29 replies to this topic

[Quickcars]

I recently acquired a Monogram "Riverside" set and having run on Monogram track for years, I was really excited to try this layout. It comes with inner and out borders for the entire length of the course. It even has a chicane curve on one end. It really is a pretty cool layout. I've always thought that if Monogram had slightly better controllers, it would have been the ultimate plastic track sets ever!

I know that several other manufacturers made layouts suitable for 1/24 scale cars. Of those, I'm wondering which you remember and what your impressions were of the standard layout, cars, controllers etc. I know I've seen the Revell "Monoco" I believe it is on Ebay and that looks like an impressive layout as well. I believe Marx and Strombecker offered 1/24 layouts too. Did Eldon, Fleischmann and Aurora?

Let me know guys!

Paul

[tjetcar]

I have a eldon home set, i picked up at a local A>R>C> store. It has 2 chasis, and 4 bodies. Stamped aluminum chasis. Have never ran them.

[stevefzr]

Tamiya did a 1/24 homeset as well featuring some of their 1/24 scale inline kit cars prepainted and running the cast inline chassis. Both sets I've had contained the Lancia D50 and Ferrari 330. I've got an idea that other cars like their D Type were available in the homesets as well. The track was a hard plastic that I think was the same as the Marusan track. I remember how flat it looked compared to the wonky old Scalextric track which was all I saw in the 1960s over here.

Regards,

Steve C

[merkit the grof]

Just for fun, here are some of the other 1/24th track systems:




From the bottom: Kitty, Nichimo, Revell. You can clearly see the small differences in design, even thought they are very similar.

Kitty set contained 2 Ferrari 158, Nichimo set a Ferrari 156 and a Porsche 804 both in 1/22nd scale.


Regards



Joel

[Quickcars]

Kitty! Where was that manufactured. I've never ever heard of it before. Could you scan a layout diagram or a pic of the track itself in layout config? That is some mighty wide track and whatever possessed them to do it in blue. Do you have pics of the cars too?

I heard that Tamiya did layouts but haven't seen them either.

QC

[merkit the grof]

Paul


Kitty was made in Switzerland, there is some information in this thread : Tokyo Plamo thread see post 15. There is a thread on SlotForum too.

Here is a picture of the box lid:


Hope this helps


Joel

[don.siegel]

I've just realized that nobody's mentioned the most famous of all: the Scalextric 124 system!

This was a three lane track, and is still considered very good - but it's also a serious collectible and very expensive! Enough curves were available to make a six lane layout, but that's fairly rare.

They made a couple different sets, but the whole thing was a bust and it was only available for 2 years I believe. I think the cars in the set were the Alfa GT, but they also made a Jaguar Type E, and then a Ferrari and Lotus F1, absolutely beautiful cars.

Don

[Quickcars]

Wow, that Kitty track is huge. Thanks for the pic. It must have required a LOT of space to set up a good sized layout.

Besides Scalextric making a 3 laner (which I didn't know), is Strombecker the only other manufacturer that offered a 3 lane set up. I understand that the strombecker 3 lane is also rare and expensive too. I think three lanes is the perfect offering. Lots of space for a couple of 1/24 big bangers and great for racing a couple of buddies. I wish someone would do it now.

Keep the info (and pics) coming guys. This is great!

QC

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

or the hard to find 3 lane strombecker!

I agree about 3 lanes as kinda perfect for a club situation. I am just unwilling to give up the Revell 4 lane I have had since 65 or so!

A couple years ago, Crusin Bob offered to rout this 3 laner for me to my design(a model of Monaco) for a good price, but then my family had some problems that drained dad's "track money" from the project. Snifff.

3 lane.

Fate

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Ok, as you want more info and pictures, here is my Scalextric Super 124:

One box (Set #200, an oval, as the second other set available, #210, was an eight, both set having the same Alfa and Jaguar cars) and my main layout (4,10 meters x 2 meters). I also have a small oval, still in Super 124, in my workshop for my tests.

We played on this very track with Don, each of us using our respective Cox 2E...

My ambition is to one day put it on a tray and hang it to the ceiling with pulleys.





Since this picture, taken throughout a 3cm thick Saint-Gobain glass floor, I got additional side borders.

