REVIEW: Fly Team Gulf Set

99046 FLY TEAM GULF SET

Porsche 917K CAN-AM Watkins Clen 1970 - Brian Redman

Ford GT 40 24 H. Le Mans 1969 - David Hobbs & Mike Hailwood

PRESENTATION

As part of their 10th anniversary, Fly has redesigning the limited edition cardboard presentation boxes we are all used to.

I must say the new Fly presentation box design is a very nice improvement, for one thing it makes it much easier to remove the cars from the box's base. The base section of the box (the grey section in the above photo) simply lifts up exposing the slots plastic lock screw.

HISTORY

The number 6 Gulf Porsche 917K raced in the Watkins Glen CANAM 6 hour enduro in 1970. Information from the IMCA site states that the car was equiped with the older 4.5 litre engine and Firestone tires. The driver Brian Redman finished the race in 7th position. For more information please see the IMCA website; http://www.imca-slotracing.com/Porsche917-1970.htm

The number 7 Gulf Ford GT40 raced at Le Mans in 1969. David Hobbs and Mike Hailwood finished in 3rd place 4 laps behind the winning Gulf GT40 after 4,954 kilometres. For more information please see the 24 heures du Mans website; http://les24hdumans.free.fr/joomla/index.php/

QUALITY

Enough of the history, lets talk about the Fly slots. I'm not alone in thinking that Fly was the saviour of 1/32 slot cars when they raised the quality and detail bar more than a decade ago with the release of the Viper. While the GT40 and the 917K are in no way new models, the Fly standards and attention to detail is still unmatched even today by new comers such as Slot.it. Paint and decal finish is excellent and both cars have fully detailed engines, interiors and driver figures.

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PERFORMANCE

I know that there are more than a few sloters who have had there share of bad experiences with Fly classics. I wish I could tell you that these two new classics are different and run perfectly from the box out performing the latest and greatest Slot.it has to offer, or do I? Actually I don't, sure these slots run just fine straight from the box but if your after a giant killer, you have come to the wrong end of the pit lane.

Fly classics have what I like to think of as a 'soul'. They are probably the most outstanding models ever produced as a slot car and stir emotions just at a glance on the track. The good news is that with a little work, Fly classics can be made to run very well. I have recently completed a detailed 'how-to' article on improving the performance of Fly classics which you can find here:

http://manicslots.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-to-fly-classic.html

For me there is nothing like a Fly classic and a Team Set in Gulf livery colours is icing on the cake. If you have the means, I strongly recommend picking up one of these team sets - You won't regret it!

Manic Score Breakdown

• Sex Appeal: 7th Gear
• Collectibility: 7th Gear
• Build Quality: 5th Gear
• Attention to Detail: 6th Gear
• 'RTR' Performance: 4th Gear

Overall Manic Score: 5.8 Gears

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