Scalextric

[loudlashadjuster]

Nothing compared to some of the amazing setups and collections in this thread (seriously chaps...!) but this was my old Truck Racing set circa 1996, plus a few additional track bits, which I bought in the carefree pre-kid days as an impulse purchase (I had Race n Chase when I was a lad ) and which I dragged out for this kids to play with a few years ago, taking advantage of a rare tidy-ish garage.

We quickly dispensed with the truck bodies to make things a little faster

[dannodj]

I remember the rally track we had, with audi Quattro and mini cooper. We did once let the pets out in the lounge and although most of the time the rabbit and guinea pig did get in the way of the racing, it was extremely funny when the rabbit licked the metal track and ran like hell!!

[yellowjack]

Focused said:

I've got one of those Ferraris. Bought off Ebay for buttons, but when it turned up the 'chassis' had been snapped and badly repaired with glue. So it never really ran right. I keep meaning to have a look at it, with a view to cleaning up the bodged repair, and re-repairing it with strengthening 'beams' on the inside. I haven't had my track out and running in more than 5 years now. My wife even suggested I sell my cars, FFS!


I lied! That's a Ninco car in the photo. I have one (missing it's camera 'fin') in good working order. The badly repaired car is an Italian "Pro-Slot" car...

Edited by yellowjack on Friday 27th January 11:22

[ALawson]

What you got YJ?

[yellowjack]

ALawson said:

What you got YJ?

Lots of random stuff really...





Some boxed SCX Formula 1 cars. A few less common ones too, including the M192 Minardi/Lamborghini V12 driven by Christian Fittipaldi and Alessandro Zanardi in 1992 (best finish was 6th in Japan).




This little lot is just what's in a plastic storage box under my bed. There's a bunch more in boxes in the loft, along with literally thousands of feet of the old Scalextric/SCX track. I became a bit of a 'dumping ground' with friends and family when my collecting became known. Quite a few cars were 'broken' when they were donated, but often they just required a dab of solder here and there after being crashed and bashed.


At the risk of swamping the thread with photos, some closer pics of the stuff out of the box...





^ This one is a favourite of mine, took me ages to find one for sale.



The two middle Cossies have the 'floppy' front wheels, as opposed to the solid steel axle on the outer cars (the ones from the set with the track).

Again, left, and centre, these came out of a set, and are 'low detail' cars. The white car is far better decorated, and has better wheels and tyres. I think the middle one is running Subaru Impreza axles and tyres because I couldn't get spares to mathc the originals.




The more common F1 cars. Some broken, a few with split tyres and many with missing parts. But even those cars run, and can be raced without risking breaking the aero and mirrors on the smart examples. Mostly Scalextric, but the Orange Arrows is SCX, with steering front wheels. It's the fastest, best handling car I currently own, but that's not saying much as most of the rest are 'box standard' Scalextric stock.



Everyone has this pair, right?


Call the cops!!! The handling of these old SD1s is mental. They are both on their original tyres, which have hardened and gone shiny. Run with Magnatraxion they have no tyre grip so do not move, and without the magnets they're fishtailing and spinning off at the slightest application of throttle. With some replacement tyres in the right size, they'd be a lot of fun. The one on the left has blue lights (and sirens too I think) that work.


Never unboxed - the Goodwood "Le Mans 1966" GT40 set. I bought a black 'No 2' GT40 to race, and I'm glad I did because it has suffered quite a bit of damage in use. I doubt I'll ever run cars in the commemorative set.

The 2007 Scalextric club members Ford GT, and a Ninco XK 120 that technically belongs to my son...



A couple of Minis that I bought when Cove Models closed down. That place was a goldmine of old spare parts. Wheels, Axles, gears, the 'LEDs' for Turboflash, all sorts. I was close to crying when they closed forever...


This is my absolute favourite. Lotus 98T, never been unboxed. Another Ebay find, from back when Ebay was a place where genuine private sellers traded stuff they no longer wanted, rather than the professional purveyors of cheap Chinese tat that it's awash with now.

