Saturday February 27, 2010

1/32 Lancia-Ferrari D50

This article belongs in our Pit Row section as it is not really a straight review. It is more about what CAN be done with what you get out of the box. I have had a love-hate relationship with Cartrix for quite some time. I love some of the model choices they produce but was never impressed with how they run. And to even go further I was not a fan of the price tag. Still, I liked what they were making but have passed on them because of all the work it would take. Or all the work I THOUGHT it would take!

Another special fact about this article is that I am not the one who did the work. After posting my frustration over these models, fellow HRW member Matt Biederman decided to send me this model after he had performed his modifications. Talk about a great surprise!

First let us take a close look at this great classic. There have been some disagreements on just how well Cartrix executed this model in scale. I am not a member of the prototype police to be sure. However, I also like to see models produced as close to scale as possible. For my eyes I think it is a great little slot car and any scale issues are not enough to bother me in the least.

The fit and finish are very well done. The clear coat is especially clean and even throughout the model. Our driver is also well done and he looks busy sawing away on the steering wheel. What a nice looking model overall. For those that like classics, this model sure would be hard to pass up.

But let us get right to the nuts and bolts of this article.

Matt has taken some time with this car to get it to run like it should so let us review them.

First he removed the tires and cleaned and trued up the wheels. Then re-installed the tires and sanded them. For my track surface and some advice from Shawn Smith he installed K&D tires on the rear. Next, remove the magnet (good call!).

He then lubricated the model in the appropriate areas; motor, gears, bushings and axles. Some hot glue was needed for the rear bushings as well. Finally he taped the motor in the chassis to better secure it. This is a great idea and let me tell you it really works. He did this so cleanly it looks like it came from the factory this way.

Although it does take some time to perform these modifications, this is nothing out of the ordinary for many other models we race. And this is what surprised me. For years I have basically ignored Cartrix as some of the early models needed MUCH more work than this, or at least the ones I had sure did.

Ok, time to see what this little beauty can do on the track!

My first lap with this car was even more surprising. Not only is this car smooth as glass on our wood surface it is the motor that made me smile. A very mild mannered motor that still has plenty of speed and torque. The braking is fair although not as hard as you might see from other power-plants.

This car is so easy to drive. I had a blast dicing through the esses and it negotiated our infamous Deadman's Curve very well. This is an area of our track that looks so innocent...yet is the trickiest section of our layout for many racers.

In a word? WOW! What a great little slot car. It has it all to me. Great looks combined with great performance.

Well Matt, you proved your point and I admit how wrong I was. These models from Cartrix are cool and can easily be tuned for some great classic racing action.

Thanks a lot for this model. I can assure you she will see a LOT of track time!

Now to break the news to The General. Looks like a new classic series is going to start again :)

- Harry