{"id":279,"date":"2016-10-25T10:17:49","date_gmt":"2016-10-25T15:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/?p=279"},"modified":"2016-11-02T10:11:04","modified_gmt":"2016-11-02T15:11:04","slug":"slot-it-dtm-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeracingworld.us\/TeamHRW\/slot-it-dtm-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Slot.it DTM Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

Slot.it Alfa Romeo 155 V6TI – #7 – DTM 1993- Nordschleife – #CA35a<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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The all new Classic DTM series from Slot.it has\u00a0finally arrived to our side of the pond and it’s time to see what \u00a0<\/strong><\/em>this new car has to offer. It might be that this series will be more popular than some enthusiasts have predicited.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I will admit I am part of that “some enthusiasts”.\u00a0Although the era of the series interests me, I simply did not watch or follow\u00a0<\/span>this series back then. For motorsport enthusiasts the series is of course very\u00a0appealing. And from the feedback in our forum, it appears that my own personal\u00a0taste is the minority as most that have chimed in are really looking forward to\u00a0it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Data At A Glance<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Some have asked why the car isn’t 4WD out of the box. The\u00a0reason is that the cost would be higher and thus we have a standard 2WD. That is\u00a0fine by me as I really don’t care much on this fact. I have heard that a special\u00a0edition boxed version will be produced and it will be 4WD.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the base is a parts bag that has no instructions\u00a0<\/span>and a standard wrench for the set screws. It appears to be parts for the 4WD\u00a0<\/span>system and digital chip support.<\/span><\/p>\n

My model arrived quickly and safely as usual from Power\u00a0<\/span>Hobby. My first impressions were positive even though the model doesn’t quite\u00a0<\/span>have the appeal for me. The outside is what I personally have come to expect from\u00a0<\/span>Slot.it. A very well executed scale effort with an overall appealing finish.\u00a0<\/span>Appealing but not perfect. Perhaps it is just my eyes, but the overall finish\u00a0<\/span>seems a bit on the dull side. As if not enough clear coat is present.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The markings are certainly crisp enough and I really like\u00a0<\/span>the detail effort in the interior. For a lightweight half-try interior, Slot.it\u00a0<\/span>created an exceptional effort.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I see other brands making almost full interiors\u00a0<\/span>that do not look as appealing as this.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quick Tech Fact:\u00a0<\/span>Body and interior is only 19 grams. Fully assembled with\u00a0<\/span>chassis: 69 grams<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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So although the overall finish is not as shiny as I\u00a0<\/span>expected, I am still pleased. The detail level is enough to make me overlook it. Nothing is ever perfect in our hobby, but Slot.it is pretty\u00a0<\/span>consistent on producing excellent scale representations. You DTM aficionados out\u00a0<\/span>there will come to your own conclusions as always.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a bonus to this review I decided to interview Maurizio\u00a0<\/span>Ferrari about this car.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

HRW: “What the motivation was behind choosing this\u00a0<\/span>series?”<\/span><\/p>\n

We must thank one of our employee Stefano\u00a0Zannoni, who is an expert in the DTM of this era and whose knowledge was\u00a0indispensable. Classic DTM was hugely popular in Germany but in Italy as well in\u00a01:1 scale, due to Alfa racing and winning. There were a few DTM championship\u00a0races in Italy, as well.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

From a slot car perspective, I can easily see this series\u00a0<\/span>growing on me. I was not a witness to Group C, Group 5, IMSA, or any of these\u00a0<\/span>series back in the day either but it did not stop me from enjoying the slot car\u00a0<\/span><\/em>versions of them.<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

And I learned a lot about motorsports back then along the way.\u00a0<\/span>One of those cases where slot cars actually taught me about the prototypes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under The Hood<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The biggest surprise to me was the choice of inline\u00a0<\/span>configuration. Or perhaps I should say a very welcome one? Of course some\u00a0<\/span>racers will not agree but I prefer the simplicity and smoothness an inline model\u00a0<\/span>from Slot.it delivers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The reason was simple really.<\/span><\/p>\n

HRW: “Why inline? Any other changes for this chassis\u00a0<\/span>type?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Cars are narrow and there’s no other way to\u00a0position the motor in the chassis. The motor mount hole in the chassis is inline\u00a0only and for this reason the inline pods (Flat6 and Boxer included) were\u00a0modified.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

So INLINE ONLY for this series. Not\u00a0compatible with sidewinder or anglewinder configurations.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For our home racing the inline Group C models from\u00a0<\/span>Slot.it are likely the best all around slot car out of the box. With just a tire\u00a0<\/span>change the models perform so smoothly and quietly that it’s performance is what\u00a0<\/span>I have used as a benchmark for many years. There is no excess chatter, therefore\u00a0<\/span>no need to alter\/customize the chassis in the pursuit of eliminating it as we\u00a0<\/span>have with anglewinder systems.<\/span><\/p>\n

So having this model restricted to inline is more than\u00a0<\/span>acceptable to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

The motor is the latest from Slot.it and is reported to\u00a0<\/span>be 21K in performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I bench tested this motor with my\u00a0<\/span>simple RPM\u00a0Test Rig<\/a>. It was consistently turning close to 20K with the numbers being\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>19,968K as an average<\/strong>. Remember that this is fresh from the box. Any motor will\u00a0<\/span>improve slightly as it breaks in. I suspect we will be very close to the rated\u00a0<\/span>specifications very soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also remember this is just my simple laser system and to\u00a0<\/span>account for margin of error on my part.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pretty familiar setup to most veterans. The front axle\u00a0<\/span>can be adjusted as usual if you install the set screws yourself. The chassis is\u00a0<\/span>digital compatible as well as compatible with the Slot.it light kits. It will<\/span>
\n accept the longer Boxer\/Flat 6 type motor using the\u00a0<\/span>long pod<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Road Test<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span>
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\nMIDMO SPEEDWAY<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a>
\n4 x 16 3 Lane Routed MDF – Satin
\nLatex Surface
\nSlot Car Corner Braid – DiFalco Control
\nAftermarket Power @\u00a012 Volts<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I’ll let the video do most of the talking.<\/span><\/p>\n

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