Well a hard lesson has been learnt and that is to have a backup controller just for that precise reason.

I've had to send my existing controller away for possibly repair inspection, simply put the past three weeks I've been noticing that I've been turning the Sensitivity and Acceleration to 100% OFF and the Brake to 100% ON.

I've no idea what has been happening or gone wrong until this Wednesday when I had the settings as above and the cars still were not slowing under 100% braking, these cars I know they previously were braking, during this past Wednesday every class and subsequent heat my cars just deslotted even at low speeds, I've had to really concentrate just to complete one lap let along 200+ laps across all the classes, no wonder why I was buggered... 

Anyway moving on to what this post is about and that is Difalco Analog Controllers. I am still waiting for the TruSpeed Apex controller to arrive, is only three months overdue and now I am in need to find a new replacement for the TruSpeed and have a backup controller to boot.

Has anyone here had anything to do with Difalco controllers are all and can shed some experience to them.

Thanks
Johnno


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Shenanigans Raceway
definition:
  - silly or high-spirited behaviour; mischief
  - secret activity or manoeuvring 

   

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Our Club forum at slotracer.online
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Our Class Regulations
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Looking for inspiration for a slot car track? Then head on over to SlotRacer Online
https://slotracer.online/library/tracks/index.html


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Ostorero Slot Models ODG130 Lotus Type 38 - Jim Clark - Race version 1967. RRP Euro 195.00

A perfect partner to Anthony's vintage Lotus 38s from 1965 and 66 (see thread here), Turin-based artisan slot car manufacturer Ostorero have just added Jim Clark's 1967 Indy Lotus 38 to their sensational collection of 1:32 scale Indianapolis racers - including several other Lotus 38s.

       

The Lotus 38 was purpose-built for the 1965 Indianapolis 500 and took Clark to a famous Indy win - the first by a British manufacturer, the first for a British driver and the first for a mid-engined car. A total of eight 38s were built and Team Lotus continued to use them until 1967. Other drivers of Lotus 38s included Dan Gurney, AJ Foyt, Al Unser, Mario Andretti, Lee Roy Yarbrough, Lloyd Ruby, Ronnie Bucknum and Graham Hill. Two wrecked Lotus 38s were rebuilt by AJ Foyt as Coyote Indy cars.

       

The car raced by Clark at the 1967 Indianapolis 500 was chassis 38/7, built in 1966 and raced by Al Unser at the 1966 Indy 500 - the #18 STP car qualified sixteenth, but crashed out on lap 161. Team mate Clark finished second to Graham Hill's Lola, but his team were convinced he'd won.

   

Clark drove the re-built 38/7 at the 1967 race - the new Lotus 42 has proven a big disappointment. Hill only just qualified the new car. Neither Lotus driver had a memorable race - both retiring early on. AJ Foyt won the race in a Lotus 34-based Coyote, Joe Leonard was third in a similar car.

   

The Ostorero Lotus 38 has a wonderful resin body with photo-etched details and is mounted on a new SLS chassis with a more powerful motor. The previous metal chassis is photographed above, but does show the layout of the Lotus 38 mechanicals. The Ostorero Indy cars are packaged beautifully, including a plinth with the iconic strip of bricks just in front of the car.

Availability is direct from the Ostorero website here. Pendle Slot Racing do stock some Ostorero models (here), but I don't know if they'll be getting this one.

   

The Lotus 38 was the first rear-engined car to win the Indianapolia 500 in 1965, driven by Jim Clark It was run by lotus at Indianapolis from 1965 to 1967; a total of 8 were built, most for use by Lotus, but several were sold for use by other drivers, including A J Foyt and Mario Andretti.

The Lotus 38 was designed by Colin Chapman and len Terry as Lotus' 1965 entry for the Indianapolis 500. It was an evolution of the previous Lotus 29 and lotus 34 Indy designs, but this time with a full monocoque tub chassis; it was powered by the same four-cam  Fod V8 fuel injected engine as used in the 34, giving out around 500 bhp. In all of them, the engine was mid-mounted, improving the weight distribution and giving it good handling. The 38 was significantly larger than any F1 cars of  the time, but was dwarfed by the massive American  front engined roadsters.

