The New Artin
Can OpenSlot Fill the Void?
By Kurt “El Secundo” Moser
We’ve all been guilty of it a time or two. We’ve cruised eBay looking for the next great deal/steal, when something unlooked-for grabs your attention. Your wallet already creaks from the strain of the latest barrage of slot car releases, but something catches your eye, and the “Buy It Now” button beckons like a siren calling to ancient mariners…ah, screw it, forget the metaphors – you saw another stupid car, and you had to have it.
Today’s arrival came from Portugal, a new name in the American slot car world, called OpenSlot.
Before starting, I’ll confess to two things: 1) I have no idea if OpenSlot is a new or old company, and 2) when I compare OpenSlot to Artin, I’m no Artin expert. I’ve owned a few Artin cars, though, and I might be able to give it a fair comparison. There’s no date on the box, and all I can figure so far is that it’s a Spanish company with production in China – nothing earth-shattering.
First comparison of note? The Buy It Now button said that this car would cost me a whopping twelve dollars and ninety-nine cents. Let’s enjoy that number for a moment: $12.99. That’s only a few dollars more than nothing. That’s less than the price of most aftermarket slot car motors, but in this case, the OpenSlot motor also has a complete car attached to it at no additional cost. With shipping of just $8.83, the total price with shipping is under twenty-two dollars US. This sounds downright Artin-like.
Visually, our Mercedes (never actually called a Mercedes, by the way) actually looks pretty good. It compares favorably to Artin’s old Mercedes DTM cars, with decent tampo printing instead of stickers. While there’s nothing great in the bodywork department, the stance is really pretty good – no big gaps in the fender wells, no jacked-up nose riding high off the track. If I had to gauge it, I’d put it somewhere between Artin and Ninco’s oldest DTM efforts, and that’s not too shabby for the price. Speaking of the price, look below, and see the packaging. Crystal display box? Not for these guys – cardboard, acetate window, and old-style wires wrapped around the axles to hold the car in place.
Now, the question du jour – what happens when you put it on the track? Hah, suckers! I’m not telling! Not until we take a gander at some chassis pictures, first. Note the narrow can motor, the built-in holders for the lead wires, the simple, yet potentially rigid chassis rails, the two magnet locations under the chassis, each adjustable with screws. The front axle doesn’t flop around, as the front bushing is a simple hole in the axle supports – durable, with an eight-inch travel built in to keep the driver’s teeth from rattling out of his head. Speaking of the driver, he might be a mannequin – no eyes or anything. Your 22 bucks gets you an eyeless, completely white driver, so you essentially have a blind cavefish driving your pseudo-Mercedes. Speck some eyes on the guy with a Sharpie if it bugs you.
And NOW the question du jour – how does she run? Out of the box, fantastically violent, I must say. It drives a little like a pogo stick (up, down, repeat, repeat, repeat). Surprisingly, the front was fairly smooth. As it turns out, the wheels were pretty straight, so the hopping seems to be coming from a loose motor and bushings. A little glue, a touch of truing on the tires and wheels, and we’re all good. If you enjoyed Artin’s low-powered motors, you should be very happy here.
To take it a step further, if you liked anything about Artin, you’ll be happy. Frankly, for all intents and purposes, we have a new Artin, right down to the ribbed tires. The build is so similar, I have to wonder if OpenSlot bought Artin and made some improvements. Since it says ‘2nd Generation’ on the box, and I’ve never seen OpenSlot’s first generation, could it possibly be 2nd generation Artin? In all ways, this car seems to fill the Artin void perfectly.
- Kurt