Sunday May 13, 2007
Sunday May 13, 2007
For the last few years Slot.it has been producing some of the finest models in our hobby. With high quality drive train components, wheels, tires and a reputation for high levels of scale accuracy and customer service. I have collected at least one of every release and this new McLaren was not about to be passed up. Arriving safe and sound from CincySlots.com I eagerly brought it straight to the track for an afternoon of fun.
The first thing I noticed about this car is the overall fit, finish and detail. Although it is a plain livery, it reveals the sleek lines and shape of this version of the famous F1 GTR. It is the small things like the front tow hook and rear exhaust pipes that increase the finished look for the model for me.
Crisp and clean describes the clear coat that seals the body. I did not find any areas of fading or dirt around the body with the overall fit of the glass, mirrors, wing and head lamp assemblies equally error free. The top antenna is made from a flexible rubber that should hold up to many accidents before ever breaking away. The side mirrors and rear wing might fall victim to those who run heavy magnets and over voltage, but that is the price you pay for that type of high speed racing.
The interior is done well enough to suit most enthusiasts with a plainly painted driver figure easily in view. When you look closer you can see some visible roll bar detail along with the fire bottle. This is more than enough scale detail for myself. Yes, so far I was very pleased with this hot rod.
Going to the wheels and tires found something I did not expect. The left front wheel clearly had some flash molding on it that caused a slight bulge in wheel as shown. Most of you have read other reviews by Eric Cropper and Dave Kennedy listing this same issue. My model however did not have any inserts broken, or mounted improperly. I also inspected in the inside of the tires as Eric did but only found slight amount of flash molding. Cleaning that up only took a few seconds so I cannot complain too much. It does appear that there is an assembly issue here as reports I have seen mention this same issue.
To remove the insert I used a standard hobby knife and pressed it into the side where the flash molding was and gently pried on it. This loosened it enough where I could just grab it with a small tweezers and remove it completely. Then I used 1000 grit sandpaper and sanded all the edges of the insert. You can just do this by hand and actually use just about anything from the sandpaper method shown here or even a Emory board. After I cleaned it up I simply popped it back in and it was ready to go.
The rest of the wheels and tires were as round and true as you could ask for. The rear wheels are the high quality aluminum wheels we have seen in the past and they were mounted as clean and concentric as you could ask for. On my latest Slot.it models that come with the S2 tires (located under the bottom of the case) I immediately change the tires out for these. They simply give better grip and to make the field match correctly I swapped them for the remainder of the review.
Initial
Testing
4 x 16 - 4 Lane Artin
Road Course
PARMA Control (25 ohm Econo)
Pyramid After-Market Adjustable Supply Set At 12 Volts
Our first testing of this car was more than I bargained for. This model simply screams around our track posting an average lap time of 3.1 seconds. That is the best times of all the prior models I have, although mounting the S2 tires does help matters.
For my driving style and taste this model has some of the best balance I have ever had the pleasure to race with. It was easy to dive deep into our sharper corners and really apply power hard coming out. Although the magnet here is strong enough for most racers, it still allowed me to have very broad control without a distinct "snap roll effect". Many times I was able to correct myself when I was a little heavy on the throttle.
Under The Hood
Only 2 screws hold the body and chassis together and they were easily removed to expose the inner workings of this road rocket. This model comes equipped differently than prior Slot.it releases as this McLaren has the SIM06 21,500 rpm motor. It has a 9 tooth pinion attached that turns the 26 tooth crown gear. The gear mesh was a perfect as you could ask for. The back of the box tells you to only use the Offset crown gears for replacement so make sure if you do decide to change them to use these gears only. The chassis comes with the SICH24 motor pod assembly and you can also adapt this model in a sidewinder configuration using the SIKK10 conversion kit. I like the inline setup and will simply leave it as is. The screw mounts for the pod are larger than prior releases and allows you more fine tuning with backing out the screws to allow some float to the pod. Test this on your track and see what your hot set up will be. I only backed them out 1/4 turn and liked the results.
The only item that sort of concerned me was the motor change. On its own, this is a fine running motor that has plenty of power. It is just that prior models in my collection all have a different motor (SIMN04 V12/2 - 25,000 RPM, which is no longer listed on the Slot.it website. It has been replaced with the part# SIM07 designation and has a yellow end bell) albeit the difference is slight. I am certainly happy that Slot.it used this lower RPM motor as on small to medium tracks such as ours it performs wonderfully. In fact, this motor was so smooth that our lap times are slightly better than other models equipped differently. I hope that Slot.it keeps with this motor as the new standard as nothing can be more frustrating for me than new models that should (or could) run together coming equipped with miss-matched motors. Now it seems I have to re-motor all my prior releases or this one to get them as close as possible in the performance department. Some enthusiasts will argue that the prior releases are different classes, which is true. However, not every home racing enthusiast runs strictly by class. In any event, I really like this new model with this motor and have no plans on changing it.
Looking close at the front of the motor mount, make sure the tabs are seated all the way on the motor. Mine were slightly popped out but I easily snapped them in place by hand.
The front axle has reportedly had some issues with the height adjustment caps being loose. Mine seemed fine, but to make sure I just pushed down slightly on the tops of them. The ride height is very close to an ideal tri-pod so I did not see any reason to adjust it. There have also been reports of the front tires rubbing on the front inside of the body. Mine was not rubbing, but it was VERY close. For my model I transferred the front tires to the rear and gave them a quick sanding. This slight amount of sanding made sure the tires cleared the body easily.
Advanced Testing
5x16 Routed
Oval - Copper Tape/Flat Latex Surface
PARMA Control (25 ohm Econo)
Pyramid After-Market Adjustable Supply Set At 12 Volts
Usually in advanced testing we modify or adjust the model to get it to run as smooth as possible. Routed wood tracks are fantastic to race on, but many ready to run slot cars do not perform like some enthusiasts desire. At times some of these models need a fair amount of work and perhaps new parts such as wheels/axles/tires to get them right. However, this car simply needed nothing done to it. The first few laps were just as smooth and responsive as I could ask for. Tuning with lead here and there is of course expected, but mine seemed just fine the way it is. When our new road course is completed, perhaps we will find a new setup but for now I am very impressed as it is.
Final Thoughts
If you read some of my older reviews you will find I have become a huge fan of Slot.it models, and for good reason. They come with very high standards of fit and finish, performance and scale appeal that not many ready to run model companies can claim and they still are at a decent price point of just under $50.00. This new model is just a wonderful addition to our hobby that should please most any enthusiast. If you are just starting out and have not picked up a Slot.it model yet, now is certainly the time. This car will deliver hours of fun like a slot car should and you will most likely want to collect even more.
- 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 Providing Us With This Model!
