Shock as the other damper kits can’t fit under the body without cutting a hole (the mount comes into contact with the shell eliminating suspension – not gonna work!). now that your Gallardo still looks great, lets move on to tech specs. i’ve added some small box cutter blades for additional weight at the bottom/center of the chassis which helps hold the car down during high speed cornering.  2nd, i’ve created negative camber by switching out the (4) lower front suspension plate to a (5). this increases stability in cornering with a wider track width and reduces roll by changing the angle of the front wheels. fast cornering speeds are critical to fast lap times which -of course- are critical for the win. if you do this, its best to use the stock plastic upper plate and ‘dremel’ the kingpin holes to allow for an angle, preventing excessive rubbing or binding.  3rd, the rear of the car is just too narrow and instead of the standard (3) aluminum rear wheel hub, i’ve added a (4) which add even more corning stability. your suspension plates and front shock springs will depend on the surface you’re racing on, i use PN Racing soft on both F1R and F2L. i use 25° front tires and 10° rear tires + 18-size racing wheels all around (X-Power).  the tires will break-in after a few laps and give excellent overall grip for the long, 30-minute final. my power plant? the X-Power ‘HOT’ for F1R and Kyosho X-Speed or stock on F2L with 32T/7T – spur/pinion gearing. the idea isn’t to have the fastest car, but a fast car that gives you the easiest, most reliable handling for a consistent performance that will take you from start to the checkered flag in first place. do you have a special setup for your dnano? post a comment here on the blog and share your experiences!

while we’re dicussing customs, i decided to go with an LP640 Auto Scale body for future races because the Reventon Type Shell is a bit top heavy and though it looks good, lacks the racing attributes that i need on Sundays. Joom and i added a Spoiler Kit + X-Power Stickers which give it that GT feel. we now have both of these items in stock at our online shop so if you’re looking that racing feel to your murcielago, get them both while supplies last.

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when we first opened NanoTrax in 2009, almost 1 year ago, no one really knew much about what was in store for the world of miniature R/C.  as we grew, so did interest in this scale of this hobby and we were approached by many from visitors and admirers to vendors of related products.  After Atomic & PN Racing, X-Power made their move on the dNano & Mini Z aftermarket parts sector and into our inventory in Fall 2009.  their products are now a popular alternative option for dNano fans worldwide.  we’re recently added and updated their products at our online shop and you’ll find them also available at other respected online retailers.  check the gallery below for all the latest additions including Auto Scale Collection items for Mini Z and visit our Used & Discounted section for amazing clearance prices.

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time for a new ride and i’m not talkin’ about the one sitting out in front of the house.  i’m talkin about the ones i can own that i can’t own in real life and even if i had the money to buy them, i wouldn’t anyhow but since they’re tiny, i can and i do.  now i’m bored with my Lamborghini Countache LP500S, i decided to dismantle it along with my Porsche 911 GT3, then use the required parts to build the Ferrari F40.  its performance is still in question since none of the club members has tried it in competition, but we’ll see how things go at this week’s club race.  in other news, we’re making our move towards expansion and that means adding more items, from a variety of brands that produce high quality aftermarket parts for dNaNo and Mini Z.  view the gallery of latest items here and visit the online shop to browse our entire catalog of chassis sets, option parts and replacement parts for your dNaNo.

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many items that were out of stock our now back in the shop and we’ve added a few items that you won’t find available anywhere else at the moment.   the dNaNo AC/USB Charger is now in stock, several new Mini-Z Auto Scale and all 3 styles of PN Racing Aluminum Rims for dNaNo are available in our Optional Parts section of the online shop.  i went ahead and put aside a set of 20′s for my Nissan Fairlady Z and its all blinged out now.  i’ll use my Mazda 787b for club racing and just mess around with the Z.  the aluminum rims are actually very light so they don’t hamper performance… if anything, i noticed better handling with them as opposed to the plastic ‘black’ 20′s i put on a couple weeks ago.  as usual, when new items come in, i e-mail a discount coupon to our registered blog users and forum participants so, check your e-mail (specifically the spam box) to get the discount.  for now,  check the gallery below for pics of my ‘blingin’ Motul Autech Z and new items added to the online shop.

