Test report by CoMod Carrera 124 on the Opel Commodore Steinmetz Jumbo
(27220)
In the 60s, 70s and early 80s, the Opel Commodore was the sister model of the Opel Rekord, which sold millions of units. It stood out - with the same body - thanks to its six-cylinder engines and more luxurious equipment. The Opel tuner Steinmetz offered its customers a wide range of tuning options and was also successful with modified Opel vehicles in various racing series.
At some point in the early 1970s , Steinmetz apparently wanted to go for the big time - he built the Steinmetz Jumbo on the basis of an Opel Commodore B. The standard version of this car had an elegant, almost dainty design. Not so the Jumbo: in addition to lavish wheel arch extensions, the front and rear of the Jumbo featured an almost enormous spoiler, which made the BMW 3.0 CSL, which was built at almost the same time, look almost bland. The spectacular visual appearance was rounded off by large sidepipes and wheels that really fill the wheel arches.
Fueled by a large-volume V8 engine, the yellow-painted Jumbo actually completed a few races. However, based on the scant information available at the time, these were probably not overly successful. Photos show that the one-off was subsequently exhibited at various motorsport exhibitions and similar events. Eventually, the trace is lost, so that the car is considered lost today.
All the more surprising was the announcement byCarrera at the 2007 toy fair to announce this Steinmetz Jumbo in 1/32 scale as a slot car. In the fall of 2007, the vehicle was delivered to specialist dealers for the first time, in a white "Pan-Am" fantasy design in addition to the original yellow version. A third design variant is now in the starting blocks: the "TABAC original" in a brown and white color scheme. Anyone who has ever leafed through a car magazine from the 1970s will certainly remember the "TABAC original" advertisements of the time. The reference to the spirit of the times is therefore obvious, and the color combination is certainly appealing in person. In the catalog, the color still looks very dark brown, the real shade is much lighter.
Since the original vehicle no longer exists, any discussion about fidelity to the original is actually superfluous. The delicate details of the basic bodywork - above all the headlights, front grille and rear lights - are convincing. The monstrous spoilers also have that certain something in the model. Comparisons with the few photos of the original vehicle that can be found show that, yes, the model has been realized harmoniously.
Let's move on to the technology and the handling: the chassis has the familiar design features: removable rear axle motor unit, two removable magnets, digital retrofit capability. The 26732 digital chip can be installed quickly and there is enough space inside the vehicle to stow the tangle of cables. The guide keel sits somewhat awkwardly behind the front axle - but due to the large wheelbase, the effects are less serious than feared. "Length runs" has always applied to slot cars, and the Steinmetz Jumbo is no exception. Due to its enormous dimensions, the car does not like very tight bend combinations, but it is in its element in medium-fast passages. If you remove the rear magnet, you can easily drive the Jumbo through the bends with a slight drift. If you overdo it, the rear breaks out quite uninhibitedly and blocks almost the entire width of the road if you are traveling on the inside lane (with 1/32 track parts of British construction, the rear spoiler would then probably scrape along the
Crash barriers of the outer track ;-)
This means: if you want to have real driving fun with the Jumbo, you need hard shoulders. Deslotting, i.e. jumping out over the front axle, practically never occurs.
Conclusion: The Commodore is an excellent addition to the Ferrari 512 BB, Porsche 935-78, Porsche 935 and Porsche 911 RSR range. I'm hoping for more contemporary color variants (Slottus, make me the Jägermeister) or at least body shells (Sandra, do something... ;-)
CoModCarrera 124
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Test report by CoMod martinmm on the Opel Commodore Steinmetz Jumbo
(27220)
Historie
The Steinmetz Commodore 'Jumbo' was driven by Peter Hoffman in 10 races in 1974. The look changed over the course of the races. Extensive changes were made, particularly to the spoilers and wings. One of these development stages was brought onto the market byCarrera in 2007 as a Evolution prototypical vehicle. Now a second fantasy version with a contemporary look is appearing.
