Official dNano and tracks coming soon...
 

...to a HobbyTown USA near you. Keep your eyes and ears peeled.

I spoke to a somebody this weekend that HTUSA nailed the exclusive rights for dNano distribution in the USA and they will be getting dNano tracks as well. This person was not a dNanophile so I asked specifically if it was RCP or something else. The answer was it was a dedicated track for dNano like a slot car track. I get all warm and fuzzy thinking we'll see tracks like these soon.

http://dnano.jp/mylap/image/main01.jpg

http://dnano.jp/shop/img/index_pic01.jpg

http://dnano.jp/shop/img/index_pic02.jpg

If so, it means we will also be able to compete worldwide with other dNano users utilizing the dNano circuit license and their MyLapOnline program.

http://dnano.jp/mylap/image/main02.jpg

Great "news" I hope it's true, I would love to be able to race for real with the My Lap Online system. The only thing that bums me out about an exclusive license for Hobby Town is that this creates a problem for people like Dave and Busters or others from recreating the Kyosho Bar + Track theme that the Kyosho Shops have... I know this hobby is filled with various age ranges but I would love to go somewhere, grab a few beers and run my 917k!

-j

Hey there, doesn't drinking and driving count for small scale too? :)

That is good news, but strange. Cause most of the Hobby Town's I've been to dont' supply Kyosho goods, ESPECIALLY the Mini-Z Dnano series! The ONLY HTUSA I've found to carry Z's is the one in Melborne Florida.

The rumors are true(I think)?
 

My local Hobby town will be getting a track in November or so, they will be selling Dnanos as well. The track the manager showed be online appeared to be very small. RCP like kind of. Personally I think at the very least they should get a Mini-96.

Jay

I enjoy my Dnano's on my 96, it's plenty. However, as much room as these tiny cars take, and they do take a lot of room being so fast, they should get the expansion pack as well, that way they can race either Dnano's or Z's.
My local Hobby Town's in Colorado suck. Their only good for building plastic model kit's and gaming. Hardly any RC products at all. We had one great RC hobby shop but it closed do to bad ownership. They had a nice supply of Z stuff and probably would've gotten the Dnano's if theyd still been around.
I'm very excited about the new bodies coming out, especially the Countach. If anybody is interested, I have a very nice die-cast Countach in 1/43 scale I can take pictures of. I can take a picture of it right next to my Murcielago to give you an idea of how it should look in this small scale.
Does anybody else have the ball differential upgrade? I'm anxious to get one.

I have ball diffs in all three of my d's. I set each up with a different level of tightness. The tuning tools that come with them are nice. A very complete setup. Also in typical Kyosho fashion they come with spare parts. Highly recommended.

-J

Thank's, would you mind posting pic's of your chassis with the diff? I'm curious as to how it look's. You have three of theme now? WOW! Hope they all work perfectly as mine don't. I mentioned before the issues I'm having with mine and I don't know what to do. I'm wondering if it's the motor that is failing. Anyway, sorry to go off there, but if you could post pics of yours that would be great.

I'll try to post some pics tonight. Let's resume this conversation in my ball diff thread...

http://tinyrc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23865

Hey fraz,

You get the 901 yet? :)

Nearest HTUSA to me is about an hour and a half away. :mad:

I have quite a few HTUSA arond here. Maybe one of them will pick this up. Would love to get some dnano stuff local.






silla

I was at the United Toy and Hobby convention yesterday, and had a long talk with the HTUSA and Kyosho people who were conveniently set up next to each other.

The HTUSA people do have the exclusive distribution, that is correct. They will start selling the Dnano sometime in mid november. The cars are very impressive if you haven't seen them run. They are fast, look cool and will have many hop-ups. The price is going to be about $130 for just the cars, and another $130 for the starter pack including the battery, controller, etc. Yep, your looking at $250 for a 4" car, but seriously after seeing them run, I might be willing to take the jump.

All of the cars have a built in transponder, and you will be able to race each week, twice a week, on a preset track configuration that will be run all over the US. So essentially, you will be running your times against racers from all over the US. According to the Kyosho guys, they plan on pushing the heck out of it with a monthly magazine, and the ability to get your lap times and other car stats online at any time, really making it a national competition. There will also be run-offs, series, etc.

