by slothead » Mon Mar 18, 2013 6:43 am
I'm purchasing the lot of 10 Legends of Racing cars listed yesterday and hope to do a similar type conversion. When I see the term 'die cast' with a model I assume it has a metal body, and I haven't been able to determine it that is true for these cars or not. I see the chassis is plastic, but what about the body?
Also, these will be my first 1/43 scale cars in a large stable of 1/32 scale oval cars (mostly northeast style DIRT modifieds). Depending on the weight of the body, what do you recommend for a motor? My wood oval is powered by individual Scalextric wall wart transformers connected to a Scalextric plastic power base section mounted under the track with wires soldered to it and connecting to the copper tape above. Can the type of motor you used run at the standard 1/32 power level (12 - 16 volts)? What motors do guys use who race 1/43 scale cars on a 1/32 or 1/24 scale tracks?
Lastly, I was surprised to see that you mounted the guide behind the front axle. For my 1/32 scale mods I use a 3 1/4" wheelbase and mount the guide 1/2" in front of the front axle (3 3/4" from the rear axle). This allows my cars to do a power slide through corners (when driven well). I have one RTR car (Carerra GTO) that has the guide just behind the front axle and it isn't nearly as smooth in the corners as those with the guide out front. I should add that my track intentionally has a very smooth 'slidey' hardboard surface that is difficult to drive on and puts a premium on driver control - but when you get it right the power sliding dirt mods are a sight to behold. What are others doing with regards to guide placement on 1/43 scale cars.
Thanks for all comments and help. I'm going to take my time building the first conversion, then use the lessons learned to create a field of these legends with the hopes of having them all be competitive with each other.