i’ve had two Mini Z *MR-03* Chassis Sets in stock since before they were officially released but no one seemed to be interested so they’d sat on the shelf waiting for someone to claim and breathe life into them. after discussions with our local Mini Z expert (RobbyDV) and another member sparked my interest (Ek), i confiscated one of the sets for myself and ordered some option parts cuz anyone who knows anything about the “D” or the “Z”, knows they just aren’t what they can be right out of the box. my list included 1) ball bearings (Kyosho), 2) ball differential (Kyosho) 3) 94mm motor pod v2 (Atomic) 4) 94mm titanium damper kit (Atomic), 5) lexan t-plates (Atomic), 6) low down front springs (PN Racing), 7) king pin shims (PN Racing), 8) gyro (X-Power), 9) metal servo gear (Kyosho), 10) IC Tag (Kyosho) and 11) a clear grey skeleton (Kyosho). most important of each of these was the skeleton because i’ve never worked on a Mini Z so my ignorance needed some attendance and rebuilding one with a fresh skeleton would force me to do it and get it right. no need for a meticulous set of construction pics, at the heart of this hobby is DIY (do-it-yourself) so, i won’t bore you with the details, let’s just say every step of dismantling, rebuilding and replacing was a learning process. surprisingly it only took yesterday afternoon and a coffee-fueled morning session to get it all together and running properly. none of my cars are shelf queens, so when i do get the chance to throw this baby down on a circuit, it’ll be ready to blaze. i’ve coveted the ADVAN Supra JGTC 2003 GT Limited Edition ASC for some time and the 94mm motor pod allowed me to set the chassis up to fit this impressive shell. many of the option parts i’ve installed are now available in our online shop, so if you’re looking to hook up your Z, login for convenient online shopping. there are a few other option parts i still need including some decent tires (the stock just don’t give any grip on any surface i’m aware of) but this is just the beginning. want to discuss your Mini Z projects? stop by the forum and share your thoughts and experience with our community. unfortunately, we won’t be racing Mini Z @ nanotrax due to size limitations but we shall see – perhaps a nanotrax 2 for the Z? who knows what the future could bring? ;-)
the shop has been pretty flooded recently with visitors and members enjoying race practice and the new items that have recently arrived into the shop. today was no different but we also took in some fresh new, hot release items from the Kyosho Mini-Z Auto Scale Collection. be sure to get your hands on these items quick as usual, our stock is limited and these beauties won’t last long. every item in the gallery is now available in our online shop.
Lots Complete, Lots To Do!
just when ya think its all about to get easier, you’re proven wrong. the shop interior design is in its final days but more pressing issues are now pushing themselves into the schedule. the last few days, we have: 1) paid a deposit & scheduled install on the security system (camera system that records video in case of theft or damage); 2) purchased 2 fridge units (kitchen & drink display); 3) ordered & schedule installation of front window glass; 4) closed the air conditioning invoice (install complete); 5) closed floor tiling invoice (install complete); 6) pursued a quote & seller of fire extingishers; 7) dropped deposit & scheduled installation of 42″ LCD monitors for showroom & lounge; 8) purchased JBL wireless speakers for showroom; 9) & installed wiring for all of the above. there are still a few things left to pursue but a few more important steps have been taken towards opening day. we’re still on schedule for late march/early april opening so that’s positive. i mean, its all good, even the stressful things help make us stronger & appreciate the end result more. i’ve included some updated pics of the shop so you can see the colors are now being applied which makes us feel even closer to the dream becoming reality.