The 38 was specially designed with an "offset" suspension, with the car body situated asymmetrically between the wheels, offset to the left using suspension arms of unequal length. Although in theory this was better suited for the ovals (which have only left turns), for example by evening out tyre wear between the two sides, in practice the handling was sufficiently idiosyncratic that the concept never caught on widely and was dropped even by Lotus after its win in 1965.

Some versions of the 38 that raced:

   


       

I have built 2 versions of this car - Both with Jim Clark in them - the winner from 1965 and the car he drove to second in 66.

Monogram 1/24th 1965 winner:



       

       

Strombecker 1/32nd 1966 car that came second

       

       

                       


I must say that this is the first time I have worked on the Stombecker car and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised at how good it seems.

Great detal, very nice stance, low to ground and a good 'standard' motor. I really like it.

I have taken a mould of the screens and have run my first test on casting them - not too bad but needs improvement - need them as I have 2 more to build and need the screens.

   

This new Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR was unveiled in the Scalextric catalogue back in January and there was quite a buzz around it. A classic Porsche racing car, the 3.0 RSR competed both sides of the Atlantic and will give Scalextric fans a nice range of liveries - the first being the Jägermeister-sponsored Kremer Racing car that raced at 1975 Monza 1000 Kms and Al Holbert’s 1974 Trans-Am entry. Scalextric kindly sent me a pre-production sample of the Kremer car to have a look at...

       

It's certainly a very striking livery! Looking beyond the bright orange and focussing down on the model itself, I had a few questions... First, all the dimensions are nicely 1:32 scale - 137mm long, a wheelbase of 70mm and rear track of 58mm. Those rear wheels and tyres are massive at 13.5mm! Maintaining the accuracy of the wheels means there was no room for the preferred sidewinder motor - but the combination of inline S-can Mabuchi and the big tyres is the right choice, I think. That means a tray interior, but there is a decent amount of detail, with a seat back and decorated driver's helmet...

   

You can see from that picture that there are some compromises made between producing a highly-detailed model and a robust slot racer - most obviously the lack of a vent between the front quarter panel and the door. I understand that makes the car nice and solid, but there's not even a painted approximation or moulded recess. A bit of paint on the vent behind the door would have improved the look too. Another slight disappointment I had was the motor cover wasn't quite as tactile as I had hoped for - the grille could have been a bit more pronounced. It's the same with the wheels - not as much detail as the similar wheels on the recent XJS.

   

I did wonder about the stance too. Looking at period photographs of 3.0 RSRs, the rear wing and line from front lights to rear wing are correct, but the gap between front wheels and arch does give a strong suggestion the nose is lifted up. And the curve of the rear wheel arch is just a little too flat. A few criticisms, but overall I do like it - and it looks great on the track...

   

We'll see how it goes in a minute. But first, I'll look underneath and inside...


       

Underneath, you can see those big tyres and a neat Porsche crest cut-out over the motor. Inside, it's a standard modern Digital Plug ready (DPR) layout with inline S-Can, 9:27 gear ratio, Easy-Change guide and lights front and back. The front valance is attached to the chassis. With different 'chins' on different cars, this is understandable for ease of manufacturing and assembly. However, loosening the front screws doesn't do much in terms of body float. Looking closely, it would be quite easy to remove the valance (it isn't moulded to the chassis) and glue it to the main part of the body.

One thing Scalextric seem to be getting spot on recently is the front axle height. The front tyres sit about a millimetre off my set-up block, so when I replace the standard braid plate with racing braid 'SCX-style', the tyres just touch the surface. Gone are the days of front wheels lifting the guide half way out of the slot. Another good thing is no deep flange around the body posts - which helps body float. Even with the front valance attached the the chassis, loosening the single rear screw was reasonably effective.

