Wednesday July 27, 2005

BATMAN BEGINS!
All New Scalextric Batmobile

The very latest release from Scalextric is certainly in a class by itself. Regardless of whether you like models such as this or not, it is here and there are more good aspects to it than you might think. There are more fans of Batman and of his legendary Batmobile than you might think and now Scalextric brings us a brand new version to help battle crime on your layout.

Certainly, hardcore racers will most likely pass on this model, but then again this release was never directed towards them. This model is clearly aimed at younger racers and collectors, which in the end helps expose our hobby to those that still have not discovered it.

Fans of the Batman series will most likely grab one right away for their collection. I say this as I have met several collectors over the years in both slot cars and model/diecast that simply find these machines fascinating. I can relate to this as I am sure some of you can with our interests in certain models being greater than others.

I have to admit that I am one of those fans of the Batmobile. Call it nostalgia I suppose, but over the years many versions of this model has fallen into my collection in just about every scale there is. This latest one is based on the latest movie Batman Begins and from what I can see Scalextric has done a fine job of capturing it in miniature.

Even the case it comes in is wrapped in Batman graphics that should please collectors of the model. Sometimes it is the small added touches like this that cause a person to choose this for their collection and I was glad to see Scalextric make the extra effort here.

The delicate shapes of this model are nicely done with even the huge rear tires having excellent tread design. It is not perfect, but close enough. There really is no reason to try and judge this model on scale accuracy. It is undeniably a Batmobile and that is all that matters.

Inside Scalextric has outfitted our crime-fighter with the standard Scalextric motor and gearing. It also has a smaller bar magnet placed right in front of the rear axle that gives it ample amount of downforce. Getting to this magnet will take some time of you decide to remove it as the rear "turbine" assembly is held in place by its own screw and removing the motor is needed to expose it. I doubt any of you will simply have to have a non-magnet version of this model but if you are one bear in mind it will take a little work to remove.

One important item that we sometimes forget is how it runs directly from the box. There will be quite a few young (and old) racers that will simply pluck this model from the box and hit the road. There will be no problems here as our sample ran perfectly and smoothly with only a slight braid adjustment needed for our track.

I did not bother to check lap times with this model or to sand the tires to improve handling or control. I felt there was no good reason to alter this one of a kind model as it is more of a novelty than a race car you would enter in a league or series. It holds the track well enough with the magnet it has and younger racers should find it very easy to control.

Like it or not, this model is welcome in my collection. Sometimes oddities like this Batmobile are what catches the eye on an innocent bystander in a hobby store, and the rest is history. They discover our world of 1/32nd scale slot car racing and perhaps are a fan of it for years to come. With that said I cannot help but think this model does more good than evil. You might think about grabbing one for either yourself or perhaps a gift for someone you want to help discover the hobby.

- 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 Scalextric-USA For Providing Us With This Model!