42 replies to this topic

[idare2bdul]

Since you saved racing I guess I ought to thank you. Unfortunately you are using this forum to bash Jairus. Jairus has never advertised himself as an expert racer or builder for that matter. He's pretty humble in spite of his varied accomplishments. As you pointed out, he did come down here and he did race. Feel free to come down here and show us the error of our ways. You will find out that it's very easy to end up in a B or C main.

If you want to bash people you will find people like you on other blogs. Have a nice day. Most of your posts have had a positive tone. I liked them better.

[n9949y]

Mike, relax. Take a deep breath and re-read more carefully this whole thread. My original posting here was not to castigate anyone. I originally posted in keeping with the subject of this thread- some pics of some scale, (with large, scale rims/tires) scratch built 1/24th cars as I’ve raced in Oregon to give information and inspiration to those who are seeking to build more authentic appearing slot cars- a very non- provoking subject that was not targeting anyone nor criticizing anyone’s efforts.

However Jarius, again obsessing about what he perceives are the imperfections of Oregon model car racing- tire size, this time- has been doing the bashing. Now we read your petulant snit as you've taken up the bashing cudgel.

I 'd gladly take up your offer to visit Southern California again but since I was last a Los Angeles area MESAC member in the ’70’s there’s been no 1/24th scale model car racing in Southern California, so there’s no reason to drive 2000 miles round trip to run laps on a bare commercial track. I did that once at Tom Thumb in Van Nuys, 1968. Saw no future in that.

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

Actually, anyone racing in the 50s and 60s would know that it didn't come to anyone's mind to do other than pure scale UNTIL the fad era of 65-70 in either scale.

In most of the world, even after the fad, the 1/32 guys didn't stop being scale except for the ECRA/BSCRA guys from 66on.

The way you look at these things is a matter of "who gets the press". Virtually all clubs in any era chose to race pure scale. My local club between the 60s and now got started with pro-racers complaining that the scale was going away in 67, and we did our 1/32s as a way to keep the scale.

Todd correctly does a lot of time on the net promoting his group and gives the impression that his club is THE club. Most clubs don't get any press, now or in the fad period.

To my mind, this is a "tevia" moment. It is all good and you both are correct. And anyone who has seen my travelling boxes knows that I have everything in all scales. Well, I did stop travelling with wing cars......... Well, everyone but P(grin) who didn't notice the scale racers in the 50s and 60s! HA!
Fate

[gascarnut]

Some people are willing to sacrifice performance in order to create a realistic (trackside photo) "image". People who don't actually race their cars, usually have no problem making this "sacrifice", because it happens in the abstract, for them.

And others have no problem racing cars that have a realistic trackside image without sacrificing good performance as a race car:







More details: http://www.1-24modelcarracing.com/

[n9949y]

Right after the end of WW II, auto racing- of everything- swept the country. In Southern California, taking off where pre war open, flimsy, model T open car racing left off in the 1930’s, eager racers started back racing roadsters on a sandy desert dry lake near San Bernardino.

Los Angeles area “Hot Rodders,’ a sort of pejorative term that sprung up, in 1946, probably by the local print media to label the drivers of the highly modified barely legal street autos tearing around residental streets, sought not only to show off their stuff in straight line acceleration tests, but also to race together in the time honored oval track contests as before the war. In the summer of 1946 some hot rodders got together to form an organization to race their hot rods on local oval tracks- the California Roadster Association. Charter members included Troy Ruttman, Pat Flaherty, Jack McGrath, Dick and Jim Rathmann , Jimmy Davis, Walt and Joe James, all of who became famed Indy racers later on.

The 1st race was held at Gardena’s ½ mile Carrell Speedway, Labor Day, 1946 with about 50 hot rods showing up. By 1947 local races saw 80 eager entries, and the CRA held a “National Roadster Championship” at the famed Rose Bowl on August 7, 1947. Troy Ruttman was a noted driver. By the end of ’47 the CRA staged close to 100 races with a total purse of $180,000 which was a huge sum in ‘40’s dollars. Hot rod oval racing quickly spread out across the West.

(Hot Rod racing at Portland Speedway, OR, 1948)


But by 1950, perhaps presaging the slot racing craze 20 years later, oval roadster racing was fading as interest in sprint cars was increasing, and by 1951 CRA members felt roadster racing was finished.

