Model Car Racing Magazine - Aaron Tipton

Transcription

WIRELESS DIGITAL RACING CONTROL
80
March/April 2015
$6.95
Bentley Wins Again!
Alfa Romeo Mille Miglia Winners
Historic Silverstone Track On A Tabletop
www.modelcarracingmag.com
Tech Tips: Trackside Tune-Up
Formula 1 Racing On A Tabletop:
- 1968 Lotus 49B
- 1969 McLaren M7C
Bentley tested the Continental GT3 in the “promotional” paint scheme at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed---LAT Photo
80
80
CONTENTS
13 Real Race Track Plans
2-Lane Silverstone 1948-1949 Grand Prix Circuit for
Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, Ninco, Carrera (with
optional lane-changing) on a 9 x 19-foot tabletop.
by Robert Schleicher
16 Race Tracks on a Tabletop
2-Lane Silverstone 1948-1949 Grand Prix Circuit for
Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, Ninco or Carrera (with optional lane-changing) on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop
ON THE COVER: The Scalextric 1/32 scale replica of the Steve Tandy/
James Appleby Bentley Continental GT3 at the 2014 British GT Championship, Oulton Park. ---LAT Photographic
19 Digital Racing
Carrera Digital 132 Wireless+ Control
1/32 SCALE MODEL CAR RACING:
7 LeMans
Scalextric 2013 Bentley GT3
by Albin Burroughs
21 LeMans
Modelant 1947 Alfa Romeo 8C2900B
by Bill Deureon
28 Your Track
SlotMods 6 x 12-foot Two-Lane
Standard Raceway
32 Tech Tips
Vintage Racing
Chris Walker’s 1964 Monogram Lola GT
10 Home Racing
Race Management with an App, Scalextric ARC one
4 Model Car Racing
34 Formula 1
Scalextric 1969 McLaren M7C
by Bill Wright
HO MODEL CAR RACING:
38 Formula 1
Scalextric 1968 Lotus 49B
by Albin Burroughs
40 Vintage Racing
Clear Plastic Bodies
18 Track Plans
4-Lane Silverstone 1948-1949 Grand
Prix Circuit for 4 x 8-Feet
25 Home Racing
AFX Pit Building
DEPARTMENTS:
6 Editorial: Race Car Rewards
47Pit Board
42 LeMans
48Club Directory
Slot.it 1974 Matra MS670B
by Bill Wright
54New Stuff
44 World Rally Cup
On Your Tablet:
Scalextric 1986 Lancia Delta S4
by Bill Wright
46 Tech Tips
Test ‘N Tune Tips
For Magnet-Free cars
Model Car Racing is now available for iPad or Kindle. Just click on the
Apple iTunes icon and search for Model Car Racing to order individual
issues, subscriptions or a limited number of back issues. There’s more
information on page 57 of this issue.
WHERE TO BUY MODEL CAR RACING PRODUCTS:
Dealers: A listing of the addresses, phone numbers, email addresses,
and websites of all the dealers that carry Model Car Racing magazine
appears on our website at www.modelcarracingmag.com
Manufacturers: A listing of the addresses and websites of firms that
manufacture model car racing products appears on our website at
www.modelcarracingmag.com:
More Information:
49 LeMans
Slot Classics 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C2900B
There is an Index of all of the past issues, a Digest of the results of the
first 257 cars in our Race Track Test series, Pros and Cons of plastic
track by brand, the Pros and Cons of the four digital systems, Pros and
Cons of 1/43 scale and an index of the 157 previously published track
plans, by size, on our website at www.modelcarracingmag.com.
Model Car Racing 5
Race Car Rewards ��
Racing has an implied reward; you won! It
doesn’t matter (much) whether you are racing
in a triathlon, a motocross, a vintage car race,
or a model car race. When you race you always
have that concept of winning somewhere in
your mind, even if you have never won anything anywhere. It’s that proverbial carrot on a
stick that provides a goal. The reality of racing,
however, is that there are dozens of folks who
compete and have never won. Seldom does one
person excel enough to be a constant winner
(even the best loose once in awhile). So there
must be something more than just winning
that makes racing so exciting. If you have raced,
you know---the feeling that every entrant, from
the winner to the last place person, has experienced… that feeling of what it is like to be on
the extreme edge. You know you are on the edge
because your body will be producing adrenalin.
You’ll have to ask your personal physician (or
your personal trainer) about the symptoms that
you can feel when you are pumping adrenalin.
If I take a moment to consider it, I know I am
pumping adrenaline when my forearms tingle,
others have different indicators, from fever to
mild muscle spasms.
Why Race?
I have been fortunate enough to talk with a lot of
world championship winners, from skateboarders to motocrossers to model car racers. It may
seem obvious, but all of them find racing the
most exciting thing in their lives. To me, that
has been a red-flag warning because I would really like to have a few other aspects of my life
as exciting as racing. But, if that’s what ringsyour-chimes, do it. For me racing is an escape
from just about everything. I discover that, if my
mind wanders to what’s for dinner or to check
my email, my concentration falters and I crash.
It makes it hard to win a model car race but it
can be even more painful racing an off-road
cross-country motorcycle. It only takes two of
these wake-up calls at most, and the rest of my
day or evening is devoted to the task at hand--trying to go as fast as my hand-eye coordination
and reflexes will allow without crashing.
I would really like be able to tell you that this
kind of total focus results in race win after race
win. I still lose and, occasionally, I still crash.
What makes that such a pleasure is that I know
I am doing the best I can. Specifically, I try to
look at my fastest time on that lane at the end of
the race. Usually, my car will be about fourth or
fifth fastest (compared to the fastest laps of the
others). I am thrilled, thrilled, thrilled if I finish
at least one step better than my fastest lap would
suggest---to me that means I am at least driving the a bit better than car deserves. It is, essentially, the same exercise when I am trying for my
best possible lap time during practice (or when
just playing)---the goal, here, is to be able to run
about 50 laps, look at my best time then run 20
more to see how close I can come to averaging
6 Model Car Racing
that “fastest lap’ over 20 laps. In my theory, being
able to drive within about 10-percent of my fastest possible lap times means I am concentrating
and, (there should be no surprise) I am pumping adrenalin.
The Complete Mechanic
There are other aspects of model car racing that
can be just as rewarding as learning how to race
on an adrenalin high. There is, for example, an
incredible joy in discovering that some adjustment you made to your car actually increased its
potential for turning quicker lap times. There’s a
short article on page 46 in this issue about how
to “Test N’ Tune” a magnet-free car to obtain optimum performance on a particular race track
(there was a similar article on doing the same
testing with magnet-stuck cars in the January/
February 2015 number 78 issue---also on www.
modelcarracingmag.com under “Sample Issues”). All of the 1/32, 1/24, 1/43 and HO model
race cars can be “tuned” to produce faster lap
times. The basics of Perfect Pickup Braid, Tire
Mounting, Cleaning Track Rails, Oil & Grease,
Controllers, Race Reliable Wires, and Chassis
Set Up are also on www.modelcarracingmag.
com under the “New To The Hobby?” link.
Making any model car go faster, begins with a
chassis that performs as it should and these tips
should get you to that point.
Given a model car that is performing about as
fast as possible that is, literally, out-of-the-box,
you can make dozens of additional improvements, from adding weight to changing the
tires. None of today's model race cars are riveted together---all are assembled with screws
that are there to allow you to get inside and
change things. All of these cars can be modified
by changing the gears to a different ratio to allow the car to perform at its best on a particular track and to respond to your unique driving technique. Chris Walker is one of the true
experts at setting up an “out-of-the-box” car so
it can perform as quickly as possible without
changing any of the components. There’s an article on how Chris setup a 1967-vintage Monogram brass chassis on pages 32-33 of this issue.
This hobby also provides the option of building
your own cars. 3D printed bodies are now available to fit “kit” chassis and there are hundreds
of cast-resin and clear plastic bodies available so
you can build a car you cannot otherwise buy,
(like the bodies on pages 40-41 of this issue).
There are very few hobbies that provide such
simple pleasure as tuning a model race car. Today, cars and motorcycles are far too complex
for a home mechanic. Something important has
been lost; the satisfaction of knowing that you
used your own two hands to make it better or,
even, to build it. Once you have your car apart
you can reach the chassis to “tune” the motor
and rear axle mount, adjust gears, bullet-proof
the pickup wires and add weight. If you’re serious, you can tear the car down to its individual
pieces and spend 20 or more hours getting every
piece perfect.
You may not pump adrenalin tuning or scratchbuilding a car (except when you drop that one
odd screw on the carpet), but the thrill of handson mechanical success is very close to an adrenalin high. You don’t have to settle for the car
that came in box---with practice you can “tune”
that machine to be 10 to 40-percent faster. It is
a thrill.
Volume 14, Number 2 (issue number 80)
March/April 2015
Publisher:
Robert Schleicher
Technical Editor:
Chris Walker
Editor:
Robert Schleicher
Track Test Editor:
Marc Purdham
Layout & Design: Aaron Tipton - [email protected]
Contributing Editors:
Mark Gussin
Jeremy Dunning Jason Boye
Dan Esposito
Dan Wilson
Alan Schwartz
Bernard Sampson Pat Dennis
Brad Bowman
Editors Emeritus:
Bill Sipple
Rocky Russo
Jose Rodriguez Jim Russell
Bob Braverman Ron Klein
Albin Adams
Circulation & Dealer Contact:
email: [email protected]
Model Car Racing Publications, Inc.
6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142
Boulder, CO 80301-3346
website: www.modelcarracingmag.com
Model Car Racing (USPS 020-443, ISSN 1538-9170) is published bimonthly by Model Car Racing Publications, Inc., 6525 Gunpark Drive,
Suite 370-142, Boulder, CO 80301-3346. Copyright 2015, Model Car
Racing Publications, Inc.
Individual issue price $6.95. No current issues or back issues are available from the publisher but a list of dealers who carry the magazine is on
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Le Mans
Scalextric 2014 Bentley Continental GT3
Bentley is out to prove that their Continental is not just a luxury
car but that it can be an all-out racer, a true GT car. Scalextric has
recreated the car that is contesting the GT3 class against Ferraris,
Audis, Porsches, Aston Martins, McLarens, Corvettes and Cadillacs.
You can compare the Scalextric 1/32 scale model to the full-size car---the model is on the cover– this is the
full-size car. The Steve Tandy/James Appleby Bentley Continental GT3 at the 2014 British GT Championship,
Oulton Park. — LAT Photographic
■■Albin Burroughs
Luxury cars don’t usually win races but Bentley did (as did Cadillac). Bentleys won LeMans in 1924, won four at a trot from 1927 to 1930 and, again
in 2003 (with a little help from Audi). Bentley is back racing with the Continental GT3. Like most of the cars that contest the modern GT series, the
Bentley Continental is really a full-on race car with the same skin as the
road car. The GT3 weighs 2870 pounds, just over half the original car’s
5115 pounds. The engine has been moved back in the chassis and lowered.
A full roll cage serving as an effective space frame chassis.
to look closely to see the differences (except that wing) between the
street car and the race car. Ferrari, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, McLaren,
Porsche and Lamborghini all want you to believe that you can buy that
very same car. The Bentley that won LeMans in 1929 became the everyday sports car in early thirties for Woolf Barnato, one of the winning
drivers. Bentley is invoking that history with the GT-3R, the look-alike
(minus wing) version of GT-3. It’s nice. That’s what NASCAR Grand
National and Trans-Am used to be….
Still, the GT3 is a far better concept than NASCAR because the GT3
cars really do look like the ones you can buy. Bentley does go that step
further to provide material for their public relations agency like this
“…the GT3 remains a hand-crafted Bentley, with the steering wheel,
door pulls and seat all hand-trimmed and stitched by Bentley craftspeople at Crewe.” The 4-liter V8 with twin turbos produces 600 horsepower and drives the rear wheels through a transaxle. Really, you need
Bentley did not contest all of the rounds in the 2014 Blancpain GT
Series but the team did very nicely with wins at Silverstone and Paul
Ricard, a fourth at the Nurburgring, seventh and eighth at Monza, seventh at the Nurburgring and (although not quite LeMans) 13th at the
Spa 24-hour. The M-Sport is Bentley’s team (BMW must wonder about
that) and the team finished seventh for the 2014 season with drivers
Guy Smith, Andy Meyrick, Steven Kane all tied for 14th. Bentley, how-
Model Car Racing 7
ever, is doing almost as well as the seasoned McLaren MP4-12C, Lamborghini and BMW Z4 that only have one win apiece.
Bentley also contested the Pirelli GT series in America but failed to
finish the first six races then rebounded with a win and a fourth at
Miller Motorsports Park in the last two races of the season. Cadillac
(yes, Cadillac) won the series with Audi, Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren
all ahead of Bentley. The Bentley team did beat the Dodge Viper, Aston Martin and Lamborghini teams, however, so they clearly belong in
this company. But reliability seems to be a major issue and experience
should help with that. Bentley really wanted prove a point, that their
production Continental GT3R (that anyone can buy) is at least a reasonably close relative to a race car.