Now for the not-so-good news. The tracks you are seeing in the Kyosho concept stores and online are NOT the tracks you will be racing on. The actual tracks in the stores will be something close to 3' x 8'. They will have movable barriers that are the same as all of the other tracks in the US, so they can set up the exact same track as everyone else with ease. The track looks NOTHING like what you are seeing in the Kyosho stores. Its is wayyy SMALLER.

It's an amazing concept, but the problem, with getting HTUSA involved is that unless it takes off immediately, they will drop it like a hot potato and those of us who bought the equipment expecting to race every week will be left out in the cold. They need to open it up to private hobby shops as well, as they are the bread and butter of our sport.

Yea, I don't go to HobbyTown USA at all. The only really good Hobby Town that I've seen that even is interested in Kyosho Mini-Z's is the shop in Melborne Florida. I suspect they will definetly have the Dnano's there.
I think one of the biggest issues with these cars is their price tag's. I dont' see where your getting the $130 unless that's a special price once they are finally released here in the USA. Currently we are paying 250 per car ALONE!
That's alot of money for most of us!
As for hop-up's, it's already got plenty from Kyosho. Ball bearings, gyro, springs, aluminum steering plates and rear hubs, carbon-fiber H-plates, and now ball-differential upgrades.
We need to see companies like Atomic and PN step up and start designing some way cool aluminum bit's and disc-dampers, camber'ed knuckles, et'c for these babies!
Another cool upgrade I'd like to see would be some sort of a light kit so we can race'em in the dark!

The price I got came from Kyosho themselves. You are paying so much for cars because A) they haven't been released here, so the people who can get them sell them at a premium and B)Most the Dnanos that you see for sale here come through purchasing agents or have middle men involved to get them here. That isn't free.

Kyosho will be able to import them directly. The price on the cars will be between $130 and $150, with the starter set (remote, batteries) costing about the same. New bodies will be between $19 and $29. The prices will be considerably less than your paying now.

You will see light kits immediately after release. Also, the other companies will step up once there is a formal release in the US. They're not going to go through the R&D and production for a product that never officially gets released. I would be willing to bet that you'll see items from them within WEEKS of the US Dnano release.

I can't wait! I'm glad I've got the Dnano I have now despite it's stalling issues. But look's like I'll be selling more things when these cars are officially in the USA. I'd be very excited to see what Atomic and PN come up with for hop-up's. It would be cool to see a Dnano with full aluminum upgrades in various colors. One upgrade I'd like to see made is an aluminum battery cover with vents, heat sink if you will. Sure aluminum by nature is a heat sink, but the vents would make it look trick I think. Plus, the point where the battery clip hinges I think is some what of a weak point. Particularly the two tiny strips of plastic used to keep the wires tugged in are very weak and would be better in aluminum. I also want to see more aluminum wheels in various styles as so far all we've got are the AVM's, still dont' have my set yet.
The light kit's would really be awesome! I'm still dying for an AWD version for table-top drifting! How cool would that be?

Sorry, been away for a bit. 901? My Asus laptop? Yeah I got that and it's sick:) GOt 2GB RAM, aftermarket 64GB SSD, and two 16GB SDHCs.

Nearest to me is at least an hour too.

Hobby Town? No, I don't think so.
 

Im sorry, all my enthusiasm just went out the window with HTUSA. I don't like one dealer distribution, and on top of that, I don't find many HT useful, or even helpful for the most part. Too much like McDonalds. Mom and Pop stores are the best at helping the customer and actually having to do a damn good job.

As I said interest in these has just gone out the window. :( To be honest, I hope it fails in HT side, as it will convince Kyosho USA from doing stupid 1 distributor items. Hadn't they learned from their experience with Great Planes?

Don't worry I know it will all work out!

the racing concept is just a rip off of the existing howfastareyou mini-z racing series. :( very dissapointing they chose not to work with an existing proven series that wasn't manufacturer dependant.

i'll likely get a dnano if and when they ever get to my area but i doubt it will be any time soon. htusa SUCKS in terms a quality service and small scale rc support. it's towerhobbies all over again...

This has been pushed back a bit due to customs.

The online set up will be simular to Xbox Live racing games.


Correction here, the tracks will be 3 sections 4'x8' that are modular. SO if you so choose you can expand the track with other 4'x8' sections of track.


75% of HobbyTown USA stores have signed up for the Dnano. If Hobbytown fails we do have a back up plan. So customers will not be out cold.

