NINCO NISSAN 350Z 'Xanavi' Review by Shawn Smith

Slot Car Garage - Info about Slot Cars

May 21 2006 Review

NINCO NISSAN
350Z 'Xanavi' Review
By Shawn Smith

[Click here to chat about this item on our Forum]

NINCO certainly hit a home run when they introduced their first model in their Super GT series of slot cars, the Honda NSX. Then, with the launch of their Toyota Supra, NINCO created one of the hottest pairs of GT-styled cars on the market. Well... time has passed and NINCO is showing that they have no intentions of stopping the fun now. Newest in the GT line up the NINCO NISSAN 350Z 'Xanavi' has finally arrived thanks to MRC – Model Rectifier Corporation so lets get to work checking out the newest in the NINCO GT line up.

Appearance:

Modeled after the 2005 version of the Xanavi Nissan 350Z Super GT race car NINCO has done another great job replicating yet another fantastic race car. Dressed in its mostly red paint job, accented by black, silver and grey, the look very closely matches numerous photographic examples of the car I could find on the internet.

Styling wise the NINCO NISSAN 350Z looks almost every bit as detailed as the real car although like many slot car replicas some liberties with the design and detailing have been taken. Starting in the front the NINCO 350Z 'Xanavi' things like the front winglets and tow hook help detail the car as do the open hood louvers and numerous tampo-graphics.

A giant rear wing helps frame the drastic look of the bulged rear fenders and thankfully the wing has a decent amount of flexibilty that should hold up well during crashes.

Other notable areas of detailing inlude the painted dials and switches of the NISSAN's dash panel as well as the tiny logos printed on each of the 350Z's wheels.

Interestingly enough I found just as many images of this car wearing 5-spoke versions of its black rims as I did showing the 6-spoke design NINCO has chosen to model. Size wise these rims are identical to those used on the NINCO NSX and several versions of the NINCO Supra so for those who like using silicone rear tires one size will fit all.

Performance::

In the performance area things will be very familiar to most. Just like the NSX and Supra this new NISSAN 350Z is kept together via two even length screws.

Body now out of the way we can confirm the standard NC-5 'Speeder' motor sitting in its angled position within the chassis, the red angle-winder 12/32 gearing and the infamous NINCO button style magnet.

The NC-5, rated by NINCO as producing 20,000 RPMs at 14.8 volts, is a great motor for these cars possesing nice torque and crisp braking characteristics.

The 12/32 gearing combination is considered by NINCO as being their 'middle ground' gear ratio, at least going by the three different gear combinations offered in the NINCO angle-winder Pro-Driver Kits, and on my home track this gearing combination has already proven itself as being fast yet easy to control.

Up front the NINCO NISSAN 350Z gets a 53.5 mm-long front axle to spin the front wheels as well as a sprung guide blade that helps make sure the guide stays planted in the slot. With a weight distribution of 67.5% rear and 32.5% front it would stand to reason that a spring-equipped guide would be needed however the new NINCO Mosler shows a weight distribution of 30/70 yet comes without a sprung guide. In any case something that I've done to previous Supras and NSXs is to add a quarter ounce of lead under the front axle to balance the car closer to a 50/50 distribution.

As mentioned earlier the cylindrical button magnet provides for most of the car's downforce. While this magnet set up won't help the NINCO NISSAN 350Z run with other cars using stronger bar type magnets it will make it a fantastic match up against it's NINCO brothers and sisters, the NSX, Supra and maybe even the Mosler.

Lap times for the 350Z, once the rims and tires were put through my normal quality checks, averaged between the 5.8 and 6.0 second-mark however at the end of my 100-lap test run around my 60-foot road course the 350Z's fastest recorded lap ended up being much quicker than I even realized registering at 5.723 seconds. For those keeping track the earlier mentioned Mosler set the bar to beat at 5.653, fastest for a Supra being a 5.838 and an NSX accomplishing a 5.869. Needless to say the NINCO 350Z feels right at home on the track with these other cars and rightfully so.

The Final Verdict:

Testing now completed the NINCO NISSAN 350Z 'Xanavi' is yet another nice addition to an already liked line of cars. Like all of the GT series cars before it the car drives very well, will spin in a corner rather than flip and has enough power to break the tire grip loose in any section of the track. Driving them quickly does take more than holding down the trigger and watching it blur by and I for one enjoy having to put forth some effort to accomplish a good lap. This NISSAN 350Z looks great, even with some minor accuracy issues with the graphics, and combined with the running gear its clear to me that NINCO has a formula that works. Add yet another great NINCO car to the wish list! Oh, and it also comes in 'Calsonic blue' for those interested.

Thanks go to the folks at MRC – Model Rectifier Corp for providing the new NINCO NISSAN 350Z 'Xanavi' 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

Back to the main reviews section for a complete listing or take a look at some listed below.

Return to Main Reviews Section - Read more Slot Car Garage reviews of slot car items including cars, sets, parts, etc. involving all scales (1/24, 1/32, HO)
Slot Car Test Drive Results Archive - This is a run-down of the various slot cars tested with their average, best lap times and the total time it took the car to complete the ten lap trial run. These cars were tested on a Riggen 1/32 layout.

Click here to read how this page is protected by copyright laws.
Any Duplication Or Unauthorized Use Of This Site And All Pages, Scripts, And Graphics Is Forbidden Without The Written Consent Of Shawn Smith / Slot Car Garage And All Other Companies Or Manufacturers Displayed Or Involved Within.