146 replies to this topic

[gascarnut]

Thanks guys!

Barney, I'm still working on getting better traction for foam tires.

Right now Ortmanns work better than foams. The TSRF foam tires are too hard to get grip without some glue and I will not be glueing this surface. JK untreated foams with a bit of factor 45 suntan lotion rubbed in and wiped off work pretty well, but only for 20 laps or so before they go off.

On the TSRF car, make sure you have the modified pin position (between the braids), and remember to round off the bottom of the pin so it doesn't rip the braid when you de-slot (you do de-slot now and then, right? )

[munter]

Looking better and better, Dennis.

That lighting gantry is sweet.
Please dont cover up too much of the zigzag construction with signage.

Have you tried the Australian MJK urethane tyres?
They might be an worth a test.

John

[gascarnut]

Thanks!

I have not tried the MJK tires (or "tyres" - I can do both ), but other urethanes work well on this surface so far.

The signage on the gantry will just be in the center and will be like a "Welcome Racers" kind of thing with the circuit name on it.

I guess it's kind-of silly to be giving slot car tracks names, but since this one is a re-creation in part of my old Club track I wanted to commemorate that. As it turns out, it was quite easy to do.

My old club was called the Pretoria Model Car Club (PMCC), which later changed its name to Premier Model Car Club when they moved from Pretoria to another town. Now since I live on a street named Pebblestone, I have the "P" and from there it was an easy progression to the "Pebblestone Model Car Circuit" to retain the PMCC abbreviation.

So that's what will go on the signs.

[TSR]

Dennis, this is very cool. I am myself going to build a track in my garage that will be able to lift above the parked cars. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Tim Neja]

That's exactly what I'm doing PDL---8' x 16' of table, cables leading to a hand crank on the wall to winch it above the parked cars. Right now, I just have to get it over a "lowered" 911 Porsche! The rest of the ceiling is hung with model sailplane storage!!
Sweet track Dennis has!! I've had the priviledge of "testing" with him!! Dennis--have you thought of putting another coat of paint on and a very fine "sand" dusting to roughen the surface a little for bite? I've heard of other guys doing this!!
Tim

[gascarnut]

I think that as I run the track and rubber in the surface the traction will come up.

Tim, the day you were there we mixed the Ortmann and the silicon-tire cars a lot and that might have affected the traction too.

Right now, I am very happy with how things work for the silicon or urethane-tired cars, it's just the foams that struggle a little, and roughening the surface would make that worse, as it just traps the dust even more.

In the long run, if it doesn't become more foam-friendly, then that's fine by me, I will just run my 1/32 cars with their existing tires. The track is a bit short for running retro cars anyway, and all my old 1/24 scale stuff runs fine as none of it has much power anyway!

For those wanting to build tracks that hoist, it's a balancing act between getting the track frame strong enough to stay flat and light enough not to bring the roof down! My first track was a "lift-up" type:



It had a lightweight frame, because it was a Carrera track, so the track pieces themselves were stiff enough to remain nice and flat. A simple boat winch with nylon rope and some laundry line pulleys was all I needed, but with a steel or even aluminum frame you might need cables and a garage door opener as a winch. Jim Hansen in Montana has one like this - I will see if I can find some photos of his set-up.

I raced with a guy in Colorado who had an Ogilvie American Orange in his auto detailing shop that was hoisted into the roof of the shop. You should have seen the framework under that thing! It took 15 minutes using two hand-operated chain hoists to lower it 8 feet! But it stayed flat and smooth, and it was fun to drive.

[gascarnut]

Quick photo-update on progress:







The signs are all printed on label paper, then covered with clear laminating plastic sheet.

[Tex]

Lookin' good, Dennis!! Make a slot car look like a real race car and make a slot car track look like a real race track!

[gascarnut]

Thanks, Tex!

The track is starting to pick up a nice "racing line" too - it's more noticeable in the photos than in real life for some reason, though.

[Tim Neja]

Well let's have a small "practice" race on it--that'll put some rubber down for ya!! I'm ready when you are!! Just tell me what tires need to be on the car--no Ortmann's? Or ALL Ortmanns? Then-- GT1 cars / F-1 / Slot it's?? Those would be my initial thought. I'm available after April 1st for hot laps!!!!
Track's looking REALLY GREAT Dennis!!
Tim

[gascarnut]

Thanks, Tim.

Update from last weekend's work:





Note the ever-present QC cat - she does not show it, but she does approve so far.

I started adding the outer barriers, which are made up of two layers of 1/8" hardboard, one attached to the framing under the MDF sheet, and a second narrower piece glued to the inside of the first layer. This allowed me to make some nice curves, but also meant I had big wedges of open space to fill:



Some expanding sealer did the job, and once it's fully dry I will sand it down level with the top of the barriers and paint the whole lot.

[Tex]

Looks really swell, Dennis!

