Proteus Heuliez Pregunta

Wednesday July 23, 2003

Sometimes a model gets released from a new company, and virtually goes un-noticed. Such is the case with the Heuliez Pregunta from Proteus. It was released some time ago amidst a wide range of opinions and I felt it was time to take a look myself.

The model is based on a concept car that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show, and it certainly is original. Inside the box a small history of the prototype is presented and they provide good photos for comparison. Based on what I could see, Proteus has done a nice job of capturing this concept car in 1/32nd scale.

After its initial release in the more familiar silver livery, others began to follow. Aside from this one there is a red #2, and a Barcelona Football Club Special. These "Racing Dreams Concept Cars" at least have a driver figure to them this time, and I chose the yellow model #3. The overall fit and finish was very well done. Void of any major Tampo-markings, what were present Proteus has done well. An even dust free clear coat protects the model, and I found no signs of runs or orange peel effect.

Wheels and tires were also nicely done, although I needed to sand the rear tires to get them round and true. They had high points in the center which combined with a harder compound tire didn't satisfy me in the overall grip department. However, after sanding them down, performance did improve. The wheels are a 3-piece design which look close to the prototype and although not super-detailed with photo-etched rotors, still look very good on the model.

Although this car seems to be a little plain, do not let that fool you as it is under the hood that things get a little different. 3 screws mount the body to the chassis and are easily removed. I noticed that the mounting posts actually fit inside sleeves which adds to the durability of the model. I have heard many complain of cracking or breaking mounting posts in the past, and this design seems to address this issue. Inside the first thing you might notice is the use of a large clear cover over the 13 tooth pinion and 33 tooth crown gear. This does prevent any excess lubrication from flying around under the car, and with the chassis having a cover molded over the spur gear prevents it from hitting the track.

You also see the use of a wireless power system, which on my model functioned perfectly. This system makes contact with the front guide braid nicely, and the strips can be easily adjusted if need be. The front guide utilizes a single braid on each side, yet it is threaded through the guide allowing 2 separate ends to make contact with the rails much like SCX utilizes. A small post on the guide prevents it from rotating too far and losing electrical contact.

Getting back the to the rear of the model, you see 3 screws that not only mount this gear cover, but the complete rear pod assembly. The motor snapped snugly in place, yet is easily removed of you have any electrical contact issues. If you do any problems, try slightly bending the motor tabs to make better contact and make sure the contact area is clean on the strip. I used a ordinary pencil eraser and this cleaned it very well.

Everything seems to fit very well except for the rear brass bushings which hold the axle in place. On my model, the left side bushing had a very large amount of freeplay while it sat in the pod mount, causing it to rattle and spin under load. The cure for this was simply adding some super glue to this area and allowing it to dry. This made this car run considerably smoother and quieter as you can imagine, and since it seems this type of modification is needed on many slot cars found in my collection, I can't really criticize Proteus too much over it.

It was now time to let the rubber meet the road. I can say that most of you might enjoy this model more than you first thought. Although equipped with a button magnet seemingly identical to the Fly B21, you do have a good amount of correction time in a slide due to its position in the chassis. The harder compound tires come into play here as well, as they allow the car to slide a little more before eventually breaking free. The tall gearing makes for light braking action, yet we could still dive a little deeper in the corners than we expected, and the car hugged the corners nicely.

I like this model, not so much as how it drives but because it is so durable. This car was subjected to some heavy punishment over the weekend, and it held up beautifully. There aren't any small mirrors or wings to worry about breaking which makes this car a perfect match for the beginner or younger driver you might eventually have at your track. And really, this durability seems to be the best part about this car, and why I plan on getting more of them.

Some enthusiasts will pass on this model because it isn't modeled after a "real" race car. I can tell you that my 6 year old son doesn't care if it is or isn't. He just thinks its fun. I think it is a fun model as well, and when you have a few people getting together for an afternoon or evening of good spirited fun, this model might just be the perfect. I think Proteus has done a fair job in their first effort, and I look forward to future releases by them.

Harry

As always feel free to contact me about this article or just the hobby in general at wiseone@yhti.net, or better yet drop into our Message Forum and share your thoughts with other enthusiasts!

Thanks go to SLOT CAR WORLD for providing me with this model, look for the new release of the Lamborghini coming soon!

To learn more about this model and future releases check out Monarch Lines website today!