Well that was a scary moment ...... I've just flashed another car with ICP ......


   

It was the 666th one that I have done ......  

Here's a few pics... more to come!

glad to be here!
I currently have a small track in my apartment garage, it shares space with my wife's car and my Ducati but hey, whatever works!!

Greg

SlotRacer Online is a combination of website, forum, facebook page and facebook group - spanning most of the ways that slot car enthusiasts interact online these days. Something I have been looking at over the past couple of weeks is the crossover between the site and social media. With an aim to bring more people to the site and the forum, I have been sharing content from the site - Graphics, the Library, Track Plans etc - and the forum - News, Club reports, Traders' details, Events etc - to both our Facebook page (heading towards 1k followers) and the SlotRacer forum (3k+ members)...

   

I plan to post daily with these regular slots for your content...

• Monday - Calendar / Events
  
• Tuesday - Trader Section
  
• Wednesday - Your Club
  

Here's today's post about Racing Line's tyre walls...

   

All I need from you is a nice image included in your forum thread which will then appear in the facebook post. If there are several pictures, I will choose the one that works best...

   

If you are struggling to work out how to post images within the thread, here's how... I had to get my head round this to begin with, but once learned it's pretty straightforward...

• At the bottom of text box (where you write the post) there's an 'Attachment' area. Click the 'Browse' button, find your photo(s) and select the ones you want in the dialogue box. Still in the dialogue box, click 'okay' or 'done' - the dialogue box disappears and there will be text next to the 'Browse' button saying how many files are queued. Then you must click the 'Add Attachment' button to the right. After a little wait, the files will have loaded onto the site and you'll see a list underneath the 'Browse' button, listing the file(s) you have uploaded.
  
• To put them in the text, put the cursor where you want the picture and then click the 'Insert Into Post' button to the right of the file name you want. You'll get some BB code [attachment=some number] in the text. When you hit 'Post Thread' or 'Preview Post' the image will be shown. The pictures appear at less than full size so pages load more quickly, just click on them to see full size.
  
• If you forget that final 'insert into post' step all the posts you haven't inserted will appear at the bottom of your post. You can always go back in and edit the post and do the 'insert into post' step.
  

I can't guarantee your post will be shared to our social media platforms and I will do some research on any Traders section posts before sharing them. If you don't want you event, club or traders post shared, do let me know.

Any questions, just ask!

Hi all,
Just enlisted on this forum. Looks very good, so I am in good company.

I have been active in slot racing in one way or another since my very youth.
With a high school friend of mine we raced on a Carrera home track with the Sharknose Ferrari and a Porsche.
That was in the early sixties. Since then I have raced in many different clubs, and Dutch (MASH) and European (ESRAC)
championships uptil 1988, both 1/32 and 1/24. After a short break I restarted in 1991 with a championship of 1/24 classic/vintage slot cars in a club in Hardinxveld Giessendam (the Netherlands). The idea was done together with a good friend of mine. The club, Speed '74, and that championship still exist. In 2004 I took another break from Slotracing but since last year I am very active again.
I race with Slot-it Ford GT 40's and Chaparrals, as well as Policar and Scalextric F1's.
I also do the 1/24 classic/vintage races at the club Speed'74.
Finally I collect slotcars, mainly Airfix, MRRC, K & B and Monogram vintage stuff (1/32 and 1/24) and its MRRC/Revell-Monogram re-issues, as well as Scalextric F1 cars from the sixties and their Ford GT40's. I also have some FLY models of specific models I like.
A member of a club called Slipstream, which is situated in Zwaanshoek, the Netherlands.
I will show some pics in the foum soon.

I'm posting this in case anyone else is considering getting a second mortgage to fund their slot habit.

In a change of programme this year, the December meeting at Bordeaux (Bordo) has a class for modern RTRs. The car has to be pre 83.

I didn't have such a thing. All my cars are old school or brass with modern motors (semi-old school). What to do?

Spend seems to be the sad answer, annoying but what can you do? Found a SlotiT Ferrari for £35 which seemed good value and bunged an NSR Shark 40 in it. Everyone but everyone said why? It'll be undriveable. Nonsense, it's terrific. Just needs a bit of care but that's what fast cars ask for.

Then I heard that lots of people were buying the latest Thunderslot cars as they want to win for some reason. I have no way of seeing how good they are without shelling out so, gritting the teeth, I lashed out 91€ including postage from a dealer in Spain. Their forte is not communication - Spanish or English. Their acknowledgment email - in English said I would receive a tracking number and delivery date. I didn't and subsequent queries were met with a blank wall. However, the car arrived this  morning much to my relief.

The car itself is interesting. Somewhat over width but nicely modelled. Out of the box it is certainly impressive. Quite quick and handles well. I ran quite a few slow laps just to bed it in before seeing what it could do. As soon as I turned the wick up, it shed a tyre. They are really loose on the wheels. I know most people glue tyres but I seldom do, just buy undersized tyres so they are tight! Also after about twenty laps, they developed holes which is not ideal. I will be fitting some urethanes in due course.

Taking the body off reveals an incredible floppy chassis. Made of much more flexible material than most but does provide the amount of flop that I like with my cars. The motor is only 21,500rpm but seems quite powerful and has ridiculously good brakes. First time I've tempted to ease of the brakes on the controller.

Compared with the Ferrari? Not as quick but then the NSR motor is a bit special, I might get one for the McLaren too. The handling is pretty much the same but then I've been playing with the Ferrari for a bit. Who knows, when it's had more running, it may well be up there.

An expensive experiment then which, right now, may not have been necessary. Time will tell and on the Carrera track at Bordo, it might be different. On my MDF track the Ferrari is ahead at present.
       

The second pic is out of focus but you can see the holes quite clearly.

I still can't believe I actually clicked the 'buy' button

The Thunderslot Lola T70 MkIII isn't particularly new. It was the model that launched the Italian brand back in 2016 and took the slot car world by storm. Giovanni Montiglio's masterpiece looked magnificent and its performance on track was out of this world, setting a new high standard for sidewinder classic sports cars. The T70 MkIII was followed by the Lola T70 Can-Am (both Chevy and Ford versions), the McLaren M6A and the up-coming McLaren-Elva M1A - all fabulous models and superb performers.

A very special T70 MkIII has been released this summer. Limited to 200 pieces, the UKLTD001 Lola T70 MkIII Aston Martin was produced in conjunction with Thunderslot's UK distributor Gaugemaster. Back in January 1967, when the coupé version of the successful T70 Can-Am car was unveiled, Team Surtees was given a specially-built chassis to be the racing test bed for the new Aston Martin V8 engine. The original Aston-powered car - chassis SL73/101 - is the car modelled by Thunderslot...

   

Having clocked the third fastest time at the 1967 Le Mans test weekend and then qualified second for the Nürburgring 1000Kms, hopes were high. A second car SL73/121 - decorated in Team Surtees red - was built and would be driven at Le Mans by John Surtees and David Hobbs. The original car had a matching Surtees 'arrow' design, but in British Racing Green. The green car would be driven by Chris Irwin and Peter de Klerk. It wasn't a great build-up for the Lola Aston Martins - both cars having problems with overheating, as well as issues with injection timing.

When the race started, Surtees was running in a strong sixth place after three laps - then the engine blew and he retired the car. The green de Klerk car ran into problems half an hour later, pitting with a cracked crankshaft damper and retiring after 25 laps. After that humiliation, both cars were returned to the factory and the Aston Martin engines replaced with the standard Chevrolet V8s. Chassis SL73/101 was sold, ending up with Jo Bonnier and had a very successful 1968 season in the now yellow livery  that was used for the second Thunderslot T70 MkIII release - CA00102. The other chassis stayed with Team Surtees, which was the very first Thunderslot release - CA100101.

Previous Thunderslot T70 MkIIIs have featured the 'Chevrolet' name moulded on the engine. This has been removed from the Aston Martin version - both Giovanni and Gaugemaster's Terry Smith being sticklers for accuracy...

   

As you can see the Thunderslot T70 looks low and sleek. For a thoroughbred slot racing car, there is plenty of detail including all the correct mirrors, filler caps, door handles, oil tank, spare wheel and front winglets. The wheels and tyres are rather lovely - and correct. Inside is a perfectly adequate cockpit with driver figure, steering wheel, gear stick and fire extinguisher - not bad for a low-weight interior. The body in my car came in at 18.14g including the big spare wheel at the back.

   

With the looks covered, it's time to look under the hood at the mechanicals...

