Scalextric D Type Jaguar - Home Racing World & Slot Car Garage

A few new releases are starting to trickle out in 2012 and this one has had my attention from the day it was announced. Finally it appeared a new classic was being offered that not only would look and run good, but would be affordable as well.

Recreating the glory days of road racing in 1/32nd scale simply is not complete without the Jaguar D Type. When you research this car you will find out why. In the 50's Jaguar won many events and this car won the 1957 Le Mans.

Before the car arrived here I had already heard many opinions about it. Most all of them were positive. This sort of surprised me because Scalextric seems to be inconsistent in achieving the overall body shape in scale, especially on some of the past efforts of classics.

But not on this model, at least not to my eyes. Nothing is ever perfect of course but overall I have to give Scalextric a thumbs up.

The fit and finish is also very well done. Scalextric is about as good as it gets in this department for a ready to race slot car. Because the bottom panels of the body are molded to the chassis, there is a distinct line you can see. I wish they would have designed it differently for not only looks, but for tuning. Yet, it is not that offensive and most of you will be pleased. The color is in question, it might not be the ideal shade. Photos vary of course but you have to make the call. This is one of those models that photos just do not do it the justice it deserves, especially my amateur attempts.

Seeing the circuit board for the lights so clearly is odd, but I am happy they are included.

Detail level should please most of you. Even the driver is not a bad effort, although he might be sitting a little low in the saddle. I like how they have him sort of leaning into a turn with the arms slightly uneven.

Wheels are also done pretty well although they could have a little more depth to them and the knock offs are on the small side. Yes, nitpicking I know, but remember there are many enthusiasts out there who do care about these things. Tire sizes are ok, but the true scale enthusiasts will do some contour work. For the average home racer these are more than enough for scale.

Adding some diluted black to highlight the pattern will help achieve more scale depth.

I was happy to see that the wheels appeared very round and true and that the rubber compound seemed nice and soft. I have no complaints about Scalextric in the tire department lately and I was hoping these would provide decent grip out of the box.

Looking underneath we a front motor configuration along with a standard bar magnet. Given the interior detail of the car a front motor and driveshaft was the logical choice. Yet, Scalextric provides a technical data sheet on all new releases and when you read it you can clearly see a mistake was made.

Scalextric Published Technical Data At A Glance - My Own Findings

Motor - Mabuchi SP; 18k rpm
Gear ratio - 9:27
Chassis -Rear Mounted Inline; Rear 2 wheel drive - Incorrect, this is a front motor configuration.
Magnet - Rectangular 2.5 mm; Downforce 96 gm
Overall length -106 mm
Wheelbase -75 mm - I found 72.25 on 3 measurements
Axle/Hub width - 54 mm Front; 56 mm Rear
Tire diameter/width - 20(ext), 13(int) x 6 mm Front; 20(ext), 13(int) x 6 mm Rear
Weight - Car 57 gm

I like the stock Scalextric motor and it should give most of you more than enough speed. I have to warn those of you racing on the abrasive surfaces like NINCO, SCX and even classic Scalextric that even with this mid range motor, combining it along with the grip of the track and the heavy bar magnet means when this car even slightly breaks free, it is literally FREE.

Removing the magnet make things better in my opinion but with this track surface realistic drifting effects are not common. Tinkering with weights and tire compounds should deliver a model that satisfies though. As with any model it will just need a good owner to fine tune it. Regardless of my personal taste, the car passes our box stock test easily.

In fact, I was rather impressed with the overall feel of the model under acceleration. It had very little vibration and the wheel/tires seemed very round and true. I was very optimistic that when I brought this model to our wood track where it is destined to race, we would have a good platform to work with.

I also liked the fact it is fully lighted front and rear. A famous Le Mans car like this should have lights and I have to commend Scalextric for having them as standard equipment. It may be a small thing to some of you, but for some of us this scale detail is very much appreciated.

4 screws were easily removed to expose our chassis. You can see the lower part of the body is molded as part of the chassis. Of course you now get a closer look at our front motor configuration along with the bar magnet and wiring for the lights.

The wiring for the rear of the model caught my eye because it is VERY close to rubbing the crown gear. I tried to relocate it underneath but you would have to notch the body post a little to allow the wire to recess and the wire itself would need to be lengthened. No real issue as I just bent the wire to make sure it clears and I can go back and rewire it if need be.

Under load I inspected the chassis components and found no issues. Motor shaft spring and shaft showed no signs of wobble. The motor itself sits snugly with also no signs of rocking in the mounts. But I always hot glue my motors in place because over time they do begin to move. Finally the rear axle bushings were snug and there was no rotation inside the chassis.

This track is where this model will call home and my first few laps had me smiling from ear to ear. Operation was pretty smooth right out of the box with NO wheel or tire sanding. This tells you a lot about the overall platform.

Aside from the obvious that we had adequately round wheels and tires, I noticed the front tires just barely touching the track. This is also a big factor in how well this model functions. With just a slight sanding the front end was riding just about perfect. Just sand the tires on the rear and swap them to the front.

Tires had decent grip, but Paul Gage tires will be installed very soon. Of course this is just my personal preference so it will be closer in compatibility to other brands of classics in my collection that it will run against. Tires such as the NINCO classic will fit here but the profile is too low and has a slight cupping effect. But they can work until these tires become available.

The motor here is not a bad one by any means but I will be changing it to the milder classic M/T-1 Racing motor so it will have the performance more to my liking. But as it is I can see many clubs just leaving it alone and enjoying it as it is.

And with that said, I might as well share the quick change out. For our racing here, this model needs to have the right power to fit into our classic series. We are using the MT Racing series of motors on almost all of our classics and they have the perfect feel for us.

I trimmed the front shaft off and slipped on the spring assembly. Because the shaft is not knurled, you can either use a good brand of Super Glue (CA) or solder it. I like solder and it was very easy using a 60/40 blend solder. In just a few seconds it flowed into the spring and on the shaft. Done.

Now this model has the performance level I appreciate. Very smooth and the speeds are more realistic.

Overall I am very happy with this effort by Scalextric. It almost has everything going for it: Great looks and decent stock performance, easily tuned for a variety of tracks, and finally a decent price point. The MSRP is $49.95 but Chicagoland Hobbies has it listed for $41.99. With MRRC offerings over $60.00 and of course NINCO models reaching even higher collector prices, plus you factor in the constant motor changes and NO lights, this model should be greeted with open arms to those collecting and racing classics.

There is nothing about any other brand that makes them warrant such a high price. Side by side against these other brands this Scalextric model is actually better in my opinion.

The only thing missing? A running mate. I contacted Scalextric and voiced my issue and was told they are aware of it and other models are planned. But they did recognized that at least one other model should have been brought out to run along side our champion.

At this price I will easily add several more to my fleet. I enjoy repainting models to look like "historic racers" and that is exactly what will happen when they arrive. Beginner enthusiasts should give this classic a chance. It is fun like any slot car should be and has the potential to start a whole new series at your track. Of course any of you advanced enthusiasts that are currently enjoying classic racing need this model. It fits right into your existing cars in this class with a quick motor swap, yet it has the added benefits of being fully lighted and much easier on your wallet.

As always feel free to contact me about this article or just the hobby in general at harry@homeracingworld.com.

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