20 replies to this topic

[Cheater]

I'm always interested in the variety of slot boxes that are brought to these big races, as no two of them are ever the same and some of them are real masterpieces of construction and utility. And most carry delightful decoration.

 

Here's the start of the R4/11 'Box Tour."

 

 

Since Steve was the first guy in the door for R4/11, it's only fair to show his double stack set-up as the first pit box. Doubt there's much a slot racer would need that Steve didn't bring; I know he had a small piece of emery paper that I needed to help repair a brakeless controller. Thanks, Steve!

 

 

Here's Jay Guard and my pit, with Jay's incredibly well-organized boxes on the left and my single antique four-drawer box on the right. I'm claiming mine is the oldest slot car box that will be at the R4 this year; I received it as a Christmas gift in 1967!

 

 

Master chassis builder and ultra-compteteive racer Bud Bartos's 'slot tower, ' a study in green.

 

 

The R-Geo pits are not a tower, but almost a small apartment block. Like most of the 'serious' racers, they also come loaded for bear and that's probably part of the reason why Rick Jr's mugshot occupies a place of honor on the R4/11 event poster as a class winner. 

 

 

Local racer Rick Starkey's set-up is clean and classy, just like its firefighter owner.

 

 

This unusual pit set-up, with a slot car box atop a shelf unit, belongs to local racer Jim 'Tater' Leezer. A pretty utilitarian arrangement it would seem.

[The Number of]

I think Doc Dougherty might have you beat for oldest slot car box.

[Cheater]

I'll ask him!

[Richard G With]

Do these guys fly to the races? Is airline travel even possible with slot stuff?

[Cheater]

Jay and I are picking up a GA racer at the Columbus airport at 9:05 PM tonight, but we brought his boxes up with us in our car.

Yes, you can fly with slot car gear but it isnt easy. Jay and I flew to the first Sano as well as to one of the Checkpoint Cup races. You gotta pack light and there's stuff you can't take, like lighter fluid.

[DOCinCanton]

I believe that I got my slot car box back in 1964. Here is a pic of my box with the guard dogs. Tony had put up a bounty on my slot car box. Old story.

My slot car box is not very functional like those shown above, but it's what I got and I like it.
 

[Brinkley47]

I always like the box tour.

[The Sawdust Man]

Thanks for posting these, Greg.

It always brings a smile to my face to see boxes I've built over the years and I don't know most times who bought them!

[DOCinCanton]

Yea, I think the "Box Tour" is a great idea.

[John M Wimett]

One of my favorite postings is the pit box photos at big events. Very nice and organized. Great to see the old Hoffmans still put to good use! 

[DavidR]

cool, one day i hope my finger gets big enough to compete with the big boys!

[mgerbetz]

The box tour is my favorite subject on Slotblog!

Mikey

[Zippity]

Can we also have a hand controller gallery, please? 

[Cheater]

Zip, that's a great idea but would be a lot more difficult to accomplish. Let me see what I can do...

[Cheater]

Co-race director Eric Balicki's pit box isn't as big as some of the other shown here, but that's because his bigger box won't fit inside his new car!



NY's Jim Williams' box looks like it has seen a lot of slot car races, probably because it has.



Kind of hard to miss the pit box of the GTC 'Am" TQ's Jason Dennis.



His brother Jeremy Dennis's box is a bit more traditional and certainly more subdued in coloration.



Tom Thumb owner Mike McMasters' two-box stack is super-clean and very functional.



Another two-box stack, this one belonging to Murfreesboro, TN's Will Brinkley, is packed with enough cars and tires for a whole race team, it seems.



Tom Adams' box works perfectly at the end of table and against the wall pit space he's occupying.



Thom Green's two boxes aren't stacked and the one of the left isn't actually a slot car box at all. It's a Gerstner & Sons tool box, a cherished and famous brand of tool chest, typically used by machinists and woodworkers, that has been produced in Dayton, OH, for over 100 years. Quite possibly this Gerstner box cost more to purchase than just about any of the other boxes shown in this thread. Gerstner boxes are so revered there's even an owners club devoted to them!

BTW, please let me know if I have mis-identified any of the pit boxes I'm posting. Working from memory most of the time here and that is increasingly getting me in trouble in many areas.

More pit boxes to come over the next few days... including a newly constructed box that features a built-in wireless iPad to keep track of the live timing and streaming!

[Brinkley47]

Thank you for the coverage, Greg.

[grooverunner]

Thanks, Greg.

 

I really appreciate Box Tour. Doing a great job!

 

Ken

[Pablo]

Pablo brain fart - I sent my F1 car to Cheater set up for RETRO^® rules as opposed to IRRA^® rules.  

Incredibly, nobody even noticed it until he was standing in line at tech. Cap Henry looked at it and said, "Hey, Greg, wrong width front wheels."

 

Look at the F1 on lower right:

 

 

"I accept the responsibility, but not the blame."

 

Seriously, I humbly apologize to Bill Fulmer, who unfortunately was in the wrong place at the wrong time when the hasty last-minute changes to the car caused the loss of a new (legal) wheel and pretty much ruined Bill's day. 

[Cap Henry]

Glad I could help LOL.

[Taylor Davis]

Good thing I fixed it correctly, unlike Greg. So It didn't happen again.

[JoB]

Do these guys fly to the races? Is airline travel even possible with slot stuff?

 

My brother abd I Jim have flown from Sweden three times to US for Retro racing, 2011 and 2015 to RetroPalooza and 2012 to the Sano in Chicago. We had the slotbox as carry-on with the cars and tires and some other bits and pieces. The controllers and tools in the checked in bags. It worked out fine every time, and all the stuff came through in spite of changing flights.

I remember one of the officials in London when we went through the security check, asked quite a few questions, and took a good look on the cars. He was facinated with it all and liked the cars.