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  #1  
Old 06-13-2009, 05:21 PM
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Arch2b's RealTrack 34 pack layout review

i'll be sharing my thoughts on my 34 pack track layout i currently have for review.
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  #2  
Old 06-13-2009, 06:34 PM
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to begin, i have a few sections of 16" tiles as well

i must say the red/white striping does add to the scale look in a very good way.

here are some comparison pictures i took tonight.

here is a 24" realtracks tile over a mini-96 rcp track. the size is actually very close.


here is a 16" tile over a 24" tile over a 3 tile wide rcp mini-96 track


here is a tile finish comparison with the 24" tile and rough side rcp tile


here are 4 mini-z's on a 24" tile. it's very scale width but too tight for several mini-z's to race competitively unless you have some tight lines.


as you can see here, the dnano fits more than comfortably on the 24" tile. i think you could easily race a couple of dnano's on this.
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  #3  
Old 06-13-2009, 06:34 PM
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here are some pictures....







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  #4  
Old 06-13-2009, 06:34 PM
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have my track over a tile floor and given the impercise nature of tile installation, there are some spots where uneven tiles create small uneven spots in tile joints


this should disappear as soon as i get the recommended background carpet.

for the most part, nearly all the tile joints look like this. there are some gaps where tiles do not align exactly edge to edge however the surface level is smooth. it may be my tile floor or me not getting the slack out of the track. even with rcp, you need to move it around a bit to get the kinks from assembly out of it. i need to do the same with this.


i feel compelled to confirm my inquires as to the durability of the track. i asked about the durability of the track connections knowing my kids were going to walk on them, ride scooters, etc. as the track is setup in thier game room. i was told the track would hold up to foot traffic and it sure has. you can see in the video's that my youngest cut over the track with a scooter and no problems at all.

here is a picture of that same gap.


i actually found a couple others since i took the time to look over them all. this one in particular was even wider


it may appear misleading large due to the tapered edge finish, better seen in this image. this causes more of a gap than the 1/32" clean gap. you can see how the finished surface is cut back from the tile edge.


these were the minority occurences. a vast majority of the tile connections looked just like this.


i will clarify this with the statement that neither caused any bump, miscue or anything else in use.
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  #5  
Old 06-13-2009, 06:36 PM
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as promised, HERE is the first video of my first test drive with a stock mini-z on my 34 pack 24" tile RealTracks. as you'll see the batteries died on me toward the end.

i was very surprised that the mini-z behaved almost exactly as it does on my RCP mini-96. there is a little bit more push in the runs under power but that is was expected. i happen to have the standard RCP tire setup for a mini-z which is Kyosho 20 front and 30 rear. this, in my opinion is very good starting point for a stock mini-z. anything faster will need some adjustments. maybe 20 fronts...
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  #6  
Old 06-13-2009, 06:36 PM
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HERE is some video with fresh batteries. please excuse the wild driving. this was the first time with my mini-z on a track without rails so there is added responsibility to keep the car on the track.

again, this common RCP tire setup did very well for the stock mini-z. i would advise that no more than 2 be on the track at the same time unless your racing with experienced drivers where 3 would be ok. passing skills and traffic avoidance skills are crucial here.
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  #7  
Old 06-14-2009, 08:29 PM
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i finally got some time to lay down some laps with my stock dnano, you can see the video HERE.

clarification- i was not aiming for clean laps or lines in this video. i was simply running at average race speeds to illustrate the lack of traction provided by the stock tires that came with the r35 gt-r

after getting some advice from miles, i tried putting a bump in the track and per his advice, careful placement in relation to the tile seems provided a nice size bump with little interference, if any. you can see some brief video HERE.

to review the dnano performance in general, the stock tires are not sticky enough. you can get around at less than half throttle ok but any faster and the push is enough to keep you from staying on track.

there was little to no evidence of tile bump while driving. the bump in the track did more to throw off the line than any miniscule track gaps at seems.

i am eagerly awaiting getting some of the pn racing dnano tires to test on this and my rcp track.

Last edited by arch2b; 06-25-2009 at 09:10 PM.
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  #8  
Old 06-14-2009, 08:39 PM
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i also got some time to run my stock mini-z on the track as well. i always like using bumps in tracks as in real life, very few if any tracks are flat.

