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.

 

 

Now Hear This! And Watch, too...

Most of us in the Slot Car community tune in to hear the latest news each Friday from Dave Kennedy. Though he's recently undergone some medical procedures and is still recovering (successfully, it seems!) Dave is still taking some extra time to drop in on various chats and keeping us up on what;s happening. Inspired by the President's annual State of The Union address, Dave decided to take a few minutes to talk about what's happening in the hobby--the good and the not-so-good (it's mostly good) as well as where things seem to be heading.

Along the way, he offers some insights about digital, how track scenery adds to the hobby and its enjoyment, the rise of 3D printing and cottage-industry manufacturers, and some other topics of interest that will be sure to capture your attention. As always, his observations are grounded in real industry experience, practicality and common sense. Check it out!

Get Your Weekly Fix with Dave Kennedy's Slot Car News

 As I recently got back into the hobby, Dave Kennedy was a familiar name to me and I was happy to see that he had transitioned much of his presence from his Slot Car News blog to a really amazing YouTube Channel. Dave's original blog has transitioned to more of a commercial racing news source, and the content there is now handled by others (though he retains ownership of the site). Dave now primarily focuses on the 1:32 model slot car industry and provides weekly updates on new models coming out, new products, and other content that will be of great interest to most hobbyists.

If you want to know what's going on in the slot car industry, Dave Kennedy is your man.

With his extensive experience working for SCX, Scalextric and Carrera, Dave knows the ins-and-outs of the industry and best of all, isn't afraid to tell it like it is. He's done awesome videos featuring straight talk on subjects such as brand licensing, model production numbers, the basic differences in chassis and motors, and other topics that people often ask about. He explains why companies like Scalextric and Carrera think like "toy manufacturers" and not "slot car enthusiasts" - and how these factors shape the way the industry creates and sells products. It's fascinating stuff, and it's one reason why I look forward to his Friday uploads.

Besides the latest hobby news, Dave also provides a lot of useful and educational content that will be of use to slot car hobbyists--especially those just starting out. He offers helpful tips on the different brands of track, what different manufacturers have to offer, basic car maintenance and much, much more. While his expertise makes him compelling to experienced slot car folks, he doesn't assume you already know everything--and that's refreshing.

Dave also recently started doing some live-stream chat events, where he will happily talk about new developments and answer your questions. Check him out on YouTube at Slot Car News Official.

Retro Roundup: SCX SRS2 Series Slot Cars 1992-93

My Mazda 787B. I'm missing my dashed stripes... :-(

A while back, I highlighted a few of the Spanish Scalextric SRS (Super Racing Series) cars that I had acquired over the years. Those cars featured an advanced chassis, higher-than-average performance RX motors, and light weight (about 65 grams) to offer a little more to slot racers in the 1980's through 1991. With more of a pin-type guide and a fairly strong magnet, I found them to be excellent performers on my old home track, and were quite fast. While some people have swapped out their original guides for a more traditional type, I have not found that to be necessary to this point.

The XJR-14 in the Castrol (masked "Silk Cut") livery.

In 1992, SCX in Spain took the original idea and developed a new breed, called SRS2. While the original intent of increasing performance was maintained, the newer cars featured hard plastic bodies in place of vacu-formed Lexan bodies and also added front wheel steering to their modified SRS chassis. They also featured a normal guide blade in place of the original series' pin guides, and the tire and wheels were of a more traditional type as well.

The chassis of the SRS2 was a modified version of the original.

While the first SRS series featured a fairly wide range of cars, the SRS2 series included only a Mazda 787B (Mazda and Renown liveries) and a Jaguar XJR-14 (Castrol and Bud Light liveries). With their greater weight (now about 77 grams) they didn't seem to be as quick as the original SRS cars, but still offered good performance. Personally, I did not see much advantage to the steerable chassis, but it wasn't a detractor, either. While not comparable to some of today's more performance-oriented cars, they offered good fun for their time, and with a little tuning could be made reasonably competitive.

As you can see, the front wheels do actually steer. Not sure how much it helps.

My only disappointment is that the Renown-liveried Mazda I have (a replica of the 1991 Le Mans winner) did not include the dashed-line decals that separate the green-and-orange sections of the paint job. Based on photos of the slot car, they should have been included. I've tried in vain to find something in 1:32 scale that could work; being white and clear, the decals are hard to replicate without special printing equipment.

