The Matra

[slotraceshopnz 4]

These arrived today. I now need to run a competition to find a much stronger word than "pretty" to use in slot car descriptions.

You can order now, and we will ship 20th March - world-wide release day.

Also available same date at your local "pusher" if you have one.

http://www.slotraceshop.co.nz/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1770

[munter 153]

lousy photo...........must have been too excited

Edited March 11, 2014 by munter

[SlotsNZ 112]

Yeah, appalling really, I think you should go there and kick his tail, steal a brace, and take them to Mike's Thursday for a proper photo-shoot.

[Capri-corn7 104]

3 lanes - I see 3 cars.....

[slotraceshopnz 4]

IMPOSSIBLE, or as the French would say il n'est pas possible

 

One privilege of being a distributor, is having access to new models before the general public. In the case of the Slot.it Matra, it has been sitting festering, calling to me from the work table, so today I decided to open one up and see what this little frog car, this "Simca" could do.

 

First glance showed me it has a wheelbase several mm longer than the McLaren and GT40, less guide-lead, (the length the guide is in front of the front axle), and more plastic behind the rear axle for "pendulum" weight. None of these made for a very promising performance.

 

First up, I just flattened and flared the stiff standard braid, loosened all 6 pod and both body screws 2 fulls turns, and threw it on the track, stock tyres, nothing glued, nothing trued; - and quickly got down to 5.65 seconds, which is anything but shabby on my track.

 

WRONG, OH So wrong, wrong, wrong wrong, wrong, wrong wrong, wrong, wrong wrong, the Maurizios' strike again

 

Back to the bench, swapped the rears for some glued and trued N22 rubber from a Group C Sauber, removed the "choke" from the motor in case it was fouling the underside of the body, adjusted the pod float a little, and back to track.

 

5.45 without trying hard, and it was wheel-standing out of the slot under acceleration out of the hairpin, smooth as butter.

 

Back to the bench

Trued the front tyres - didn't bother to glue on for a quick test. Added 4 grams lead to the chassis between the front of the pod and the body post, and moved the magnet to the front position in the pod - just to trim the forward weight balance.

Removed the front axle stoppers, fitted grub screws underneath and set the front ride height for full guide depth.

 

Back to the track

Better balance, and quicker, 5.3 . . .5.2 . . . 5.1 5.1 5.1 . .

Nope, not possible.... stopped to check the timing system.

 

5.2 mistake and a 5.3 as it came out of the last corner on the outside 2 wheels, guide airborne and dropped back into the slot. 5.28 5.16 5.11

 

Note. The car hasn't been disassembled since the factory, the chassis hasn't been flattened... nothing fancy....

 

For those of you who don't know my track, is a 64 foot (19.5 metre) wood routed track, tinned-copper braided with 8 turns. No magnetic effect.

The longest straight is 3.2 metres, and the next longest is just 2.2 metres.

Anything that can do around 5 seconds for 12.5 feet average speed per lap is bordering on qualifying for the 100 metres at the next Olympics.

 

Oh my.... I have a new favourite.