57 replies to this topic

[Chris Moellering]

Something a little different.....

We've been at this almost a year and it's going great and expected to get even better. "What?" You ask? Why the Online Racing Series, of course.

Here's the basics in a nutshell--

You run races on your slotcar track using computer timing (free software available) then send in your times to the ORS. We compile them, use some Einstienian mathematics on them and then you can download and watch the race against up to 19 other slotters from around the world.

It's a racing sim with a twist!

Our 2000 F1 Shadow Season is almost over, but we're having a 7-race "off season" series. Com eon over to the Online Racing Series homepage and check it out.

[Brent]

sounds cool. I've just bought a Ninco set-up. Beautiful cars, especially the F1 cars. Great wide track as well.

It's a long time project however, my brothers helping (but he's pretty busy with his race car) cause i'm not real well.

I'll get right into it in about 3 months time

[goGoGene]

I'm a scalextric man, I have this years "Mika" (I even painted the helmet like Mika's, and tanja has SCX Minardi "Gene". I replaced Mika's magnet with a neodimium so that it can compete against the SCX.

My fav cars are the Fly Classics, I have two Porsche 917K's a Ferrari 512, and a Lola (tanja's).

Me tanja and my brother are buiding up a big 4-lane track, can't wait for the holidays!

The lil' nephew's get so compeditive, very cute.

ggg

[JayWay]

What are slotcars?

[Chris Moellering]

Slot cars are small electric-powered cars that run a a track (usually plastic) and "steer" by means of a pin in a slot in the track. Thus, slot cars.

They come in 3 major scales, "HO" 1/32 and 1/24.

HO is biggest in the US, 1/32 everywhere else in the world and 1/24 mainly at commercial tracks.

There are all types of cars available, many of them VERY nice looking renditions of F1, WRC, GT, you name it.

Here's a Ninco 1/32 Ferrari F1 for example--

[p][Edited by Chris Moellering on 10-11-2000]

[MrAerodynamicist]

Which scale are scaletix? Had that as a kid. Had a Camel Lotus and a Williams. [the box was "signed" by mansell iirc] Also brought a Lambo Diablo and a Jaguar Sportcar. But that broke and never worked very often.

Oh, also has another make too. REally small cars but can't remember who made it. Namco or something?

[Chris Moellering]

Scalectrix, SCX, Fly, Ninco are all 1/32. These cars are about 4-5" long.

Tomy, Tyco, Life Like are all "HO" These cars are about 2.5" long. (Think Hot Wheels size.) Scalectrix also has a "micro" line which is also "HO"

There have been tons of brands through the years, and I'm not an authority on them by any stretch of the imagination. I run the "HO" scale, so I know more about those, naturally.

[MrAerodynamicist]

Tyco, thats them. God knows where I got "Namco" from. Always prefered Scaletrix. Think the bigger size just made it seem more fun. The smaller Tyco cars semmed to be a bit to whizzy. Whereas the larger Scaletrix seemed to move about more.

[Chris Moellering]

That's a criticism the HO cars get a lot, and to a point, it's justified. For me, if money and space weren't important, I'd have a 1/32 layout. But, seeing as how they are, I'm an HO kind of guy!;)

Basically, if you're into "European" racing--F1, WRC, GT, etc, 1/32 has the cars you long for. If you're more "American" in your racing tastes (why are you on this BB?) HO is the place to be, but, of course, there are lots of exceptions to this maxim.

Tyco has come out with some pretty nice F1's lately, they just released the Jaguar and Williams cars recently to add to the McLaren, Ferrari and Jordan cars they already have.

[MrAerodynamicist]

I guess the larger the car the smaller the slot mechanism can be (relatively)? If that true then larger cars are bound to move about more. Plus electric motors don't scale linearly so I found that the acceleration of the smaller cars was too quick. [To be fair, all sot cars have acceleration (& top speeds!) that would put an F1 car to shame.

[Chris Moellering]

Very true. It's not uncommon for a well-tuned HO slot car to have lap times that give it a scale speed of about Mach 1 or more. Mine regurlary have average laps about 500mph scale speed.

With the magnetic traction of HO cars, cornering is unearthly as well. I did some testing a while back and I could pull 11g's in a corner and stay on track with some of my cars.

But, all that being said, they're still a load of fun! Especially when you can be Bernie Ecclestone/Ross Brawn/and Michael Schumacher (or whoever you like....) all rolled into one in the comfort of your own basement!

[MrAerodynamicist]

Used to take off the magnets from my scaletrix cars for a laugh Except the diablo which had a magnet stuck on with a bit og glue but it had a habit of just dropiing in willy nilly.

Mind you, if it didn't have high scale speeds then it would seem so slow.


BTW, what scale is HO? From your description is sounds like 1/64th?