To pay homage to that short but incredibly unique and exciting form of racing and the involved drivers, Pelican park Speedway is adding a 13th class to their 12 existing ones-Hot Rods. Using Resilient Resin bodies and adhering to rules requiring scale diameter rims/tires, to give a new dimension to designing, building and racing, a new slot car adventure is taking form.




(a typical Oregon oval track Hot Rod-a good prototype for 1/24th PPS Hot Rods)

[CruzinBob]

Oh Boy :roll:

I jumped into this thread as I was closing my booth at the fair cuz I saw my bud Todd had posted and he usually posts cool stuff. Then I see that you fellas in OR can argue just like they do here in SoCal :roll: :oops: :cry:

The little riff that developed above inspired MUCH thought as I bicycled my way back to the RV and more as I walked my dogs, letting them pee and poop to their hearts content before bedtime

Then I got back on the computer and read from the beginning while musing Dennis' reference to the fine stuff that's happening in SA. Also noting the fine Hot Rods Todd finally posted.

Russ has been in the mix for...what...EVER?! And you're not even as old as me, are you?! I'm with you Russ, True Scale is the way to go. If we want to make a lasting impression in the world of slot car racing, let's do it with cars that photograph well. I think comparing some of these fine looking slot cars to talk of breaking 1.5" on a King track will last much longer.

And I also remember the early days of building slots from kits like the Cox GT40, etc. How out of scale were those P?

Anyhoo, in my slow times here at the fair I've been taking photos of some of my model slot cars and here's a simple one for you. JK C7 4.5" chassis with Parma "square" bushing set in dremeled out struts. (Probably not the best way to go but I thought they'd provide better stability). Wanted to use SS struts but couldn't come up with anything good nuff.







The body has LOTS of run time on it and in many different hands. Lots of pieces recovered and reglued. And, I didn't use the EXCELLENT gluing/reinforcement procedures that Todd and his Pelican Park crew have used for years which will make the bodies much more durable.

This IS where I'm going. I plan to use the TSRF wheels/tires in the future.

Here are the cars that are a big hit at the fair for the 2nd year

[sportblazer350]

boys!1 boys!!! hold everything!!! :shock:

ok, i see 2 very talented and different types of racers and builders in the same hobby going at it back and forth, each defending himself. there is nothing wrong with what either of you are doing in this hobby, and there is enough room in this hobby for personal and professional expression. So- grow up, get a grip- we are all grown ups here. take it easy already!
i deeply admire what both Todd's group/club do as well as an invididual such as jarius does ( i have seen and driven one of his cars- outstanding workmanship!! 8) ). If todd's club was near me i would be a member. If jarius was near me, i would be begging to be a student to learn to paint and chassis build.
So this topic thread is about hardbody racing, and there is not one set rule of standard. A club or group decides on rules, and have fun racing!
So here's my latest scale hard body car- go ahead and complain about it, pick it apart- you won't hurt my feelings! I enjoyed the build, and enjoy it on the track! After all, this hobby is about fun!!


ps- Todd i really, really like those hot rods!!! here in the C.A.R.S. Vintage Club we race something similar to that, but we are NOT trying to be scale.....but i wish the others would want to build cars like yours!!

- Jarius- there are a couple of builders in C.A.R.S. vintage Club that build scale like cars in details with clear lexan, buty, etc bodies and scrath build chassis, and your workmanship is great! I too admire all of your articles.

so, everyone- why don't we show examples of how we hard body race???








just a sampling of slot cars i made with hard body model kits.....not so much to race, but to have fun with. So i guess i really need to step up and build some hard body cars to race!! that will be next.......stay tuned!! 8)

[n9949y]

Sports blazer- your’s is an insightful posting, and I appreciate your reminder that there are many different takes on slot racing, from scale oriented clubs to commercial operations.

Yes, this topic thread is about hard body racing, and I originally posted pics that may be useful and inspiring to those, such as you, who are busily building hard body cars.

At near age 70, I ‘m aware that within any group, especially on the internet where personal responsibility and accountability are often ingored, there are some self aggrandizing few who upon assessing others’ labors, are deprecating, carping, and generally just bad mannered. Jarius’ scornful and irrelevant insertions about his disdain for Oregon’ racers’ harbodies served no purpose, didn’t add any information regarding the thread’s subject matter, and, given the tenor and tone of some of his private messages to me, was probably meant to insult, I regret to say.

Too bad, Glenn, you don’t live in the Eugene-Springfield area. Your model slot cars are artful and attractive, and your marvelous skills would be a welcome addition to the Pelican park experience.