½½ The Scalextric 1/32 Scale
Bentley Continental GT3
The Bentley looks like a massive car but modern GT cars have grown
so much that cars like the Audi R8 are the same width and, the pickup
pivot is actually further from the rear axle on the Scalextric Audi than
on the Bentley. Scalextric has done what Bentley did to make the Bentley about the same weight as the Audi, so the 1/32 scale Bentley should
be able to at least keep up with the Audi R8s Corvette C6Rs, Porsche
997s, Ford GTRs and McLaren 12Cs in an all-Scalextric GT3 class.
The Scalextric model is an excellent recreation of a car that has already
become an icon. The number 7 car even has pearlescent white that
Bentley applied to the introduction GT3 cars. There’s a full driver figure and detailed interior with operating head lights and tail lights. The
usual Scalextric sidewinder SP motor and gearing mean that the car
should run with most any Scalextric racer.
If you want to remove the downforce magnet from the Bentley for a
more challenging driving experience, you should replace the rear tires
with urethane or silicones like the number 1010 Super Tires on the
rear wheels. You may also need to add a 1/8-ounce of lead weight just
behind the front axle to keep the pickup braid in contact with the rails.
½½ How Fast Out-Of-The-Box?
The Scalextric Bentley has a sidewinder chassis that is nearly identical to many of their other 1/32 scale cars so its performance should
be a match for the Scalextric Porsche 997/911 GT3RS that we Race
Track Tested (out-of-the-box with stock tire and downforce magnets in
place) in the number 42 issue in a shoot-out with similar Porsches from
SCX, Carrera and Auto Art.
Model Car Racing Track Test:
"Out-of-the-Box" Lap Times
36-foot Scalextric
Indy F1 Course:
36-foot Carrera
Indy F1 Course:
Scalextric 2006 Porsche 911 GT3RS
4.30 sec.
4.29 sec.
SCX 2006 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
4.83 sec.
5.02 sec.
Auto Art 2006 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
3.88 sec.
3.87 sec.
NINCO 2006 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup/RSR
4.51 sec.
4.51 sec.
Carrera 2006 Porsche RS Spyder
3.66 sec.
3.58 sec.
The Auto Art 911 GT3 Cup was Race Track Tested in the January/February 2008 number
37 issue, the NINCO 911 GT3 Cup/RSR in the January/February 2008 number 37 issue, the
Carrera Porsche RS Spyder in the November/December 2007 number 36 issue, and the
Scalextric Porsche 997 and the SCX 911 GT3 Cup in the July/August 2008 number 40 issue.
½½ How Fast Magnet Free?
The Scalextric Bentley has a sidewinder chassis that is nearly identical
to many of their other 1/32 scale cars so its performance should be
a match for the Scalextric 2009 Ford GTR that we Race Track Tested
“Magnet-Free” (with the downforce magnet removed, 1/8-ounce of
weight and silicone rear tires) in the July/August 2011 number 58 issue
in a shoot-out with other cars in the Modern GT class.
"Magnet Free" Lap Times
Scalextric 2009 Ford GT-R
(sidewinder motor)
NINCO 2009 Ford GT-R
with NC-12 (NC-6) motor and 2.38:1 gears
Scalextric 2014 Bentley Continental GT3
The Prototype (the
The size the model
The dimensions of the
real car):
should be in 1/32 scale: Scalextric model:
NINCO 2009 Ford GT-R
Length:
195.0 in.
6.09 in. (154.6 mm)
6.09 in. (154.6 mm)
NINCO 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo
Width:
78.0 in.
2.44 in. (61.9 mm)
2.48 in. (62.9 mm)
Height:
53.0 in.
1.65 in. (42.0 mm)
1.68 in. (42.6 mm)
Wheelbase
NA
NA
3.37 in. (85.7 mm)
Track, Front:
NA
NA
2.07 in. (52.6 mm)
with NC-6 motor and 2.67:1 gears
Track, Rear:
NA
NA
2.07 in. (52.6 mm)
Tires, Front:
310 / 710 R18
NA
9.8 x 20.8 mm
Tires, Rear:
310 / 710 R18
NA
10.2 x 20.8 mm
Weight:
2,870 lbs.
NA
92 grams (3 1/4 oz.)
SPEC SHEET
Weight on Front Tires:
36 grams (1 1/4 oz.)
Weight on Rear Tires:
56 grams (2 oz.)
Magnetic Downforce on Carrera:
75 grams (2 3/4 oz.)
Magnetic Downforce on Scalextric:
85 grams (3 oz.)
Ground Clearance on Carrera:
0.9 mm (.035 in.)
Ground Clearance on Scalextric:
0.8 mm (.030 in.)
Pickup Lead (pivot to rear axle):
99.4 mm (3.92 in.)
Gear Ratio:
3.27:1 (11/36)
Source; Racer magazine July 2014, issue #262
8 Model Car Racing
NINCO 2007 Honda NSX Super GT
with NC-6 motor and Slot.it 3.601:1 gears
Fly 1996 Ferrari F40
(sidewinder motor)
Scalextric Cadillac LMP LeMans
(inline motor)
Avant Slot 2006 Audi R10 TDI LeMans
(inline motor)
36-foot Scalextric
Indy F1 Course:
36-foot Carrera
Indy F1 Course:
5.35 sec.
4.58 sec.
5.37 sec.
4.31 sec.
5.79 sec.
4.38 sec.
4.96 sec.
4.78 sec.
5.22 sec.
4.61 sec.
5.52 sec.
4.26 sec.
5.83 sec.
4.79 sec.
4.55 sec.
5.56 sec.
5.24 sec.
5.27 sec.
5.38 sec.
4.96 sec.
The lap times and other test results for all of the 269 track tests in the first 78 issues are available
on the website www.modelcarracingmag.com. The NINCO cars have anglewinder motors. The
NINCO 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo with NC-14 (NC-5) motor and 2.38:1 gearing and with 3.00:1
gearing was Race Track Tested in the September/October 2010 number 53 issue, the NINCO Honda
NSX Super GT car with Slot.it 3.60:1 gearing in the September/October 2006 number 29 issue, the
NINCO Lamborghini Gallardo with stock (2.67:1 ) gearing and the Fly Ferrari F40 in the September/
October 2008 number 41 issue, the Scalextric Cadillac Northstar LeMans LMP in the May/June
2006 number 27 issue, the Carrera Corvette C6R in the November/December 2006 number 30
issue and the Avant Slot Audi in the November/December 2007 number 36 issue.
The Bentley has the usual Scalextric SP motor as a
sidewinder with the downforce magnet beneath the
rear axle. There’s a second notch ahead of the motor to
provide a position for a second magnet or an alternate
location for one magnet. The “trap” door allows the
model to be converted to Scalextric Digital by just
replacing the trap door with a C8515 Digital Plug.
The number 7 Scalextric Bentley Continental GT3 has
a full interior with a full driver figure. The model also
has working headlights and tail lights.
The number 2 car is one of the "Super Resistant” series
with blacked-out windows and the interior molding is
there but no driver or details (or lights) are included.
The Bentleys have a white pearl finish that Scalextric
has reproduced nicely on the models. It contrasts
nicely white the roundels for the number 7s.
½½ The Bentley Racers
in 1/32 SCALE:
The number 1 car is a replica of the Bentley
Speed 6 that won LeMans in 1929 converted
from a Penelope Pitlane (from Pendle http://
pendleslotracing.co.uk/) cast-resin “Blower”
Bentley 4 ½ Liter kit with their etched-metal chassis that was in the January/February
2011 number 55 issue. The number 8 car is
the Carrera replica of the Bentley Speed 8
LMP that won LeMans outright in 2005 (it
was featured in the July/August 2002 number
4 issue). The number 7 car is the Scalextric
replica of the 2014 Bentley Continental GT3
that is currently racing.
Model Car Racing 9
Home Racing
Race Management with an App
Scalexctric ARC One
Now you can count and time laps, schedule pit stops and perform
a dozen and more race management options on any Scalextric
analog track. The Scalextric C8433 ARC One provides all these
race managed functions and sends them wirelessly to your
smartphone or tablet to be displayed on the device’s screen.
C8433 ARC One devise after you download
the app that is included with the unit.
The ARC One is designed to be a replacement
for the usual Scalextric controller-connector
track (Scalextric calls it a Powerbase). The
new Scalextric C8433 ARC One Powerbase
includes two controllers and a plug-in transformer. The system for sending information to
your smartphone or tablet is Bluetooth wireless
so no additional connections are necessary.
½½ Have It Your Way
If you already have a Scalextric track you can
use all of the computer information generated
with the app and still keep your existing power
supply and controllers---there’s a plug inside
the C8433 Powerbase that can be disconnected
to stop the electrical power from reaching the
rails. Disconnect that plug and you can continue to use whatever controllers and the power
you have for your track---the C8433 will function perfectly and it has its own plug-in power
supply. Be warned that you can void any warranty by disassembling the ARC One Powerbase. It should also be possible to remove the
sensors from the C8433 to fit them beneath
Carrera track but it would require some drilling and grinding on the track.
The Scalextric C8433 ARC One is a complete Powerbase to connect the controllers and power pack that are
included with the set to any existing Scalextric track.
Model car racing offers most of the challenges
of racing full-size cars. With model cars, however, you also have your own model car race
track. And, you can manage the races just like
they do our there in the real world. There are
several programs that you can buy to use a lap-
10 Model Car Racing
top or PC to display lap counts, lap times, race
results and even program pits stops for fuel
and/or for tires (with a penalty for leaving the
pits early). However, you can manage all those
race functions with a wireless connection to
your smartphone or tablet with Scalextric
The ARC One does not have a brake circuit,
however, the brake circuit on your existing
track will function properly as long as you
disconnect the C8433 from the track rails. The
lower-priced Scalextric race car sets do not
have a brake circuit. If you want brakes you
will need to use the Scalextric C8530 “Power
and Control” Powerbase which includes two
hand controllers with brake circuits.
½½ Scalextric ARC One Features:
SIX RACE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
In-Race settings can be toggled on or off and include:
• Jump Start: set a jump start penalty
should a driver jump the lights
• Start Reaction Times: records each driver’s reaction
time from when the lights go out to pulling the throttle
• Lap Counting & Timing: see your
current and remaining lap times
• Top Speed: records the fastest speed across the start line
• Fuel Load: when car runs out of fuel pit stops will be
required - miss the pits and risk disqualification
• Tire Wear: add another dimension to your race by
monitoring your tire wear and choosing the right time to pit
SEVEN RACE MODE OPTIONS:
• Grand Prix: race to the top of the podium! Avoid
incidents, plan your fuel, strategy and tire wear. Don’t
forget to set your best time in Qualify to start on pole
• Endurance Race: test your team’s endurance
over the duration of your choice
• My Garage Mode: list your slot car collection and
add favorites for quick and easy race selection. Log
all of your Scalextric track pieces and accessories
to see available layout options and save track
designs through names and photographs
PRE-RACE CONFIGURATION SETTINGS
• Change the driver details by entering the
driver's name and custom image
• Select your chosen car for each race
• Change the speed units between kmh
and mph and real or scale speed
• Quick Race: race instantly using pre-set
race types and in-race game play
• Use the interactive ARC app to create your
own Scalextric garage listing your slot car
collection, track pieces and accessories
• Drag Race: create your own drag strip using multiple
straights and try to beat your opponent’s finish times
• Log all your Scalextric track pieces and
accessories to see available layout options
• Practice: set the number of laps and
practice your racing skills
• Save track designs by giving them a
name and taking a photo
• Tournament: set the number of drivers in total
and per heat and let ARC work out the rest
• Post your race stats on Facebook or Twitter
With the unit in place and app installed, you can then view lap counting, lap timing and other race management options on your smartphone or tablet’s screen.
Model Car Racing 11
Tape the loose plug to the bottom of the track so the wires and plug allow the bottom
plate to fit firmly inside the track.
You can have the advantages of Scalextric ARC One and still retain you existing
controllers and power supply. Remove the bottom panel from the C8433 Powerbase.
The red and black wires supply power to the track. Unplug the single connector
(arrow) for the red and black wires so the only track power will come from your
existing power supply.
12 Model Car Racing
Install the bottom plate and all the screws. Plug-in the power cord and transformer
that are supplied with the C8433 so the unit has the power to record electronic
signals for all of the computer functions—your track power will be on a separate
(your original) circuit---the C8433 transformer will now only power the computer
functions.
Real Race Track Plans:
Silverstone 1948-49 Grand Prix Circuit in
9 X 19-Feet with (Optional) Lane-Changing for
Scalextric Classic, Sport, SCX, Ninco or Carrera
This Silverstone 1948-1949 Grand Prix Circuit is designed to fit on three 5 x 9-foot
Ping-Pong tables placed to form a 9 x 19-foot tabletop. There’s an index, by size, of
all the previously published track plans from Model Car Racing magazine and from
the four books by Robert Schleicher on our website www.modelcarracingmag.com.
