Pioneer Notchback & Fastback Trans-Am Mustangs - Home Racing World & Slot Car Garage

Monday March 01, 2010

When we look at new releases in our hobby, not all of them have the following these models have. Especially when we are talking about a brand new company. Since the first peek at these cars, many enthusiasts have scrambled to have their own and for good reasons. These Pioneer Mustangs have great looks along with the performance we expected. Finally the ready to run versions arrived on my doorstep and we could get a closer look at these historic racers.

Many of you already know about these models. And our own David Reinecke did a very well detailed review of the kit releases here. I also did a review on the original Mustang here. Not much has changed, but there are a few things you might be pleased to find.

First, let us take a look of the 4 models up close. 2 of these models are the all new Notchback Trans-Am versions while the other 2 are new race livery adorned Fastbacks. What is interesting to me is how Pioneer has classified these models. They are not hiding the fact that the 2 Fastbacks are fictional liveries. Therefore the box art for these models are slightly different. I like this idea. They are honest about these models so those who strictly want prototype race cars know up front.

You see the Notchbacks have the Pioneer Trans-Am logo and the Fastbacks say Pioneer Club Sport. For those that care, I think the box art is quite well done. The bases with the road cone and stripe on them also make for an eye pleasing display. Remember, there are collectors out there who just enjoy looking at them. I can see this box on the desk of a Pony car enthusiast somewhere regardless if they are into our hobby or not.

On the back of the Notchback box it gives you a quick history of the model. Some like having this information and I am one of them.

The back of the Club Sport Fastbacks has a description of sport racing. This works for me.

Inside the Notchback Trans-Am models is a Vehicle Data Card. It gives a more detailed history of the model in questions along with technical specifications. Again, I like this idea of adding a little more attention to educating the enthusiast.

Ok, finally the cars! These are the 2 Notchback Trans-Am models.

Next up are the two Fastback offerings.

Again, these models have a fictional livery. Want to know something? I could care less. These models look like the BELONG on the track right next to the "real" Notchbacks. And I must say these cars are stunning to my eye. Yes, it is no secret I am a fan of good old black and gold but almost every enthusiast I have spoken too feels the same way.

After looking these models over a little I checked under the base to see if we still had a few extra spares. Yes, fresh tires are there along with extra mirrors, braid and guide. However, this a ALL new guide. Pioneer actually made a slightly deeper guide for those that could use them.

I for one really applaud this effort. We finally are seeing this option come standard on some models, but to have it as an extra was something I did not expect. And given the unique guide design, it makes changing over a lot quicker and less expensive on us.

Box Stock Track Testing
MidMo International Speedway
4 x 16 - 3 Lane MDF Routed Wood - Flat Latex Surface
Copper Tape Conductivity - Aftermarket Power @ 12 Volts PARMA 25 OHM Control

We simply could not wait to test these cars. This was a special occasion here at HRW as I had 2 close friends here to help out. I always like this as it gives me even more feedback to pass along to you.

As expected, all of these models ran very well out of the box. This says a great deal really when you look at the track they are racing on. Routed wood & non-magnet. We sliced and diced them pretty good and all of them were as equal as you could ask for with very clean braking and snappy acceleration out of the corners.

There was a little wheel hop and here and there of course. And we could tell some attention was needed in the tire department like a good sanding and cleaning. However this is expected with just about any model released. Overall the comments were all positive. From the fit and finish of the bodies, to how they performed.

NOTE: As you might notice, you can see these models have had the tires sanded or changed. My original photos did not save correctly.

Turning the models over you can see they are identical. I will say the "Kit" Notchback we have has the exhaust slightly farther back, but these releases are all the same.

Removing the 6 screws was easy enough and we see there has been no changes from previous releases. Or has there?

The Typhoon motor has a different can without the cooling holes or stampings. Still, the new can has been ink etched with the same technical specs as the early versions. I was told that some of the originals produced did not meet the requirements and Pioneer had to scramble to find a motor that meet them. They did not have time to have the new can installed or the artwork done. No real issue for me. They appear to run just fine so no complaints from this camp.

Other than this, I could no differences. Good, that is exactly what I wanted to see. I do think the enthusiasts need to realize this is a brand new company in our hobby. Sometimes things get changed slightly to improve the model. If you ask many members of our forum, Pioneer listens and responds to many questions and comments. That new guide that is included is just some of the evidence of this. Besides, I have dealt with more radical changes in the same series of models than a simple can design from other veteran makers in our hobby.