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thanks to everyone who attended our grand opening yesterday, it was a pleasure having you here! we started off the day with a traditional buddhist blessing given by 9 monks. our visitors began to arrive including news reporters & good friends. shortly therafter, Laew Jhek cut the ceremonial shop ribbon to officially open NanoTrax and begin the tour of the shop. everyone ended up on the 2nd floor lounge, trading turns racing dNanos on Race Course F2L. i think we picked up a few new R/C addicts including several female drivers. the rest of the day, a few more people dropped in to bring gifts and get their own tour of the shop. Khun Eau, our shipping coordinator from TPP Shipping came through with 2 girlfriends and they all took a mini-r/c crash course in the lounge. a big thanks to all the news reporters who took interest in our facility including the guys from R/C Action, Pattaya People and Pattaya Expat. big shout to my close friend, Dee, for being my camera man, he’s responsible for the beautiful pics in the gallery. the food & drink was provided by Dave from Manhattan’s Pattaya and last but not least, our friends from PRC, Thum & Yoh visited this morning with a beautiful flower arrangement from Charlie Siribodhi, President of the RCCA.

ทางร้านเนโนแทรคซ์ ขอขอบคุณทุกท่าน ที่มาร่วมแสดงความยินดี กับทางร้านเราในวันเปิดร้านที่ 30พฤษภาคม 2552 โดยทางร้านได้เรียนเชิญ คุณคทาวุธ ยุวรรณสิริ ประธานกรรมการบริษัท ที.อาร์.อาร์ ออโตพาร์ท จำกัด หรือ เจ้าของร้าน เม้งเฮดเดอร์เทอร์โบ เป็นประธานตัดริบบิ้น ทางร้านถือว่าเป็นเกียรติอย่างยิ่งที่ท่านให้เกียรติ มาเป็นประธานเปิดร้านให้แเก่ทางร้านเรา ทีมงานร้านเนโนแทรคซ์ ขอกราบขอบพระคุณเป็นอย่างสูง ไว้ ณ โอกาศนี้ด้วยนะคะ โดยส่วนตัวแล้ว คุณคทาวุธ มีศักดิ์ เป็นคุณตา ของ ผู้จัดการร้านเนโนแทรคซ์ หรือ จุ๋มนั่นเองคะ โดยจุ๋มจะเรียกท่านว่า อาเหล่าเจ็ก(ภาษาจีน) บรรยากาศภายในวันงาน เริ่มตั้งแต่เวลา 07:30น. ทางร้านได้นิมนต์พระจากวัดชัยมงคล 9รูป มาทำพิธีทางสงฆ์ คือ ทำบุญเปิดร้าน เพื่อเป็นสิริมงคลแก่ร้านเรา หลังจากนั้นเวลา10:10น.ทางร้านได้เชิญนักข่าวและแขกผู้เข้าร่วมงาน ร่วมพิธีตัดริบบิ้น ทางร้านนับว่าเป็นเกียติอย่างยิ่ง นี่ถือว่าเป็นงานแรกของเรา หากมีอะไร ไม่ถูกต้องหรือขาดตกบกพร่องประการใด รวมทั้งทำการดูแล และต้อนรับไม่ทั่วถึง ทางร้านก็ต้องขออภัย ไว้ ณ ที่นี้ด้วยนะคะ สำหรับแขกที่เข้าร่วมแสดงความยินดี ก็จะมี จาก คุณคทาวุธ ยุวรรณสิริ ประธานเปิดงาน Meng Header,คุณชาลี ประธานสมาคมรถบังคับวิทยุแห่งประเทศไทย (RCCA)โดยมี คุณตั้ม-คุณโย ทีมงาน จาก Pattaya R/C Powerboat เป็นตัวแทนแสดงความยินดี, ทีมงานคุณอิ๋ว จาก TPP Shipping, ทีมงานคุณชัยวัฒน์ จาก RC Action , ทีมงาน Pattaya People, คุณอร จาก Pattaya Expat Magazine, ทีมงาน First Eastern Supply,คุณปรีชา-คุณพงศกร จาก Swan ฺBeach Hotel,ญาติพี่น้อง และเพื่อนบ้าน สำหรับ ทีมงาน BSN News ที่สนใจในร้านของเรา และที่จะลืมเสียไม่ได้ ขอขอบคุณ K.Dave ที่ได้นำอาหารอร่อยๆจาก Manhattan’s Pattaya มาให้กับทางร้านเรา  สำหรับท่านที่ไม่ได้เข้ามมาร่วมในวันงาน ทางร้านหวังเป็นอย่างยิ่งว่า ท่านจะได้มีโอกาศเข้ามาเยี่ยมชมร้านของเรา ในเร็ววันนี้ ทางร้านยินดีต้อนรับทุกท่านเสมอนะคะ

