About GamePeople

Carisma GT14 In the Wet

Column: Radio Controlled Gamer Blog
Previous |
Game Reviews
Home | Family Video Game Guides | Specialist | The Radio Controlled Gamer Column

Subscribe to the Radio Controlled Gamer column:
RSS or Newsletter.


Why not try our Blog, Radio or TV shows. Click for samples...


Carisma GT14 In the Wet Blog

Carisma GT14 In the Wet

Buy/Support:
Support Rupert, click to buy via us...


Sponsored by Eclipse Hobbies.

One of the most noticeable things about racing out Carisma GT14 cars on a wooden floored communal hall is the lack of grip available. Many clubs have either permanent tracks of carpet or rubber matting, or lay their own each session. Our club on the other hand has yet to reach this stage and marks out a new track each time using the bare wooden floor, which although is as smooth as an ice rink is a slippery as one as well.

We have tried a number of solutions to this problem, from different tyres, altering the slip-dif to more extreme measures such as adding rubber compounds, glue and sealants in varying combinations -- all no avail.

After a few sessions of Torvill and Dean style racing the thought came to me that the lack of traction was not caused by the tyre compounds or even the track material (laminate floor-boarding), but rather the almost invisible surface coating layering the whole hall: dust. The hall is used by fitness groups, for social events and many other reasons and although clean to look at, it holds a fine layer of dust.

So, contrary to ones natural intuition we started dipping the wheels and spinning them in water to clean them off. Wow what a difference. A standing start in a pool of water left the wheels spinning for a second but the instant the dust was shed the tyres bit like pre-heated Pirelli's.

Attempts to clean the track pre race have not been as successful as one would imagine as without a clean dry track we're back to square one. Also, we quite like having slippery track sections as the extra skills needed to negotiate turns on a drift certainly add to the enjoyment. So as a compromise we now have a section of track marked and wet, a sort of shallow ‘sheep dip' which works a treat. We could even hear the sound of squealing rubber last Sunday as the rubber fought to stay in contact. Awesome.

The only downside is that water and electronics don't really mix and although the cars do clean the track, like a vacuum cleaner much of the dirt ends up on the underside of the car shell -- see the attached photos. Fortunately we are only talking about small amounts of water here and with some plastic strips and tape I can see a few of us making internal mudguards before the next race.

So, slippery track problems, try Moore's water solution, available in taps near you now.

Blog Series: Previous |

Guest review by James Moore


You can support Rupert by buying Carisma GT14 In the Wet



Subscribe to this column:
RSS | Newsletter

Share this review:

James Moore wrote this Radio Controlled Gamer article under the watchful eye of Rupert Stelling.

"Having grown up racing Tamiya radio and remote controlled cars and trucks I was keen to get my kids started on the same hobby. Here, I share my R/C reviews and guides to getting started in this electric and petrol powered world."


© GamePeople 2006-13 | Contact | Huh?

Grown up gaming?

Family Video Game Age Ratings | Home | About | Radio shows | Columnists | Competitions | Contact

RSS | Email | Twitter | Facebook

With so many different perspectives it can be hard to know where to start - a little like walking into a crowded pub. Sorry about that.

But so far we've not found a way to streamline our review output - there's basically too much of it. So, rather than dilute things for newcomers we have decided to live with the hubbub while helping new readers find the columnists they will enjoy.

What sort of gamer are you?

Our columnists each focus on a particular perspective and fall into one of the following types of gamers: