Getting Started in NINCO N-Digital

Over the years, we have helped a lot of customers get started in digital slot car racing. The biggest challenge is equipping slot car enthusiasts with the knowledge to get the right products in their hands and to give them the information necessary to get the most out of those products. Sometimes the difference between an awesome experience and an average experience is a small adjustment to the track and/or the cars. The goal of this article is to guide you step by step on which products to get started with in N-Digital and how to best use them, so you get the most enjoyment out of digital slot car racing.

Here are some advantages for choosing NINCO N-Digital:  

• The lap counter is built into the N-Digital central console.  With an analog race set, the lap counter would need to be purchased separately. 
• You can race up to 8 drivers on a two lane track. This allows more people to participate in the racing at the same time. (For serious racing, we find the power on the track to be the best when racing with a maximum of 5 cars).
• The track has very good track connections, which is extremely important with any digital track. 
• Ninco track is wider than Artin, SCX, and Scalextric track. The extra width is helpful when you have a lot of cars on the track. 
• The NINCO track has a textured surface which offers plenty of grip with the stock rubber tires, which saves on the expense of having to get aftermarket tires to get good grip on the track.

The ideal way to get started with NINCO N-Digital would be to get the NINCO 40104 N-Digital Master Track Race Set (includes 3 - N-Digital decoder chips), three NINCO 1 analog slot cars, one pack of NINCO 80112 ProRace suspension guides and one bottle of INOX M3 track cleaner. 

Another option, if you are on a tighter budget, would be to get a NINCO analog race set that comes with NINCO 1 analog slot cars, an N-Digital Conversion Kit (includes 3 - N-Digital decoder chips), one additional NINCO 1 analog slot car, one pack of 80112 ProRace Suspension Guides and one bottle of INOX M3 track cleaner. You could also get the NINCO analog race set, ProRace guides and INOX M3 track cleaner now and then convert the race set to N-Digital in the future by purchasing the N-Digital Conversion Kit and one NINCO 1 analog slot car.

If you need more than three cars to race at the same time (for either N-Digital set up mentioned above) you will need an additional NINCO 1 N-Digital slot car (comes from the factory with the N-Digital decoder chip installed) and one N-Digital controller for each additional driver. If racing with 4 or more cars, we recommend getting a second N-Digital transformer. 

The NINCO 1 slot cars are durable and run great on an N-Digital slot car track with or without the traction magnet. The N-Digital central console has two skill level settings - Amateur and PRO. This gives you 4 performance options (listed below from easy to more difficult) when racing with the NINCO 1 slot cars -

• Option 1 -  NINCO 1 slot car w/ the traction magnet in the Amateur mode. The cars can pretty much run wide open around the track using this set up. The control of the car is better when using the N-Digital Progressive controller in this mode.
• Option 2 -  NINCO 1 slot car w/ the traction magnet in the PRO mode. High speed racing that is great for those who want to race against friends without a lot of de-slots.
• Option 3 -  NINCO 1 slot car without the traction magnet in the Amateur mode. This set up is ideal for trying no mag racing for the first time. It takes some learning on how to keep the rear end from sliding out as you manage the throttle around the curves. The control of the car is better when using the N-Digital Progressive controller in this mode. 
• Option 4 -  NINCO 1 slot car without the traction magnet in the PRO mode. This set up is a lot of fun for those skilled drivers who like to race at more realistic speeds and enjoy finding areas of the track where the car will stick to get a slightly quicker lap time.

The first thing that you should do after getting your N-Digital products is install the N-Digital decoder chip, ProRace guides and ProRace braid in each car. The installation is straight forward with the NINCO 1 slot cars.

You remove the body from the chassis by removing the body screws, which are found on the bottom of the chassis (the body screw location may vary depending on the model; including some models that require the guide to be rotated in one direction to access the body screw). 

Then remove the two motor wire connectors from the motor and remove the guide from the chassis by pulling it down from the underside of the chassis. 

Next install the ProRace guide into the chassis by pushing the guide post into the chassis. The decoder chip should be mounted with the included double sided tape in correct orientation so the motor wires are on the same side as the motor. If a greater thickness is needed to reach between the chassis and the decoder chip case, stack two pieces of double sided tape on top of each other. The next step is to connect each motor connector to the motor and feed the other set of wires through the eyelet. Then put a piece of braid into the guide slot and push in the eyelet with wire into the slot to secure the braid into the guide. Repeat for the other braid. 

