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.

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.

LMP Racing Stable Continues to Grow

I've spent much of the past month or so getting caught up on cars that I may have passed on when they first came out. While I can occasionally get a good deal on some NOS (new old stock) I don't mind purchasing a gently used car if it's intact and shows little effects of track time. Sometimes these can be found at dealers, and eBay too, of course - though the prices on even some used cars can get pretty ridiculous. The price on this DHL Porsche Spyder was quite good - it was listed as used but it looks practically brand new. The Fly Racing Lola B98/10 was a great deal on an NOS car that was created as a special racing version - it has a hotter motor, lighter body, aluminum wheels and a vacu-formed driver and cockpit. We'll see how it does on the track.

The Spirit Courage C65 was also an NOS buy - I probably paid about what it cost when new, which is not bad since I've seen it listed on eBay for $15-$20 more than I paid. Though they are not known to be awesome runners, the Spirit card look great and I really like the red and black livery.

Since it will be a while before I have a track to test anything on, any kind of reviews will have to wait. Nevertheless, I'm feeling pretty good about filling up some of the open spots in my collection, and the class of 1999-2010 LMPs I've been able to acquire is getting pretty extensive, as is my collection of Group 6/IMSA-GTP cars.

Avant Slot Looking to Build on Growing List of New LMH / LMDh Cars

I sometimes laugh and tell people I am "All Endurance Racing - All The Time" - which is kinda true - from the early 60's to the present day, I love my Le Mans and IMSA cars. Even with a relatively tight collectors focus like that, there are still so many cars out there...and the growth of 3D printing has put even more of them in reach.

That said, it is good to see that at least one slot car manufacturer has put a flag in the ground and has plans to produce some more of this growing list of WEC / IMSA Endurance Racing cars. I saw this announcement from Avant just recently, and it is an ambitious release list, to be sure. In real life, endurance racing is seeing a huge influx of new (and old) LMH/LMDh participants, including Porsche, BMW, Peugeot, Ferrari, Cadillac, Acura, Glickenhaus and even Vanwall and Isotta Fraschini!

I'm sure some of these cars will be (or already have been) modeled by some of our 3D printing superstars, but it will be nice to see some new products from our slot car manufacturers, too. SRC will be producing a Porsche 919 soon and Slot.it will add an LMH Oreca car as well. That will no doubt be used by many privateer teams, thus allowing a wide array of liveries. Acura is using that chassis, so maybe that will be a car we can look forward to. Let's hope!    

Catching Up on The Collection

Every time I get away from the hobby, a lot of new slot cars come out that I will inevitably miss - and I will have to go back and "fill in the holes" in my collection. If I'm lucky, I won't have waited too long and the cars will still be available on eBay or at online shops for a manageable price. I don't try to collect everything; my main areas of interest include early 60's LeMans, Classic LeMans, Group C and IMSA GTP cars, Modern LMP and GT cars and the newest Hypercars - as they become available, I hope.

While I appreciate Formula 1, there are just too many cars to add and too little money. NASCAR and Rally are not my thing, nor are DTM or Trans Am. Group 5 cars have never appealed to me either, as I don't like the look of the "tacked on" aero-effects of the period, which feel like they were fabricated from sheet metal and attached to stock body panels with rivets...

I was really happy to get this Slot.it Audi for a nice price.

The simple truth here is--like Clint Eastwood once said--"A Man Needs to Know His Limitations." That goes for the wallet as well. For me, it's best to focus on the kind of cars I like and try to get a fairly wide (if not too deep) range of cars. That means a couple of liveries for most types, from each manufacturer, or slightly different versions of cars, if they exist. I find just keeping up there can be a challenge.

 

 

For example, I bought a Slot.it 2011 Audi R18 a few years ago, and was able to add a companion 2012 e-Tron recently in a nice complimentary paint scheme. My Group C/IMSA cars saw the addition of another Toyota 86C and a companion March 83 G to match my other March.

 

Likewise, I was able to keep up my GT collection by adding a Carrera Corvette C8, a very sharp McLaren 720S GTE and a new Slot.it Maserati MC Gt4. I've added some other as well, but I'll save those for another post. My goal is to get "caught up" enough so I can just focus on adding new cars as they come out--which might mean adding one each month or every-other month. We'll see.

Dazzling Thoughts on Modern Race Car Liveries

In real world sports car racing, there's a lot of excitement about the changes taking place in WEC, IMSA/GTP and the higher-level classses like Hypercar (LMH) and Hybrid (LMPh). With a growing number of manufacturers getting in on the action, many endurance fans are feeling like "the good old days" are again on the horizon.

