[BAracer]

Do these make competitive rally cars without having to swap out components? 

That is, are they worth the premium over the standard Ninco rally cars?

[Nonfractal]

Jeremy, 
The lightning cars have some advantages over the regular Ninco units.

1. Wheels
Five spoke ribbed air hub Alloys as a factory fit on all four wheels.
Choose the right model (Ford gt) and you will get the rare smaller diameter versions on the front.
Others have the same, larger, wheels all 'round.

2. Body
Lightweight interior as a factory fit so this can be used when the rules state that the interior must be a factory fit and not a 3rd party lightweight lexan retrofit.

These cars are no longer in production and hard to find.

However, racing the whole car "out of the box"?  
Not likely!

The ninco gears are nasty.
NSR make a range of "for ninco" ergal crowns in the right diameter and right angle. 
In fact, this is how NSR got started as a company before they started making cars.

The motor pod flexes like crazy leading to a phenomenon known as "ninco hop". 
Try searching for that phrase and you will find information on it.
Custom struts (toothpicks or something) and epoxy resin is required if using the ninco red motor mount.

For the above reasons my proxy megane is an HRS2 chassis car.
NascotWoodSlorCarClub used to run nincos. 
When Ninco first hit the market they "were a revelation" (ref DiDi Druce) but by modern standards they fall short.

For me, the NSR porsche 997 is still the way to go
Quality, ready to run from a quality scuderia And no "discussions" because the 997 is undeniably a rally car.


Alan

[BAracer]

Cheers Alan

I had forgotten that you had replaced the Lightning chassis on your Megane...that's a clue. Had assumed the Lightning cars dealt with all the hopping associated with standard cars.

Hmmm, perhaps I need to breath calmly and count to ten before jumping in with a purchase!

[woodcote]

I think only the Citroën C4 was available as a rally car in Ninco Lightning configuration. Be careful as most came with an anglewinder chassis - which is not eligible for the current Slot Rally UK rule set - cars must have inline motors. It would get expensive to convert from anglewinder to inline.

These 3 Ninco C4 Lightning models did have the inline chassis:

• Ninco 50547 Petter Solberg 'Re:member' white & black
  
• Ninco 50574 Petter Solberg 'Re:member' yellow
  
• Ninco 50588 Seb Ogier 'Total' white, red & blue
  

As Alan said, if you're looking at spending big money on a rally car for competition in slot rallies, the NSR Porsche (inline + rally guide) is a good bet. But the Nincos with their NC5 motor, suspension and sprung guide are pretty decent alternatives on twisty, bumpy rally stages. And there are £20-30 bargains out there if you're patient.

[BAracer]

50547 is the target, but it's not coming with a bargain basement price.

After poor slot car preparation, patience is my next worst virtue. 

Might join you at the next swap meet on 26th...

[BAracer]

Some strange part of my brain thinks that going with an NSR is just no fun...

[Scuderia_Turini]

Hello Jeremy,
Another thing to consider is that Ninco axles (and thereby wheels and gears), are not compatible with NSR nor Slot.it items. So upgrading needs complete change.

Leo

[BAracer]

I think you are all saying very politely that I must be mad to even think of getting one!

[Nonfractal]

Some strange part of my brain thinks that going with an NSR is just no fun...

If your idea if fun is pain and frustration, then "yes", the nsr porsche is no fun. 

However , the NSR 997 is no longer available as a rally inline, so if your idea of fun is "tuning and modding", Fun is still there to be had.

[woodcote]

I think you are all saying very politely that I must be mad to even think of getting one!

Not at all. The Lightning C4 is a great slot rally car. Maybe not the best for a club running a rally class on their usual track... but certainly a very good choice for specialist rally stages. The NC5 motor is a peach for that sort of track.

The Ninco rally cars with suspension and sprung guide are great out of the box. Of course, they benefit from trued tyres - and a tyre swap depending on the surfaces being used. On the standard cars, the plastic wheels could be replaced with Ninco alloys (the Ninco axle is 2.5mm in diameter) and gluing the motor firmly in place stiffens up the rear end - but the Lightning versions have alloy wheels plus some have a stiffer chassis, so those improvements are already done for you.

There are new things to play with - the independent suspension and sprung guide should be tested to make sure they run free and no moulding lines are catching on the springs. A light sanding of the shaft and a smear of oil isn't a bad idea.