1/64 of 200mph is 3.125mph = 1.39m/s by my maths Suppose that is still quite quick. Compared to your result of 500mph scaled: 3.5m/s
[1 mph = 1.609 kilometers per hour (kph), 1 m/s = 3.600 kph
]

[goGoGene]

Mr.A I run the Scalextric F1 cars with strong magnets, which are now glued in, so basically very fast, and the younger kids can join in. The 917K, Ferrari 512S and Lola (from Fly) come with really strong magnets, but they aren't glued in, they can be removed, and put back in whenever you wish. The Fly cars have amazing detail, so I run them w/o magnets to keep the cornering speed down (I'm a regular Max Mosely!) that way they don't get destroyed by flying off the track with too much speed. As it turns out the racing is far more challenging w/o the magnets, so I like raceing the sports cars much better.

By the way, I like your comment about your Scalexric Jag never working...heh just like the real thing. I always thought that a Minardi should come with a fuse that breaks it you run it at full throttle too long.

ggg

[Chris Moellering]

Yes, the "HO" cars are about 1/64. That's why I quote around HO a lot. In the model RR world, HO is 1/87. HO slots have never been 1/87, but the name has stuck for what, 40 some years now?

I use 1/64 to figure speeds, etc, and so do most HO racers.

I've taken to pulling the magnets out of some of my Tomy SG+ cars and running on lower vlotage. It's a whole different experience to be sure!

[Brent]

I take the magnets off as well. Lots more fun "hanging" out the rear end

http://www.ninco.com/ This is the Ninco site. Really great cars, like Fly. But it's the track that is really good. Top quality and about 4 or 5 cm wider than Scaletrix but the Scaletrix cars are still compatible with Ninco.

http://www.hornsbyslotcars.com.au/ This is a really top Australian site that has a little bit of everything. Well worth a look.

Hey i'm 39 years old and still play games on the pc, slotcars you name it Luckily i've got 3 kids.

"Wow what a great slot car track" said my mate.
"Oh that. Yeah, got it for my boys for Christmas"

[goGoGene]

I would agree that Ninco was going the right direction with the wider track, but they did it wrong, the slots should be close together, not far apart. The thing is with a Scalextric track is the car on the outside can't hang it's rear out as far, so it's at a disadvantange, and with the Ninco track it ends up with the same disadvantage. So I figure Scalextric is fully acceptaed by the market, Ninco might not be...
Beauty cars though, I have the Merc CLK GT1, very cool.
I think that Fly is just that little bit better with it's sports cars, Ninco has the best F1 cars.

ggg

[JayWay]

I don't get it, what do you do with em?

[Chris Moellering]

Why, race them, of course!

Are you asking ORS-wise or just in general?

Think of those nice looking die-cast jobs you see all over the place. Now think of one of those that you can drive. Not quite remote-control, but not nearly so expensive either.

You put them on the track (that you design) and can race against your mates--either head-to-head or virtually via the Online Racing Series. Great fun either way.

[JayWay]

How do you race them, if there not remote control?

And how do you race them online if they are a solid matter seperate of your computer?

[Chris Moellering]

You've got a controller, which is a variable resistor that controls the power to the car, which is carried by rails in the track and picked up by contacts under the car.

The on-line part comes from being able to have computerized timing and lap counting with your computer. This data can then be compiled to create a "virtual race."

The lap timing/counting software is widely available from many sources, some free, some costing anywhere from $10 on up. The sensors can be home-built with $20 worth of parts from Radio Shack, or bought pre-made as well.

[MrAerodynamicist]

You had a deprived childhood then Jayway. Don't tell me you don't even know what lego is?

[MrAerodynamicist]

You need to design a slotcar system that includes a small amount of steering control to increase skill Maybe if you had two motors, one for each side with motor speeds controlled by two seperate hand controllers

[goGoGene]

What about a system that controlled the voltage to the car to account for how much fuel you have, so you have to "pit" and depending on how long you pit you can't drive as fast, because of the car's weighed down with fuel, and will shut off your track if you run out of fuel. Just to make it tough add a little randomness to how much fuel you get per unit time of the pit stop, then you need to "feel" how much fuel you have from the car by how fast it's going.

:commie:
ggg

[Brent]

"You had a deprived childhood then Jayway. Don't tell me you don't even know what lego is?"

hahaa yeah i to find it incredible that JayWay has never seen a slot car track! What country do you live in JayWay? Not being rude. Have you ever been inside a model/hobby store? Surely you have. Are you having us on?

Lego is just great stuff as well. You know JayWay, little plastic blocks

[EddieJF1]

Man, those Ninco cars are nice. Now I know what my next purchase will be!! Love those Fly sports cars, too.