Very Interesting

While the bodies were off I gave a closer look at the interiors. My friend Rick Swanson who is an avid racer and collector informed me there were some differences. he was right. In fact, there are 3 different interior designs. Mostly centering around the driver. We noticed the driver had slightly different helmets and arm positioning.

This little added touch is something unique that should please most of you who appreciate this kind of variety.

Quick Tuning

What about some tuning? Well, we have experimented a little here and there but the reader needs to know we like to keep our models as close to STOCK as possible. We do not race in a formal series that allows all types of changes. We just keep it simple. The old saying comes to mind: "If it isn't broken...don't fix it" or something like that :)

Still, there are a few things you can do to make these models a little smoother and perhaps increase performance without digging into your wallet too deep.

First, if you are a magnet racer you have extra areas to add more if desired. Even magnet racers like to add weight and there is plenty of room for that as well. Given we do not race with magnets, or rather the magnet does not function, we strictly use lead for tuning the balance of our models. We do leave the magnet in the stock position as we visit other tracks that are standard plastic and we like to be able to enjoy them.

You can use the existing magnet pocket for adding lead and there is some room up front as well. This helps keep that front end planted just a little better and found this to be a very good tuning option. Of course you will have to experiment yourself to get that "hot set up" on your raceway. That is part of the fun though!

There is a slight amount of room underneath, but be careful adding here. If you have uneven track surfaces make sure you are not scraping. Just test thicknesses until you find one that works.

***NOTE***

I had strong reservations about posting this next tip. It is not for everyone to try.

You must take your time and make sure the tires are seated as true and even as possible.

Yes, they will make a cupping effect but these are front tires after all.

Our goal was to clean them up and give the model a better tri-pod effect.

I was advised that since this is how I did it, to go ahead and share it.

Since we noticed some wheel hop the first thing we checked was the front wheels. The front tires do slightly support the front and we wanted to sand them down a little to true them up and to also give us a better tri-pod effect. But the front tires will not fit on the rear wheel properly. The rear wheel has a slightly larger rib than the front.

But that was not going to stop me. There are other methods we could have used that frankly are more accurate but I decided to try and mount them on the rear anyway and see what we had to work with. You can carefully massage the tires until the slip over the rib. This causes a cupping effect with the sides of the tire higher than the center. Fine by me. I took it to our sanding block and sanded the tires until all of the tread pattern was removed. I re-installed the tires on the front and although the sides were now slightly lower (high center) it worked perfectly.

So is they way you should do it? Only you can answer that. All I can relay to you is that it works. Using a drill you could mount the axle and one wheel at a time and sand them. Perhaps you have a tire and wheel truing machine? You could even drill out the existing front bushings a little more to allow the front axle to float a little more. I just decided to test this method as it is much quicker and not all enthusiasts have advanced equipment.

After this we lubricated the model in the appropriate areas and sanded the rear tires and we headed back to the track.

What a difference this made. Sometimes just the simplest tuning rewards big dividends. Our wheel hop was all but gone and the model was just smoother.

Advanced Testing

One thing most enthusiasts would want to know is if these cars are competitive with the other major brands of Trans-Am models. As we have seen in David's excellent review it can hold it's on and is very competitive in both magnet and non-magnet conditions. This time we were on wood and we raced a variety of models including 2 offerings of the SCX Cuda, 2 Scalextric Camaros and one Scalextric Mustang.

So my friends and I headed to do battle. The first several laps made it VERY clear: This car is not only competitive it could easily win on any given day.

And that is what was so much fun for us. It was how evenly matched all these cars were. At times one of us would get a good run but that happened every brand we raced. We would swap lanes, then cars and the same would happen. I did forget one thing. You will notice no lap times posted. My apologies but I simply forgot to turn it on. But did we need it? No. These cars were so evenly matched we did not need a timer. We could see the results right in front of us.

Pioneer has really caught some of the "big boys" napping. These are models we have been needing for years for this series. They co-exist with other manufacturers which allows more diversity for the enthusiast. And instead of strictly street versions of the Fastback, they knew we wanted models in race trim and came up with a scheme that works and works well. Plus having the scale Notchbacks with them is a 1-2 punch. The popularity of them across many forums on the Internet shows they picked a winner.

Pioneer has made a clear success with this series of releases. They look and run great and have a couple extras that just makes the price more attractive. Pioneer also seems to be a company that listens to the enthusiasts. I for one could not be happier with the cars or the company. I can highly advise any slot car enthusiast who enjoys classic American racing to grab at least a pair for the stable. I think you will be very glad you did.

- 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 Pioneer For Providing Us With This Sample!