Optik
The actual color scheme differs slightly from the catalog photos. In reality, the color is more 'chocolaty' - in the previous pictures it seems to go more towards red. The printing is impeccable: the large white typo of the main sponsor TABAC and the white front and rear wings really benefit the contrast of the car on the blackCarrera track.
Verarbeitung
With the exception of minor damage to a rear light, the test vehicle has no other defects. The body can be easily removed after removing the 4 screws. Everything is clean and tidy. Nothing jammed. The axles turn smoothly and very easily.
Technik
Due to the design, the guide keel sits behind the front axle. This is of course not ideal. The chassis is designed for rally tracks in the front area at a distance from the road surface. However, the guide keel turntable is offset slightly downwards so that the immersion depth in the slot is good. The turning angle of the guide keel is sufficient. At 103g - of which 31g is body weight - the Jumbo is not exactly a lightweight. The protruding spoilers are not least to blame for this.
Fahrverhalten
Driving test without rear magnet with original tires. Driving voltage 12 volts:
Despite the unfavorable proportions (high, rear-heavy), the car drives very well on a medium-sized home track. The tires offer almost sufficient grip on a clean track. Due to the unfavorably positioned guide keel, cornering or drifting in tight bends (K1) is a bit strange as the pivot point is too far back.
Driving test without rear magnet with Ortmann tires (new compound). Driving voltage 12 volts:
The higher tipping tendency due to the higher grip of the Ortmann tires did not occur. It should also be mentioned that the new Ortmann tires have less grip than the old ones. This is now more pleasant. Fast cornering is possible with a sensitive thumb. 180° bends can be taken completely diagonally. That's fun!
Ride test without magnet. Driving voltage 12 volts:
The Steinmetz is difficult to drive without a magnet. When running with the original tires, you won't get up to speed as quickly on small tracks - braking distances are shorter and the cornering speed is lower. You can steer the vehicle quickly with feeling. With more grip or Ortmann tires it becomes critical - the vehicle then tends to deslotting quickly if the curve is approached a little too fast.
Fazit
In operation with the center magnet, a car that is both visually and technically enjoyable. On larger tracks where higher speeds are possible, however, you will not be able to avoid optimizing the chassis. Above all, the front axle/trailing arm set-up needs to be improved and trimmed with lead. With this year's announced Monza Decon and DeTomaso, together with the Ferrari 512BB and the Porsche 935/78, you get a colorful 'winged' starting field.
CoMod martinmm
(27220)
In the 60s, 70s and early 80s, the Opel Commodore was the sister model of the Opel Rekord, which sold millions of units. It stood out - with the same body - thanks to its six-cylinder engines and more luxurious equipment. The Opel tuner Steinmetz offered its customers a wide range of tuning options and was also successful with modified Opel vehicles in various racing series.
At some point in the early 1970s , Steinmetz apparently wanted to go for the big time - he built the Steinmetz Jumbo on the basis of an Opel Commodore B. The standard version of this car had an elegant, almost dainty design. Not so the Jumbo: in addition to lavish wheel arch extensions, the front and rear of the Jumbo featured an almost enormous spoiler, which made the BMW 3.0 CSL, which was built at almost the same time, look almost bland. The spectacular visual appearance was rounded off by large sidepipes and wheels that really fill the wheel arches.
Fueled by a large-volume V8 engine, the yellow-painted Jumbo actually completed a few races. However, based on the scant information available at the time, these were probably not overly successful. Photos show that the one-off was subsequently exhibited at various motorsport exhibitions and similar events. Eventually, the trace is lost, so that the car is considered lost today.
All the more surprising was the announcement by
Since the original vehicle no longer exists, any discussion about fidelity to the original is actually superfluous. The delicate details of the basic bodywork - above all the headlights, front grille and rear lights - are convincing. The monstrous spoilers also have that certain something in the model. Comparisons with the few photos of the original vehicle that can be found show that, yes, the model has been realized harmoniously.