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New Pricing & Shop Schedule
after a long discussion with the Mrs. NanoTrax, we’ve decided to cut our prices to the bones in a radical attempt to turn more visitors into dNano owners. the more ‘owners’ we have, the more participation in scheduled racing at NanoTrax. review the table below for current pricing on all featured services and products.  (หลังจากที่เราเปิดร้านให้ผู้ที่สนใจเข้ามาแวะชมร้าน ก่อนที่จะมีพีธีเปิดร้านอย่างเป็นางการ  1 เดือน จากประสบการณ์ที่ได้มาช่วงทดลองเปิดร้านจุ๋มกับพี่ขวัญ ได้ปรึกษากันว่าเราจะลดราคาสินค้า เพื่อที่จะเพิ่มจำนวนลูกค้าที่มีรถเป็นของตนเอง เพราะถ้าลูกค้ามีรถเป็นของตนเอง เค้าจะได้แต่งรถได้ดั่งใจกว่าที่จะเช่ารถเล่นอย่างเดียว เพราะรถที่ทางร้านมีไว้ให้เช่า เป็นเดิมๆ ทุกคัน เพราะเรามีสำรองไว้สำหรับลูกค้าที่ต้องการทดลองเล่น และอยู่ในช่วงตัดสินใจที่จะซื้อรถรุ่นไหน และที่สำคัญเราจะได้มีสมาชิกนักแข่งเพิ่มมากขึ้นด้วย เพราะทางร้านจะมีการจัดแข่งสัปดาห์ละ 1 ครั้ง และเวลาที่ เราจัดแข่งรถส่วนใหญ่จะเป็นรถที่แต่งครบชุดอยู่แล้ว เพราะฉนั้น อยากที่รถเดิมๆที่ยังไม่ได้แต่งอะไรเลยจะชนะรถคันที่แต่งแล้ว โดยทางเราจัดตารางเวลาไว้ดังนี้):

for additional inquiries, email us or register to post comments to the blog & NanoBoards Forum. Mrs. NanoTrax promises to post updates in Thai language much more often now that we’ve reached a point where we can focus on customer service.  those who weren’t able to attend the party, we appreciate your support & hope to see you in the near future.  up next:  Trick’d Out Mazda!

Inventory & Shop Construction Update
so we’re deep into the 2nd month of construction on the NanoTrax R/C Lounge & behind my original realistic “ready to open date” estimate.  delays like this are common and when investing in ventures that involve construction, one has to be prepared for them.  fortunately, we are prepared and this doesn’t threaten the future of the shop in any way.  based on daily progress observations, i expect we have at least another week, maybe 2 before we can do our soft opening.  i do want to clarify, we’re not a Kyosho sponsored business.  we certainly appreciate their support in selling & promoting their products, but our goal at NanoTrax is to create our own R/C community based in an entertaining, comfortable atmosphere to enjoy miniature radio control car racing & the hobby in general.  many other shops are interested in online racing, hosting large competitions, international attention, etc but the pressure & requirements that come with those opportunities caused us & our investors to focus solely on our own vision.  we expect visitors to have a unique experience when visiting NanoTrax R/C Lounge & look forward to welcoming all R/C fans from beginners to pro racers.  i’m sure those who have a dream & their own vision understand where i’m coming from.  with that said, for today’s update i’ve loaded the inventory/stock photos for all items we received this week.  with this shipment in, i’m no longer concerned about opening day, we’ll have loads of hop-up & replacement parts for customers to choose from.  if you’re interested in parts we have in stock, contact us directly by eMaiL or visit our shop on Thep Prasit Road in Nayada Property, Pattaya.

