Arch2b RaceWay

[arch2b]

well, arch2b raceway is reborn! after at least 3 years of club racing outside my house (after at least 3 years of club racing in my house) i decided to get back into racing at home with the family. the release of the dnano was a huge influence in the decision as it allows us to race on our RCP Mini-96 with expansion kit track without feeling cramped and the clear floor space is much less than it was previously (3 RCP Wide L's).

previous space... i am now left with the smaller space to the right of this larger open play room.
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/738/medium/IMG_1050.JPG

i told the kids that if they were to appreciate my purchase of the track, they would be responsible for putting it together. it took a couple hours but they did a very good job of it.

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_10081.JPG

here is the mini-96

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_10121.JPG

Official ARCH2B Raceway Results

Track Layout
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_1036.JPG
Mini-Z Stock Class - 5 Minutes
Daddy
- Most Laps: 42
- Best Lap: 6.34 seconds

Mommy
- Most Laps:
- Best Lap:

Brandon (9 years old)
- Most Laps: 21
- Best Lap: 6.98 seconds

Michael (4 years old)
- Most Laps: 6
- Best Lap: 41.91

dNaNo Stock Class - 5 Minutes
Daddy
- Most Laps:
- Best Lap:

Mommy
- Most Laps:
- Best Lap:

Brandon (9 years old)
- Most Laps:
- Best Lap:

Michael (4 years old)
- Most Laps:
- Best Lap:

[Millertime]

Looks good! Being able to race on a smaller track is one of the reasons I like the dNano too! It must be really nice to have a dedicated area like that for a track, and with it on tile I bet it's a really smooth track too.

[lornecherry]

You hit the market nail on the head: Fun, family racing without taking over the whole house. And you have kids that actually enjoy putting together a track.

Let us know how kids of that age respond to the cars and if they actually need a gyro? (mine are now too-old non-communicative teens who want nothing to do with me :)

You just need to change that shirt inside the frame on the wall to the Toronto Jays; watch your lap times improve if you make that one change.

[arch2b]

here we are putting some of the expansion kit tiles in the track, as much as we could fit any way.

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_10131.JPG

i'm just as interested in trying some of the other track options as well. they were much happier with the track after all the rail pins were installed ;)

the jersey is more of a memento than fandom. the back has my name on it and was given to me as a thank you for being one of the architects working on thier new ballpark.

i won't have all the cars until july as i have to spread the costs out a bit as you can imagine. for now it's just the lone gt-r r35.

[jdob]

It must be really nice to have a dedicated area like that for a track, and with it on tile I bet it's a really smooth track too.

I second that! I would LOVE to have an indoor set-up like that! ;)

[RCP-Tracks, Inc]

Hey Ray,

I have some PN prototype tires here I want you to test out. 50 deg wide's for the front and 15 deg for the rear. I also have some protoype Mini-96 curbs and PP rail guards for all the inside 180 turns that I want you to test. I will send you something shortly.

[arch2b]

thanks, i really look forward to testing them. i'm hoping to get some good mini-z time in on the track as well. there was a time where i was top 20 in hfay... now i think it's top 40. i need to get my skills sharp again for hte next season.

still waiting to see what you and brian are cooking for dnano's. i have 4 people to race at home so i should be able to field a legit team for dnano hfay if that ever comes to fruition. that and a lap timer. our core system is a loaner from the sc mini-z club.

[arch2b]

i was also able to get a good deal on some am mini-z's for the kids as well. that is why i insisted on buying the expansion pack to make it a dual purpose track. we took a couple hours today to paint our kt-5's to make them our own, unique. no more fighting over transmitters.

brandon like green si he got a plain jane green transmitter

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/968/medium/IMG_10141.JPG

michael wanted gold. i asked him a couple times to make sure and each time he said gold so gold he got. being a gi joe fan like myself, he added a bit of cobra flair to it with some extra reproduction stickers.

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/968/medium/IMG_1015.JPG

i debated between blue and red and being a cobra crimson guard fan, i decided on red with a couple stickers to top it off.

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/968/medium/IMG_10161.JPG

[-J-]

^ I like them. ;)

Be sure to let us know how you like the PN tires and prototype RCP stuff.

[pcamp]

Pretty cool Ray. I would like to get a setup like that at my house.