In the fifties and sixties the Silverstone track utilized only the perimeter roads that provided access for emergency equipment and for aircraft to taxi into their hangers and
storage pads. Here, Graham Hill in the prototype Jaguar E-type Lightweight is on his way to third overall ahead of Masten Gregory’ Ferrari 250 GTO (which finished second) at
Silverstone on May 12, 1962. –LAT photo
■■Robert Schleicher
No, Silverstone was never a figure 8 track. For the first two years, however, the track utilized two of the criss-crossed runways as well as some
of the perimeter roads. The track ran down one runway almost to the
intersection of the next runway before making a 150-degree turn to run
up that adjacent runway. At the opposite end of the track, the course
ran up the lower half of the second runway to make a second 150-degree turn and head back down to the bottom of the first runway. Modelers would do it different, to be sure, allowing the track to run its full
length down each runway with an overpass at the intersection of the
two long runways. That’s what you see on these 1/32 scale versions of
the 1948-49 Silverstone track.
In the late forties, America, Europe and Australia were home again to
millions of men and women who had fought in World War II and those
who had provided resources for the war machines. These folks were
home, happy and ready to romp. But there were only a handful of race
tracks available and most were simple ovals. Road racing enthusiasts
staged events on the public roads but the public’s watchmen found that
too risky so most countries outlawed racing on the public thoroughfares.
The most obvious “roads” were the mostly-idle airfields leftover from the
War. Sebring is the most famous and the race survives, all-be-it on completely repaved and widened roads. In the late forties and early fifties
America even had General LeMay on the side of the road racers and he
instigated the use of a dozen U.S. Air Force airports as the sites for road
races in the late forties—that was stopped of course, but there is still a
vintage road race staged at Coronado near San Diego, California each
year and Sebring is still an international course. In England, many of the
airfields were actually grass---the aircraft landing gear was designed to
allow the planes to take off and land on such relatively rough surfaces--there was seldom time to pave new runways and bomb damage was
far easier to repair in a grass field than on a concrete runway.. The most
famous example is Goodwood. Most airfields are surrounded by paved
roads to reach both ends of all runways so maintenance and emergency
crews can get to the aircraft as quickly as possible.
With the airfield out of use, the roads remained and they offered a readymade race course. So, in the late forties, road races were held with cars
weaving around the service roads of Goodwood and, of course, Silverstone and many other sites. Silverstone’s landing strips, however, were
paved and I had wondered why the road racers used only the peripheral
Model Car Racing 13
access roads rather than the runways themselves. Turns out, they did race up and down
the runways, but only briefly. The first organized race (one suspects that there were many
midnight jousts on the track earlier) was the
RAC Grand Prix in 1948 and that track configuration was used through 1949. From 1950
on, the runways were parking lots and the race
course used only the perimeter roads. That was
the bent-rectangle-shaped Silverstone course
that most race fans recognize and it was modified with a variety of tight ess bends at Beckets,
Woodcote and Club and a new infield section
was added between Woodcote and Abbey.
Really, nothing remains of the original Silverstone circuit except the overall size and shape
but, under all that concrete and tar, lies the
foundations of motor racing in England.
½½ Silverstone 194849 in 1/32 Scale
They came so close to creating a figure 8 at
Silverstone. I just could not resist doing it
they way model car racers would prefer. For
us, the obvious solution would be an overpass so the longest straight can run the full
length of the available area. On this plan,
the straight is over 15-feet long. However, to
do that, the Silverstone plan had to be rearranged by flipping one half. The result is that
corners are not in order. I have retained the
original corner numbers so you can see that
the most famous turns at Silverstone are still
there, including (based on the 1948-1949 version): Woodcote, Copse, (the 150-degree Uturn they called Segrave), Maggots, Becketts,
Stowe, (the second 150-degree U-turn they
called Seaman), Club and Abbey. I have also
relocated the start-finish line to the beginning of the main straight to minimize firstcorner accidents and to give the start of each
race that wonderful drag-racing feeling.
There’s more information on a modern version
of Silverstone in November/December 2013
number 72 issue and on the full-size track’s
website www.silverstone.co.uk. There is also a
plan for a 12 x 20-foot four-lane version of the
1991-vintage Silverstone track (before it was
lengthened and widened) in the March/April
2004 number 14 issue (which was also reprinted in SLOT CAR RACING TIPS, TRICKS &
TRACK PLANS (both are out of print).
This a very large track. The 9 x 19-foot area
only provides space for the track---you will
need another three-feet around all four sides
so the corner marshals can reach the deslotted cars---you will, then, need an 11 x 25-foot
room. There is no easy way to reduce the size
of this track but, if you have even more room
it can be lengthened at the points marked “L”
on the plan. You could extend the plans for a
14 Model Car Racing
single 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop on the following page to fill a larger area, however. Both
plans provide the longest possible straight,
running diagonally from corner to corner.
The Scalextric, SCX and Ninco version has
only one tight turn, an increasing-radius cure
through turn T4. All of other curves are either
the “outer” or “outer-outer” curves so this will
be a track that allows you to drive with the
rhythm of racing a full-size car---there’s none
of the tight stop-and-go/point-and-shoot
segments that are common on most smaller
tabletop tracks. If you are running cars stuckdown with magnets, you can probably run
all the way from start through turns T1, T11
and T9, then down the shorter straight at full
throttle with only a blip or two at the curve
transitions. With magnet-free cars, the majority of track can be taken in a long series
of wild powerslides. The overpass is short so
you can use the support stands from Scalextric, SCX and Ninco to get the track up and
over the main straight.
The track plans indicate two positions for the
controller-connector track ("A" on the plans)
so the drivers can be positioned at different
areas of the track for conventional analog
cars. If you are using the digital systems, only
ONE connector track can be used. If you try
to use two connector tracks you will burn-out
some of the circuits in one or both of the connector tracks. Scalextric, Ninco and Carrera
offer extension cables so you can position the
drivers around the track or you can opt for
the wireless control systems from Scalextric,
Ninco and Carrera.
½½ More Information:
SILVERSTONE, THE HOME OF BRITISH
MOTOR RACING, by Chris Parker, 288
pages, published by Haynes, ISBN 978-085733-0727. A year by year account of racing
on track that now hosted British round of the
Formula 1 World Championship.
The Carrera version utilizes their 20587 Crossing (overpass, “R” on plan) to elevate the short
straight over the main straight. There are a
wider variety of turns on the Carrera version,
from relatively tight hairpin turns at T1, T10
and T7 and a tight ess bend through T2 and
T3. Turn T11 is a broad radius that can be taken much faster than turns T1 and T10. Turn
T4 is an increasing radius that can, with practice, be taken at an accelerating speed with the
car drifting through the “outer-outer-outer”
giant Carrera curves. Turn T5 is broad enough
to be considered a straight as the cars decelerate to negotiate turn T7 before blasting down
that 15-foot straight.
½½ Digital Racing Systems
Both plans for 1/32 scale tracks include suggested positions for the Scalextric Sport
Digital, Ninco N-Digital or Carrera Pro-X
or Carrera Digital 132 lane-changers. You
may discover that you want to relocate the
lane changers or use lane-changers to route
the cars in a different direction after you have
raced on the track for a few hours.
The 1948-11949 version of Silverstone with the
course utilizing half of both of the long runways
as well as most of perimeter roads. The turns are
numbered to match those on the Silverstone track as
it appears today.
On the Scalextric Classic, Sport, SCX and
Ninco version there are two possible locations for the double-crossing straight lanechangers at any of the places marked with
an "X" to provide the optimum number of
chances for passing.
There are three positions for lane-changers
on the Carrera version and they are shown as
single-lane changers but I would recommend
you opt for Carrera's number 30347 double
lane-changers at these locations.
This track is designed to fill three 5 x 9-foot
ping-pong tabletops, one at each end and the third
tabletop placed at 90 degrees to the two at the ends.
TRACK PLAN
2-Lane Silverstone 1948-49 Grand Prix Circuit
In 9 X 19-Feet
List of Scalextric Classic, Sport, SCX or Ninco Track Required
There were three intersecting aircraft runways at
Silverstone in the forties. During 1948 and 1949 the
two longest runways and connecting perimeter roads
were used as a race course. From 1950, however, only
the perimeter roads were used. The names were not
actually used for runways but they define what would
later be significant corners at Goodwood.
Key
Quantity
Description
Key
Quantity
Description
H
0
1/2 Standard Curve
E
0
1/4-Straight
S
2
Standard Curve
D
1
1/2-Straight
O
25
Outer Curve
B
22
Full-Straight
OO
15
Outer-Outer Curve
A
2
Connector Track
F
2
"Short" Straight
L
X If you are assembling the track with Scalextric
Sport Digital, 1 1/2 straights at these points can be
replaced with the C7036 double-crossover straight
lane-changer.
Track can be expanded in length by adding
matched pairs of straight track sections here.
T Turns on the model versions of the track.
The heavy lines are the path of the modern Silverstone
Formula 1 track (that was in the November/December
2013 number 72 issue )---the lighter lines are the
route the course used in 1948 and 1949. The roads
and runways used for the first two years of racing
at Silverstone, in 1948 and 1949, utilized the two
longest paved runways from Copse down to Stowe
and from Maggots down to Club (the intersection of
the two runways is shown with dashed lines). There
a was a third runway that crossed the two, running
from Woodcote to Becketts but it is not indicated on
the plan. The 1948-49 version used the two longest
runways but it only ran up to the intersections, with a
pair of 150-degree turns to join the track to the nearest
runway. That was great on the full-size track but, on a
model car racing track, we want the longest straights
possible---so, for these plans, I used full the length of
the two “runways” but added an overpass where the
runways intersected so the longest straight can run
over 15-feet between corners.
To build the plan with NINCO track you will need
about 10-percent more space and you may need
some additional short straights to get everything to
line up properly.
TRACK PLAN
If you are using NINCO N-Digital, the 40207 double
Lane-changers can be substituted for any standard
straight.
For 2-Lane Silverstone 1948-49 Grand Prix Circuit In
9 X 19-Feet:
List of Carrera Conventional Track Required
Key
Quantity
Description
Key
Quantity
Description
H
2
20577 1/2 Inner Curve R1
E
8
20612 1/4-Straight
S
11
20571 Inner Curve R1
D
1
20611 1/3-Straight
O
4
20572 Middle Curve R2
B
17
20509 Full-Straight
OO
4
20573 Outer Curve R3
R
1
20587 Crossing (overpass)
4 pr. (8)
20578 Outer-Outer Curve R4
A
2
20583 Connector Track
OOO
L
NOTE: If you are using the Carrera Digital 132 lanechanging system any adjoining pairs of standardlength straights ("B") may be placed with Carrera
Digital 132 lane-changing tracks. The plans
show the locations for the Carrera Digital number
30343 right-hand and 30345 left-hand lanechangers, you can substitute the Carrera Digital
132 number 30347 double-X lane-changer at any
of these places and provide twice the passing
opportunities.
Model Car Racing 15
Race Tracks
On a Tabletop:
Silverstone 1948-49 Circuit on a
5 X 9-Foot Ping-Pong Tabletop with
(Optional) Lane-Changing for Scalextric
Classic, Sport, SCX, Ninco or Carrera
This Silverstone 1948-1949
Grand Prix Circuit is designed
to fit on a 5 x 9-foot Ping-Pong
tabletop. There’s an index,
by size, of all the previously
published track plans from
Model Car Racing magazine and
from the four books by Robert
Schleicher on our website
www.modelcarracingmag.com.
Silverstone was never a figure-8 track but, in 1948-49, it was close,
with the two diagonal straights (runways) diverting 150-degrees just
before they crossed. These plans are condensed versions of the massive
9 x 19-foot plans for this model car racing adaptation of the 1948-49
Silverstone track on pages 13-15. With the overpass, the main straight
can extend diagonally from one corner of the tabletop to the opposite
corner. The corners on both ends of the straights are the tight standard
(“S”) curves for all of these brands to allow a straight that is over fivefeet long.
The Scalextric, SCX or Ninco version also has their largest-radius turns
at T4 and T9 to provide a variety of cornering speeds, especially since,
with figure 8, each lane has a different radius on the opposite ends of
16 Model Car Racing
the track. You can use the support stands from Scalextric, SCX and
Ninco to get the track up and over the main straight.
The Carrera curves are broader than those of other brands so there is
just room to use all standard-size Carrera curves, however, there is a
tight ess bend through turns T3 ad T4. The Carrera 20587 Crossing
(overpass, “R” on plan) can be used for overpass but turns T3 and T4
will need to be elevated using the Carrera 85201 “Support Set Tubes”
to elevate curve.
½½ DIGITAL RACING SYSTEMS
Both plans include suggested positions for the Scalextric Sport Digital,
Ninco N-Digital or Carrera Pro-X or Carrera Digital 132 lane-changers. You may discover that you want to relocate the lane changers or use
lane-changers to route the cars in a different direction after you have
raced on the track for a few hours.
On the Scalextric Classic, Sport, SCX and Ninco version there are two
possible locations for the double-crossing straight lane-changers at any
of the places marked with an "X" to provide the optimum number of
chances for passing.
