The New Cars

I have just opened and run these cars for the first time, and they are fantastic.

Slot.it Ford GT40 #8 Le Mans 1968

Slot.it CA18b. Ford GT40 on an EVO6 chassis with adjustable front suspension. Sidewinder Orange End Bell Motor. 

This is what hooked me on getting a Slot.it car. Once I saw this, I knew that I had to have it. Finding it at a cheaper price than a Carrera car made it a no-brainer.

Out of the box it needed oil and grease and it was practically ready to go. It was chattering a little in the turns, and I thought there might be a tire rub, but it turned out that the front suspension was binding the axle, causing the car to occasionally pinch in the corners. Once I did the adjustment and loosened the body shell a little it ran like a dream.

The differences to a Carrera car are night and day. It's not that Carrera makes bad cars; on the contrary. For a full-kit manufacturer, they probably have the best cars out there. But Slot.it focuses on cars and digital systems, not race tracks. Their cars are of higher quality and workmanship, and are light and fast. They're nowhere near as indestructible as Carrera cars, but they do hold their own okay.

The Ford has a low center of gravity, which is helpful in that it doesn't fly off the track as much as spinout without flipping. It grips like the nobody's business, breaking all track records right out of the box.
If you're like me and are expanding from the original kit, you'll find Slot.it cars to be a great addition to your track. Of course, I couldn't just get one....

Slot.it GT40 Jacky Ickx Daytona 1967

Slot.it CA18d. 11/32 Pinion/Gear, Sidewinder.

The perfect racing partner for the #8. Cars like this are the reason I painted my track. It's a dark enough blue that under low light it looks almost black. On light gray track it all shows up quite nicely. It will also rip your face off with its speed.

These cars are handling....scratch that...loving Carrera track. First runs with magnets were preposterously fast, with grip beyond the likes my track has never seen. I considered tires right off the bat, but I really don't think it'll be necessary. There's not a thing out of place about these cars on Carrera track. I've read loads of vague accounts of Slot.it and Carrera and whether I would need to do modifications to run on my track, but I'll say that they work together very well straight out of the box.

GT40's have been one of my favorite race cars since I was a kid. The body shape is undeniably stylish, even now. And I know that there are hundreds of other cars out there, but why not start with a couple cars I know I'm going to love right away? So that's what I did. And then this came too:

Slot.it Alfa Romeo 33/3 #2 Targa Florio 1971

Slot.it CA11a. Another of the Classic Collection from Slot.it. Standard front end.

If I was going to pick a favorite period in racing, it would be the late 1960's/early 70's. A thrilling time for cars, speed, racing and style. The Alfa Romeo is as sweet and stylish as you get, and it hauls ass too. I had seen it showing up near the top of some proxy races, and started to research the slot car. It is a favorite for proxy racers due to its light weight and small construction and short overall length [116mm to the GT40 car's 133mm]. It grips like crazy and never lets go. I plan to do some time trials in a few days, and I expect this car to be the one to beat as it just refuses to whip its tail out.

While the Alfa had a similar suspension to the GT40 cars, it didn't come with the small grub screws needed for the top to make the fine tuning adjustment of the front axle. It's racy right out of the box, so I don't think I need it at the moment. We'll see down the road, though. There isn't a lot of tire clearance on this, or any of the models. So having that ability to adjust the front is pretty nice.

The Alfa is built with the same essential setup as the GT40 [Orange End Bell Sidewinder Motor, 11/32, 0.5 offset]. That makes these three cars competitive with each other with virtually no modifications. They'll naturally blow the Carreras out of the water, so those probably won't see much race time from here on out. Maybe when the nephews come over. They aren't touching my Slot.its!

Here are some outdoor shots: