Review by CoMod Carrera124 of the Carrera DIGITAL 124 Hotrod '34 High Performance Roadster (23717)
More than just a color variation…
At first glance, this car appears to be just a new color variant. A closer look reveals that the combination of an open hood and roof has never been seen before on a '34 hot rod. As is always the case with hot rods, it's pointless to discuss authenticity and scale at this point. The yellow paint job certainly catches the eye, and the lettering and the implied flag print make the car look fast even when stationary. Of all previous versions of this type, this one has by far the most "racing-like" appearance.
Since there are no fenders on the body, the car has tires with a slightly larger outer diameter at the rear, just like the blue '34 hotrod. This results in a slightly longer drive ratio for these two vehicles compared to the three other variants of this type. Anyone who wants to bring the racers up to a comparable level should therefore install the rear tires with the smaller diameter (item no. 85270 standard tires or item no. 83044 tuning tires). As a side effect, you get slightly better performance when accelerating and braking.
Technically, the car offers nothing new – it uses the exact same chassis as the previous analog hot rods. It's particularly slender in the front end. Therefore, the swing arm and digital circuit board on all hot rods are slimmer than on the other 1/24 vehicles. Without magnets, the car weighs 210 grams, which is surprisingly slightly heavier than the Ferrari 250 GTO I tested at the same time.
Since the author of these lines had already successfully competed in a club race with the '34 hot rods at the 2006 club meeting, expectations were relatively high before the road test. All suspension magnets were quickly removed, but no further adjustments were made. The handling proved to be exactly as expected: due to the slightly longer drive ratio, the yellow hot rod handles and brakes a bit sluggishly, but always docile. For proper testing, a somewhat more spacious racetrack, with larger curve radii and longer straights, is recommended.
Conclusion: Hotrods are still not really my thing. However, this one looks the most like a race car, and it certainly has its place in the range.
CoMod Carrera124
More than just a color variation…
At first glance, this car appears to be just a new color variant. A closer look reveals that the combination of an open hood and roof has never been seen before on a '34 hot rod. As is always the case with hot rods, it's pointless to discuss authenticity and scale at this point. The yellow paint job certainly catches the eye, and the lettering and the implied flag print make the car look fast even when stationary. Of all previous versions of this type, this one has by far the most "racing-like" appearance.
Since there are no fenders on the body, the car has tires with a slightly larger outer diameter at the rear, just like the blue '34 hotrod. This results in a slightly longer drive ratio for these two vehicles compared to the three other variants of this type. Anyone who wants to bring the racers up to a comparable level should therefore install the rear tires with the smaller diameter (item no. 85270 standard tires or item no. 83044 tuning tires). As a side effect, you get slightly better performance when accelerating and braking.
Technically, the car offers nothing new – it uses the exact same chassis as the previous analog hot rods. It's particularly slender in the front end. Therefore, the swing arm and digital circuit board on all hot rods are slimmer than on the other 1/24 vehicles. Without magnets, the car weighs 210 grams, which is surprisingly slightly heavier than the Ferrari 250 GTO I tested at the same time.
Since the author of these lines had already successfully competed in a club race with the '34 hot rods at the 2006 club meeting, expectations were relatively high before the road test. All suspension magnets were quickly removed, but no further adjustments were made. The handling proved to be exactly as expected: due to the slightly longer drive ratio, the yellow hot rod handles and brakes a bit sluggishly, but always docile. For proper testing, a somewhat more spacious racetrack, with larger curve radii and longer straights, is recommended.
Conclusion: Hotrods are still not really my thing. However, this one looks the most like a race car, and it certainly has its place in the range.
CoMod Carrera124
