[dvd3500]

I think that the over-riding aspect of this series is that it is designed for the mass-market, both in terms of the Hornby promotion and the producers aims.  
No doubt genuine enthusiasts of all the brands featured will find it uncomfortable viewing.

Yeah that is the same sentiment about car shows particularly ones where cars are repaired and sold by most mechanics.
Personally I simply accept things for what they are and don't worry about the what they could have/should have done. I have learned a thing or two from Wheeler Dealers and Flipping Bangers and their ilk. One type of show I find brain cell killing are these pure auction shows. Whenever I have watched them 90% of the cars are not sold for what the people claim they are worth. The only reason I would watch an episode is if it is about a car I am interested in for the history.

Even though trains are not a major interest of mine I like seeing how the company is working.

[CMOTD]

Final episode last night with Scalextric taking centre stage. Bearing in mind that we are not the target audience I found the whole series enjoyable and illuminating with some stunning model railway layouts featured. Some of the elements were a bit silly such as the upside down train track but the general viewing public no doubt liked it.

A few things I noticed regarding Scalextric:

Throughout the series Hornby trains were promoted as serious models with as much concentration on performance and handling of the locos as the above footplate detailing. Scalextric on the other hand was described several times as a toy product by Simon Kohler and very little attention was given to performance. Much of last night's program was dedicated to the bodyshells of the Lamborghini and Formula E cars.

Performance testing was limited to a quick run round an oval to make sure the magnets were strong enough. Later we were treated to some rug racing by two Hornby employees with the sole aim of knocking each other off the track. The slipping and sliding would seem to indicate that the magnets were removed for this and was a perfect example of how rubbish Scalextric tyres are.

A couple of nice home tracks were featured including a club standard one but both were virtually bereft of scenery. A pity they didn't include a scenic version to show that slot car tracks can be just as detailed as model railways. This and other forums feature hundreds of suitable examples they could have filmed. I also wonder whether Hornby noticed that the cars on the club track weren't Scalextric products.

Simon Kohler is the true lynchpin of the company and has been vital to their survival but he is not quite as cuddly as he appeared on TV. He is well liked in the industry but  is a bit lacking in the sense of humour department and and can be a real Rottweiler if you cross him. I had several run ins with him during my time as NSCC editor and he sometimes regarded me as the spawn of the devil if I published the merest hint of criticism. John Dilworth once wrote a review of the, then new, Ford GT40 for the magazine which was 99% positive but rather extracted the urine about the godawful blobby headed driver. He reckoned it had been designed by the apprentice during the design team's lunch break and, predictably, Simon went ballistic. He got a minion to phone and give me a roasting so I felt obliged to point out that the club wasn't an extension of Hornby's advertising department, John had bought the car with his own money so he was entitled to write honestly about the product, the comment had been written tongue in cheek and if Simon didn't like it he could go forth and multiply! Fair play though, he doesn't normally harbour grudges and when we met a couple of months later at an NSCC do he bought me a pint and we had a long friendly chat with no mention of our recent spat.

[JasonB]

One thing that's always puzzled me about Scalextric is, if they're so sure they are making a toy product, then why go to the trouble of making such accurate models of cars which are often so old that no child would ever have heard of them, let alone seen them?

It seems like an odd contradiction.

[CMOTD]

Apart from their base toy customers they do recognise the collectors' market and their detailed classic cars are aimed at that but they have always had a blind spot regarding the actual slot racing enthusiasts. Admittedly we are a minority outlet but 'every little helps' and it really wouldn't take much money or effort on their part to cater for our interests as well.

[Mr.M]

The history of Scalextric is littered with attempts to cater to the "serious racer" market. Race-Tuned, CK1 & 2, SRS, Protec & PCR come immediately to mind, there may be more. Most haven't lasted for very long. So perhaps it is time that they just stuck to their, larger core market. 

It's not like the serious racers haven't got plenty of choice of makers to cater to their needs.

At our club, we are quite happy to race Scalextric stuff, as well as other makes. We choose our classes democratically, and often they are heavily Scalextric based. Even our biggest NSR fan chose a Hornby class on his last pick. 

Last Thursday was our picking night for the first six weeks of next year and 3 of the 4 chosen are standard Scalextric only. On the last race of the night I made a last second decision to try and film it on my mobile phone. 

[dvd3500]

I have never met Simon K. but I have met Martyn, Simon Owen, Dan and Oscar and the way they come across on screen is very much how they are in real life. I did find it interesting that Simon K. "signed off" the models and trains but was barely seen in this episode...#


Simon O. has mentioned elsewhere that the testing done was simply to check wheels fouling and that the car actually moves at all and that they do a lot more testing (I personally was surprised at the fitting gaps being so large)...

I work in software and I know that adage of: "Good, Fast, Cheap you can only have two" very well. For those of us who have used ARC PRO for a long time know the product can really use some updates but they seem to be focusing on Spark Plug at the moment.

I do think they are missing a trick, particularly with ARC PRO as it has competition modes already built in and it really would only require a little bit of organization on their side. No new tech or products required...
BUT
I get that they can't do it al.

The Countach surprised me a little but I get why they are doing it.
All in all a great episode and a good way to finish the series.

[Bazzer]

The history of Scalextric is littered with attempts to cater to the "serious racer" market. Race-Tuned, CK1 & 2, SRS, Protec & PCR come immediately to mind, there may be more. Most haven't lasted for very long. So perhaps it is time that they just stuck to their, larger core market. 

It's not like the serious racers haven't got plenty of choice of makers to cater to their needs.

At our club, we are quite happy to race Scalextric stuff, as well as other makes. We choose our classes democratically, and often they are heavily Scalextric based. Even our biggest NSR fan chose a Hornby class on his last pick. 

Last Thursday was our picking night for the first six weeks of next year and 3 of the 4 chosen are standard Scalextric only. On the last race of the night I made a last second decision to try and film it on my mobile phone. 

Nice close racing there.

[Bazzer]

I do think they are missing a trick, particularly with ARC PRO as it has competition modes already built in and it really would only require a little bit of organization on their side. No new tech or products required...
BUT
I get that they can't do it al.

Missing a trick seems to be a common theme with Scalextric, it would seem they come up with some pretty good ideas and get them to market but then fail to fine hone and develop those ideas into really good products RMS and SportWorld are two products that I have used a lot.

I know I keep on beating on about SportWorld but it is really good product after all these years, a bit more development and it could have been exceptional.

B.

[dvd3500]

I have never seen SportWorld in the flesh but my guess on what I have seen online is it was just a little too early.

ARC PRO though is running on a fairly open architecture that could be enhanced and improved fairly easily...

Just to be clear about my "missing a trick" comment: I think they are just focusing on other things right now.

[Scuderia_Turini]

The reality is that Hornby focus mainly on the railway brand and Scalextric is a secondary activity. I mean both in financial terms and in the ethos of the company. I'm not aware of a senior management person who has a long-standing preference for Scalextric.
The company seems to be in recovery mode and in such an atmosphere, the safe bread-and-butter activities are the priority.

Leo