question, is this to scale, seems huge

[williamg]

I picked up a SCX Ferrari Sharknose 156 50th Anniversary

Next to my other F1 legend cars it seems HUGE
I know it's an earlier time frame, but wow.

The tires are not the roundest, but since they look more sized in 1/24 scale any replacement options with out breaking the bank??

[HO RacePro]

The internet is your friend!

You can find prototype dimensions on almost any car online if you scratch around enough. For your car, here is a link:

http://www.grandprixhistory.org/fer156.htm

That page shows the wheelbase and front and rear track dimensions. Measure those on your model, multiply by 32, and compare.

Slotcar manufacturers have often played fast and loose with scale. (Most notoriously in HO!) Dimensions got stretched or squashed to fit over an existing chassis, or ease of manufacturing, or whatever. If the end result would pry you away from your money -- mission accomplished!

Ed Bianchi

[williamg]

So it is larger.
Wheel track especially I think I will put a thinner tire wheel combo on to fix that some.

[HO RacePro]

It may be an illusion due to camera angle or perspective, but some of the wheels on that car don't look like they are mounted square. The right rear tire looks especially bad.

That may be the way the tire is mounted on the wheel. I have a hard time believing the car would run worth a darn if the wheel itself was that cattywompus.

Replacing the wheels and tires to improve scale will give you an opportunity to upgrade all the running gear. Myself, I'd be motivated to replace axles, wheels, tires and probably the gears because I am a racer. Drill-blank axles, set-screw aluminum wheels, bonded and trued tires, high-quality gears -- all should help. I'd also check out the axle bushings. There's a good chance they are too sloppy.

Again, I am a racer. No car stays box-stock for long in my hands.

Some folks are collectors, and some collectors don't even care if the car will run.

Whatever makes you happy.

Ed Bianchi

[chrisguyw]

Hi William, The SCX Ferrari 156 body is a copy of the early 60's Scalextric release...........Scaley did a few cars in this series (Ferrari, Cooper, Lotus 21 and 16) and they were large........much larger than the Scaley Ferrari and Cooper releases of a couple of years ago. Their large size was somewhat necessary due to the fact that at that time Scaley was still using large open frame "train" motors.......which required some poetic licence in their scale dimensions (at the time, slotters were just happy to have some more cool cars to play with, so no one really made a fuss.😋

The SCX version (body) is a copy of that Scaley release 50 years earlier.

You can find tires/wheels that are far more accurate and to scale, and mechanically they can be improved, depending on what you are after, and, what you want to spend.

Here is an original Scaley Ferrari 156...with a bit of a cosmetic and mechanical overhaul.

Cheers
Chris Walker




This is the Scaley Cooper, also from the same series/date.............also fairly beefy, due to the large dimension motor.

[williamg]

The tires and wheels are definitely wrong on my car.
It arrived with body separated, so I saw the open motor reassembling it.

I will change wheels and tires to spoked wheels and thinner, true tires.

Thanks guys

[chrisguyw]

Here is a pic., comparing the original Scaley Ferrari 156 which was released in the early 60's (and re released by SCX 50years later),...vs....the new (ish) Scaley Ferrari 156 released a few years ago..

While the SCX/Scaley version is certainly bigger, it is not massive, considering the new Scaley release is well proportioned, scale, and, therefore quite small.

Just an FYI.

Cheers
Chris Walker

[ra7c7er]

Vintage 1/32 is different from modern 1/32. While their are some outliers vintage cars tend to be much further out of scale (larger) then modern cars.

[chrisguyw]

I will take the opposite view !!.......Strombecker, Revell, AMT, K&B, Autohobbies, MRRC, Estrela, Cox, Airfix, Monogram, Atlas etc. etc,....were all much more true to 1/32 scale than the majority of the stuff produced today...........no contest !!

[williamg]

Here is a pic., comparing the original Scaley Ferrari 156 which was released in the early 60's (and re released by SCX 50years later),...vs....the new (ish) Scaley Ferrari 156 released a few years ago..

While the SCX/Scaley version is certainly bigger, it is not massive, considering the new Scaley release is well proportioned, scale, and, therefore quite small.

Just an FYI.

Cheers
Chris Walker

I love your cars, great work

I swapped on some carrera wheels from a 300 mercedes. Looks better, but now lacks traction. Will have to look into better tires for the rear or just splurge for better wheels and tires.