Tuesday November 02, 2004

Auto Art Peugeot 206 WRC 2002
& Mazda RX-8

At the recent Chicago iHobby Expo Show I stumbled upon these latest models from Auto Art. They caught my eye due to the great detail, and although Auto Art has not been in the forefront of our hobby, these little models among others might be surprises in the making.

Sometimes a model catches your eye simply due to how it looks. This was the case for me while I was working in the Artin North America booth with Slot Car World. They had a full range of Auto Art models on hand and as I browsed through them, these 2 models are the ones that caught my eye.

Auto Art has a lot going for them in our hobby and the first thing is that the fit and finish of their models are simply outstanding. From excellent Tampo and paintwork, to a clear coat you can see a mile in, they know how to finish off a model. I thought they did a good job at reproducing these models in our scale and the overall look should please most of you as well.

Detail level here is right where it should be. From Tampo markings very clean on the glass, to a good interior. The Peugeot has more interior detail, in fact it's loaded. With both driver and co-driver along with a nice cockpit, full roll cage and even the spare tire. The Mazda is less of course and without driver. However, given the "tinted" windows, I doubt most of you will be bothered by this. I know that Auto Art is planning on making drivers for the street cars, but in truth this model really didn't need it. Items like the rear window defroster in the glass is a nice touch and I thought both models should please most scale enthusiasts.

Wheels and tires are nicely done, with full brake rotor detail and tread design in the tires. These tires are identical to one another and although they were very round and concentric, they do still need some sanding to get them to hook up well. These are different tires than from the first Subaru and Lancer, but I am sure after-market tires will be made available soon. It is the tires that really keep this model from being more of a match for other Rally and or street cars as the compound is a little harder and the tread design helps only on surfaces such As NINCO that are abrasive. On smoother track such as Artin, Carrera and Scalextric Sport, a smoother tire will rule the day.

Starting with the Mazda, we see something new. This is a front motor configuration along with a new dual bar magnet setup for magnetic traction. Auto Art has used dual bar magnets before in both the Lancer and Subaru, but both the setup in the Mazda and in the Peugeot do not have the slight adjustable feature these models had. The Mazda has 4 screws, 2 short for the front and 2 longer for the rear of the chassis for mounting, while the Peugeot has only 3 identical screws.

Some do not like the magnets like this as it has a quicker "break-away" effect in a slide. The Peugeot will have the magnets removed due to the type of car it is, but I left them inside the Mazda. Out of the box both these models ran pretty smoothly too. Acceleration and braking were decent on PARMA 35 ohm controllers with our power supply set at 12 volts. Pumping up the voltage to 14 things get a little dicey and of course the speed down the straights picks up. The Mazda is simply a fun model to drive...period. I could manage some decent sliding action and still average a 4.6 lap time average on our track.

Inside both the Mazda and Peugeot we see that the quick disconnect feature is still employed and I commend Auto Art for sticking with it. The front wheels on the Mazda are held in place my metal posts and on my sample they had very little free-play. There is room to tighten them up with a flat tip screwdriver placed between the head of the post and the motor.

The driveshaft axle was very true and comes fitted with a 10 tooth pinion turning a 28 tooth crown. Although it was true, I seen a little more freeplay in the brass bushing for the axle than I would have liked and I think Auto Art should have chosen a Nylon/Acetal bushing instead. Of course many feel brass or metal bushings are better, I am not one of them when it comes to a ready to run model. They require more maintenance in the oiling department and if you forget to, after awhile the sign of excess wear begins to show. Nylon/Acetal bushings are virtually maintenance free and I have run literally hundreds of miles with them without an issue.

The magnets are held in a bracket and you must remove a screw to release it and the rear axle as well. Although I did not see any of the rear bushings move under load, they do pop out of the chassis quite easily. Once I re-installed them, I added a drop of adhesive (hot glue) on each one. While I was there, I did the same to the driveshaft bushing for preventive maintenance, and then gave all bushings a light drop of oil.

The magnets in the Peugeot are not as easy to remove as the Mazda. I found the easiest way was too slightly flex the chassis downward after removing the rear axle, and using a flat tip screwdriver, pry up form the bottom. You will most likely bend the rear tabs on the chassis mount for the magnet, and if you do and decide to put the magnets back in, you will most likely need some adhesive to keep them secure.

The Peugeot is a nice running model as well, and includes the 4 wheel drive system that has a 10 tooth pinions driving 28 tooth crown gears. Out of the box it was averaging the same as the Mazda at 4.6 seconds, but I had to work a little harder with it due to that fact it is a little more top heavy. Again, when comparing it to the recent Skoda of Scalextric, this model is close in performance but the tires are the real story. The slick and softer compound of the tires on the Scalextric model gives it a clear advantage in the corners on our Artin track. However, the Auto Art car is dominant in the straights due to the 4WD system having less drag on the motor than the Skoda. The belt on the Skoda is tighter, and just turning the wheels you can feel the difference. Silicone tires on this Peugeot will most likely even things up nicely and when they become available I will test this theory then.

All in all both of these cars get a thumbs up. I am glad to see different models such as the Mazda as not everyone must have a number on the door to have fun. Seeing more diversity in the street models only helps strengthen our hobby and gives people more choices. The Peugeot with the new longer guide is in my opinion the best rally car Auto Art has produced thus far. Excellent scale detail and overall fit and finish should catch the eye of many fans of the series.

- 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 SLOT CAR WORLD for providing us with these models.