[Mr.M]

If it was just about the tyres, then OK Brian, I see your point.

Having said that, I don't know whether they have actually done anything to address the issue, but the BMW 330i and the Jaguar XJS do seem to be better in that regard.

[MRE]

Hi guys, nice to see the picture of myself and Sean at the Protec launch (my son is standing between us) holding the kits we won at the test races by coming second to the home team on their club track. I'd like to add a bit more about that range to expand Brian's excellent report.

The Protec range concept was done in collaboration with John Robinson of MRRC. In fact MRRC guides were used on the cars, and I believe John also sourced the motors and gears, plus other parts. The chassis was a simple metal iso-fulcrum design and had an adaptor plate to fit into contemporary Scalextric bodyshells. The cars performed quite well and could be competitive on club tracks, so what went wrong ?

The problem was by using 3mm parts they had no compatibility with any other Scalextric cars or any parts from other manufacturers. I know that Adrian Norman argued very strongly about this (he was Product Development Manager at the time) but was overruled by others who thought they knew better, thats one of the problems of having people with no experience who have ruling decisions. By not using industry-standard 3/32 parts the range very quickly flopped. The Protec range of spares went the same way - using 3mm parts meant you had to change everything or nothing, so axles, bearings, wheels & tyres, gears, all had to be swapped instead of just one item. Costly and uneccessary, no wonder it failed. Yes, there were still some spare parts packs left at MRE in 2021 !!

Unfortunately, the Protec cars and spares aren't the only failing as Brian (CMOTD) has indicated. Lack of understanding and decent testing/development has made cars worse than they should have been (the hopeless slimline motor is a classic case) and adding magnets has become a necessity to try and combat the hard tyres and too-slippery Sport track. Basic design has been talked about a lot elsewhere, and Maurizio of Slot.It tried very hard to instill some parameters such as standardised wheel & tyre sizes etc, while at Scalextric Dave Kennedy also tried hard with some design pointers, but overall there is a lot lacking despite the efforts of people who know what they are talking about. John Robinson had the right concept with the Protec cars, one of the few ideas that got into production but was ultimately buggered up by people who don't know the slot car world. 

But - the basic flaw is having a design and development department that has no experience of racing, designing, building, or understanding how slot cars work. You wouldn't put a CAD worker in charge of a racing team, so why haven't Scalextric put somebody relevant in place ? I can't think of any other manufacturer that hasn't got an experienced slot car racer and builder in charge, who thoroughly test their cars in track conditions.

To be balanced, Scalextric car bodies are attractive and well decorated and produced, among the best in the world. Its only when you get underneath them that the shortcomings are obvious, with the result that dubious design is hidden by magnets etc. Using parts that are not compatible with anything else (even other Scalextric cars) killed Protec.

PS. Part of the arrangement with John Robinson resulted in some Limited Edition cars - Jersey Police cars, and 3 Aston Martin DBR1 cars in black, white, and blue, specially made for MRRC. 

Have fun guys. Regards from Gary at MRE (now retired).

[CMOTD]

Thanks for your input Gary, wise words as usual and much appreciated.

There was a later incarnation of the Protec idea which I inadvertently missed out from the finished article - Pro Performance kit cars. There were four cars in the range:
Aston Martin DBR9, Chevy NASCAR, Audi R8 and Aston Martin LMP and I have now added them to the original thread.

[rallyhub]

To be balanced, Scalextric car bodies are attractive and well decorated and produced, among the best in the world. Its only when you get underneath them that the shortcomings are obvious, with the result that dubious design is hidden by magnets etc.

That is true, Gary, but I also wonder how off-shape (but main dimensions correct) they did some cars, like for example the Escort MK2, the head lamps of their Jaguar XJS and the Ford Capri nose.
It looks like it depends on what team of designers do a car to get a good result.
I think to prevent this, Scalextric would be better off having the designs of one team approved by another in the future.

Hub

[MRE]

You are right Hub - "That is true, Gary, but I also wonder how off-shape (but main dimensions correct) they did some cars, like for example the Escort MK2, the head lamps of their Jaguar XJS and the Ford Capri nose."

I was appalled by the spotlamps on the Escort RS1800 - it is obvious they had never seen a real Cibie lamp :(

[rallyhub]

Given the beautiful things they produce, you wouldn't expect those striking deviations.

Hub

[BAracer]

Thanks for your input Gary, wise words as usual and much appreciated.

There was a later incarnation of the Protec idea which I inadvertently missed out from the finished article - Pro Performance kit cars. There were four cars in the range:
Aston Martin DBR9, Chevy NASCAR, Audi R8 and Aston Martin LMP and I have now added them to the original thread.

If anyone's interested, Osborne's Toy & Model Shop in Rushden High Street have the Pro Audi R8 and the Aston Martin LMP kits still for sale...

[Kevan]

Thanks to Leo today posting a question about 'race tuned controllers' google reminded me of this thread that I hadn't read

[Spiros]

I was also enjoying Brian's original article until the usual anti Hornby bias appeared in the last couple of paragraphs.

Jim, justified and widely shared criticism of one particular aspect of Scalextric cars, their terrible tyres, does not constitute anti Hornby bias. The firm makes truly excellent model trains, Humbrol paints are still good as are Airfix kits and Corgi die-casts. Scalextric bodies are top notch and they probably make the widest range of any manufacturer with types to suit most people. By all accounts their current digital offerings are also very good.

I just do not understand why they continue to spoil their product with virtually zero grip tyres when it is so easy to provide decent ones, as other manufacturers demonstrate. Apart from magnets, the single greatest influence on slot car performance is the grip level of the rear tyres and I have some 30 and 40 year old Scalextric cars on original rubber which are perfectly adequate in that department. If they could do it way back then why not now?

I have a good friend who was a Scalextric stockist for decades.  The difficulty of dealing with "Scalextric USA" was his chief complaint, not the quality of the cars. Yes, the tires are horrible, but the repeated reorganizations of the company together with many horrible decisions didn't help either.