SJ EP 13 - Track Build Guide #7 - Stone Walls and Bridges

In the case of The Schweizering, part of the slot car track runs up into an old city enclosed by a medieval-era stone wall. In this video, I'll show you how I did this, and how you can create garden walls, retaining walls, a bridge or even a building on your own track. As you'll see, I had a little bit of fun in the opening scene...

As far as materials, this can be done using rigid insulation foam, a few simple tools and some basic paint effects, like dark washed and dry-brush highlighting. After the demo, I'll show you a few new additions to the racing garage and also highlight some awesome upcoming slot car events - one in the USA and one in Brussels. Check out the video HERE.

 

 

 

Slotmania! Brussels Promises to be a Fun Event

One of my Facebook friends, Julien Giloteau, reached out to me a while back to tell me about an event he is organizing for next month - SLOTMANIA! BRUSSELS.  He sent me some posters, additional info and some video links to check out - and it's clear that this looks like one of the best-organized events I've seen in a while.

Of course it would be nice to attend but a trip to Europe is not in the cards right now. Regardless, they have lined up not only a number of vendors, but have arranged for some manufacturers to be on hand as well, including Scalextric, Slot.it/Policar, Scaleauto and Avant Slot. They always have some notable folks in attendance, including race car drivers and this year - Adrian Norman.

Julien notes that they are tryinig to expand the event format beyond just the typical swap meet and vendor meet to more of a convention-type showcase. I think they are on the right track. If your close enough, be sure to try and make it. There is also a fabulous promo video out on YouTube - Be sure to check it out HERE.

Looking Forward to the 79th Cleveland Slot Car Show

I've attended the last two Cleveland Slot Car Shows and come away not only impressed with the overall organization, but managed to come away with some great slot car buys as well! This Spring show (set for April 21) will have many activities throughout the weekend. Racing will begin Friday evening and the whole day Saturday. Live auctions on Friday and Saturday from the show, with a special charity auction Saturday evening. A slot car forum is scheduled for Saturday evening with manufactures, vendors, and old timers fielding questions on the slot car industry.

Organizer Greg Bennett has let people know that there will be a good selection of 1:32 vendors again, as well as a 1:32 race event to enjoy. That's good news, as the larger scale cars have had an increasing presence at the last few shows...a trend that appears to be continuing.

The show itself will take place on Sunday, starting at 9:30am, with all kinds of door prizes and lots of old and new slot cars in all scales. We are putting out a request for a vendor or venders interested in selling and sitting in on the slot car forum that sells or makes controllers and metering devices for testing slot cars. For more info, contact Greg Bennett on Facebook HERE.

Car Tunes with Pete and Joe

If you don't sleep in on Saturday mornings, I suggest you grab a cup of coffee and have a listen to Joe and Pete's semi-weekly chat stream CAR TUNES.  If you don't know, Joe created the Irreras Carrera channel on YouTube while Pete is the creator behind the Show-Me Slot Cars channel which hosts the chat. Both run Carrera digital, and they provide some entertaining banter as well as some helpful info on running digital setups.

In addition, they have also set up a Discord site that will allow the Slot Car community to host discussions ans "rooms" on a number of topics. It's a great way to gather and disseminate info as well as carry on conversations after your favorite live stream is over. Check it out HERE.

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!

Twitter to get "X"d out - Moving to Instagram

Even from the beginning, Twitter (now "X") has not been the best place to post content - at least not for slot car enthusiasts. There were enough accounts to make it worthwhile, but as time has gone on, fewer and fewer of them have bothered to post content there. The most prolific posters seemed to be several Japanese commercial tracks and stores, which always offered the challenge of translating whatever text content accompanied their (often beautiful) photography.

As a result, I've finally decided to post whatever additional content I have over on Instagram. I had opened an account not too long ago, but had only posted a handful of photos - as much a placeholder as anything else. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a number of folks in the slot car community are already on there - so I'm thinking this will be worth the effort.