Let's move on to the technology and the handling: the chassis has the familiar design features: removable rear axle motor unit, two removable magnets, digital retrofit capability. The 26732 digital chip can be installed quickly and there is enough space inside the vehicle to stow the tangle of cables. The guide keel sits somewhat awkwardly behind the front axle - but due to the large wheelbase, the effects are less serious than feared. "Length runs" has always applied to slot cars, and the Steinmetz Jumbo is no exception. Due to its enormous dimensions, the car does not like very tight bend combinations, but it is in its element in medium-fast passages. If you remove the rear magnet, you can easily drive the Jumbo through the bends with a slight drift. If you overdo it, the rear breaks out quite uninhibitedly and blocks almost the entire width of the road if you are traveling on the inside lane (with 1/32 track parts of British construction, the rear spoiler would then probably scrape along the
Crash barriers of the outer track ;-)
This means: if you want to have real driving fun with the Jumbo, you need hard shoulders. Deslotting, i.e. jumping out over the front axle, practically never occurs.
Conclusion: The Commodore is an excellent addition to the Ferrari 512 BB, Porsche 935-78, Porsche 935 and Porsche 911 RSR range. I'm hoping for more contemporary color variants (Slottus, make me the Jägermeister) or at least body shells (Sandra, do something... ;-)
CoMod
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Test report by CoMod martinmm on the Opel Commodore Steinmetz Jumbo
(27220)
Historie
The Steinmetz Commodore 'Jumbo' was driven by Peter Hoffman in 10 races in 1974. The look changed over the course of the races. Extensive changes were made, particularly to the spoilers and wings. One of these development stages was brought onto the market by
Optik
The actual color scheme differs slightly from the catalog photos. In reality, the color is more 'chocolaty' - in the previous pictures it seems to go more towards red. The printing is impeccable: the large white typo of the main sponsor TABAC and the white front and rear wings really benefit the contrast of the car on the black
Verarbeitung
With the exception of minor damage to a rear light, the test vehicle has no other defects. The body can be easily removed after removing the 4 screws. Everything is clean and tidy. Nothing jammed. The axles turn smoothly and very easily.
Technik
Due to the design, the guide keel sits behind the front axle. This is of course not ideal. The chassis is designed for rally tracks in the front area at a distance from the road surface. However, the guide keel turntable is offset slightly downwards so that the immersion depth in the slot is good. The turning angle of the guide keel is sufficient. At 103g - of which 31g is body weight - the Jumbo is not exactly a lightweight. The protruding spoilers are not least to blame for this.
Fahrverhalten
Driving test without rear magnet with original tires. Driving voltage 12 volts:
Despite the unfavorable proportions (high, rear-heavy), the car drives very well on a medium-sized home track. The tires offer almost sufficient grip on a clean track. Due to the unfavorably positioned guide keel, cornering or drifting in tight bends (K1) is a bit strange as the pivot point is too far back.
Driving test without rear magnet with Ortmann tires (new compound). Driving voltage 12 volts:
The higher tipping tendency due to the higher grip of the Ortmann tires did not occur. It should also be mentioned that the new Ortmann tires have less grip than the old ones. This is now more pleasant. Fast cornering is possible with a sensitive thumb. 180° bends can be taken completely diagonally. That's fun!
Ride test without magnet. Driving voltage 12 volts:
The Steinmetz is difficult to drive without a magnet. When running with the original tires, you won't get up to speed as quickly on small tracks - braking distances are shorter and the cornering speed is lower. You can steer the vehicle quickly with feeling. With more grip or Ortmann tires it becomes critical - the vehicle then tends to deslotting quickly if the curve is approached a little too fast.
Fazit
In operation with the center magnet, a car that is both visually and technically enjoyable. On larger tracks where higher speeds are possible, however, you will not be able to avoid optimizing the chassis. Above all, the front axle/trailing arm set-up needs to be improved and trimmed with lead. With this year's announced Monza Decon and DeTomaso, together with the Ferrari 512BB and the Porsche 935/78, you get a colorful 'winged' starting field.
CoMod martinmm