There are two positions for lane-changers on the Carrera version and
they are shown as single-lane changers but I would recommend you opt
for Carrera's number 30347 double lane-changers at these locations.
The track plans indicate two positions for the controller-connector
track ("A" on the plans) so the drivers can be positioned at different areas of the track for conventional analog cars. If you are using the digital
systems, only ONE connector track can be used. If you try to use two
connector tracks you will burn-out some of the circuits in one or both
of the connector tracks. Scalextric, Ninco and Carrera offer extension
cables so you can position the drivers around the track or you can opt
for the wireless control systems from Scalextric, Ninco and Carrera.
TRACK PLAN
2-Lane Silverstone 1948-49 Circuit
on a 5 X 9-Foot Ping-Pong Tabletop:
L
Track can be expanded in length by adding matched pairs of straight track
sections here.
List of Scalextric Classic, Sport, SCX or Ninco Track Required
Key
Quantity
Description
Key
Quantity
Description
H
1
1/2 Standard Curve
E
0
1/4-Straight
S
7
Standard Curve
D
1
1/2-Straight
O
0
Outer Curve
B
7
Full-Straight
OO
13
Outer-Outer Curve
A
2
Connector Track
F
3
"Short" Straight
TRACK PLAN
To build the plan with NINCO track you will need about 10-percent more space
and you may need some additional short straights to get everything to line up
properly.
X If you are assembling the track with Scalextric Sport Digital, 1 1/2 straights at
these points can be replaced with the C7036 double-crossover straight lanechanger.
If you are using NINCO N-Digital, the 40207 double Lane-changers can be
substituted for any standard straight.
2-Lane Silverstone 1948-49 Circuit
on a 5 X 9-Foot Ping-Pong Tabletop
L
List of Carrera Conventional Track Required
Key
Quantity
Description
Key
Quantity
Description
H
3
20577 1/2 Inner Curve R1
E
2
20612 1/4-Straight
S
11
20571 Inner Curve R1
D
1
20611 1/3-Straight
O
0
20572 Middle Curve R2
B
4
20509 Full-Straight
OO
0
20573 Outer Curve R3
R
1
20587 Crossing (overpass)
OOO
1/2 (1)
20578 Outer-Outer Curve R4
A
2
20583 Connector Track
NOTE: If you are using the Carrera Digital 132 lanechanging system any adjoining pairs of standard-length
straights ("B") may be placed with Carrera Digital 132
lane-changing tracks. The plans show the locations for the
Carrera Digital number 30343 right-hand and 30345 lefthand lane-changers, you can substitute the Carrera Digital
132 number 30347 double-X lane-changer at any of these
places and provide twice the passing opportunities.
Model Car Racing 17
Race Tracks For
Your Home:
HO 4-Lane Silverstone 1948-49
Circuit for a 4 X 8-Foot Tabletop
This track is an HO version of the Silverstone 1948-1949 Circuit on
pages 13-15. The turns are numbered corresponding to those on the
full-size track but, because the track has been inverted to create a figure 8, the turn numbers are not in sequence. The quick succession of
ess bends through turns T1, T11 and T9 to Turn T4 utilize matching
9/12-inch curves. There’s a broad radius 90-degree bend through turn
T4 and a tight 120—degree hairpin at turn T7. All of the straights are
15-inch unless marked.
The majority of the HO plans in this magazine squeeze as much track
as possible into a 4 x 8-foot area. The Silverstone 1948-1949 Circuit is
typical in having the longest possible straight on an 8-foot long table,
but it would be more enjoyable to race on with the straight longer than
the typical six-feet or so. It can be difficult to design a plan for, say, 4 x
16-feet that can be shrunk to fit a 4 x 8-foot area. So we present them all
uptight and hope that you’ll expand them to 4 x 10 or 4 x 24-feet to get
18 Model Car Racing
those wondrous 20-foot straight-aways. Most of the plans are marked
with “L” letters indicating just where to insert the additional sets of
straight track sections to expand the track to any length.
TRACK PLAN
HO 4-Lane Silverstone 1948-1949 Circuit to fit a 4 x 8-foot tabletop.
AFX Track Sections Required
Quantity
Description
Quantity
Description
6
3-inch Straight
6
9-inch 90-degree Curve
2
6-inch Straight
13
16
15-inch Straight
3
0
3
1
Digital Racing
Carrera Digital 132 Wireless+ Control
Carrera has an updated controller system for their Digital 132
track with wireless controllers using 2.4 GHz to send the signals
to the track. The controllers have a range of up to 149 feet.
While it is nice not have a tether to the track when racing, the Wireless+ controllers also allow you to put your own deslotted car back into
the slot and resume racing from that spot. It makes running alone for
practice or lap times much more enjoyable.
The Carrera Wireless+ controllers in the number 10109 function just
like the Carrera Digital 132 tethered controllers to allow you to program the cars to match the new controller. The special Wireless+ track
section is only to provide a place to recharge the battery in the wireless controller---the Carrera Digital 132 Control Unit still provides the
“brains” to operate the system (but the original tethered controllers no
longer need to be plugged in). The batteries are recharged whenever
the controllers are plugged-into their sockets beside the track. Carrera
suggests that a full charge should be enough for about eight hours of
racing. Usually, the time between races is enough to renew the charge
for the next race.
Carrera has enough Wireless+ options so you can buy just one controller with a single recharging base (the 10110 set), or two controllers with
a recharging base for the two (the 10109 set). Additional controllers are
also available so you can run up to six cars with Wireless+ controllers
from any recharging base. You can, of course, only charge one (or two)
controllers at a time. Another option is to just buy one or two controllers so one or two drivers can get further away from the Powerbase and
out of each other’s way and the remaining two, three or four drivers can
use the original tethered controllers.
The 2.4 GHz Wireless+ Receiver (dongle) plugs into the 30352 Control
unit (not shown---where the power transformer is connected). Carrera also offers 30369 Bluetooth Adapter to use Carrera's free app and
wireless connection between your smartphone or tablet and the 30352
Carrera Control Unit to display lap counting, timing, race management
and other race features on your smartphone or tablet.
The Carrera number 10109 Digital 132 Wireless+ unit includes:
- 2 - 2.4 GHz Wireless+ Speed Controller
- 1 - 2.4 GHz Wireless+ Receiver
- 1 - 2.4 GHz Wireless+ Double Charging Station
- 1 Adapter Unit
- 1 Shoulder for straight
- 1 End Sections Outside Shoulder (Left/Right)
- Lithium-Polymer Battery
- Instructions
Model Car Racing 19
You can still use the original tethered Carrera Digital 132 controllers so two cars can be operated with them, plus two with the Wireless+ controllers.
Additional controllers are available so you can run four cars with the Wireless+
controllers (and two more with the original tethered Digital 132 controllers) or you
can operate six cars, with six Wireless+ controllers.
The base of the Wireless+ controller houses a very light weight rechargeable lithiumpolymer battery.
20 Model Car Racing
The Wireless+ controllers have the same size grip and throttle button as the tethered
controllers so they will feel the same---the battery and recharging socket is housed
in the extended base of each Wireless+ controller.
Historic Road Racing
MODELANT 1938 ALFA ROMEO 8C2900B
Modelant is producing hand-made cast-resin ready-to-race replicas
of the Alfa Romeo 8C2900B that won the 1938 Mille Miglia.
■■Bill Deuroen
Road racing in the thirties was often conducted on public roads, as well
as on dedicated race tracks. The most famous road race was the Mille
Miglia in Italy, about 1000 kilometers of racing on narrow two-lane
roads (not all of them paved) that looped around Italy. The cars that
contested the majority of road races really were machines you could
buy in a showroom. You would, though, have to be very wealthy indeed
to afford a car like the Alfa Romeo 8C2900B.
The German régime was funding firms like Mercedes Benz to produce cars that would win road races and, with different cars, Grand
Prix races. The SSKL Mercedes was the Bugatti Veyron of the twenties. Alfa Romeo met Mercedes head-on with the lovely 8C2900B. Alfa’s 2,905 cc. straight 8, twin-cam supercharged engine that had been
developed in the 8C-35 Grand Prix car was fitted to the 8C2900B
with similar suspension. The Alfas were, then, 225 horsepower Grand
Prix cars with wider (and much more voluptuous) bodies just barely
wide enough for two, and fenders. It worked very well, indeed. The
8C2900B racers finished first and second in the last Mille Migila before World War II.
Clemente Biondetti won the 1938 Mile Miglia driving car number 143
with Carlo Pintacuda in car number 142 second. There seem to be
more published photos of the second place car but the two do appear to
be very similar. There were two more 8C2900s in the 1938 Mille Miglia
but the third place car (that had won in 1937, driven by Piero Dusio)
was a cycle-fendered 8C2900A machine that was quite different. Alfa
apparently made four of these racing “spider” roadsters with Touring
Superleggera bodies but I have been unable to determine what type of
body was fitted to the fourth car.
The 8C2900B that finished second in 1938 Mille Miglia has become
the more famous of two because it survived World War II to race in
America, first in the hands of publisher Tommy Lee in Southern California who raced the car at Watkins Glen and Pikes Peak in 1949 and,
more famously, raced by Phil Hill. Phil made history by driving the car
to win a number of races in California in 1951. Ralph Lauren commissioned Paul Russell and Company to restore the car to its 1938 form.
There’s an article on how to build a replica of Phil Hill’s 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C2900B, from the Bum Slot cast-resin body and Penelope Pitlane
chassis in the January/February 2009 number 43 issue. Modelant has
created a much more detailed replica of the winning car and it and the
second place car were virtually identical.
Two of these 8C2900B Alfa Romeos also competed in the 1947 Mille
Miglia, a race that was won by the larger and heavier coupe version of
the Alfa like the Slot Classics model on pages 49-53. You could stage a
1/32 scale version of the 1947 Mille Miglia with both of these gorgeous
Alfa Romeos.
Model Car Racing 21
½½ Road Racing In The Thirties
½½ Modelant 8C2900B Alfa
Romeo in 1/32 Scale
Modelant (www.modelant.com) is a relatively new company that specializes in producing hand-made cast-resin replicas of some of the
more famous race cars of the thirties. Their first model was a recreation of the 1940 Ferrari 815, the first Ferrari and a car that was also
raced in the Mille Miglia (but retired). There’s an article on the model
in the July/August 2013 number 69 issue. The master patterns are hand
sculpted and the bodies are produced in lightweight cast resin. The
cars are assembled by hand. There’s a new chassis with a separate motor pod with an inline FF motor and spherical axle bearings (like Slot.
it). The pod can be tightened or loosed to tune the handling and the
pickup is also mounted on a separate molding so it can be moved forward or back. The front axle vertical travel can be adjusted to set Ride
Height. The wheels are plastic with etched wire wheel inserts. There’s a
bar-shaped downforce magnet located just ahead of the rear axle. The
model is an absolute jewel and, appropriately is supplied with a hefty
wood display/storage box with an “antiqued” fire and oak finish. Only
300 will be produced. The Modelant model is $259.95 from Electric
Dreams (www.electricdreams.com).
Modelant 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C2900B Touring Mille Miglia
Plastic Kits:
Injection molded plastic kits were available in the eighties for
a variety of thirties era sports cars and some are available on
eBay or in shops including :
Matchbox
Pyro
(now made by Revell-Germany):
(now sold by Hawk Models):
• MG-TC
• Aston Martin International
(boxy square tail, plain cowl)
• Mercedes SSKL
• Bugatti Type 59 3.3 liter
• Aston Martin Ulster
• Jaguar SS100
• Duesenburg SJ
• Auto-Union D
Airfix (now sold by Hornby):
• MG K3
• Bugatti Type 35
• Aston Martin International.
Speedster (rounded boat
tail, dual cowl bumps)
• Alfa Romeo 1931 6c1750 kit # C320
• Bugatti Type 59
• Bugatti Atlantic
Type 57 coupe
• Bentley 3 Liter
supercharged
SPEC SHEET
The Prototype
(the real car):
The size the model should
be in 1/32 scale:
The dimensions of the
Modelant model:
• Bentley 3 liter supercharged • Bentley Speed 6
Length:
181.4 in.**
5.67 in. (143.9 mm)
5.38 in. (136.5 mm)
• Alfa Romeo 6c 1750
Width:
70.9 in. **
2.22 in. (56.2 mm)
2.17 in. (55.0 mm)
Height:
NA
NA
1.48 in. (37.6 mm)
Wheelbase
108.0 in.* (110.0 **)
3.37 in. (85.7 mm)
3.37 in. (85.7 mm)
Track, Front:
53.0 in.
1.76 in. (44.7 mm)
1.80 in. (45.6 mm)
Track, Rear:
53.0 in.
1.76 in. (44.7 mm)
1.78 in. (45.3 mm)
Tires, Front:
5.50-19
4.4 x 23.8
5.9 x 24.1 mm
Tires, Rear:
5.50-19
4.4 x 23.8
5.9 x 24.1 mm
Weight:
NA
NA
48 grams (1 5/8 oz.)
90 grams (3 oz.)