[gascarnut]

OK, vacation has come and gone, so here's an update on the progress at PMCC (Pebblestone Model Car Circuit):

The outer barriers are done now, the section in front of the drivers' panels being lower than the rest:



This is the view to the left of the drivers:



Then I got going on the intial construction of the pit building and some bleachers, using the scraps of hardboard left over from the barriers.

The pits are going to be a recreation of the old brick construction that was the pitlane at Kyalami when I used to hang around there as a kid, I will try to find some on-line photos, my references are mostly in books right now.



The bleachers are a very simple construction:



I need to get some "brick" paper from MicroMark or one of the model train stores, plus some corrugated foil for the roof of the pits.

Oh, and lest you think that's not a lot of work for two weeks of vacation, I also built 8 1/24 scale retro car frames..........

[Craig]

Dennis, we need to get them there grand stand filled up!

[gascarnut]

Craig,

Your wish is my command, well, sort of......

About two weeks back I recevied an email from my old friend Russell Sheldon in Dubai, saying he had "some stuff that would fit on my track", no more than that.

Friday the box arrived via Fedex, somewhat larger and heavier than expected, although after all these years I should know Russell.

After opening and unpacking it all, I took these:











467 figures in all, many of them duplicates as you can see, many of them original period Scalextric, Airfix, Strombecker and Monogram, some of them the Monogram/MRRC re-issues, some more modern Preiser, Carrera and SCX.

This is what Russell had to say about this collection:

I collected the figures over a period of quite a few years with the intention of detailing my track, which you correctly remember ended up with Gustav (a mutual friend and top SA slot racer, Gustav Heymann). For some reason the box came with us to Dubai and I would occasionally add to the collection, mainly with newer Scalextric, SCX and Carrera figures but most of them are old Scalextric, MRRC, Strombecker, etc. The figures that are rather amateurishly painted in gloss colours are in fact original 1960's Scalextric figures!

Marianne (Russell's wife) painted most of the Monogram figures (they were all unpainted original issue Monogram) and there are also some factory painted Revell-Monogram re-released figures. All the Preiser figures were factory painted. The trouble with the collection is that some of the figures look like they are dressed to go to the North Pole, while others are wearing skimpy bathing suits!

I never counted how many there were, so thanks for that. I tried to get as many as I could since a few thousand people spectate races in real life; most detailed tracks that I've seen don't have nearly enough spectators. There actually isn't a huge range of different figures available, hence the duplication, and I wasn't willing to cut off limbs to re-pose any of them.

You are most welcome to keep the ones you want and pass the others onto a good home.

There's no way I will have space for 467 figures, but here's what I have so far:











There's space for another small bleacher right behind the timing gantry, so that area will get more "population" and perhaps a few more flag marshalls in some of the turns, then I'm done.

I have to thank Russell enormously for his generous gift to my track, and for the fun I had in unpacking and laying out all these little people. Some of them brought back memories from days long gone, when I had a 2-lane track out in the garage of my parents' home in Johannesburg in the mid 1960's.

If anyone else needs figures for a seriously scenicked layout, please let me know, so I can ensure that the rest of this collection also goes to a good home.

[redbackspyder]

Dennis, Absolutely beautiful !

[68Caddy]

Dennis
I love that you are not skimping on things and the way the track look now is way sweet.
Thanks for sharing your hard labor.
Have to say I love details and thoughts going in to projects like this because the ambiance is really making a big diffrence for me.
You sure are a true hobbies t and you sure are bringing out the best in us.

Nesta

[The Bugman]

and whats wrong with an eskimo sitting next to a bikini clad lass watching a slotcar race,,,lol,
use em all make really diverse scenery,,

[HarV Wallbanger III]

Nice Dennis!

[idare2bdul]

I don't know why I would have expected anything less of you. Fabulous and I'm sure getting more so.

[stoo23]

Hey!, That's looking really good !!

What an amazing collection of 'Figures' !!

I just LOVE This Guy!

Such a Natural stance, Very OZtralian,,...lol ,...and with That HAT you could be excused for thinking it was Frank Gardner at first Glance,..LOL,

Great stuff

Attached Images

• 

[Noose]

Lovely..simply lovely..and I'm soooooooo jealous!

[gascarnut]

Thanks guys!

I will take a few close-ups of some of the Preiser figures - their poses and expressions are simply way ahead of anything else I have seen so far.

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

There are a couple cheap tricks, if you care, to make them look even better.

In wargaming circles we discuss this stuff all the time.

the real trick is to put the figs in places that they are unlikely to be struck down in a race, though!

Fate

[gascarnut]

the real trick is to put the figs in places that they are unlikely to be struck down in a race, though!

Guard rails are coming - there are some already in place in one of the pictures, and those square section posts will support thme in front of the bleachers.

But you don't come out when you race, right, so why worry??