Miniature R/C Racing: The Breakdown
a lot of beginners & total r/c noobs ask often, what exactly is this whole thing about? why would you make such a large investment in selling toys? to understand that, one has to understand R/C.  the models we sell are VERY small and look VERY similar to the “toys” you see sold in malls, big toy stores & markets everywhere.  the difference is that the models we sell, race and promote are actually miniaturized versions of REAL CARS.  more than we sell models, we sell the parts for these models because just like full size cars, they can be “hopped up”, “tricked out”, “souped up” (whatever your personal catch phrase is).  the base model is just the jumpoff and once one gets familiar with their car, they normally want to find ways to make it 1) look better 2) run faster or 3) handle better… or all of the above.  with toys, you can’t do this… but with these mini-race machines, you CAN. compared to full size race cars, the investment in one of these high-tech models is minimal.  customizing them isn’t “cheap” but when compared to hopping up real, full size cars, the cost is a bargain.  at a facility like NanoTrax, one can enjoy working on their car, racing their car, socialize with others who love their cars or simply relax in an air conditioned, laid back sports lounge while having a drink with the football game on a 42″ lcd tv.  we don’t expect a LOT of fans but we do know the customers who DO visit us, will love the hobby & appreciate the time & investment we’ve put in.  our forum isn’t even very active at the moment because there’s minimal outlet in the area for people who love R/C.  we hope our community will grow in the future cuz we plan on being here for a long time.  i’ll be posting dNaNo & Mini-Z upgrade reports so if you are an R/C fan in Thailand or elsewhere, we look forward to your participation.  to login & post, you’ll need to register here.  for now, check out the latest inventory gallery & shop construction update pics, i’ll post again as developments require.

Shop Progress Gallery:

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Incoming Inventory, April 2009:

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unfortunately, i don’t have video for this post because i don’t have a firewire port on any of the multiple computers i have in this house.  my current video cam is a Canon GL2 and can output thru USB but my Studio 10 software will only rip the video using a firewire.  so, i’ll be heading over to Tukcom tomorrow to pick up a firewire card and then i’ll work it out.  that said, i do have a lot to talk about since the race.  i came in 5th place out of 9, 3 of the drivers in the top 4 are sponsored and the 4th is an R/C freak like myself with many years more experience.  not to make any excuses, cuz i’ve never claimed to be a pro… as a matter of fact, i’m pretty proud of myself considering my r/c history.

what came first: the driver or the car?
let me first make this clear:  a car is only as good as its driver.  keep that in mind when reading my blog, a magazine, or other publication stressing the importance of the vehicle & its working parts.  2 cars upgraded with the best parts & 2 pro drivers – what determines who wins?  skill & consistency.  i’m sure Hara, Drake, Cardoso, Maifield or Caveleiri could take an out of the box dNano & beat the sense out of most other racers who have installed every available hop-up in the same type of car.  why? they have experience, they are consistent, they’re competitive & they know how to win in R/C.  when guys like that are competing against one another, what makes the difference is the car they drive & how they set it up.  that’s when the characteristcs of a car matter.  if you’re a noob & you’re interested in racing, practice often, constantly work on improving your driving skills & spend less time pouring your money into option parts & flashy hop-ups.  when you’re killing the competition with skills, then feel free to add the eye candy.