36 grams (1 oz.)
5 grams (1/4 oz.)
7 grams (3/8 oz.)
3.0 mm (.120 in.)
2.9 mm (.115 in.)
90.1 mm (3.55 in.)
Gear Ratio:
3.00:1 (9/27)
Ralph Lauren’s 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C2900B has been restored to match the
appearance of the car as it was when it finished second overall in the 1938 Mille
Miglia. The 8C2900B that won that 1938 Mille Miglia appears be identical except
for racing number 143 and the license plate. The car was part of the Phil Hill tribute
exhibit at the 2008 Monterey Historics.
SOURCE: GREAT MARQUES, ALFA ROMEO by David Owen, ISBN 1-55521-425-8 (out of print)
*Classic and Sports Car, April 2007
**These dimensions are a rough guide, taken from Brumm’s 1/43 scale die-cast model
MILLE MIGLIA, THE WORLD’S GREATEST ROAD RACE, by Anthony Pirtchard, Haynes Publishing, ISBN 978-1-84425-139-1, 164
pages, 8 in color. Descriptions of the manufacturers' cars, interviews
with drivers and top ten results for all of the Mille Miglias from the first
one in 1927 to the last in 1956.
ATMOSPHERE AND LIGHT: THE AUTOMOTIVE PAINTINGS OF
BARRY ROWE, 156 pages, F David Bull Publishing, ISBN 1-89316834 X is a collection of his impressionists scenes with realistic automobiles. His work is magnificent and has graced a half dozen covers of the
Pebble Beach Concours and Monterey Historics programs.
22 Model Car Racing
Phil Hill raced the Alfa 8C2900B in 1951 with twin Brooklands windscreens and red
wire wheels as illustrated on the photograph in the background of the exhibit at the
2008 Monterey Historics.
The detail work on the Modelant Alfa is virtually flawless. Subtle details like hood hinge bars, a mesh grill, the hole for the engine-starting crank in the grill, the correctly curved
windscreens, fender bolt heads, a route map in the navigator’s hands and appropriate headgear for driver and navigator are all there.
Model Car Racing 23
The cast-resin chassis has a separate motor pod and separate mount for the pickup
There’s small downforce magnet which might be useful to keep such a relatively tall
(and valuable) car upright.
The cars from the thirties and forties sat high enough to leave room beneath the
driver’s and navigator’s legs for a slim FF-size motor.
24 Model Car Racing
The model is supplied with a hefty wood display/storage box with an “antiqued” fire
and oak finish. A plastic display base is also included.
HO Racing:
AFX Pit Building
It has been a decade or more since pit buildings were available for HO
race tracks. Faller produced some about 20 years ago, and AFX Aurora
had plastic HO track buildings in the sixties. Now, AFX is producing a
modern era pit garage kit. The kit is easy and quick to assemble. The kit
is thick card with photo-reproduced details in full color. All of the interior walls are also detailed, including simulated lights on the ceiling.
There are shadows around the trim and other features that provide a
three-dimensional effect on both the interior and exterior. It is a clever
one-piece design so no cutting is necessary and many of the folds are
already done. The building assembles with simple tabs with doublestick tape (supplied with the kit) to secure the joints. The pit building
is $15.99. It is a recreation of a modern era pit garage with ample room
for one car in each bay. A row of two or more of these Pit Buildings sitting side-by-side will instantly increase the realism of your track.
The HO race cars are seldom exact 1/87 scale to match HO model railroads. The HO race cars are designed to fit the available chassis so the
actual scale can vary from about 1/72 to 1/64. The 1/64 scale figures
are about the right size for any of HO car but 1/64 scale pit crews are
no longer being produced. Some of the workers and mechanics in the
Artista series from Scale Figures (www.scalefigures.com/) can be used
for pit crews and spectators. The hand-painted figures are for about
$6.00 each. You may be also able to find some 1/64 plastic soldier kits
to paint.
Model Car Racing 25
The kit includes complete instructions. Follow them carefully so you do not bend any
of the pieces in the wrong direction.
Remove one side of the strip’s covering and press the strip in place---leave the
second protective strip over the self-adhesive strip until that tab is assembled.
Apply all the self-adhesive strips before you begin assembling the building.
Fold over all the tabs and crease them by running your finger over the fold to
produced square corners. Note that there is one fold line that is perforated. It will be
folded in the opposite direction of all the other folds when the walls are assembled.
The instructions are numbered in steps to show the best sequence to assemble the
pit building. Start by joining the corners of the rear and side walls.
The kit includes double-stick tape strips but each one must be cut with scissors. Cut
the strips in half lengthwise then to length to fit the marked locations on the outside
surfaces before assembling the buildings.
It is a relatively simple box but the overhang above the pit doors is an interesting
touch. Bend the overhanging ceiling and upper story along the perforated line into a
Z-shaped (when viewed from the side) and press the seam firmly to make the folds a
true 90-degrees or more.
26 Model Car Racing
Attach the corners of the upper story first so you will
have room to reach inside to attach the door frames.
Attach the corners of the upper story, the roof
overhang and the sides of the door frames.
Use a small screwdriver to gently pry-open the slits
in the floor for the tabs on the bottoms of the door
frames. I moved the self-adhesive tape from the tops
of the tabs at the bottom of the door frames to the
top of those tabs so the tabs could fold beneath the
building.
The pit building occupies just 9 x 5 /18-inches of tabletop. The pit apron adds another 4 ½ x 18-inches but you can
place the building as close to the track as necessary.
The pit apron folds at each end so you can joint two or more of the buildings side-by-side.
Model Car Racing 27
Your Track
Slot Mods 6 X 12-Foot
Standard Raceway
One of the few downsides to racing model cars on a tabletop is that the tracks are seldom as realistic as the cars. Sure, the focus of this hobby is racing but those realistic cars
look even faster when they are rushing by static objects like pits, grandstands, trees and guard rails. It is that “whole world” concept that makes SlotMods tracks so attractive.
SlotMods (www.slotmods.com) new standard track design is this 6 x
12-foot two-lane raceway. This track was featured on NBC'S TODAY
SHOW on October 15th. It comes standard with a lap timing system
and Slot.it analog wireless controllers. The track is routed in smooth
MDF board and the pickup strips are braid.
• Slot Mods 14 x 14-foot Wood Ford Global Laguna Raceway,
Issue #57
You can have it delivered ready-to-race for $75,000.00. Or, you can use
SlotMods scenery-building techniques developed for model railroads to
finish their custom-built tracks to make your own plastic track just as
realistic. The scenery is shaped with blue or pink insulation foam, then
covered with a layer of Hydrocal plaster and textured with Woodland
Scenics ground foam glued tightly to the surface. Most of the trees and
bushes are ready-built items from Noch, Faller and Woodland Scenics.
• Zak Brown’s 15 x 25-foot Wood SlotMods Slag Raceway,
Issue #61
This is the eleventh SlotMods track we have featured. All eleven are available at www.modelcarracingmag.com under top bar “Sample Issues”.
• SlotMods Four-Lane 10 x 10-Foot Wood Pebble Beach
Raceway, Issue #59
• Tom Abrams’ 7 x 30-Foot Four-Lane Wood SlotMods Reliable
Raceway, Issue #63
• Don Edward’s SlotMods 8 x 16-Foot Riverside Raceway,
Issue #65
• SlotMods 8 x 20-foot Three-Lane Martin European Odyssey
Track, Issue #67 • Jim Farley’s SlotMods 6 x 12-foot 2-Lane Wood Corkscrew
Raceway, issue #53
• SlotMods 12 x 30-foot LeMay Museum Raceway, Issue #69
• Rick Burr’s 8 x 16-Foot 3-Lane SlotMods Wood Vintage MidOhio Raceway, Issue #55
• SlotMods 2-Lane Wood 4 x 15-foot 1969 Trans-Am Camaro
Z28 “Tribute” Track, Issue #71
28 Model Car Racing
SlotMods has created a “standard” track for those that want have the best without the need confer on design and
size. This is the 6 x 12-foot two-lane that you can have delivered within a few months.
There are a variety of curves on the track but it is visually
exciting because of the elevation changes as it climbs
up the sweeping turn at one end and switchbacks down
through the center to the main straight.
The track has flavor of courses like Nurburgring or Spa where the track winds through the countryside.
“Standard” has a rather broad meaning when applied a SlotMods track. All of the detailed scenery, scratchbuilt grandstands and pits, and dozen of figures are part of the package.
Model Car Racing 29
Gerard Larrousse and Henri Pescarolo driving the number 7 Matra MS670B to win LeMans in 1974 — LAT Photo.
30 Model Car Racing
Model Car Racing 31
Tech Tips:
Vintage Racing - Chris Walker’s
Monogram 1964 Lola GT MK.VI
Many clubs are adding a “True Vintage” class to their
championship series. A lot of us were racing back in the
sixties and it is a trip back in time to see the very same cars
racing again. It is often a shock to see that those older cars
are just about as quick as the cars being produced today.
■■Chris Walker
The Monogram 1964 Lola Mk.VI leading a Strombecker Ferrari Dino and a Strombecker Cheetah. Just as it was back in the day….
For many “experienced” slotsters, the Monogram 1/32 kits from the
mid 60’s were our first foray into the “high tech” world of slotcars...a
kit you had to build...an adjustable brass chassis, thread-on aluminum
wheels, highly detailed body, decals, tools, and that new fangled “Tiger” X100 motor...a kid could not be any happier!
the Augie Pabst/Walt Hansgen car from the 1964 Sebring 12 hour race.
(The chassis modifications in this article will work with any vintage
Monogram 1/32 scale car)
Once built, it was so fast it disappeared from the Eldons and old Strombeckers that most of us were thrashing around on our basement plastic
tracks. As racers, the hunt for speed was constant, and as hotter motors came on the market (almost weekly) they were duly installed. It
was at this point that the weakness(s) of the Monogram chassis became
evident. It was flimsy, bent easily, and just would not handle the power
of any motor much more powerful than the stock 16D Tiger...so...the
process of chassis bracing/strengthening began.
These are some of the chassis modifications we made back then, and a
few I wish we had done. The car utilizes the original stock parts, as it
has been built in order to comply with the rules for most vintage model
car classes...vintage parts! This is the Monogram 1/32 Lola GT, one of
my favorites from the series. It has been painted/decaled to represent
32 Model Car Racing
Most of the race cars in sixties were only available as kits so you had to learn to
build to be able to race.
The chassis halves have been soldered
together.... while this makes future
wheelbase adjustments a pain, it
certainly strengthens the chassis. If you
have a building jig, wonderful, if not,
you can carefully measure to ensure
that the axles are absolutely parallel.
Pieces of .055 piano wire “L” shapes,
brace the rear bushing uprights, and an
.055-inch “C” shaped piece braces the
chassis front. (The .055-inch piano wire
is available at most hobby and hardware
stores.)
A piece of .055 piano wire is used to
brace the front bushing plates and the
vertical ends of the wire also act to limit
the left-/right pivot of the guide shoe
......the stock set-up allows the guide
shoe to rotate under the chassis, either
getting stuck, or worse, dislocating the
lead wires. (leave the downward legs a
little long until you mount your guide...
measure, then trim).
A .063 brass (heavy) pan was cut,
drilled and counter sunk...it will be
hung under the chassis and will
be attached with machine screws/
nuts. The holes in the pan align with
the slots on the main chassis. Some
hardware stores carry 4-40 x 1-inch
screws that you can cut down to
¼-inch or 4-40 x ¼ inch flat head
screws (to attach the brass pan). The
screws are available through Zoro
(www.zoro.com) for $3.67 per 100
pack and you can use the leftover
Monogram nuts if you solder the
chassis.
The finished chassis, with a rewound/
balanced “Tiger” motor installed. This
car easily stays with any of my modified
modern day plastic chassis cars!
Two long pieces of .055 wire are
soldered to the chassis bottom....these
really help the chassis performance,
and as these chassis’ had a ton of
ground clearance, there are no issues.
When soldering in the rear bushings
(highly recommended), use some set-up
wheels to lift the chassis completely
off of your set-up block (again, any flat
surface will do), Ensure that all 4 wheels
touch the ground, then solder the rear
bushings. This will ensure that the
chassis is aligned horizontally, and will
compensate for any minor chassis twists.
(You can use wheels/gears or small
blocks for your set up wheels.......just
make sure that they are the same size.
Reinforce the motor-mounting bracket
with a piece of .055 wire soldered to the
outside of the bracket....another very
weak area. Make sure you solder this on
the opposite side of the screw hole lugs.
The body is assembled just as Monogram intended including the brass molleys inside
the mounting posts to provide secure threads for the three body-mounting screws.
Model Car Racing 33
Formula 1
Scalextric has two new replicas of the 1968 McLaren M7C, one that recreates
the car as it raced early in the season with two wings and another that recreates
the McLaren after the FIA outlawed the wings. Both models are designed to
compete with the Lotus 49 cars, as they did in the real world, in 1968.
