Another completely new model from Ninco, this time the evolutionary 997 version of the venerable Porsche 911. I'm a bit of a Porsche nut and I usually enjoy Ninco's GT cars, so this one is a must-have for me.

The 997 isn't perhaps the most attractive version of the 911, and the yellow and black Forum Gelb livery doesn't really do the car any favours. But when you look closer you'll see that it's a nicely made and well finished model.

The body shape looks right and it's built to a good standard - fit and finish is very good and there are no visible moulding lines. The paint is smooth and evenly applied, with a nice sharp divide between yellow and black. The tampo is legible and generally sharp, though there are a couple of minor smudges on my car.

The interior is effective; it’s a fairly shallow tray but looks deeper, partly because it’s all black and partly due to some clever moulding. The driver figure is new, first seen on the Ascari, and a big improvement on the previous figures. The driver is ¾ length and sits in front of a nicely moulded dashboard. Roll cage and fire extinguisher are also included.

The chassis is another example of the now-familiar Ninco anglewinder set up. The motor is an NC5 rated at 20,000rpm at 14.8 volts. Wheels are plastic BBS style and seem round and true, though the tyres usually benefit from a light sanding. A fairly strong but small magnet sits just ahead of the motor.

In contrast to the recently released Ascari, the Porsche does not get extra bracing at the rear of the chassis so it's fairly flexible. Some would say too flexible. You may wish to add some reinforcement to this area.

I had some minor issues with the way the chassis and body fit together on my car. The body was ever so slightly higher on one side than the other, especially at the back. A closer look revealed some plastic 'flash' (excess material) on the rear of the chassis, meaning that the body wasn't quite seated properly. A few seconds work with some sandpaper got rid of the flash but the body was still a tight fit so I sanded some more until everything fitted together smoothly and easily.

The other thing I found is that there isn't really enough room for the suppressor(?) attached to the motor. It ends up trapped between the motor and the body, forcing the side of the body outwards slightly and distorting the way it fits on the side of the chassis. I removed the suppressor and fitted a new motor wire (the original isn't long enough without the suppressor).

Of course these things only matter if you nit-pick as much as me....!!

Enough of nit-picking the Porsche's appearance, let's get it on the track. First up, a little run on my tiny figure of 8 Scalextric Sport track. As with all the Ninco cars I've tried on this track, the Porsche has too much power to be quick! Great on the straight but you need to tip-toe around the corners or the power easily overwhelms the limited traction provided by the small magnet. 

On to the bigger routed track, usually a track that seems to suit Ninco cars. The 997's power is much more useful here, powering the car in beautifully controllable drifts through the corners and hurling it down the straights. The Porsche has a relatively short wheelbase (approx 74mm) and while it feels fast and responsive it doesn't have the nervousness of some shorter cars. If pushed too hard it will drift wide, the drift turning into a spin if you really overdo it. It's a little taller and narrower than most of the other Ninco GT cars, which makes it a little easier to roll if you are really trying hard.

But at least it's relatively easy to fix. I fitted a small spacer to the underside of the guide mount - just a piece of plasticard super-glued in place and trimmed to the profile of the mount. The slots in the chassis for the front axle were extended upward with a small round file - there's plenty of room to raise the axle without the tyres touching the wheel arches. An alternative would be to place a couple of grams of weight at the front of the car to keep the nose down. 

With this done the car felt better and stayed on the track. Its fastest lap was 8.17 sec, compared to 8.14 for the Ascari and 8.08 for the Mosler. Most of my JGTC pack run in the 8.2 second range, so the Porsche is definitely quick.

I hope this doesn't sound too negative because I'm having a blast with this car. Now the minor niggles are sorted it's a great car to drive. It's quick, responsive and right on the pace of the rest of the GT range. My car took a little work to set up, but we're not talking about major flaws - it probably says more about my fussy nature than anything else!

I really like the Porsche, it's definitely a keeper. Now I just need to find a livery that I like....! 

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