NINCO BMW M3 GTR ADVAN Review by Shawn Smith

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April 1 2006 Review

NINCO BMW M3 GTR ADVAN Review
By Shawn Smith

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Its no secret that we here at the Slot Car Garage get our hands on many of the latest and greatest releases and often the cars we look at tend to be all-new models that are hitting the market for the very first time. As fantastic as that is we also love to see additional releases in model lines that we already know and have grown to love and thanks to MRC – Model Rectifier Corporation such a car is here now for review.

Appearance:

Ah, appearance. I hear occasional complaints from enthusiasts about how repaints don't warrant revisiting a car for review however as new slot racers join the ranks every day a new paint job can offer a first look for someone just getting in to slot car racing and could open up interest in searching out older models in a product line.

Sadly for some new racers there are always going to be models that have long been sold out, and several of the NINCO BMW M3 line fit that description, however here is where the new Advan M3 can really shine providing yet another, attractive, option than many will certainly snatch up.

The details offered on previous editions carry over to the new Advan version with separately added headlight lenses, chrome trimmed grill sections and even a tiny red 'tow hook' under the passenger side front headlamp.

In back the NINCO M3 gets individual tail light details and the trademark giant rear wing that from this angle looks wider than the entire car. This rear spoiler does not come locked in its place, probably to help avoid breakage in case of a crash, so you might notice it give a little bit and begin to lean back but its easily straightened back up with hand pressure.

Interior of the BMW M3 gets fitted with a red fire bottle, gear shift, roll cage, painted dash board and driver's figure. The mostly white interior is a nice contrast against the darker red and black of the cars exterior and overall the level of finish is very high quality.

Even some of the smallest text printed on the car is clearly legible once you zoom in close enough to view it. While you can't see it at a glance, let alone at speed on a track, NINCO has always impressed me with the effort they put forth to finish a model.

Performance::

Time to play a little 'hide and seek'. Taking a look at the bottom of this NINCO M3 GTR you might be confused by what appears to be a single screw hole at the back of the chassis used to secure the body of the car. Having several of these cars myself I already knew where to look for the other screw however for those thinking of adding the first NINCO M3 to your stable take note of the hidden screw hole only accesible after turning the guide blade to the side.

Something else to be aware of when taking the car apart is how the side exhaust detail molded in to the chassis also helps keep the chassis and body together. Don't just force the body off or you may end up cracking something you didn't intend to damage.

Body now removed we can check out the underside of the interior pan, modified at allow for the angle-winder set up of the motor, as well as the overall layout of the chassis and running gear.

For those unfamiliar with NINCO cars running the motor at an angle, and fitting their cars with special gearing, is something NINCO has been doing for a while. Although not all NINCO cars have this type of drivetrain the angle-winder design has proven positive for NINCO which should be evident by its application in such cars as the NINCO NSX, NINCO Supra and the newest NINCO Megane Trophy car.

NINCO also makes their own line of aftermarket replacement angle-winder gears which offers owners the option of adding more torque or more top end with a minimal amount of work required . In stock form I personally love the standard gearing combination and on my home track it seems to perform the best, having the right mix of torque and speed to keep me happy.

Up front the chassis design is simple, using a solid front axle that is allowed some up and down as well as side to side movement, and the chassis has a nice amount of usable space inside for weight tuning if you so desire.

Downforce is provided through NINCO's use of their cyclindrical button style magnet and from a handling perspective the round magnet in the BMW M3 offers acceptable downforce without making the car feel stuck down.

The tires and rims of our test-car BMW M3 were found to be very true and from a grip aspect NINCO's rubber is very predictable in its performance. New the tires have a sticky quality that will pick up any dust that might be on the track yet once the tires are 'scrubbed in', or lose the new shine, they still provide good grip while picking up less dust. If you are a 'run the car right out of the case' racer just make sure to keep the tires clean while still new.

Riding in the track slot is the NINCO sprung guide with their standard copper braids. The spring installed on the guide shaft makes certain that rail contact is at its best although for certain track types you may need to fatten up the braids and slightly fan out the ends to assure the best performance.

Time to make some laps. On my 60-foot home test track the Advan BMW is certainly no slow poke, having the power of the NINCO NC-5 Speeder motor generating 20,000 RPMs and the torque of the angle-winder gearing, however the fastest lap turned of 5.967 seconds keeps the NINCO BMW out of the 'fastest times'group turned by NINCO cars.

Why you ask? Having driven every modern GT style car NINCO makes it was obvious to me why the BMW M3 could not match the fastest laps run by the NINCO Supra, NSX or even the new Megane. With the BMW M3 carrying 94 grams of weight, compared to the lighter 84 grams of the NINCO Renault Megane and the 85 grams of both the NINCO NSX and NINCO Supra, the BMW simply carries more weight around the track. Since all cars use the same motor, same gearing and similar magnetic downforce the magnet in the BMW has more work to do to keep M3 in line than does the magnets in the other mentioned cars. Still... with the lap times separated by only tenths and hundredths of a second, 5.838/Supra, 5.869/NSX and 5.895/Megane versus the 5.967 of the M3, the NINCO BMW M3 is no doubt a quick car and in the hands of the right driver could still win on any given race day.

The Final Verdict:

The newest paint job added to the NINCO BMW M3 GTR line up should prove to be a crowd pleaser. The Advan colors are striking and the quality of the finish contributes to a fantastic looking car. On track performance should please most, fans of heavy magnetic downforce will have some changes to make, but against other NINCO cars the BMW M3 GTR will hold its own. If you're a fan of modern GT-style sedan racing the NINCO Advan BMW M3 GTR is one to consider and NINCO's ability to make a car that runs well right out of the box should make the decision that much easier.

Thanks go to the folks at MRC – Model Rectifier Corp for providing the new NINCO BMW M3 GTR ADVAN 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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