07/26/2012

1/32nd Scale Scalextric Grand-Am Camaro #C3289
Stevenson Motorsport

The Scalextric line up for 2012 is impressive in the amount of variety they are offering, but only a chosen few caught my attention. This Camaro is one of those few. It may not appeal to everyone, but I still appreciate seeing new American iron in our hobby.

For my eyes it is refreshing to see this car. Not only is it because it is a Camaro, but the team, livery and special sponsor really appealed to me.

If you are brand new to our hobby, you will soon discover Scalextric is one of our largest and oldest model makers. They do not always make the perfect slot car, far from it at times. But in the past few years they have really improved the overall quality of their models. In fact, I think they are some of the nicest running ready to run models in our hobby.

Quick Data

Motor - Mabuchi SP; 18k rpm; Gear ratio 11:36
Chassis - Rear Mounted Side-winder Motor; Rear 2 wheel drive
Magnet - Rectangular 2.5 mm; down-force 200g
Overall length - 125 mm
Wheelbase - 78 mm
Axle/Hub width - 54 mm Front; 54 mm Rear
Tire diameter/width - 20(ext), 13(int) x 8 mm Front; 20(ext), 13(int) x 8 mm Rear
Weights - Car 78 gm; Case 156gm

Based on the Grand-Am Series team of Stevenson Motorsports, this model is very good representation. Not perfect, not at all. But it captures the essence of the car.

Paint work here is well done. I did notice a slight orange peel effect on the rear quarter panels, but it is so slight, you really have to be looking for it. The overall body seems close to scale, or at least close enough for me. It seems rather short in the front and too tall overall. Perhaps that is the ride height clouding my judgment.

And that brings us to one of the things that takes away from the model for scale enthusiasts: The overall height. It is just sitting too high. Does this bother me? Of course. It is just as easy, and costs the same to make a model look accurate as it is to make it wrong. I cannot confirm why they made this model like this but  whatever the reason is, it wasn't a good one. I can adjust this model to suit my scale tastes of course, but I had hoped to save myself some work.

Another issue that really caught my eye though was the interior. As far as full depth interiors go, this is about as plain as it comes. No markings to be seen, not even dashboard gauge detail. Not only that, but our driver looks like he is scrunched down in the seat for far that he can hardly see.

They molded a nice effort, but without paint markings/detail enhancement it does not really impress me.

I am disappointed with this overall effort. Disappointed because I know what Scalextric is capable of in the interior and detail departments. Look at the older release Jaguar for example. This is from 2006. Here in 2012 I would hope that we could at least have equaled past accomplishments.

If this is all they were going to do, they might as well have made this car like the other Stevenson Motorsport Camaro and made it a full "super-resistant" model with no interior and tinted glass.

The wheels also strike me odd as they seem to be a little "thick" to me. Meaning the spoke pattern seems overdone compared to the prototype. They are also molded in a brighter red than the 1:1 versions. The tires are missing the Continental markings too. I find this strange given the series the prototype runs in. PLUS the markings are on the car. So it tells me this is no licensing issue, just a matter of cost savings. That is ok I suppose, but that savings did not pass on to the MSRP.

On the bright side of things, this model is fully lighted front and rear. I certainly like lights in my slot cars when they belong there and it adds more scale realism overall.

I suppose I am nitpicking, but there are obvious scale inaccuracies and shortcuts taken that the scale enthusiast will not be happy about. I think Scalextric needs to take notice of the ever increasing competition in our hobby. Other companies are offering models that do not feel so "half hearted" like this one does. To be fair, the casual racer/newcomer will likely not care about such things nor will those younger racers. But that is why they make other models in the line up. When I see a standard model like this, I have come to expect a more finished and scale accurate effort. The latest Corvette is a prime example.

We started this review talking about Scalextric and the good things they have been accomplishing. To me, this model feels like a step backwards in appearance. I certainly hope this is an isolated case and that future models will deliver the standards I have come to expect.

Under The Hood

Only 4 screws mount the body to the chassis. Inside we see the motor in the sidewinder configuration with the associated wiring and boards for the lights. The model is also digital plug and play ready for those racing digital.

The bar magnet is located all the way behind the motor, under the rear axle. I find this strange. The latest Corvette had a mid-mounted magnet, and although they are models of a different series most enthusiasts will want to race them together. In stock form, you will have mismatched models.

Mismatched because of something that I did NOT find. There are no magnet pockets molded into the chassis allowing you change the location. This really took me by surprise. Scalextric has been using a multiple magnet placement design for years in just about every model they could use it in. I am not a magnet racer, so this really does not concern me. But the fact is there are a lot of people that are and choosing not to allow them the placement options might not please them.

This chassis is the design for the Super-Resistant series, which explains a lot. I do hope that Scalextric will continue offering a chassis for standard models with the magnet adjustability they have offered in the past.

Rear bushing to chassis fit is also very loose. I can see the bushings rocking from side to side even without power. You WILL need to glue them in place!

Plastic Track Test
Design/Brand Changes Frequently

The car does run well on plastic track. This magnet location has it glued down pretty well and you can push it hard. Problem is, there is little recovery time. Once it breaks loose, you get to sit back and watch the series of barrel rolls. Needless to say the wing will not last long with this type hard racing.

But it does run and runs very smoothly. The gearing is not as loud as some models from them in the past. Perhaps I just got lucky, but I doubt it.

So regardless how I feel about the appearance and chassis changes, the model still runs as intended right out of the box. It tells me there is a great platform here for advanced enthusiasts to tweak and tune as they see fit.