Friday, May 19, 2006

First post for SCN

My first post for my new blog. I'll be looking for the latest photos of the coolest newest cars and posting them here for your enjoyment.

4 comments:

Robert Livingston said...

Did I tell you about my MMK Maserati 151?
First thing that happened was the guide fractured where the eyelets go in. I replaced it with a Scalex blue guide. I noticed practically every glued-on part was crooked. One of the "decals" has a bubble under it. I think they are stick-on clear labels, not waterslide decals.

After oiling, gluing in the motor, shaving a little resin off the motor mount, and noticing that the gear aligment was bad, I did get the car to run well. Gluing the motor in just the right place is crucial to maintain proper gear mesh. The brass pinion wobbles visibly on the motor shaft, but runs OK. What do you want for $165?

Electric Dreams then sent me an unasked-for SECOND CAR. I did not order it, and I had made no complaint about the first car. When I notified them, they credited my Pay Pal account to the tune of $4.05, to pay for return shipping.

DaveKennedy said...

Well it sounds like you made out on that deal. Does the second car have "issues" as well?

Robert Livingston said...

The second Maser will be going back to Elec Dreams. I figure they still own it; it's just "parked" at my house!

I have not inspected it very carefully. I will do so later today. Then I'll send it back.

Believe me, I hardly ever buy a new RTR car. I had no hopes about the running gear, and am pleased that this one is at least, runnable as-is, without a total rebuild.

Why do I care so much about a Maser 151? Because I had one in high school, a vac-bodied 1/24 version, which was just like the real car: fast on the straights, terrible in the corners. It had a Wilson motor in a scratch built chassis. I struggled to keep up with the Cox cars, built out of the box, 36D motors, and clay weights added. But I loved the eccentric looks, and the fact that I built it from parts, and bits of metal.

DaveKennedy said...

BTW, I welcome all comments about slotcars on this site...anyone is welcome to contribute.