12/22/02   (Published in the TSRF web site with permission of SCI)

In today's slot car market there seems to be a haze when it comes to the aftermarket chassis available. There are some that are pre-assembled, ready to run, but pricey. There are kits and partial kits, but what do you need to complete and run them? What gears, what axles, what motors, what rims are all questions faces when deciding what to order, and will it all work when all the parts are together?

When I was first contacted by TSRF about reviewing their chassis, I was thrilled. I'd seen the prototype pictures on the Net, and I was anxious to examine one for myself. I received both the kit version, and the ready to run version. I couldn't wait to put them to the test.

Upon examining them I found that everything looked to be very, very precise. In fact, the molded plastic parts are the most
precise plastic parts I have ever seen. There was absolutely no flash on them, and the fit has absolutely no slop. TSRF has cut no corners in the manufacturing of this chassis.

The kit and ready to run (RTR) chassis both come in the same type of package, easily opened and closed again. The RTR chassis was a bit difficult to ply out of the blister packaging, but this is
darn close to the only complaint I have for this product.

The kit assembled fairly easily with the aid of a cross-tip screwdriver and a pair of needle nose pliers. The motor is held tightly in a "pod" similar to a FLY motor pod, but the front of the pod continues forward under the pan of the
chassis. This assembly also holds the motor leads, and this would not be possible if it weren't for the precision molding of the pod itself. The chassis and pan can be assembled in one of three positions, and the front axle can also be placed in three positions as well. This allows the wheelbase to be set in length from 3" to almost 3.75". Three quarters of an inch doesn't sound like much, but it's probably more than the average racer will need.
The chassis itself is of the sidewinder configuration. Unlike the classic FLY setup, this chassis drive gears are on the opposite side. The guide is fixed to the chassis, as are the braids. On the chassis I tested, this system worked flawlessly, but I do have concern that this might pose a problem if larger front tires are added. The guide itself long, comparable in length to Carrera guides,
so if you're using track with a shallow slot this might need to be trimmed. I asked Philippe of TSRF why he went with a fixed guide. Here was his reasoning:

  • Simplicity: no flexible (and fragile) lead wires are necessary, no problem with slop and bad contact to the track. No soldering of any kind is necessary.

  • Ease of operation: if the car de-slots, it is extremely easy to put it back in the slot.
  • Ease of maintenance: it is extremely easy and fast to change braided contacts or guide pin, and the contacts can be very short while providing superior electrical contact compared to a conventional guide, as they always will trail instead of contacting through the front (like in most current plastikars due to the nasty rocking motion of the guide).

  • Experience: most of the fastest 1/32 scale cars devised by club racers in the 1960's had pin guides (see the
fabulous cars built by Gene Wallingford or Pete Hagenbush or Jose Rodriguez Jr. which could still today, outperform ANY of the plastikar-based hot-rods including the Slot.It Audi...), and no one ever complained about the hundreds of thousands of Monogram 1/32 scale cars so equipped which they sold in their home-racing sets.... Today, Carrera issued their new 1/43 scale cars with pin guides.
The chassis also comes with a very strong bar magnet that can be placed in three positions. I found that it didn't much matter which position the magnet was in, but the more rearward, the stronger the effect on cornering.

The tires are a very soft rubber, but not silicone. They were very sticky on my Carrera track, and needed no truing what-so-ever. The rims are molded in black, and are void of any detail. TSRF assures us that within a few months they will have four sets of inserts for these wheels ready to go. If they are as precise as the moldings on the chassis, they should be awesome inserts.
Bodies can be mounted in a couple different ways. There are two small tubes to use as pins to hold onto the insides of the body, or you can use the optional body side mounts by either gluing or taping them to the body. The chassis will fit many 

different bodies, usually with some modifications to the interior, but the chassis I tested is primarily designed for the ALMS-GT1-GTP bodies. TSRF tells us that a narrower body is in the works for other applications you might want to try.
I tested this car with the FLY Racing Porsche body installed. I found that this chassis propelled the Racing FLY Porsche faster than FLY ever thought it would go. 

This is one fast chassis, and the magnet keeps it firmly planted in the slot. Acceleration was smooth, braking quick. All the hard work that TSRF has put into this chassis has certainly paid off. It works as advertised, and with the availability of hop-up parts is certain to become a popular choice at the race track.

Without magnet, the car was a bit slippery, but with some weight added it began to hook up better. Make sure the tires are clean because it becomes easily overpowered, especially on the exit to curves as you apply power. With weigh added towards the rear and clean tires, I found this car to be very well mannered and race-able. With all the flat area on top of the chassis there is plenty of room to try different weight positions, making this a very versatile chassis.

 

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