Monday August 04, 2003

Quick Detailing the Artin Stockers

by Rich McMahon

Although the new Artin Stockers are far from the scale detailed models some of us are used to, this doesn't mean they don't have their strong points. Aside being very inexpensive, they can be easily detailed to represent many NASCAR liveries today with just a small amount of time and effort.

Rich used decals available at Slot Car World. Adding just a little detail like this makes these models look much better and will be perfect for those younger slot racers just learning to drive.

Thank you Rich...nice work!

I thought I would take a closer look myself at these budget racers:

Looking under the hood of these models we see a Mabuchi stock motor equipped with a 9 tooth pinion that drives a 27 tooth spur gear. On most of the models I have, the gear mesh is very smooth and quiet as well as quite durable. I still add some adhesive to the tops of the axle bushings as some of them can work loose over time.

The front axle needs to be trimmed slightly if you want it as flush to the chassis as possible. The photo shows where I took my Moto-Tool and using a cut-off disc removes this excess and then replaced the wheel.

These models come in 4 different colors (Red, Black, Yellow and Blue) that you can either paint yourself or just add decals over the plain body. The bar magnet included is rather weak compared to others on the market, but you have plenty of room inside the chassis to either add additional magnets or lead weight for tuning.

Again, these models will not please the fine scale enthusiast but for those of us with young children or frequent newcomers to our home tracks, these little models fill the bill nicely...especially at the price of only $19.00 each!  So if your looking for some perfect models to just have some light-hearted fun with your friends or family, try giving them a second look.

- Harry

As always feel free to contact me about this article or just the hobby in general at harry@homeracingworld.com

Make sure you stop into our Artin Forum for more information on all Artin products. We also have an Artin Upgrade Section dedicated to this value system, so if your looking for upgrades try giving some of them a read.