HERE is some video i took today.

as previously mentioned, the stock mini-z with 3o rear, 20 front handles very similar to an rcp track with just a hint of added push. overall, the combination works very well.

i also ran the stock mini-z on the track with the cardboard tubes used to bank the turns as miles suggested and the transitions were very smooth. it was actually much more tricky for me to adjust my line to take advantage of the super elevation (banking of a turn as described in highway construction terms). you can see the video HERE. it did make the high speed cornering a bit easier to manage however you have to pay more attention to coming out of the turn at higher speed.
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  #9  
Old 06-20-2009, 10:26 AM
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traction

i would like to take a brief moment to review my thoughts on traction.

to begin with, despite being rigid plastic, the surface texture provides an adequate level of traction. obviously not as much as textured RCP but much more than one would anticipate.

i was able to navigate the track with relative ease using the standard RCP tire setup of kyosho 30 rear and kyosho 20 front tires. there was ever so slightly more push in the corners but still very decent traction. now my hfay mini-z is another story. the added speed requires altering the tire selection. i am not messing with my hfay setup however as it is working well for me in the series right now. i have other cars i will be running to do more speed/tire testing.

you must occasionally wipe down the track surfarce to remove dust that accumulates. this is not worse than the need to vacuum an RCP track occasionally.

subfloor material will play into your track characteristics enormously without side rails. my tile floor is a slippery surface for mini-z's and dnano's so as soon as you get more than 2 wheels off the track you have to be good at recovering your line without loosing control. this is a interesting feature that RCP tracks do not afford. you get a realistic sense of going off track vs. hitting rails. maybe it's just me but i like rails. i can appreciate the realistic experience of no rails but in the end, i'm not buying a track for realistic recreation. i'm buying for enjoyment and fun factor. if it's purple with flashing lights it won't prevent me from trying it. i'd prefer to not have a purple track however.

miles is working on side rails which i very much look forward to trying out. i think it will suit my preferences much more so than the rail-less layout.

as i do not have dnano tires to test, the stock dnano simply slides around too much on the surface. i was able to actually get some power slides through some corners which was fun but doesn't make for smooth racing. the stock speed of a dnano, with it's light weight makes setup much more challenging than a mini-z. tires play an even more important role with a dnano and unfortunately i do not have any to experiment with yet.

that being said, there are people making aluminum wheels which should add a slight amount of weight which will only increase the traction provided by the tires. it will also slow down the car due to added mass the motor will have to move but i think the trade off will be well worth it. even stock speed is plenty fast for a dnano in my opinion. i doubt i'll even have a need for faster motors on my home tracks.

i think those that have no experience on a realtracks track will be surprised as it counters your natural expectations.
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  #10  
Old 06-21-2009, 07:45 PM
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Assembly

i wanted to talk about this quickly. watch the short videos on the realtracks website. it's not rocket science, but once you see how it works you can get it done very quickly and without hassle. my entire track was setup very quickly.

again, watch the video's, taking the track apart is a breeze once you see it done and do it yourself.

it also stacks away in a VERY small area. it naturally weights more than a stack of RCP tiles but less space.
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  #11  
Old 07-19-2009, 02:23 AM
lnfjn lnfjn is offline
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Hi Arch2b. Your review was very interesting since I have been looking at Realtracks. I was into Mini-Z's about 4 years ago and I had a fairly large RCP track (12 x 18) setup in my empty dining room until my wife decided to fill it. That eventually ended my involvement since the commercial tracks were too far away. That's why I find these Dnanos attractive. The RealTrack looks like a great solution because I can assemble and disassembly it quickly. You review of the 24" flattrack left me wondering whether I could deal with a track that had no rails. The smaller 14" track has rails but do you think it would be too small for the Dnanos? I understand that they are working on providing rails for the flattrack but in my mind that defeats the quick assembly/disassembly. I would probably have no more than 3 cars going at any one time with by far the majority being just myself.
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  #12  
Old 07-19-2009, 11:06 AM
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no rails being a deal breaker is entirely up to you. it is an entirely different experience for sure.

plain and simple, the track i have is well worth the cost. it's certainly fun and absolutely challenging.

i would also prefer to have rails on this track but that is based on my years of racing on RCP.

watch the video from thier website. the rails in no way hinder the ease with which it is assembled.
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  #13  
Old 07-22-2009, 12:28 AM
lnfjn lnfjn is offline
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My question is the 14.5" too narrow for Dnanos? It appears that the only track with built-in rails is the 14.5".
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  #14  
Old 07-22-2009, 12:03 PM
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i would not want to run my dnano on a 14.5" track. the speeds are soo high in my opinion for such a tight track. the 16" is not bad (for 1 or 2 cars) but i too wish the others had rails. miles mentioned working on rail designs so it may be an option yet.

anytime you have 2 or more cars your going to need a bit more lane width for passing, etc.
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  #15  
Old 07-22-2009, 12:35 PM
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Thanks for the feedback.
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