McLaren entered Formula 1 as a constructor when the rules changed
from 1 1/2-liter engines to 3-liter engines in 1966, but with little success. Denny Hulme had won the 1967 Formula 1 title in his Brabham in
1967 and he opted to join fellow New Zealander Bruce McLaren’s team
in 1968. The 1968 McLaren M7A was a vastly better car than the previous machines and Denny Hulme finished third overall in 1968 while
Bruce himself managed fourth overall. The 1968 McLaren M7A won
the Belgian, Italian and Canadian Grands Prix to finish third overall,
and the McLarens were third overall again in 1969, helped by Denny
Hulme’s one win at the final Grand Prix of 1969 in Mexico City. The
McLarens were powered with Ford Cosworth DFV 90º V8 engines
with 2,993 cc displacement, producing about 430 horsepower in a car
that weighed about 1,228 pounds.
There were, effectively, only three races in the history of Formula 1
where you could have likely seen the cars with both a rear and a front
wing, the 1969 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, the Spanish
Grand Prix at Montjuich and Monaco. The wings were outlawed in
1969 after the third race of the season. Most of the teams tried them
including Lotus, Matra, Brabham and McLaren. Jackie Stewart was the
1969 Formula 1 World Champion in his Matra, with Jackie Ickx third
in the Brabham and Bruce McLaren fourth in the McLaren.
The two Scalextric replicas of the M7C McLaren are, in effect, “before and after” the short high wing era. The low wing version complies
34 Model Car Racing
with the revised 1968 FIA rules about minimum wing height and that
the wing must be mounted on the chassis (the wings on the Lotus and
McLaren and some others, were mounted directly on the bottom of the
suspension so they were subjected to the same impacts as the tires).
But body-mounted wings were here to stay---they are a fundamental
part of the aerodynamic package of all of today’s modern Formula cars.
It was deemed foolish to pretend that Formula 1 technology could be
applied to production automobiles for the street with those tall rear
wings---a body-mounted rear wing was considered a possibility for a
street car---foolish, of course, because no street car has the cantilevered
rear wing of any modern formula 1 car.
½½ The Scalextric 1/32 Scale McLaren M7C
The McLaren M7C was the ultimate development of the M7-series, with
a monocoque body/chassis that was nearly as tall as the driver’s helmet in
front of the Cosworth Ford V8 engine. This was the period in Formula 1
where aerodynamics were still a dark art and there was no reason why the
engine, being a stressed member of the chassis, could not just hang out for
all to see. It makes a very striking image, with a complex engine behind a
smooth and pencil-thin body surrounded by truly massive tires. The Formula 1 cars of the late sixties looked more like race cars---out-and-out,
limit-of-the-rules race cars---than any before or since. Scalextric has captured that look very effectively with a highly-detailed engine, a correctlyproportioned body, spindly-looking suspension and those massive tires.
SPEC SHEET
The Prototype
(the real car):
The size the model should The dimensions of the
be in 1/32 scale:
Scalextric model:
Length
NA
NA
4.69 in. (119.0 mm)
Width (body):
28.0 in.
.875 in. (22.2 mm)
.926 in. (23.5 mm)
Height:
NA
NA
1.21 in. (30.8 mm)
Wheelbase
95.0
2.97 in. (75.4 mm)
3.03 in. (76.8 mm)
Track, Front:
57.0 in.
1.78 in. (45.2 mm)
1.93 in. (48.9 mm)
Track, Rear:
55.0 in.
1.72 in. (43.6 mm)
1.89 in. (48.0 mm)
Tires, Front:
NA
NA
8.9 x 17.3 mm
Tires, Rear:
NA
NA
11.6 x 19.7 mm
The McLaren has the slim FF-size motor that Scalextric fits in all of
their Formula 1 cars from this era. The slim motor leaves room for a
full driver figure and a replica of the Cosworth V8 wraps nicely around
the motor. The wide tires and a reasonably strong downforce magnet
combine to make the car very quick---a match for the Scalextric Lotus
49 from the same era. In spite of the wide tires, these cars had enough
power so they were often driven in wild powerslides----you can even
“model” their performance by removing the downforce magnet but
you will want to have more tire grip so you will also want to replace the
rear tires with urethanes like the number 1101 Yellow Dogs or silicone
tires like the number 1101 Super Tires.
Weight:
1,230 lbs.
NA
50 grams (1 ¾ oz.)
½½ Don’t Break a Wing
If you race any of these Scalextric cars with wings you will break-off the
wing the first time the car has a high-speed crash. The wings on these
cars just plug-into a hole in a hefty block on each side of the top of the
rear (and front) axles. Remove the wings before you actually race the
car! The two wings weigh less that ¼ ounce (5 grams) so they do not
have much effect on the car’s performance. The front wing is a tight fit
so work carefully, wiggling just a fraction of an inch out at a time, to
remove it without breaking it.
If you persist in racing these cars with the wings, it is most likely that both
vertical posts, rather than the wing itself, will break. If the posts do break,
you can use a number 71 drill bit in a pin vise to drill ¼-inch deep hole sin
the tops of the blocks. You can also try to drill a hole in the broken end of
the vertical post but it is a difficult task. Cut-off a common straight pin to
about 3/8-inch and insert it in the holes to “pin” the broken vertical support back together. You can use metal-filled epoxy to attach the pin to the
side of the vertical post if you were not able to drill into the narrow post.
Use pliers to bend a couple of kinks in the pin to give the epoxy something
to grip on the side of the vertical post. Don’t use any cement to hold the pin
in the block on the axle and you can just plug the pin back in the next time
the wing breaks off. I was not willing to break this model so you’ll have to
rely on a verbal explanation rather than step-by-step photos.
20 grams (3/4 oz.)
30 grams (1 oz.)
42 grams (1 1/2 oz.)
72 grams (2 5/8 oz.)
1.2 mm (.050 in.)
1.1 mm (.045 in.)
81.8 mm (3.22 in.)
Gear Ratio:
3.00:1 (9/27)
SOURCE: THE WORLD’S RACING CARS, by M.L. Twite
½½ How Fast With Downforce Magnet?
The Scalextric 1969 McLaren M7C Grand Prix car the same FF-size
motor mounted inline as the Scalextric 1967 Lotus 49 Grand Prix car
that was Race Track Tested “out-of-the-box’ (with the downforce magnet in place and the stock rear tires) in the July/August 2008 number 40
issue, so the McLaren M7C should have similar performance. The lap
times and other test results for all of the track tests in the first 78 issues
are available on www.modelcarracingmag.com under “More Information”, then click on the link “Race Car Tests”.
36-foot Scalextric
Indy F1 Course:
36-foot Carrera
Indy F1 Course:
Scalextric 1969 Mc Laren M7C
3.53 sec.
3.95 sec.
½½ How Fast Magnet-Free (with
silicone rear tires)?
We also Race Track Tested the Scalextric 1969 McLaren M7C Grand
Prix car with the downforce magnet removed, 1/8-ounce of weight and
silicone rear tires in the July/August 2008 number 40 issue, so the Lotus
49B should have similar performance.
36-foot Scalextric
Indy F1 Course:
36-foot Carrera
Indy F1 Course:
Scalextric 1969 Mc Laren M7C
5.07 sec.
4.43 sec.
Model Car Racing 35
½½ The Wing Thing, 1/1 vs. 1/32 SCALE
The two Scalextric replicas of the M7C McLarens are replicas of one of
the last Formula 1 cars (#4) to race with two wings and one of the first
to race with a rear deck-mounted wing (#10).
High-mounted wings came late to Formula 1. The Chaparral 2D CanAm car (like the Slot.it 1/32 scale model) had them in 1966 and the 2F
(like the Scalextric and MRRC models) had them in 1967 along with
a wedge-shaped body. The 1969 Chaparral 2H body was wing shaped
and topped with a garage door-sized wing---it was deemed illegal for
racing. Massive wings are still used on the World of Outlaws Sprint cars
and wedge shaped bodies survive on of the World Outlaws Late Models. The F1 cars adopted the wedge body shape with the successful Lotus 72 (like the Scalextric model). The wings were ultimately relegated
to one low at the front and a narrow one at the rear when under-the-car
airflow was used for gourd effect downforce on the 1977 Lotus 78. That
basic design continues today with al of Formula 1 cars.
36 Model Car Racing
Wings have no physical effect on a model race car that is smaller than
abut ¼ scale. Why? Because we can scale-down the full-size car’s proportions but we cannot scale-down air density or, for that matter, gravity. The slot cars of seventies tried wings of all kinds and eventually
settled on wedge-shaped (like a door stop) bodies that resembled a
couple of Can-Am cars but nothing else on earth. But that was not
enough to have much effect on the car’s traction through the corners;
so, to contain the airflow, 3-inch high clear plastic walls or air dams
were stapled to the sides and rear of car. Those slot cars are still being
raced on commercial race tracks.
The wings on these Scalextric cars are only there to recreate the appearance of the full-size cars. They weigh little so the slightly higher center
of gravity will have no noticeable effect. Ironically, the single downforce
magnet has about the same effect as the two wings did on the full-size
car, effectively doubling the weight of the cars to force them down on
track for faster cornering. Like the wings, the magnet has little weight
but, again like the wings, it can slow the car down the straights.
The round downforce magnet in both of the McLaren
M7C cars is located just in front of the motor. The
McLarens have independently rotating front wheels so
the pickup can be moved far enough back to not be
visible hanging beneath the nose of the car.
The majority of the Cosworth-Ford V8 engine is visible
on the full-size cars and Scalextric has recreated it
nicely on the models. The engine and the front body
molding are identical on the high-wing and the lowwing Scalextric McLaren M7Cs.
The front suspension is the same the two cars but
the front wing on the #4 car is supported by a hefty
rectangular block.
There’s a full driver figure that hides the slim FF-size motor. Most of the intricate suspension linkage is recreated on
the model.
Model Car Racing 37
Formula 1:
The Lotus 49 was one of the most successful and long-lived
designs in the history of Formula 1. Now Scalextric has replicas
of the Gold Leaf cigarette-sponsored car that Graham Hill drove to
the 1968 Formula 1 World Championship.
Brabham and Ferrari cars. When Lotus caught on, they did it bigger
(if not better) with massive rear wings. The wings were outlawed mid1969 due, in part, to Chapman pushing the concept to the point of failure. The only sight nearly like that of the 1968 and early 1969 Formula
1 season is, believe-it-or-not, today’s dirt track World of Outlaws series
where the single wings are larger than the cars beneath them. Lotus did
not carry it quite that far but, with huge front and rear wings in 1969,
the “footprint" of the wings was likely as large as the footprint of the
Lotus 49B body. There’s more information on the Lotus 49 in the January/February 2014 number 73 issue.
Lotus’ owner, Colin Chapman, was one of the true innovators in the
history of road racing. Chapman’s concepts were seldom his own creations but he had the skill and a dedicated workforce to turn concepts
into World Championship-winning reality. And the 1967 and 1968 Lotus 49B was one of his most successful projects.
Chapman’s Lotus 25 and Lotus 33 had dominated and justifiably won
the World Championship in 1963 and 1965. For 1968 Team Lotus was
back with the Lotus 49 which won the 1968 World Championship and
did it again in 1970. Those years between 1968 and 1970 were volatile
ones, with tall strut mounted wings appearing in early 1968, on the
38 Model Car Racing
Scalextric is shipping two versions of the 1968 Lotus 49B. Car number 9 is in a two-car C3544A set: as Team Lotus Type 49B from the
1968 British Grand Prix, driven by Jackie Oliver with the orange
number 4 McLaren M7 from the 1969 Monaco Grand Prix, driven by
Bruce McLaren with two wings. The number 8 Lotus 49B is available
separately as part number C3543A, a replica of the car Graham Hill
drove at the British GP in 1968.
Scalextric has produced several Lotus 49 cars in both the original green
with yellow stripes and blue with white strips of Rob Walker’s team.
The most successful Lotus 49s, however, were those that were painted
the bright red and gold of Gold Leaf cigarette packages, Lotus' primary
sponsor during this period. It was the red and gold Lotuses that dominated Formula 1 in 1968.
We performed a full Race Track Test on Scalextric Lotus 49 out-ofthe-box in the July/August 2008 number 40 issue and compared it the
other cars in its class.
"SHOOT-OUT" Lap Times
36-foot Scalextric
Indy F1 Course:
36-foot Carrera
Indy F1 Course:
Scalextric 1967 Lotus 49 vs.
3.53 sec.
3.95 sec.
Scalextric 1967 Eagle-Westlake vs.
3.88 sec.
4.05 sec.
SPEC SHEET
The Prototype (the
real car):
The size the model should The dimensions of the
be in 1/32 scale:
Scalextric model:
Length
158.5 in.
4.95 in. (125.8
mm)
5.07 in. (128.7 mm)
Fly 1976 March 761 vs.
3.39 sec.
3.59 sec.
Width:
74.0 in.(overall)
2.31 in. (58.7 mm) 2.34 in. (59.2 mm)
Scalextric 1976 Ferrari 312T2 vs.
3.48 sec.
3.68 sec.
Height:
31.0 in.
