Scalextric Corvette C6R - Home Racing World & Slot Car Garage

11/30/2011

#C3189 - 1/32nd Scale Corvette Racing No. 3

Given the time of year it seems fitting that I felt like a little kid at Christmas when this car finally arrived here. Although Scalextric does not make a lot of models that catch my eye, this one has secretly been on that "list" of mine to have. Regardless if you are new to our hobby or a long time slot head, you owe yourself a few minutes to see what this slot car has to offer.

First time readers or newcomers to the hobby need to know that Scalextric can make one nice looking and running slot car when they want to. Some people are very scale conscious and Scalextric does not impress them most of the time. Yet others who are not that particular in fine scale accuracy, like myself, feel they usually come very close. Not only that but in the last few years Scalextric has improved quality in both scale detail and performance.

With that said you need to look very close at these photos and make up your own mind if they have created a model good enough for you in 1/32nd scale. Just doing your normal web searching will tell you all you need to know. After finding some photos such as these, compare them to this model.

I think they have done an excellent job. The detail level is not perfect, but it certainly is close enough for me. Remember this model is not just for looking at, it is meant to be raced. So items like the rear wing supports being solid and the side mirrors being a bit on the thick side make sense to me. In the hands of advanced racers with superior skills like yourself, these items need never to fear of being damaged. In the hands of say someone like me? Let's just say I am glad they made them as strong as they could.

You can almost get lost taking in the fine paint details along with the full interior. Not all the roll cage is reproduced, but again it is more than enough for me.

I did not find any defects in the paint or clear coat. This is a very complicated scheme to reproduce and trying to visualize painting and decaling it myself makes me very grateful indeed.

Wheels and tires seem very round and true with a rubber compound some of you will appreciate. I cannot confirm the exact compound Scalextric is using nowadays, but I do know it hooks up very well even on out wood track surfaces.

Technical Configuration Data:

Motor - Mabuchi SP 18k rpm / Gear ratio 11:36

Magnet - Rectangular 1.5 mm / Down-force 166 gm

Overall length - 140 mm

Wheelbase - 84 mm

Axle/Hub width - 53 mm Front / 58 mm Rear

Tire Diameter 21(ext), 15(int), 10 mm Front / 21(ext), 15(int), 10 mm Rear

Weight - Car 90 gm

Box Stock Track Testing

I like to test models such as this straight from the case to the track.
That is what most others will do and it is the most honest test you can give in my opinion.

CARRERA PLASTIC TRACK TEST
Temporary Setup - Design Changes Frequently

The first laps told me we had a very nice running car. It has plenty of magnet for most racers who use them, but you will still need to drive it. It has plenty of punch out of the corners and braking is very distinct although we can thank the magnet for a lot of that.

Gear mesh is smooth although you can hear that distinctive "whine" that Scalextric cars have. It is not a bad thing, almost ever brand out there has it. It will take time for the gears to break in and when they do you will notice a much quieter drive.

The front and rear lights on this car are a huge plus for me in not only value, but scale authenticity. In fact, having a GT car like this without lights is almost a crime. Night racing is becoming more and more popular and not having to pay extra to have them goes a long way in the eyes on many enthusiasts, myself included.

There is a little bleed through of course, but nothing like what I have seen in the past. A quick pass with a paint marker would clean it up easily enough if you wanted to.

ROUTED WOOD TRACK TEST
Permanent Track
MidMo International Speedway
4 x 16 - 3 Lane MDF Routed Wood Road Course - Flat Latex Surface
Copper Tape Conductivity - Aftermarket Power @ 12 Volts PARMA 25 OHM Control

You can tell right away if you have a car with good promise or not on wood. Thankfully this one has me very optimistic. What a VERY smooth performer straight from the crate. This is without tire or wheel sanding mind you.

The front wheels are straight axle and they are set at a very close tri-pod effect. A little sanding will have them close to perfect for my racing. There is a little excess side to side free-play in both the front and rear axles, but nothing that cannot be cleaned up with some small shims. Slot Car Corner has a shim pack I order and keep just for these reasons.

Under The Hood

There are a total of 6 screws holding the body to the chassis. 2 of them in the middle of the car go into the interior. For advanced racing, remove these screws to allow more body float. On my model I just scrapped then as the interior is glues in place well enough so these screws are not really needed.

Inside we see the car in the sidewinder configuration. Upon close inspection I noticed the spur gear did not run true. You could easily see it wobble from side to side. Yet, it isn't hurting the car that I can see as gear mesh is very good. But I expected a little more from Scalextric here. This is not the kind of quality control I am used to from them.

The rest of the chassis design is simple enough and seems very straight and true. There is only the one pocket for the magnet but you could add smaller magnets behind the rear axle if you just had to have them. Since the chassis is nice and flat for the most part there is room under it for tuning with thin sheets of lead. The inside is a little cramped to say the least with the full interior.

Up front is a solid axle design which is fine by me. You might want to check all these wires for the lights and Digital plug to make sure they are not rubbing the axle. Of course this car is Digital compatible as you can see. Just remove this plate assembly and replace with the Digital board. It is all plug and play.

Final Thoughts

This is a nice slot car for any level of enthusiast. It runs great out of the box like it should so the average home racer should have a ball owning it. If you are an advanced slotter and you are still bothering reading this review, think hard about adding this model. It is a great platform to build a very competitive race car out of. Personally, I am impressed with the wheel program Scalextric has going lately. For this car to run as well as it does on wood without ANY sanding or tuning goes a long way in my book.

I cannot help but be very pleased with this release. As we first stated, Scalextric can make a great slot car when they want to. This is one of those slot cars in my opinion. The price tag is still under $50.00 making it easy on your budget as well. In these tougher times it is refreshing to still have choices like this that offer a lot of slot car for your hard earned hobby dollar.

-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 Slot Car Corner For Providing Us With This Sample!
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