[Horsepower]

Man, I love that Camaro! These are true racing models, which is what we started to do back in 1962. Not that these are the only thing to race, but I think they are in the true spirit of racing models. Besides, they just look GREAT! :clap:

[lotus4ever]

Being from "Juroop" scale model car racing probably has a different "twaang" to how you guys see it. However I love those roadsters of Todd´s Oregon club!

Another thing about scale, is that there will allways bee some sort of trade of to accomodate all the technicalities of our chosen chassis/motor combination. Lately we have turned to the ProSlot Euro MK. I motor, as it is small and a therefore goes very nicely under a modern LMP1 body without to much modification.

Having just watched Le Mans 24 hour I would love to build the new Peugeot 908 HDI FAB as that is one of the meanest looking sports prototypes hitting the tracks for years. Lets see how it goes, for now my newest rides are.:



This is my GT1 ride that I use for a local GT series. It is being transformed at the moment to be a correct livery of the #33 Jet Alliance Aston Martin DBR9GT1.

This was my 9 hour race winning Courage C60 laminated body



This car was made using a Victor Ferguson body that he allowed me to copy and laminate using fiber glass. As can be seen it was modified to take the Bison (lump) motor, this is now undergoing a rebuild and remodelling so that it ends up as a Pescarolo 01 LMP1.

For me this is slot racing, and it creates fast and close racing. However I fully accept that not everyone out there appreciates this type of slot racing, just like I dont understand or want to understand wing car racing or thingies!

But who cares, its all about having fun, no matter what type of slotcar you prefer!

[n9949y]

And here's my Victor Ferguson Courage C60 body done up as an ALMS LMP1 class racer. To convert Victor's vacuum body to an Oregon eligible hard body, I coated the inside with layers of Devcon Plastic Welder. Makes for a body shell having the feel and thickness of a styrene body without being brittle. It's mounted on a custom, scratch built brass inline chassis powered by a Parma 16D Death star motor. Patto's decals and driver figure from a Fujimi kit.









Focusing on Scale provides hobbyists any number of cars to model. At PPS with its 13 distinct classes covering motorsports history from the 1930's to the present, I have the opportunity to build and race a huge variety of model cars.

[team burrito]

And here's my Victor Ferguson Courage C60 body done up as an ALMS LMP1 class racer.

Is that really 1/24 scale because the only Courage I see in Victor's catalog is 1/32 scale. Other than that, I love them both.

[team burrito]

...I just found it in another section of the website. :shock: It's not listed in the regular shopping area, so I wonder if it's still available. Victor, can you answer this question?

[n9949y]

Russ,

You're correct- a cursory glance at his site indicates that presently Victor's making this body in 1/32 only. However I bought this 1/24th body in 2005 when he was busier.This is a 1/24th- note the Pro-Track #N230 1.06" Dia or 27mm x18mm tires/rims for and aft. And since we only do 1/24th at Pelican Park, making a 1/32 serves me no purpose.

If he's no longer making the C60 Courage in 1/24th, I'll probably mount the new 1/24th Carrera Porsche Spyder or Audi R10 on this chassis, when Carrera releases them. The other alternative, absent Victor's body, is to order, somewhere, the new Revell of Germany's Audi R10, if and when that kit's released.

[TSR]

This is the one produced by TSRF in both a resin kit and a vac-formed 20-thou Lexan model::


Note that the wheels are 1" front, 1-1/16" rear, making it a true 18" wheel diameter with modern low-profile tires.

[n9949y]

P,

Your's , the TSRF, is a great, handsome body,too. But being made of a hard type resin, it's a heavy, and a bit too brittle. How come the wheels are so tucked into the body? Photos of the 1:1 car, as is the state of design these days, show rims positioned rignt at the width edge of the chassis.

Here's my TSRF body. I favor blue.

[TSR]

It is made in both resin and clear plastic. The wheels on a modern LMP are not 'out" as much as they used to because it is better for them aerodinamically to sit a bit "inside". But on this particular car, it was built without any spacers just for the picture.

[n9949y]

For my modeling reference I used a number of photos of the 1:1 car to set proper dimensions, including front and rear wheel track:



Seems that the Courage C60, the wheel track-rims are at the edge width of the chassis/body.

When I did my 1/24 Murcielago/TSRF chassis I had to do some slight chassis modifications + spacers to get the proper wheel track, fore and aft.