Racer Sideways Riley - Home Racing World & Slot Car Garage

06/07/2009

Once again I am late to a slot car party. No excuses really, just with everything coming in our hobby it is very difficult to keep up. I have wanted to try one of these models for quite awhile now and for good reasons. First and foremost is the feedback I read from our forum members. It appeared RACER has really hit a home run with this series of models. With one of the latest in my hands it was time to see what this model is all about.

It arrived safe and sound from BRS Hobbies and my first impressions were very favorable. I am no expert on the 1:1 series of these cars, with only recently starting to follow them. I will say that according to photos found across our internet it appears they have done an excellent job recreating it in 1/32nd scale.

Hopefully the photos you have already seen and the ones here help you appreciate this model. To my eyes this model is simply fantastic. The level of detail is enough to satisfy even the hard core enthusiast.

Visible engine detail right down to the Ford markings with the roll bar thrown in really draws you in closer.

And although it is not as evident, the interior is also full of tiny eye-catching items. The paint detail on our driver tells you they are really trying to bring us a very scale model.

I apologize, I am forgetting this is a slot car. For those who race and race hard, yes I see them. The antenna array along with the wing and mirrors are not going to hold up to many high speed impacts. The rear wing and spoiler are also on the fragile side. So if you are running over-voltage (anything over 12) and like to add even more magnet, don't expect these fine details to last long.

However, the top antenna is made from flexible rubber which should last quite awhile. The mirrors also have more flex to them than I thought. So even normal racing crashes should not leave you with a broken car. No, they will not last forever. But the effort made shows they realize the model was meant to be raced and designed it with at least some knowledge of this. I respect that.

Wheels and tires seem equally well done. Some have thought they were on the small side, but photos show me they are close enough for my taste. Looking closer at them indicated that we had more to be happy about than just appearance. But we will get to that very soon. For now it is time for out of the box road test.

Box Stock 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

After only a couple laps I noticed something was not right. It felt like the car was hesitating in some areas. A quick check of the wheels and tires indicated the right front tire was rubbing on the body. The reason was simple enough: The tire was not mounted on the wheel all the way. After that quick fix it was time to try again.

Wonderful. That is the word that comes to mind describing how smooth and quiet this slot car operates. Simply wonderful. And reminds me of another brand of slot car as well it should. This model below the body seems to be all Slot.it to my eyes. Even the back of the box says "Powered by Slot.it". When you use these higher quality parts you get (usually) higher quality performance. This car has it in

spades.

Beginner's Note: Slot.it is a brand of models in our hobby that is long known for their high quality. They raised the bar in ready to run 1/32nd scale models years ago that few other brands can match dollar for dollar. Click Here to read more about them.

Flipping the model over tells the tale. The Slot.it motor sits in the inline position and you see the standard motor mount system. The only thing we did notice was the lack of grip in the rear tires. After taping to clean them they would only last a few laps until they lost traction.

However, just like with Slot.it models, this RACER Riley has a set of S-2 Slot.it tires taped to the bottom of the box. Since this is still a stock test, we slipped them on and away we went. Now we have a winner. We posted lap times in the 4.8 second range which is very quick on our track. Braking and acceleration are crisp enough and allows you to really push it hard in the tighter sections.

Out of the box this is an outstanding slot car. It needs virtually nothing but a good owner to have some fun with it. Oil the proper areas and keep the braid clean. This is pretty much most of you will ever need to do to enjoy these models. RACER has made a very nice slot car well worth your attention. Choosing Slot.it for power and components was a very smart decision. And let us not forget how nicely detailed and finished the upper half of this model is. Combine all of that and you have one cool hot rod well worth the price.

Looking Closer

2 screws are all that attaches the body to the chassis. Oddly enough, you will need a good quality cross-tip screwdriver and use a little extra elbow grease to remove them. The screws were tighter than I expected to remove. Perhaps this is just an isolated case here as I have not heard anyone else mentioning this. No real issue though, so let us look inside.

Here we see the motor (21,500 rpm) in the inline configuration that has a 9 tooth pinion attached that turns the 26 tooth crown gear. This gear has a slight bevel to the teeth making it what Slot.it calls a hypoid set up. The gear mesh is smooth enough right now and over time things will just get better with break-in.

With this motor pod you could remove it and change to sidewinder set up. Personally I am keeping this design. I see no reason to spend more money to try and fix something that isn't broke. Of course, this is just me. Some enthusiasts truly enjoy to tinker and tune model to see just how much they can get out of them. In this case, this chassis and the options it gives is one of the best in our hobby. There is also the standard bar magnet located in the rear of the motor pod. You can move it to the front if you like, or as I have seen some do, add a second magnet to this front pocket for even more magnetic traction.

Up front is where I was surprised. You can easily set the front axle height to a perfect tri-pod using the new set screw system. There are 2 on top and 2 located through the bottom of the chassis. I really appreciate this set up option. It also appears to have the mount system for digital conversion. Slot.it uses the Scalextric system but you might be able to fit other brands inside. I do not race digital so my knowledge in this area is very limited.

Advanced Tuning

There is only one item area I can see that you might want to look at closer: The front wheels and tires. As stated early on in the review, one of my tires was not fully seated to the wheel. I worked it on with my fingers and all was well, but I could still see a slight bump. The culprit was some excess flash molding on the wheels.

This is easily cleaned up using just some fine grit sandpaper. I just sanded the entire wheel lightly by hand and this cured the issue. There is one more sneaky little are to check. Take the tires and turn them inside out. Sometimes flash molding can be found here as well. And sure enough, my problem tire had a very slight amount of it. I just grabbed it with my fingers and it popped out.

I then set the front axle height to be as close to a perfect tri-pod as I could get with the front tires barely touching the track.

And that is it. Aside from some oil in the correct areas (each end of motor and rear bushings) this is all I needed to do. There are plenty of tuning options here with added weight, but for now I leave it as is.

Final Thoughts

Well, you know my verdict already. This is one great slot car and I would advise anyone in our hobby to try at least one. And with the price point being very reasonable, you get a great value as well. BRS Hobbies has this car listed for $59.99. I can tell you that you are getting a lot of slot car for your hobby dollar. Other brands of cars at or near that price do not have the higher quality components these cars do. Nor do they have the tuning options included. And sadly, some of them need a lot more attention than just some simple wheel sanding.

Will I have more? You can count on it. There are 4 of these models available now with a 5th on the way. This is another reason I like this car as you can start a decent series with them right away without having to break out the paint cans. This DP series was long awaited for many in our hobby and I think RACER has answered the call. If you love Slot.it models, you might as well grab one. In my eye this model is a Slot.it through and through with only a different brand in front. You owe it to yourself and your wallet to give these models a chance.

- 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 BRS HOBBIES For Sponsoring This Review!