style & effect…
i should have taken Joom‘s dNano Porsche 911 GT3 to the race.  quite honestly, my driving style fits that car.  even on my home track, i command it like i’m actually in it and i may have gotten a better result in the race.  i’ll upgrade it next to even up with the dNano Mazda 787b and put that theory to the test.  when racing, one has to go with what one knows will win, not personal preferences.  i’m retroactively giving myself advice because i installed the aluminum rear wheel hubs, ulimately, hampering the cars performance primarily cuz it was the wrong size part!  yep, the dNano Auto Scale Models are so detailed, even 2 of the available option parts (Alum. Front Suspension Plate (dnw104) & Alum. Rear Wheel Hubs (dnw109)) have varying sizes based on the model.  when ordering option parts, be sure to check the Optional Parts & Tech Data Sheet & when replacing parts, check the specific parts list for your model before buying.  the Mazda 787b takes size 5L/5R but i installed 7L/7R.  my turns were erratic and i often ended up hitting a wall even with the Ball Diff set as tight as possible.  the carpet the PRC track is made of didn’t help either.  my 2nd qualifying run was cut short by a long piece of fabric from the carpet getting wrapped up on my front wheel shaft.  in the long run, the problem will only get worse and i hope they modify the surface there.  even after fixing the initial “hair” problem, i spent a lot of time removing tiny parts on all 4 wheels of the car just to remove hair.  DO NOT run on carpet if you have a choice.  varying types of rubber is the best option i think.  rubber attracts dust but that problem is easily resolved with good surface maintenance & basic cleaning after every run.

store update…
we checked out the building near our house and it was a disappointment.  it looked great on the outside, but on the inside, it was totally jacked up.  it looked like the contractor used legos to determine the building layout & proceeded to build it without a blueprint using blind construction workers.  completely uneven floors, walls, rooms and to top it off, a dog had gotten into the building and took a crap on the 3rd floor.  what is that about???  needless to say, we passed and checked out a few other possible locations.  we’re not in a rush, as we understand a successful business will take time to grow and we’re not interested in wasting money on early mistakes or ruining the future of it by rushing into something due to being anxious.  for the moment, we’ll be ok running the biz from home as internet orders don’t require a “pretty shop” to move inventory.  i gave the aluminum wheel hubs to Pee Bey and he in turn gave me some ball bearings  for wifey’s car so that’ll give me a head start for the upgrades planned this week.  Track Version 1.2 will be used for the invitation race we’ll have at our home soon but we’ll add some foam to the rails to prevent damage.  Version 2 will begin construction this week as the materials come in on monday.  check back in a couple of days and i’ll have an upgrade report, pics of track construction & mods to the existing track.

i’ve cataloged available parts in stock for the dNano and you’ll find detailed pics with prices (in Thai baht) already added to most of the items.  any interest in buying items listed requires an email at the moment so if the price isn’t clearly visible, inquire when contacting us.  parts are extremely limited and as a matter of fact, some of these parts i really want to keep for myself – lol.  if no one contacts me then i’ll keep the good stuff but i’ll be fair, post everything & open up the opportunity for customers first.  Nu & Bey stopped by tonight for a few beers & we kicked it for a minute.  i should have video or new pics of something from the Pattaya RC track tomorrow so stop by if you have a sec.

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ตอนนี้ที่ร้านเรามี รถ 12แบบ พร้อมวิทยุและอะไหล่จำนวนมาก มาให้ทุกท่านชม ทางเราได้นำรูปมาลงไว้ให้แล้ว ส่วนท่านที่ต้องการทราบรายละเอียดเพิ่ม เกี่ยวกับตัวสินค้าท่านสามารถ สอบถามมาเป็นภาษาไทยหรือEnglishก็ได้นะคะ ตามสะดวกของทุกท่านนะคะ หร ือท่านที่อยากทราบอะไรเพิ่มเกี่ยวกับรถบังคับรุ่นอื่น เช่น Buggy, Truggy , Mini-Z หรือนอกเหนือจากนี้ สามารถสอบถามมาทางเราได้คะ เพราะเรามีพี่ๆจาก Pattaya R/C Powerboat ซึ่งเป็นผู้เชี่ยวชาญทางด้านนี้โดยตรง เป็นที่ปรึกษาให้คะ

เรามีข่าวดีมาบอกทุกท่าน คร๊าบ
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