If my memory serves me correct, I think Philip from PNracing has been working on options parts, and is waiting for Kyosho America to release the Dnano....I am sure Philip will chime in on this one.

HTU's are "mom and pop" hobby shops. They are a franchise store privately owned. It is up to the individual HTU shop to set their rules and hire their employees.

I think you are twisted here. Great Plains sells to hobby shops, HTU is a hobby shop franchise that sells to you. Two different types of fruit.

People that put thought into the software did not know anything about the howfastareyou deal. In fact if anything, the system parallels with Xbox live.


ROFLMFAO. No way in h377 is this like tower hobbies. period. Like I stated before 75% of the HTU stores have signed up. It was very well received by HTU store owners, and managers.

As far as HTU service, that will depend on the employees each HTU store hires.


I have never seen such dislike for HTU's ever, unless there was a bad employee working at one. Please keep in mind that in order for the HTU stores to even carry the Dnano, they have to fully support the Dnano with parts, option parts, races and so forth. So that location is either in or out, not one foot in or one foot out.

Thanks for the updates Tim.

As for the GP comment, you know as well as I what was meant by that. Tower and GP operated in such lockstep that it was transparent to everybody that it was run as a single organization. This and some of their other actions left some with a bad taste in their mouths so they are skeptical when a similar "looking" situation presents itself. My suggestion is acknowledge and move on:)

I am hopeful the new relationship will rock. The tracks don't sound too appealing yet as 4x8 is barely enough to race a ZipZap and dNanos fly. Modular is one thing but let's hope we get some large, smooth, flat tracks to air these suckers out.

Any ETA on when we can expect to see dNano stuff on US soil? I have things I want to get right away and it would be nice not to have to do Japanese mailorder. And unfortunately my buddy is in China right now and dNano stuff is still not there yet either:(

BTW, if you want my take on what will make/break dNano in the US. It's not the car/starter kit (or module) cost although that is on the steep side. It is the bodies _PLUS_ the need to buy a fitting kit at exorbitant prices. If there is any way to get these down to reasonable prices or even offer bundle combos, it could go a long way to help build this new and budding race base.

tim,
thank you very much for the information. if indeed that many ht'usas are in than we stand a better shot of seeing these in more than just small regional/local pockets. ht is no worse off than other chain rc stores in that finding one that supports kyosho to begin with, then mini-z products in particular is difficult to say the least. i deal with a chain store in our club racing and it was not easy convincing them to get kyosho in general and mini-z in particular. chain store support for micro rc has never been good in my opinion. and forget finding any employee that knows anything about them... in 7 years of racing mini-z's i have NEVER found a store with an employee that knew what they were talking about with regards to mini-z's. i think that says alot and does not inspire confidence with regard to dnano's. what is intersting is what you have explained about them buying into them, all or nothing. i hope this forces them to get to know the product and actually sell it vs. casting them off as toys.

i'm sure you see a different side of the story however i see it from the consumer aspect and it's never been good for me regarding kyosho micro rc's in maryland, virginia or the district of columbia.

prove me wrong and i'll be a happy dnano owner, till then i remain a skeptic. i hope you understand.

arch, to address the HT employee lack of knowledge in the micro scale, you're dead on there. My friends and I are always asked for info when it comes to micro stuff. It doesn't come up much since all they really push is the micro-t and in the past the rc18t. My hope is that it will be less important to have super knowledgable staff for the dnano since its a very simple system for the most part. 2.4 removes radio woes, and its all set to race, no transponders to install or deal with. It'd still be nice if the employees DID learn something about the product, but I won't hold my breath.

Tim, you say 75% of stores have signed on and that its either an in or out type of deal (I assume that means its similar to the system Japan supposedly used where shops had to order a very large minimum of cars/parts to buy any at all - say $5000 worth?), but is that binding in any way? I guess what I'm asking is when release day comes, will those 75% of stores be held to their committment and have to purchase all the stock neccessary to run races or will they have the OPTION to purchase at that point?

Also, any hints on which Seattle stores will be participating if any? :P I'll have to check with my local sources and see what I can dig up.

Tom, cmon now. Lets be honest. Great Planes also sells directly to consumers at prices that aren't that far off from what they sell to the dealer.

And yes, I know HT is a franchise. Why I mentioned Mcdonalds (another franchise). The point is they both have a built in support base as it is and some guidelines as to how the business must be run to be in a franchise.