[arch2b]

i just ordered the 2nd skyline! should be here next week, can't wait!

i also modified my charger to run off the ac/dc converter.

we made small bumps in the track surface with cardboard drawing tubes! really makes the track fun with mini-z's and dnano's.

here are the family mini-z's... i took great pains to make them all the same yet alternate color scheme allows some uniqueness. i could not stand bickering about ineffectual differences so eliminated them all together. labeled each car with thier name so no confusion as to which belongs to whom.
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/968/medium/IMG_1027.JPG

[arch2b]

i just ordered the mini-96 large radius inside turn kit and the expansion pack finish line kit. since there are 4 of us, we each wanted our own starting grid :) i may end up putting names on these. the large radius inside turns should make it a bit easier for the kids to make those turns out of the long straight. it's a plastic magnet point right now.

[arch2b]

here are the rolling mounds we have in the track. i used various diameter cardboard tubes to create the bumps

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_1033.JPG

[arch2b]

never to be content, the kids wanted more... thanks to the rcp shipping box and some plastic bins we banked one of the turns and shifted one of the other mounds.

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_1036.JPG

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_1037.JPG

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_1038.JPG

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_1039.JPG

[arch2b]

i borrowed our club core system and put in some time trials with the kids this morning. i posted results to the first post were i'll keep track of them.

[arch2b]

well, disappointing first try at dnano stock class race. core was not picking up the transponder consistently (using same transponder as mini-z) and i had weird glitching at 2 corners that put me into the rail each time.

no more time left to test tonight so it will have to wait until this weekend.

very few rcp tile deviations to speak of. considering the speed, it was difficult to notice them unless going slow. it was even smooth over the bumps and banked turn.

[arch2b]

i changed my line a bit and managed to finally break 40 laps! even shaved .16 seconds from my previous best lap!

[arch2b]

took the day today to break down my hfay mini-z and clean everything. spen an hour tonight track testing it and tweaking things. managed to get a nice lap time but lap count remains the same due to asf reverse delay eating valuable seconds in a 5 minute heat.

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/968/medium/IMG_10801.JPG
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/968/medium/IMG_10841.JPG

i also took some time this morning to pair up my sons new gt-r dnano and tweak the kt-18 settings. for starters i put the tx in training mode with improved the handling on the track. i still need to resolve the poor core response with the small car, tags, and speeds.

[arch2b]

i bought and added the mini-96 wide inside turn kit to my track tonight. i could only use 2 of the 3 turn kits but they look great!

[RCP-Tracks, Inc]

Pics please. I am really liking the dNaNo on the 30cm tiles. I am thinking of bringing in some 30cm kits with the lower Kyosho Japan rail. We manufacture their tracks with 5/8" tall rails. I am wondering what a Mini-96 would look like with green straight rails and white inside and outside turn rails. You could run red tape strips around the inside turns to add some color at the curve. Possibly make it a special edition track that would come with inside turn rail protectors and racing curbs.

[arch2b]

i left my camera at work :( it's a very subtle change that i think should greatly smooth out the flow, especially coming down the back straight. that is where my kids caught the corner most of the time.

do you have rail liners for the mini-96? i think these would keep them moving forward vs. t-boning the rails.

the 1st mini-96 (which my cousin still has) had the low rails. we all commented on how mini-z's were able to run over them however i think they would be perfect for the dnano.

[arch2b]

i posted this in another thread but here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6eeTX-L3kM) is my dnano on this track (before the new inside turns)

[RCP-Tracks, Inc]

i left my camera at work :( it's a very subtle change that i think should greatly smooth out the flow, especially coming down the back straight. that is where my kids caught the corner most of the time.

do you have rail liners for the mini-96? i think these would keep them moving forward vs. t-boning the rails.

the 1st mini-96 (which my cousin still has) had the low rails. we all commented on how mini-z's were able to run over them however i think they would be perfect for the dnano.

Yes, I have rail liners for the 30cm tracks. I need to get a set from the warehouse and take some pictures of them on a 30cm layout. I will have pictures available sometime before the end of next week.

[arch2b]

awsome. i bought an extra finish line set too but that doesn't impress anyone:p

i'll save up for the chicane set next.

