30 replies to this topic

[Slot_Seeker124]

Hey Guys!

Did anyone race these cars back in the day? I've seen old articles from the Russkit team cars that were always hand-soldered brass affairs...

I have several of these Carrera series cars and they seem very fast to me... Although I haven't taken them to a real track with some long straightaways...

Does anyone have any more info on these Carrera series cars or were these just a consumer model car for the masses... for home racing?

[TSR]

The Carrera Series cars were some of the finest RTR cars made in the day, that is if you had lots of rear tires. In only a few minutes, the rear tires would wear enough that the car would run on the spur gear. A change of ratio solved the problem of course, but it also meant changing one of the rear wheels as the gear was molded into one of them. The typical trick was to use one of those 42 or 44T Cox "flat" Nylatron gears with a Cox flanged aluminum nut and to block the assembly against a standard Russkit wheel.
Once "leaded", the cars handled fine and were a hoot to drive. The Lotus was best because of its longer wheelbase and the possibility to set the drop arm to its "longer" position.

Of course, hardly any were ever used in serious competition, and by the time the Rod & Custom Series, the world's first organized "pro" racing series, began, those Carrera cars used by the Team Russkit members only retained the Russkit 23 motor (once rewound), a lighter weight body specially manufactured by Russkit for pro racing and... the aluminum wheels, but not the tires!

The Carrera Series cars were some of the most successful sellers to the general public, and the Porsche 906 "Carrera 6" especially was produced (and sold) in HUGE numbers. The "tough" one to find is the Honda 3-liter F1, the last issued, as well as the McLaren MKII (especially the red version from the kit).

Also relatively common are the Lotus, Chaparral 2 and 2D.

[Horsepower]

I remember lusting after the Porsche and although I am betting the mechanical rubber tires didn't grip well, they sure looked good! The stamped chassis was a real beauty.

[don.siegel]

I had a Russkit Porsche 906 at the time, probably in 1966, but don't remember being very competitive with it; on the other hand, I had no idea how to set up one of these things, especially adding lots of weight... and the tires were a problem, as Philippe says. Actually, if you took off the skin, there was decent German rubber spongies underneath, but very little clearance left. Anyway, our local track was a steep-banked formica deal and not very well matched with this car.

There is a series for these cars in 2008, but you'll have to come to Italy! The theme for the Turin vintage race in May is "Russkit" in 1/24, so we should see a lot of the Carrera series cars. Turns out that Russkit was very popular in Europe, and the Italian guys really know how to tune these things. They run extremely well on Ezio's 4-lane Carrera track, or on the AMF Black in Bordeaux.

Looking at some of the early 1/24 race results in England, a lot of the top drivers were using Russkit and Cox cars, before the scratch-builts quickly took over. Team Russkit in England did originally run the Carrera cars, but I don't think that lasted too long.

The one I didn't know about until recently was the "Super Spyder" series - this had the original brass Spyder chassis from their F1 cars, but with a stamped drop arm and a stamped body bracket, for the McLaren, Porsche and other Carrera series bodies (not sure they did all of them, especially the Chaparral in this series). And there was an intermediate series, with a stamped drop arm, but just soldered on brass tube in the middle and at the back for mounting the body...

Don

[don.siegel]

I found a photo of the Super Spyder series Carrera 6. But first, the Lotus 40:




And here's the Super Spyder version of the Porsche 906

[Slot_Seeker124]

Hey Guys ! If someone can send me a plane ticket to Italy with 2 nights free stay I'm there !

Hey Don ! I also have that same blue Lotus 40...It's too nice to run...I am going to get a Repo Lotus Body from ED and make a racer...
I also know about the rear tires-as I've changed a few of mine too the Ortmans...they work OK but are still a little too skinny... I would try some wide rear Russkit wheels from ED If I knew which tires will fit them...PDL ?...Oh by the way I have that Mclaren MarkII in Red also !... It's too bad someone cut out the rear fenderwells >>>

[Slot_Seeker124]

Hey Don ! I also noticed a few differences between the blue Lotus 40 you pictured and mine... Mine has the tall Intake pipes and taller Rollbar and a rearview mirror...as shown on the Original Box lid !

I also need to get a few more chassis for those other 2 bodys...The yellow Ford Mark IV is a Repro I painted...Mario Andretti raced in 1967-been looking for a Carrera chassis or a nice brass tube frame for it ? Got any extras layin around ?...

................See Ya........Later

[don.siegel]

Nice pics Francis! This is one of my favorite series of cars too.... Interesting differences, hmmm, I got mine assembled like that in a box about 10 years ago, so just assumed it was all original, but now I wonder.... The rollbar was just pushed down more in mine, so that may be the same, but the intakes are different - do you have an original instruction sheet to see what they look like? The ones on my Lotus look more like those on the McLaren....

Don

[Slot_Seeker124]

Hey Don ! Thanks ! ...I been collecting these cars for several years...Look at the Dokk's Vintage Slot Car book cover...It shows the Russkit Lotus 40 and Chaparral 2C with the Taller Intakes...The Chappy 2D and McLaren look to have the pair of shorter split ones ? I guess the rear view mirror was an option...
The Russkit Carrera Instruction sheet only shows the Chassis building and not much on the bodies...The Dokk might have a Clue on these... ...Later....

[TSR]

Don's blue Lotus is fitted with the McLaren MKII's intake stacks, that's why it looks different.
The Lotus kit never came with a rear view mirror, but the Porsche kit had TWO! Also Russkit sold the chrome bits separately so it was easy to add either devices.
The Supr Spyder was simply... the Spyder series, evolving from a soldered brass body mount to the one-piece aluminum mount. However only the PORSCHE 906 was sold with this mount, and the chassis was never sold separately. Of course it is easy to switch a body since the mount fits all of them, and this is what happened over the years.

[Slot_Seeker124]

Dokk ! Thanks for the update... ...1 more silly question I just looked through the Electric dreams site for those wider rear Russkit Repo wheels they had... Not there anymore ? ? ?...Did the company already close up shop ?>>>>
HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE ! ! !...........

[TSR]

Simply out of stock, soon to be back as well as two new widths.

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

I have some old collector friends who praise the way these cars run. I have a couple chassis but never owned a complete car (I did buy the F1s).

In the day, all the tracks I ran on in 65/66 required 1/16th clearence over all, even under the gear, and thus, I never saw these cars in a serious race.

Ten or so years ago when we started doing the "Cox Challenge", the challenge itself was from my buddies praising cox cars and I offered to take on all comers with my AMTs. I had hoped that in a couple years, someone would run a carrera. No one has.

Perhaps THIS year I will get around to building up one just to see how it runs.

Fate

[n9949y]

A few years ago I bought on eBay in very good condition a fine Porsche 906 clear body. I don't recall if it was a repo or a 40 yr old original. Last month bought on ebay a complete Russkit Porsche Carrera slot car with a worn out body.

Combining the clear body and chassis here's my Russkit Carrera restoration done up as 1 that might have been a private entry for a late '60's Sebring event. So that it could run at Pelican Park I'm using for rear tires narrowed Protracks with inserts- the fronts are original.

[TSR]

I personally LOVE the Carrera series cars, and they are possibly the easiest period car to make work nicely. A simple change of tires and gear, a nice chassis setup and ZOOOM!!!!

[Slot_Seeker124]

Hey Todd ! That looks like a pretty nice setup... the Porsche 906 I have was all factory Russkit except the rear wheels and tires-It had some old dried out gray spongies...They spun like you were driving on Ice... ...Got it from a guy who had it since the 60's...anyway I wish I was closer to Eugene-(So.Oregon)-as I would like to go take a look around the Pelican park and maybe run a few laps for Old time sake...Hey do you have any class for these cars ?

[n9949y]

............... I wish I was closer to Eugene-(So.Oregon)-as I would like to go take a look around the Pelican park and maybe run a few laps for Old time sake...Hey do you have any class for these cars ?

At Pelican Park we've stayed away from establishing a class for the old '60's era cars- too spendy to aquire for some members. However with our 13 classes which include '50's and '60's era scratch builts we provide ourselves with plenty opportunities to capture in miniature the essence of '60's motor sports- and to remember our own experiences then- I sported a "Gurney for President" bumper sticker on my '57 red TR-3 and just about lived at Riverside and Willow Springs Raceways- when the Los Angeles area was the automotive center of the universe.

[Hworth08]

Wow! Would 30 entries with those type bodies look nice on the tech table?

That may turn slot car racing back into model car racing!

[Horsepower]

Wow! Would 30 entries with those type bodies look nice on the tech table?

That may turn slot car racing back into model car racing!

EXACTLY! REAL OLD TIME RACING!

[n9949y]

EXACTLY! REAL OLD TIME RACING!

which included landscaped tracks.

(my restored 1/24th K&B and Cox bodies)

[sportblazer350]

Hi all, great cars and pix! I have a bare version of that brass Russkit chassis, so now i know it's origin. So far i have a complete and NM Porsche Carrera all origina, and a rolling chassis (same black pan version), and a NOS body kit or 2, so now i can complete 2 more Russkit cars. Hve yet to get one back in the slot again, a project for another day.....need a "runner" for that!

I too agree that this era Russkit car are among the most beautiful of all vintage slot cars. and the box art is great on all of them.

[mcseitz]

Nice Thread.
Todd, my compliments on your treatment of the Porsche. Nice to see one that is not silver, possibly the only Russkit Porsche I've seen painted in any other livery. And what kind of wire wheels are on the Ferrari?

mcseitz

[n9949y]

Nice Thread.
Todd, my compliments on your treatment of the Porsche. Nice to see one that is not silver, possibly the only Russkit Porsche I've seen painted in any other livery. And what kind of wire wheels are on the Ferrari?

mcseitz

Thanks, Marcus, for the compliment. There were a number of 1:1 906's painted white, one being the 1969 Smothers Bros P2 Sebring winner. Doing another Russkit silver 906 would be just another repeat, ad nauseum.



The Ferrari 250 GTO Series II wire wheel insets came from various static kit parts and pieces I've amassed over time.

[vfr750]

I would try some wide rear Russkit wheels from ED If I knew which tires will fit them

NSR truck tyres fit. I'm also preparing one for the Turin meeting. Does any one have any set up tips ?




John

[Slot_Seeker124]

Thanks, Marcus, for the compliment. There were a number of 1:1 906's painted white, one being the 1969 Smothers Bros P2 Sebring winner. Doing another Russkit silver 906 would be just another repeat, ad nauseum.

Yes I agree !... Anyway I would like to get a few of these Russkit Porsche 906 Bodies for painting...anyone out there know of someone doing a Repop body-?-Thanks...