Pink-Kar "Hippy" VW!

February 4th, 2003

There are times when I purchase a slot car based not so much on performance, but for the novelty of it. This is one of those times as you can see. Pink-Kar has released some decent models in the past, but the VW Beetle didn’t grab my attention at first. This all changed however when I spied this livery.

(Dude) What can I say? I guess it just brings back memories of my youth, and I have to wonder where they got the idea for this in the first place. My wife wasn’t as pleased as I was, saying something to the effect that it was one of the silliest things she has ever seen.

GOOD! Mission Accomplished! Of course this livery will not attract everyone, but it had me hooked from day one. It may be silly indeed, but for me it makes it that much more fun. Pink-Kar actually did a fine job in the paint and marking department, and a clean, even clear-coat seals it all in. A small interior is included, complete with driver and passenger, although not loaded with detail, adds a nice overall effect to scale.

The chrome work is fair, although I found a few places with excess mold flashing, as with some rough edges on the hubcaps, but nothing that takes away from the overall look of the model. The wheels, although colorful are adorned with tires that are not the roundest I have seen. A little hand adjusting on them was needed to get them true, but for those actually racing these cars, replacement tires and wheels should be near the top of your list, as these still had a slight wobble to them. 

Incredible as it may seem, there is a slot car underneath here somewhere. 2 screws mount the body to the chassis, and removal was easy. Inside you find the Mabuchi/PowerPlus 1 motor in its inline drive configuration. Opinions of this motor vary depending on the type of track these motors see. For smaller home plastic tracks, it seems to provide plenty of power, at least it does for us. A button magnet mounted mid-chassis helps keep this Bug pinned to the track, but certainly doesn’t have excess magnetic drag.

When it comes to performance, all I will say is that it is fun to drive if you enjoy a challenge. This model slides easily on our Carrera track, with decent acceleration and braking. I was surprised that it wasn’t as prone to tipping over as I first expected, then again, the magnet helps a great deal here. As with many models, I suggest using adhesive on the rear bushings as I found one to be a little loose causing it to spin in the chassis mount. Tuning this model with lead would be my first option, as a model like this really does not need any more magnet. (At least to me).

I can say I am happy with my Bug! There are other versions as well as this one available, and if tuning one of these sounds like fun to you, why not pick one up? Slot Car World has announced that they will be building the Artin 4 lane sets with the option of 4 of these (not this livery) models included. These are not the fastest, nor are they the highest in detail or performance, but they would be ideal kit-bashing candidates.

 Harry

As always, feel free to email me at wiseone@yhti.net about this article or just the hobby in general.

Or better still, drop into the Home Racing World Message Forum and let us know your thoughts. 

A thanks goes to Slot Car World for providing me with this excellent model.