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Old 2003.11.28, 09:57 AM   #1
efsee
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RCP Track Review

Last night I finally received my much anticipated RCP Track (actually, I bought 3 tracks in the Wide “L” configuration). So far I just took one track out of the box and built the Wide “L” track just to give it a try. Following is my opinion so far:

Assembling:
Assembling the track was a piece of cake. The RCP Track is well engineered and everything fitted perfectly. No tools needed just as advertised. Building the track for the first time will take a few more time because the side rails must be assembled, but if you store the track with the side rails already assembled, the second time around should be a snap.

Surface:
As for the track surface, I tried the rough side of the mats (one side is rough and the other is smooth). The grip is excellent. I used my MR-01, which is setup for our LHS track (particle board plywood surface with concrete sealant), and the car handled great (grip is so good that I couldn’t make my car spin. I’m using 15 deg Rad tires in the rear, and stock tires in the front on a Corvette body). This was a plus for me, as I didn’t want to be having to make major setup changes between our LHS track and the RCP Track. I’m sure that playing around with a few tire combinations will be all I need for further fine tuning.

Side rails:
I’ve been reading that at the Mini-Z Cup Finals a few racers were complaining about the foam side rails. No complain here! The side rails are excellent, and I think that trying to avoid them in order not to loose speed or bounce back is just part of driving. Also, the grip is so good that the rails are easy to avoid, and another plus is that they don’t damage the Mini-Z’s body. On the servo or steering plate braking issue, no problems so far. I think that the issue might rise when you get hit on the wrong place by another car, but this can happen on any track.

Overall:
So far I’m very impressed with the RCP Track. The quality is excellent, the setup is easy, you can have many different configurations, track width is perfect at about 34”, and the surface if excellent as well. The price might be an issue, but if you want a quality track with multiple configurations, I think the investment is well worth it.

I haven’t taken any pictures of the track yet, but I hope to take a few this weekend when I assemble the 3 tracks, so I hope to post them later. To give you an idea of how configurable this track is, I’m attaching the 35 different track layouts I’ve come up with so far, that you can build with 3 Wide “L” tracks.
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Old 2003.11.28, 10:01 AM   #2
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Sorry, I hope the Track Layouts image comes out now...
Attached Images
File Type: jpg rcp tracks_wp.jpg (194.8 KB, 500 views)
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Old 2003.11.28, 04:23 PM   #3
Hammer
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Thanks for the great report! BTW, where did you purchase your RCP tracks?
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Old 2003.11.28, 07:21 PM   #4
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What was the cost?? do you feel the the three is enough??
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Old 2003.11.29, 01:40 PM   #5
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Space limitations and money were the factors why I bought 3 tracks. Actually, I have the space for 4 tracks, but had the money for 3.

Are 3 enough? Well, I think it’s a matter of opinion, but as you can see from my track layout designs, I am able to build tracks in a full 7x4 grid (22.67’ x 12.83’) and even on an 8x5 grid (25.67’ x 16’) leaving a few empty spaces. The Mini-Z Cup Finals track was built on an 8x5 grid, and you can build it out of 4 tracks. So, in my opinion, I think 3 tracks give you a pretty good size track and many different layout configurations. Here is a picture of my first track layout in a 7x4 grid configuration…

My RCP Track

P.S.: The grip on the track is so good that I feel that the X-Speed motor cars are slow. My turbo FET Pro-Z runs great, and you can really enjoy driving it on this track. So I can tell you that I’m pretty much happy with the 3 track layout. I feel it’s enough to really enjoy racing our Mini-Z’s.
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Old 2003.11.29, 02:36 PM   #6
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wow, that is an impressive layout! the track design images doens'y do the real thing justice in terms of grasping the real size of it. looks great! so, your not going to tell us how much they were? i'm interested in seeing the price range as i'm certain there will be differences from place to place
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Old 2003.11.29, 04:08 PM   #7
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In the US, the price of the tracks at your local hobby store should be very close to retail. Most tracks that sell at these retail prices include shipping costs to locations within the Continental US. The track boxes are a lot bigger than your average RC product, so they carry a high shipping cost. So when you look at the price of each track, remember it includes a high shipping cost. Hobby stores are not obligated to sell the tracks at these prices.

Retail prices:

Narrow Oval......$ 119 USD
Wide Oval..........$ 149 USD
Wide "L" Tur.n...$ 199 USD
Off road expansion -
(12 off road tiles, side rails and 24 PINS)..$65 USD
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Old 2003.11.29, 05:01 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally posted by RCPMini-z
... Hobby stores are not obligated to sell the tracks at these prices...
that's why im interested in seeing what others are paying.....
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Old 2003.11.29, 07:09 PM   #9
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***(actually, I bought 3 tracks in the Wide “L” configuration)***

Wide "L" Tur.n...$ 199 USD

So he blew $600 on a track?

I think maybe 1 out of every 1000 mini-z/mini-car owners would actualy do that...
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Old 2003.11.29, 07:26 PM   #10
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Hey Drac, just to put the facts straight, final cost for the 3 tracks down here to El Salvador was $790.00, and I must say that I feel they were well spent, as down here in El Salvador we don't have much options.

This it our LHS track, which cost us about the same or more, but without the design layout flexibility, nor the surface quality, which by the way we need to re-paint once in a while.

Our LHS Track

I'll definately take the RCP Tracks.
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Old 2003.11.29, 07:48 PM   #11
Ken Mifune
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Congrats efsee on your new track. It looks great and fits very well in your space.
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Old 2003.11.30, 08:32 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally posted by efsee
...final cost for the 3 tracks down here to El Salvador was $790.00...
so that was about $263 per track including shipping....that's all i was looking for which doesn't seems so bad considering the shipping distance. i appreciate the review as well. it helps make the rest of more informed consumers
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Old 2003.11.30, 01:06 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally posted by 2EZ
What was the cost?? do you feel the the three is enough??
FYI they are now available in the Shop:

http://mini-zracer.com/shop/products.php?pid=11

Note that that price is to your door!

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Old 2003.11.30, 01:10 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally posted by Draconious
***(actually, I bought 3 tracks in the Wide “L” configuration)***

Wide "L" Tur.n...$ 199 USD

So he blew $600 on a track?

I think maybe 1 out of every 1000 mini-z/mini-car owners would actualy do that...
I'm not sure that "blew" is the appropriate term; these tracks are really good value, I think you are incorrectly comparing them to raw tiles, and by doing so not considering the critically important features such as the amazing barrier system, and the textured racing surface.
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Old 2003.11.30, 04:37 PM   #15
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Where's the love, Drac?
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