Review by CoMod JoergW of the Carrera DIGITAL 132 /Evolution Auto Union Type C Stromlinie (Art.Nr. 30557/27355) and Mercedes-Benz W125 Stromlinie (Art.Nr. 30558/27356)
…not the song of the same name, but the Silver Arrows in 1:32 scale, I mean. Since pretty much everything has already been said about the real-life models in 1:24 scale, let’s get right to the review! When the cars were announced in late 2010, I was initially surprised. I hadn’t expected that the vehicles, which had already been released twice in 1:24 scale, would be reborn and thrown into the highly sought-after 1:32 market.
Appearance:
In terms of proportions ,
both models correspond more closely to the real-life models than the 1:24 versions. The 1:32 models look sleeker and longer, somehow more harmonious. Compared to other 1:32 models, however, they strike me as a little bit unusual. Since I couldn’t find the exact dimensions of the originals—and they were constantly being modified and adapted—I can’t verify this.
The paint job is clean and flawless. It could have looked just like this on the original. The same applies to the delicate spoked wheels with quick-release hubs. Only on the Mercedes driver’s head does the white paint appear to be slightly opaque.
Build quality and finish:
Both chassis are installed without tension and are not warped. Although the chassis is narrow, its length provides enough space to balance it. The only thing worth noting are slight casting burrs on the lower edge of the removable wheel covers. These are much more noticeable and visible on the Audi than on the Mercedes. Certainly no big deal, but it does detract from the overall quality.
The tires offer a pleasant, perfectly adequate grip. Since the tires are "pulled over the rims," they have only a very thin contact patch. This could quickly become a problem during drifting. So, it’s best to be very careful when drifting. I recommend gluing the tires in place if you want to drift the cars at high speeds. The rims are neatly centered and the axles are straight. The front axle needs a little lubrication so it runs longer.
Driving characteristics:
Especially with the classic cars, I find the magnetic, almost digital, driving style unrealistic. With magnets, the cars are practically designed to be thrown off the track—due to their narrow width and the fairly large gap between the guide rail and the magnet. The alternative without magnets is significantly more challenging to drive and, in my opinion, also more fun.
Conclusion:
The vehicles are built true to the original without lights. While this makes digital racing more difficult, it remains possible. Since meaningful digital racing is really only possible with more than two cars, options for 2012 could include either stock cars through the club or, similar to 1:24 scale, different starting numbers and slight design variations.
CoMod JoergW
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Test report by CoModCarrera 124 on the Carrera DIGITAL 132 /Evolution Auto Union Type C Streamliner ( Art.Nr . 30557/27355) and Mercedes-BenzW125Streamliner (Art.Nr . 30558/27356)
Technical data (Auto Union):
Weight (complete vehicle with magnets): 100 grams
Weight (body): 28 grams
Length incl. Spoiler: 179 mm
Wheelbase: 92 mm
Track width (front axle): 52 mm
Track width (rear axle): 54 mm
Technical specifications (Mercedes):
Weight (complete vehicle with magnets): 90 grams
Weight (body): 23 grams
Length incl. spoiler: 167 mm
Wheelbase: 88 mm
Track width (front axle): 52 mm
Track width (rear axle): 51 mm
Appearance:
These are actually old favorites: on the road since 1999 in the large 1:24 scale, and since 2010 as a new edition with digital suspension. Now these streamlined classics are also rolling down the track in the smaller 1:32 scale. Since no compromises were made regarding high-speed cornering capability in the body design this time, they appear significantly more elongated and elegant in comparison to their larger counterparts. The removable wheel covers remain. If you remove them, you can see the finely detailed spoked rims.
Contrary to what was announced in the 2011 catalog, the starting numbers have changed: the Auto Union has No. 33, and the Mercedes has No. 35. I don’t think the driver figures turned out very well: although they’re modeled realistically, they just seem too small to me.
Technical Details:
The chassis of both vehicles are similar but exhibit subtle differences. The first thing that catches the eye are the massive wheels: the front wheels have a diameter of 25 mm, while the rear ones are as large as 28 mm. However, they are correspondingly narrower, measuring 5 mm at the rear and just 4 mm at the front.
The technical design remains unchanged—the E200 engine is mounted as an inline engine directly in front of the rear axle, and—true to the original—there are, of course, no lights. Due to its larger dimensions, the Auto Union is noticeably heavier than the Mercedes. In return, it has a slightly wider rear track, which in turn improves driving stability.
Test drive:
In its standard configuration, the result is the familiar picture: the two magnetic wheels keep the vehicles firmly and securely on track. With the Auto Union, this configuration still allows for a small margin of error to correct driving mistakes, whereas the Mercedes leaves no room for error. Due to the large diameter and rolling circumference of the rear wheels, acceleration is somewhat sluggish.
This changes as soon as the rear magnets are removed. Acceleration improves noticeably, the margin for error in corners becomes significantly wider, and overall handling becomes more harmonious. The achievable cornering speeds are still high, but driving errors no longer lead to an immediate spinout.
The tire grip is also worth mentioning: despite their narrow dimensions, it is more than adequate—in fact, better than on some modern-style vehicles. When driving without magnets, you should at least add trim weights to the Mercedes; the Auto Union has enough weight of its own.
Conclusion:
My expectations for the streamlined cars were rather low, so I was all the more surprised by their truly impressive performance and good-natured handling. The bodies are smooth-surfaced, making them robust, and have almost no small parts that could be damaged during hard racing. Therefore, they strike me as ideal fun cars for casual play. Organizing a racing series with only two car types is likely to be difficult.