Stealth Mode: The Quiet Simplicity of The Idler Wheel Drive

I was watching a recorded episode of the Worldwide Slot Car Chat earlier this week and listened to an extended conversation regarding the ubiquitous Fly Vipers that not only changed the nature of modern slot cars some 20+ years ago but which seem to reside in almost everyone's slot car garage. Many people have multiple models of this car, since they were very popular and continue to be widely available at very, very affordable prices.

At first glance, this Viper looks like a lot of others.

Strangely enough, I don't own one. But I do own a Viper--a Carrera model that was among some of the first cars I ever purchased. Listening to the owners go on about the shortcomings of the Fly version--with its front-motor position, "drive shaft" and inevitable handling and tuning issues, I decided to dive into my storage box of cars and retrieve my old Viper and check it out again, as I knew it had very little in common with the Fly cars.

Aesthetically, it is wholly comparable to the Fly cars, with nice detail, sparse but decent-looking decals, and overall--leaving an excellent impression. Flipping it over and looking at the chassis reveals something different, however; when I showed it to the other people in our chat, they were surprised to see what appeared to be a sidewinder setup. They were even more surprised when I showed them a photo of the body removed--revealing an extremely simple idler drive (also known as a "friction" drive) with a rubber contact wheel in place of a pinion gear, contacting directly with the right rear tire to drive the car. You'll also note the two spring mechanisms in front of the motor that helps adjust tension so the drive maintains good contact with the rear tire.

Have you ever seen an idler-drive slot car? Here you go...

With so much discussion of pinions and crown gears, tooth-counts and related tech talk, it was fun to see the reaction to this ultra-simple setup. In truth, this car was always a pleasure to drive...comparatively quick on my old track and best of all--superbly silent. It was almost like racing in stealth mode, with no gear grinding or whining at all. In addition to this one, I also have two other Carrera models with the same setup, a green Jever Porsche 911 GT1 EVO 98 and the 1999 Audi R8R LMP. As I seem to recall, the Porsche was the fastest of the three, with the Audi a close second, probably due to the fact that it may have been a bit heavier.

Both of these cars are nice runners, too. The Porsche is the quickest.

Not really sure why Carrera decided to use this drive in its cars, or why it stopped. It may have provided some relief to mothers, who only had to listen to their children's shrieks of joy while playing--without the added gear noise. Obviously performance would be an issue, but on my old 50 foot track, with a generous amount of curves, these cars were still competitive...and a pleasure to drive.

 

First Model Racing Memories: Even Before Slot Cars

Even before I had slot cars of my own, I was able to enjoy the hobby via the gifts my older brothers received for Christmas. A set just like the one you see below was given to my older brother as a gift in either 1961 or '62, and it actually predates the type of slot cars we have today. While not the original--which is long gone--this set is actually a rail racing kit, manufactured by the Ideal Toy Company (ITC) in the early 1960s. Instead of riding in slots, the guides (and the electrical current) followed the path of raised steel rails that were mounted above the surface of the track. This system was used by a few other early manufacturers as well, in the UK and Europe.

This Ideal Toy Co. set had vacu-formed hills and a rail track.

My father actually put this thing together prior to Christmas and had it mounted on a 3' x 5' sheet of plywood, so my brother could play with it immediately. I couldn't have been more than 4 years old at the time, but I clearly remember it being the hit of the party when we entertained our extended family in the basement rec room that holiday season. I can't recall what eventually happened to the track, but I remember the two 1:24 scale Mercedes 300SL coupes hanging around for years; the white one gathered dust on a shelf above my father's workbench for what seemed like ages.

I suppose we did look like these kids playing with the track.

You can still find the sets on eBay occasionally; the one in the photo appears to be in practically new condition. I found this image to share on Worldwide Slot Car Chat when I talked about my own hobby history--but after recently visiting Professor Motor's slot car site, I discovered in his bio that he must have received the very same set from his grandmother for Christmas in 1961. It's a small world!

These big, honkin' Mercedes 300SL Coupes were a lot of fun.