Those Super 124 Scalextric tracks, sold between 1969 and 1971, are perfectly flat and have more grip than the Carrera's. The rails are stainless steel.

I have the two diffrent types of flat curves (that permitted to create six lanes tracks), a quite rare bridge. I'm only missing the very rare banking.

As for the scale, the 2 cars pictured here are 1/24 Cox: a Cheetah IFC and a Lotus 30.

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

Wow, thanks!

Are the rails slightly raised as they are on other scalex track?

Fate

[Quickcars]

Wow is right!! Thanks for the outstanding pictures. That is one of the "cleanest" vintage layouts I've ever seen! It looks like new. I think I might actually have to reaccess my view that Monogram had everyone beat! I have been of the opinion that the only contender was Fleischmann and never even considered Scalextric before. I've seen the old Scalextric classic track (1/32) and it's wobbly and bumpy as hell !

Your 124 is the cat's meow my friend. The fact that it is a 3 laner really is just takes it to another level. Very, very nice indeed.

Those cars are looking good too! I have to ask for a closeup of that Cheetah...please?

Paul

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Here is another picture.



Now, a friend of mine has a very similar Super 124 track, apart from the fact that his is fully equiped, with buildings, decoration etc. So mine is very basic for the time being.

As for the Cheetaracha, there is a topic in this same section of Slotblog.

But as I recently found the correct Nascar engine, here it is again:





@prof. fate: I did not understand your question at first. I will check-out is the rails are a little raised up from the track surface or not and will let you know.

[Phil Irvin]

I have heard of couch potatoes for watching TV but NEVER for watching slots or....How do you get your racing groove on laying down on the couch Popcorn is ok...But butter makes things kinda slippery on the track

PHIL I.

[Joe Mig]

There was a link on this blog that I do not see anymore that I clicked on and now I cannot get it off my screen.
Was it removed because there was a problem ?

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Don't understand what link you are referring to. Too much coach potatoe attitude from my side ? (not good for the health)

Hope THIS link will work. You will see here the splendid Scalextic Super 124 track of my friend : Super 124 Track

I also eard of a club with such a track.

The fact that those tracks still look like new 40 years afterward can easily be understood: the building quality is simply excellent, very different from the quality of regular 1/32 "Plexitrack" of classic Scalextric.

Now, to revert to Prof. Fate's question: I've checked out this morning (my time) and the rails are at the same level than the one of the plastic track surface.

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

Thanks. That makes me admire it even more!!

In 63 or so, I started building all my cars with a floating front end. There were a number of club tracks around. Kids whose dad was USAF and had bought different sets around the world. Strombecker and Scalex and MRRC had raised rails, but at different heights. Most routed tracks used copper tape, with a 005 raising, and the really clever guys has flush contacts. Meaning a set up for one make the car either sit funny or run funny on the others.

Thanks

Fate

[Quickcars]

Fantastic pictures! Thanks for that link! I was drooling from the cars pictured as much as I drooled over the layout itself! I'm seriously jealous...

QC

[Gary Bluestone]

We have been running all kinds of 1/24- 1/25 scale cars on Strombecker standard track for decades and it is pretty close to Monogram quality. We have run the AMT Galaxy 500 and the Monogram Duesenburg with ease. Strombecker made a 30 degree add on curve, to turn the standard 1/32 track into a 4 lane set. The slots are 3 & 1/2 " apart like Monogran and Revell and the track is 7" wide too. The slot is 3/16" deep like Revell. The Monogram is deeper at 1/4". Strombecker has a pebbled surface which works well with Rubber, foam and silicone. Monogram seems smoother and Revell is even smoother. I recently ran on Revell and the rubber didn't grip like on Strombecker, Silicone was needed.
To run all 4 lanes without power robbing problems , I ran 4 seperate Strombecker transformers. 1 for each lane. I made outer skid aprons 5 " wide of plywood and used some Scalextric inners. The rails are pretty much flush with the track, but I usually shim the guide flags down 1/16" if I am going to race on the commercial routed track or on Carrera. I have been collecting up pieces of Monogram track and aprons to switch over because of the deeper slot. I hope to test out the track surface soon, to see if it is as grippy as the Strombecker pebbled surface. Eldon and Scalextric are narrower( not the 124) and Eldon made some outside curves but I had continuity problems all the time and one lane is always slower because the rails don't sit flush at the connection of 2 tracks causing the brushes to drag . Gb

[finscale]

Hi,

this is my Scalextric Super 124 track:





6-lane and 33,4 m long. Called 'Nokwood'. I am sorry. This is club track. I have built few times Super 124 track in my home, but I haven't space enough for good layout.