Push the braid towards the front of the car to widen the braid and adjust the braid so it is slightly curved down towards the rails. You can check if the braid is correctly adjusted by placing the car on a piece of track to see if the braid matches the rail spacing and contacts the rail with the full length of the braid. 

Make sure the guide somewhat self centers by adjusting the wires that go to the guide so they are equal in length. You can use a small amount of hot glue to hold the wires correctly to the chassis underneath the front axle. Be sure to leave enough excess wire on each side so the guide can turn freely in both directions to it’s limit without over straining the wires. If not enough wire is available from the decoder chip to get the self centering effect, then the next best option is to allow the wires to be positioned either under or over the axle. Just be sure that the wires don’t rub on the front axle and/or catch on the underside of the body as you pivot the guide.

The last step is to put the body back on the chassis by installing each body screw in the holes that are located on the bottom of the chassis. Repeat this entire procedure for each remaining slot car. 

It can help the handling of the Ninco cars if you first tighten the body screws and then loosen them between ¼ to 1 full turn. This allows the body to float on the chassis which results in a more consistent handling slot car. This is best done after the car has been run for at least a 100 laps, this allows the tires to break in which gives the driver a better feel for the car and what adjustments are either helping or hurting the car. You can also try keeping the front body screw tight with the rear loose and vice versa.  Once you have found a good combination of front and rear body screw looseness if any, write it down (for example: 1/2 turn loose front and 1 turn loose rear).

Once all the slot cars have the N-Digital deocder chips installed, then the next step would be to set up a small test track oval using the N-Digital Central Console, N-Digital Lane Changers, straight track and curves. It is important to take note of the proper orientation of the central console and the lane changers which should be set up for the car to go around the track clockwise (the cars should cross the central console from right to the left when looking at the front of the display screen). The cars will cross the red and white striped areas of the lane changers first which contains the lane change flipper. 

Here is the procedure for programming each car  - 

1. Put 1 car on the track and make sure that it is not on the N-Digital central console start/finish track  or any of the N-Digital lane change track.
2. Press the menu button and Car will flash on the screen.
3. Press the lane change button on controller #1 while Car is still flashing on the screen.
4. The car should drive around the track with Car on the screen using controller #1. 
5. Take the car off the track and then I.D. the next car following the above steps for the next controller #2.
6. Follow the same steps for each additional car/controller. 

Once programming is complete, press the start button to exit the programming mode and set up the different race settings to practice or race. Try running the cars around the track to ensure everything is working properly and to familiarize yourself with how the cars change lanes and run around the track. 

The cars can catch on the small cut out of the lane change flipper, so we strongly recommend using an Evergreen .010" thick styrene sheet cut approximately 7/8" long x 3/16" wide to direct the guide past the cut out to prevent it from catching. The strip should overlap the end of the plastic slot liner by about 1/16 of an inch. The styrene strip can be tacked into place with a small amount of plastic compatible super glue.

You are now ready to set up your track. Here are a few considerations: 

• It is best to install the lane changers either a quarter straight after, or a half straight after the exit of the curve. What makes this an ideal place for a lane changer is that the cars are accelerating at the exit of the curve which is an easier time to perform a lane change as opposed to entering a curve, which would require you to concentrate on braking and changing lanes at the same time. Another good place to put a lane changer is in a slow to medium speed part of the track that generally requires a fairly constant throttle. 
• In regards to the N-Digital central console position, it is a good idea to place it with at least one standard straight before it and in a place where the cars are going at about ½ speed. Also, the underside of the central console track has a plastic cover that is thicker than the underside of a regular NINCO straight track which can cause a slight ramp to the start/finish track. This ramp can cause the cars to miss some of the dead strip area of the start/finish track. To ensure a nice level track leading up to the start/finish track, it is best to use a thin piece of cardboard under the track before the start/finish track section.

After setting up your track, it is best to clean the rails with INOX M3.  It is a track cleaner that makes a tremendous difference to the overall performance of any 1/32 digital slot car track.  You apply the INOX M3 to the rails by putting a small amount on a clean lint free cloth and wiping it on the rails. Then wipe off any excess INOX M3 by using a clean lint free cloth (not treated with INOX M3 this time) to wipe over the rails. You can also apply a very small amount to the braids of each car and wipe off any excess with a clean lint free cloth. Please do not spray the INOX M3 directly on the track surface.

Also, the Ninco track is very good but sometimes the slot width gets a little narrow at the track joints. To open up the slots at the track joints, use a popsicle stick or other similar object and push against one side of the slot, then the other side of the slot. Repeat the steps until the slot width matches the width near the middle of each track piece. The cars can get hung up at these joints if the slot width is too narrow. This is something that should only need to be done after setting up a new NINCO track layout for the first time. 

If you have made it this far, then you are ready to experience digital racing at it’s best.

Here is additional information on some N-Digital products that are aimed to enhance your overall experience and customize your track to suit your individual needs. 

1) Display Options - The central console does display race information but isn’t always easy for all the drivers to view the screen during a race. For this reason, it helps to have an easier viewing display for all drivers of the key race information such as the driver position and the lap count. 

NINCO offers the N-Digital Control Tower which is a stand alone product that connects to the track with a special half straight track. The Control Tower displays the race position of each car and either the number of laps or minutes remaining in the race. The display is updated every time a car crosses the start/finish line, so the racing results are always displayed in real time. You can also use more than one Control Tower on the same track. It swivels 360°, so it can be positioned anywhere and still viewed easily.  To further enhance the visibility of the display you can use a small light(s) such as the ones that clip on your ear for reading a book. This light can be set on the race track table with the light aimed on the display. 

Another option is the MAARDS Race Display Software for N-Digital which requires a computer but displays all the information of the central console including the fuel level for each car on a computer monitor screen. You can use the MAARDS software along with the control tower or by itself. It is a really good option if you have a suitable computer that you can use along with your track. Please note that this product is NOT made by NINCO but is compatible with N-Digital.

2) N-Digital Pit Lane Kit - This product adds another element to the racing requiring each car to perform a certain number of pit stops on the track. The only limitation of the pit lane is that only one car can pit at a time - if two cars are in the pit lane, the second car in will immediately start refueling when the first car is finished refueling. We find it best when racing with a lot of drivers, to pit either a few laps early or to short pit the first stop to minimize the possibility of needing to pit when the pit lane is being used already. If you pit with other cars in the pit lane your stop will take longer which is similar to a 1:1 race where cars can get delayed either entering or exiting the pit stop with other cars pitting at the same time. You can also extend the pit lane by using the NINCO #10117 Single Lane Straight Track.

3) Pace Car Module for Ninco N-Digital - The Pace Car Module for N-Digital allows any N-Digital chipped car to be a pace car that travels at a constant speed and changes lanes randomly. The speed of the pace car and the lane changing frequency is adjustable by turning the corresponding knob. The NINCO 1 cars are ideal to use as a pace car, in Amateur or PRO mode, since they hold the track at a high constant speed. It can be challenging to race one or more NINCO 1 pace cars with the traction magnet in the PRO mode against your NINCO 1 car without the traction magnet. This product is ideal if you tend to race with few drivers since it adds to the racing action by having another car on the track which represents lap traffic that can hold up drivers and allow for more passing opportunities. Please note that this product is NOT made by NINCO but is compatible with N-Digital.

N-Digital Troubleshooting 

Why aren't all the cars that started the race being included in the race information of the central console?

All the cars must start the race at the beginning of the race and the last car must cross the start/finish line within 4 seconds of the first car. If you have a full field of cars and a large track, you can do a rolling start. A rolling start is performed by setting up the starting grid right after the start/finish line of the N-Digital central console, then at start of the race the cars start off slowly and maintain about ½ speed around the track until the cars pass the start/finish line, then the race officially starts. It is important that the field of cars is somewhat close together on this pace lap and are in the same positions as set up on the starting grid (This is the same thing they do at the Indy 500).

Why do I sometimes get a missed lane change or an unwanted lane change?

The first thing to check is that the track rails and the braid on each car are clean. INOX M3 is the best track cleaner that we have tested for maintaining clean track rails and braid on a digital track. The second thing to check is to be sure to push the braid towards the front of the car to widen the braid and adjust the braid so it is slightly curved down towards the rails. You can check to see if the braid is correctly adjusted by placing the car on a piece of track to see if the braid matches the rail and makes contact to the rail with the full length of the braid. 

Additional things to check if the above information did not solve the problem:
a) Be sure that each car doesn’t have any electrical components that come with the original car that connect the (+) and (-) guide and motor wires together such as an electrical choke, capacitor, etc. If the car does have any of these components remove them from the car.  Also, if the car has a light circuit it will need to be isolated and connected to the light output of the N-Digital decoder chip. Do not connect the lights directly to the guide to N-Digital decoder chip wires. 

b) It helps to run power taps from the N-Digital central console track or the track connected next to it to any N-Digital lane changers on the track. The Ninco #10314 Power Track Booster Cables are plug & play and work great for this. If you have more than 4 lane changers on your track, you can just run the power taps to those lane change tracks that are not functioning 100% correctly of the time. 

At the start of the race all the cars just stop on the track, move a little bit and stop again, why is this happening?

This is the overload protection kicking in since the cars draw the most current from a stopped position which can cause the overload protection to turn on. This should only be a problem when racing with 6 or more cars at the same time. Two solutions would be to instruct all the drivers to slowly accelerate rather than hold down full throttle at the start of the race, or do a rolling start. A rolling start is performed by setting up the starting grid right after the start/finish line of the N-Digital central console, then at start of the race the cars start off slowly and maintain about ½ speed around the track until the cars pass the start/finish line which officially starts the race. It is important that the field of cars is somewhat close together on this pace lap and are in the same positions as set up on the starting grid. A rolling start prevents the overload protection from turning on since the cars draw a lot less current once in motion.

© 2012 BRS Hobbies. All Rights Reserved. Getting Started in NINCO N-Digital.

NINCO 2012 Catalog

Open publication - Free publishing - More hobby

NINCO News January 2012

*** Estimated Availability is March 2012 ***

NINCO 1 Camaro Daytona 1/32 Slot Car #55035

The NEW NINCO 1 Camaro 1/32 slot car joins the NINCO 1 stable of Mustang's, Corvette's, Lamborghini's, Megane Trophy's and Chevy Ultra's. 16,000 RPM NC-11 motor.

NINCO 1 N-Digital Camaro Daytona 1/32 Slot Car #55051

Includes pre-installed N-Digital decoder chip.

NINCO 1 Camaro SSX 1/32 Slot Car #55034

The NEW NINCO 1 Camaro 1/32 slot car joins the NINCO 1 stable of Mustang's, Corvette's, Lamborghini's, Megane Trophy's and Chevy Ultra's. 16,000 RPM NC-11 motor.

NINCO 1 N-Digital Camaro SSX 1/32 Slot Car #55052

Includes pre-installed N-Digital decoder chip.

NINCO Ford GT OSRAM 1/32 Slot Car #50593

NINCO LIGHTNING version with ProRace set up including: new red motor pod, lexan interior, NC-12 motor, transparent silicone cables, ProRace V.03 15” front wheels with ultra low profile tires, ProRace V.03 17” rear wheels with 20x10 tires, ProRace 3/32" axles, ProRace bushings and ProRace axle stoppers. Gear set: 31T crown and 13T pinion.

NINCO Lotus Exige VALLEJO 1/32 Slot Car #50540

The Lotus Exige is unusual for a GT, surprisingly small in size. NINCO reproduced it with the most detailed level of reproduction possible, including photoengraving, real metal grills and flexible PVC wing mirrors, not to mention the new NC-9 Sparker (20.000 rpm / 145 gm/cm.) motor in angle winder position.

NINCO Lamborghini Murcielago AMPREX 1/32 Slot Car #50592

NINCO LIGHTNING version with ProRace set up including: new red motor pod, lexan interior, NC-12 motor, transparent silicone cables, ProRace V.03 15” front wheels with ultra low profile tires, ProRace V.03 17” rear wheels with 20x10 tires, ProRace 3/32" axles, ProRace bushings and ProRace axle stoppers. Gear set: 31T crown and 13T pinion. Full blown, out of the box race car!

NINCO Corvette 1/32 Slot Car #50583

The most popular American icon returns in jet black street clothes. 

NINCO 1 PLUS Mercedes SLS GT3 1/32 Slot Car & N-Digital

Ninco just released the NINCO 1 PLUS Mercedes SLS GT3 PostBrief 1/32 slot car. This is, hopefully, the first in a new series of NINCO 1 cars that feature an enhanced chassis design that includes the adjustable ProRace motor mount in angle winder configuration, previously found only in recent Lightning versions of the SPORT series, and the NC-9 Sparker motor instead of the usual NC-11. This car has already been reviewed quite thoroughly and effectively but I was curious and excited to test its performance and potential as an N-Digital racer. So that is what I will concentrate on here.

NINCO 1 cars have shown themselves to be ideal for N-Digital racing. The cars are designed to withstand the more frenetic digital racing environment while still maintaining a relatively high level of detail, they have ample room to install the N-Digital decoder chip and the NC-11 motor seems to provide just the right balance of speed and torque, especially for smaller digital home tracks. So, the first question that came to mind was: how will this new NINCO 1 version stack up against the existing fleet of NINCO 1 cars -- especially for N-Digital racing? The motor pod/angle winder drive train and increased power of the NC-9 motor in the NINCO 1 PLUS Mercedes (and presumably others to follow) represents a significant departure from the original NINCO 1 design.

I decided to perform a straight forward N-Digital conversion and test the car first in its stock configuration comparing performance to that of "standard" NINCO 1 cars. Then replace the NC-9 motor with an NC-8 Thruster to see if the car's performance can be brought closer to that of the existing line of NINCO 1 cars. The photo below shows everything needed to perform the conversion and tests.

Below is the chassis in its "box stock" configuration. Quite a different site when compared to the in-line configuration of prior NINCO 1 cars. They look almost "tame" by comparison.

The N-Digital conversion couldn't be simpler, primarily because there is ample internal space for the decoder chip. I performed the usual operations for a basic N-Digital no-mag conversion:
 
- Removed the magnet.

- Lubricated the guide post, front axle holders, rear axle bushings, motor bushings and gears (this car appeared to be already well lubricated).
 
- Loosened both the body and motor mount screws about 1/2 turn, which always seems to work well on Ninco track.
 
- Installed the Ninco ProRace suspension guide and ProRace braids.
 
- Installed the N-Digital decoder chip. The NINCO 1 cars have a short mounting post specifically intended for this purpose.

The following photos show the relative simplicity of the installation and how uncluttered everything appears.

My home N-Digital track is about 60 feet in [lane] length with a lot of R2 turns and one main straight section that is about 8 1/2 feet long. I tend to describe this track as technical in nature. I have four NINCO 1 cars (two Corvettes, a Mustang and a Lamborghini). They are normally run using theprofessional throttle profile with the N-Digital Progressive controller. Average lap times for these cars are quite close and consistently in the 8.75 - 8.95 second range in test runs alone on the track. The Lamborghini usually records the fastest laps at about 8.40 seconds.

The first track testing of the Mercedes was done with the NC-9 Sparker motor. The red plastic angle winder gears are very loud but the gear mesh is improving rapidly as the drive train breaks in. This is nothing unusual for these particular Ninco gears. The response and feeling of the car were good, relatively smooth and controlled, as are NC-11- equipped NINCO 1's. Average lap times soon became consistent at about 8.45 seconds with a fastest lap of 8.15 seconds. I'm sure that these times will continue to drop as the drive train breaks in. This level of performance, although not overpowering when compared to the NINCO 1's, will preclude the ability to match this new NINCO 1 PLUS version against the existing NINCO 1's for competitive racing in stock configurations. The NC-9 is rated by Ninco at 20k rpm and 145 gcm torque @ 14.8 volts. Compared to the NC-11's 16k rpm and 100 gcm torque at the same voltage. The validity of the Mercedes' lap times is somewhat born out by the fact that these numbers are very close to the Ninco Lotus Exige which uses the same drive train/motor combination, albeit without the motor pod.

I expected a more pronounced difference in performance between the NINCO 1's and the NINCO 1 PLUS. However, it is likely that the NC-9 would show more of an advantage on a longer, more sweeping layout. Also, the specifications for both these motors are stated at 14.8 volts. When running N-Digital, even in the professional profile, it should be noted that the maximum voltage at the motor terminals is less than 12 volts. It's possible that the performance gap between the two motors is less obvious at lower voltages where the more powerful motor can't really show its legs.

The second round of testing was performed after the NC-9 was replaced with an NC-8, shown installed in the photo below. I chose the NC-8 for several reasons:

- Its form factor is identical to the NC-9, so it is a true drop-in replacement.

- Its published specifications are very close to the NC-11 (same rpm, slightly less torque).

- I happened to have one laying around.

Also, when the NINCO 1's first emerged they immediately showed themselves to be ideal cars for N-Digital racing. But in the beginning there were only two Corvettes. I wanted to have a class of race cars right away that kids and inexperienced guests could enjoy, and that I would like to run. So, I took the two N-Digital Porsche 997's that came with the N-Digital Starter Box set and replaced the NC-6 (yes, the 23.5k rpm/350 gcm torque NC-6 Crusher!) that was stock in these cars with the NC-8. That change worked very well, allowing the NINCO 1's and Porsche 997's to run very close races. Therefore, there is a precedent for using the NC-8.

Testing the Mercedes with the NC-8 yielded average lap times of 8.76 seconds, placing the car squarely within the competitive range of the NINCO 1's. The fastest lap recorded so far is 8.49 seconds. Performance and handling with this motor were very smooth and there was a strong feeling of control.