 

 

Pandemic Positives: Worldwide Slot Car Chat

 I know there hasn't been much good about the COVID-19 pandemic, aside from some hobbyists having more time to devote to some of their track and car building projects, but one thing I came across that has been a great source of information and enjoyment is the weekly Worldwide Slot Car Chat, hosted by Greg Gaub on his YouTube channel. Each week, since last April, Greg has been setting up a Zoom meeting for slot car enthusiasts from around the world to share their projects, tips, advice and experiences in an open forum that's fun and extremely informative.

The weekly Zoom slot car chat has visitors from all over the world.

And when he calls it "worldwide" - it's exactly that. Among the "regulars" and weekly visitors are hobbyists from Britain, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, All over the EU (Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, The Netherlands and more) as well as throughout the U.S. (even Hawaii)! Likewise, the level of experience and the range of specific interests adds to the enjoyment here. There are old-school modellers and racers who started as kids back in the 1960's, people who came into the hobby later in life who have created awesome tracks and built large collections, and relative newcomers who have lots of enthusiasm and lots of questions.

Like all the best online resources and gathering places, the discussions are helpful, positive and often fascinating, as everyone shares their unique perspectives and thoughts on how they enjoy the slot car hobby. While a dozen or more participants will appear on-camera, there are many other who just join in to talk sans video or just listen in. You'll find that some folks are more into car building, some into track building and scenery, many are into racing of various types and some just enjoy collecting. Whatever you're into, you'll find something of interest here, like:

3D Modelling and Printing
Track Building
Car / Chassis Design & Construction
Slot Car Manufacturers
Hobby History & Development
Racing Tips & Club Activities
Molding, Casting & Scenery Construction
Sources for Hobby Products & Accessories
Electrical Systems, Controls and Track Timing
...and much more!

I have been binge-watching all the episodes that have been posted over the past year, and I've learned a lot; it's almost like attending Slot Car School! Greg posts meeting times on all the primary slot car forums, so checkout a few episodes and join the fun. Anyone is encouraged to drop in--there's no registration or experience level required to participate, so you can log in, share something about yourself, and feel free to ask questions. You'll be glad you did.

Slot Cars Carry On During COVID

While the COVID-19 crisis has been a challenge for many businesses, some shops are thriving like never before. With so many folks now spending more time at home, traditional hobbies such as slot car modelling and racing are making a comeback, according to Carrera of America. Familiar to slot car enthusiasts everywhere, Carrera of America has been around for over 55 years and is based in East Brunswick, NJ.

Carrera makes a wide range of cars in several scales.

The distributor started seeing an increase in activity last March, as people began to be home-bound. After blowing through their inventory in a month, they were finally able to get re-stocked by the factory in May. August was their biggest sales month of all.

More on the story can be found HERE. It's good to know that our hobby manages to survive and even thrive a little. The article also includes a nice introduction to slot cars in general. 

A Story of Boys and Their Car Toys

I came across this rather touching observation in the Toronto Globe and Mail by columnist Peter Cheney, who looks back at his boyhood love affair with cars and why the "pretend world" of models and toys was often superior to his adult automotive experiences.

PHOTO CREDIT: The Globe and Mail.com.

In the article, Cheney explains that the models and toys he enjoyed as a child represented an idealized version of real sports cars. Later--as an adult--he had several opportunities to drive or own the real thing, and discovered that they never quite lived up to what he had imagined as a child. From slot cars and Hot Wheels to model XKEs and pedal cars, he paints a nostalgic picture to which men of almost any age can relate.

"I couldn't fit in the cars, but these were some of the greatest driving experiences of my life. I was lost in my own childhood world of speed – my days were spent working on lap times, repairing shattered cars and building ever-more elaborate tracks, including a miniature Monza with a banked curve that wrapped around the furnace."

The article really does a great job of explaining the incredible "pull" of this hobby and why more and more grown men can be found playing with toy cars. I recommend reading the whole thing HERE.

VIDEO: The Porsche 917 Was Scary Fast

Forty years on, many still marvel at the legend of the Porsche 917. I came across this great video courtesy of Jalopnik, which notes: "The Porsche 917 is what happens when Ze Germans focus all their energy on global domination... in a good way."

Porsche 917 from Mee on Vimeo.

I have a couple of Fly classics in my collection, but watching this really makes me want to get a few more. Still looking for a good deal on a 917 long-tail...