Over the past few years, as some of these newer cars have shown up as RTR slot cars, opinions have varied in terms of how the cars look. While the modern full-bodied racers may not have the inherent beauty of a Ferrari 330p or the balanced look of a Porsche 962, they still have the curves and overall appearance that endurance fans expect. I still like them, although I an still not a big fan of the dorsal fins! Over the past couple of years I've added cars like the Lola B12s, Ginettas, Audi R18s and Toyota Hybrid, and am looking forward to adding more. The real world cars and manufacturers currently coming on board do vary in looks to a greater extent than they have over recent years. In fact, the new Peugeot 9X8 has a semi-fin and no wing at all!

That said, I do want to point out one factor that really makes a difference in how these cars look - and one which may influence slot car manufacturers as they make future decisions on which liveries to choose for production. Since the many "lumps, bumps and bulges" inherent in modern LMPs often result in a less coherent whole (compared to many older examples) I would posit that liveries which clarify the form and shape of the car make them not only more attractive, but also easier to identify. Take for example, the Porsche 963 below.

I find the result here to be very clean and good-looking; the paint work accentuates the body lines of the car and the overall look is very appealing. In contrast, I present the livery of the BMW M Hybrid shown below. The effect here is very much similar to the old "dazzle" paint that was used to hide the true form of military (and civilian) ships during the  World Wars. The thought was that painting anything like this made it not only harder to clearly identify a ship, but also for an enemy to target it. As you can see, the approach works. The BMW may be an attractive car, but it's really hard to tell with that livery, though it is colorful.

Note how the effect is similar to the old wartime "dazzle" pain [below]

That's just my .02--I'm sure our slot car manufacturers will turn out some beauties either way, but I think that maybe a slightly more traditional approach to race car liveries helps make them easier to ID and a bit more attractive. What do you think?

Another Conversion Prospect: Ferarri 250 LM

While I know there are ready-to-run versions of the Ferarri 250 LM out there (at about $70 or more a crack) I have so far held off from purchasing one.  There have been many times in the past when I could have purchased a car when it first came out at about $50 or so and delayed long enough that it went out of production, became slightly rare, and subsequently was only available at a premium price.

It's an old kit from the 80's but complete and in like-new shape.

To that end, I picked up this nice MPC kit from the early 1980s which I intend to convert to a slot car. I have a few extra chassis available that might fit; I could also go the 3D printed route, I suppose. I don't need it to be a racer, but just run smooth and fast enough to keep up with most of my other classic Le Mans cars. The kit itself is pretty well detailed, and seems to fit together pretty well - so hopefully my skill will be up to the task.

Recent Updates from The SLOT Garage

Been offline for a week or so trying to get caught up at work after my daughter's wedding in Cleveland on June 5th. It was a wonderful weekend that included a rehearsal dinner cruise on Lake Erie, a ceremony and reception in Cleveland's Grand Arcade and lots of dancing, revelry and great fun. Now that the wife and I can "return to our regularly scheduled programming" I have had a chance to get some things organized toward building my next track as well as expanding my slot car collection.

Some very nice additions to the GT stable.

Among my recent acquisitions are three sharp Scalextric GT cars, two Aston Martin GT3s and a Porsche 911 RSR. For the most part, I collect Le Mans-type cars, LMPs, Classics, Group Cs, IMSA, GTP and GT cars, so these fit right in. The Scarlett & Mustard-liveried Aston was my first purchase; I really wanted the black Darell Lea car but could not find one--naturally, it turned up on eBay about a week-and-a-half after I bought the first car. Thankfully, it was at a good price. I like the Proton Porsche, too--although I am a little embarrassed to admit that, as a whole, I've never been a big fan of the whole 911-based body family (GT1 excluded) but the RSR has some subtleties that make it a nice fit with other current GT cars, especially with the right livery, and this is it.
 
One other thing you might notice in looking at these three cars--and this is another secret nitpick--is that I hate black wheels. I know they are dominant in racing cars now and have been for a while, but I never liked the look of a "black hole" inside a wheel well; it just looks ugly and unfinished to me. If I have to, I'll settle for a well-outlined tire (with lettering or a stripe) and even a charcoal-gray or dark pewter rim or wheel...but I always try to avoid black if I can. Of course, with some cars, like a classic Porsche 917, there's no alternative - but I guess that's life.

A couple of classic GT kits for conversion.

I also have a few scratch-build projects/conversions I'll be working on as time allows. One is an old Lindberg Aston Martin DP212 static kit which is not very well-detailed but decent enough to use for a slot car. It's not a commonly-known Aston Martin but was raced at Le Mans in 1962. It will need a lot of work to convert, but it's an opportunity to turn what many might call a sow's ear into a leather purse, if not a silk one. The other conversion project is an Aoshima Toyota 2000 GT snap kit which has all the detail the Lindberg lacks; there are a couple of nice liveries I can choose from, including a Shelby-prepared SCCA racer from 1968 - (see below).