[jdob]

I am thinking of bringing in some 30cm kits with the lower Kyosho Japan rail. We manufacture their tracks with 5/8" tall rails.

The 1st mini-96 (which my cousin still has) had the low rails. we all commented on how mini-z's were able to run over them however i think they would be perfect for the dnano.

Are these lower profile rails what I have?

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/jdob/RC%20Pics/025.jpg

I was wondering why everybody else's looked so thick? If I order the newer wide inside turns/chicanes/expansion kits will I be able to get the same?

Sorry to side-track your thread Arch2b - just curious to find out about the above...

I like the idea of the green rails - that would be sweet! Thanks!

[RCP-Tracks, Inc]

Yes, those are the lower rails. We manufactured the first production run back in 2004 with these for the 30cm tracks here in the US and changed over to the taller version shortly there after. We still make the lower rail for Kyosho Japan's Mini-z Circuit 30 kits.

If you order the chicane, 45's or large radius inside turn kits from the US, they will include the tall rail only. They will still interlock with the shorter rails, but will be taller by approx. 1/2".

I am going to put together a special edition track for the 30cm mini-96 layout. I am thinking of either green straight rails or black straight rails with green painted on the tiles 2 ~ 3 inches extended past the inside of the rail. Something that would simulate an in field grass all the way around the inside and outside borders. We can include white outside and inside rails with a white rail protector. You can run some red tape in small strips on the rail protector. I will see if Brian (Salt Lake Mini-z) can draw this up in 3D cad to see what it would look like.

[RCP-Tracks, Inc]

Off topic, but today I was searching videos on youtube and found this short vid of a triple decker Mini-z track. Very cool. It sort of has the same colors as I was thinking for the special edition RCP track. Green borders, black rails and red and white inside/outside turns.

Check it out. Anyone have more info on this track?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F6p6OLYCFc&feature=related

[arch2b]

the special edition track sounds awsome! please post all the details to your rcp track thread so everyone catches this, more than those curious about my home track :p

please email me to let me know how to sign up for one of these special edition tracks.

i'll try to get pictures and video of my track with new inside turn kits tonight.

[arch2b]

funny how 1/2" makes a big difference....

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/1331/medium/IMG_10751.JPG

[RCP-Tracks, Inc]

the special edition track sounds awsome! please post all the details to your rcp track thread so everyone catches this, more than those curious about my home track :p

please email me to let me know how to sign up for one of these special edition tracks.

i'll try to get pictures and video of my track with new inside turn kits tonight.


For anyone that reads this post, once we confirm that we are doing a special edition track, it will take some months before we see it here in the states. That's once and if we decide to manufacture it. I don't want people holding off getting the Mini-96, in hopes that another special track will be just around the corner. It wouldn't be until late summer at the earliest that we would see a possible special edition track. A better ETA would be around the holidays.

[arch2b]

i actually purchased this mini-96 with expansion pack back in november, just now getting to use the space after having to clean it out again. obviously i'll continue to purchase mini-96 kits :)

i'm all for a special edition track!
i might suggest posting a poll asking what color combinations and or features are most desired. i can understand the concern that people might hold off on a purchase if they know a special is pending. i do recall you did post polls ages ago on tile finishes on mzr. this could be something similar, just inquires about alternative tile/rail choices for the future vs. decision making process for a special edition track. btw, we never saw 'ice' tiles or any of the other choices other than the offroad tiles which i used extensively with overland racing.
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_26201.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_1808.jpg

[arch2b]

i don't think i ever showed the custom rail ad banners i made for my track long ago either. these were scaled, printed and covered with clear packing tape on the rail.
now that you have rail liners, i can simply reprint on shipping labels and apply them to the liner.

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_3552.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_3558.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_3557.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_3556.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_3553.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_3562.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_3564.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_3569.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_3568.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_3575.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_3574.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_3572.jpg

[RCP-Tracks, Inc]

Those look great! I forgot you doing this awhile back. Yes, you will be able to mount the banners on the rail protectors. The protectors are the same height as the US RCP rails. I will take some pictures of them on my track and post up here shortly.