Edited by yellowjack on Friday 27th January 12:10

[CS400]

RAClNG SNAKE said:

There may be a short in the track caused by loose braid fibres, try carefully vacuuming the slots all the way around. Also tidy the braids on the cars so that they do not catch the other rail.

Thanks, we guessed it might be that, as we hoovered the track and it all seemed to work again ok.
Also are the copper braids better than standard?

[RichB]

yellowjack said:

ALawson said:

What you got YJ?

Lots of random stuff really...

Nice cars, of my era. Do you have a circuit to run them on or just layout random track?

Edited by RichB on Friday 27th January 15:38

[yellowjack]

RichB - no current permanent track. And it's been a long time since any was laid to run the cars. It's mostly original SCX and Scalextric track, with some 'Sport' era track (plus adaptor sections to join it all up), but no Digital stuff.

When I was still in the army we had a brand new house as our last married quarter, and it had a huge boarded loft with power. So I had a monster of a layout up there, with booster cables needed to get power to distant parts of the track. Since we bought our own place, the roof is too low-pitched and the rafters and bracing too complex to get anything usable up there. So I've only had smaller tracks up in the last ten years, usually for a couple of days at a time, in the kitchen/dining room. Since we had a slate floor put in, it's far less 'forgiving' on cars that leave the track. Also my boys have both grown up, so there's no "pester-power" pressurizing their mum to let us have the track out.

I've not given up on running the cars yet. I've got several track plans in a scrapbook, as well as copies of the old Scalextric Track Plans booklets somewhere. I'll be looking to have a space for a track in the new house when we finally get our act together and move.

I lost all the photos I had of the big loft layout when my old PC decided to go into melt-down, but at one stage it had a straight as long as the entire width of a three-bed semi (plus a big piece of soft foam fixed to the walls at both ends!)

I haven't bought any new cars for a while either. I did sort of fall out of love with slot cars for a while, although I still follow what's going on, and I enjoy seeing what other people are doing with their cars and track in threads like this.

If I was buying now, it would probably be stuff like the Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts, MGBs, and maybe some current and historic touring cars, as I've never had any of those in my collection.

[RAClNG SNAKE]

CS400 said:

Thanks, we guessed it might be that, as we hoovered the track and it all seemed to work again ok.
Also are the copper braids better than standard?

Copper is better initially but then it gets pitted and traps dirt, standard braids are just tinned copper

[garethj]

If buying stuff on eBay gets you all excited, there's a Scalextric Club swapmeet in Milton Keynes on Sunday 12th February.

Sports Hall 1, Woughton Leisure Centre, MK6 5EJ.

It starts at 10am and there will be many hundreds of cars for sale as well as track, accessories etc. Stuff you didn't even know you needed, but turns out you can't do without.

[Elderly]

I had this 50 years ago:



4WD and steering - pretty advanced at the time!

[Focused]

yellowjack said:

Lots of random stuff really...

Excellent variety of cars there. I like the classic cop cars and minis.



I'm quite new to the slot-car buying and still don't know which make is best, except I prefer Ninco and Fly and G slot over Scalextric. Ninco track is excellent IMHO.

I've noticed a few times that Ebay can be more expensive for used cars than the same car new at some of the online shops. The shops do often run some promo stuff and can be quite good prices.

Our good friend Jadlam of course

And these have the odd bargain....

http://www.hawkin.com/model-shop/scalextric/scalex...

http://www.topslotsntrains.com/topslotsntrains/ind...

http://www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/

http://www.typhoonslotsandmodels.com/index.php

[ALawson]

Would some 2009 era pork 997 have the latest quick change contacts? I can buy a set in good condition for £35, big loop of track to add to our with two cars seems a no brainer to me.

[48Valves]

Quick blog update.
http://wp.me/p8iQ3z-G

And I'm looking for some tyres to fit these wheels MRRC Aluminium Wheels 13.6x8.6 if someone could point me in the right direction please.

