MTR32 Chassis, A product test Options

[GRAH1]

Regular readers of SF will have seen the pics of Milan Tomasek's new angle winder chassis kit that I posted a few weeks back.
I've had time now to give it a thorough test .


(Pic curtesy of MTR 32)

The chassis kit comes as a flat pack, accurately laser cut from double sided pc board and ready to assemble. Full details of the method of assembly can be found on Milan's website. They are clear and concise and very easy to follow - even for a beginner.
The beauty of this chassis for a scratch builder is that the pc board constuction make it very builder friendly and easy to adapt to almost any body. I built mine to fit the Betta Can-Am Shadow DN4 shell.



I decided it would be a good idea to compare it with the current kit bashers' favorite - the Slot.it HSR, as I have had some really great results with this chassis and it would be a good yard stick to measure the MTR chassis against. So, in fairness to both products, I used Slot.it running gear and V12 25k motors in both cars.



The Slot.it chassis comes ready assembled and is equipped with 11/34 spur gears.
To use these on the MTR chassis I had to slightly file the rear of the chassis, which presented no problem and only took a few minutes to do.
The MTR chassis is designed to accept the Falcon motor, which has a screw fixing. So, to use the slot it V12, I had to glue the motor into the chassis - again not a problem and, after extensive running, the motor has stayed in place.

The Slot.it wheels and tyres were also fine on the MTR chassis,

So, I ended up with two totally different chassis, but with the same running gear.
To make sure the tests were even, I used the same body type on both cars.
Neither cars used magnets or weight and the initial test runs were carried out on my 60ft Carrera track .



Both cars ran 200 laps on lane 1 of my track and gave no problems.
The MTR chassis lapped slightly faster than the standard Slot.it, turning in consistent 7.3 sec laps as opposed to the 7.4-7.5 of the Slot.it, showing that it has a lot of potential to make a very fast set up, once I have played with tyres and weight.
When pushed hard, the MTR would slide rather than tip, losing a bit of traction compared to the Slot.it, which would roll when on the limit.
The leading guide set up on the MTR gives the user the added advantage of tuning the guide pivot to axle distance to suit different tracks. In its forward position, the handling of the car is slowed down, making it better through fast bends.
In the short position, the car will turn in faster in the tight bends, something other manufacturers haven't done yet. The down-side is that, with a short nose car, you may struggle to conceal the jet flag.

"Out of the box" test at pendle also showed the MTR was on the pace, running low 8s with out any problem.
Im sure had I changed the gear ratio then times would have fallen.

The conclusion I have come to, after my tests so far, are that the MTR 32 chassis is an excellent product and one that I recommend highly to prospective users. Milan's products are top quality and, if you haven't checked out his site, please do so - it's amazing

http://www.mtr32.com/

[GRAH1]

Just as a post script I should mention that for the magnet types a bar mag can be fitted under the rear axle and a disc centrally if desired .

[Ecurie Martini]

Very interesting report - thanks, Graham. I looked at Milan's site (I've been there before - have a couple of his in-line chassis) and couldn't find the angle winder in his "for sale" section - where did you find it?

EM

[BEEJAY7]

Excellent Report Graham.

I'm a big fan of Milan's products and I have one of his similar inline chassis, which I like very much. Do you think this chassis handles better than the inline?

regards

Alan

[a Bill]

EM, It's sort of hidden.

Click on Grahams link then click on 'technology'. There is a picture on the left side of the screen with the heading "Chassis technology..", click on it. Model SLM2 is the one
you're looking for.

http://www.mtr32.com/techchassis.php

If you order any, could you add in one for me too? I feel kind of silly ordering just one chassis. Especially since I won't be using it until next year and it probably won't get raced

[truescale]

Grah1, I am glad that Milan has answered the long call for a good 1/32 chassis.

I will order me a few.

Thanks for such a good review!

Victor

[Ecurie Martini]

I think it would be interesting to add the TSRF chassis to the comparison.

EM

[GRAH1]

BJ to answer your question first I think its down to horses for courses and personal preference both inline and angle winder are excelent products, for me the angle winder is tops but the inline is especialy good when building an LMP cr where you cant get the motor across the chassis .
EM,I considered the TSRF as a comparison but at pendle the HSR beats the TSRF hands down every time, (not that it's a bad product,it just doesnt suit our track the same ) so I had to compare it to that to get a true picture.

The cost of the chassis kit is also a factor as the Slotit RTR HSR and the MTR with the slot it bits come out quite even but the TSRF is a bit dearer

[vfr750]

Hi Graham,

What wheelbase options are available with the MTR chassis



John

[GRAH1]

john the chassis can be set between 3" and 3 3/8" with out losing the "ears" at the front, longer if you construct your own front axle holder. Once selected, the wheel base is then fixed. Incidently I glued my chassis together and so far it has been fine.

I will be conducting a few more tests on Pendles practice night next Tuesday so any one who is in the area can have a look at it in the flesh.

[TSRF]

Hi Graham,
Is your TSRF chassis fitted with the newer steel pin or the original guide blade? The new guide makes a huge difference in handling and behavior, and of course tire equipment is critical. What surface and tires do you run?
On both our plastic (Carrera or Scalextric "Sport") and the commercial raceway wooden tracks we run on, only sophisticated scratchbuilt chassis can stay or beat the TSRF cars so far. Indeed, in the last TSRF "IROC" race on the Chandler 55' wood track devoid of any "glue" where we ran what amounts to be a direct comparison between the TSRF and arguably the best of the commercially available cars, both fitted with optimum tires, there was a full second difference in lap time.
Please check the lap times here.
At the same time, Milan's new chassis is terrific and an excellent value for the money, but more oriented to the expert than the very basic, novice-oriented TSRF design.
Regards,

Dokk P

[GRAH1]

Philippe, I'll pick a pin up from Andy Brown next time I see him and check it out. My TSRF is one of the early production ones with the small blade , as I said before Im not knocking the tsrf because it has been a winner on a variety of tracks for me and its a great car in its own right but currently my slotit set up is working better for me on most tracks . It will be nice to try the ones youve done for world proxy when they arrive here in the UK I'll look forward to that

[Xlot]

Graham,

thanks again for the review - very professional and informative

Beppe

[MrBugs]

I like the chassis very easy to assemble.
The Anglewinder went under a Scaley Merc, I stripped it but forgot I had packed my painting eqipments so I reassembled and will paint the body later.






The Inline went under a Carrera Bentley body.

[andre acker]

Hi,
This is to confirm that it is very easy to buy form Milan, I've just received a pack with two chassis kits that he sent to me last May, 09th. I sent him an e-mail at the beginning of May ordering the kits.
I can imagine that the Slovakian Republic is just around the corner (and I live in Brasil !).

By the way, does anybody remember where is a thread about Milan's active suspension chassis ?
I can not find it.
Thanks for helping.

VBR.
André Acker.