Friday September 28, 2007

The Mini Cooper is a car that certainly has a huge following not only on city streets, but racing as well. Although it does not appear to be much of a race car given how small it is, size does not matter as history has proved. With Scalextric celebrating 50 years in our hobby, I found the choice of this Mini in the Classic line up very appropriate.

Arriving safe and sound from CincySlots.Com I was immediately impressed as well as a bit surprised. I am not used to seeing such a small car in our scale (3 3/4 inches long, 1 3/4 wide). However, it appears Scalextric has done a very good job at capturing this classic, or at least well enough for my eyes. When you first see the car in the case, you will notice that the Rallye Monte-Carlo plaque is not mounted. It is located under the base of the case in a sealed plastic bag. I think this is a good idea as those who simply have to have it mounted for scale realism can do so, yet those who do not want to see it broken can remove it before racing. It does not fit very snugly when you do mount it, so it is a safe bet it is only included for scale realism if desired.

Fit and finish is what we have come to expect from today's Scalextric line. I found no runs or fades in the paint with the window trim being especially well done. The clear coat is equally nice and appears to seal the model evenly. I found the left front headlight lens a little obscured, but nothing offensive really.

Detail level here is more than you might expect too. The chrome is nicely done along with a front floodlight bar. The car is lighted both front and rear but only the headlights function, not the added floods. Still, having it lighted means a great deal when you are looking for increased scale accuracy or you enjoy night racing like we do.

Right away I was drawn into the interior where both driver and navigator are present. The co-pilot here even has his chart and they molded him to be looking down at it. Nice touch. We also see 2 spare tires, a complete roll bar assembly and of course detailed dash panel.

The very small wheels and tires seemed round and true enough but I could see where some sanding will be needed. The tires have a slight low center cupping to them, but this can be said for many other tires on the market. More importantly the wheels appeared to be mounted cleanly on the axles.

The fronts are independent and do have some free-play to them. Nothing as drastic as I have seen on other models such as Fly Classics, but it is here. However, it did not seem to matter when we began testing.

Out Of the Box Test
Artin Track with 12 Volts - Parma 45 OHM Control

The very first lap with this car was just plain fast. We clocked and average of 3.7 seconds right away which is very quick on this track. Acceleration and braking are very crisp, but the correction window here is very short. Once you get heavy handed in the corners, you will most likely roll it. Perhaps the roof plaque is safer in the bag after all?

Still, it functions very well with no excess gear noise or any signs of major wheel or tire issues. Most enthusiasts will like it if they are running magnets so we must give Scalextric another thumbs up for out of the box performance. Non-magnet is a different story as although it has a new lower specification motor to it, the size combined with this power is still touchy going. I had it tamed for the most part, but it will take some getting used to if you are a non-magnet fan.

Looking Closer

Turning the model over we see the standard guide in use along with 4 screws holding the body and chassis firmly together. Once inside we see the new Mabuchi FF style motor (rated at 15,000 RPMS) mounted in the inline position. It is equipped with a 9 tooth pinion that turns a small 20 tooth crown gear.

The front and rear light bar assemblies are in place and wiring is very neat and tidy for the small space they had to work with. Looking at from this vantage point you can see the large bar magnet and imagine how well it keeps this car pinned to the track. Securing the rear axle bushings with hot glue would be a good idea given the test results found later in this review. I did not see any movement of the bushings under load, but preventive maintenance is always a good idea.

The front wheels are post mounted using metal posts and the fit is very tight on the post. Two tabs from the body join with the tabs on the bottom to help the axles have as little slop as possible. There is some present, but not enough to warrant trying to change it. At least, for my taste.

"Ultimate Test"

This model was one of several that came in time to bring along to a large race event. I let many different enthusiasts try it along with loaning the car out to a club in Memphis, TN. They race at Cloverleaf Speedway on a large Carrera 4 lane track.

This was going to be important as they run a Rally event on Sunday, and this car was to be the ONLY car all the drivers would race. It was to be a 4 lap slugfest event and afterwards each driver had to sum up in one word what they thought about the car.

*None of the racers knew what car this would be until race time. No one was allowed to test run it, adjust or tune it in any way. This was a cold start if there ever was one.

This test simply tells you what 15 to 20 people thought about this model. I will let the opinions of these enthusiasts be your guide. The fact that no tire sanding or any other modifications were allowed says even more. We all know how important getting our tires true can be. I wonder what future reports will be when they are allowed to tinker with it?

Final Thoughts

This little model has a lot going for it and fans of this classic should think about getting at least one. It could be a great little series as well when other models arrive, or simply re-paint existing offerings. It truly is something different and perhaps this might make it even more appealing to collecting enthusiasts. The fact that an entire club had one great time racing it proves it is a fun, exciting little car that is also tougher than it appears. Sort of like the 1:1 car:)

-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!