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| What's in a name, indeed. Playing Mantis has just released a stable of cars that look as described out of the box, Fast and Furious. In fact, they look great IN the box, too. So, what does all this eye candy bring to the race track? For those of you not from another planet, PM is making a lot of us ecstatic in the last few years, with Thunderjets and now the X-Traction series. They really did a nice job with their latest effort. Of course we all find little faults here and there, and I am going to remark on those, in the hope that PM is paying attention, but if you liked the Aurora MagnaTraction, well, this will have you feeling right at home OK let's start with a stroll through the chassis. This is a basic knock off of the chassis Aurora introduced in late 1974. The components are relatively interchangeable, and the chassis even has the little tips through which the wires could pass for the lighted cars. Perhaps this is evidence of things to come. Only one good thing can be said for the front wheels, though. The axel is tight. The wheels have too much side play, and the tires don't stay on. Tires and wheels together are way out of round. Thankfully they are easily replaced, even by the original Aurora wheels, though you might redrill them and use the F&F axel. The rears fair a little better. Chrome work is not good anywhere, but these are at least round, and the axel fits tight, with hardly any side slop. Swap the rubber out for a pair of Heister AFX silicones, and you won't believe the improvement. Armature is from the Thunderjet series, ad the magnets are about the strength of Super II, giving the car some pretty nice power. Smooth, and quick. The gear plate is tight, when mounted. The pickup shoes are the "ski" type. If you have a lot of amps from a battery, or power source, make certain you are fused. It's easy for these to short out the track. A better idea would be to put one bend, far back, near the hanger. PM might also think about going to copper, and making them twice as thick. This is a darn good looking stable of cars. Ten of the dozen looked great, with the exception being the front of the two Yenko 69 Camaros I received in the box. Can't anyone get that car right? The Toyota Supra and Nissan Skyline R34 more than make up for it. One thing - lose the spoilers. Smoked glass is ok, and its very well fit, and shiny, but I prefer the clear glass they used on the Charger and Camaro. It's also twice as thick as needed. Remember, these cars will be raced. That glass is way too thick and heavy. Bodies are sturdy plastic, painted, and detailed very nicely. Any chrome accents are painted. Detail and striping is very good. Bottom line, get as many as you can afford. I love this type of car, and I love the way it tunes. With some third party parts that are certain to come out, I think this will be a much heard about class of cars in the near future. | About the X-Traction: Web Site - Playing Mantis Phone Number - 1-800-MANTIS8 6 Body Styles: Toyota Supra Mitsubishi Eclipse Mazda RX7 Nissan Skyline R34 Dodge Charger Yenko Camaro
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| Pretty Stable of Muscle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Mitsubishi Eclipse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Yenko Camaro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nissan Skyline R34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toyota Supra | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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