Another factor in this decision was the fact that the owner of so-called "X" has generally ruined what was once a fun and engaging platform. I had accounts for several of my areas of interest in addition to slot cars. But the final nail in the coffin was when they removed the ability to post "latest tweets" onto your web page, which was an important component of my site's home page. In any case, while I am not deleting the "X" account, I will no longer post anything new there...I haven't been doing that for a while, anyway.  My next task is to delete references to Twitter on my web page and YouTube videos, and replace them with links to Instagram. The instagram page is at: https://www.instagram.com/slotjournal/

SJ EPISODE 6: Back in the YouTube Saddle Again - with The New Track

In the much delayed Episode 6, I talk a little bit about my absence from YouTube and some of the life changes I've been going through (retirement, grandfatherhood). Thankfully there's been plenty of great slot car content on YouTube over the intervening months, so that's a good thing.  I also explain how and why I've temporarily set the track control tower project aside to work on a new priority - namely, a track to race on. We'll get back to the tower in a bit, but the main goal now is to take my subscribers on a trip to see how the track is planned, built and completed - from A to Z.

After we get a look at where things stand now in construction, I spend a couple of moments taking about some things and people I've come across on YouTube and Facebook. I always enjoy giving a shout-out to people who are taking the time to share their hobby activities, as well as their ideas and tips that can add to our enjoyment.  Hope you like the episode - you can find it HERE.

Welcome Back...with The New Track

 Yes, it's been way too long since I posted here or put out a video...but a lot has happened over the intervening months.I spend much of the Summer vacationing and traveling, then received a nice retirement offer from my employer that was simply too good to turn down. Of course, a lot of planning and paperwork goes along with the territory, and that took a lot of time and effort as well.

Add to that the fact that I became a first-time grandpa in late September and you can understand that I've been a little busy. That has been a lot of fun for me, but now that the holidays have come and gone, I'm ready to devote some serious time to the hobby.

Over the last month or so, I've started on construction for the new track - it's very similar to the last one I had. The New Schweizering features more R3 and R4 turns, has a better flow and some additional adjustments to not only improve flow but also to provide better support, electrical systems for lights and wiring, and scenery improvements. I'm re-using some components from the old track (like the castle) and rebuilding most everything else from scratch.

I've got  a few pics here, but since construction has begun, I've been documenting most of it through some videos and photos, so you'll be seeing some of that here and on my Facebook site. YouTube videos are coming as well, so be on the lookout!

G&S Tire Grinder Provides a Cost-Effective Answer for Basic Truing Needs

In addition to creating and hosting the weekly Worldwide Slot Car Chat, Greg Gaub continues to benefit our hobby community by developing a number of useful 3D printed tools and accessories - most all of which he provides as free .STL files on Printables.com for users to print for themselves. In addition to helpful tools, Greg has created a unit that can convert almost any light scale into a magnet marshal, a multi-use setup block, and lots of other cool stuff. Greg's latest creation--which he developed withthe help of Dennis Samson and Giacomo Verlini--is a cost-effective tire-truer that will meet the basic needs of many slot car hobbyists.

Available as a complete, ready-to-use unit, a DIY kit with all parts included, a 3D-parts only, or as a hardware-only combination - the machine is intended to be a "good enough" machine to get casual racers started with their tire truing needs.The basic features include:

- One motor turns all axles

- Only two screws to remove/replace the entire grinding assembly for different grits

- Screws beneath the ball bearings to adjust parallel

- Spring loaded axle carrier to allow "grind and release" truing methods with ease

- Indicator knob for precise repetition of tire diameters as needed

- Consistent tension of o-rings due to double-pulley design

- O-rings can easily be moved side to side to accommodate various axle configurations

- standard 1/32 bushings snap into axle carrier, but V-shape still allows smaller or larger bushings or bearings to stay in place

- Distance between sanding drums accommodates most 1/24 and 1/32 wheels/axles

- sanding surface cannot contact axle pulley/o-ring
 

More information about the Grinder can be found HERE.

G&S Tire Grinder Pricing (not including shipping)
$150 - Fully assembled and tested machine, ready to get to work.
$100 - Complete kit of parts including all printed parts and hardware.
$50 - Printed parts only.
$50 - Hardware only.
PSU not included. Shipping extra. International orders welcome.
To place an order,  email Greg at ggaub@ggaub.com

EPISODE 3: Tower Trimming, New Cars and What I've Seen & Heard

After some delay - due to moving my video location to my workshop and also because of chores associated with the Memorial Day holiday - I was able to get Episode 3 posted on YouTube. I had a chance to start working on the Control Tower rebuild, show off a few recently-acquired cars, and talk about some great hobby content I've come across lately. I think it's important for our hobby content creators to support each other - the Seen and Heard segment is my way of doing that.