In summary:

• There were no physical modifications required by this conversion. All stock parts are in tact, allowing the car to be returned to absolute stock condition at any time.

• The new NINCO 1 PLUS chassis design provides very good performance on an N-Digital track, allowing a more powerful class of "resiliant" cars with advanced tuning capabilities to be included for the unique requirements of N-Digital racing. This should also be applicable to other racing environments where control, rather than speed and power, is the preeminent criterion.
 
• I don't believe that it will be feasible to match this car in its stock configuration with the existing NINCO 1 cars. However, the car performs very well on its own merit as an N-Digital racer and appears to be a reasonable competitor for the Ninco Lotus Exige and quite possibly other manufacturers' cars that are similarly equipped. I think it is safe to assume that other NINCO 1 PLUS models will be forthcoming so that a true racing class should eventually emerge.

• Ninco touts the flexibility and upgradable nature of the new NINCO 1 PLUS design, and rightly so. For example, with the proper adapters, the motor mount system can accommodate a wide variety of motors from Ninco and other manufacturers with relative ease. This flexibility also allows those who really want to include this car in the existing NINCO 1 class to do so now by installing a less powerful motor such as the NC-8, that still provides good performance on the N-Digital track. Of course this adds the expense of another motor, so I'm not suggesting that everyone who buys this car should run out and buy an NC-8, but it's worth knowing that something as simple as a motor swap can eliminate this issue. And now there are a number of less expensive motors in this performance range that are worth a look. It is also worth noting that the adjustable motor mount may represent an advantage for the PLUS series that simply cannot be compensated for. Time will have to tell as my limited testing did not address this question.

• Another option for those who would rather maintain the higher performance of the new NINCO 1 PLUS Mercedes, but still want to race competitively against existing NINCO 1 cars, is the new Ninco 1 NC-13 EVO motor. This motor is a direct drop-in replacement for the [longer-shafted] NC-11 in the NINCO 1 cars and has performance specifications very close to the NC-9. 

The bottom line is that, like the all the NINCO 1 releases before it, this car is a great addition to an existing N-Digital stable. And with the enhanced level of flexibility in its design there should be plenty of opportunities, both now and in the future, for fun, competitive racing.
 
by Michael Ashton

NINCO News November 2011

*** Estimated Availability is January/February 2012 ***

NINCO 1 Mercedes SLS GT3 1/32 Slot Car #55050

The new GT from NINCO is touted as the new reference on fast tracks and makes the perfect club racing car: amazing features, proven mechanics, simple maintenance and great looks.

This Mercedes SLS GT3 is the first in the NINCO1 PLUS range, as its chassis includes a motor pod that’s easy for you to upgrade: Sport or Lightning (without magnet). These configurations range from the absence of interior, (as in the case of NINCO1), to lightweight Lexan interiors of the Lightning range.

NINCO JAGUAR E-Type Coupe 1/32 Slot Car #50579

NINCO JAGUAR E-Type Coupe Sebring 1/32 Slot Car #50596

To coincide with the 50th anniversary of the mythical Jaguar E-Type, or as it was known in the US, Jaguar XK-E, NINCO brings this legend to life. This car literally rocked motorsport history right from its presentation in 1961 thanks to its design and aerodynamics. It could reach 240km/h, (149.1mph) and manage 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds, truly incredible for the time. Enzo Ferrari called it “the most beautiful car evermade”

Two versions of this great model are to launched simultaneously, the road car and a competition model, whose main differences, apart from the livery, are the aesthetic details, such as the spoked hubs.

32 spokes on the road car version. 

The NINCO E-Type slot car comes with a front mounted, NC-9 motor with a prop shaft that joins the motor to the gears. The gear ratio is 9/27.

NINCO LIGHTNING Renault Megane Trophy BEDELCO 1/32 Slot Car #50591

A proven winner on the track and with fantastic looks thanks to this amazingly accurate replica by NINCO. This megane slot car comes as a LIGHTNING version with an NC-12 anglewinder motor, a 32/12T gear ratio, ProRace guide, silicone cables, a Lexan interior, ProRace V.03 17” wheels with ultra low profile tires on the front and 20x10 rears. No magnet.

NINCO 1 Ford Mustang DHL 1/32 Slot Car #55044

Great dimensions for maximum raceability, with the usual NINCO1 set up, made for casual and home track slot car racing.

