# Marchon Cars



## 1scalevolvo (Feb 5, 2004)

Why did Marchon drop out ? I know that they were taken over by Empire. Empire did bring out a Two new models - A "Road Warrior" type car (somewhat top-heavy) & a new red T-Bird that were in a "Breakout from Bad City" set.Not long afterward the "Empire" struck out.
They drive & handle very nicely.Even the large T-Birds & wide Monte Carlo's (they seem more like a smaller 1/32 that a large HO) Handle well. Parts are largely interchangeable with TYCO cars(HP-7 & some 440-X2) though the orange MR-1 chassis uses its own unique p/u shoes.Many of their bodies were recycled TYCO design's.
One thing I notice that is bad is that the chassis tend to crack apart if you wreck out & hit the wall or floor hard.They did not use the delrin type plastic that other makes use in their chassis's .Perhaps that was their main downfall.
I have repaired about three of them with plastruct & super glue Gel that does not normally work on the delrin type chassis's.


Cheers, Neal :dude: 

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/attachment.php?attachmentid=38179


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Hi Neal! 
I always really liked the lines on that t-bird. 
Reckon your right about the brittle chassis thing. Splat! Crack!
I've got a decent Marchon 911 RSR. I run it when I can't control myself anymore. 

Very carefully!


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## 1scalevolvo (Feb 5, 2004)

But remember the chassis glue back together very well with superglue gel !

Neal


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

I found a big complete Marchon set at a thrift store a while back. Came with two GTP-looking cars... I guess they could be Porsches. They light up, both the headlights and this red light behind the driver in the engine compartment. Kinda cheesy but somewhat cool too. The box says Grand Nationals MR-1 on it, and it comes with 36 feet of track. (That's all I can read off the side of the box, and I don't feel like digging it out from under the 8 other yard sale race set boxes on top of it...  )

besides that, I got a pair of Marchon Firebirds in a yard-sale Tyco set years ago--a red one and a white one. Traded the white one to someone here who needed it for a silver Marchon Corvette. I don't run any of them much... yeah, the Firebirds and Corvette are kinda somewhere between HP-7s and 440s... though as I recall, the Porsches from the set are faster and handle better...

Oh, and I also have a red Marchon Jeep with some sort of offroad markings on it. Don't remember how it runs...

--rick


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## 1scalevolvo (Feb 5, 2004)

The cars you described are the "Sauber Mercedes" GTP cars .I have all 4.They are ugly compared to the TOMY version & have a big wing in back.They seem more like smaller 1/32 cars than larger HO cars.Some have the MBz emblem.BTW, the motor can be replaced with a TOMY Turbo can motor from ScaleAuto if need be.The early models use a lot of HP-7 parts like the motor,GP & pickup shoes that can be used with a little filing.

Neal


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

I believe Marchon was taken over by Micro Scalextric. The early MS cars are also labeld as MR-1 and some of the same cars produced by Marchon are available in MS packaging.
The cars are a little bigger than Tyco, Tomy and Lifelike and are huge compared to T-Jets. The guide pin can also be longer and will hit bottom on Aurora MM track.
The thing I have always noticed about Marchon is that the body painting is a far lower quality than any other manufacturer. Sometimes even new Marchon bodies look like they've been around a while.
However, they run really well. The first one I bought was used and I had never seen that body style before. After I cleaned it up, it ran as quietly as any other car I've ever had. I am not a racer, but it was a joy to drive around the track - not uncontrollably fast and really smooth.
There are two styles of Marchon chassis and therefore two different body mounts. While probably not of the highest quality all the way around, I've got a nice collection of them and have a lot that I use for running. I pick them up whenever I can. There are probably more different bodies and paint schemes than you imagine.
There is a fellow who published a Marchon collector's guide. His brother sells as z28camaro on ebay if you need more info.

Joe


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

I have a few Marchons and they all run very well. Some of their bodies will fit onto a tyco Hp-7 chassis. I love their 4 wheel drive Monster trucks. You can't run them on a regular layout, as they are too wide, but they're fun to break out once and a while on an oval layout.

They seem to have several different chassis types. I bought one recently, their "NIGHTRIDER" trans am, that was made from clear plastic and had both front and rear lights

Before Micro Scalextric bought them out, I believe a company called EMPIRE put some of their cars out. I could be wrong though 

very powerful chassis that work great on die cast conversions... and overall a nice brand of cars to add to any well rounded HO collection


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## 22tall (Jul 28, 2002)

I have "The Collector's Guide To Marchon MR-1 Slot Cars." It has the Marchon cars being released from 1988 to 1994. Scalectric 1994 to 1995 and the Empires 1995 to 1996.


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

Big, bulky dumb cars. But they are fast and are fun running a group of them. We named them "Drivers Ed" cars since we always gave these cars to newbies on the track or "party cars", like rentals.  At $10.00 a pop they were disposable. I have probably a dozen in various stages of dis-repair or broken.

