Slotwings 512 BB - Home Racing World & The Slot Car Garage

11/12/2013

1/32nd Scale Slotwings 512 BB - Daytona 1982 #W50101

Another "new" company has emerged with the brand of Slotwings. The first model of this brand to hit our shores is this example of the Ferrari 512BB. Is it something to get excited about or not? Let us find out shall we?

First we need to make it clear that the markings of Ferrari are no where to be seen on this model. Not even on the display case. Carrera has this licensing of course, but it appears that the workaround is to release models without that name or emblems. Flyslot has done this already and the same applies here.

And with the mention of Flyslot, trying to figure out what is going on in the Spanish slot car market is not the easiest task. How or why this company was born I have no real solid answer. I can tell you that the bottom of the car is clearly marked FLYSLOT so take that for what it is worth. The reports I have read say it is a company "born" from Fly but maintain their own brand identity. It reminds me of 10 years ago when "GB Track" was released. A different name on the box but the model inside was all Fly. Same goes with the SRC brand. To my home racing eyes it is all the same sort of car just with different names written on the boxes.

On the back of the display card it also says "in cooperation with Flyslot". But the interesting note? This: "Slot car model 1:32nd scale. Usable in most electrical commercial tracks of the market. Suitable for adult modelers. Not recommended for children under 14 years old."

We shall see. We don't have a commercial track but we do have routed wood. In fairness, many large club tracks over there are NINCO or SCX so I am just guessing that is what they are referring to. Then again, maybe they mean a nice MB Slot track? Who knows really, but our wood track is as flat and smooth as any other track so I am sure we can make a fair judgment.

Data At A Glance

Length- 145.25 mm (front to trailing edge of wing)
Width - 64.20 mm (At widest section of rear fenders)
Height - 33 mm
Wheelbase - 78.10 mm
Total Weight - 82 grams

Doing a search on this model tells me that they have done a fairly decent job in our scale. Nothing is ever perfect of course, but not a bad molding in my eyes.

Paint seems a little on the light side to my eyes. It is hard to determine from older photographs but I do not remember Ferrari red or even Bud red being this light. Perhaps it is just my older eyes.

Detail level is very nice all around. Interior is well done although our driver is fairly bland.

Markings are crisp and clean for the most part. Some slight orange peel can be seen on the roundel up front, but nothing that really takes away from the model.

Wheels and tires seem pretty good. Although the front wheels seem shallow compared to the prototype. Markings on the tires are absent. Tires seem fairly soft though and I was happily surprised with that. Of course nowadays you favorite aftermarket tire will find it's way on here rather quickly.

You can see 2 bar magnets in this chassis plus the sidewinder configuration. We also see the FLYSLOT logo and Made in Spain.

Track Test
MIDMO International Speedway
4x16 - 3 Lane MDF - Satin/Flat Latex Surface
SCC Braid/Flush Mount - Pyramid PS26KX Aftermarket Power @12 Volts
2 Types Of Control For Testing - Professor Motor 2110 Controllers/Parma 25 OHM

The car moved a few feet then I noticed it seemed like it was binding. I lifted the rear of the car and could clearly hear it struggling. I let it run a few seconds and then noticed the issue. Seems the inside of one of the tires was rubbing somewhere.

Sound familiar?

Well, time to take off the body. Removing the 4 screws we get inside and I noticed right away the people working on this car realized there was an issue with the tires rubbing. This is evidence where they have sanded parts of the engine detail/interior tray to prevent it.

You can see the tire particles on the left.

I will give them credit for recognizing the issue and trying to correct it. I realize some of you will feel differently, but just to see an effort made is more than I have seen in the past.

Since we are inside, let us take a closer look. Gears are plastic with a 11 tooth pinion and 35 tooth spur gear. They likely chose the 35 instead of a 36 so the diameter is less and would help prevent the gear from dragging the track once the tires were sanded. The motor appears to be a stock Flyslot motor. There are no markings, but the performance of it suggest this is the case.