.97 in. (26.6 mm)
Scalextric 2004 Williams F1
3.40 sec.
3.38 sec.
Wheelbase
95.0 in.
2.97 in. (75.4 mm) 2.97 in. (75.4 mm)
Track, Front:
60.0 in.
1.88 in. (47.6 mm) 1.84 in. (46.7 mm)
½½ How Fast Magnet-Free
(with silicone rear tires)?
The Scalextric 1968 Lotus 49B Grand Prix car has the same FF-size
motor mounted inline as the Scalextric 1967 Lotus 49 Grand Prix car
was Race Track Tested “Magnet-Free” (with the downforce magnet removed, 1/8-ounce of weight and silicone rear tires) in the July/August
2008 number 40 issue, so the 1968 Lotus 49B should have similar performance. The lap times and other test results for all of the track tests
in the first 72 issues are available on the website under “More Information”, then click on the link “Race Car Tests”.
36-foot Scalextric
Indy F1 Course:
36-foot Carrera
Indy F1 Course:
5.07 sec.
4.43 sec.
The Lotus 49B has a round magnet mounted just in front of the motor.
.97 in. (26.6 mm)
Track, Rear:
61.0 in.
1.91 in. (47.7 mm.)
2.07 in. (42.5 mm)
Tires, Front:
NA
NA
7.4 x 18.9
Tires, Rear:
NA
NA
10.5 x 19.5
Weight:
1, 170 lbs.
NA
50 grams (1 3/4 oz.)
20 grams (3/4 oz.)
30 grams (1 oz.)
60 grams (2 1/4 oz.)
145 grams (5 1/4 oz.)
1.2 mm (.050 in.)
1.1 mm (.045 in.)
83.0 mm (3.27 in.)
Gear Ratio:
3.00:1 (9/27)
SOURCE: THE LOTUS BOOK, SERIES THREE, by William Taylor
There slim FF-size motor allows just enough room for a full driver figure and most of
the suspension detail of the full-size car has been recreated.
The well-detailed replica of the Cosworth-Ford V8 engine forms the back portion of the chassis on the Lotus 49B. The rear axle bearings snap-into the top half of the body.
Model Car Racing 39
Vintage Racing:
Clear Plastic Bodies
The Pattos Lotus 19 is an example of one of the lower-cost bodies. There is no wrap-under on the sides and the full-size car's sharp tail has been rounded---both to allow the
mold to be removed from the clear plastic shape as easily as possible.
■■By Robert Schleicher
Clear plastic bodies were used on virtually all of the 1/24 scale slot cars
that raced on commercial tracks in the sixties and seventies and they
still are the standard where speed is more important than appearance.
In the sixties, however, the supply of model cars in 1/32 was relatively
limited and nearly all were easy-to-build kits. Since model car racers
were already used to building, it was an easy step to replace the stock
body in the kit with a different one or, for some skilled modelers, to
even solder-together a scratchbuilt chassis from brass strips and rods.
The clear plastic body makers were able to offer bodies of cars that were
currently racing as well as replicas of historic race cars. You could see
a photo of the new Chaparral 2C in a full-size car magazine one month
and buy a clear plastic 1/32 scale replica of the body a month later.
A clear plastic body is manufactured by heating a sheet of clear plastic so
it is soft enough to conform to a male replica of the body. The plastic is
held in a frame and lowered over the body. A vacuum pump beneath the
body pulls the nearly-molten plastic tightly over the body mold to wrap
the clear plastic tightly around the mold. The body mold is then pried
from the clear plastic, leaving the shape molded into the clear plastic.
Mattel made a toy Vac-U-Form machine in the seventies that did just
that and it was just big enough for an HO body. However, if you have
used one of these you know that the process is not quite that simple.
It is easy enough to make a blob that resembles a melted clay version
of the body, but to capture all the detail lines and grills molded in clear
plastic takes some very special techniques and some much-modified
machinery. The major difficulty is getting that maser pattern out of the
clear plastic. Virtually all full-size cars have lower sills that wrap under
40 Model Car Racing
the sides and ends of the car. With that tuck-under, the mold is captured inside the clear plastic, so you would have to tear the plastic get it
off the mold. The model makers get around that by making at least one
end of model perfectly vertical like that on the Pattos Lotus 19. There
will be an article in the next issue on how to paint and mount clear
plastic bodies, specifically the Pattos 1961 Lotus 19 body. Some of the
cleverer mold makers made the master pattern in two pieces so it could
be pulled from inside clear plastic one half at a time.
½½ The Origin of Vacuum Formed Bodies
Courtesy Philippe deLespinay. His complete history of slot car racing
ELECTRIC DREAMS, A HISTORY OF ELECTRIC MODEL CAR RACING IN THE CLASSIC ERA OF THE 1960S includes a lengthy chapter
with a firm-by-firm history of all of the firms that made clear plastic bodies. It is scheduled for publication late in 2015.
The first person to issue plastic vacuum formed bodies for (at first) railracing, (then) slot cars was Alban Adams in the UK from his MRRC
(Model Road Racing Cars) company early in 1957. When Bob Coogan
took the distribution of MRRC parts for the USA on Sunset Boulevard
in Hollywood in 1958, he imported these bodies---there were at least
three, all in the 1/32 scale: a Vanwall, an Auto-Union and a Ferrari
Squalo. There were likely more but it is not easy to establish the truth,
as there are claims left and right but no evidence. MRRC bodies were
formed with very little vacuum---mostly just heated plastic clamped in
a frame and lowered over a warm mold. The plastic was colored---Ron
Klein probably pioneered the clear idea as well as adding holes in the
pattern body (usually called a "buck") to help draw the plastic into the
seams and cavities and the wrap-unders on the ends and sides of the
body mold to create the early Knight brand bodies.
As Coogan opened what was likely the first commercial (meaning he
rented track time on the in-store demo track) raceway in 1958, there
were already quite a few clubs in the USA, beginning, of course, with
the one in Kalamazoo. Michigan in 1956. The hobbyists there may have
made vac bodies but it would have been the exception as all the survivor
cars we find have fiberglass or wood bodies. As commercial raceways
sprouted, and 1/24 scale cars gained ground over the 1/32 scale models,
about 20 or 30 small cottage enterprises began making crude vac bodies, then began making them available to the public outside of their local raceways. Makes such as Petite GP, Dart, Echo, etc. were first on the
market but quickly superseded by better quality products: Knight, then
Auto-Hobbies (Bill Sippel), Modelrama (that was sold to K&B), and
eventually, Jim Russell with his popular blow-molded white styrene
Russkit bodies made by Bob Braverman. After the Knight partnership
was dissolved, Ron Klein began Shark at the same time as Brunson and
Asbury started Lancer. Meanwhile, an early manufacturer, Stormer,
was purchased by Pactra and made bodies for Pactra and Testors. After
this, Du-Bro and a plethora of new manufacturers entered the scene by
1966, only to collapse in 1968. Other than the “big” ones, few hobbyists
bothered to make their own, with one notable exception: Roy Moody
made his own all the way until he switched to R/C cars.
½½ Clear Plastic Body Suppliers Today:
True Scale Products (truescaleproducts.com)
Sixties and seventies PTEG bodies. Both accurate 1/32 scale
and some that are lower and wider for commercial racing. The
bodies are very clean and the detail is crisp.
Betta and Classic (bettaandclassic.com) 61 Larkfield Lane,
Southport, Merseyside PR9 8NN, England. The Betta series
bodies are clear vacuum-formed plastic. The Classic bodies
are fiberglass with separate clear windshields. Produces
hundreds of low-coast clear plastic bodies for both accurate
1/32 scale and commercial raceway-style models.
Pattos (www.pattosplace.com) produces hundreds of lowcoast clear plastic bodies for both accurate 1/32 scale and
commercial raceway-style models.
Electric Dreams (www.electricdreams.com) has reproduced
exact replicas of these eight bodies in 1/32 scale:
Some of the Auto Hobbies 1/32 scale clear plastic bodies (like this 1/32 scale
“Riverside” Lotus 30) of the early seventies had half-inch tall side sills that were
designed to be bent-under 90-degrees to mount the sides of the body to a brass pan
like that on Chris Walker's Monogram Lola Mk. VI on pages 32-33.
The Detail Models clear plastic bodies (like this 1/24 scale Alfa Romeo Canguro) were
unusual in that they were blow-molded in a female cavity much like a plastic milk
bottle. The mold was in two pieces so the clear plastic body shell could be removed.
The result was a body that was as realistic as an injection-molded plastic model with
detail on the outside and complete side and end wrap-under.
Many of clear plastic bodies of the sixties were simply stapled to a card like this
K&B Modelrama 1/32 scale XKE Jaguar. Except for its flat tail the XKE is one of the
best replicas of the Jaguar in 1/32 scale. It was, apparently, a one-piece body mold
because the sides and the front end wrap under just like the full-size car but the tail
is nearly vertical to the allow the body to be pulled from the mold rear end first.
• ELEB-026 1/32 scale 1969 Ferrari 512M Coupe
clear plastic body
Master craftsman Lloyd Asbury made this body for M.A.C.
in 1970, and has now helped re-issue this classic. Made of
20-thou PETG.
• ELEB-027 1/32 scale Porsche 917-30 Can/Am
clear plastic body
Penske-Porsche "Sunoco" or "Cam-2" body in 20-thou thick
PETG. Body width is 2.5", wheelbase 3-1/8".
• ELEB-028 1/32 scale 1972 Ferrari 312P clear plastic body
Nice clear plastic 20-thou PETG reproduction of this 1972
classic. Width is 2-3/8", wheelbase 3.25" or more.
• Lancer 355 Chaparral 2F Lexan reproduction, 1/32 scale
• Lancer 359 McLaren M6, Lexan reproduction, 1/32 scale
• Lancer 488 Porsche 908, Lexan reproduction, 1/32 scale
• Lancer 492 Dodge Daytona, Lexan reproduction, 1/32 scale
When I made these replicas of the Corvette Grand Sport and Lotus 11 the only
bodies available were clear plastic from Pattos. Later, Monogram offered the Grand
Sport and MMK did a 1/29 scale cast-resin replica of Lotus 11. So far, however, no
company has made a ready-to run replica of the Lotus 23 (#44) or the Manx-tailed
Copper (#47).
• Corvette Grand Sport on a Ninco
• Lotus 23 #44 on an SCX 1/43 scale
Corvette chassis, #2 March/April 2002
Compact chassis, is in the November/
number 2 issue
December 2010 number 54 issue
• LeMans Lotus Eleven #62 on a Carrera
D-Type Jaguar chassis, September/
October 2002 number 5 issue
• 1955 Cooper T39 #47 on an SCX 1/43
scale Compact chassis is in the May/
June 2011 number 57 issue
Model Car Racing 41
Le Mans:
Slot.it has released their replica of the 1974 Matra MS670B, with the numbers and markings to recreate
the car that won LeMans in 1974 driven by Gerard Larrousse and Henri Pescarolo, as part of the Slot.
it historic LeMans Winners Collection. There’s a full report on the model and the prototype in the July/
August 2014 number 76 issue (which is also on www.modelcarracingmag.com under the top bar “Sample
Issues”). Matra won LeMans in 1972, 1973 and 1974 and the World Manufacturers Championship in 1973
and 1974. The Slot.it model is an excellent recreation of full-size car, including the car’s very low profile.
■■Bill Wright
½½ How Fast Out-Of-The-Box?
The Slot.it 1974 Matra MS670B has essentially the same sidewinder
chassis as the Slot.it Alfa Romeo 33/3 so the two cars should have
nearly identical performance. We Race Track Tested the Slot.it Alfa
33/3 in the November/December 2008 number 42 issue. The lap times
and other test results for all of the track tests in the first 78 issues are
available on the website www.modelcarracingmag.com under “Model
Resources”, then click on the link “Race Car Test Results”.
36-foot Scalextric
Indy F1 Course:
36-foot Carrera
Indy F1 Course:
Slot.it 1974 Matra Ms670b
4.59 sec.
3.90 sec.
½½ How Fast Magnet-Free?
The Slot.it 1974 Matra MS670B has essentially the same sidewinder
chassis as the Slot.it 1967 Ford GT40 so the two cars should have nearly identical performance. We performed a full Race Track Test on the
Slot.it 1967 Ford GT40 magnet-free with downforce magnet removed
and silicone rear tires in the July/August 2011 number 58 issue.
42 Model Car Racing
36-foot Scalextric
Indy F1 Course:
36-foot Carrera
Indy F1 Course:
Slot.it 1974 Matra Ms670b
5.24 sec.
4.58 sec.
SPEC SHEET
The Prototype
(the real car):
The size the model should be
in 1/32 scale:
The dimensions of the model:
Length:
4,300 mm
134. 3 mm (5.25 in.)
133.4 mm ( 5.25 in.)
Width:
2,050 mm
64.1 mm (2.57 in.)
60.4 mm (2.38 in.)
Height:
NA
NA
35.4 mm (1.39 in.)
Wheelbase
2,558 mm
80.9 mm (3.18 in.)
77.9 mm (3.07 in.)
