| March 25, 2007 Review |
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 Carrera 1/32 32' Ford Hot Rod Classic and High Performance Review By Eric Cropper  Q: Did Carrera kill all these qualities when they “Shrinky Dinked” these cars down to 1/32 scale? A: Nope. Fear of a FULL scale riot probably helped keep Carrera in line with these rods. Appearance:   The High Performance 32’ version above is my favorite for obvious reason for those who have read my previous rants on the color yellow. What doesn’t say performance waiting to be un-bottled with this rod? Could it be that huge chrome beast up front? Could it be the chrome flutes running down the side, playing a song that makes all men smile like the devil? Fenders? We don’t need no stinking fenders!!! Could it be the fact that there’s enough rubber in the rear to lay down a trail from Cincinnati to Spokane? It is all of these above. I look at this car and quickly associate it with American Graffiti.  The Classic has a chrome grill flanked by chrome headlights. The yellow paint around the grill is clean with no over runs into the chrome. The front suspension is also chrome. Basically, everything that should be chrome on the real thing is chrome on its 1/32 cousin. You also see the nice tread pattern on the rubber.  The HP version front end is the center piece and it’s a gift from the Chrome Gods. The same care has gone into the grill, headlights and suspension with the addition of the exposed springs. The blown supercharged V8 monster doesn’t lurk under a hood, instead it jumps out at you from under the covers. The engine is 99% chrome with red accents on the blower and a flat black belt system. The flat silver painted fire wall is a good contrast between the engine and yellow body. Even though it’s flat paint, it can’t mask the reflection of the chrome power plant. Here’s a better look at the engine and the best detail in my opinion, the diamond plate under the headers.   The Classic rear has very distinct trunk lines molded into the plastic. There is a chrome gas cap in the lower left. The chrome suspension, gear box and exhaust are tucked neatly under the rear end. There’s an “insatiable” vanity plate from California. Some people have complained about the size of the tires and that they are a bit over done. They were not sold on the tires diameter and width. Personally, I’d prefer to have the tires tucked under the fenders. Different strokes for different folks  The color of the HP lets you see the trunk lines I spoke of above. It has chrome undercarriage details and some drag inspired bumper stickers from STP, Hanes, and Edelbrock. I have to admit, I don’t get this vanity plate. I showed it to several folks including the Boss. I got anything from “Not My Loaner” to “Not Millionaire.” I’m usually pretty good with figuring vanity plates out. If you know drop me a line. Again, this model’s rear tire size was debated as being “too much.” Another nice detail is the split rear window. UPDATE: I've gotten many emails confirming that the plate stands for, "Not Milner", the driver of the yellow hot rod in American Graffiti. I even mentioned how the car reminded me of movie, however, I haven't seen it in years and didn't remember the driver's name. Thanks for the emails. NOTE: The license plates pop off easily from contact. They are lightly glued in place. Mine popped off after it jumped over a wall and the rear end caught the top of the wall. Yes, if anyone can make it jump a wall…it would be me.   Here are some bird’s eye views. The flaming Classic has black interior with a bright red bench seat, silver painted gear shifter and display cluster. They even painted needles on the displays. The chiseled faced Daddy-O driver of this 32’ is decked out in a black leather jacket and blue jeans.  Since the HP is a hardtop, getting a peek inside wasn’t possible. All the pix were too dark. The interior and driver are carbon copies of the Classic. The only difference is that the dash if colored yellow after the car and the seats are black like the rest of the interior.  Above you see the big difference in the rear tires of both Hot Rods. The Classic has a lower profile and Goodyear markings on the sidewall just like the front tires. The HP has some tall boys in the rear. No tire brands on these sidewalls, making me wonder if those tires are really made for the strip instead of the drive-in. Now the rubber compound is pretty stiff, but not rock solid. They have a nice tread pattern as seen above. However, I can see those treads meeting their end via sandpaper. Out of the box I put the HP on the track for some easy laps and Shawn quickly joined me with the Classic. The first thing we noticed was the tire noise of both cars. The yellow was mild, but that Classic sounded like a semi rolling past.  I should have checked first, however, I just wanted to get these Rods a running. Shawn found the biggest noise maker on the Classic and headed for the workbench before I could even get a pic. One of the Classic’s front rims was not pressed completely together. I checked the HP for a similar problem. The two piece rims were seated together. However, as we looked at all the rims the biggest problem reared its ugly head. The glue used to keep the halves together was excessive. It oozed out from the seam and dried to form some heavy buildup spots. Then I spied the above SPIKE that would flatten any tire from the outside, let alone from the inside of the tire. So, out came the hobby files and sandpaper. After we covered all 4 shoes and replaced the tires we returned to the track. I must stress that the amount of glue build up was ridiculous!!!  Like their big brothers, these 1/32 versions have the same cross-drilled rotor and caliper details behind each chromed Cragar styled rim.  Yes, the lights work!!! Even the tiny tear shaped tail lights light up brightly. The head lights are so bright that the chrome housings become translucent. Hopefully, the light problems that plagued the 1/24 versions haven’t transferred to the 1/32’s. Performance:  Let’s check out the nuts and bolts on both of these Fords. The screw patterns are the same on both cars. The YELLOW arrows point out the 4 screws you need to remove to separate the body from the chassis. NOTE: The rear YELLOW screws reside under the chrome suspension and exhaust details. These chrome pieces are only press fitted. The RED screw if removed alone, allows the combination rear axle assembly / motor pod to be pulled away from the chassis. This allows easy access for lubing the gears and motor without having to remove the whole chassis from the body. The GREEN screws hold the front and rear magnet pods in place.  