I re-visited Christmas Day of 1963 in a way yesterday.
Fifty years ago, my parents gave my brother and me a VIP 1/32 slot racing set. My brother lost interest quite soon, but as you all know, it was harder for me to let go! Over the years, the VIP set grew with the addition of track and more cars, and then all of my existing track pieces were incorporated into a permanent circuit my father helped me build.
Over the last year or so, I have been slowly piecing together the bits needed to re-create that first track, and yesterday, on the 50th anniversary of my first slot car experience, I managed this:
I hooked this all up to a modern adjustable power supply, wired in a Cox thumb controller first then went even further back with this one:
The cars had been checked out and upgraded a little with some welcome parts from Don Seigel in Paris (thanks, Don!), and surprisingly, they run very well. The old tires were dried out and hard, even resisting a copious application of Zip Grip, to the extent that the cars would not climb the rise over the bridge unless taken slowly with no wheel spin. However, in my eBay trolling I had managed to find a set of 4 "Super Grip" tires still in their original sealed 50-year old packet, and they work perfectly - still as soft and supple as the day they were packaged.
I found one or two little enhancements to the basic circuit too, a chicane set, and a wonderful machanical lap counter, still new in its box, that works almost flawlessy:
Hooking up the chicane stretched the track to a dizzying 6 feet long by 2 feet wide!
When compared with some of the other offerings of the time the VIP track and cars represented exceptional quality, albeit at a price. The track sections were all nickel-plated steel, which meant that the center segment of the track was the common for both lanes, and therefore the cars had to have different polarities to run in the same direction. This was easily accomplished by some neat little plug-in connectors on the lead wires. Of course if you wanted to swap the direction of travel, all you needed to do was to swap the cars to the other lane. The guides and steering systems worked better than most others of the time, although the earlier VIP pick-up system was not too successful - just two wires poked through two holes in the frame and frayed out at the ends! These cars at least had a better system, with a full blade guide and replaceable "braids":
I did not think about it at the time, but checked yesterday. With a steel track and the open frame motors, there is a slight but detectable magnetic downforce. I doubt that VIP thought about that at the time, but it's there and it works a little.
So, I hope you find this interesting. My thanks to Don Seigel for providing the guides and braids and to others around the world who have answered my calls for parts.
I don't look like the young kid any more, but yesterday I remembered that Christmas Day 50 years ago!
Fifty years on
#1
Posted 26 December 2013 - 02:27 PM
- Cheater, One_Track_Mind, endbelldrive and 8 others like this
#2
Posted 26 December 2013 - 02:34 PM
Merry Christmas, Dennis... 50 years on!
Remember, two wrongs don't make a right... but three lefts do! Only you're a block over and a block behind.
#3
Posted 26 December 2013 - 02:53 PM
That's really a nice story! Thanks for sharing.
11/6/54-2/13/18
Requiescat in Pace
#4
Posted 26 December 2013 - 02:54 PM
Priceless. It's amazing how slot cars can still have such a hold on us even after so many years.
Dennis David
#5
Posted 26 December 2013 - 03:03 PM
Gregory Wells
Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap
#6
Posted 26 December 2013 - 03:20 PM
Joe "Noose" Neumeister
Sometimes known as a serial despoiler of the clear purity of virgin Lexan bodies. Lexan is my canvas!
Noose Custom Painting - Since 1967
Chairman - IRRA® Body Committee - Roving IRRA® Tech Dude - "EVIL BUCKS Painter"
"Team Evil Bucks" Racer - 2016 Caribbean Retro Overall Champion
The only thing bad about Retro is admitting that you remember doing it originally.
#7
Posted 26 December 2013 - 03:44 PM
What a great memory!! And congratulations for being able to re-create the track you had then!!
Merry Christmas, Dennis - and Happy New Year!!!
#8
Posted 26 December 2013 - 04:45 PM
Excellent Dennis, a very touching story, and glad I could help.
That's really a crazy chicane section, don't think I've ever seen one like that.
If I remember right, the first VIP controllers were two-speed jobs - does that ring a bell?
Don
#9
Posted 26 December 2013 - 05:15 PM
Dennis, congratulations!
To all Scalextric fans, VIP was FIRST to introduce slot cars as a complete, boxed racing set the public could purchase, and not Scalextric.
Also the VIP cars were indeed vastly superior to the first-generation Scalextric cars that were rather poorly engineered and that ran equally poorly.
Victory Industry Products did not however, have the marketing expertise that the Lines brothers had, hence Scalextric survived and VIP went away...
Philippe de Lespinay
#10
Posted 26 December 2013 - 08:25 PM
Congratulations, Dennis, on recreating your first slot car memories!
Have got a NOS VIP guide and they are really well made.
Looks like MRRC may have copied the VIP steering unit, as their Ackerman steering units look awefully similar to those VIPs...
#11
Posted 26 December 2013 - 09:47 PM
I love this story, Dennis, because I was two months old on that day, so today being able to see the state of the hobby back then connects me to the history of the hobby thank you for that, Dennis.
I still remember your kindness and generosity at the convention here in '05.
Happy Holidays,
Jim A.
AZGR in Phx, AZ
#12
Posted 26 December 2013 - 11:00 PM
Looks like MRRC may of copied the VIP steering unit , as their Ackerman steering units look awefully similar to those VIPs...