Speed Thrills: My First NSR and RevoSlot Cars

Times like these I really regret not having a track available to drop my new cars on for some test laps. The two beauties I'm highlighting here just arrived courtesy of UPS (and LEB Hobbies) and I am really happy to have them.

Before I go too much further, let me point out I am a notorious cheapskate when it comes to buying cars. This means that:  a) I have to limit my collecting to a definitive category of cars that I really like, and b) that I try to extend my collection as inexpensively as possible--which means buying cars that are on sale or very gently used. As I gradually fill out my list of "must-haves" it becomes harder to do this, as some types are simply just more expensive or (like these two brands) too new or seldom offered in used condition.

I have a Ford 3L P68 in my 60's-era Le Mans car stable, but it is a classic Scalextric model and simply not in the same class as my modern cars. It is in extremely nice shape, and I've considered putting the body on a newer chassis. Maybe someday.  This Lucky Strike livery is really attractive and will look great hanging out with the Ford GTs, Ferraris, Mark IVs and other classics in my pit lane. The detail on this NSR model is absolutely wonderful and I'm sure the performance will match. You might be surprised that, having been in the hobby for 20 years or more, this in my first NSR, but as I said, I'm cheap and I don't do any club or commercial track racing.

I already had a 333P, too--a yellow SCX model that is still like new and one that I always considered good-looking. When I started in the hobby, I liked the late-90's to 2000s LMPs, and my first Ferrari--although not red, as I usually prefer--was a nice visual break from my other cars, which included a white Joest Porsche and 2 white BMWs. Something about this RevoSlot's plain red livery (with just a few decals) appealed to me...and in terms of quality, it is a real stunner.

Since I am pretty much caught up in terms of modern GT cars (especially those offered by Scalextric and Carrera) it seems the focus will have to shift to quality over quantity/price and that means shelling out some more money for fewer cars. I often choke on spending over $75.00 for a car, but I have some holes in my collection and it's looking like some of the LeMans Miniatures models (which normally run well over $100 USD) may be the only way to fill them--aside from buying a 3D printer and trying to build my own.  Something to plan for, to be sure.

Collection Catch-Up with a Dynamic Racing Duo

 Since I had not been buying a lot of cars for a while (prior to early this year) I find I have to focus on filling some "holes" in my slot car collection. As I am primarily interested in "full-bodied" cars, like Le Mans, Group C / IMSA and Can Am cars, I try to find types or models that I don't already have, or from various slot car manufacturers.

Two more additions to the racing stable. It will be a while before they see track time.

  For example, The Slot.It Porsche 962 with the Copenhagen livery is a nice companion for the Slot.It 956 Warsteiner livery car that I already have, not to mention the much older Scalextric 962s I own, which include a silver Texaco "360" car and a black and red Kenwood livery. Both of those cars run well and are quite fun--though they obviously aren't in the same class as the Slot.Its.

 I love classic Le Mans cars, so it's no surprise I have plenty of Fly Porsche 917s, Lola T70s, Ford GTs, Ferrari 512s and a few others form the mid-60's through the early 70's. What I did not have was a Ferrari P4, which many people consider one of the most beautiful racing cars ever made.

 For whatever reason, I always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time; too late to get the earlier Scalextric releases at a decent price, and I delayed getting back into the hobby long enough that now the more recent Policar releases are out of stock in many places and prices are going up. Fortunately the newer Scalextric 412Ps are available at very good prices, so I will have to get by with that until I can add a P4 at some point in the future. This car looks great--I'm not a great fan of the sky blue rims on this livery but for now it will do. For the most part, I like my Ferraris red - so this one fits the bill.

SRC Getting Closer to Releasing Toyota TS050 LMP

 While I am not quite as enthusiastic about the looks of modern LMP cars (all the bumps and lumps and fins tend to detract from their overall aesthetics) I still want to make them part of my slot car racing experience, and already have some Lola B10/B12s, Audis, an Aston-Martin and a Scaley Ginetta.

Having recently dominated the LMP1 category at Le Mans, the Toyota TS050 is soon to be available as a slot car, courtesy of SRC, and photos of the test cars have been showing up all over social media. Apparently SRC has designed the car with different body molds to ensure that the three versions that ran from 2017 to 2020 are represented.

This is a significant departure for SRC, which hasn't focused on modern-era cars that much. Most of the reaction I've seen is very positive--and many enthusiasts are already clamoring for them to make a Porsche 919 to go along with it! The photos I've seen look great, and I'll be happy to grab one when they're available. There's a nice interview with the SRC folks in the Toyota UK magazine HERE.