[a Bill]

I'm posting this here because I'm not sure where it fits.

Collectors might want to look elsewhere.

I've posted a time or two about battery powered cars from a company called Nkok. These cars are 1/32nd scale hard bodies with decent detail. These cars ARE NOT collectibles, these things are only suited to racing or playing. They are very low cost and quite durable. You'll really need to come up with your own chassis for racing but the existing chassis can be modified to work if you're just looking for a slot car to play with.

The major slot car companies all make very very attractive cars and most of the reviews on slot cars in this scale tend to focus on paint and accuracy. Well, I don't collect, I race. I want a body I can hammer but still looks like a car so lexan is right out of the picture. On another forum someone mentioned a local (US) drugstore selling cheap cars and I saw some on that auction site that didn't look bad so I went and bought some.

Here are some not too good pictures of one of the cars, the 1970 GTO Judge. There is also a '69 Z28 and 70 Chevelle SS 454 pictured.

These cars are an option for racers to try. You'll need to build or swap in a chassis but at least you have a body that can be hammered without worry.

 

[Tropi]

As long as the bodies appeal, these seem to be an absolutely ideal source for racers who don't want to damage their prettier stuff. They look very well good enough to me for racing purposes!
This is an excellent resource.

 

[Tropi]

Woohoo!
My Californian visitor finally arrived, complete with a great selection of these cars!

'69 Mustang Boss 302
'69 Camaro Z28
'69 Pontiac GTO Judge
'70 Chevelle SS 454
Viper GT5R
Corvette C5-R
'03 Viper SRT10
Chrysler Crossfire
'03 Hummer H2 SUV
Chevy Avalanche

Some really interesting and unusual models there.
Pics, hopefully, after indulging the other distractions that accompany this visit!
But this may take some time . . .

 

[a Bill]

Not bad looking cars for so little money, are they?

 

[Difflock]

Thanks for the "spy shots" Bill

(shaky & out of focus) and your comments on photography

Hey, at least you've taken the time to show us the cars

I wonder if we in the UK can get them - hopefully in one of our Pound shops (everything is 1 pound). It would be a cheap way to feed my muscle car fetish

Mark.

 

[old new slot guy]

Interesting . . . I went to various boards and placed NKOK in search and found this one. I went out and bought a load this little cars, 3-packages of 2-car sets for $11.98 US, that's 6-cars for 12 bucks.

I ended up buying 18 [actually 20, I spent $5.98 for 2-car set, because I wanted an extra set of Mustang/Camaro, but no more trucks] of the things ... less than 2-bucks each. Thought … why not? The Viper and C-5 are not bad little bodies, the Mustang is very nice, the Camaro, well the vinyl roof look was a mistake. The trucks are less than 1/32 scale. One of the sets included a Viper convertible, very decent details. As one poster mentioned the decals are not great, but still not all that bad either, I've seen worse for more money.

I ended up taking the motor and modding the endball to accept brushes and springs. Helps HUGELY on the performance. Since the original brushes are just spring copper wire.

I then took the can and ventilated it thoroughly by removing lots of metal. Now when running them at 14 to 18 volts they get warm … but not hot. Granted we don't run them for extreme lengths of time, but still, I was pleasantly surprised. Got lucky on a couple of them and the [I assume] Chinese made arms are quite good.

Meaning, when running against off the shelf Carrera cars, both only using front magnets, these little modded NKOK's will outrun them … I'm serious. And when taking the magnets out of the back of the Carreras, and both only using front magnets, the modded NKOK's are much easier to handle and so forth. Granted, I did take old metal wheels, responge them and replaced the plastic wheels and lesser tires, but still. Yeah, I had to slip tube brass over the 3/32nd axles to make 1/8th inch axle, then super glued the brass to the original axle, so far so good and the wheels run true.

I probably have 5-6 bucks in them, since my wheels were spares and sponges for responging go for $3.50 set of 2, enough to do four wheels. Okay, need to add a little more money for springs and brushes.

I too adapted the original chassis and found that when running on my Carrera high-bank track, using Trak Mate trans, I had to add one more mod, the one mentioned above, magnet.

I took two-sided tape and placed a magnet just behind the front wheels and flag to help maintain guide flag to rails. They are light and when either accelerating or up to higher speed, the front end tends to lift. My next alternative is placing weight in lieu of the magnet. Since I'm - normally - adverse to magnets.

How long will they last? Time will tell, but so far, actually having a lot of fun with them. Really "bent "one of my buds when I whipped him and his off the shelf Scaly car. Of course, I did make him remove the back magnet, to make things a little more equal. That was a grin maker. After that he put the back magnet back in his Scaly and he then whipped me, but I made it close until I spun . . . so much for magnets … I guess.

I believe the majors use magnets to make up for sloppy engineering of their products, Scaly, Carrera, Ninco, et cetera.

I was going to post in other forums, such OWH … but I feel the more "high brow" types might look down on such modded little cars, such what I did with the NKOK's. I frankly enjoy taking a cheap little car and modding it to run well. What surprised me is how well they run against my Carrera, Scaly, and other cars which retail for 30 bucks and can actually beat them. No, I don't believe they'll measure up against the $50 cars. But still … great fun.

Cheers

 

[a Bill]

For as little as you need to spend on the Nkok cars, you can't lose. I haven't been racing mine since none of the classes allow them but I still play with them.