July 08, 2008
 SCX Subaru Impreza Review By Eric Cropper Appearance:  Subaru has always been recognized as a leader in the rally world and most folks think blue and yellow when it comes to Subaru’s rally livery. It’s what I think of myself and the gold rims. Well, this Subie is from the Dark Side and Lord Vader would be right at home in this Impreza. SCX has recreated this WRC beast very accurately and has some nice extra effort details to boot. The overall finish is flawless. I didn’t find anything that needed to be mentioned in regards to the tampo printing. All the logos are crisp and solid. This car does have a slight shine to it…lol. It’s the Impreza before it hits Stage 1 of a two day event.  The front end of the Subie is simple. The Subaru logo printed on the small badge in the grill area is a delicate detail that SCX nailed to perfection. You get Pirelli logos, the major sponsor graphic on the hood and a license plate for those road trips between stages.  The hood sports an air vent, hood scoop, a Rally of New Zealand race badge and molded hood pins painted in silver. Again, the molded pins are details usually found on far more expensive slot cars and SCX does it for a lot less.  The tail end is pretty much like the front with only a couple of logos, a yellow license plate and exhaust tip peeking out from under the bumper. However, it is top by an extreme rear wing. Talk about channeling some air of the rear end.  Looking down on the Subie in this shot you really get to see just how shiny the finish is on it. It has a sparse livery compared to other rally cars. Less is more.  In this close up the roof sports 3 antennas and a silver painted vent or camera. These antennas are a great detail and they’re not out of proportion. Great details, however, they are great details very prone to being lost in a tumble. This is where I wish SCX would use more forgiving rubber parts instead of a hard plastic.  The gold rims that are pretty much the standard on any Subaru rally car have been reproduced very nicely. The rubber is nothing new to the SCX lineup. The do need some sanding both rim and tire to get rid of ridges on the outside edges. The only complaint I have with the tires is the coating they use to “protect” the logo stamped on the sidewalls. After sanding the tires almost all the printing was ruined because sanding the tires puts tension on this coating and it rips or comes off. The next picture will show you what I’m talking about.  Another place where SCX makes the “little details” add to the whole personally of their newer releases can be seen in the interior of the Impreza. The interior is all black and you get a like splash of color with the roll cage, but that’s not what caught my eye. Above is the driver. Look at his helmet. Below is the navigator. See anything different? They just didn’t pop on the same head. Big thumbs up to SCX for taking the time and making the effort to diversify between the two!!!  Performance: Removing the body from the chassis requires the removal of 5 screws pointed out by the yellow arrows. The red arrows point out the 2 screws used to raise, lower, or completely remove the magnet. The body screws where some of the longest I’ve ever seen and took some effort to get loose. So, be careful and patient.  Below is the exposed chassis with an RX-81 motor. Most 4x4 cars are done with bands and pulleys; however, SCX utilizes a two motor shaft, pinion and gear system. This way both wheels have closer power distribution in my opinion. The band and pulley systems are relying on the rear axle to pull the front axle. I have both types of car systems and I think SCX has a better pull out of the turns with their setup. Track Time: The Subaru took to the track like a fish does to water. It had ample acceleration thanks to the 4 wheel drive and excellent braking. Top speed was better than the Turbo 5 I recently reviewed though the lap times didn’t show it. If the rear showed itself coming out of a turn the pull of the front wheel drive corrected it almost flawlessly. It was rare that it didn’t pull out of a slide. Overall, the Subie ran the painted Carrera track with no visible hops or rocking. It was able to run a fastest lap of 6.65 seconds. I expect with more running time and break in this time will improve. Just for comparison the Renault Turbo 5 got down to 6.31 seconds for its quickest lap in the same lane of the Carrera track. Plus, keep in mind that the Subie is about an inch longer and a bit heavier in weight. Next, I visited the “Dark Slide” as I like to call it or in other words the wood oval. It took this 4’ X 8’ short oval like a champ. It went into the turns deep and kicked the tail out upon exiting the curve. It’s a rally car. It should drift and it did. Again, this is where the direct motor pull of the front axle did its job and straighten out the Subie. The rear got back in line before it went too far and caused the car to de-slot. I didn’t get any actually rally track testing in like I did with the Turbo 5 this time. Sorry folks.  Judgment Day: SCX keeps improving their line of cars with every new release. The effort given to scale and little details while keeping the price in the moderate range is a big plus for the hobby. SCX is really stepping up their game with their product line. However, more impressive is their attempt to reach their audience. Not many brands actually participate in the many online forums. SCX is making every effort to talk and more importantly listen to their client base. In regards the Subaru Impreza it’s a winner. Rally fans will love it. Those thinking about trying something new would find it to be a nice surprise in performance and looks. I give it a 5 out of 5 because I didn’t find anything wrong with it or lacking in quality or performance. Thanks to SCX for providing the Subie for review. Congrats to Dave Kennedy for his new position at SCX USA. You’re love of this hobby will help SCX a great deal. Also, to Chuck Ehredt (Dave’s Boss) for joining in on chats and issues brought up on the HRW Forums. Don’t forget to visit the new website at www.scxworldwide.com Eric Cropper AKA legionofone AKA HRE Minion ecropper@hotmail.com Thanks Go To SCX Worldwide For Sponsoring This Review!
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