90 replies to this topic

[MSwiss]

Jim and Bernard have elevators for their boxes, to transport their cars to the top floor. LOL.

[Jesse Gonzales]

A terrible thought crossed my mind, if Stu Koford or Joel Montague were to stop production (more so Stu) the hobby would take a brutal hit.

We ought to be thanking guys that take the risks to make top notch products rather than linking them to track closures or a diminishing number of racers. Heck, I have not raced since 1992 in Las Vegas but am buying armatures, chassis, tires, bodies, etc., for the day I get to race again. My purchases have put money in the pockets of many tracks, distributors, blank and commutator suppliers etc. Bottom line it helps everyone that loves slot cars. I'm no Bruce Paschal but there are guys that have received fruit boxes, baked goods, ice cream money for the grandkids, etc.

Why? Because I appreciate what they do for the hobby.
 
Jess Gonzales

[NSwanberg]

Will most of it be obsolete before you ever get back to a track?

[Cheater]

A terrible thought crossed my mind, if Stu Koford or Joel Montague were to stop production (more so Stu) the hobby would take a brutal hit.

The number of people who would be affected by that occurring is much smaller than you are thinking, Jess. IMO in the few hundreds, certainly not in the thousands.

[Aeropro]

I was hoping my 90-year-old racer would have come in, to impart some wisdom/inspiration to them. LOL.

Mike,

I'm not quite 90 yet, but I'm working on it!

[Phil Smith]

It dawned on me while reading this thread that wing cars have little, and most likely zero effect on the success or failure  of commercial slot car tracks. Why would they? People race the classes they like and don't race the ones they don't. It's pretty much always been that way.
 
And the open class? The only time they've ever raced opens around here is big races, Texas Series, etc., and the turn-out has always been very small. I always left as soon as the classes I raced were completed so I've never even seen an open race. 
 
Wing cars are taking a beating as they always have when the truth is they are not the problem.

[jimht]

New style punchbowl tracks that have been built specifically to make wing cars faster cost money, but they don't seem to generate the interest and revenue that keeps a Raceway in business.

 

Tracy's racing program seemed to be Hardbody Nascars for the locals and a few big wing car events for the out-of-towners.

I doubt that commercial success for the Raceway was his game plan. He had a "Club Raceway".

 

Hard bodies would be fun on any track, but not so nowadays for wing cars that are designed for the punchbowls and little else.

 

When the Texas Series was most successful, we had no King tracks and Open races monthly around the state with 50+ racers in Pro, Semi-pro and Amateur Open Wing cars

 

Wing cars can be run on any track, but they're fastest on a King and the equipment available now to go fast on a King doesn't work that well on slower tracks.

 

 

[MSwiss]

When the Texas Series was most successful, we had no King tracks and Open races monthly around the state with 50+ racers in Pro, Semi-pro and Amateur Open Wing cars

Yep, no keyboard action  = way more Ungar action.

 

It dawned on me while reading this thread that wing cars have little, and most likely zero effect on the success or failure  of commercial slot car tracks. Why would they? People race the classes they like and don't race the ones they don't. It's pretty much always been that way.
 
And the open class? The only time they've ever raced opens around here is big races, Texas Series, etc., and the turn-out has always been very small. I always left as soon as the classes I raced were completed so I've never even seen an open race. 
 
Wing cars are taking a beating as they always have when the truth is they are not the problem.

The point wasn't bashing on wing cars.

 

The point is tracks that are too fast, that need only the absolute best motors to have a chance to win, and running fast cars on those real  fast tracks, that get hopelessly wrecked.

 

That's why Retro has flourished.

 

While the chassis are somewhat expensive, even on the fast tracks, the cars are still slow enough,you usually will have something you can always still sell, when you want to try something else.

 

As far as your comment "I always left as soon as the classes I raced were completed", we had some guys like that, in this area.

 

They were in the raceway, the absolute least minimum time, possible.

 

Yeah, you never know when the McDonalds down the street, might run out of burgers. LOL

 

Even if I raced early, I use to stay for the whole day.

 

I went with the kookie theory, that watching experts, might lead to myself getting better.

 

As far as the open class, around here, when the tracks were much slower, there were as many, or more open racers, as I15 and G27.

[Jesse Gonzales]

Obsolete? heck yes. I'm having fun building stuff and trying to solve problems like how to build a true blow-proof commutator, remagnetizing cobalts using larger more powerful solid magnets. Doing reading on how to blend a higher temperature encapsulant (epoxy) that won't toss its cookies when run hard. This sort of thing is what I did in the early 70's, raced when I could and built new stuff if my cars were not competitive.

 

I will race any class that I can, in the 80's I attempted to run it all from Box 15's to opens, there were a lot of complaints but it didn't bother me or some of the SoCal pros of old that knew me, it was just more money in the pot. Oh, you don't NEED a king track, anyone worth his glue will tell you some of the best racing they've had was on an Orange or Ingleman track.

 

Just my opinion, of course being a builder/maker of things won't get me accepted by "Real Racers"

 

Jess Gonzales

[Phil Smith]

As far as your comment "I always left as soon as the classes I raced were completed", we had some guys like that, in this area.

 

They were in the raceway, the absolute least minimum time, possible.

 

Yeah, you never know when the McDonalds down the street, might run out of burgers. LOL

 

Even if I raced early, I use to stay for the whole day.

 

I went with the kookie theory, that watching experts, might lead to myself getting better.

 

As far as the open class, around here, when the tracks were much slower, there were as many, or more open racers, as I15 and G27.

 

Man, you don't seem able to express disagreement without making it a dig. So I guess when in Rome...

 

Congratulations on your obsession. Some of us are fortunate enough to have lived healthy, diverse, balanced lives. LOL

[MSwiss]

Phil,
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Your post/novella, stating "no one cares, but you", directed at Cheater, and his editing the posts with proper punctuation, was the gold standard of rude, unnecessary digs, when you disagreed with someone, here on Slotblog.

[Phil Smith]

Mike, That's a strawman. That has nothing to do with this thread and your unprovoked snarky comment to me.

 

For every time I've been cranky, I could find 20 posts of you being cranky - except you delete yours. So there's no record of them. I suspect that's what's going to happen here as well.

[MSwiss]

Sorry, Phil, you are 100% wrong.

 

I do not delete any of my posts.

 

It seems like 20, because I have been rude you to you, because you seem so unhappy here on Slotblog, that things aren't run exactly.your way.

 

So,  I am guilty, of calling you out on it.

 

Like I've said before, you're the guy who complains at the party when the music is 1 decibel too loud, or too soft, for your particular taste.

 

Despite all your discontent, I still answer all your technical questions, with all the knowledge I've obtained, with my "obsession".

[Rotorranch]

[Phil Smith]

That's hilarious, Mike. Everyone knows you delete posts. Not just your own, but whole sections of threads that don't go your way. I've had PM conversations with members about it.

 

You reply rudely to a comment I made, and then you try to make my posting habits the issue. Good try, Mr. Straw Man!

 

How long before this exchange gets deleted? I suspect not long.

[Cheater]

How long before it gets closed is the better question.

Point in fact: only I can delete posts. Any other admin or mod can only hide a post or thread. If it goes away, it's because I make the final decision to take that action.

Phil, whenever someone claims "everyone knows," I want to ask just who appointed you everyone's spokesman. I know the answer, of course.