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Scalextric Dodge Daytona 1969 - Bobby Isaac

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wixwacing
Marshal!!!
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Scalextric Dodge Daytona 1969 - Bobby Isaac

Post by wixwacing »

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1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
Bobby Isaac



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Bobby Isaac started NASCAR racing in 1956 but it was some time before he could claim success. His first ‘sprint cup’ victory came in 1964, but eventually, in 1970, he drove the No. 71 Dodge Charger Daytona to outright victory to become the Grand National series champion. He went on to rack up a series of enviable NASCAR statistics. including 11 race wins in his championship season, and he still holds the record most number of ‘poles’ in a season at an amazing 20 in 1969.



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He also attained non race records with 28 land speed records at Bonneville and an amazing lap record of 201 mph at Talladega which stood for thirteen years. Sadly, he could not enjoy the fame he was accruing, and at the relatively young age of 45 he collapsed in the pit lane and died from a heart attack in the early hours of the next morning,



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His distinctive Charger now resides in the NASCAR hall of fame and Bobby himself has been inducted into the NASCAR hall of fame and is listed among the top fifty drivers.



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So does the model do him justice? Mmmmmmmm……. hard to say. The model is a distinctive livery but there are several corners cut by Mr. Scaley and to the tuned eye it is a compromise construction. The first and most evident economy is that Scaley have obviously used a body moulding from a previous model. The finish looks to be the plastic colour with a clear coat. Some glaring anomalies are that the ‘nose’ is a different shade, being white plastic with a coat of red paint. So too are the mouldings on top of the front wings/guards/fenders.



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Another anomaly is the rear screen panel. As mentioned, the main body of the model has a good clear lacquer coat but the rear screen is a different shade and is also a semi matt finish which is strikingly obvious! Moving back, the rear wing is a different shade of white to the white painted band across the rear side panels. Wheel detail is good and tyre size looks very scale, unlike a lot of models currently on the market. Underneath the chassis there are no surprises and the plain functionality is a relief to see.



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Scaley have an eye for detail even though sometimes it is poorly rendered, but one thing you can’t complain at is the true detail decals which adorn this model. In line with pictures of the real thing available on the net Scaley have reproduced the model as it has been raced.



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Looking a little deeper into the model's drive line it is unfortunate that with wheels and tyres Scaley may well be going backwards!! I don’t mean in reverse, I mean back to the bad old days! Why? Three of the four wheels have issues. Two have unacceptable runout (sideways wobble), one is eccentric, and two wheels have relatively large pieces of sprue waste still sticking out from them. The sprue waste can be dealt with, but the poor run out and eccentricity are more difficult to fix. Replace them with alloy wheels I hear you say!!! But, at a time when slotcars are approaching prices the highest they have ever been, the last thing the home / garage racer needs is to spend more than half the model price again, to replacing defective wheels……, and nice wheels too!



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So, moving on, underneath the chassis presents no problem. Much the same fare as a lot of muscle cars have today. There are only two traction magnet positions on this model, and out of the box, the magnet is located in the slot directly in front of the motor. Interesting to note that the magnet position which is under the rear axle on a lot of earlier models does not appear on this one, it looks like Scaley were short of space on this narrow model.



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With the outside checked out it was time to look inside, but with the six screws removed the chassis would not come out of the body?! The rear end came away after a little extra force but the front remained firmly stuck! Exerting extra pressure and in fear of breaking something, it was time to look a little closer to determine why the body refused to come off. Eventually I removed the front tyres to get a better look at the front mounting posts, as I thought this must be where the issue was. I inserted a small flat blade between the posts and the body and gently twisted until one side of the body popped free.



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A similar method was used for the other side and once the chassis was separated it was clear to see where the problem lay. What had happened was that during the assembly process the front part of the body wings which insert into the nose had become glued in position inside the nose. Now I do not profess to know in which order these models are assembled, but it definitely looks as though an adhesive or clear lacquer has got between these panels and bonded them together, preventing the removal of the body from the chassis?? So, if your model can’t be separated, tread carefully as these parts are not the thickest!



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Once inside, the delay is hardly worth it. Nothing to report here and for all intents and purposes you could be looking at a Mustang or a Camaro or similar model. The layout works and there is no necessity to change anything here. One thing to watch out for though during these trying times are the two overiders on the rear bumper bar. They are at risk of being snapped off while removing or replacing the chassis, especially if you have a ‘stuck’ body!!



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In true Scalextric tradition the driver’s tray clips in the body and is readily removed by unclipping the front end first. The removed tray displays some reasonable detail but a rather bland interior. This is a golden opportunity for the scale modeler to enhance the interior using their scratchbuilding prowess. Be aware though that the real car had a very basic dash and steering wheel detail!! Because the model is a hybrid, it shares detail with other chargers, in this case the model has ended up with two rear screens. One on the dull extra rear screen panel mentioned previously, and the other as part of the screen moulding for the earlier pre Daytona models.



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The front axle runs direct in the front chassis and the axle is a bit sloppy, probably due to the axle holes being wide enough to get the knurled axle ends through. The white nylon axle bushes at the rear are not as sloppy as far as axle fit is concerned, but they are loose in their chassis mounts. If you race non magnet then these need to be secured to prevent rear end hop. While you are at it you might like to shim out the sideplay in the rear axle.



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Lastly, inside, the traction magnet thankfully is the 2.5 m.m. thick one. This gives heaps of grip on Scaley, Ninco, SCX track etc. and still performs well on magnabraid and Carrera track with the right tyres. Make sure you mark the traction magnet before you remove it for any reason, as the motor performance can be altered for the better or worse if the magnet is turned around.



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So that is the model, good or not, I’ll give it nine out of ten for the automotive parts but unfortunately it is going to have a five out of ten for the gaffs and shortcuts Mr Scaley had dealt us. The nose seriously overlaps the body when it should be a flush fit, and what happened to the driver’s window safety net?? If you are looking for a superbird for the shelf I would wait for further model liveries……. or perhaps chose one of the oppositions' models. What say you Mr Scaley?


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So where did we finally end up?? This is a nice model but ‘nice’ is as much praise as I can manage. A memorable but forgettable livery (is that good English??) But this is a racing model. It will just be a splodge of red on the collector’s shelf so don’t get attached to it. Pimp it as much as you like and race its wheels off! That will be the most pleasure it can give you!


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Many thanks to fellow Legends racer Chris 'the Stig' Dietrich for the opportunity to review this model.
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When I'm not racing slotcars,
I'm out in the back yard, burning food!!

When I win, it's because of my talent, not my car or my controller!
racingchrisd
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Posts: 2
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 9:19 pm

Re: Scalextric Dodge Daytona 1969 - Bobby Isaac

Post by racingchrisd »

Cheers Phil on a well reported review, I hope to make a few adjustments and start racing the car soon, many thanks again, Chris D, (alias the Stig)
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