       

On track the Porsche is truly sensational! Okay, I was running with the traction magnet fitted - but this is how most people will use these cars. On my DIY magnet gauge, I measured 45g downforce across the rear axle - fairly average for recent Scalextric releases. The combination of magnet and big tyres could have made a dull 'stuck-down' car, but what I found was a car that could be pushed hard and when the limits of adhesion were exceeded, the Porsche's tail slides were easy to control. In fact, I could get this car to power slide like no other Scalextric car has done for ages - enormous fun!

It being a sample that needed to be returned, I didn't take out the magnet - but I have heard from the Scalextric team that they have removed the mag from one of their cars and it is sensational fun to drive... this from a team member who is a collector and fan of Fly Classics.

Concentrating on getting some good lap times rather than spectacular power slides, I did a test run of two minutes - giving me 28 laps and a fast time of 4:09 seconds. That's right up there will some of the best-handling Scalextric cars.

In conclusion, any grips about the lack of detail on the car were blown away by the track performance. I reckon Scalextric have produced a cracking racing car - one that's going to be popular with home racers and with clubs and racing groups who have classes for Scalextric cars. I can't wait to see what other liveries will be released in the future.

Both the orange Kremer and blue Trans-Am car will be released later in the year. They are available to pre-order at all your regular Scalextric retailers.

The news in the RC world is that the legendary Polybutler Pit Box will no longer be made. Hugely popular with slot racers too, Pendles have managed to grab a chunk of the remaining stock and have them available on their website: https://www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/polyb...x-red.html


   

The Polybutler is a robust piece of Swiss engineering that holds your cars, spares, controllers and tools - giving you a portable pit garage for club nights at your local club up to big international events. From the 1990s, these big plastic boxes - produced in black, navy and red - have been a common utilitarian sight at slot car races around the world. Of course, some racers buck the trend with beautiful hand-crafted wooden boxes - or budget option like aluminium flight cases or a selection of tupperware in a plastic bag - but the Polybutler is a great off-the-peg option.

   


The final consignment is the red case with light grey drawers. Here are the details...

• 8 Draws in 2 different sizes
  
• Highest product protection
  
• Recessed carry Handle
  
• Robust and strong
  
• High carrying load
  
• Lockable for security
  
• Overall dimensions: 470 x 360 x 180mm
  
• Large drawer: 290 x 160 x 55mm
  
• Small drawer: 165 x 160 x 80m
  

The box is priced at £94.99 at Pendles - I've not seen them cheaper at RC retailers. With the 10% discount offered by Pendle to NSCC and various local clubs, that's a bargain. When they've gone, it'll be a case of waiting for second-hand Polybutlers - and they don't come up very often.

If you want a totally unique Polybutler, TKR Graphics produce Custom Polybutler Skins: https://tkrgraphics.com/shop-1/ols/produ...tler-skins

Hi all

I’ve had this kit for a while but life got in the way, however made some progress on it.

Originally wanted to replicate the original (white car/Carrera decals in blue) but decided against that so went for a Gulf style

Here’s the progress so far, still have to finish off the glass work and sort an interior as the original won’t fit with the motor I’m using.

My new favourite bit of kit, a Molotow chrome pen has come in really handy for the bright work.

Not much left to do now!!!

I made some adapter plugs to convert nearly any two-wire remote to work with modern style HO power tracks - fits both AFX and AW. They install in seconds with no soldering or messy electrical tape.   

   

   

   

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284352319306

Do you guys have any tips on braid preparation for 1/32 scale home slot cars on Scalextric Sport track?

I have been teasing the new braid out to look like a witches broom but I wondered what others find works for them.

Baz

   

If you're anywhere on the east coast of the USA at the start of October, I thoroughly recommend this show.

I was there three years ago and loved every moment!

   

Brad from Professor Motor was there and so was Eddie Grice from a little closer to home. Phil Smith sadly couldn't make it.

Unboxed Sisu FIA ETRC 1995 - Martin Koloc Racing truck.

Used for magless racing. Missing one mirror, aerial and rear crash bar. Some barrier rubbing to graphics on front fenders behind indicators. Displays well but obviously a great stock racing truck.  

               

£25 + £3.50 UK postage. Contact via PM. Payment through Paypal F&F please.