There are a lot of the same issues on this car as (goosenapper) had on the SRC Porsche 907 upon receiving it.
The packaging the car comes in is nice but also a bit of overkill. The car sits inside a plastic case within a thin plastic sleeve with graphics and a cardboard sleeve with images of the real car along with car, race and driver info which is all shrink wrapped to finish off the packaging.
The first issue I noticed before opening was the left rear wheel was too far up inside the body, so I immediately thought the axle bushing was out of the chassis. More on that later.
Upon opening the car the detail and finish was excellent, this is the detail we all became used to seeing with the old Fly cars.
The markings are crisp and clean, the paint and clear coat are very good and you can see a mile into the finish.
The interior detail is also done very good. It is a full interior tray with a full driver figure and you can clearly see the painted gauges on the dash and their is a fire extinguisher on the passenger floor. The driver has markings on his helmet which I feel is a nice touch for detail.
The detail on the wheels are nicely done. They are plastic wheels and it looks like the centers are gold photo etched inserts. The wheels are round and true and I didn't find any flashing upon removing the tires from any of the wheels. The tires on the other hand seem to be a nice compound but they have seams in the middle of the treads.
Chassis is pretty plain but does have a nice exhaust detail that actually is a complete separate piece attached to the chassis and not just molded in and painted. The inside has the lead wires neatly routed to the guide and has a bar magnet in font of the motor, and just like the 907 review that is where the good things end for the car.
Lets start off with the rear axle issue I stated earlier, just like I had guessed the axle bushings had came loose from the chassis. I am assuming this is just a QC problem and the cars that come with them loose like this came this way from the factory. When I looked the car over before opening, the space between the rear wheels and the base were far enough apart where this would not be the reason to pop the axle loose even during shipping.
The biggest issue in my opinion is the spring loaded guide. It just has too much up and down free play, and even with the weight of the car it still allows the front end of the car to sit too high. I will most likely replace it with a Slot It guide. The copper braids are very stiff also which doesn't help the guide issue either.
Another big issue with this car just like stated in the 907 review is the motor and how loose it is inside the chassis. I cant think of any other slot car I have had that had a motor sit so loosely in the chassis. I'm surprised it stays in place and doesn't pop out under acceleration. I plan on replacing the motor with a M/T-1 anyway but a small bead of hot glue would be a easy fix to keep the motor from moving.
The last issue on the car is I noticed that the chassis wasn't sitting correctly on the track and the right front wheel was off the ground. I immediately thought the chassis was warped but upon closer inspection it was the chassis not sitting right inside the body. The interior tray is binding with the chassis on the drivers side and not letting the the chassis sit flush with the body. Also one of the back body posts were stripped out as the screw must have been overtightened at the factory.
On the track in stock form the car ran pretty decent until I reached the turns. This is where the guide issue really becomes apparent, the spring in the guide keeps it so far down the car will actually spin around 180 degrees because the guide stops don't hit the chassis because the guide sits so low. My track is routed so I cant comment on the magnet strength or how that effects the car on plastic track but on my wood track I think the car has a lot of potential but it will need a few fixes first. Its nothing terrible as most of us wood guys need to tune any car to suit our tracks.
I purchased this car from Power Slotcars for $59.99 and for the detail it has I think its a fair price but I also think for that price they should have better QC and I would like to see them at the very least put in brass bushings on the rear axle. With that said, it is a beautiful car and the attention to detail is nicely done. Whether it is worth the price with the above mentioned issues is something you will have to decide for yourself. I like the car and plan on picking up the other Ford Capri 2600 LV 24Hrs Le Mans 1973 for a running mate. They are a Trans Am type looking car and they will fit nicely into my field of cars. Hopefully some of you will find this little review helpful, I am no pro at reviews like others but I wanted to share what I thought about this model. I will end it with a couple more pictures on the track.
