Monday October 20, 2003

Scalextric Sport TVR Tuscan T400R

ECLIPSE MOTORSPORT

This latest effort by Scalextric almost went by un-noticed until the recent Hobby Expo in Chicago. When I first seen this model I was attracted to it not only because of its great looks but because it included the new front guide system Scalextric was bringing us. It has arrived and time to take a closer look at what this model has to offer.

This model based on the Eclipse Motorsport British 2003 GT Championship simply looks incredible to my eyes. Scalextric has done a great job of re-creating it in 1/32nd scale with smooth mold lines and excellent overall fit and finish. Sometimes models get released that seem to be going 100 miles an hour sitting still...and this happens to be one of them if you ask me.

Tampo-stampings were all very crisp and opaque with small touches like the hood clips really drawing your eyes to the attention to detail they have put forth. A clean, dust free-clear coat seals all these markings nicely, although it isn't applied too thickly over these markings. Some might not appreciate the livery itself, but from the enthusiasts I showed this model too, they all thought it was very striking.

Interior detail is once again very well done including the driver, roll cage, and fire bottle. The interior can be removed...but I don't see why you would. If you choose to do so, be VERY careful of the windshield wiper breaking loose. If you do break it (yes...I did break mine!), a small drop of model glue will get it back to its home nicely.

The detail does not stop there as you can see by the nice brake rotor detail they have included. It is items like these that seem to catch the eye of many newcomers to our hobby and Scalextric shows no signs of letting up. All the wheels and tires were VERY round and true. Testing this model on a routed wood track showed it to be one of the smoothest runners out of the box you could ask for. A small amount of tire truing should be all you need to perform to get this car even smoother.

The main difference in this release is the new front guide system Scalextric has designed. Here is where I have mixed feelings, but bear in mind this system DOES WORK AS INTENDED and we experienced no electrical problems whatsoever. The guide is now held in place by one small Phillips head screw and the half that has the braid attached is snapped in place over the guide blade. As the directions in the box shows, you must take your fingers and slide this disc that contains the braid forward to release it, then pull it back slightly to remove and reverse this to re-install.

The main benefit if this new system is that it does increase the amount of travel the guide can turn (arc), allowing you to slide the model out more before the guide stops. Having the blade mounted by a screw also helps minimize the amount of free-play the older system was victim to. Also the self-centering spring is now gone, allowing the wires themselves to help keep the guide centered. The only problem I personally have with this new guide is that the guide blade itself is not any deeper or longer than older-style versions, and the quick disconnect system doesn't seem to be any easier on the enthusiast than prior systems. I say this because I always felt the old version in most current releases was a quick, painless matter of popping out the old guide and putting in an new one. Also, this disc that contains the braid does remove itself quite easily and noticed that on a hard crash it can pop loose slightly. I do not want you to think that this system is bad...as I stated it functions as it was intended...this is just my thoughts on the subject. I just feel if we really want to improve the front guide to maximize performance as the Sport line leans towards, we would at least make the blade deeper and perhaps increase the size or length of the braid a little.  I understand that keeping the blade this shallow allows this car to run on Classic Scalextric Track without the need for guide trimming, and I respect Scalextric for thinking of the many users of that older system, but I still would have preferred it a little deeper in the blade.

Again, do not let my nit-picking about this guide stop you from getting this release. I have to say that this car is one of the nicest efforts by Scalextric yet, especially in the drive-train department. 6 screws are easily removed to expose this drive-train along with the front and rear lighting system, motor and adjustable chassis for the bar magnet. I like the addition of lights as I feel they add a great deal to the overall racing effect. Night racing is more fun than you might think and I am always happy to see Scalextric include it in their releases. The lights function when you apply throttle, so the rear lights do not function as actual brake lights.

As with the recent L88 Corvette, this model uses the front-motor configuration. I found that that motor, drive-shaft bushing and real axle bushings were all very snug in the mounts and didn't require any adhesive to keep them from spinning under load. I usually still add a drop of Shoe Goo or clear silicone on them just to make sure, but again it isn't required.

 The drive-shaft comes equipped with a 9 tooth pinion driving a 27 tooth crown gear with gear mesh on this model very smooth out of the box. After a few drops of oil on each end of the motor, drive-shaft bushing and axle bushings it was time to hit the track. As with most recent efforts by Scalextric, this car is simply fast and fun to drive. The tire compounds are soft and provide decent grip and soon we had this model hugging the corners nicely as lap times began to settle into the 3.0 second range on our DS Timer.

One item that might be worth mentioning is the clearance of the rear tires to the chassis. They DO NOT rub...however the tolerance is very close. So close that while at full speed the tires might begin expand slightly and cause them to rub on the chassis slightly, at least it appeared this way after about 30 laps. Truing the tires seemed to reduce this issue almost completely and it while your first driving it, we didn't seem to notice any drag or lack of power. Perhaps other enthusiasts will let us know if they find the same on their models.

This model was special because I decided to take more time with it than usual to test it. I took this model with me on a recent visit to several tracks to see other enthusiasts thoughts on its performance and appearance, plus to race it on a very smooth routed wooden track (non-magnet) to see the results. They say that running these models without the magnet exposes the faults in them, perhaps out of round wheels or tires, bent axles etc. All I can tell you is that Scalextric has made a smooth runner with the release, magnet or not. The softer compound tires did provide decent grip, but you are still going to need silicones to really open her up on the track. INDY GRIPS # 1007 for the Caddy and MG Lola are a perfect fit so if your running on wood, or want even more grip try installing them and let me know your thoughts.

My final thoughts on this release are positive to say the least. Hardcore scale enthusiasts might find a few slight issues with it, but for the rest of us it is a very nice rendition of the 1:1 prototype in our scale. I feel Scalextric has produced a very high quality model in my eyes and most of you should find the same result. Although I don't follow the 1:1 series as much as I should doesn't mean I can't start appreciating it in 1/32nd scale...which just shows one more reason why our hobby is the best there is. You can be sure the DeWALT #91 model will be joining our stable very soon so we have a matched set!

- Harry

As always feel free to contact me about this article or just the hobby in general at harry@homeracingworld.com, or better yet drop into our Message Forum and share your thoughts with other enthusiasts!

Thanks go to Scalextric-USA for providing us with this model. Make sure you check their website for all the latest information regarding these models and the rest of the Scalextric line.