“It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses.” “Hit it!” And so one of the great car chases in a movie begins! The Bluesmobile played a pivotal role in transporting Jake and Elwood cross-country to reunite their band and save the orphanage they grew up in. The Bluesmobile has the ability to perform seemingly impossible stunts, such as jumping over an open drawbridge, flipping backwards in midair and even “flying” for very brief periods of time. However, its cigarette lighter does not work! The “1974 Dodge Sedan” was everything they needed to complete their “mission from God”! Interesting note about the Bluesmobile in the first Blues Brothers movie; at the time of the film’s release, it set a world record for the most cars destroyed in one film! The new Auto World race set, The Blues Brothers 106 Miles to Chicago (SRS359) can recreate all those cool events from the movie. Even the scenery captures St. Helen’s of the Blessed Shroud Orphanage, Ray’s Music Exchange and the grand Chicago skyline. This is the second set to turn loose the new AMP Xtraction chassis! We’ll get into some deeper information about those later in the article. We even get the drawbridge and a jump to cross! Let’s get the soundtrack rolling and see what’s in the box.
The Blues Brothers race set has a variety of turns including 6 inch, 9 inch and 12 inches curves. The jump section and wiggle/squeeze track gives the racers and chasers some challenges as they zoom across Chicago. The set includes bridge supports and scenery cutouts from the movie’s Chicago landmarks.
The set comes with color-coded controllers and a 16 volt power pack.
With the various curve sizes and the elevation changes, this set challenges the Blues Brothers and the Chicago Police to be at their best as the race through the streets. The layout has over twenty eight feet of track and covers an area of 31 inches by 83 inches.
1974 Dodge Monaco – Black/White – The Bluesmobile with Loudspeaker
1974 Dodge Monaco – White/Blue – Chicago Police Car #437 (Lighted)
For the collectors, the cars in this set are different from previously released Bluesmobiles and Chicago Police cars.
The new set car is dirtier and has grimy wheels and tires. Obviously from all those car chases! The new version also has the new AMP Xtraction chassis.
The new Chicago Police car has a different car number #437. The bubble gum siren lights, light up. It also comes with the new AMP Xtraction chassis. Previous releases are car numbers #748 and #9332.
Here’s our second look into the new AMP Xtraction chassis. We will be doing a performance article in the very near future, so we will cover the basics here for now. The front axles have two position options for a 1.5 inch wheelbase and a shorter 1-3/8 inch wheelbase that matches up to a handful of bodies that use them. There are two neo-dot traction magnets and the pickup shoes and springs are similar in design from the Tyco HP-2 chassis. The can motor (more details below) is an FF-035/FF-030 type unit. The are two circuit boards, one makes a connection from the pickup assembly to the second circuit board, which acts to reduce EMF interference, and connects to the motor. All AMP chassis will share all parts EXCEPT wheels/tires and the main chassis which will vary according to which bodies they will be used with.
The gearing is a two inline configuration with a 23 tooth crown gear on the axle and a 7 tooth pinion on the motor giving a nice 3.28 to 1 gear ratio. The gear mesh is very smooth, with no binding or snags.
Auto World is using the FF-035/FF-030 type can motor in the new AMP design. This motor is shared across all of the chassis platforms. The circuit board houses the resistor to reduce interference and also provides a connection point for lights. The motor is 3/4 of an inch long and 1/2 inch wide. A bit larger than the N20/N30 motors.
The Auto World Blues Brothers race set lets you run the car chase between Jake and Elwood and the Chicago Police, alongside all of the key landmarks from the movie. From St Helen’s to Wacker Drive, Ray’s Music Exchange and the drawbridge jump.
This is a fun race set, brings back all the fun action from the original Blues Brothers movie and gives us another look at the new AMP chassis. Whether you are a “Soul Man” or just like “Sweet Home Chicago” or maybe a Jake and Elwood fan, this set is for you. Check with your favorite local hobby shop or webstore in December/January when this set is released. And look for our performance article covering the new AMP chassis, here at Speed Inc Slot Cars!