[BAracer]

#66

"Ho Ho Ho...and I don't mean Christmas!"

It was all a bit surreal this week. John was Greg, and Greg was mobile with a surprised look on his face. No wonder...he had been transported into probably the world's greatest house (for a slot car enthusiast). There were slot car tracks in every room, but it was like Lilliput because everything was smaller than it should be. They even had magnifying glasses so they could see the little cars in more detail. But then Greg let us into his little secret, he was in HO World! He struggled to provide any detail on the event he was competing in, mainly because he was in a hurry for his lunch. He would get back to us later with further information. Alan was in his car, hopefully his real one. Or maybe he had made himself very small and was being driven around a track by Greg. It was all very confusing, I wish I hadn't missed the first 30 minutes.

'Alan in His Car' highlighted the fact that after power, balance was the second most important requirement for going fast, and NSR had produced some balanced crown gears...which begged the question, is the grub screw that holds them onto the axle that much different in weight to the material taken away to form the hole they screw into. Possibly, if that material is aluminium, or 'aluminium' as our North American friends call it.

Neil had put a video together of his home setup, and what a setup. Shelf after shelf of racers; a track with a wonderful girder bridge and most importantly, 'Work in Progress' on the scenery so we were able to pick up tips from the materials and technique used...e.g. top notch rock faces. And to round off the room, a driving sim set up to relax at. Perhaps Greg could visit there next week? John reckoned you didn't need to hide your racing sim away in your basements, he has his in his lounge. They are hidden inside large padded boxes that you sit inside (to keep the sound in). The only problem is you need someone in the room to get the lid off and let you out when you have finished. 

Neil had issues with sourcing performance parts for his Carrera cars. Alan in His Car broke the news to him that everyone has that problem. No two manufacturers make compatible kit, so no mixing and matching of components. It was suggested he start with the wheel inserts and work outwards from there.

Dewann brought tears to the eyes of some of the old guard on the Chat with his Show + Tell...a teaser picture of a few hundred of the many pieces he owns laid out in a circuit large enough to need all furniture removed from the room. "Look at that grey colour!"..."No mistaking that smell!"..."Don't ever get rid of it except to me!".

Brian has got into 3D printing, producing can-am cars made with the best features from the all the best cars! However he has worked out it doesn't really matter how good the car runs straight out of the printer as long as you have a Slot.it SCP-2 controller in your hand to override all the quirks, your car will be a winner. Alan in His Lab has gone one step further with his SCP-2...he's added a relay that gives you full power at the touch of a button, or switch, or combination of both...he hasn't quite worked it out yet.

Dennis gave us an update on the HO chassis he is being forced to make for a 'friend'. It's all a bit small, but everyone was interested in the micro motors in these small cars incase they could be used in 1:32 scale-land. Now there's a project for someone...

And finally, we returned to Greg, apparently fresh from his liquid lunch, and I don't mean soup. The surprised look on his face had been replaced by a permanent grin as he went round the pits trying to spot the differences between all the different classes of HO cars. Some seemed to have three gears on top of the motor, some were driven by a propellor rather than the wheels. Greg was taking it all in and the wanted to know which type to get if he was to take the scale up seriously. An original T-Jet seemed to be the solution, although these cost a fortune if you are lucky enough to find someone willing to part with one. A hand goes up in the Chat: -

"Yes?"

"I've got some original T-Jets..."

"Oh wow"

"Yeah, probably about two hundred and fifty of them..."





Add that man to the 'Greg on Tour' itinerary.