         

The layout is not revolutionary, but is laid out very well with thought put into every component and how the overall design will work in racing conditions. The triangular motor pod is supported by five screws - all of them the solid and reliable T6 Torx type that requires a T6 screwdriver to be added to your toolbox. The front axle height is adjustable by using up to six M2.5 grub screws (four are fitted - the other two holes are for independent 'stub' axles). The motor is screwed into the pod and is very slightly angled - in part to prevent build-up of muck between the can and the rear axle.

Three things that do stand out include the rather 'different' guide which is sculpted in a 'swoop' to maximise depth and stability but minimise friction in the slot. The second thing is that there is no magnet fitted as standard. There are pockets for a bar magnet if you absolutey have to use one, but it's a nice statement from the Thunderslot team that these cars should be run without extra downforce. The final difference is the plastic pinion and spur gear - something I prefer with 'normal' motors, giving better mesh out of the box.

The Mach 21 motor has become recognised as a real cracker - powerful, smooth and with better acceleration that other 21.5k-rated short cans. The standard (white) gear ratio is 11/32, although there are now 12 and 13-tooth pinions available, plus 30 and 31-tooth spur gears in orange and sky blue. Front wheels are plastic 14 x 9mm hubs with hard 9 x 18mm tyres and rears are 14.3 x 10mm machined aluminium air hubs with 10.8 x 19mm racing tyres. This standard compound has proven an excellent choice on wood and abrasive plastic track (Ninco, Policar). Treaded 'Classic' tyres come with the T70 MkIII, with treaded and slicks also available separately in the same size and compound. The slicks are also available in a different compound for Carrera track, which should also work well on Scalextric Sport.

My Lola Aston Martin hasn't been on track yet - although it will be before long. However, I have been lucky enough to borrow Thunderslot Lola T70 MkIIIs to race at both East Worthing (wood) and Nascot Wood (Ninco) this year. They are sensational cars to race. At East Worthing, I was over half a second a lap quicker than my NSR Ford MkIV, mostly down to the confidence I had through the faster corners, plus the balance of the chassis and response of the motor through the more technical stuff. The Nascot Wood track is bigger and more flowing than East Worthing - it was also the first time I'd raced there. However, the T70 was a perfect car to learn the track - predictable, forgiving and fast. Through the evening my times went steadily down, even on the trickier lanes, and I never scared myself - or the marshals - once. A car that gives me such an enjoyable evening on a brand new track - and running on the pace  of some of the locals in the process - can't be bad!

Thunderslots are premium slot cars with a price to match. However, when you consider how good the car looks and remember it is a top-performing race-tuned car straight out of the box, the £65-80 recommended retail price really isn't bad. The white kits - with a ready-to-run chassis - are around £10 cheaper and offer body detailing parts for different versions of each car.

Oh my! Hornby Hobbies only went and loaned a set of their latest pre-production models to Gaugemaster for AutoFest today... Several of these samples had not been seen at a public event before. Matt Taylor from Gaugemaster kindly allowed me to take some of the cars out of their secure case and photograph them for SlotRacer Online. However, if any of them got broken, we'd both be hunted down by Hornby and shot...

         

         

         

And by far my favourite of the lot...

   

 

I understand that pretty much all these are on their way to arrive either in the next couple of weeks or the end of November / beginning of December, depending on how slow the boat is from China.

A big thanks to Hornby for showing the cars and to Gaugemaster for letting us photograph them on their lovely little Brands Hatch track...

   

   

Nice car, but even nicer wheels

A new range of alloy wheels from Staffs Slot Cars first appeared at the UK Slot Car Festival in May. Pairs of standard 15.8 x 10mm hubs and Air hubs were released in stylish gold, black and silver - all in five-spoke design that offered good looks without the need for inserts. The wheels are crafted and manufactured in Italy.

Seven new styles have just arrived in the UK - 15.8 x 8.5mm hubs in gold, black and silver, plus red and blue hubs in both the 8.5mm and 10mm widths.

         

         

And the 8.5mm wheels to go with the 10mm hubs released in May...

               

If you want to pimp your cars with these exquisite rim, they will be available soon at Pendles, MRE, Typhoon Slots & Models and MC Slots. Expect to pay somewhere in the region of £7 to £8 per pair. The wheels come with M2 grub screws and fit 3/32 axles.