| March 22, 2007 Review |
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 NINCO McLaren F1 GTR 'Zhuhai' Review By Shawn Smith Appearance:  Fans of the NINCO McLaren F1 GTR have a lot to be happy about. For a model that is now in it's eleventh year, that's right... the first NINCO McLaren F1 GTR was released in 1996, this model is still proving to be a good seller for NINCO and because of its popularity this livery now makes the fourteenth (if I counted right) McLaren F1 GTR that NINCO has produced. The bad news is that most of the original cars are now heavily sought after collector's items but the good news is that NINCO is still making so the flame has not gone out.  Detail wise the model really has changed much, keep in mind that different motors have been used throughout the years even if the body still looks the same, and that is yet another good thing/bad thing case. It's a good thing because its obviously a well loved design yet because little has been changed or improved it's no longer near the top of most racer's 'best detailed' lists. Now some will argue that 'too many details means too many things to break off' and if that's you then this car is right up your alley. If you are in it for the scale accuracy you may have to love this car for being 'close enough'.  The McLaren 'Zhuhai' does have separately applied headlamp lenses, turn indicators and a single windsheild wiper up front while thick and sturdy mirrors are mounted just near the front of each door and have been painted in the recessed centers with silver.   In the back separately applied tail lamp details have just a small amount of flashing at the bottom of each piece and the rear spoiler was heat molded in place a little higher on the right side than the left.  Overall fit and paint finish is pretty good although not the best effort on this body style that I have seen. While still attractive the car does have one slight paint issue in that the large white strip painted down the center of the car starts off very well on the nose, being opaque and deep in application, however from the back of the wind screen to where the stripe meets the rear of the body the white is slightly transparent making the roof stripe appear a little more 'pink' than white. Notice the shade difference below between the McLaren GTR windshield banner and the roof area.   Rim design for the 'Zhuhai' model is again the 'old favorite' five-spoke star-shaped design which is at least close to accurate based on prototype images I have been able to find. Tires worn by the McLaren for these wheels are NINCO 19x10's on the front and wider and thicker 20x11'a on the rear.  Performance wise I'm going to change my 'normal' routine up a bit for this review. While still showing the images of where the screws are etc I'm going to skip the explanation of the images and just right in to how the car runs and any changes or modifications that I have performed or that I feel the car might need.   Honestly the car ran really well straight out of the box and nothing is truly needed to be able to enjoy this car. Magnet fans be aware that the center mounted button magnet will leave many of you wishing for more downforce and being a 'self-proclaimed' magnet racer I'm right there with you. Problem with trying to remedy this is that the cars design gets in the way of making any real changes inside the car due to the tight spaces around the in-line motor configuration.   Up front something I do perhaps more for looks than performance is to get rid of the excess front axle play that comes standard on a lot of NINCO models. Notice how with the left wheel pushed all the way in the right side shows a good amount of gap between the chassis and the rim. While some have chosen to add spacers on either side to remove this I prefer to break out the trusty Dremel tool with cut-off disc attached and cut off the un-needed amount. I personally prefer this as it keeps both front tires tucked nicely under the fenders. While still in the front of the car here is normally where I glue in about a quarter ounce of lead to help keep the nose of the McLaren planted for when the rear end steps loose. The guide blade is 'sprung', which helps keep the car in the slot, yet I feel the added weight in the nose really assists in keeping the nose planted.   In the wheel and tire area all rims were found to roll true and need no real work as far as flashing removal was concerned. Rear tires needed only minimal sanding to get a good contact patch and once sanded a few trips over my favorite packing tape took off any remaining sanded rubber residue. Tire compound is good but the power of the NC-5 has no issue forcing the rubber to break loose and this is a model that you will need to learn to drive differently from other brands as how much throttle and when will find you either going fast or sliding sideways out of every turn.  Braids... something I find is a must for every NINCO car is braid adjustment. As the cars come from the factory the braids are long, thin and flat and if not adjusted for my home track normally leave every car dying in the first turn. First, with the car on it's back, I lift the braids towards the sky then with either my fingers or a pair of small pliers I grab the braid and 'scrunch it', or push it towards the front of the guide to fatten and widen the braids. DO NOT cut the braids as making them fatter automatically shortens them. After making them wider I then pull the unattached ends away from the center of the guide, almost forcing the braids in to a v-shape, then I follow that by turning the unattached tips upward a little more giving the braids a 'curved' profile.  Please keep in mind that 'individual results' might be different for you track type but this is what has proven to work best for my application. The Final Verdict:  So... a long time favorite of many is alive and well. Those who already have a relationship with this car know everything that I have mentioned while you newer to the hobby should expect this car to take some getting used to. If you love light to no-magnet racing these NINCO McLarens' are the cat's meow but if you love a more stuck down racer you will need to be very creative to add more grip at the rear wheels. All said and done the NINCO McLaren 'Zhuhai' is another good edition to the model line up that will run exactly like its brothers and sisters with the same NC-5 motor... the trouble might be getting a hold of one. Special thanks to MRC – Model Rectifier Corp for providing the new NINCO McLaren F1 GTR 'Zhuhai' for review. As always, feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions and I will be happy to answer anything that I can. Happy Slotting! Shawn Smith SJSlots@hotmail.com |
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