Slot-it CW01a Porsche 956 "New man"

by William Gamer

    When Gene asked if I'd do a review for him I was pleased he thought my last effort was good enough to give me another shot. So when I received the package I couldn't wait to open it knowing what was inside. This is my first RTR Slot-it car. Slot-it the company is not new to me as I have used their gears, wheels and chassis parts to build or fix other brands on many occasions. If you've ever used Slot-it parts you know they are a quality product and inside a RTR slotcar they should make a car that needs no, or next to no "fiddling" to get it to run right. We shall soon see.
 

The car comes boxed in a shinny burnt orange colored cardboard display box. When I opened it I learned from a credit card sized paper that this car is a limited edition, 1 of 6000. Unlike some other manufacturers the pricing on this "limited" car has stayed the same. On the inside of the folding box top there is some history of the car as it was raced. I like that they took the time to tell you this, all slot cars should have a little of this.  The car was held secure in the box, and had a molded lexan cover to help protect it as well.

A note from Slot-it's web site http://www.slot-it.com/INGLESE/News.html tells how they included the wrong tires. Dunlop's should be on the car, not Goodyear's. Does the lettering mistake bother me, no but maybe some purists will have an issue. To me it means an extra set of tires, I'm not complaining.
 
 

We have good news and bad news: The good news is: the cars have been shipped to the distributors and they are beautiful. Many distributors already have the cars in their hands. The bad news is: the car, due to an error whose responsibility is entirely ours, comes with the wrong tyres: the car itself raced with DUNLOP tyres, while the model comes with GOODYEAR tyres, unfortunately. We have incredibly missed the mistake in the production samples and all the cars have been shipped with this very unfortunate feature. So, we have asked all the distributors to stop sales of the cars they have until they'll receive the correct tyres. A small bag with 4 tyres, 2 front+2 rear, properly marked 'Dunlop', will be found inside the box, ready to be put in place of the wrong ones. This will take approximately one week. We deeply apologize with the distributors, shop owners and customers for this very unfortunate occurence.

    Looking at the car you can see plenty of detail molded right in. The paint was dust free, however some of the tampo print looked like it may not have a clear coat to protect it. The only real thing I noticed was a little bleed through of black in a couple areas of the white tampo print. However this was minor and didn't detract from a very beautifully done car. Even the mirrors had "glass" inserts to give it a realistic look.

    I always take the car out of the box and right to my track. Then after a few laps I check to see if lube and any issues need addressing. Some may flinch, but I'll bet that more cars go right to the track without ever being checked out. A RTR car should be able to be treated like that and the Slot-it car had no problem making laps.
 
 
 

So how does it run fresh out of the box...
    The car is fast, yet not super stuck down and can be easily slid around corners. Push it though and it deslots, sliding to the guardrail. No tumbling, and that's a good thing. Slot-it makes a deeper guide, I wish it would have been included on this car. Any dirt or dust on your track and the grippy tires pick it right up. So after truing and cleaning the tires I dusted the track with a "swiffer" and  traction was even better. The rear tires were cupped a bit so sanding - truing was needed.
    The car comes with Slot-it's #sich13 reverse inline motor mount.   This mount lets you snap the magnet in either in front of or just aft of the motor. It comes with the magnet in the rear position between the motor and gears. This car is very light, and fast enough that some may think it could use a magnet in both positions.
On my car the front wheels barely turned. At first I thought it was the wheels being pushed on quite far causing friction from the inside of the hubs rubbing the chassis. A twist-pull motion to get some play and the wheels still dragged.
 
 
 

OK, now we'll open it up and see what makes it tick and get the front wheels rolling. Two Phillips screws are what holds it together.

The front axle rides in a slotted hole, but the chassis has some standoffs keeping the axle tight at the top of it's slot. A quick run with a file, (or sanding) cured this.

The chassis is quite simple, some stiffening ribs and a petty nice area for lead weight or a light kit just behind the front axle.  A nice feature is the power wires run in the ribs making it a neat assembly. Rolling hardware up front are plastic press on wheels while out back Slot-it's own aluminum wheels, and 28 tooth crown gear on a nice straight Slot-it axle.  Lube was plenty on the entire rear end mechanicals. However the front axle had no lube.

    After freeing up the front axle, and a couple drops of oil on it, it's back to the track.
Front wheels are turning much better now, freely rolling and overall performance is about the same, fast, predictable, and very smooth. So you say, "even a Slot-it car needs work"? What actually "needed" work? Nothing really. But I have a hard time leaving anything alone. I like the front tires turning and I think maybe a bit of weight near the guide. I'm not looking for a magnet racer so that should  give me the performance I like.
 

    Now, the question is do you need this car? Well maybe not need. The car is a stunning looker, excellent detail and paintwork. Slot-it running gear make it one of the smoothest, quietest, and faster cars fresh out of the box. No serious tweaking, or aftermarket parts needed. Well, ok maybe a light kit? (In my eyes this car is just begging to be lighted.)
    Are you into Lemans type cars, or Porsche's? Then this probably is a must have for you. This release being my first Slot-it RTR only makes me want more in this series. How can you go wrong, looks great, runs like the wind and includes top notch hardware. Check them out, I'm sure the Slot-it cars will not disapoint you.