Cartrix Grand Prix Legends
W-196 Mercedes-Benz Stirling Moss #6
By Shawn J. Smith
 

Having just reviewed an 'all new' product offering I thought it would be a nice change to take a step back and revisit a product that might have been a little over looked. And now with additional models being released in the same product line we'll be taking a short look back, thanks to the help of Slot Car World , at the original Cartrix Grand Prix 'Legends' Stirling Moss #6 Mercedes-Benz W-196.

Appearance:



Being first introduced around the beginning of the year the Cartrix GP line had a lot of people talking many months prior. While Scalextric ironically created and released their own vintage Grand Prix cars a few months earlier the Cartrix cars still created quite a bit of interest due to the proposed line up of unique cars in the series.



Then, once the cars arrived, it was very obvious that Cartrix intended these cars to be unique in more ways that just the different models they planned to offer. Showing up to retailers packaged inside of decorative tins these 'soft-cloth' wrapped vintage racers were fastened to unusual plexi-glass bases and included a limited edition certificate, showing the release number out of a possible 1500 units (mine shows number 723), as well as a brief history of the car itself provided in three different languages.



On the other side of the car history/limited edition certificate Cartrix also lists several other models yet to come in the line including the Maserati 250F which just hit US retailers such as Slot Car World as recently as June of this year.



Turning our attention to the actual model it would be hard for me to discount this car's charm. The solid silver of the Mercedes-Benz might seem a little plain by today's standard of sponsorship-plastered racers however for the era the decorations are simplistically authentic.



Details such as metal-mesh grill inserts add even more personality to an already attractive little model. Black trimmed red numerals and a tiny Mercedes-Benz insignia are essentially all that remain up front in the way of detailing. I did find just the slightest bit of 'flashing' around the oval lower body opening yet it's mild enough that most would miss it unless specifically looking for it and once its placed on the track it vanishes almost entirely.



Looking at the back of the Cartrix W-196 the detailing here is even more sparse. Aside from the white number roundel with its red number six just two small body vents can be found on either side of the body as well as molded in 'openings' designed to replicate small access doors such as the fuel tank door.



In the cockpit however the detail really starts to show as our driver has a firm grip on his wooden steering wheel with its four chrome spokes. Sitting just behind the steering wheel a tiny chrome dash panel is printed with three very small gauges with white markings. Now while our driver himself is nothing more than a section of body from the armpits up he is at least given black driving gloves, a white racing helmet with brown 'leather replicating' straps and a tiny little pair of painted on goggles. Stirling also even gets the comfort of a replicated blue, red and white seat cushion behind his back.





Performance:



Flipping the Cartrix W-196 over exposes the two screws you will need to remove to separate the body from the lower half chassis. The first screw can easily be found just behind the cars crown gear opening while the second screw is tucked in very close to the rear of the guide.



With the two halves now apart we can see the simplistic workings of this small Cartrix GP Mercedes. The chassis pan has molded in channels for the guide wires to be routed and the engine cradle in this model held the motor in place very firmly.



The motor itself might appear a little odd but this style of motor is nothing new to Cartrix. I first saw this motor used in the Cartrix Champion RAID BMW Z3 and at that time I determined that Cartrix rated this Sun-Tech motor as 17,000 RPMs. For those looking for a decent NC-1 replacement these might very well be it.



Fitted with a brass pinion our motor sends power to the white plastic crown gear seated on the axle held in place by some unusual brass bushings. While these too were snug in their mounts I was able to remove them to gain access to the tiny little bar magnet tucked away directly below the pinion gear.



In contrast to the snug motor and rear axle mounts the front axle isn't limited in its movement at all. In fact, upon taking the top body section off of the car the front axle came loose and if it weren't for the guide wires running over top of it the entire axle may have fallen to the floor. Fitted with brass 'collars' the axle does have a tiny bit of side-to-side free play however it's the up and down movement of the front end that seems a bit excessive and in order to keep the axle in its holders the body needs to be secured.



Everything back together it was time to see how the sum of all its parts worked under power. Surprisingly the Cartrix Mercedes-Benz W-196 is perhaps still too fast for its own good. The small rectangular bar magnet does very little to keep the rear of the car in place and if anything the magnet serves as a 'stabilizer' against rolling while still permitting frequent tail slides if you get too eager with the power. Power delivery itself is smooth, and the braking is nice as well, however this car drives much more like a no-magnet car than it does a car equipped with a magnet and the lap times showed it.

Tossing the rear end out time and time again the Stirling Moss #6 Mercedes averaged lap times in the high 13-second to mid 14-second range and a fast lap of 13.59 was accomplished after learning the cars most effective acceleration points on the one hundred and eighteen foot four-lane Carrera road-course. The front axle did chatter around a bit and it left me thinking of ways to help reduce the up and down movement however as a whole I was pleased with the performance and it drove much like you would expect a classic Grand Prix style of car to drive.

The Final Verdict:



The Cartrix 'Grand Prix Legends' Stirling Moss #6 Mercedes-Benz W-196 is a fantastic little car if you're a fan of vintage GP-style racers. It combines good looks with very light-magnetic driving characteristics and for you collectors out there is does all of this while being a true world-wide limited edition packaged in one of the most interesting presentations I've seen yet. Sure the cost of these Cartrix cars might be a little pricey for many enthusiasts however for the money I personally feel this car is a value worth owning and if anything is a blast to drive.


Special thanks go to Slot Car World for providing this Cartrix Mercedes-Benz W-196 for review. As always, please feel free to email me with any comments or questions about this or any other review and I’ll be happy to answer any questions that I can. Happy slotting!