John

[RCP-Tracks, Inc]

i actually purchased this mini-96 with expansion pack back in november, just now getting to use the space after having to clean it out again. obviously i'll continue to purchase mini-96 kits :)

i'm all for a special edition track!
i might suggest posting a poll asking what color combinations and or features are most desired. i can understand the concern that people might hold off on a purchase if they know a special is pending. i do recall you did post polls ages ago on tile finishes on mzr. this could be something similar, just inquires about alternative tile/rail choices for the future vs. decision making process for a special edition track. btw, we never saw 'ice' tiles or any of the other choices other than the offroad tiles which i used extensively with overland racing.
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_26201.jpg
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_1808.jpg

We haven't made that brown bumpy surface in over 5 years. I don't even have any of it left at the warehouse. It wasn't a big seller when we first carried if. I am wondering if now that our tracks have been out for sometime, if more people would be interested in it for rally or off road tracks.

[arch2b]

i have to say i really enjoyed the surface. it would be a bit much for an entire track unless you had ralley races but it would be nice for combined surface tiles where you could have the bumby surface toward the outer edges maybe. i'm not sure how that could be made/finished but sounds neat. it may be easier to just do a multi color tile at the edge as you mentioned.

i know i suggested this ages ago, but applying the stripped finished line paint at inside edge of inside turn tiles would look nice and might function well as grip points for close cornering.

[RCP-Tracks, Inc]

i have to say i really enjoyed the surface. it would be a bit much for an entire track unless you had ralley races but it would be nice for combined surface tiles where you could have the bumby surface toward the outer edges maybe. i'm not sure how that could be made/finished but sounds neat. it may be easier to just do a multi color tile at the edge as you mentioned.

i know i suggested this ages ago, but applying the stripped finished line paint at inside edge of inside turn tiles would look nice and might function well as grip points for close cornering.


Yes, I was thinking of doing that with green finish line paint. It all comes down to the cost. Oil prices are going up again and it directly affects the cost of the raw materials it takes to make the tracks, being rubber and plastic. The retail price of the tracks has stayed the same for the last 6 years and I don't want the overall cost to go up. We have absorbed all the price increases from the last few years of out of control oil pirces and will try to do the same going forward.

[jdob]

Funny how 1/2" makes a big difference....

Yeah - If I ever get around to purchasing the expansion/turns/chicanes I will have to try and use the taller rails for the outside border and the shorter ones for the inside...

I really like the looks of the Black and Green rails with the red/white corners...That's sweet...

Hey Arch2b - I love showing my wife the pictures of your vast hobby/track collection - makes mine look miniscule in comparison...Ha, Ha, Ha...

[arch2b]

here is the back straight with the new inside turn kit
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_11771.JPG

here is the mid track with new inside turn kit
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_11781.JPG

here is the overall track layout.
http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/IMG_11791.JPG

[arch2b]

HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bLsCiNEZyo) is video of me and the kids on the test 24" RealTracks layout.

contrary to my expectations, the kids perfer the RCP track layout. they said the track without rails was too hard. naturally, this is because i am teaching them to race on the track and not race on the rails. i'm sure you can hear me repeat something to this nature several times in the video. i would have thought the opposite... that they would prefer a track without rails allowing them to go off.

they like the bumps and banked turn too much too :)

[arch2b]

i just ordered 1 set or RCP rail liners! tossed in another finish line kit for good measure. i like to have one complete line for whatever timing system i am using and parts of lines for each driver.

i really look forward to using the rail liners. :)

i'll try to get revised rail advertising banners in a gallery for others to use as well. what i'd like to do is make a letter size sheet of them so that they can be printed and cut from a single full letter size label paper.

[arch2b]

in luck, i managed to find the couple sheets i made all those years ago... please feel free to use them as you wish. keep in mind many of these reference products no longer available, websites no longer available, etc. i good time capsule if you will from the early mini-z days :)

here they are. i'll include a link where you can download the full size image. See my gallery HERE (http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/showgallery.php?cat=511&ppuser=1001), click on the image to get it full size before saving.

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/rcp_rail_banners01.jpg

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/rcp_rail_banners02.jpg

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/511/medium/rcp_rail_banners03.jpg

[arch2b]

here is a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sphxp160NcQ) of some practice laps from this morning.

[arch2b]

i've been track testing my dnano with some new wheels today;) i've been fortunate enough to be able to obtain the new aluma-tech stock dnano wheels which are a direct replacement for the stock racing wheels in the correct offsets for my skyline.

