(Topic ID: 176843)

Slot Car fans.

By SealClubber

7 years ago


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Topic Stats

  • 131 posts
  • 72 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 12 days ago by MrSanRamon
  • Topic is favorited by 22 Pinsiders

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There are 131 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 3.
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#1 7 years ago

I saw a few pics and mentions in the Gameroom forum but I thought I would start a dedicated one here. I just bought a Carrera Go set for my kid and I to run together and built a nice little table for it. I would love to run 1/32 but don't have the space. It's either them or my pins, lol. I used to play mine as a kid enough I would wear thru the contacts. I am hoping my son continues to enjoy them as much as I do. So far, he likes it.
I know some of you have awesome tracks. So, slot car fans, show us your set up.

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#2 7 years ago

Slot cars are badass, i have 2 AFX tracks in the closet for 15 years i am just waiting for the room to set them up. We use to put 3 & 1 oil on the rear tires so they would do a monster burn out. Have fun, they are fast little jokers.

#3 7 years ago

Nice. My favorite set was an old Matchbox Race and Chase from about 1982. The cars would reverse course and had a teeter totter/jump on it with cop car. I never could find spare parts for the cars though and eventually they wore out.

#4 7 years ago

Strombecker 1/32 with cross-overs, intersection, over-unders, banked turns were amazing. We'd have tournaments and endurance races, mess with the cars, attach mini Christmas lights to the pick-ups, race in the dark. Good times...

They started releasing some really cool cars later: we had the Tyrrell F1 6-Wheeler, and McLaren Texaco F1 cars...

I'll set it up again one day.

#5 7 years ago

Cox 1/24 cars and Revell track. Takes a fair bit of real estate to set it all up. Last time we tried, the tires were all petrified and the cars wouldn't move.

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#6 7 years ago

I restored my old Revell slot track several years ago. Santa brought it to me way back in the 70's. That was my first gameroom project that led to the pinball habit. I still have the slot car table set up and I love it! It does, however, take up lots of valuable pinball space. I just love the cars. Here's a pic of when I first got the restoration done. Now, the gameroom is absolutely packed! I'm out of space.

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#7 7 years ago

Aurora H.O. T-Jets is what I grew up on, still collect them today...

#8 7 years ago
Quoted from PinFun:

Aurora H.O. T-Jets is what I grew up on, still collect them today...

+1, got my first set in '64 - I was six - I think my dad wanted them. Messed with them on & off thru the early '90's.
I liked the Wild ones & tough ones the best. Still have all my original stuff, a couple hundred cars, chassis, parts, etc.

Mike Vitale here on pinside is way into them, I he goes by racingpin

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#9 7 years ago

I love the Thunderjets! I set up a quick track for my birthday party recently.

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#10 7 years ago

Really love this thread.

You guys have some incredible set ups and beautiful cars.

#11 7 years ago

I grew up 10 minutes away from Parma International. My dad had the rear half of the basement as a slot car track. He has a ton of stuff stored in the back of his attic. Many a day was spent waiting for him to get home from work and explain why I smashed up another car by accident (Usually tried to blame my younger sister). He knew better though. Good times.

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#12 7 years ago

My father built up a huge track for my brother and me back in the late 60's. He hand made all the banked corners and risers and set it up on a table about 14' long. Just the name Strombecker brings back all kinds of great memories. When my father passed on my brother and I had to make a choice between the Lionel train set and the car track. I chose the race cars. Still have the table but right now Black Knight is laid out all across it. I am going to finish restoring BK before I die of old age, then I can put the track back up and be nine again.

#13 7 years ago

Great stories. I have to keep myself from playing with it when the kid isn't so I don't become so much better than him, he quits as a result. Right now I am trying to figure out a way to fit what I want all on that one table.

#14 7 years ago
Quoted from Enaud:

I restored my old Revell slot track several years ago. Santa brought it to me way back in the 70's. That was my first gameroom project that led to the pinball habit. I still have the slot car table set up and I love it! It does, however, take up lots of valuable pinball space. I just love the cars. Here's a pic of when I first got the restoration done. Now, the gameroom is absolutely packed! I'm out of space.

Nice! I spot the Lionel tracks under the race car bench. That is also one of my hobbies

#15 7 years ago

I don't play around with that junk, I do it this way:

Just kidding!!! I also spent hours on those Aurora and Carrera slot setups as a kid. If I had room I would love to make a setup like you guys have. I can't believe you still have your original stuff. I would have to buy everything and it looks like the new stuff is junky with slotless racing, computer control, etc. Sometimes the old way is still the best way.