There is no excuse here Tom. :( Like I said, I hope it fails. Then dnanos can come to the local shops that have built their own names up.

How incredibly ignorant that you should wish any cutting edge progressive advancements in our sport/hobby fail. How ignorant and self centered! You live in an area where there are dozens of great independently owned shops? That's awesome, but how many kids don't? How many parents who don't have the time to research every last little thing their kid is looking for as a christmas or birthday present will rely on a HTUSA because they are convenient, offer decent prices and carry a reasonable cross section of items for sale. How many kids cannot drive themselves to an indy shop, and rely on mom or dad to get them to HTUSA because they are in a strip mall or near an easily accessible centralized area? Your ignorance in wishing that the Dnano fail is just profoundly ignorant, stupid, pompous and elitist. Don't like HT then don't shop there, but for thousands of kids across the country, thats all they have.

I live near Chicago, where there are a lot of indy shops. But the HT in my town, which is the ONLY HOBBY SHOP WITHIN 25 MILES is owned by a mom n pop who bend over backwards to help people get whatever they need, they run races in their parking lot at a LOSS, and they support the hobbies anyway they can. To wish a failure on ANY business this day in age is foolish, so perhaps you being the perfect soul you are, who can obviously do it better, maybe you should run out and start your own hobby shop, since it appears to be so easy to you. Let us know when your up and running, so we can come in, nitpick your products, your prices and your services, and then wish failure on you.

Great Planes does not sell to the consumer. Tower Hobbies sells to the consumer. Tower is a sister company of Great Planes. HTU's purchase from Great Planes just like the rest of the mom and pop hobby shops. I am glad that you see the connection there though. Most people that own hobby shops do not understand that connection.


cdog4w, When I get back to the office, I will check my list.


the track size will be 12x8 using 3 4x8 modular sections

it seems that Kyosho has cut out all the shops and people that have supported both the mini-z and were so excited about the dnano to be released.

there was an existing platform for both the car, and an exiting track platform (RCP) that most of the clubs have already, and would have picked up the dnanos to race.

it seems that kyosho doesn't care to support those that have supported them in the small scale RC addiction. No hobby shops from my area carry any small scale RC's and have no knowlege of them at all.

I run the local club, and kyosho parts are scarce. does kyosho plan to put the dnano into these stores and effectively support them with parts. I know that the mini-z line without PN and Atomic there were be no parts as the supply that kyosho has just isn't enough to keep with the demand. Even bodies that have been out for a short time are gone quickley and not to be seen again.

Tim Johnson, Do you work for Kyosho. Just wanted to know.

yes, Tim works for Kyosho America. :)

Thanks for checking Tim, appreciate it.

Checked with a friend who spends a lot of time in the Redmond hobby town, they aren't in the 75% :(

The only other hobby town I'd consider going to (based on distance) would be tukwila, but I don't see them doing dnano either. I called and the guy didn't check with a manager, but said he didn't think they'd be doing that (when I explained what it was).

So much for dnano being popular in the more densely populated areas.

I also have to agree with briankstan, the only shops in the area that even carry Kyosho products are non-HT stores. I would also say the only shops that are interested in running tracks would be non-HT as well. Luck of the draw for my location I guess.

I guess I can hope that it fails with HT and you guys have a contingency planned with gameworks which would be downtown Seattle :P

All this being said Tim, I still appreciate all the work you're doing to support and promote the little guys from Kyosho, we all know what an uphill battle it is for you!

Looks bleak here too, local HTU won't even discuss kyosho products. I tried to drum up Mini-Z interest when I moved out here. My local HTU went under when I lived in CO but was a similar story (although they did have an RCP setup for 1:18 scale.)

Any updates on availability here in the U.S.??? My local HTUSA (North Carolina) was saying that they were looking forward to getting something up and running before Christmas - but the last couple of times I have sent an e-mail inquiry I have not gotten any response???

my LHS and the hobbytown here both said that they didnt know what that was but they would look into it if i wanted to get one.

is it fact that hobbytown has the exclusive on it. and if so will we have to find one that carries the line before we can have them order them.

also i wanted to point out that i have seen videos of the dnano running with minizs. this is what i am going to do. I am going to race with the minizs. that way i get use out of it and other people will see how cool they are.

come on kyosho...

5 months later and still nothing....