We built up this track six years ago. And after this we have used it weekly. Scalextric Super 124 is quite good 1/24 plastic track and someone says it is the best. I don't know. Maybe Carrera is better. Main problem of Super 124 is quite fragile plastic material.

It would be very nice to know if there is some other Scalextric Super 124 club tracks somewhere?

Regards
Kai Kivekäs
aka finscale

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Really impressive!

I prefer the Super 124, compared to the carrera, due to the better grip of the Scalextric track.

[Quickcars]

Wow, other than advertisements, that is the finest vintage track layout I've ever seen. Looks like a challenging course as well!

Never seen Scaley 1/24 here in the states nor have I heard anyone mention having any.

Paul

[Jean-Michel Piot]

Back on this topic.

This year, during the week between Xmas and January the 1st, I'm playing with a longer track, using the Scalextric Super 124 I used before + the little oval I generally use in my workshop for tests:

The whole track is a little more than 21 meters long.

The surface it needs on the floor is 5 meters by 3,5 meters.

[Gator Bob]

I was surprised to see Atlas was not listed.

 

There were two complete 1/24 sets,

 

I have this one.

 

1/24 SCALE SLOT CAR RACING TRACK SETS
1600-4498 - First Introduced JANUARY 1966. 2 Slot Cars Ready To Run - BRM & COOPER - 1 Power Pack - 2 Hand Controls (Heavy Duty) - 5 Full Sections Straight Roadway - 1 Terminal Section - 12 Straight Shoulder Guards - 8 pieces 14 Inch Curved Roadway - 8 pieces 14 Inch Radius Inside Shoulder Guards - 8 pieces 14 Inch Radius Outside Shoulder Guards - 1 Set Pier Sections.

 

This is the other.

 

1601-6750 - First Introduced APRIL 1966. 2 Slot Cars Ready To Run - LOTUS/PORSCHE* - 1 3 Amp Power Pack - 2 Hand Controls (Heavy Duty) - 18 Full Sections Straight Roadway - 1 Terminal Section - 36 Straight Shoulders - 13 pieces 14 Inch Curved Roadway - 13 pieces 14 Inch Radius Inside Shoulder Guards - 13 pieces 14 Inch Radius Outside Shoulder Guards - 2 Sets Pier Sections.

 

Graduating up from HO my first set (64-65?) was the Atlas 1/32 figure 8 set.

By 1966 when the 1/24 set upgrade came the commercial 8 lanes had came to town. From then on those were the only real slot tracks for me.

[MattD]

http://www.antiquesn...10971793878.jpg

Not mentioned, as far as I can tell, Marx/Sears 1/24 track. This was a pretty nice track and was a full 1/24 size, not a 1/32 with aprons. I had lot of this track and had several different track designs using it. I finally sold it off when I got my Carrera track/sets thru the great Etoys internet sell off. The Marx track was available with banked turns and outer curves. The curves had aprons built on to them and not as an add on feature. The slots were a full 4 inch apart and not 3 1/2 like Strom, Revell, Atlas or Monogram. The Marx, Strom and Eldon true 1/24 tracks were the only ones I was ever really comfortable running 1/24 cars on. The worst part of the Marx design was the way the pieces connected. The rails on one side of a connection would ride above the rails on the previous piece, so brids always rubbed against one of rails at a track connection. Easier to understand if you can see it.

 

The Marx track was really great, though for running vintage 1/24 stuff.

I have had lots of Monogram tracks setup, also. I used aprons in and out all the way around. It was still hard to run a big 1/24 car, though. The last setup I had I used all 21 inch curves with outer aprons that had the guard rails broke off. I then put a crash fence about 1/2 inch from the outer edge of the apron and that allowed a bigger car to run OK. I do think the Monogram track is the nicest looking of all the 60's stuff.

I m glad I've never had the opportunity to pick up any of the Scalex 1/24. that could sure be addicting.