Sunday September 21, 2003

Scalextric Porsche 911 GT3R "Phase II"

We hear the term "fun factor" a lot in this hobby. Just what does make a model racing car fun? Well apparently, Scalextric understands most of what makes a fun slot car, and the new release of Porsche 911 GT3R is no exception, combining a very smooth, quiet drive-train and with great looks and performance.

This is the second release of this car, the first version having 2 weaker magnets instead of one stronger one as the main differences. However, what the model car racer will really like is the feel of this car. Even with a disc magnet, there is some great driving action to be had with this machine.

When you first lay eyes on this car, you will be impressed. The markings and paint are very well done, again on par for Scalextric. Both of my models were flawless in this department, having clear, crisp opaque markings and color. Detail is quite present here, metal screening on the front is excellent, adding a lot of depth, and the exhaust system alone looks very realistic. The wheels on this car are beautiful as well, with brake rotor detail present, and as seen in previous releases, these wheels were very round and true as the track test soon revealed. The front wheels are held in place by brass posts, which I feel is a noticeable improvement over other manufacturers plastic systems, not because they are metal, but they have tighter tolerances allowing the front wheels to give support in the turns, as they should.

Under the hood is the tried and true Scalextric sidewinder drive system, and as seen on other models such as the NASCAR and Opel, is very smooth and quiet. Side to side slop in the rear axle is almost non-existent, and neither model showed signs of needing any shimming or adjusting. Also on the chassis is 3 magnet pockets, allowing you to tune this car to your specific driving style, so however you prefer your model cars, heavy or light on the magnet, this Porsche has your style covered. Perhaps some would have preferred a bar magnet instead of the included disc magnet, making the car a bit more forgiving in slide recovery.

Personally, I would have liked to seen this feature, yet the car can be tuned for this type of driving as well, so this feature is again, a matter of personal preference.

In the front, you can see the car is equipped with Scalextrics’ self-centering guide and the lighting system. This system does its job well, and on this model, the effects of it are an added plus, being very bright, yet even on the white bodied model, has very minimal "light bleed" so the front of the car is not entirely lit up while driving.  Some like lighted slot cars for added realism, and I feel they not only add the obvious visual appeal, but make night racing much more enjoyable. The wiring on this model is neat and tidy as the wires are held in place by small posts on the sides of the chassis.

Performance for this Porsche was superb, having responsive and smooth acceleration in the straights with braking being just as clean, making it easier to feather in the corners than I expected. Even with the button magnet, there is a recovery window, albeit a short one. Once you get used to it however, we found both these cars to be a LOT of fun to drive, forcing us to take our time, calculate our timing more precisely and in turn, hone our driving skills.

One thing I did find was that the car seemed a bit light in the front, at least for my taste. Simply adding another button magnet in the front position could be the first option, if you come to the same conclusion. I did not have an extra button magnet at the time of testing, however, I did manage to come up with 2 different approaches you might like to try.

The first is simply adding lead stick on weight to the front as shown in the photo. This lead is easy to come by, has a self-adhesive backing for easy placement and removal, and usually deals with this type of handling issue quite well. You must take note to trim the weight to the proper length as not to rub against the stub axle assembly for the front wheels. Also, a small notch was needed to allow for the front body post, making this is as simple as cutting a V notch in the weight with side cutting pliers, then taking your moto-tool with a milling or similar attachment, and rounding out the edges.

The second option was that I had a few extra Tweaker magnets handy, and since they were small enough, I chose to place one flush behind the body mount post. This worked very well, as the chassis has a fair amount of clearance, allowing this modification to be completed with no heavy dragging effect. Both modifications accomplished its intended purpose and provided us with an even smoother driving experience. If you treat yourself to one of these cars, give one of these modifications a try and let us know your own findings.

All in all this is just another great slot car from Scalextric. High quality is here folks, from the wheels to the roof. We are having a lot of fun racing these cars, so much in fact that we had to get at least 2 more of the previous versionsJ . When slot dollars are sometimes hard to come by, at a price of $39.95, it is hard to pass up adding one of these to your current line up, in fact, it just makes it easier to have 2!

Harry Wise

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!

Check out the Scalextric-USA website for all the latest information regarding these models and the rest of the Scalextric line.