Undoubtedly the masters of "something different",  Marchon breaks new ground with the first production slot operated MONSTER TRUCK race set ever!!!
    As road (set) tests go, this report shall be a bitter/sweet challenge for me, as HO scale Monster Truck racing holds a special place in my racing/collecting activities.

    My name is John Peckham, Chairman and co-founder of the H.O. MONSTER TRUCK/PULLERS ASSOCIATION (HOMTPA) and creator/designer of the worlds first "true" H.O. scale Monster Truck.  I state this up front for the purpose of leading you, the reader, to know first of my experience regarding slot operated Monsters, and also to be aware of my somewhat 'personal involvement' in this product.
    Note that I have had NO part in the development or production of this product, and shall admit to mixed feelings because of this.  However, though some comments in the column may sound bias, they do represent my true feelings and observations.

 With this bit of trivia out of the way, let's begin...

   Let me start with the somewhat high purchase price of Marchon's
MONSTER TRUCK RACING set.  Relative to higher priced sets which include 'Data' computers, 4 lane/car racing, etc., this set consists of a 5' oval with 2 trucks (plus standard accessories).
   Okay, new production molds DO cost, but I feel this is an obvious attempt to capitalize on the set's uniqueness.  In all fairness, I do not know who's price this actually is... Marchon's, or the store from which it was purchased (in research, I have found the price to vary by $20 or more).

    Once home, the dirt colored track went together well enough, and includes 3 extra wide Monster Truck type obstacle sections: a 9" Car Crush section (cars molded into the track), a 9" Mud Bog section (consisting of two rows of marbles per lane for that 'slippery' feeling), and a Monster Hill Climb.
    The corners are of standard width (no passing here) and come with little clip on "Bumpy Road" aprons.

    The two trucks supplied are BIGFOOT and SNAKE BITE replicas. . . and pretty good ones at that.  For you scale oriented people, both trucks are slightly larger than H.O. (yes, they are MONSTER TRUCKS and are a LOT larger than your race car) but then, no where are the letters H.O. printed on the box.
    Viewing from the bottom I knew instantly the trucks had a good chance of working as advertised ... simply because the pick-up system was very much like my own design (which has driven my trucks successfully for eight years).
    The pick-up is an 'arm' which connects to the REAR of the truck.  This arm (which supports the pick-up shoes and guide pin) floats down between obstacles placed along the sides of the lane rails, allowing the truck to drive OVER them and still remain in contact with the rail/slot.

   When it was time to see how Marchon geared the (somewhat slow) 4WD, I ran into a bit of a problem.  First, the square steel axles were 'splined', making wheel removal VERY difficult.  Then, after removing the three chassis screws, I found the chassis halves had also been GLUED!!!
    I did finally get the chassis a part and found the usual Drive shaft, Worm, and Step-down gear arrangement (anyone familiar with my original article on building H.O. Monsters will also recognize this set-up). However, the point here is that if you ever want (or need) to service this vehicle, You'd better be good at taking things apart, as all gears, axles, and MOTOR are completely enclosed; you can't even oil the motor endbells.

    It was now time for the actual road test.  For this, I acquired two assistants... my sons, ages 5 & 8 (the set is recommended for children over 8).
    A two year veteran H.O. Monster Truck driver himself, my oldest (driving BF) was off across the Car Crush section and through the Mud Bog in no time.  My 5 year old, however, (driving SB) hit the Crush Section hard and de-slotted.  This was of no surprise to me due to the special technique required when driving Monsters (e.g. slow down, get ON the obstacle . . . PUNCH IT!!!).
    After making the turn, BF headed "for the hills".  Suddenly, half way up the Hill Climb, BF stopped, slid back, and flopped over dead on the table.
    Next, with me at the controls giving my youngest a driving lesson, SB came to the hill and (to my surprise) proceeded to mimic the actions of BF. . . leaving BOTH belly-up!!!
    It seems the Hill Climb was borrowed from other Marchon sets (Jet
fighters, etc.), and were designed for magna-traction type vehicles.  Since Monster Trucks do not have magna-traction, the tires simply started spinning and the truck would slip down the hill.  As a quick fix, I put masking tape strips on the hill for traction.  This worked well, but sanding the track and/or truck tires should prove to be a more permanent fix.
 

    Once done, the trucks ran quite well, as my associates were then instructed to "Go for it... CRASH 'EM!!!
    After about 3O minutes, the fact that I still had two working production Monsters is a testimonial to their durability.

    With the testing complete, (I can't say how the boys 'liked' the set... they have been around H.O. Monsters all their lives, and the results would have been inconclusive), all pieces were placed back in their "molded" plastic tray (nice touch) and into the box.

    While it took two truck modifications to get a Marchon truck around OUR Monster Truck course (not part of the test, . . . just curious), and one to get them around their own, from a professional racer's viewpoint, changes need to be made (when don't they?).  But still, as a Toy Race set, Marchon really has something!!!
  I personally would have done a couple of things differently, but as a seasoned H.O. scale Monster Truck driver, I would have to give Marchon, and their MONSTER TRUCK RACING set (as a whole) "Two Thumbs UP".