Sloter Lola, GB Track Chevron Enter The Garage

Two of the notable recent additions to the garage include some cars I have been trying to obtain for some time and was recently able to acquire form eBay at a reasonable price. Over time, I've discovered that the most important attribute to eBay shopping is patience; sooner or later a car you want will show up, and if you're lucky, at a price you can accept.

The first car is the Lola T280 as driven by Jo Bonnier - it features the famous Swiss Cheese livery, which was on the car he (sadly) wrecked at Le Mans in 1972. I've wanted this car because my next track (fictionally located in Switzerland) will have a "museum area" that will feature some special cars driven by well-known Swiss drivers, like some Porsches driven by Jo Siffert and a Ferrari and Alfa driven by Clay Regazzoni. Though Bonnier was Swedish, the car will make a memorable addition.

The second car is the Chevron B19 driven by Niki Lauda at Salzburgring in 1971. As Lauda is primarily known as a famous F1 driver, I thought this car was an interesting addition, and gives me a good excuse the play the Niki Lauda Song - actually called "Moma Laudaaa" - which is so fun I will probably highlight it in a future video episode. The car is boxed as a special edition of 3,000.

EPISODE 2: Control Tower Rebuild, a Classic Scalextric Car, and a Track That Wasn't

Well, after you've done one YouTube video the challenge becomes - what do you do to follow up? Well, Episode #2 covers a Control Tower refresh project that I'll be working on, a Scalextric Blast from The Past, and my efforts toward setting up a small, temporary "test track" which isn't working out to my satisfaction.You will also see my attitude expressed regarding the inevitable "unboxing." Hope you enjoy the nod to Jimi...seemed appropriate considering the subject matter.
 

As you might expect, the process of putting these videos together is getting a little easier, as I familiarize myself with the mechanics of editing. It's also given me a chance to critique my presentations, which need some polishing...I'm a little out of practice and I've found myself falling into some bad habits, which will benefit from awareness and elimination. I have to say I'm pretty happy with my initial reception - almost 2,000 views of the first video and 250 subscribers isn't bad. Just have to focus on delivering useful and entertaining stuff as I hope to help grow the hobby. Check out the video HERE.

SJ on Live Chat Night on Conquest Racing Channel

I really enjoyed the opportunity to join Rahul, Marty and Jorge on their recent Monday Night Livestream on the Conquest Racing Channel. Rahul and Jorge had graciously reached out to me the previous week, but the timing was not great as that particular Monday night I would have had to leave early. As it was, we were able to get together this week and talk about slot car stuff - not only my personal history in the hobby, but bigger issues like where the hobby was going, what kind of content is needed and how the slot car community's YouTubers can help each other.

Overall, it was a really fun night - the stream chat was pretty lively and, as always, filled with good ideas, helpful info and plenty of humor. It's really nice how these three guys invite both long-time hobbyists and relative newcomers to this weekly YouTube forum to talk about interesting and fun topics, from scratch building, track design and scenery to producing creative videos and growing the hobby. It's a very positive environment and a great ting for our hobby. Be sure to check in on a Monday night and join the discussion on Conquest Racing Club Channel.

 

 

Small Cars, Small Town...Big Fun. That's Professor Tinker.

Just came across this article from the Sentinel-Tribune in Bowling Green, Ohio - featuring Pro Tinker Toys. They are a well-know regional toy and hobby shop that works hard to promote the slot car hobby, particularly in HO and 1:32 scales. Owner Bryan Young has built a significant YouTube presence, posting over 200 videos highlighting products his store carries as well as live streams from the store, hobby shows and just about anything else you can think of. They are usually fun to watch - and some of the live streams can literally go on for hours.

Bryan and his store had a very high profile at the recent Cleveland Slot Car Show, and his crew spent many hours helping to promote the show, setting up tracks for people to race on and working to make the event a success. He continues to be a big believer in the future of the hobby, and sees its popularity growing significantly. Pro Tinker Toys carries a wide range of HO slot cars as well as 1:32 scale cars and track sets; in addition to their brick-and-mortar store in Wayne, Ohio they do a load of online sales via their website, ProtinkerToys.com. Check them out!

The First Slot Journal Video Goes Live on YouTube!

Well, after a couple of weeks sorting through equipment and software options, setting up a "studio" space for recording and creating a rough outline of content, I was finally able to get some footage together and do some editing. The result is ab 16 minutes of introductory video, where I talk a little bit about my history with slot cars, what kind of things you can look forward to seeing on the channel, and some additional thoughts about the hobby in general. I also take a minute to show my latest postal delivery and of course, one other expected element.

For those interested in technical stuff, this was put together using my iPhone 14 Pro front camera as a webcam - since I like to be able to look at what I am shooting, and the image quality is very good. I still need to make some adjustments on positioning; I also have an older iPhone 6S that I can use to shoot my desktop when I have to demonstrate something. For now, I am set up in my "office" and not in my workshop, since my best computer is located there. Eventually, when my workshop is better organized, I'll take a laptop in there and try to see what I can do. Also, I used OBS for combining and switching between shots, and CapCut for the final editing to put all the bits together; it's pretty easy to use and my edits are pretty basic.

If you have some time, please watch the video and let me know what you think in the comments. Also, don;t forget that you can have the video close-captioning auto-translated by using the "settings" on the video and selecting your language. It's not perfect, but it helps if English is not your first language.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Looking for Value in a Great-Looking Car? These Fly Cars Have it.

In my never-ending search for new and used car values, I keep coming across some nice Fly cars that I just can't resist. These two recent additions to the garage are good examples of what I mean, and as long as I can find 'em, I'll continue to buy 'em.

The white car is the first 908/3 that I have owned; I may be tempted to add an NSR version at some point, but for now this one will fit the bill nicely in terms of the late 60's/early 70's open racers. This is in addition to the open cockpit 908 and 908 Flunder that I have recently acquired. Of course they will need some tuning, but as they will probably be run against one another, this should make for a fun time.

 

The Venturi was a (Yellow Pages) special edition that was purchased as new stock on eBay for just $25. This was from a non-slot car dealer that may have undervalued it a little...but similar deals are out there from other sellers. That price is hard to resist - and this will make my third Venturi. As I like even numbers, I will probably find another one so I have a nice little class for racing.