Monday, 16 February 2004

New Vanquish MG
Lotus 72D & Mirage-Ford

In the midst of all the recent Toy Fairs some companies are still managing to release a few new models here and there. Vanquish MG is one of them and not only are these new, but both seemingly came out of nowhere.

Since I first seen these Lotus models on the web and in the VMG catalog I couldn't wait to get my hands on one. The main reason is that these series of models opens up a whole new line for us to enjoy. VMG models are not for everyone of course, but regardless of any scale issues all of the previous models released have seen plenty of track time here and these models will certainly join them.

And here is where it seems these models were a surprise. Our "Lucky Strike" version of the Lotus was not even featured in the 2003 catalog with only the "John Player Special" shown. The Mirage-Ford was also missing with no mention of it coming at all. This is nothing new in our little hobby as companies such as Fly have done this sort of thing for years.

So are they to scale? I don't know because I have not bothered to measure them. Why? Because both models do are a decent enough representation of the prototype as far as my eyes can tell and that's good enough for me. It is no secret that these models are larger than 1/32nd scale with reports varying from 1/28 to 1/30th in size. Since they FIT on my 1/32nd scale Artin and Scalextric tracks it just doesn't seem to matter to me. Died in the wool fine scale fans will see some issues here and there and as usual, this will either offend you or they won't. Experts of both the Lotus and Mirage can hopefully judge by the photos whether or not VMG has done a good enough job for them.

Tampo stampings and paint work on both models are very well done with most markings being very opaque and crisp. I did notice that the side number white markings were a little light on the Mirage and you could see the orange bleed through. It isn't that bad really for my tastes and while sitting on the track it looks just fine. The color of orange they used for our Gulf livery seems a close match although the area around the engine is different due to the fact that it isn't clear-coated.

Wheels and tires are also VMG standard fare. Sanding the rear tires can be trick due to the differential but I still manage to clean them up nicely and helps smooth the model out a good amount. The Mirage also falls victim to the front wheels rubbing as shown in the photo, so a quick trim of the axle with a cut-off tool was needed as it was on the McLaren.

I have sometimes found the axle hubs to have a crack in them with these models and my left front on this Mirage did have this problem. In truth, it doesn't bother me as once I trim the axle I simply add a drop of adhesive here and it holds it quite firmly.

The Lotus and Mirage share an almost identical wheel-base with the Lotus being only slightly wider in the rear. The Lotus of course is an all new design for VMG however it retains the original differential design we have seen in all prior releases. Only 1 screw mounts the front part of the body to the chassis to expose the motor in the inline drive position, center-mounted button magnet and rear 30 tooth crown differential assembly.

The engine detail assembly that covers the motor isn't the sturdiest part of the model to say the least, and quite frankly the whole model has a good amount of small detail so be careful when removing it. It snaps in place on each side of the chassis and I found it easiest to use a very small flat-tip screwdriver to pop it off.

The one screw assembly at first seems easy enough but it might introduce too much flex in the chassis for some. Once the body is installed it does prevent the chassis from bending and rubbing the track but with the magnet there is a very slight amount of bending. The Mirage is identical to all prior releases as well and since we have covered our differential and maintenance suggestions there, I won't bother repeating them here.

The Mirage performance won't surprise you if you have any other VMG releases and it will find a good home with these models. The rear wing on this car is not glued in place and most likely will pop off on the first crash. I added a drop of clear silicone adhesive on mine to help keep it in place and still allow a little flex to it to prevent it from breaking on harder tumbles.

The Lotus however is a whole new breed and does have some changes in the motor department. The Mirage and others before it utilized the Mabuchi FK-180SH with brass 9 tooth pinion while the Lotus uses the shorter can FK-130SH and now comes equipped with a plastic instead of brass pinion. The gear mesh and operation were very smooth and this pinion seems to be as durable as other plastic gears found on the market today. Only time will tell of course but so far it has broken in well and we have not seen any damage to either it or the differential crown assembly.

I do not have exact RPM ratings to go by, but suffice it to say that this motor is more than enough for this model in my opinion. The distinct braking effect is identical to the other models in the line and acceleration was just as crisp. The one thing I have learned about these VMG models is that keeping your track AND tires clean goes a long way in helping it perform its best. The problem comes from the differential, as if one side has more traction than the other you will begin to notice it "dog-track" down the straights or behave inconsistent in the corners. I use a small strip of duct or clear tape and roll the tires across it to make sure they are clean. Since we dust and clean our track daily, this method gives us many laps of trouble-free operation.

I have been asked many times since VMG first arrived on the scene about advanced tuning and possible replacement of the differential. The only things we do to these models are what you can read in our prior reviews of the line. I have heard several times that a new differential assembly is going to be made available that will make the models follow the more conventional solid axle design, but so far I don't have any concrete dates available.

We simply race these models as they come and race them against each other. There are now plenty of models to choose from in the CAN-AM series for an impressive line-up to say the least. We treat the VMG line as a class all its own and have enjoyed many hours of home racing with them and will continue to in the future.

So in the end we enjoyed both models and were happy with VMG's efforts. These models are not for everyone and I like to recommend them to the more advanced enthusiasts who don't mind taking a little extra time tuning them. The scale issues have never bothered me like it has others and we also have not had the problems other enthusiasts have had in the drive-line department. If nothing else VMG continues to deliver models to us that only expand our choices in the hobby and we welcome every new release they bring.

- Harry

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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!

Many thanks go to Eagle Distributing for providing us with these models.