SJ EPISODE 10: Track Build Guide #4 - Guardrails, Barriers and Walls

You pay good money for your slot cars - and you don't want them flying off the track and getting busted into pieces. That's why we use various kinds of safeguards, like crash barriers, guardrails and other types of walls to ensure those slot cars stay where they belong. In this video, I'll share a couple of ideas I use to create good-looking items that will help protect your cars with a big, beautiful wall. LOL.

After reviewing those techniques, we finally dig into our Mail Bag to answer some questions (both the questions and the answers are all in fun) and I also talk about what we're seeing these days in terms of slot car content. There's a lot going on. Watch it HERE. Enjoy!

Track Building: Driver Visibility Comes First

As much as I love building scenery, we have to remember that the point of having a track is to race cars...and to do so effectively, you need to be able to see them on the track. So after test-fitting this building for the high side of the track, I decided to make it a single level with roof deck instead of a 2-level building with deck. I just didn't want to obscure the racing sight lines with too tall a structure - and it will simplify construction, too.

 

This did allow me to raise the ceiling height a bit, too - to something more like a scale 10 feet high rather than a standard 8 feet.  I am trying to document the construction of this scratch building, but it's quite complicated and also will require some specialized engineering to allow access to the interior for placing figures and other bits.

My solution was to allow part of the building to swing open for this access, which will be possible after the gondola platform tower (for the sky lift) gets lifted off - which is another part that will be constructed separately.

Other than the grandstand/pit building, it's probably the most complicated structure on the track. Lots more work on this to come, but wanted to show some progress.

A Milestone for Slot Journal

Just wanted to take a minute and thank the slot car community and other hobbyists that have supported the YouTube Channel over the past year. It was only 20 days ago that we hit 400 subscribers, and over the weekend we went over 500. Considering that since May of last year (10 months) we've posted 9 videos and 2 shorts, I'm pretty happy with the results so far.

What's great is that over the fast several weeks I've been able to get lots of footage and photos in the can, so now it's a matter of organizing and editing all of that into some more episodes. I'm also coming up wiht some ideas for new segments, including a fun AI-assisted bit that I think will be fun and entertaining. Stay tuned!

SJ EPISODE 9: Track Build Guide #3 - Making Borders

You don't want your slot cars rubbing on a guardrail if they drift around a curve. You need some space - and that's what track borders are for. My problem was that I didn't have enough of the stock Artin borders...so I had to figure out a way to make my own. That's the basic point of this episode.

The solution I offer here is pretty application-specific; all the joints in my track are getting filled and painted, so the fit between track and border just has to be "good" not "perfect." If you're keeping your track's stock apperance, you'll want to be extra careful with trimming and fit to ensure it looks neat. After that, I share a vintage car that's new to me, as well as some thoughts on "Datsun Mania." It's all in fun.  :-)
You can watch it HERE.

My "Buy List" for 2024

Now that most all the manufacturers' 2024 offerings have been made public, everyone is making their "buy lists" out and many are sharing them on YouTube. This can be a fun exercise...up to a point. For my own part, I try to limit this topic to a brief mention on one of my videos.

In this case, my focus is primarily on Scaleauto - who has projected a few of the new LMH and LMDH hypercars for the coming year, including the Porsche 963, the Cadillac, the Peugeot and the BMW. In addition, Slot.it will be coming out with an Acura hypercar, and the new Carrera Ferrari 296 GT3 is also on my radar. I'm sure there will be a few other new cars that will pique my interest, but my budget will have it's limits. And limiting my interest to primarily Lemans/Sebring etc.endurance racers definitely helps.

SJ EPISODE 8: Building a New Track Part 2 - A Table for Your Track

Everyone's slot car track needs a place to live. Where you gonna put it? In this video, I share a brief overview of my own track table - its overall layout and construction type, practical considerations, and testing prior to finalizing installation. Though I don't get much into carpentry details, a big part of this project involves building the cabinetry that provides support for the track and plenty of storage.

Afterwards, I share a couple of new purchases and then some thoughts on new manufacturer offerings and a group slot chat you should definitely drop in on. I think this will be a pretty popular episode. You can watch it HERE.