#16 7 years ago

I have probably 20 AFX cars from the 70's sitting in a box collecting dust.

I just can't seem to part with them they bring back souch great memories of when I was a kid.

#17 7 years ago

Dad and I used to race at the Tom Thumb raceway in Springfield OR. and at Crosstown over in Eugene

#18 7 years ago

Still have all my stuff from the 60's.
Aurora model motoring and AFX stuff. Spent thousands of hours playing with them in my youth. Someday I'll maybe I'll do a set up. No room now. All taken up by pins.

#19 7 years ago

Super Duper Double Looper. Enough said!

#20 7 years ago

Carrera 1/32 scale here... My 14 year old Nephew loves it! So do I!

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#21 7 years ago

In the late 80's I worked with a guy who was a foreman or manager at Aurora here on Long Island, he had a closet full of brand new, unopened AFX sets and cars from the 70's. Gave me a couple still in their bubble boxes, a VW Thing, a Matador, and a Mercury stocker IIRC.

I picked this up at a garage sale around 1999, the cars are both in really nice shape. It's been sitting in a closet ever since, if any of you Mopar guys nearby are interested, feel free to PM me.

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#22 7 years ago
Quoted from xsvtoys:

I don't play around with that junk, I do it this way:
» YouTube video
Just kidding!!! I also spent hours on those Aurora and Carrera slot setups as a kid. If I had room I would love to make a setup like you guys have. I can't believe you still have your original stuff. I would have to buy everything and it looks like the new stuff is junky with slotless racing, computer control, etc. Sometimes the old way is still the best way.

Holy cow! Those cars fly on that European track....how do they control them? Just give it gas and they go?

I had TCR racing cars when I was young. Lane changing was fun

#23 7 years ago

I still have my Aurora AFX set and cars now I'm going to have to get it out and set it up. Haven't done that in years but last time I did it still worked. I picked this up a few months ago as it reminded me of my race set and let the kids play with it on Thanksgiving.

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#24 7 years ago

Here is my 4x16 3 lane HO slot car track, built by Brad Bowman in August of 2014. Love those Thunderjets. Will post more pics soon!

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#25 7 years ago

My little 1/32nd scale track. We call it "Win It or Wreck It Raceway".Scalextric track with Slot It cars. I also race 1/24th scale cars at Fast Eddies World of Speed in Richmond Indiana. Always fast and furious action on his 3 tracks.

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#26 7 years ago

After seeing this thread it's obviously time for me to pull my slot cars back out of the archives. Last time I did was about 5 years ago. I've got all Tyco stuff, mostly collected from 1977-1988 or so.

1 week later
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#27 7 years ago

Here's some of the "runners" on my HO scale track.

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#28 7 years ago

The melding of the two hobbies is embodied in 1963 Southland Engineering's Speedway. My 11 year-old son loves this vintage arcade game and so do I. It can be played in both single and two-player modes. Youtube has a few video clips of the game in action, for those interested.

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#29 7 years ago
Quoted from ZNET:

Here's some of the "runners" on my HO scale track.

Cool multi-level track layout. I recognize a lot of vintage AFX/Model Motoring models: The grandstands, the curved bleachers, the pit building, and the flagman tower. Those are very cool to see as I had those models on my old slot car track in the 80's and early 90's.

Edit: You even have cows. Nice!

#30 7 years ago

The only pic I could find of my slot car set up;

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#31 7 years ago

ZNET, it looks like you have felt for the grass mat. I do too. Do you have an issue with the cars picking up the felt and having it wrap around the axles? I never had this issue before but I think it is because Carrera cars use wire braid for the contacts which is grabbing the felt whereas my old cars used blades for the contacts.

#32 7 years ago
Quoted from ZNET:

Here's some of the "runners" on my HO scale track.

WOW! That track looks incredibly fun to race on!

#33 7 years ago
Quoted from ZNET:

The melding of the two hobbies is embodied in 1963 Southland Engineering's Speedway.

WOW again! I never knew this existed, looks like an awesome piece!

#34 7 years ago
Quoted from SealClubber:

ZNET, it looks like you have felt for the grass mat. I do too. Do you have an issue with the cars picking up the felt and having it wrap around the axles? I never had this issue before but I think it is because Carrera cars use wire braid for the contacts which is grabbing the felt whereas my old cars used blades for the contacts.

The pick-up shoes on Tyco, Aurora and Atlas et al. do not attract the felt debris. The braided pic-ups on the Super AFX cars, AJ's and similar brands can have felt issues, if the felt is "weak." I would seal such felt with clear lacquer spray as a preventative measure. My felt has not caused any problems. However, most of my prized cars are in display cases and many have braided pick-ups, which have seen sparse track time. I do like the look of the green felt and the cushion it provides to wayward cars.