Perhaps next year there will be a third car type to join the lineup.
CoModCarrera 124
…not the song of the same name, but the Silver Arrows in 1:32 scale, I mean. Since pretty much everything has already been said about the real-life models in 1:24 scale, let’s get right to the review! When the cars were announced in late 2010, I was initially surprised. I hadn’t expected that the vehicles, which had already been released twice in 1:24 scale, would be reborn and thrown into the highly sought-after 1:32 market.
Appearance:
In terms of proportions ,
both models correspond more closely to the real-life models than the 1:24 versions. The 1:32 models look sleeker and longer, somehow more harmonious. Compared to other 1:32 models, however, they strike me as a little bit unusual. Since I couldn’t find the exact dimensions of the originals—and they were constantly being modified and adapted—I can’t verify this.
The paint job is clean and flawless. It could have looked just like this on the original. The same applies to the delicate spoked wheels with quick-release hubs. Only on the Mercedes driver’s head does the white paint appear to be slightly opaque.
Build quality and finish:
Both chassis are installed without tension and are not warped. Although the chassis is narrow, its length provides enough space to balance it. The only thing worth noting are slight casting burrs on the lower edge of the removable wheel covers. These are much more noticeable and visible on the Audi than on the Mercedes. Certainly no big deal, but it does detract from the overall quality.
The tires offer a pleasant, perfectly adequate grip. Since the tires are "pulled over the rims," they have only a very thin contact patch. This could quickly become a problem during drifting. So, it’s best to be very careful when drifting. I recommend gluing the tires in place if you want to drift the cars at high speeds. The rims are neatly centered and the axles are straight. The front axle needs a little lubrication so it runs longer.
Driving characteristics:
Especially with the classic cars, I find the magnetic, almost digital, driving style unrealistic. With magnets, the cars are practically designed to be thrown off the track—due to their narrow width and the fairly large gap between the guide rail and the magnet. The alternative without magnets is significantly more challenging to drive and, in my opinion, also more fun.
Conclusion:
The vehicles are built true to the original without lights. While this makes digital racing more difficult, it remains possible. Since meaningful digital racing is really only possible with more than two cars, options for 2012 could include either stock cars through the club or, similar to 1:24 scale, different starting numbers and slight design variations.
CoMod JoergW
******************************************
Test report by CoMod
Technical data (Auto Union):
Weight (complete vehicle with magnets): 100 grams
Weight (body): 28 grams
Length incl. Spoiler: 179 mm
Wheelbase: 92 mm
Track width (front axle): 52 mm
Track width (rear axle): 54 mm
Technical specifications (Mercedes):
Weight (complete vehicle with magnets): 90 grams
Weight (body): 23 grams
Length incl. spoiler: 167 mm
Wheelbase: 88 mm
Track width (front axle): 52 mm
Track width (rear axle): 51 mm
Appearance:
These are actually old favorites: on the road since 1999 in the large 1:24 scale, and since 2010 as a new edition with digital suspension. Now these streamlined classics are also rolling down the track in the smaller 1:32 scale. Since no compromises were made regarding high-speed cornering capability in the body design this time, they appear significantly more elongated and elegant in comparison to their larger counterparts. The removable wheel covers remain. If you remove them, you can see the finely detailed spoked rims.
Contrary to what was announced in the 2011 catalog, the starting numbers have changed: the Auto Union has No. 33, and the Mercedes has No. 35. I don’t think the driver figures turned out very well: although they’re modeled realistically, they just seem too small to me.
Technical Details:
The chassis of both vehicles are similar but exhibit subtle differences. The first thing that catches the eye are the massive wheels: the front wheels have a diameter of 25 mm, while the rear ones are as large as 28 mm. However, they are correspondingly narrower, measuring 5 mm at the rear and just 4 mm at the front.
The technical design remains unchanged—the E200 engine is mounted as an inline engine directly in front of the rear axle, and—true to the original—there are, of course, no lights. Due to its larger dimensions, the Auto Union is noticeably heavier than the Mercedes. In return, it has a slightly wider rear track, which in turn improves driving stability.
Test drive:
In its standard configuration, the result is the familiar picture: the two magnetic wheels keep the vehicles firmly and securely on track. With the Auto Union, this configuration still allows for a small margin of error to correct driving mistakes, whereas the Mercedes leaves no room for error. Due to the large diameter and rolling circumference of the rear wheels, acceleration is somewhat sluggish.
This changes as soon as the rear magnets are removed. Acceleration improves noticeably, the margin for error in corners becomes significantly wider, and overall handling becomes more harmonious. The achievable cornering speeds are still high, but driving errors no longer lead to an immediate spinout.
The tire grip is also worth mentioning: despite their narrow dimensions, it is more than adequate—in fact, better than on some modern-style vehicles. When driving without magnets, you should at least add trim weights to the Mercedes; the Auto Union has enough weight of its own.
Conclusion:
My expectations for the streamlined cars were rather low, so I was all the more surprised by their truly impressive performance and good-natured handling. The bodies are smooth-surfaced, making them robust, and have almost no small parts that could be damaged during hard racing. Therefore, they strike me as ideal fun cars for casual play. Organizing a racing series with only two car types is likely to be difficult.
Perhaps next year there will be a third car type to join the lineup.
CoMod
