SCX Ferrari 599 - Home Racing World & Slot Car Garage

04/14/2009

This new Ferrari is quite an interesting slot car and I was surprised to see it arrive in the mail from SCX WorldWide. I set it aside for a few days not thinking much about it until it was time for our review. Before that, we had some guests arrive for a slot car gathering and some of the folks grabbed the car and did some laps with it. The responses were very positive so my interest was peaked! So, let us take a closer look at this new Supercar.

From looking around the Internet I feel the term Supercar can apply. This model in particular even tries harder to earn that name. The livery on this car depicts the scheme used for the Pan-American 20,000 mile race it participated in to prove just how super it was. It started in Brazil and ended in New York. Pretty cool stuff!

Looking at the effort in 1/32nd scale is just as cool. Looking around the model SCX has done a near perfect job producing it. All the markings on the car are accurate and nicely sealed with a durable clear coat. I did notice a few very small flecks under the clear coat but nothing to take away from the overall finish of the model. In fairness, this is a pre-production model and these often do have some blemishes.

Speaking of being fair, let me report some comments on this model I heard from several racers at our meeting. A few liked the looks of the car. They thought it was a very sleek design. One racer said he did not like it much at all and another sad it was ok, but he could take it our leave it. My wife on the other hand liked it very much. She thought the Statue of Liberty design was great and therefore claimed this model for herself.

The interior will not win any detail awards but it works well enough for me. These cars were not outfitted for a true race so therefore there is no roll bar detail. Basically it is a street version of the car with a very nice livery.

Wheels and tires are brand new for this model and play the role well. There is a solid disc to represent the brake rotor which at speed looks perfect. I did like the Ferrari emblems painted on the centers as it just gave it more scale appeal.

Turning the car over we see the standard SCX motor pod assembly with the motor in the inline position. We also see the adjustable magnet right at the rear of the motor. So far this car seems to be a very clean and basic design, which I am pleased with. Now let us fire her up and see how she runs.

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

We are going through a renovation here at HRW and because of that, our beloved Dixon Hills Speedway is not working. That's ok though, if the car runs well right out of the box on wood, it certainly tells you it should be just as pleasing on plastic track using magnetic traction.

And run well it does. There is certainly some noise coming from the gears that break-in will cure, but the impressive thing for us is how smooth the ride is. With no tire or wheel sanding this car had almost zero wheel hop or chatter. It had decent braking and acceleration and the tires gripped our surface decently. No, not as good as it could but better than some stock tires we deal with here. You could tell this car had the RX-42 motor in it as it did not have the speed most will expect. Since SCX had chosen this to be the standard motor, I fully expected it here.

Yes, as expected the car is lighted front and rear.

After inspecting the tires we did notice some raised outer edges on the tires. Some sanding will need to be performed to get a full contact patch but that can be said for just about every tire out there.

So out of the box this car functioned as it should and is a very nice runner. I like it because it is not only different but that it runs so well. It does need the beefier 42B motor in it for most enthusiasts to be happy and to make it a better competitor against other brands. But overall, I think it would be a great choice, especially if you are a hardcore Ferrari fan.

Under The Hood

5 screws secure the body to the chassis. Once removed we see the standard SCX inline configuration. The RX-42 motor is outfitted with a 9 tooth pinion that turns a 27 tooth crown gear.

Up front we see a new item that was featured in the latest Porsche review. There is a new connection section that provides power to the lights and from the guide. The tabs are raised where the connection straps from the lights make contact and a circuit board is now in place. I do not know why the change was made here, only that connectivity seems just fine on our model.

Other than this, everything seems to be standard SCX design. Which is fine by me as I would like to have this car compatible with other similar models.

As far as tuning the model goes, there is not much to do here and when you think about it, that is a good thing. It needed some tire sanding as mentioned before. We performed some soldering and break-in procedures we show here on the NASCAR that easily works with this and other models. Then it was back to the track for more racing.

The grip of the model is certainly increased with a better contact patch from the tires. We lowered our lap time averages from 5.1 seconds to 4.9 seconds easily. The stock tires when they are clean grip ok, but on this surface and non-magnet we could do better. I swapped a set of K&D tires part# KD13255SCX (same tire for 550 and 360 Ferraris) onto the car and this is where things really improved. We dropped down to 4.5 seconds as an average and the car just felt smoother with improved acceleration.

This is not a knock on the tires that come with the car. They work fine on plastic with the magnet and that is all you could expect. It is just on our surface without the magnet, your favorite after-market tire will give you better performance. This tire change is one you would do with just about any ready to run model on the market.

Speaking of other models, what would you race this against? Sure, our 599 is no prototype race car, and has no numbers but for the casual home racers like us it does not matter. Well the car is very close to other models that SCX makes such as the 550 and 360 Ferrari. These are all pretty much the same chassis wise. The only thing we did was quick swap a RX-42 motor in both models to make things fair. This created some of the best road racing action you could ask for. These cars are so close that I honestly cannot give the edge to any of them.

In the end I am pleased with the model. I do wish that it would have come equipped with the 42B motor instead to make it more competitive out of the box with other models. Still, SCX has asked for feedback on motor selection and it appears future models will now come with the B motor. Other than this, it is a great little slot car.

Now with that said, how is it for me personally? Well, I like this milder motor. For our smaller track it is a fun car that is very smooth and easy to drive. We do not need a lot of horsepower here to enjoy our scale models. Do I think it needs the stronger motor for most of you out there? Sure I do. But just for here, these motors are just fine.

I am not much into street versions of slot cars. I like them once in awhile, but admit they do not appeal to me as much as pure race versions do. This car is a little different. It is painted with the very attractive scheme and looks well running next to other race versions in the same class so to speak. I think this car is worth a second look for your stable. It is fun like a slot car should be and blends in nicely with many models in your collection.

-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 SCX WorldWide For Sponsoring This Review

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