SCX Renault 8 - Home Racing World & Slot Car Garage

Sunday November 09, 2008

Many times we find a series of models that we really enjoy, and when we do we seem to collect as many in that series as we can. Although I am not a huge fan of Rally racing in the 1:1 world, some of our scale models really holds an appeal. The Classic Series by SCX has already delivered us several great models in this class that we have really enjoyed, so it was an easy decision to add this latest little Renault to our stable. It has arrived so let us see what this little car has in store for us.

Right off the bat you are either going to like this style of car or you won't. It is a boxy little model I admit, but it still appealed to me. I liked the paint scheme and when I first laid eyes on it in person I was very pleased. But what made this car so special? Why did they choose this of all cars to make?

Well here is where our hobby can educate you. SCX releases come with a very informative data sheet that not only tells you about the model, but gives you a little history of the 1:1 car. I like this a great deal as many of us on this side of the pond are not really familiar with these types of models. Here is the press release notes from SCX on this model.

In scale I feel they captured the model very well. It certainly has the look to it and although nothing is perfect, most home racing enthusiasts should be pleased with this effort.

The paint was very well done. It seems SCX keeps improving things and the overall finish on this model was as clean as you could ask for. Tampo stamped marking are very crisp and opaque with no bleed-through that I could see. It was all sealed nicely with an even, and very shiny clear-coat.

Detail wise, things are simple yet effective. Decent chrome work on the front and rear along with the Monte Carlo placard up front. Interior is done well enough with our driver and navigator present and some roll bar detail is visible. Some like to see more detail here but given the half-tray design, it works well enough for me.

Wheels and tires seem to be standard fare for SCX and appeared round and true. Most wheels and tires need some attention so we shall see how much we will need after the BOXSTOCK road test.

What I did notice is some VERY close tolerances between the rear tires and body. It looked like we could have tire to body rub, so our road test will verify if we do.

BOXSTOCK Testing - Artin Plastic Track
12 Volt After-Market Power Supply - PARMA 25 OHM Economy Controllers

First impressions were favorable although it was clear this model needed some break-in time to quiet down and smooth the gears out. The car was very stuck down and I could hold full throttle all the way around the track. I inspected it and found the magnet mount was lower than usual. I tightened it up and this helped a little as I now had to let off just slightly heading into the corners.

Lap times were a 4.5 average which is not going to break any speed records, but it is after all a classic and SCX has put a milder motor in it. Since I am a huge fan of milder motors for the control and realism they give me, I am very happy with the model right out of the box. Although the tires are close to the body I could not find evidence of rubbing. Even if there were, you could easily sanded the edges down and eliminate it.

Did I mention this model is fully lighted front and rear? We truly enjoy the realism and fun factor working lights offer us. There was a little bleed through on the hood while under full power, but nothing really offensive. Besides, we will fix this easily later on.

Under The Hood - Quick Tuning

4 screws hold the body to the chassis and once removed we see the inner workings of our classic. The motor here is the key to this model being as much fun as it is for my style of driving. The RX-41 is a very mild motor compared to others on the market, but in a model like this it is a perfect match. According to the recent SCX Motor Chart this power plant gives us around 14,400 RPM.

It has a 9 tooth pinion that drives the 27 tooth crown gear. You will need some break-in time to smooth these gears out. I used the same technique as shown here in our NASCAR tuning review. We lubricated each end of the motor and rear axle bushings first before this break-in procedure. After this was completed we had a much smoother car that was very quiet. But there was still a vibration somewhere, and we soon found the guilty parties.

The first area is the lighting power system. These straps as I call them are post melted in place, and although they hold them well enough sometimes the post is not fully seated against the strap. This allows the strap to vibrate under acceleration. We used some hot glue on 4 areas of the straps and this helped a lot with the noise issue.

As you can see, sometimes I get a little messy with the hot glue. Lucky for me it is hidden very well.

While we are here I decided to help reduce the bleed effect from the front lights. I simply used masking tape and sealed the outside edges then shot some flat black spray into the front cavity. This coated it very well and the end result was near perfect.

The second area of the noise issue may seem odd but check your front axle. Usually they arrive without any lubrication. Some may feel it is not needed here but I disagree. A dry front axle can cause squeaking and most times a rattle. Just a drop of oil here prevents this and once we did, we had a MUCH improved sounding model.

It was now time to solder our motor tabs. You do NOT have to do this, we only do this as a preventive maintenance measure. Simply keeping these tabs clean and seated will provide you with excellent electrical contact.

Finally I wanted a tire change. Why? This car will be tuned for our 3 lane routed wood track and although the stock rubber works fine on plastic track, it does not provide the best results on wood. I chose K&D tires but please choose the compound/brand you like the best.

Before you change the tires inspect your wheels. In many cases the wheels need some cleaning up to remove any excess flash molding. We did have some on this model so off to the sanding block. Again, you can use the same technique we show in our SCX tuning article. Since we were changing the rear tires we sanded the originals first, took them off and moved them to the front and then installed the K&D tires and repeated the sanding until we had them as true as possible.

TUNING SUMMARY

Lubricate entire chassis and motor including front axle.
Motor and gear break-in time: 20 minutes using 9 volt battery.
Glued lighting straps to reduce vibration.
Painted inside front of body to reduce lighting bleed through.
Soldered motor tabs.
Sanded wheels and installed after-market tires.

Wood Track Testing
3 Lane MDF Routed Wood - Flat Latex Surface
Copper Tape Conductivity - Aftermarket Power @ 12 Volts PARMA 25 OHM Control

The very first lap with this model told us we had a real winner. Very smooth and the handling with the new tires was right where we wanted it. This classic Renault might appear to be a tippy little model, but not nearly as much as you think. The car is small and with the larger SCX motor provides enough weight to keep it planted. Lap times were also faster than we expected, 5.5 seconds was the average and it made this car pretty compatible with models I did not think it would. The SCX Alpine and FIAT most notably. These cars have a faster motor in them, but on our 4 x 16 road course there is not many areas where this added horsepower has a chance to work. On the longer oval of course there is no contest, but here on the road course where they belong things were surprisingly close.

This car ended up being very addictive to drive. My racing partner Tom was here for the testing and he soon took over the throttle. He gave this car a good thrashing of 100 laps and in the end he admitted that although the body style was not that appealing to him, the operation was great fun.

Summing It Up

As we mentioned at the start of this review, this little car will not appeal to everyone but for those that like the looks of it, you might as well add to this to your list. I enjoy this model a great deal more than I thought I would. It is one of those slot cars that really surprise you and it ends up being a favorite. I will add more of these when SCX releases new liveries, but I am getting another of this livery for a re-paint project. If you enjoy a more mild-mannered driving experience this release can truly deliver.

- 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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