NINCO 1 N-Digital Ford Mustang DHL 1/32 Slot Car #55045

A great American sportscar with the NINCO1 setup, made for casual and home track Racing; Comes with the N-digital chip already installed.

NINCO 1 Chevrolet Corvette GT MALISPED 1/32 Slot Car #55046

Great dimensions for maximum raceability, with the usual NINCO1 set up, made for casual and home track slot car racing.

NINCO 1 N-Digital Chevrolet Corvette GT MALISPED 1/32 Slot Car #55047

Comes complete with the N-Digital chip already installed.

NINCO 1 Lamborghini Diablo NOGARO 1/32 Slot Car #55048

Great dimensions for maximum raceability, with the usual NINCO1 set up, made for casual and home track slot car racing.

NINCO 1 N-Digital Lamborghini Diablo NOGARO 1/32 Slot Car #55049

Comes complete with the N-Digital chip already installed.

NINCO Lexan Interior Tray w/ Driver for Mercedes SLS GT3 #80898

NINCO ProRace Mercedes SLS GT3 Body Kit #80897

NINCO ProRace Mercedes SLS GT3 Motor Mount Chassis #80896

Convert the Revell Audi Sport Quattro to N-Digital

A while ago I managed to acquire a Revell Audi Sport Quattro rally car at a very good price. I decided that it would be a really interesting challenge to convert a somewhat obscure Revell car to the N-Digital system and tune it for Ninco track just to see it run around my N-Digital circuit, regardless of performance. Also, I could not resist the car's appearance. Visually it seemed to fit my personality perfectly: homely, awkward but you just know that it's going to be fun. And lastly, I'm always looking out for another unique rally car.
 
I read a number of reviews and articles about this car on the Internet and apparently there was a good deal of disappointment that Revell did not produce the car as four wheel drive (4WD). After all, it is a Quattro! So, in conjunction with the N-Digital conversion I decided to also convert the car to 4WD. As if I had any idea of what I might be doing. 

Below is everything required for the N-Digital/4WD conversion.

Anyway, Ninco users will be happy to know that the N-Digital conversion itself was relatively straight forward, primarily because there is plenty of internal space for the decoder chip, and other stuff, in spite of the fact that this is a very small car. My usual steps for a simple N-Digital conversion were performed:
 
- Removed the magnet.

- Lubricated the guide post, front and rear axle bushings, motor bushings and gears.

- Loosened the body mounting screws about one full turn to allow ample body float which really helps with this car's high center-of-gravity. 
 
- Installed the Hobby Slot Racing (HSR) suspension guide with Ninco ProRace braids.
 
- Installed a N-Digital decoder chip that is set up for quick swapping.

The photo below shows the HSR guide with Ninco ProRace braids in place. This has become my "go-to" tuning trick for other than Ninco cars running without magnet on Ninco/N-Digital track that have a guide post holder that is too narrow for the Ninco guides. As an off-road car it also seems appropriate to replace the "fixed" stock guide with one that is able provide at least some semblance of "drop arm" effect.

I did not bother to test the car extensively in 2WD but went straight to the 4WD conversion. My goal here was to make the car 4WD so that I could include it in an existing N-Digital race class comprised primarily of Ninco WRC 4WD rally cars. This meant pulleys and a drive belt (rubber band actually). Also, I did not want to add any cost to the car so I would try to use parts that I already had on hand. The more capable among us would undoubtedly replace the stock plastic wheels with machined aluminum set screw wheels as well as the gears, axles and bushings. And this car would definitely benefit, but I wanted to keep the original wheels' appearance and I do not have the means or inclination to create inserts from the stock wheels.

I happened to have on hand two spare 4WD pulleys from the PowerSlot Hummer H1. These are made for a 2.5 mm axle but it really doesn't matter because the long hubs of the Quattro's wheels leave no room to put a pulley on the axle outside of the bushing, where it needs to be (see photo below).

So, the solution was to [hand] drill the pulley's center hole to a size that allows it to fit snugly over the wheel hub. Then it was glued in place. This also required trimming a small amount of material from the ends of the four flanges on the hub. The result, shown below, is a perfectly positioned pulley outside the bushing on the hub. I have to mention that I tried every technique that I know of to get these wheels off the axles but they would just not budge. It became obvious that if I kept trying they were going to break. And if the wheel can't be removed then it's impossible to install the pulley. The solution to this dilemma was to use a sharp blade hobby knife to cut the pulley in one radius from the outside edge to the center hole. This allowed the pulley to be twisted apart just enough to slip it over the axle and then onto the wheel hub. The cut was then closed using CA glue to restore the pulley to its original integrity.

