[MrFlippant]

[BAracer]

#55

Where's John...?


New day and time for this late slot show...drink 'o' clock in the US, cutting the lawn in Aus. This generated a whole grid of new comers, who all added to the mix.

Neil from New Jersey has a home track and is getting into the scenery at the moment. Didn't feel it was ready to show yet, so it's probably a stunner! Top modelling tip from him...try and copy something real and there's a chance you will be disappointed with the outcome, so just follow your imagination and with that comes satisfaction. He was also ready to meet up with some fellow enthusiasts from the area. Lots of good tips on how to build up a group that you can call a club. But the easiest one was leave your garage door open, and other slot car fanatics will hear the call of the motors and will make their way to your track!

Gazza was from Aus, is a proxy rally competitor to Leo, a close personal friend to Mark in NZ, and loves racing euro-plastic cars. Mark gave us a brief update on where he has been for the past few months...racing slot cars all over Covid-free NZ, that's where! He described a slotting landscape that was thriving in the country, but he hinted that it was almost getting too big for the 'garage' based community that currently dominates the scene, mainly due to folk buying, and then trying to get Pioneer Legends to go fast!  And who would have thought a few years ago that there would be such a variation in the slot racing hobby within the so called 'global village'. Alan listened fondly to racing stories from down under, not having raced a car for over a year in lockdown UK. Perhaps the silver lining to all this is that when racing does return round the world, we will all re-discover the fun of it all again.

Greg read out a message from prize car winner Kyle, who will come on the Chat in about 20 years time, as soon as his children are grown and leave the nest and his wife stops worrying about him talking to strange childlike men on the internet.

Paul (Sports Racer) said hello from just outside Canberra, which, in Australian terms, means about 500 miles away. I have to declare an interest here as, along with Alan from this place, and someone from the other place, I have entered the Auslot Touring Car Proxy that Paul runs. I am now beginning to worry about my entry...Paul is entering a Toyota Le Mans chassis with a tissue thin family saloon body on it. Obviously touring cars are different down under. And his tip for us newbie entrants from the UK...line your chassis with lead...hmmm.

Dennis showed us a Black Arrow Ferrari build he had just completed...key point to note "you could tell it had been designed by someone who knew what they were doing". Luf showed us his hill climb circuit...beautifully designed, built, landscaped and lit (note to Woodcote, it incorporates some sort of voltage switching loop at the top).

And then to finish off, a discussion on how to weight tune a car, or as a follow on to "the car will tell you what it needs", this was more about "sorry, I only speak english, please can you say that again, but this time more slowly?". Nothing that was said would make any sense to someone just starting out in the hobby (like me...); no ideal weight; no ideal weight balance; weight up the middle or along the sides; more weight to reduce grip; high weight or low weight; different tracks, different weights. There were more twists and turns than the Line of Duty series finale. The only answer is to try different arrangements, and go with the one that is fastest! NAILED!

[MrFlippant]

(Deleted old links to avoid accidental clicking.)

[MrFlippant]

[BAracer]

#56

"Funification"

It started with John showing his finished little Porsche which, apart from a very nice body, I think had his first homemade brass chassis under it. Praise from the regular chassis builders, and lots of tips on ways of designing movement and flex int a chassis. But it was agreed John had nailed the two key requirements...flat & square. One of the ways of achieving F&S is to use a set up jig. Lots of high tech examples were flashed onto the screens, and stories of old when graph paper was the norm, or just pieces of wood with hundreds of holes in it for pegs. But all you really have to be is F&S, whichever way you get there.

BigDug showed off his new Slot.it Merc. Chris showed his completed Mclaren F1 car. Everyone agreed it was "niiiiiiiice", and then we started to notice the little things that made it so. Front axle painted black so it didn't jump out visually at the front of the car, crown gear and pod painted black so they did not jump out visually at the rear. And then a lot of chat about axles....when to use or not use carbon, titanium, steel, hollow, drill blanks; it was all covered.

Alan went for plastic with the cigarette he created for his Capri driver in the Brighton/JOG Rally currently running. Lots of tips on how he did it, but he doesn't do pipes...too heavy a weight, too high up in the car. 

Paul's got a Honker, but is struggling to find the right colour paint for the body. Mike's got a Mosler. Everyone wanted to see the motor configuration...King 25k sidewinder. BOOM, that's the fast one! Alan's refurbing his TR7 (follow his progress on the 1:32 Scale thread). Lots of love from the others on the chat, first for the memory of the actual car, and secondly, for the satisfaction that trying to turn a poor runner into a goodun brings. 

A then a great rundown on the different methods people have used to adapt races to level the playing field/funify/equalise/handicap racers so that everyone gets a chance to be the first across the line, regardless of driving experience or car preparation skills. So: -

• Target timing
  
• Driver grading and grouping
  
• Car classification
  
• Win ballast
  
• Digital power limiting
  
• First/last to run on the track
  
• Have me in your team
  

And to finish off, cars from the movies. Who will be the first club to run a Batman race series???

[MrFlippant]

(Deleted old links to avoid accidental clicking.)

[Scuderia_Turini]

Cheers, Greg
Copy that - this chat is on Friday  

Leo

[OXO cube]

hi Greg 
i struggle to get to your zoom meets
and have to watch later

but as an fyi 
i intend to enter the DAVOLS FORUM nascar proxy next time 
one of you attendees touched on it with some WC front axle info 
which i think was misunderstood ...

from the DAVOLS rules :-

Winston Cup Chassis: Stock plastic chassis from eligible manufacturers required. Sanding for float is allowed. Only mods described in the common rules allowed. Slot Car Corner Adjustable Front Axle Mounts may be used, front axle MUST remain in the stock height location. Stock front axle loops may be removed, but the lower section of rails must remain and will be used as the low point of the front axle.

hope this clears things up ... or i will need a new chassis 
kev

[MrFlippant]

[Scuderia_Turini]

By the way Greg, for UK participants the meeting above was actually on Saturday - first thing in the day. 

Leo