You can see the rear bar magnet placement a little easier. While we had the body off I tested the running gear and yes, the bushings spin in the chassis. You will either want to glue these stock bushings in place or wait until you change out the running gear.

Up front we see they have included an adjustable front axle configuration. Reminiscent of Slot.it and early Spirit models.

What frustrates me is the absence of the set screws to utilize the system. In my eyes there is no reason to force the enthusiast to provide these. There is basically no added cost and we could then begin adjustment without having to order them. Yes, I realize most advanced enthusiasts have them already. But what about the newcomer? Perhaps I am being very critical, but if you are producing a model that has this feature, then at least provide the screws to use it.

Not that it would make a difference in out of the box performance. Because the front guide has not only an extreme amount of vertical free-play, the guide fits so tightly in the mount that it takes a fair amount of pressure just to turn it. You will likely need to remove the guide, which is not that easy given the tight fit, and then use a rat tail file to sand the inside of the mount hole.

However, if you plan on converting it to a Slot.it guide, don't bother. Those guides fit perfectly. And that is really what you will want to do rather than stacking a lot of shims on this one.

Once the tire rub issue was solved by lightly sanding the inside of the tire, it was back to the track. The tires gripped decently but most racers will do a tire change rather quickly.

Paul Gage tires # 21147-031 are the best tires I found that fit. This wheel is identical to the FLY BMW M1 as well.

Additional Testing

Once I worked on the guide to free it up and the tire was not rubbing, the car ran reasonably well. Veteran enthusiasts will know the performance as it runs like a Fly(slot) car. Lap times were not that impressive with only a 4.7 second average.

Most of this is due to the tires not suited for our surface. A quick change to the PG tires mentioned above and a sanding session of the wheels prior to installing them really helped. Lap times were now 4.2 seconds and the over performance was smoother. The gearing is not very quiet and likely will not improve very much. Given the plastic used I have not seen them break-in very much in prior releases. At least the wheels were good enough so a sanding session was all that was needed. You would still need to glue the bushings if you decided to keep it stock.

My best advice to advanced enthusiasts is to take the needed tuning options we have available today and start rebuilding it. Especially if you are going to try and compete with any of the latest Group 5 efforts from Racer. ScaleAuto is also entering the Group 5 craze in the future. So even with a rebuild you are facing more advanced models and likely will not fare well.

I caution beginners as this model may need more work than you want to deal with. If you still want to try it, be prepared to look it over before you start racing. I placed the car on some plastic track and it is VERY stuck down. If you like magnet racing, this might just be the right car for you.

Final Thoughts

To my eyes this is just another Flyslot car. The large stamp of that brand on the bottom of the chassis helps me feel that way. The indication of intended for "commercial" track racing is accurate only if you decide to go through it. In other words, rebuild it like we have done for years with all the other Fly models.

The choice of this model is also odd. Carrera has been making them for years and those models look great. They need tuning just like this one does for wood/commercial club racing and they cost less. Plus, Racer will be making a Sideways version soon that will actually be closer to a full race ready model. Add the ScaleAuto versions coming down the line and I am hard pressed to advise the club or advanced home racer to choose this model.

Then again, you may not care about such things. You just want a new 512 BB and you enjoy Flyslot products. If so, then you should be perfectly happy with what you get out of the box.

If you like collecting than you will get this model. It is the first of a new name and therefore it has that sort of appeal. If working on models is something you enjoy then this model might also appeal to you. Even given the shortcomings I still like it for what it offers me personally: A challenge. I enjoy tinkering and tuning and when I am finished it will be a smooth running model like all the ones before it.

In the end it has potential like almost any slot car. Only you can decide if you want to take on the challenge.

-Harry

Contact ME here about this review or the hobby in general.

Thanks go to POWERSLOTCARS for sponsoring this review.