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/1331/medium/IMG_1371.JPG

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/1331/medium/IMG_1378.JPG

now, before everyone points out the obvious, yes, the front wheels are smaller than the stock wheels. this is an optional muscle car look if you will that gives the car a bit forward stance while still providing adequate clearance. i'll have the full size front wheels on shortly.

now, i don't have a highly accurate digital scale so i did not take any before of after measurements but i can see/feel the difference in weight on the track. i personally believe the dnano could benefit from some extra weight.

it's hard to put this into an intelligent formulation however my skyline now handles differently and slightly worse WHICH is a good thing and i'll explain why.

before, it was hard for me to discern exactly where and why my dnano was not driving the way i am accustomed to with my mini-z. i personally found the lack of weight and the intense speed to complicate trouble shooting the setup. any slight bump had the potential to knock my car off track. now that the car has even a tad more weight, the traction has picked up and steering is now very sharp. while all the track surface variations do not necessarily alter the cars path as much, i notice much more chatter and hop while driving and cornering.
in my opinion, in a sense, the car is making it much easier for me to understand where the trouble spots are. it's now handling much more like a mini-z which i am very familiar with which gives me some direction to go in selecting hop ups in order to improve suspension. i'll be putting together an order from some tires and h plates first. these have always been the starting points of my mini-z setups.

overall, while the car has some issues, i feel much more comfortable in working through them.

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/1331/medium/IMG_1379.JPG

http://mini-zracer.com/mini-zgallery/data/1331/medium/IMG_1380.JPG

[Marcro]

Hi there Arch, those tires look pretty think on those alloy wheels, are those stock sized wheels, or did you go larger? Also, are those the Kysoho brand? I bet PN tires would look a lot better on those rims. :D
Hey, I noticed your golden MR02 and your colored transmitters. I have to ask, how did you paint your chassis? It looks so smooth and so factory like! I was impressed. I had thought about the same thing but with silver and other colors. Also, is the paint clear coated and how durable is it?

Oh yea, I also wanted to say, nice house! Is that one of your designs as well?

[arch2b]

those are the stock racing tires on my dnano's. i have yet to pick up pn tires. the wheels are stock size wheels as well.

the paint was kyrlon. just clean the plastic very well before painting. let it sit for several days for the paint to cure completely. it's done by several thin coats. no clear coat needed. you really don't mess with the chassis more than taking the batteries out and that has held up well.

[Marcro]

Thank's for the tip arch, I'll have to try that next time I get another chassis. And you'll love the PN tires, they fill the wheels completely as they should have been done in the first place!
Also, keep an eye out for PN's aluminum wheels! They have shown me CAD drawings of designs that they are going to produce for the Dnano and the drawings look great! Can't wait to see the real production.
I should be getting my Aluma-Tech wheels in the mail anytime this week. Had some special ones made for the Countach! :D

[arch2b]

still have not bought any tire options as i have not been able to get to hobby town recently.

i have been racing this on rcp however and the stock tires on a 50cm track are not bad with soo much space to move around on.

[RealTracks]

Hey Arch, Are you guys finally dug out of the snow. That Motul Z looks awesome with those rims. I have been trying to decide between that , the DBR9, or the 962. Have you tried the Motul Z on RealTtracks yet. I am curious how it handles out of the box on it. For quick and basic tire testing at home I have been just throwing down a quick oval consisting of (4) straights and (4) 90 degree turns followed by a quick wipe down with a cloth towel and windex or simple green. It takes less than 60 seconds to set up and only takes up 4’x8’ worth of space. I sometimes just add 2 more turns for a 6'x8' L for better data. If you get a chance, let me know how it does.
Take care,

[arch2b]

i'll have to pick up some simple green. i haven't bought any in years. that tip was old hate news with mini-z's however most stores banned it's use on their tracks for whatever reason so i haven't used it in ages.

here is my track workstation. the computer system to the right is my personal use and to the left is for track/rc racing.

[arch2b]

i now own the kyosho ic lap timing system and will be testing this out with various transponders and software. i also have a 1st gen core unit and a va club member now has giro-z.

[lornecherry]

EAYR = Eagerly awaiting your results

[arch2b]

me too. i had to bring work home with me this weekend though :(