The reverse polarity switch is really small. I had to use the tip of a small screwdriver to flip it. Check out the length of that guide. It runs almost 1/3 of the chassis’ length. When you remove the motor pod screw (red arrow) the whole rear axle assembly and motor are easily pulled away from the rest of the chassis. This allows easy access and maintenance to the motor, gears, and bushings. Pull to hard or twist to much and you’ll be pulling out the soldering iron to reconnect the lead wires. It’s a nice feature for quick inspection or lube.   When removing just the body screws (yellow arrows) the Classic will look like the pic above and the HP like the pic below.  NOTE: The fenders and running boards of the Classic can be removed. A local father and son team swapped parts on these two versions. The rear tires got traded and the Classic’s fenders and running boards ended up on the HP. Just add yellow paint and you have a customized version. Below is a close up shot of the location of the rear body screws. These are located under the rear chrome details. You have to remove the chrome details out of the way. They completely block these screws when the car is completely assembled. The blue arrows show the hole locations that the chrome piece’s tabs fit into.     The above and below shot show just how much of each car’s body comes off the chassis. These Rods carry the standard Carrera 1/32 power plant and wire octopus. That’s a lot in a small place. The gearing is a 9 toothed pinion and 27 toothed inline crown gear. They come well lubed from the factory.  NOTE: When removing the motor pod only and pulling it away from the rest of the completed car the motor wires will pull through the opening in the chassis. I mention this because I couldn’t get the wiring back through the chassis opening and back into its original position. I ended up having to remove the body to get the wiring placed back into the right position before the motor pod would rest in place. Below is a side by side comparison of the rear magnet pod on each car. Because of the high profile of the HP’s rear tires its magnet has been lowered via a spacer. They both have the front magnet pod too. (see the bottom shots above if you missed it)  TRACK TIME  I mention earlier that out of the box these cars gave of signs of problems that needed tending too. However, straight out the box the cars handled good. The magnetic down force might be too much for some of folks. The acceleration was brisk and braking was just a good. I think the removal of one of the magnets would free up some ponies for each car. I didn’t try it and I know I’ll get some flack about it. I’m a magnet racer. Sorry. However, non-mag should work with the Rods since the majority of weight is in the rear and that is what non-mag racers like…sliding. Right? The Classic held the track better than the HP for 2 reasons. First, the Classic has better weight balance front to back. The Classic has the covered engine bay and added weight of the fenders and running boards. These make the car more balanced overall. The HP is all tail. The added weight of the bigger tires and lack of fenders make it a “RUMP SHAKER.” Shaken, not stirred. This factor is even more evident when the rear tires start getting dirty. Second, the HP’s front end if very light. Even with the big guides the HP is more likely to pop out of the groove than the Classic.  HP AXLE ISSUE: While testing the HP 32’ I came across an issue with the front axle assembly. If memory serves me right, the biggest reason that the 1/32 versions weren’t released last year was because of axle issues with this car. The picture above shows a channel in the chrome details of the front suspension. Any decent front impact involving either tire results in the axle popping backwards in this channel. This causes the axle to bind and the car to drastically slow down. However, it is easily remedied by finding which side has popped out and gently pressing it back into place. So, how were the lap times? I ran the HP straight from the box on the inside lane of the Garage’s test track and turned a fast lap of 5.816 seconds. This is before all the rim fixes we did after this initial run. I don’t have a time for the Classic straight out of the box. Like I said before, the Boss put the Classic on the track, ran a lap or two, and then it was off to the shop. However, after both cars had the rim fixes done to them the lap times were almost identical. The HP on the inside lane improved to 5.755 seconds and the Classic turned its fastest lap at 5.754 seconds. Only a 1/1000 of a second difference. Now that’s racing!!!  Judgment Day: There were many Groove Riders that thought the 1/24 versions were a hit out of the ballpark for Carrera last year. I think the 1/32 versions are going to echo those cheers again this year. They are just as eye catching and detailed. They have good speed, braking and handling. They bring back memories to the old timers and satisfy the young whipper snapper’s wish that he was born a generation or two earlier. Running evenly matched cars is a favorite of the Boss’ and mine. It lets the driving do the talking. (I get to speak up every now and then) The best thing is Carrera has plans to release more of them later in the year. Including versions we didn’t see in the 1/24 Hot Rods. So, start digging in your couch for some extra cash, because there is fun to be had!!! I give them a 4 out of 5 on the Aaaaaaay Meter and that’s only because of the rim and axle issues.  We would like to thank World of Slot Cars for providing the 32’ Ford Classic for review and comparison to my 32’ High Performance Hot Rod. Give Matt a call or email about their current stock. I know he just got stocked up on Scalextric and has a whole case full of Fly cars and boxed sets. (this may not be reflected on the website) Remember to let him know you heard about them on SCG to keep the review cars coming. Feel free to direct any questions or comments to me at the email below. Eric Cropper AKA legionofone ecropper@hotmail.com |
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