5 March 2015

Carrera 1/32nd Scale Corvette Stingray #14 - #27464
The latest release by Carrera has been a long awaited one for me. Seeing an older mold return is not something we see a lot of in our hobby. Carrera has a good track record for listening to the enthusiasts and with the success of prior classics in the line up, the choice of this iconic Corvette made perfect sense.
Anyone want to guess how long this model has been with Carrera? My first model was around 14 (15?) years ago. It has seen a few releases over the years but it has been quite awhile since the last.

Data At A Glance
Length Width Height Weight
139 MM 54.90 MM 40 MM 86 g

Yet none of them has ever looked this good. Of course I might be biased due to the scheme they chose (ok I am) but most other enthusiasts agree.


The finish on this car is as good as you can ask for today. Markings are very crisp and opaque and the clear coat is as clean as it can get. Overall this model is simply impressive on the outside and I am pretty sure most of you will feel the same.



Detail level is acceptable although I can already hear the complaints of using a street driver figure. I do wish they would have used a helmeted race figure, but it's not enough to spoil the effort in front of me. As usual, you will decide. The bumpers and side pipes are also silver and not chrome. That's ok for my eye as I like the more race finish, but some will feel the car needed more shine.

The car is based on a fictional design of course, but I think it works well. It looks like it could be on the track back in the late 60's to my eyes and it is certainly going to look right at home on our 1/32nd scale layout. The main item that has me pleased is this chassis does not have an excess amount of "hot rod rake" to it. I was hoping this model would look more like a classic racer than a modded street machine and Carrera seemed to deliver. It still is a shade high in the rear but I can easily adjust it if I want. 

Wheels and tires look very good and also look familiar. Closer inspection revealed they are the same wheels that Carrera is using on the current Cobra. That is fine by me as the detail level is well done and I already know the after-market Paul Gage tires I will need. In fact, I have some on the wall already that will have this car on the track faster than I expected.

Looking underneath we see the common inline configuration and polarity switch for reversing direction.

All standard Carrera components used. E200 Motor with 9 tooth pinion and 27 tooth crown. The independent front wheels are smooth enough with minimal free-play. Nothing is perfect, but this is a very good system and I have had no issues with any of the Cobras I own that use the same.

Looking in the back of the case, we see Carrera is still offering the alternate guide blade as a bonus. These are for track systems with shallow and/or narrow slots. Simply pull out the old blade and snap in the new one. A small item, but this goes a long way in my eyes. Once available as an extra part you can buy is now included when you buy the car. This just increases the value in my eyes and makes it much more appealing for those who really need this blade to fully enjoy the car.
Routed Track Test
MidMo International Speedway
4x16 - 3 Lane MDF - Satin/Flat Latex Surface
Slot Car Corner Braid/Flush Mount - Aftermarket Power @ 12 Volts
Professor Motor/DiFalco Control
The car ran fairly well out of the box. There was some slight hop of course and the stock tires are not ideal for my surface.  Lap times were around the 4.95 range which is not blazing fast, but it told me we had a good car to work with.
I took the car apart and removed the rear wheel assembly. I sanded the wheels in the Tire Razor and then installed the correct Paul Gage tires. A final sanding was needed to get the tire patch true, and then it was back to the track to see what our efforts would deliver.

Performance was drastically improved. The car was silky smooth and our times were now down in the 3.9 second range. This just solidifies my thoughts on Carrera models these days. You really get a decent quality model that needs very little work in order to enjoy them. In the case of this car, we have a total of $5.00 extra invested in a set of tires. Of course it also says a lot of the quality of PG tires.

The amusing thing is that I paid about $30.00 all those years ago for the first offering, and today I am only paying a couple dollars more. I don't think anyone compares to what Carrera is offering for the price. The model is not perfect out of the box, but I don't know of a model that is. Any Vette fan should have this one on their "must have" list as well as any fan of classic racing.

Well done Carrera. It is really nice to see this classic return to our hobby.

- Harry
Feel free to contact me about this article or just our hobby in general.
This review Sponsored by Carrera of America


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