[CMOTD]

Plus ça change, way back in 2004 I ran a series of articles in the NSCC mag about Norman Griffiths who oversaw Scalextric production from 1964-1971. If you think modern quality control is a bit lacking take a look at this extract:

One of the reasons for his sudden appointment became crystal-clear as soon as he entered the Scalextric factory. The Formula Juniors (the C66 Cooper and C67 Lotus) were high-volume lines and the cornerstone of Scalextric's early-60s success. Much to Norman's astonishment, he discovered a mountain of returned Formula Junior sets, piled high in the repair department, and it was his job to sort it out.

"There were 30,000 returns on the Formula Juniors alone!", he says, as we chat at his home in Broadstairs, Kent. "Can you imagine - 30,000 returns! It was dreadful! In fact, I reckon for nearly every Formula Junior set they sent out, one came back! I arrived in February and the rejects from Christmas were still being stacked high in the repair department. There was no organisation whatsoever - it was diabolical. They had a big moulding shop, all the things were there that you needed, but there was poor organisation."