Wednesday February 04, 2009

By Dave Dobner & Harry Wise

This release is one I have personally looked forward to. Although Monogram has released other classics lately this one just means more to me than the rest. I suppose it is just that I find the lines and stance of this car to be very attractive. The Ferrari 275 P is like the other classics as it seems iconic in our hobby. This model was produced back in "the day" of the mid sixties and now we get to play with it once again.

First I want to welcome any newcomers to our hobby. You may or may not had the privilege of being in this hobby back in 1965. If you did, this model should bring back fond memories. If not, then you are in for a treat. This model was very popular back then and with this release should revive the enthusiasm of days gone by yet with a modern day twist.

Back then this car came in different scales too. But this kit is 1/32nd scale through and through. Here are some samples of the original box art courtesy of Dave Dobner and VSRN Online.

Body kit photo below from the Dave Dobner Vintage Collection.

Pretty cool huh? Although I have a couple of these original bodies it was great news to me that Monogram would be bringing them back. And they did it in a way that reminds you of how it used to be. This release comes in a kit form that you must build. Don't worry, the hard part has been done for you as the body comes painted and decaled. Good news for guys like me who do not possess great skills in that department.

Special Note: Usually on models that come in kit form I do a step by step assembly review. Not on this model however. Why? Because with other kits the instructions are very poorly presented but such is not the case here. Monogram has a very nicely drawn instruction sheet for you to follow. It is as clear as it can be so I do not see the need to duplicate each step. Most of you have built a model before, but even if you have not, this sheet will guide you easily and in no time you should be racing this classic.

I found the box to be attractive and I always enjoy a history of the prototype. This is a nice extra for those who do not remember this car and would like to learn a little more about it.

The body is affixed to the case bottom with a molded frame that needs 3 screws removed. All the parts to assemble the model are in a cardboard box below the model base.

As I said, the instructions are pretty clear, Here is why this reviewer will just build this kit and get right to reviewing the finished product. Again, I give credit to Monogram for making a good effort here. Some of you may not think this is a big deal, but others will see this and appreciate it.

Overall I love the looks of the model. This is a brand new mold as you can see from inside the body where they stamped a new copyright date of 2008.

The model has nicely done tampo stamped markings and I found no signs of excess bleed through or fading. The roundels seem a little on the small side but this could be just my eyesight. In any event, compared to the prototype they did a decent job in capturing it in scale.

As I stated before this model is just very eye appealing to me so I might be more than a little biased. I wish I could tell you why. There is just something about these old classic Ferraris that appeal to me. Perhaps it is the distinct look of it? I really don't care much for modern day Ferraris or Porsches, yet the classics are some of the most attractive race cars for me.

Wheels and tires are ok but they will need a little work. If you want after-market tires for your racing NINCO classic tires fit the wheels perfectly. So check with your favorite tire brand and see what they have for you.

Assembly Note: The wheel sets included will need some attention. These wheels have excess flash molding to say the least. So much so they had to be trimmed before the tires could even be mounted. I trimmed off the excess with a hobby knife (Exacto) on the wheel and once the axles were mounted they were sanded smooth before I installed the tires. I then sanded the rear tires and swapped them to the front and repeated the process.

Road Test

Plastic Magnet Track - PARMA 25 OHM Control - 12 Volt DC (Pyramid 29KX)

NOTE: There are 2 ways you can set up your model. Magnet or Non-Magnet. The kit includes two magnets and 2 steel filler plates. You can mix and match these to your discretion. I like this added option and give credit to Monogram for including it. It does tell me they realize many enthusiasts do race non-magnet.

I chose to test this with both magnets in place as this is how the fully ready to run models are delivered. Sure enough this model acted just like the other classics. It is a rocket ship to say the least. 3.0 seconds was the average which matches other releases. It should as the chassis is the same. As I stated in our first review, if you like your models to act like overgrown HO Super G Plus cars, you should be happy. Again gear mesh here is not as smooth as I would like, but I will allow time for break-in.

I cannot find any fault to how these cars operate. Just because I do not like my models this way does not mean there is something wrong with them. With our hobby today, I can easily modify these models to run the way I want them to without excess additional cost.

And here is one more bright spot to these models: Price. Both this model and the 250 GTO have a price of $39.99 at CincySlots.Com. Looking at other brands with prices sky-rocketing well over $60.00 (sometimes even more) this price is a welcome sight. Removing the magnets and using the filler plates costs me nothing as they are included in the kit. If I want to slow the model down I can drop in a replacement motor from after-market vendors such as BWA for as little as 4 dollars. This still makes this car very affordable for my budget.

BONUS: The kit includes 2 extra knock-offs and 2 extra fuel caps in case you break these off and lose them.

You could stop right here and just enjoy the model for what it is. If you enjoy the older classics I cannot see any reason to pass on these cars given the great price point and overall nice quality.

Under The Hood

Looking closer we see the MRRC Sebring chassis is employed here. Or at least that is what they used to be called. The first 3 classics had this chassis and although this one is identical Monogram has now stamped this chassis with their logo. Regardless of the stamp these chassis are identical.

One change I did notice was the gears. They still are using a 9 tooth pinion and 27 tooth crown gear but the plastic used seems different. They are black in color instead of light gray like prior releases. They still felt like they needed some fair amount of break in, but I was going to give them a chance before I changed them for any after-market part.

During testing it was clear there was some vibration going on. Loosening the body mount screws to add float helped, but not all of it. I removed the body and put the car under power and noticed the rear bushings spinning quite freely in the chassis. This is not an uncommon issue to find as was easily addressed with a little adhesive.

Non Magnet Wood Track Racing
Routed MDF - Flat Latex Surface - Copper Tape Conductivity
Pyramid 26KX Power Supply @12 Volts - PARMA 25 OHM Controllers

With the stock motor in place this model was simply more than I cared for and was very touchy upon acceleration. Still, it functioned but I knew things could be a lot better. I removed the motor and the magnets and replaced the magnets with the filler plates. While the motor was removed I decided on a motor swap.

I dropped in the BWA/050 series motor that has much less RPM. The change was easy enough although you will need to glue your pinion in place. The motor shaft on the Monogram motor is splined and causes the original pinion to fit loosely on the 050 motor. A little super glue fixed that after I scored the motor shaft with coarse grit sandpaper to allow the glue more surface to bite to.

Now it was time! And I can happily report a much nicer model to pilot. Again, this is my personal preferences only but this is how a great classic should run to me. We now had much smoother control and the model was well balanced in our tighter corners.

There is still some gear noise but it just keeps getting better the more we race it. I still may replace the gear in the future, but for now I will allow this gear system a chance to fully break in.

Final Thoughts

I like this slot car for many reasons. I mentioned earlier that it is in kit form and I like this idea. Not only does it bring back memories for veteran enthusiasts but allows the newcomer a chance to learn a little more about our hobby in general. This would be a great project for a family to get together and build. It took me only 20 minutes to complete the model so it will not take up a lot of your time.

Although I may not like the faster motor these models come with, I still have to advise you take a hard look at adding one or two to your collection. They have a good bang for the buck, run decently with minimal effort and are all the fun you could want in a slot car when finished and tuned to your liking. If you love the classics like I do it is a no-brainer. I will be adding more of these to our stable.

- 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 CincySlots.Com For Sponsoring This Review