[TNSFH]

Slot cars are great fun!
There is a group of us that get together about once a month to have a race on the track I built. Modeled after Sebring.
A fifth of whiskey or a jug of wine and racing until the sun comes up or we have all passed out.
Most of the cars I have are Tyco HO scale. My favorites are the Tyrell six wheel and the 512 Ferrari BB. I have a whole tool box full of bodies and parts, some of which are thirty years old and still in good working order.

[Peeko]

I got my first Slot car set when I was 7 years old for Christmas. I can still remmeber that night my brother and I satyed up all night, well very late anyway, racing each other. It was Tyco's Daredevil jump. It came with 2 78 Trans Ams, one white, the other black, and the cars had headlights on them and the track came with glow in the dark stickers, and barrles you jump over. I loved that track. I still have the box and kept adding to the collection. THe Califonia GT was huge. I have about 17 cars, most I painted myself, and about 100 ft of track.

Does tyco still make slot cars? Cause I aven't anything from Tyco in a while.

I can't imagine a boy growing never having a slot car set, or an electric train.

Poor JayWay.

[TNSFH]

A deprived childhood is one without slot cars, I must say.

Haven't bought a car in a long time time so I don't know if Tyco is still around or not.

My next project is to turn the spare room in the basement into a track of HO scale, I have started gathering parts and will not use molded track. The track will be cut into boards and I will be using copper tape for the power. Haven't desided what track to model it after. Any suggestions?

[Barry Boor]

Just to prove that you don't have to be young to enjoy slot racing, I'm over 50, and have been slotting for 42 years. Nowadays I refuse to spend money on commercially made cars, so I make my own; both modern cars and what I call Historic cars (from the 1959-1960 era.)
If anyone is interested, have a look at my site at http://www.bboor.freeserve.co.uk

[Brent]

My father and brother used to import Tyco from Chicago. So you can imagine how much gear we had. Used to get some stuff about a year before it was actually released. I still prefered 1/32 setups tho. So we used to get Tyco sets and take them to stores and swap them for Scaletrix. At one time i had about $4,000 worth of track and cars. I've also got 3 SRS Scaletrix cars. Pretty rare now i think. Adjustable wheel base, magnet height and guilde position. They also came with 3 contrate/crownwheel gears and really light bodies. They are so fast it's hard to keep you're eye on them. They look as fast as the HO scale cars but are 1/32!!

[Brent]

Manalive Barry. I'm gob-smacked. That's a great site you got there. I've read the whole slot-car site and will get to the F1 part later.

Those are beautiful replicas you've made there. You are very modest. I especialy like the 1992 grid.

Do you still see your old buddies Fred and John? I also notice thats your first post here. Don't be shy. Keep-em comming. If i'm ever in Wales i'd love to pay you a visit.

Cheers.


(edit) Everyone needs to have a look at Barry's site

[JayWay]

Seems kinda expensive with the tracks.

[Chris Moellering]

The fuel thing is being done. At least to some extent. Some of the software I has tracks virtual fuel usage based on speed. The faster you go the faster you burn fuel. You have to pit to re-fuel by stopping on the sensor in the track. WAY cool.

Yes, slots and Legos are a must for any well-formed childhood. (I still have my Lego's, too, and prototyped some of my track structures with them!)

Yes, Tyco is still around, although they were bought out by Mattel a few year back, so now it's all called Mattel Electric Racing. Most slot-heads still call it Tyco.

They just released 2 more F1 liveries, the Jaguar and the Williams, in addition to their Ferrari, McLaren and Jordan schemes. It's nice to see F1 making inroads in HO.

[mountain dude]

i've got a ninco track which is nice and wide and has an awful lot of grip, sometimes i think too much, because when the cars leave the track, they do so at an impossible speed. ouch! hanging out the tail end is no prob if you buy the track extensions, they look like curbs, very nice indeed. and it is compatible with scalextric as well , there is an adaptor that converts from one track size to the other. neat! my favorite cars are fly clasics, esp. the ferrari 512 s and the porsche 908. the lola is too heavy and therefore less than nimble on a short, winding track, maybe better on a track with some long straights. very nice is the Le Mans (the movie) camera car from fly's steve mc queen collection. too nice to drive.
good timing computer available as well from ninco, complete with set of national anthems.

md

[goGoGene]

What abou tthe new Steve McQueen 917K from the movie, beautiful Gulf colors, I own one

To cut down the speed they fly off the track, just take out the neodimium magnet, helps keep the car pretty.

ggg

[f1nut]

Hey Wow
I posted a thread about a year ago asking about other slot racers and got about 1 whole response. Great to see there is more interest now.
Chris I checked out your ors website. What a great idea. I am a keen slot racer in all scales and am interested in taking part. Just have to get a compatable timing system. I use Tomy lap timers at the moment but want to upgrade to a computer system soon.I was writing my own software but will probably abandon that effort since there is freeware out there. I used to take part in a race by mail competition which worked similarly but not as complex as your system. Sounds like a lot of fun.
Glad to know there are others out there.

