Friday November 10, 2006

A Class Act?

Scalextric Cooper Climax T53

The Classic series of models from Scalextric offer a great change from the ordinary in our hobby. Although the 1:1 cars raced well before my time, I certainly appreciate the history and the impact they had on the sport of auto racing. The Cooper T53 is one such model that had great success in it's day, and now I get to experience it all over again in scale.

First, I have to say that not all slot car enthusiasts are going to look at this model and like it. That being said, for those that do enjoy this era of racing, this model should not disappoint you. My Cooper arrived from CincySlots safe and sound and when I first unwrapped it my first impression was simply "Wow!".

In some cases, photos of a model fail to capture just how beautiful they really are. Some of you have experienced this many times as you walk into the local hobby shop in hopes of setting your eyes on that new release. There it is right up front and when you look at it for the first time you might feel that it looks so much better in person. Hopefully though, these few images can reveal the sleek lines and excellent overall finish this model has.

If you are just joining us in this great hobby, you will soon discover that Scalextric, like many others, really make a fantastic looking slot car. Nothing is perfect of course, but the paint work here is virtually flawless along with a clean and dust free clear-coat sealing everything nicely.

The smaller details on models such as this are usually minimal and such is the case here. However, I think they have struck a great balance and provide enough to give the model an overall finished look. Items such as the etched screen deep in the nose will catch you looking even further. The interior is basic enough with decent dash and driver detail. For those that look closer, yes, you will see that our driver has the end of the motor sticking right through him! Does this bother me? Not really. I do think Scalextric could have simply made the cockpit a flat design and saved the tooling headaches of making this fit. However, scale detail is the name of the game for many out there and I have admire them for the effort they have made. For those that want to disguise this motor issue, a little paint or even a magic marker will help a great deal.

The wheels and tires on this model are also well done. I have seen many photos of the prototype and it does appear that they are a little on the small side, but it does not really bother me that much. They have it pretty close, or at least close enough for my tastes. As usual, only you can decide if the effort made here is good enough. Small touches like the brake rotor detail just add to the overall appeal for me. I was happy to find them round and true for the most part and the model ran smoothly on our out of the box test. I did have to re-seat the left rear tire a little as it had a slight wobble. After this quick fix, she ran wonderfully around our layout.

Turning this little car over we see that it is equipped with the smaller button magnet near the rear. You will also see 3 screws, but only ONE of them attaches the chassis to the body at the rear of the model. The front 2 screws are there to hold the front axle/suspension in place. This is where I discovered that the front of the chassis did not sit perfectly flush with the body, it had a slight gap present. Not much, but once I noticed it I wondered what caused it. The chassis is just not bent enough to fit like it appears it should. Nothing really major here, but I need to mention it for those that end up getting the model. I decided to loosen the rear screw to see if that helped...and it did. The chassis seated near perfectly except that it does sit rather loosely. I then tightened it another turn to just barely seat it and found a happy medium.

After removing that rear screw, it is time to remove the body. Take CARE when doing this as the side exhaust will seem to hang up a little. Mine popped free with a little extra effort with no harm done, but as I said, it can be tricky so just be careful and take your time. Inside we see the smaller, more powerful motor similar to those found in the recent modern F-1 series equipped with a 9 tooth pinion that turns the 27 tooth crown gear.

Testing - Plastic Track With Magnet

This stronger motor is where some enthusiasts have issues. Of course, given the space of the model, this motor works well. It is just that it can be a handful to control, most notably on smaller circuits. However, it is here to stay and one must simply adjust to it. I am fortunate to have a adjustable voltage power supply that allows me to tone this motor down and allow the model to have much increased control. As much as I appreciate the effort brought forth, this small lightweight model would be better suited with a milder motor to increase the control factor in my opinion. Granted, there are plenty of large clubs out there with equally large layouts where this motor will work much better. I just feel for a great many enthusiasts that do not have one of these to frequent, they might find the model a little more difficult than it should be.

My first tests had my power supply set at 12 volts and I used a PARMA 35 ohm controller. Several laps were made before I could find a comfortable rhythm and then things began to improve. I ran lap time averages of 3.6 seconds which is very impressive speed wise. However, I just could not get it to dive in and out of the turns quite the way my driving style dictates. It was then I dropped the voltage to 10 1/2 volts. Here is where things really started to improve and I easily increased my lap times to a 3.5 average. I now had the smoother power curve I wanted which allowed me to slip through the turns with much improved control and speed. Before, the car was almost like an "on-off" switch where now the transition was almost non-existent.

One thing I must mention is that you are simply going to have to adjust your driving technique with a model like this. Do not expect this car to handle like a modern Formula 1 car. This is one of the best aspects of this scale of racing in my opinion. Each model we see does have unique characteristics to it that separate it from others and we have to respect this when it is time to do battle on the track.

Testing - Wood Track Non-Magnet

We recently finished our 5 1/2 by 16 foot 4 lane oval so it was time to see how this beauty would act on the wood. I prepped the car by doing nothing more than a light tire sanding and cleaning. Again I began with 12 volts and a PARMA 35 ohm controller. All I can say is that this car has a bright future for those who race the lumber. A very smooth model was discovered with only a slight hop up front.

I was going to add some weight under the model since there is virtually no room inside, but before I did that I decided to look at the front wheels and tires. Although the ride height is near a perfect tripod, it still looked as if the front tires could use some sanding. Luckily, these tires fit the rear wheels so I just swapped them and gave them a good sanding. While doing this swap I inspected the wheels and sure enough I noticed very large portions of flash molding on the inner rib of both the front and rear wheels. This is a trait of almost every plastic wheel made, so no real issue. For the rears I simply sanded them lightly using the methods described here and all was better. The tires sat firmly, and more importantly they were as round as possible. For the fronts I used a small Emory board and did it lightly by hand. Just enough to remove the flash molding. Hopefully these photos show how the taller edges of the wheel inner rib are now flush and that the flash molding is eliminated.

The model now ran smoother, yet when you start to race and give full throttle, you can still see a slight hop in the front. I added about 1/4 ounce of Slick 7 sheet lead underneath and this did help a little. You are going to have to experiment here to find the right amount for your taste. Honestly though, it was again when I dialed down the voltage did this car reveal itself to be a very fun model to drive. In fact, I dialed it down to 8 volts and here is where I enjoyed the model to its fullest. Still plenty of top speed down the straights but the control I had in the corners made this car very addicting to drive.

Conclusions

Although I do not think that such a small and lightweight model needs such a strong motor, I still have to give Scalextric high marks on this model. It is very smooth running out of the box and also has a high level of scale appeal. The best thing is that YOU can tune and adjust this model to run the way you like it.

I am pleased that Scalextric is still adding to this popular line of models. With all the other choices on the market today, this Classic offers a different style of racing that will allow you to truly experience the fun of 1/32nd scale. It has an identity all it's own and with a little practice you should be pleased that you decided to add one to your current collection. I know that I am.

- 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 CincySlots.Com For Providing Us With This Model!