Review by CoMod Carrera124 on the Carrera Evolution / DIGITAL 132 Ferrari F2007 (27244 / 30438)
The current world champion car!
The 2007 Formula 1 season marked the beginning of a new era: After winning two world championship titles with Renault, Fernando Alonso switched to McLaren-Mercedes and brought with him the number 1 car. The reigning world champion team Renault therefore had to make do with starting numbers 3 and 4, and starting numbers 5 and 6 went to the Ferrari team. There, Kimi Raikkonen took over from Michael Schumacher and started off with an opening victory at the Australian Grand Prix. Throughout the season, he fought close duels with double world champion Fernando Alonso and newcomer Lewis Hamilton. Before the season finale in Brazil, however, he mathematically had only the slimmest chance of winning the title - Hamilton and Alonso's starting positions were far more favorable. Thanks to a spectacular race, however, Raikkonen was ultimately able to clinch his first world championship title.
The 2007 World Champion car, in 1/32 scale, is now on the test track. Like its full-size counterpart, the slot car features numerous intricate wings and air deflectors. Not all of these add-on parts will likely survive the rigors of racing unscathed, but this is certainly true to the original. The rear spoiler is firmly attached to the body, and the front spoiler is removable as usual. The body itself is molded in several parts due to its pronounced sidecut, with the driver's figure suggested as a bust. The paintwork and printing are flawless.
Worth mentioning are the wheel covers, which add a certain something to the look: on the rear axle, they are simply clipped into the rims, while at the front they are fixed, allowing the wheels to rotate independently. The chassis elements are based on the KTM X-Bow: here, too, the familiar E200 engine is not used, but rather a more compact powerplant. For simplicity's sake, I'll call this drivetrain a "flat engine," and it's also familiar from the 2006 F1 cars (Ferrari F2005, Red Bull RB1, Toro Rosso, etc.). Subjectively, this powerplant seems to be geared more towards speed than torque; its characteristics are noticeably different from the E200. The removable engine-transmission unit is also present and appears to be identical to the KTM X-Bow.
The analog and digital versions of the vehicle differ only in the circuit board installed; a corresponding retrofit decoder is announced under the number 26740. It's worth noting, however, that the cables are soldered instead of plugged in. There simply isn't enough space underneath the cockpit for the plug connections, so the retrofit decoders will also have to be soldered.
Let's get to the road test: with both magnets engaged, the car drives as expected, literally like it's on rails. No limits, no drifts. You either go straight through the corner or you fly off. What's striking is the extremely smooth running of the engine and transmission, and the noise level generated by the car is relatively low.
In the next step, I removed the rear magnet and set the center magnet to the highest possible ground clearance. The driving experience, however, wasn't particularly encouraging – the car rarely flew off course, but mostly slid around the track with only limited grip. The next attempt was to reattach the previously removed spacer plate under the center magnet. This made the handling more harmonious, but it still poses challenges for the driver. This doesn't mean that the car often loses control; quite the opposite: the F2007 handles all corners very smoothly, with no sudden launches, etc. occurring. However, to really negotiate corners cleanly and quickly, it requires concentration and some practice, as is the case with more strongly magnetized vehicles. Generally speaking, it must be said that even many hardcore magnetless slotters drive their Formula cars with magnets, because these vehicle types, regardless of manufacturer, offer very little space for trim weights. However, the handling with magnets is undoubtedly true to the original, that much can be said. To fully exploit this car's speed, I recommend using it on slightly larger tracks. However, shoulders are not absolutely necessary.
Visually, the car is certainly a success, and a world champion Ferrari will certainly find plenty of buyers. In this respect, the F2007 is a worthy successor to the F2002 and F2005 and continues the tradition of Ferrari Formula 1 cars from Carrera.
CoMod Carrera124
The current world champion car!
The 2007 Formula 1 season marked the beginning of a new era: After winning two world championship titles with Renault, Fernando Alonso switched to McLaren-Mercedes and brought with him the number 1 car. The reigning world champion team Renault therefore had to make do with starting numbers 3 and 4, and starting numbers 5 and 6 went to the Ferrari team. There, Kimi Raikkonen took over from Michael Schumacher and started off with an opening victory at the Australian Grand Prix. Throughout the season, he fought close duels with double world champion Fernando Alonso and newcomer Lewis Hamilton. Before the season finale in Brazil, however, he mathematically had only the slimmest chance of winning the title - Hamilton and Alonso's starting positions were far more favorable. Thanks to a spectacular race, however, Raikkonen was ultimately able to clinch his first world championship title.
The 2007 World Champion car, in 1/32 scale, is now on the test track. Like its full-size counterpart, the slot car features numerous intricate wings and air deflectors. Not all of these add-on parts will likely survive the rigors of racing unscathed, but this is certainly true to the original. The rear spoiler is firmly attached to the body, and the front spoiler is removable as usual. The body itself is molded in several parts due to its pronounced sidecut, with the driver's figure suggested as a bust. The paintwork and printing are flawless.
Worth mentioning are the wheel covers, which add a certain something to the look: on the rear axle, they are simply clipped into the rims, while at the front they are fixed, allowing the wheels to rotate independently. The chassis elements are based on the KTM X-Bow: here, too, the familiar E200 engine is not used, but rather a more compact powerplant. For simplicity's sake, I'll call this drivetrain a "flat engine," and it's also familiar from the 2006 F1 cars (Ferrari F2005, Red Bull RB1, Toro Rosso, etc.). Subjectively, this powerplant seems to be geared more towards speed than torque; its characteristics are noticeably different from the E200. The removable engine-transmission unit is also present and appears to be identical to the KTM X-Bow.
The analog and digital versions of the vehicle differ only in the circuit board installed; a corresponding retrofit decoder is announced under the number 26740. It's worth noting, however, that the cables are soldered instead of plugged in. There simply isn't enough space underneath the cockpit for the plug connections, so the retrofit decoders will also have to be soldered.
Let's get to the road test: with both magnets engaged, the car drives as expected, literally like it's on rails. No limits, no drifts. You either go straight through the corner or you fly off. What's striking is the extremely smooth running of the engine and transmission, and the noise level generated by the car is relatively low.
In the next step, I removed the rear magnet and set the center magnet to the highest possible ground clearance. The driving experience, however, wasn't particularly encouraging – the car rarely flew off course, but mostly slid around the track with only limited grip. The next attempt was to reattach the previously removed spacer plate under the center magnet. This made the handling more harmonious, but it still poses challenges for the driver. This doesn't mean that the car often loses control; quite the opposite: the F2007 handles all corners very smoothly, with no sudden launches, etc. occurring. However, to really negotiate corners cleanly and quickly, it requires concentration and some practice, as is the case with more strongly magnetized vehicles. Generally speaking, it must be said that even many hardcore magnetless slotters drive their Formula cars with magnets, because these vehicle types, regardless of manufacturer, offer very little space for trim weights. However, the handling with magnets is undoubtedly true to the original, that much can be said. To fully exploit this car's speed, I recommend using it on slightly larger tracks. However, shoulders are not absolutely necessary.
Visually, the car is certainly a success, and a world champion Ferrari will certainly find plenty of buyers. In this respect, the F2007 is a worthy successor to the F2002 and F2005 and continues the tradition of Ferrari Formula 1 cars from Carrera.
CoMod Carrera124