[Chris Moellering]

F1nut-

Great! e-mail me if you want my advice on timing systems, etc. (moellering@fwi.com)

[baddog]

Just for interest this is a slot design program I wrote many years ago (rather dated now) and I only have the demo version (I actually sold this thing.. which looks unlikely now..) all the contact info etc is long out of date and you need vbrun300.dll to run it but it works okay.

Slotrack

if anyone wants it I could probably drag up a copy of the full version which anyones welcome to a free copy of.

anyone interested in a REAL design program should look at edwin's Slotrace program.. once inspired by the above program of mine, now a great piece of software.

Shaun

[f1nut]

Great I'll be in touch
f1nut

[KinetiK]

Ok, this is an old thread, but what about Slot Cars? Being in North America, is it worth my while to spend $350 on a Scalectrix Imola track or should I just 'settle' for a $200 HO Tomy AFX set?

I have a small sum burning a hole in my pocket!!!

[ray b]

Originally posted by KinetiK


Ok, this is an old thread, but what about Slot Cars? Being in North America, is it worth my while to spend $350 on a Scalectrix Imola track or should I just 'settle' for a $200 HO Tomy AFX set?

I have a small sum burning a hole in my pocket!!!

bigger is better go for the 1/32 scalectix

I had a first issue model motoring in 59
A/C vibrator cars ho 59 fords
can still remmember waiting for cobra bodys to come out
in mid 60's 1/24 scale can am cars on 250 ft tracks
silver wires in motors heavy brass custom frames
scale cars used wings before F-1 did
fad died by 70
good to se a comeback now.

[Chris Moellering]

I'd say buy some of the 1/32 cars and build your own track for way less money--more money for cars that way!
http://www.geocities...ker1/index.html
has a pretty good track building tutorial.

Grace & peace,
Chris

[karlth]

Posted this in Readers Comments, probably more appropriate here:

A Shockwave slotcar racing set.

http://www.tv4.se/la...an/bilbanan.asp

[The Kanisteri]

Heh, slotcars.

Theres another fine shockwame game:
http://rally.jowood.com/rally.html

[karlth]

Funny, it's the same game with slightly different car graphics.

[The Kanisteri]

Indeed, sire!

[KinetiK]

Originally posted by KinetiK
I have a small sum burning a hole in my pocket!!!

Small sum indeed. I purchased two Scalextric kits today for the tidy sum of $580!!! Yes, the eek is symbolic of my wallet's feelings at the moment. Anyway, it's a hell of a lot of fun, I just can't build a track that doesn't suck yet, it's sort of in a Hockenheim motif but with some really twisty bits in the middle.

The two kits I purchased were:

Scalextric 'Formula One' track with 9.8m of track and the 1998 Jordan & 2000 Williams car.

Scalextric 'Ayrton Senna Interlagos' track with 5m of track and two ostensibly Senna cars, a white Nacional #2 car and a yellow/green Nacional #1 car.

All told I have nearly 15m of track and four cars, the only thing I realize that I 'need' is the lap timing dohicky, my gf pointed that out after a couple of hours of racing between us. Another $80 but I guess if the woman decrees it a necessary addition then I better get it!

[ray b]

my kid sold his for majic cards
and is now tooo coool, 17 but cats loved them,
$500 can. is not that much to spend
at 65 price of $100 per car my cost would be about $1000
in todays real USA $ for a pro racer per car plus for spares
then you paid to race or rent track time for them.
have fun till cars bust THEN real cost starts
as you build your own.

[KinetiK]

Originally posted by ray b
my kid sold his for majic cards
and is now tooo coool, 17 but cats loved them,
$500 can. is not that much to spend
at 65 price of $100 per car my cost would be about $1000
in todays real USA $ for a pro racer per car plus for spares
then you paid to race or rent track time for them.
have fun till cars bust THEN real cost starts
as you build your own.

uh........ what?

[goGoGene]

Go to the scalextric web site, they are now talking about a new generation of slot cars, Scalextrix Sport . Higher quality, higher price. Tanja and I have a fair bit o' track, the best cars are from Fly, their classic endurance cars, Ferrari 512, Porsche 908 and 917, Lola T70 are very cool and well made. We take out the magnets for a bit more of a challenge. We also have some modern enduro cars, Audi LPM, Panoz Esperante, Porsche 911 GT1, Cadillac LMP, they are quite cool as well, but If I could only have one set of cars it would have to be the classic enduro cars.

ggg