#35 7 years ago
Quoted from dasvis:

+1, got my first set in '64 - I was six - I think my dad wanted them. Messed with them on & off thru the early '90's.
I liked the Wild ones & tough ones the best. Still have all my original stuff, a couple hundred cars, chassis, parts, etc.
Mike Vitale here on pinside is way into them, I he goes by racingpin

As dasvis mentioned I'm heavy into slot cars. I've collected tjets since they 80s and producing new body designs since the 90s. The casting skills I've learned aided in making resin cast pinball parts

I have a large setup that is taking up 5 pinball spots but worth it. Rigged 80s/90s tycos with braids and miniature screws to allow younger kids to control them better and race them longer. Homemade lap counter and software makes it even more fun. I also custom made a crazy six lane curve railroad crossing. Will finish the table off with a raised outer tjet track.

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#36 7 years ago

Does that railroad crossing work? How do you keep the lines from shorting?

#37 7 years ago

Yeah. I also like the fact it dampens the sound. I won't say it is good felt though. Just fabric I got from Hobby Lobby for $12 for a 2x3 yard sheet. Definitely not billiard quality.

#38 7 years ago
Quoted from Kneissl:

Does that railroad crossing work? How do you keep the lines from shorting?

I would imagine by ensuring they don't touch and jumpering the rails from underneath.

#39 7 years ago
Quoted from Kneissl:

Does that railroad crossing work? How do you keep the lines from shorting?

That is a working railroad. The slot car rails were cut then trimmed back to not contact the rail. I installed jumpers under the track for all 16 slot car rails. The center section is dead. Just need to make sure you don't stop on the tracks for multiple reasons

#40 7 years ago

Cool! I zoomed in and could make out what you described.

#41 7 years ago

I have a couple Life Like tracks. Haven't had them out in a few years but definitely fun.

#42 7 years ago

Man you guys are killing me with your setups. That's it... I gotta make some room ASAP and setup a track again. I can hardly take it anymore! Nothing like some good old slot car competition, it will definitely add a whole new dimension to the game room. I'll report back with progress updates & pics. It's all going to be Tyco HO track and cars, that's what I grew up on and held on to. But probably only two lanes.

Added over 7 years ago:

Quoted from RacingPin:I also custom made a crazy six lane curve railroad crossing.

Well this answers a question I had... I'm really leaning towards combining my slot cars and train on one layout to save space. The train crossing over the track will provide some extra flexibility options with whatever design I end up with.

#43 7 years ago

I finally did it. My old Tyco HO slot car track and accessories have been un-archived. I made space for and put up a 4x8 platform to start with for now, made a simple oval the whole way around the outer perimeter and got the inside lane to work the whole way around the track with 6 different vehicles. The outside lane needs a bit of work yet. But ground has been broken!

#44 7 years ago

To assist with connectivity, I put a tiny bit of silver conductive paste on the connections. I had it left over from when I had to repair a DMD. Just don't use the epoxy, lol.

#45 7 years ago
Quoted from ZNET:

I would seal such felt with clear lacquer spray as a preventative measure

Will it make it hard and crispy? Should I just use some clear spray paint?

#46 7 years ago
Quoted from SealClubber:

Will it make it hard and crispy? Should I just use some clear spray paint?

A very light coating of Krylon clear matte will likely do the trick, without hardening the felt too much. I suggest that you experiment with a section of felt underneath the platform in advance.

#47 7 years ago

I got my son a Scalextric 1/32 drift set with some extra track and cars for Christmas. I had forgotten how much fun it was to race slot cars. I think tha I'm enjoying it more than my son is.

#48 7 years ago

I would love to home brew a lane changing track. Does anyone have build-able electronics information for the controllers and cars?

What I have seen on the net is a bit sketchy.

#49 7 years ago
Quoted from Homepin:

I would love to home brew a lane changing track. Does anyone have build-able electronics information for the controllers and cars?
What I have seen on the net is a bit sketchy.

I think (can't remember for sure) my neighbor is on slotcartalk. He is part of a club here and has helped with a pretty big layout for the wiring.

Probably have a lot more luck on one of the many slot car forums than here.

#50 7 years ago

Thanks, ZNET. Bought a used digital set off ebay, and a chicane and a jump bridge to expand the fun. Now to get a double switch and lap timer. Got rid of that wall climb. Thinking of ditching the loop too. Trying to figure out a good way to add some elevation without disrupting flow.

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