The following two photos show both the top and bottom views of the chassis with the pulleys and rubber band in place. The only potential interference with the travel of the rubber band was presented by a small post on the chassis that can be seen at the top edge of the N-Digital chip in the upper photo. Trimming a very small amount of material from the outside of the post solved the problem with no effect on the chassis' structural integrity.

The photo below shows the result of the entire process. The chip is cradled securely between the horizontal chassis braces and there is no interference between body and chassis. The 4WD assembly runs freely and the pulleys are surprisingly true with no obvious wobble. Note that about 10 grams of weight (in the form of magnetic refrigerator tape) was added to the deck in front of the guide and just behind the front axle.

Once on the track I was surprised at how well the car ran. It's not going to win any major rally competitions, and it really can't keep up with the Ninco rally cars that I have, but it competently handled the slings and arrows of my bumpy, twisty N-Digital track that it otherwise could not tolerate out-of-the-box. And most important to me, I can say that I have a 4WD Revell Quattro that actually runs N-Digital!

As I said previously, I did not test the car in 2WD mode. I ran the car periodically for a few months and just had silly fun with it. After the car sat for a while, the rubber band eventually dried out and broke. So I ran it in 2WD mode because I was too lazy to find another rubber band of the correct size and cross section profile. While running in 2WD mode I just had the feeling that the car was not handling as well as it did before. So, I installed another rubber band reestablishing 4WD mode and the lap times were reduced by about two tenths of a second on average. At least on my track, the 4WD set up yields better performance. Of course it could also be my driving...
 
In summary:

The Revell Audi Sport Quattro was converted to N-Digital and 4WD.

Apart from the cost of two spare PowerSlot Hummer 4WD pulleys, there was no additional expense. Incidentally, the PowerSlot pulleys are dimensionally very close the to pulleys from Ninco -- in the Ninco #80206 4WD kit -- so the parts required for this conversion are generally available.
 
If you really wanted this car to be a "break neck" competitive rally car, I believe that replacing the wheels and running gear with race grade components would be necessary. I converted the car to N-Digital and 4WD without regard to what performance might be because I felt that it would be fun to do (without getting myself into too much trouble) and it would yield a car that would be amusing, if not fun to drive. From my standpoint, I was right on both counts. If you are an N-Digital user and a chance comes along to get one of these cars, don't hesitate.
 
by Michael Ashton

NINCO News October 2011

*** Estimated Availability is December 2011 ***

NINCO MCLAREN F1 GTR ITALJET 1/32 Slot Car #50595

The most popular NINCO slot car of the 90’s is back. An immortal model now enhanced with the powerful NC-14 motor to offer incredible race track performance.

NINCO PORSCHE 356 TESTIROSA 1/32 Slot Car #50594

A Classic from the NINCO catalog, traditional in-line mechanics for this type of model, now with an NC-14 long can motor and 20x7 tires.

NINCO FORD MUSTANG DHL 1/32 Slot Car #55044

All American FR500 Mustang with the usual NINCO1 mechanics, ideal for home race set use and for younger drivers.

NINCO AUTOBAHN RACERS Race Set #20156

Lots of NINCO’s patented slot car track with setup choices specially designed for the longest layouts in the minimum available space.

• Includes the latest MERCEDES SLS GT3 + AUDI R8 GT3 1/32 slot cars.
• With NEW Power Track (10118) and New 35Ω Controllers using RJ type connectors.
• 7’ 11” of track; three different large layouts possible.
• Standard layout shown is: 8.07’ x 4.4’; plus, choose 9.41’ x 4.4’; and 10.66’ x 5.64’.

Like all NINCO track, it can be easily converted to N-Digital racing.

NINCO NEW RJ Standard Power Base #10118

New connecting straight (Power Track) with “RJ” sockets for new 35Ω Controllers.

NINCO RJ 35 Controller #10315

New 35Ω Controller for the more experienced racer; with new design... and RJ type connector. Ideal for 1/32 Sport and similar slot cars.

NINCO XLOT XL2 MOTOR #61602

Additional XLOT performance option for:

• More Acceleration
• More Speed
• Faster track times
• 28,000 RPM – 400mA – 330 gm/cm

NINCO NC-13 EVO Motor #80613

Upgrade your NINCO1 cars with:

• More RPM
• Higher Top Speed
• More aggressive performance
• 20,000 RPM – 155mA – 155 gm/cm