147 replies to this topic

[Dave Crevie]

Because there has been no incentive for companies with that capability to get involved. How many Ford Gt 40 Mk IIs will a manufacturer sell? Almost all of the slot racing product of the 1960s and 1970s was done by cottage industries. By people who had no profit motive behind their work. The RTR and kit offerings were done with selling thousands of copies in mind, and by companies who were already in model car manufacturing. I honestly believe there is an increase in interest in commercial slot racing. I think that the 1/32nd plastic slot cars don't have the attraction for the teens and pre-teens that racing on a big track has. So they will be looking for a step up. I say this because I see more and more neighborhood kids doing activities like electric go-karts and trail bikes. They seem to be done with computer games.

[pn6]

Slot car racing at home was always just a pastime for me. Racing on a two lane track in the bedroom (HO and 1/32) got old real quick. Dad built a couple of 1/32 tracks in the garage and would have friends that had tracks of their own over to race but I was too young to play with the big boys. It wasn't until I asked if we could go to this big track near the Hobby shop that I really got into it. The tracks were "big" coming from a garage size tracks. The 1/32 cars were dwarfed there so a big car was in order. My friend that had a Cox Chaparral told me about this track and showed me his car and as soon as I asked Dad about it it was like he got the green light to play with the 1/24 cars. Honestly I think he used me as the catalyst so Mom wouldn't grind him over it.

 

Slot Cars are still relatively unknown to many so all these high prices for molds make me wonder how they are justifying the cost when like what was said about how many GT MKII would sell I'm sure only a handful. The tracks take up space and make zip unless they are promoted and raced on by cars that they sell parts for. It's a business that has to be worked. Electric Dreams is a warehouse that has room for a couple of tracks. That's a win for everybody. I've seen the same thing in RC cars. Warehouses with a track set up in the parking lot... I tried to plant the seed to a local indoor go cart business that has plenty of dead space to put in a track but he put in an RC Drift track instead. He does rentals for that just like the Carts. oh well.

 

Anyways........The guys that have great pulls charging 10-15 bucks plus shipping is not a problem IMHO.

[Mark Onofri]

The only true model, r/c slot car hobby shop near me closed recently. Walt's hobby was right across the parking lot from Miniature Grand Prix of Westvail. Although Walt moved to west bumb #$!& in the late 70's early 80's, seemed like a permanent fixture. Now I'm stuck with a overpriced train shop that knows 0 about anything but trains and very little about them.
The help at the Slobber lobby's, around here are rude and God forbid you try to return something. Michael's is decent but limited in hard-core hobby items. Unless you're with the pumpkin spice sect.
Ooooh Wilbur

[Dave Crevie]

Slot racing has not regained it's popularity, and may never do. What happened in the 1960's was a fluke. The car culture was so rampant, that anything related to cars became popular. The average American shifted his interest to the cheaper, Asian car. I had great hopes that the resurrection of the Camaro, Mustang and Challenger  would steer the young Americans back towards the high performance car. I wouldn't call that a total failure, but certainly not what the big three were looking for. It will take a lot more work to get slot racing going again. More work than most of us are willing to do. We have become lazy. We want everything to just happen for us. 

 

By the way, I know 4 retirees, who have bitched to me about the high cost of slot racing. They won't pay $29.95 for a flexi chassis. Yet, three of them also race R/C stadium trucks, each of those trucks well over $500.00.   

[Mark Onofri]

And I thought it was the birth control pill that doomed slot car racing for anyone 18 and over in 68. Not that it was the summer of love or something like that

[Dave Crevie]

I know it all sounds like a rant, but the point I was trying to make is that the future of slot racing depends entirely on the slot racing community. We like to blame the track owners for not promoting enough. But they can't sell to apathetic customers. And the customers aren't going to come if there is no racing program. One of the greatest cheerleaders I ever met in this hobby was, and still is, Jerry Kulich. He got me back into slot racing at a time when I really didn't need another hobby. I was racing full sized sports cars, deep into R/C carpet cars, large scale R/C aircraft, O scale model railroading, and die cast historic sports racing cars. It is that same kind of enthusiasm I saw in Mike Swiss, whom I would like to call friend if I can be so bold, back when he was in LaGrange. These are the people we need now, since we have recently lost a huge segment of slot racings biggest cheering section. So let's see what we can do to cultivate new team members.

[pn6]

Another Ferrari up for sale. Because I was so into 1/24 I never realized Lancer did so many 1/32 cars.