We also called them "sparker cars" because the early Marchon sets had a piece of flint that mounted in a special holder that squeezed into the back wheel. NASCAR Sparking Speedway was the set. The guard rails in the corners had stone impregnated tape and if you slid the car sideways it was supposed to rub the guard rails and make sparks. Anyone remember that? :freak:


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

volvo1:1 said:


> Why did Marchon drop out ? I know that they were taken over by Empire. Empire did bring out a Two new models - A "Road Warrior" type car (somewhat top-heavy) & a new red T-Bird that were in a "Breakout from Bad City" set.Not long afterward the "Empire" struck out.
> They drive & handle very nicely.Even the large T-Birds & wide Monte Carlo's (they seem more like a smaller 1/32 that a large HO) Handle well. Parts are largely interchangeable with TYCO cars(HP-7 & some 440-X2) though the orange MR-1 chassis uses its own unique p/u shoes.Many of their bodies were recycled TYCO design's.
> One thing I notice that is bad is that the chassis tend to crack apart if you wreck out & hit the wall or floor hard.They did not use the delrin type plastic that other makes use in their chassis's .Perhaps that was their main downfall.
> I have repaired about three of them with plastruct & super glue Gel that does not normally work on the delrin type chassis's.
> ...



They didnt drop out, they were bought out. They're sold as Micro Scalextric over in the U.K. You can find the cars on evilbay but they tend to be a bit pricier than AFX/Tyco for some reason. Ive got those same 2 road warriors. I think they were set cars. Break out from Bad City I think was the name. Ive got the Jeeps in all 4 paint schemes, and a hot pink testarossa and neon orange porsche also. They run well, but the black chassis (like on the Jeeps) do tend to break easily.


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

grungerockjeepe said:


> They run well, but the black chassis (like on the Jeeps) do tend to break easily.


I just used one at our last National, black F1 chassis with the Micro Scalextric F40 body and a copper jeep motor. Nothing could stay with it. I suspect Wizzards would have but the damn track had no straights where they could suck up the amps and git goin'.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

grungerockjeepe said:


> . I think they were set cars. Break out from Bad City I think was the name. Ive got the Jeeps in all 4 paint schemes, and a hot pink testarossa and neon orange porsche also.


 Yes, it was Breakout from Bad City.
As I said before, there's a lot more variations than you think. From my collecting, there are actually 6 completely different jeeps. However, the Canyon Raider (4 variations) and Doom Buggy (2 variations) have variations in their paint schemes. I count a total of 10 jeeps.

Joe


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

Grandcheapskate said:


> Yes, it was Breakout from Bad City.
> As I said before, there's a lot more variations than you think. From my collecting, there are actually 6 completely different jeeps. However, the Canyon Raider (4 variations) and Doom Buggy (2 variations) have variations in their paint schemes. I count a total of 10 jeeps.
> 
> Joe



There are some variations that Ive seen, but there are 4 completely unique versions. The neon colored ones seem to have the most variations, although theyre the rarest. Usually they have neon yellow has the neon pink wheels and vice versa, althought Ive seen grey wheeled versions, and versions without the tiger stripes on the hoods. The only variations Ive found for the canyon raider and doom buggy is that some are painted in red or yellow, and others are molded in color.


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

I just scored some Micro Scalextric stuff on ebay U.K., and got the first one in today. Its Bart Simpson on a skateboard. Weird, topheavy little rig, but its funny and a great item if you like the show. The braided wire pickups work a lot better than I thought, but I need to learn how to adjust them to keep the front axle on the track. The scaleys seem to be MUCH better made than the marchons. The chassis plastic is sturdier, and all the wheels run true instead of wobbling on the axles. This one has a red wire motor identical to a tomy turbo's. It runs fast and smooth and holds the track fairly well, as tall as it is.


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Oh how I wish that motor and build quality had been mated to the Marchon magnets and shoes, that would be some car. They did, I believe make a narrow chassis version of the Marchon. That is my guess anyway, I never saw a Marchon body that would need a narrow chassis.

In one of the weird quirks, Scalex decided to port over the F40 from their 1/32nd range. Once they did they discovered it was too narrow for the normal Marchon chassis so they put in on the F1 chassis.

What a car! Fitted with a copper motor from a jeep, I recently took on, and narrowly beat, a Wizzard P3E!


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

I love the micro scalextric chassis. VERY smooth running chassis.. they have some weird bodies though


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## zanza (Sep 23, 2005)

I also love the MicroScalextrix and Marchon either as they are really smooth running cars. Only drawback is they are bigger than the usual Tyco Tomy AFX cars, so can't really be run mixed together

My latest entry in the Marchon section of my collection is this nice Porsche 934 bought from Hoslotfrance, thanks François


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