NINCO FERRARI F50
     
Slotcar reviews - Fly, Scalextric, SCX, Ninco, Slot It, TeamSlot, Spirit, Proteus and many more

Ninco used to produce a Ferrari F50 in ready-to-run form, but this was dropped from their line-up several years ago. So it's nice to see the F50 return, though this time it's in kit form.

Like the Ferrari 360 the kit comes in a very smart-looking box but no display case. Opening the box reveals a pictorial layout of the parts and some nice photos of finished models. Delving a little deeper you find the body, interior and chassis packed neatly together, and the box of 'bits' required to complete the car. The axles, gears, wheels etc. are standard parts, not ProRace components. An instruction leaflet is also provided.

The chassis fits together easily, everything snaps into place. Most recent Ninco cars have been angle-winders, so it's almost a surprise to see the motor mounted inline. You may wish to glue the NC5 motor and bearings in place for extra security. Both axles are too long and the wheels stick out past the arches, so you may wish to trim them (this is easy enough with a Dremel or similar). I wanted to assemble the car as it came, rather than try to fix problems, so I didn't glue or trim anything at this stage.

The body is pre-painted and lacquered to a high standard. Everything fits together easily, and the car can be assembled in a matter of minutes. The interior is a shallow tray type with driver figure, seat, steering wheel, and very little else. The driver is unpainted, just red plastic, so the more artistic types may want to give him a coat of paint to make him look a little bit better. The mirrors are also unpainted, so a drop of silver may be in order. At least the engine detail looks nice!

Two screws attach the body to the chassis. There's no real opportunity to achieve any body 'rock' because the exhausts fit through the bodywork at the back. 

On my small figure of eight Scalextric track, the F50 behaves the way the original car probably would - completely sideways! The NC5 motor is too powerful for such a small track, and the little button magnet only helps when the car is straight. I couldn't get a sub 2 second time.

The F50 seems much more at home on the bigger track. More able to stretch its legs and use the power, not constantly fighting for grip. The F50 goes well, as you'd expect from anything with an NC5, and braking is good too. Cornering grip is ok but not outstanding, though I think that's at least partly down to the tyres which are ribbed rather than slicks.

Running on the routed track exposed some problems which weren't obvious on plastic. It's a noisy and sometimes uneven running car. Time for a closer inspection...  

I mentioned the axles earlier, so I decided to trim them. Taking a closer look at the running gear revealed several minor but frustrating problems. One of the rear wheels was cracked, the bearings were a loose fit on the axle and the motor. I glued the motor and bearings in place, and rather than attempt to repair the wheel I swapped them for some spares from a Porsche GT3. 

With these little issues sorted, the car is much quieter and rather quick! Straight line speed is about equal to the JGTC cars, though the F50 still lacks a little cornering grip. It's still on narrower ribbed tyres, the JGTC cars have wider slick tyres which give them the edge. The wider wheels and slick tyres from the Mercedes CLK GT1 will fit, so I think I may try some of those next.

But the F50 is no slouch. It may lose out slightly to a Supra or NSX, but not by much. It's quick and predictable (now) and great fun to drive. It seems reluctant to de-slot, and if it slides then it's smooth and easy to control. 

So it took a little work, but the result is a fine car. Despite the fact that the original mould is several years old, the car looks great. With a little tweaking, it's a smooth, fast car (and yours may not need as much work as mine).

I didn't buy an F50 when they were first released, so I'm pleased to have added this one to my collection.