I agree that it would take a lot of work to get slot racing back to a viable reality but its a big mountain. In my day wielding a Weller soldering gun as a kid was nothing. Today the kids wield their joysticks and the occasional gun. They are a different breed. Business wise if you dont have a thriving business of any kind with some room for a track then the overhead will kill you.
Back when we had an R/C club of 60+ people we used somebody elses parking lot for free.

[Mark Onofri]

Walt's hobby had one of the first R/C tracks, kept it until he closed. The slot car track is another story. It was short lived not from lack of interest but, he grew werrey of them not leaving after the race. Seems like a problem I'd like to have if my track was still open.

[Dave Crevie]

The first time I went out to LA I saw a lot of 1/24th scale cars. Around Chicago I saw mostly 1/32nd cars. And, of course, there were far more tracks out there. You would see them in laundromats, hardware stores, anywhere there was any empty floor space. And the tracks were mostly packed with customers. It was a fad, and anyone who had any interest in cars was involved. It was the west coast car culture that drove it. The Midwest never reached that level, but there was enough interest that a go-getter could make a profit.

[Mad Mark]

Being one of the younger guys in here i feel like a lot of slot car racing (and vintage stuff) is somewhat on my shoulders.

 

I feel like there’s only a handful of people in the entire country my age that likes vintage slot racers.

 

I really wish I had the know how and skills some of you older folks have on here to produce stuff like repro bodies.

[pn6]

Well Mark you need to invest a bunch of money to buy all the Lancer molds that BigBoy is selling right now and have a good vacuum forming machine in a sterilized environment. Then we could buy some bodies from you and you would save history for the world and I could get a MKII from you for 15 bucks!
That sounds like a great idea , right?

[Brian Czeiner]

Dave said, 

"But with today's technology, it is easy to replicate the quality of back in the day. 5 axis CNC allows molds to made of aluminum. They can be water cooled. The material is better. The processes much improved."

 

You would think that is the case, just not seeing it Dave.

 

You are on the right path. I had been creating Caveman Bodeez molds using a CAD program and a 3d printer for the original. Then going through making a negative, then a positive mold process with a heat resistant resin or an aluminum filled resin. It greatly improved fit and symmetry once you do the math of the various chassis out there so the wheels line up. Since slot cars are not as accurate to scale as they used to be, some design compromises are needed. Like any mold though, there is no guarantee a body will sell

 

Kevin Head, the new owner of CB, is taking procedure to the next step. Doing the development research for this process can get expensive if the process fails. And it all takes time.

[pn6]

Chaparral 2G scale version up now.

I see all these molds getting sold at big prices and wonder if the people buying them are actually pulling bodies off or if the molds can actually be used.

[Samiam]

Chaparral 2G scale version up now.

I see all these molds getting sold at big prices and wonder if the people buying them are actually pulling bodies off or if the molds can actually be used.

 

 

Hope so.  The new owner can take pre-orders to start recouping their investment. 

[Flathead]

Chaparral 2G scale version up now.

I see all these molds getting sold at big prices and wonder if the people buying them are actually pulling bodies off or if the molds can actually be used.

If you read this whole thread you would know that some have gone to Scott McCloud who has posted in this thread and some of the others have gone to an ebay seller whos pulls don't look to be worth the material they are made from.

[Mark Onofri]

I wouldn't be surprised if Sizzlerdom* is buying some. I hope that he is.

 

* that's the name as used on eBay

[pn6]

Yeah Dom has some good stuff and his pulls are good. I know there are several others pulling bodies but when you grow up with Lancer as the standard there arent many others that measure up.
Ive bought several bodies from Doms including my recent Carrera6 and theyve all been good pulls.

[Mark Onofri]

After conversing with Dom,I was correct in assuming that he had been purchasing some of these. At least some of them are going to be available.

[pn6]

2G went for over 720.......I'd love to redo dads car with a fresh body!!

[Martin]

I am sure your Dad's car worth an original? They do come up for sale from time to time,

Give me a P.M. if you need one.

[macwest]

2G went for over 720.......I'd love to redo dads car with a fresh body!!

 I will let you know when it comes in. I have added allot to Booth machine and Hobbies inventory. PM me your address when I get one ran I will get it out to you. BTW if you need the 2C, 2F, or 2D's let me know. 

[Flathead]

Scott the 2C you mention will be a variation of a 2 "a" as only one manufacture ever produced a vacuum formed 2C and that was MRRC in England.

[Martin]

Correct Lee, and just for clafication here is a pic of the static 2C, notice NO rear fender side scoops.

 

The clear body here, that sometimes gets called a 2C, notice it has rear fender side scoops, and is a variation of the 2A.