Saturday November 29, 2003

New MRRC Hot Rod Toyota!

MRRC has been with us for quite awhile, yet have a very small number of releases. With the recent addition of the new Cobra and past success of the Chaparral, I was curious about it to say the least. Well, this latest effort is a car that may not appeal to everyone but it has some elements about it that make it one of the nicest models I have purchased and feel it deserves a little more attention.

This model is based on the Schnitzer company Group 5 silhouette racer based on the Toyota Celica Lift-back. According what few prototype photos I could find, MRRC has done a fair job at bringing us this turbo-charged beast in 1/32nd scale.

Overall fit and finish of this model is very well done to my eyes. All Tampo stampings were clean and crisp with no signs of fading or runs in the paint. Even better, they have sealed these markings with a dirt-free clear coat that helps protect them.

This model is going to end up in the hands of many enthusiasts who are currently running the Fly Capri and Lancia. With that said, MRRC has given us a model that has just as much detail as Fly and perhaps to some have done it better. The interior here is loaded with small details that should please most of you and I found it adds a great deal to the overall scale appeal.

Now the wheels and tires here are nicely done, however there is one issue that needs to be addressed and that is rear tire fit. It isn't really that the fit isn't round or true, it is rather that because of the motor in this beast, the rear wheels expand so much under load that they have a tendency to come off the wheel. I used a toothpick and peeled the edges of the tire away from the wheel and added some clear silicone adhesive such as "Shoe Goo" to help keep them in place. This way you can easily change to silicone tires when and if you need to. And yes, the Fly Lancia and Capri Indy Grips (now these are classic tires with the new number PMTR4601) fit this model perfectly.

Underneath we see that 4 (very short) screws mount the body to the chassis. Once removed we begin to see the true virtues of this model, at least that's the way I see it. The biggest item is the "hot rod" motor that MRRC has chosen to outfit this car with. This motor is a ScaleAuto SC07 motor rated at 35,000 RPMs. This motor is a handful to say the least and provides PLENTY of power, in fact it might be almost too much for some smaller home track enthusiasts. This motor is geared right with the Fly Lancia with an 11 tooth pinion turning a 36 tooth spur gear but this motor gives the Toyota a big advantage in the power department.

However the good stuff doesn't just stop at the motor. The rear axle system is one that had almost no excess side to side free-play and the tires not only clear the body but the motor shafts and pinions. This means there was no need to perform any modifications to it like I have become accustomed to on Fly versions. You still need to add some adhesive to the tops of the rear axle bushings as I found one of them would spin slightly under load. This of course is a industry standard modification so we cannot really knock MRRC too much on this.

The rest of chassis has surprises too. Up front we see a solid axle design instead of stub axles that is held firmly in place by bushings. This axle systems is at a good height to allow the front guide to rest solidly on the track, but you might find it has a little side to side free-play you may want to shim or trim to eliminate. Our model had so little that we left it as is for testing as the tires did not rub the body.

Finally we see a few additions that make tuning this car with magnets a very easy affair. Not only does this model come equipped with the MRRC bar magnet, it has 2 different magnet pockets that fit both the Fly B73 bar magnet as found in the Capri, or the B21 button magnet as we see in the Lancia. A Scalextric button magnet such as the ones found in the Sport versions will also fit in this front pocket although the fit is very tight. This makes this chassis very flexible for the magnet racer and MRRC gets high points from me for including these additional pockets.

So how about performance? Well, aside from the rear tires needing to be glued in place...this model is simply a rocket, and a smooth one at that. I have already placed more laps on this car than I can recall because it is just so smooth, quiet, and easy to drive. Blasting out of the turns is a sight most speed crazed slot racers should enjoy, and braking along with controller sensitivity is clean and precise. We averaged 4.8 seconds on our new track with this beast and the times seem to drop the more we break it in.

Bottom line? In my eyes, this is a great slot car. It has decent scale detail along with smooth operation and this makes for a great deal of fun...and fun is what this hobby is all about. The only bad thing about this release is that there isn't more of them, and availability might become quickly difficult for you to obtain. I am glad I decided to get this model as it just raised the fun factor in my home racing. I can't help but suggest you take a closer look at this release as it just might do the same for you.

- 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!

I have to thank Larry Lype for sending me this model. He knew his local dealer had a few left and that I wanted to do a review on one. Soon after our conversation, it found its way here. Thank you Larry for contributing to Home Racing World and to the slot car enthusiasts who come here.

I know I appreciate it and I am sure others do too.