Paul,
The opposite is true. In fact Alban Adams of MRRC did it first but never thought of putting a complete kit together like VIP did. But MRRC had much of everything figured out before both VIP and Scalextric. Scalextric got their inspiration from a tinplate windup Scalex model that Alban had built, and that the Polk brothers impressed on Francis to produce, which he did.
VIP got it a lot more right than both Alban and Francis, but were not as good at selling.
You will read this in great detail, some of it never published, as soon as my !@#$% book is done.
Philippe de Lespinay
#13
Posted 26 December 2013 - 11:14 PM
Either way the steering unit was and still is exceptionally simple but really effective on the track! Bolted to an MRRC three-pole open cage motor with double pole pieces.. .Mighty quick and well handling platform in its day. Not quite as quick as a 196B but the next best thing.
Good luck with the book.
#14
Posted 27 December 2013 - 01:11 AM
Dennis, that's one cool story. I'm kind of sentimental myself and you nailed it. I'm very happy for you! What a way to end the year!
"We offer prompt service... no matter how long it takes!"
"We're not happy unless you're not happy"
"You want it when?"
#15
Posted 27 December 2013 - 08:36 AM
-john
#16
Posted 27 December 2013 - 09:56 AM
Dennis,
That is a great story. Brings back memories of racing my HO cars on the den floor. You have inspired me to set up some of the Revell track I have.
Thanks for sharing your memories with us.
Sam
BTW: If anyone is interested in making some new memories I have a 14 piece Aurora set. Sorry, no cars. See Swap Shop.
"If you have integrity, nothing else matters, and if you do not have integrity, nothing else matters."
Robert Mueller, special counsel (2013)
"... because people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook."
Richard M .Nixon, Nov 17, 1973
"Fool me once, same on... shame on you. Fool me... you can't get fooled again."
George W. Bush
#17
Posted 27 December 2013 - 12:06 PM
I had Revell track for many years but cars went by the wayside years ago. My first set was Christmas/birthday 1965 or 1966 ... can't remember... It was the Revell James Bond "Goldfinger" set with the Mercedes 180 and the Aston Martin DB5 and we wore the cars braid out in two days.
- endbelldrive likes this
Barney Poynor
12/26/51-1/31/22
Requiescat in Pace
#18
Posted 27 December 2013 - 05:40 PM
Your posts and memories over the years have been much appreciated.
8/19/54-8/?/21
Requiescat in Pace
#19
Posted 31 January 2014 - 09:54 PM
Hi guys,
Great project and wonderful sentiment! I think we all get to act like kids whenever we pick up a controller. I was 'swapping fenders' with a buddy last night that took me back to the wasted afternoons of my youth. Long winter days melted outside as we practiced nurfing and out-running each other. This time it was on a digital set!
I've always felt that Sears needs to be thanked for selling so many Marx sets that hooked many of us (enabled by our parents at Christmas/Birthdays) on 1/32nd and 1/24th racing. I was toying with recreating a large plastic track from my youth until I added up the cost of track! Oh, well.
I did cobble up a portable fun track from Carrera GO Speed Racer sets for grand kids of friends. Yes, we raced it too!
Superbird
#20
Posted 21 February 2014 - 03:21 PM
Thank you for sharing that Christmas story...I am sure it evokes a story or two in all of us. I was the product of childhood Lionel train sets in my early years until the mid-60s when my uncle took me out to the local slot car track. I stood in wonder watching the cars zoom around and did not even realize that he went up to the counter to get two rental cars and controllers. I remember that I could not get enough of that evening and thought my life had ended when it was time to go. I held my uncle to the promise that we would come back one week later (his night off from work) and exactly one week later we returned to the track. Not only did he keep his promise of return, but at the end of that evening, bought me my first slot car kit...a 1/32" Revell Aston-Martin DB5.
I used everyone of my pre-teen skills to assemble that kit and with a little bit of help came a back to the track that next week with "my own stuff".....
Time went by and the excitement died down, the slot track closed and the whereabouts of that DB5 are unknown.
My son today, collected through his youth, has an abundance of train sets and a Scalextric track with a few cars....and we still have some grudge races that remain unsettled.
To reflect on Dennis' revisit to the past, is when I was "trolling" on EBay and came across a factory sealed 1/32" Revell Aston-Martin DB5 slot car kit. You can only guess the warm feeling that overcome me followed by the heart-beating rush that said "I gotta have this" and then eventually the foolish and outrageous bid placed on the item to assure the win.
Fortunately, there were no other bidders as foolish as I and the ending bid amount I had to pay was right in line with the market price.
I use to say, "I use to have one of them"...now to say, " Yea, I got one of them at home".
I have more than a handful or two of cars.....some I collect, most I race.... but the Aston-Martin will always be my favorite.
#21
Posted 21 February 2014 - 05:21 PM
MY VIP Lotus 18 in Rob Walker livery still runs just fine.....
Larry D. Kelley, MA
retired raceway owner... Raceworld/Ramcat Raceways
racing around Chicago-land
Diode/Omni repair specialist
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Host 2006 Formula 2000 & ISRA/USA Nats
Great Lakes Slot Car Club (1/32) member
65+ year pin Racing rail/slot cars in America