Atomic Alpha
if you’re interested in Mini-Z and you’re online, then you already know about AtomicMods.com. these guys know the Mini-Z backwards and forwards and have built their business by building on top of their Mini-Z mods. some would consider them competition, but i believe no one can compete with those guys at this point as no one puts more professionalism and effort into their website & mod tasks. on top of the fact, they are US based & we’re based in Thailand – they sell online, we sell only in our shop. i decided a while back that i would get a Mini-z but after seeing some of their online videos showcasing the differences in stock Mini-Z’s and their various mods, i decided my first purchase should go to them. i ordered an Atomic Alpha based on the 2.4GhZ MR02 (RM) Chassis. after verifying that i’m an acual breathing person & a fellow american, they sent my package by EMS and it just arrived this morning. in it, were several auto-scale bodies i ordered + my mod’d Mini-Z. unfortunately, i suck at checking for bodies that fit so 3 of the 4 bodies that came i can’t use with my MR02 Chassis but i’ll probably just switch them out for some items i have in stock. i haven’t had the time to do anything accept snap a few shots as u can see in the gallery. once i’ve had a chance to read thru the manual and browse remaining parts, i’ll report on it. for now, enjoy a few pics & check back later this week for possible shop progress updates.
to everyone who has visited & continues to visit our site, i want to say thanks! just over a week has passed since we launched it but somehow, we have managed to make a profound impact on the growth of interest in dNano R/c racing. i humbly request your feedback & comments as your thoughts & opinions are equally as important as the ones we express here at NanoTrax. in the future, we hope to be a direct line from worldwide customers to the makers of dNano in the effort to expand communication & interest in this exciting hobby. as always, its been a busy couple of days so let me get into the recap…
PRC dNano Race 2, Season 1
on thursday, we visited the Pattaya RC Powerboat park for the 2nd dNano race of the year. the number of participants increased with top world drivers Meen Vejrak & Charlie Phutiyotin bringing their dNano’s to compete in the field of over 10 drivers. i was unable to race cuz my rear tires on both cars have been depleted. most others are still running on their original set but i’ve summized that is because while running on carpet risks fibers getting into the cars working parts, it saves tires. running on rubber will eat dNano tires as if they were full size tires running on asphalt which is definitely a problem while we’re in a supply shortage. Joom‘s Porsche still has a bit of tread left but i’m just getting to the diff upgrade today so i figured it would be best to skip this meet. Meen ended up as the winner of this match which was sort of expected since he’s the only driver running with a gyro and cuz he’s arguably the best R/C driver in Thailand. i’ve got some video but we left before the real action so i’ll edit it into another update. it includes some footage of Ms. Nanotrax (Joom) so you won’t want to miss that!
Moving Forward
last night, we picked up a gift & visited PRC for a birthday party. while there, i had a chance to speak with Charlie who informed me that our site work has helped to increase his workload which is good and bad i guess… he didn’t seem too upset about it – lol. unfortunately, he told me that our dNano Online Sales have to be limited to Thailand only. unless you’re in this country, we can’t sell you a dNano model, parts or accessories. in time, we may be given extended rights but at the moment, Kyosho apparently has a plan for dNano and it doesn’t include extensive online marketing. after getting that news, i discussed the shop opening & he was already aware of our supply issues. i also talked him about possibly stocking Mini-Z but he advised against that and invited me to visit Hong Kong where we could directly address our inventory problem. we definitely don’t have enough parts, models, accessories and supplies to open the shop at the moment even though we’re less than 3 weeks away from our planned opening time. we’re working on getting the interior designer in this week for showroom layout construction & filing for the necessary permits that are required for music, beer & exterior signs. official move-in date is around the 15th but we should get in and start on the new track construction a couple days before then.
Track Plans & Upgrade
i’ve got the final sketch completed for the showroom track. we have about 9mx6m of space to work with so we’ll probably make the track 8mx4m. it’ll be wide enough to comfortably race up to 9 cars at once and with the new design, we’ll be able to easily develop and implement new course layouts. as i’ve said before, we’ll spend a lot of time on decorations with the hope of making the track feel as if its “real world” racing. i would get into specifics about upgrading my wife’s dNano Porsche 911 GT3 but, i can’t do much testing without a good set of tires. i’m putting in a Ball Differential only. when i finally get new supplies, i’ll put on white wheels & probably make this the first car to receive a gyro and motor upgrade. don’t forget to post comments, good or bad, thai or english… Joom will be adding the Thai versions of my posts over the next couple of days. see ya!