[yellowjack]

Focused said:

Excellent variety of cars there. I like the classic cop cars and minis.



I'm quite new to the slot-car buying and still don't know which make is best, except I prefer Ninco and Fly and G slot over Scalextric. Ninco track is excellent IMHO.

I've noticed a few times that Ebay can be more expensive for used cars than the same car new at some of the online shops. The shops do often run some promo stuff and can be quite good prices.

Our good friend Jadlam of course

And these have the odd bargain....

http://www.hawkin.com/model-shop/scalextric/scalex...

http://www.topslotsntrains.com/topslotsntrains/ind...

http://www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/

http://www.typhoonslotsandmodels.com/index.php

I really like Ninco and SCX cars. The older SCX cars were leagues better than the equivalent Scalextric cars, while the track was directly compatible.

'Back in the day' I used ebay a lot, picking up large 'lots' of mixed cars in various conditions for little money. But it just isn't the same now. Too many sharks and dreamers. I used to have a rummage at car boot sales too. I've not been to one for years now, but the Farnborough sale used to be a good source of repairable or spares donor cars.

I was also spoiled for choice with shops in the area. Sandhurst Toys had a back room full of old Scalextric stuff, kerbs, hay bails, cones, buildings and people. But that's now a florist. Cove Models were a source of spare tyres and older technical spare parts, along with contemporary Ninco and SCX cars, but they closed when the lease on the shop was up. They were huge Hornby and model kit stockists too. And Fleet Toys also had a decent selection of Scalextric upstairs. They still sell some stuff, but only a few cars and some track sets, nothing like the variety of stock and spares that they used to carry. There was also a short-lived model shop in Camberley, but that seemed to switch-fire to more 'toys' than models, and almost no slot cars.

Digging out those cars from under the bed has sparked renewed interest though. As soon as the insurance repairs on my kitchen and bathroom are completed I will be dragging some of the other cars out of the loft and may well get a track of sorts set up to run them again. I need a house with a 'proper' loft space or a dry outbuilding or garage before I can have a permanent circuit up again though...

[Kev_Mk3]

reminds me I need to pull all my scalextric stuff out. Going to sell it all as I haven't used it in about 10 years & dont plan to sadly.

Did used to love the Le man track in my front room all set out

[CS400]

RAClNG SNAKE said:

Copper is better initially but then it gets pitted and traps dirt, standard braids are just tinned copper

Thanks Racing Snake.
Have you got any advice regarding tuning/modifying digital scalextric cars?
Also are other manufactures digital models compatible with a digital scalextric setup?

[disastra98]

Another long awaited pre ordered arrived today.

[Jeepv6]

Great thread mine all packed away till house move done.my mate bought me this for my 60 birthday last week well pleaed

[mikebrownhill]

This is a great thread, mainly because I have a grandson aged four and three quarters who came to stay for a month over Xmas and to keep him occupied I turned my old sport track 'Classic GP Set' into digital using the six car power base - he loved it. I however, liked modifying the cars and getting them to run right as much as racing them - I now have over 30 cars of various ages and makes including Scalextric, SCX, Carrera and NSR, all now running successfully on Scalextric digital, but its been a learning experience as most of them didn't start out life as digital.

I use the Scalextric F1 module C.7005 for motors up to 20,000 rpm but Slot It make Scalextric compatible pcb that can handle the higher current if you want to use a faster motor. I find the newer Carrera evolution cars are easiest to modify as they have plenty of space for the pcb once the 'reverse' switch is removed (not needed for digital as the cars will run in either direction anyway). The older Scalextric F1 cars have been the most challenging as internal space is usually limited and I have had to Dremmel out some of the plastic inside the cars but have so far managed to keep the exteriors untouched. The NSR cars are the fastest on my Scalextric track though.

My set up isn't very big due to the usual space limitations, but its OK as a testrack:



Some of the cars I have modified so far:



My favourites: