48 replies to this topic

[sportblazer350]

I see online that there is a new line of 1/24 slot car kits to be released by AMT named Slotstars. Model kit bodies with an adjustable chassis. a

Anyone out there have a chance to preview these? Anyone out there know who designed the new chassis?

These look interesting, plan to buy into the line to check them out.

[MG Brown]

I believe Round2 (AMT) was showing prototypes of the slot cars at the 2010 iHobby show.

Not sure who the chassis was designed by.

[usadar]

You can get some details at this LINK.

Those kits look nice and those bodies would be good for D3 Hardbody racing.

Haruki

[Steve Deiters]

Great to see such a big player interested in slot racing.

I'm curious what is driving the release of these new kits? Home racing? Club racing? A resurgence in commercial raceways? It seems as though all the activity was in 1/32 scale and now these 1/24 scale kits come along.

Very interesting. What do they know that we have missed or don't know? Just curious. Any activity in slot racing is good activity as far as I'm concerned.

[Cheater]

For me, the most interesting point was the quote below, located at the link Haruki posted:

It’s the basis of a fantastic new Retro Deluxe™ slot car program, featuring the irresitible vintage AMT Slot Stars™ packaging style from the 1960s.

[slotcarone]

Now THAT'S Retro!!!

[Justin A. Porter]

This seems like a rational development growing out of the growing interest in 1/24 (or in AMT's case, 1/25) scale model slot car racing. At the moment, the top of the line is represented by companies like Do-Slot, Scholer, and other representatives of the IMCA/OEPS set. Then you have the far more adjustable Plafit, BRM, and ScaleAuto cars that are still competition bound. The only entry level representation, however, is from Carrera (despite AutoArt's experiment a few years ago).

Provided AMT offers a workable chassis and usable axles, (I'm not terribly concerned about wheels and tires as I'm certain that either Daytona Stockers or H&R's would make for good replacements) then we may very well have an entertaining slot car coming our way.

[ravajack]

Not sure who the chassis was designed by.

Interestingly, exactly the same chassis and mechanics is used not only under the 1/25 cars,
but also in the 1/32 line of cars, the 1966 Batmobile and the Green Hornet's Black Beauty.

Apparently, size doesn't matter in this case...

1/25 cars:









1/32 cars:

[Champion 507]

Sure would be nice if they offered some FoMoCo and Mopar stuff.

[Milkman]

Is anyone selling them? I sure would like to get my hands on all of them!!

[Matt Sheldon]

AMT's website states a December 2011 release date.

[Ramcatlarry]

I will expect some hands-on this weekend at the iHobby Show in Chicago...

I will ask them to sell a 'chassis only' kit so that any model could be made.

[satchmo]

Hi,

Has anyone seen these kits with the bodies moulded in color as illustrated? I ordered from a seller who posted the same photos illustrated in this thread but received kits with white bodies. Did they actually issued the colored ones?

Thanks,

Jim

[Biff]

My '66 Nova showed up yesterday and the quality seems to be very good! It's no race car like my Cheetah 11 chassised LMP1, or my group F car, but it's what I wanted. A good metal adjustable chassis and it seems like you can pick up just about any 1/24/1/25 scale plastic car model and use the body and possibly the interior to your liking.

I'll take build pics as I go, if ya'll want.

[marc]

What about a Retro series for these AMT kits. Run them stock outta the box, no mods, even run with the tires that come with them. Is AMT going to sell replacement parts so they could be a club or once-a-month type racer??

These kits would return us to actual old tyme racing?? I'm sure they would be a bear to run but that would be something of a major chalenge...

What are everyone's thoughts here on the concept... I feel speed is not the only thing in racing.

[Biff]

I wish I wouldnt of bought the car now. Setting up the gear mesh is a little more than I bargained for, pressing the wheels on, pfft! Think Ill modify one of my Parma chassis's to use the body.

Live and learn!

[marc]

gary can the wheels ,bushings,gears and axles be up graded to current 1/8 or 3/32
stuff ?? so far it sounds like keep the body and use a fcr chassis . oh well
i guess they thought do the kit cheap like in the 60" lol.and mass market them to
a group that doesen't realy exist.

if that is the case sounds the kits are way out dated and of poor design
not much more than a carrera 1/24 so there toys. for home entertainment.one would be better off just buying a model kit
to get the body..

[Biff]

Yes, I think you can upgrade the rear axle to 1/8" or 3/32", solder in some oilite bushings, use a regular spur gear and wheels if you have a lot of extra parts laying around. The overall quality is nice, but for what it costs to pick up a Parma, or even a JK chassis, Hawk 7 or Falcon motor, I think that would make for a much lighter base to start with. I'm thinking of removing the side pans on one of my Parma chassis's in order to narrow it enough to acomodate plastic model car bodies buy soldering some sort of brass/whatever angular bracket's on the sides and using double sided tape.

No disrespect to AMT as is it's a nice kit and when I saw it, I had to have one! But for $50, I expected more. The chassis is heavy, the spur gear runs out of true, knurled axels, please! The wheels are near impossible to get on straight, the guide...

And Phillips head screws? I guess I need a metric Phillips head screwdriver.

[marc]

from what your saying why would a compay revert to sub standard parts it's 2012 good god press on gears and press on knobs for wheels ?? as a manufactor it would have proberly cost less than a dollar to have modern gears and wheels. you have to wonder who did the research on these kits .

[TSR]

What did I say about krapkars in the other thread and some are giving me grief?
Nice boxes and nice presentation, good use of old body molds, krummy chassis designed by 3-star ignorant morons.
What else is new under the sun?

As far as push-on gears and push-on wheels, it can be done very well with incredible precision on straight axles, at no more cost. Ask me how if you care.

[Larry Mattingly]

What did I say about krapkars in the other thread and some are giving me grief?
Nice boxes and nice presentation, good use of old body molds, krummy chassis designed by 3-star ignorant morons.
What else is new under the sun?

Nothing...

Sounds like my comments about the Cox cars from the 60s... LOL

Junk, but 45 years after the fact makes them desirable.

Go figure...

LM

[TSR]

Larry,
A very unfair comment in my opinion. The Cox cars were FAR from being junk. Their construction was utilizing the best materials that could be found in the day, their precision of assembly unequaled by any other manufacturer then. The wheels were precision machined from real magnesium, the axles made of stainless steel with precise conical fitting to the wheel. The bodies were beautifully molded with nice detailing. When new, the tires were quite good as long as used on tracks not already ruined by Moo or other traction enhancing goopy stuff.

What was wrong with them? Not much in the day, except that they were designed for a world respecting exacting scale, and arrived in a world when thingies already reigned. So their performance was obsolete as they arrived on the scene. You had to drive them, and if you did so, they ran very well and lasted forever.
So it is a bit unfair to compare them with what was TRUE junk such as were some cars built by other companies that had little respect for their customers and were strictly there to make a fast buck.

Why are they so collectible today? Because sophisticated collectors DO recognize quality when they see it.
Obviously you do not, it is a free country.

[marc]

Mexifornia residents and all others that recognize the quality of the 60's cox cars ..in fact at Christmas time I got to relive these cars in a real world visit. my youngest brother has a large stash of these cox bullets. We made a trip to Modelville up in Massacewets and raced Chaparrals, Ford GTs and other oldies including the mac daddy of its day, a la Cucaracha. Of course there not as speedy as a thin slice of stainless with a big motor covered by a bubble of Lexan ,,but they are great drivers cars. And the quality is outstanding. Now the AMT redo's sound like they just skipped a step on some important features. That's a shame but from what I'm hearing it can be fixed. It"s a retro ride no one should expect them to be a flex fast car but in today's real world I would expect some nice hardware like I said what would the up grade cost 64 cents ??? still with a little assembly and parts swapping would the amt cars be some thing fun to race in a world of Lexan rockets [there getting boring] I have some built up cars that are a blast to race on a oval there old school FCR based with outrageously over powered motors you don't drive these you heard them like cattle ....

[Larry Mattingly]

I bought ONE Cox car in the 60s. Pretty, but not very functional for recreational use, or actual racing of any sort. Perhaps they were more functional in France during the 60s on commercial tracks. I wasn't there, so I would have no idea if that was true...

I bought many 1/32 Mongram and Revell cars and chassis in the 60s.

'Quality' collectible junk for the 'sophisticated' still does not make them good....

Indeed it is a free country.

LM

[satchmo]

So.........has anyone seen one of these new AMT kits with anything other than bodies molded in white plastic?