As I was editing this episode, I began to consider more fully how I would demonstrate the various steps in the reconstruction of the tower. While I don't want to turn it into a long Gone With The Wind project, I need to balance clarity of process with some level of concise presentation. For parts of the project that are repetitive or tedious, I can speed up the footage and use creative editing to help. On the other hand, that calls for a separate voice-over track vs. simply talking through a segment in real time while you're doing it. I'll get it figured out...  Check out the episode HERE.

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.

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

Cleveland Slot Car Show: Big Crowds...Old Crowds...and a Nice Haul.

 As long as I've collected slot cars, I've never been to a slot car show...so I was keen to drive up toward Cleveland this past weekend to check out the Cleveland Slot Car Show. Organized by the Model Motoring Club, the show primarily features HO stuff - but there was plenty of eye candy for 1:32 fans like me, and I managed to pick up some nice cars at some nice prices.

I was surprised how many were in attendance, as the main parking lot at the Quality Inn was completely full. There was a large overflow lot on the south side of the hotel, and it was almost full as well. I paid my $5 admission fee (also gets you a raffle ticket) and entered the main hall, which was full of people carefully moving up and down the aisles, trying to keep out of each other's way and scrutinizing all the cool stuff that was for sale. Local retailer Bad L's Hobby had some nice 1:32 cars available, and I snatched up a 5th Scalextric Mini for my collection. I don't normally buy that type of car, but they are so much fun to drive that I have wanted to get one for every member of the family.

There was a dealer at the back of the hall that really caught my eye - with a big selection of classic Fly, Slot.It, Ninco, SCX and Scalextric cars - as well as some collector special editions and other odd-and-ends, like those over-scale Vanquish cars. Discounts on purchases of 2 were eagerly applied and a LOT of people were sorting through what was available. My last purchase was an orange Carrera Hemi Cuda, that though gently used, was about half the price you'd find for a similar car on eBay. Finally, that GTO I was given as a gift many years ago has something to race against!

As I left, I scanned the crowd and one thing was clearly evident: this hobby is aging, for sure. I'm certainly no young buck, but the vast majority of the people here were males between 55-70+ years old. In such close quarters, I reflected for a brief moment that it was probably a good place to catch a case of COVID...but not hearing an excess of coughing, hacking or other old man sounds, I happily carried on. When I got out to the parking lot, some guys had a grill set up behind their pickup and were looking over their purchases and cooking up some lunch, like they were in the Muny lot before a Browns game (without the drunkeness or fighting). All in all, it was a fun time and definitely worth the drive.

Slot Journal Now has a Store with Cool Gear!

It's just a start, but Slot Journal has just set up a new shop where you can get some cool gear to express your love for the hobby. For now, the designs feature our SLOT Journal logo on T-shirts and other apparel, drinkware and various cool items. You'll find a link to the store at the top of our web pages.

As time goes on, we'll be adding some additional gear, with slick slot car-themed designs on the back of Tees and some other ideas that we're coming up with. We've chosen Zazzle as out supplier since we've had good experiences with them in terms of quality and delivery.

Of course, we developed the store mostly for fun--not to make money. We plan on getting some of these items for our own use and also to have some things available as give-aways and prizes. So be sure to check the stuff out and if so moved, get yourself something. It's a great way to let others know that you're serious about slot cars!

Lamborghini and Audi Roll into the Slot Car Garage

 Some new cars keep trickling into the garage, as I continue to scour eBay for the occasional good deal. While prices can sometimes be crazy, I've managed to find some new old stock or nearly-new cars at decent price. One example is this Lamborghini Huracan from Carrera.

I really like the yellow and blue livery on this one, and the white wheels really make it pop (did I ever mention that I really don't like black wheels on race cars?) I already had one other Huracan in the collection, but this one was hard to resist. The other new car to be added was an Avant Slot Audi R10.

I already have two other R10s in the garage, but I have been looking for this Kolles livery for a while; every now and then one becomes available and I was able to snatch this one up. I was surprised how light and thin the body looks on this as opposed to most manufacturers' cars, although I have not taken it apart for a closer look yet.

To Vid or Not to Vid? That is The Question.

I’ve talked before about the explosion of slot car video content on YouTube recently, and I suppose it’s only natural to consider jumping into the pool myself to test the waters. Just last week, Rahul and his cohorts on the weekly ConquestRacing Club live stream took an episode to consider why more people should start broadcasting videos and discuss how to get started.

I've had fun participating in live streams and online chats like the Worldwide Slot Car Chat.

First, let me say that I think it’s great that there’s so much content available out there. If someone is new to the hobby, they will find a lot of helpful information, and overall, a very positive attitude about the various ways people can enjoy slot cars. “Find your own way” seems to be the prevailing attitude today, and that’s a healthy thing – because it is sometimes possible to get bad advice, or advice based on someone else’s ideas of how one should pursue the hobby. Being open to learning or hearing different viewpoints is something to be encouraged, yet we don’t want to be lemmings, either – jumping headfirst into every trend or product that‘s the “flavor of the week.”

So, sure – I’ve considered adding original videos to my YouTube Channel. I probably would not do too many live streams, as I like to post videos that people can watch on their schedule, not mine. Besides, there are already so many live streams each week to help build community. Even posting every week is probably not something I can commit to -- lots of other slot car YouTubers post once or twice a month, and that seems reasonable. After 20+ years in the hobby, I know firsthand it’s easy to get burnt out after periods of intense activity, and I’d like to avoid that.

Like Dirty Harry said: “A man’s got to know his limitations.”

So it seems the first thing is to find a niche – and I think I can sort that out. Definitely don’t want to cover the same ground everybody else is staking out, so there won’t be a lot of unboxings (at least not of the same car that everybody else is showing) or news (I let people like Dave Kennedy handle that) or in-depth technical stuff. I’m not a hardcore racer, but I do like to tune cars and have a few build projects on the shelf. Scenery is also big for me – and I think I can offer some interesting content there. By nature, I can be a contrarian, so don’t expect me to follow every trend or tired old saw that people insist you MUST comply with. I'm also a cheapskate, and I like to show you ways to save some money.

Of course, a big chunk of content will include a step-by-step the rebuilding of my next slot car track, The Schweizering, which I hope to get started on - as soon as I can get the hibiscus plants out of my allotted basement space and into the garden. I also need to move some other items to the garage.

For now, I’m working out my video space and getting the technical aspects together. I think I have some decent cameras and mics to make it work. Lighting is also a consideration. Just figuring out how to get it all together is the big job. But it will happen.

Slot Car TV Updated...Again! [new channels added]

It's really an exciting time in the hobby right now because we can all enjoy a wealth of slot car related content that's available on YouTube. Whether you're interested in tuning your car for better performance, getting a heads-up on the newest cars to buy, changing your track layout or tips on how to build scenic elements for your home track, you can find a wealth of info on these channels. Best of all, you'll find something for experienced sloters as well as those new to the hobby.

The number of channels seems to have almost doubled in the last year or so - with new channels appearing and well-established channels boosting their output and trying new video formats, including live streams. In addition, many of the hosts are getting together to collaborate in various ways, like interviews and live chats with multiple participants. We are truly in a great time for the hobby and I think all this content will definitely help it to grow!  So, visit our Slot Car TV list and check out the channels!

Silverstone Visitors Can Now Race on a Scalextric Replica

Soon, visitors to England's famed Silverstone circuit can experience some small-scale excitement by trying their skill on a small replica of the course that will be open to the public next month at the Northamptonshire track’s on-site museum.

 

Constructed by The Racing Room, which designs and builds slot car layouts, a specialized team of modelers built the track and created all the highly-detailed scenery. Currently the impressive layout is one of the highlights of the Silverstone Museum’s ‘On Track’ exhibition, which runs during the Easter holidays from April 1-16. You can read more about the track HERE on Motor Sport.

What Does a Slot Car Racing Champ Do? Start His Own Club.

A retired holiday park manager and British slot car racing champion, Ant Hawkes is committed to doing his part to expand the hobby.  The 71-year old is holding a free introductory event this month to launch the Dumfries Slot Car Club. Ant secured a space for his racing track at a local YMCA, where the new club will be based.

The Dumfries Slot Car Club Track

The Daily Record reports that Ant, who has been racing slot cars since 1968, recognizes that most established slot car racers are middle aged or older. Nevertheless, he sees a number of younger people being attracted to the hobby.

“My plan is to invite people along to the YMCA to make an event of it as a launch, he says. The purpose of the club is to provide a safe and friendly environment for model car racing enthusiasts of all ages and abilities”

It's good to see an older generation recognize the need to bring younger people into the hobby. To read the entire article, go HERE.