Track, Front:
1,525 mm
47.7 mm (1,88 in.)
44.9 mm (1.77 in.)
Track, Rear:
1,500 mm
46.9 mm (1.85 in.)
48.1 mm (1.89 in.)
Tires, Front:
NA
NA
7.8 x 17.1 mm
Tires, Rear:
NA
NA
8.7 x 20.6 mm
Weight:
630 kg.
NA
63 grams (2 1/4 oz.)
25 grams (7/8 oz.)
38 grams (1 3/8 oz.)
90 grams ( 3 1/4 oz.)
115 grams (4 oz.)
0.3 mm (.015 in.)
0.2 mm( .010 in.)
93.0 mm (3.66 in.)
Gear Ratio:
3.27:1 (11/36)
SOURCE: MATRA AU MANS, Francois Hurel
The Slot.it Matra MS670B is one of their “vintage” series of cars that includes the
Ford GT40 and Chaparral 2E---all are fitted with an SP-size motor in a sidewinder
motor pod.
Model Car Racing 43
Rally Cars:
The Scalextric 1986 Lancia Delta S4 is a replica of
Lancia’s entry in the wild World Rally Cup series for
Group B cars that contested the WRC in 1985-1986.
■■Bill Wright
Stuff a 500 horsepower engine in the back seat of a sub-compact sedan
and you can expect that thing will accelerate like a rocket. Add footwide wheel arches to cover wide tires and that horsepower might just
be harnessed into a race car with an ability to turn corners. That was the
basic recipe for the wild FIA Group B Rally cars of the 1980s. The 1986
Lancia Delta S4 was one of the best.
Lancia built 200 of the Delta S4 rally cars expressly for World Rally Cup
competition. The Delta S4 had a mid-mounted 1.8 liter engine that was
both turbocharged and supercharged to produce 480 horsepower at
8,400 rpm. The car was difficult to develop and it did not compete until
the final rally of 1985, the RAC Rally of Great Britain. Two examples
were entered for Henri Toivonen and Markku Alén. The two cars finished first and second.
World Championship rallies from 1973 to 1980 were run under the
Group 4 rules that effectively kept the horsepower in the mid-250
range. Audi, however, found some loopholes in the rules and the Quattros were pumping out 360-379 horsepower from 1981 through 1986
when the Group B Quattro was allowed to crank out 510 to 550 horsepower. The other manufacturers' engines were mostly in the 450 horsepower range like Lancia but it was enough to beat the Audis from 1973
to 1980, then the FIA opened door to the Groups B cars through 1986
Plug can be plugged in if you want to race the car on both Scalextric
Digital and analog tracks.
These Group B cars spent most of day sideways, sliding through paved
as well as dirt corners. You can recreate that action by removing the
downforce magnet. The stock rear tires do not, though, provide enough
traction without aid of the magnet so you will want to replace them
with urethane or silicone tires like the number 1104 from Super Tires
to regain enough traction to make the car drivable.
THE COMPLETE BOOK OF THE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP, by Henry Hope-Frost and John Davenport, Published by Motorbooks International, 320 pages, mostly color. ISBN 0-7603-1954-5.
All the results, all the drivers, all the rallies and specifications on all the
cars that competed in the World Rally Cup from its first year, in 1973,
through 2003.
SPEC SHEET
The Prototype
(the real car):
be in 1/32 scale:
The dimensions of the model:
Length:
3,990 mm
4.91 in. (124.7 mm)
5.12 in. (130.1 mm)
Lancia produced some of most brutally beautiful rally cars beginning
with the wild Stratos in 1972 (Ninco has models), the 037 in 1982 (Ninco has produced 1/32 scale models), and the Delta S4 in 1985. Lancia
was the dominant make during most of the Group C era in 1974,
1975, 1976 with the Lancia Stratos, and in 1983 with the Lancia 037.
Lancia finished second overall in 1986 and third overall in 1987 with
Delta S4 (like this Scalextric model). The rules were changed to lower
the horsepower in 1987 but Lancia then dominated the WRC with the
four-door Delta HF Integrale
Width:
1,880 mm
2.32 in. (58.8 mm)
2.41 in. (61.1 mm)
Height:
1,400 mm
1.78 in. (45.0 mm)
1.69 in. (43.0 mm)
Wheelbase
2,441 mm
3.00 in. (76.3 mm)
3.10 in. (78.6 mm)
Track, Front:
1,500 mm
1.85 in. (46.9 mm)
1.93 in. (49.1 mm)
Track, Rear:
1,520 mm
1.87 in. (47.5 mm)
2.01 in. (51.1 mm)
Tires, Front:
NA
NA
8.5 x 20.5 mm
Tires, Rear:
NA
NA
8.5 x 20.5 mm
Weight:
970 kg
NA
90 grams (3 1/8 oz.)
½½ The Scalextric 1/32 Scale
1986 Lancia Delta S4
32 grams (2 oz.)
58 grams (1 1/8 oz.)
The Lancia Delta S4 model has the Scalextric sidewinder chassis and
it is about the same size as the Scalextric 1986 Ford SR200 (in the November/December 2011 number 60 issue) and Audi Sport Quattro E2
(in the May/June 2014 number 75 issue) so the three cars should have
similar performance in a “Vintage Rally” series for 1/32 scale cars.
85 grams (3 oz.)
115 grams (4 1/8 oz.)
0.7 mm (.030 in.)
0.6 mm (.025 in.)
86.2 mm (3.40 in.)
The Lancia has operating headlights and tail lights. The car can be converted to Scalextric Digital in about two minutes by removing the trap
door in the bottom of the chassis so a Scalextric Digital C8515 Easyfit
Gear Ratio:
3.27:1 (11/36)
44 Model Car Racing
SOURCE: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF THE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
The Scalextric 1986 Lancia Delta S4 is a very wide car (as was its prototype) and it has the same sidewinder motor, gearing, weight and size
as the Scalextric Trans-Am cars so the model should match the performance of the 1/32 scale Scalextric replica of the 1970 Dodge Challenger
that was Race Track Tested “out-of-the-box” (with the downforce magnet in place and the stock rear tires) in the March/April 2014 number
74 issue. The Lancia is about ¾-inch shorter than the Dodge so it might
not corner quite as quickly but it should be very close to the performance of the Dodge. The lap times and other test results for all of the
track tests in the first 78 issues are available on the website under “More
Information”, then click on the link “Race Car Tests”.
36-foot Scalextric
Indy F1 Course:
36-foot Carrera
Indy F1 Course:
Scalextric 1970 Dodge Challenger
4.02 sec.
4.26 sec.
The Scalextric Lancia Delta S4 has the downforce magnet located directly beneath
the rear axle. The car is Digital Plug Ready so it can be converted to Scalextric Digital
by replacing the trap door on the bottom of the chassis with a C8515 Digital Plug.
½½ How Fast Magnet-Free
(With Silicone Rear Tires)?
The Scalextric 1986 Lancia Delta S4 is a very wide car (as was its prototype) and it has the same sidewinder motor, gearing, weight and size
as the Scalextric Trans-Am cars so the model should match the performance of the 1/32 scale Scalextric replica of the 1970 Dodge Challenger
that was Race Track Tested “Magnet-Free” (with the downforce magnet
removed, 1/8-ounce of weight and silicone rear tires) in the May/June
2014 number 75 issue. The Lancia is about ¾-inch shorter than the
Dodge so it might not corner quite as quickly but it should be very
close to the performance of the Dodge.
The model has a full interior with both driver and navigator, rollcage and the rear
engine’s intercooler. It has operating head lights and tail lights.
36-foot Scalextric
Indy F1 Course:
36-foot Carrera
Indy F1 Course:
Scalextric 1970 Dodge Challenger
4.48 sec.
5.61 sec.
The first Scalextric replica of the Lancia Delta S4 is detailed to recreate the car that
Fabrizio Tabaton drove in the 1986 San Remo rally. The event was annulled because
the Peugeot‘s fender skirts were protested and, after much deliberation, the results
were annulled and the event did not count in the 1986 WRC Championship. Tabaton,
however, was the European Rally champion in this Lancia in 1986.
Model Car Racing 45
Tech Tips:
Test N’ Tune
Magnet-Free Cars
Every model race car ever made can be made better. Yes, the cars all run very
nicely right out of box but there is a potential there for even quicker lap times.
A lot of model car racers prefer to race the cars without downforce magnets
because the cars respond more like a full-size car---full-size cars, even Formula
1 cars, are not “stuck” down to the track in the curves like most model race cars.
Removing the magnets makes racing more of a challenge and it also makes racing more fun---but it certainly does not make the cars quicker. However, with
some careful tuning, including replacing the rear tires with either urethane or
silicone tires, will bring traction back to where you can really enjoy drifting
through a corner. The loss of magnetic downforce also affects the pickup and
the springy braid so most modelers add about 1/8-once of lead as close to the
pickup pivot post as possible (and/or replace the braid with some that has less
spring tension). With the car modified with new tires and that weight, you can
proceed to make it quicker---in my experience, careful tuning can bring the lap
times of a car without magnets to within 10 to 20-percent of the best lap times
when that same car was still being stuck to the track with a magnet.
You cannot hope to improve performance of the car if you do not have
something that measures that performance, in other words, an accurate lap
timer. You cannot rely on your visual and visceral observations to determine if a change you made in car setup really did produce lower lap times.
If you do not have a track of your own, collect these tune up parts and the
tools to install them and spend some time doing a Test N’ Tune session on
one of the tracks where you race your cars.
There are some basic car setup techniques that should be applied to any car before
you begin race it in competition---most of the basic tune-up tips that are needed
for every model race car are on www.modelcarracingmag.com under the “New
to the hobby?” link including: Perfect Pickup Braid, Tire Mounting, Avoiding
Disaster: Oil & Grease, Reliable Wires and Chassis Set Up. You want that out-ofthe-box car to be running as good as it can before you try to make it better.
The techniques and sequences shown in the January/February 2015 number 79 issue (also on www.modelcarracingmag.com) are needed for cars that
have the downforce magnets still in place. The “TN’T” (test and tune) process is similar for magnet-free cars but you will find that changes in tire sizes
and gear ratios are even more effective. The fine-tuning can be done by adding weight but, if you are adding more than a total ¼-ounce of weight, there
is something amiss; the tires may not be the best compound for that track or
the gear ratio is wrong or the chassis or gear mesh or wheel clearance between
the bearings is too loose or too tight, or the tires may be rubbing the body.
The shortest route to quicker lap times is a specific path: try all the variables,
one at a time, and see what works best. So, the TN’T process begins with a stock
car. Run it for long enough so you know you have recorded the fastest time that
car can produce with you as the driver on that track on that day. Write it down
because you will forget it. Do the same test with a second car that is nearly as
fast as the first car so you have a “control” car you can retest at the end of the
session to see if all your tune-up work has really made the original car faster.
Tire compounds are extremely critical with magnet-free cars. Find out
whether majority of the folks you race with are using urethane or if they are
using silicone tires. Go with whatever the group is using. There are lots of
theories about whether silicones or urethanes are best but know this, if they
are running silicones and you try urethanes, you will find your car sliding
46 Model Car Racing
Bring two pairs of tires (assuming they are silicone), smaller and larger than stock
diameter and, if you are uncertain of track surface compared where you usually race
bring two more pairs of tires “standard” and smaller diameter with urethane tires. It
is best to mount all the tires on the wheels and sand the edges to be sure they are
perfectly round. You can also bring an extra set of crown gears (for an inline car),
anglewinder gears for an anglewinder car or, as shown, spur gears for a sidewinder
car like this Slot.it Ford GT40. You should also bring an additional chunk of ¼ once
and 1/8-ounce automobile wheel balance weights and an Allen wrench and Phillips
screwdriver to work on the car.
(all over the place---the converse is true. If you are on your own go with
urethanes because they will be more consistent even on a relatively dirty
track---silicones only work best on a pristine clean track surface.
You may want to determine for yourself whether silicone or urethane tires
work best on your track. You will need two pairs of silicone tires of smaller
and larger diameter and two pairs of smaller and larger diameter urethane
tires. It is best to mount all the tires on the wheels and sand the edges to be
sure they are perfectly round.
Buy an extra set of crown gears (for an inline car), anglewinder gears (for
an anglewinder car) or, as shown, spur gears for a sidewinder car like this
Slot.it Ford GT40, with two more and two less teeth than the stock gear. You
will also need an Allen wrench and Phillips screwdriver to work on the car.
Armed with an array of “hop up” parts you can begin swapping-out tire/
wheels and again recording the lap times. Yes, the process takes a long time
because you will need to run at least 50 laps with each option to be sure
you have wrung the best possible performance from the car with that setup.
Start with a pristinely clean track even if you are running urethane tires---a
dirty track will produce unpredictable increases and decreases in lap times.
The goal is to limit variables as much as possible.
½½ Test N’ Tune with Sequence
for Magnet-Free Cars:
1. Test two different cars (to keep one as-is as a “control” car)
2. Tires:
A. Smaller diameter
B. Larger diameter
C. Silicon/urethane tires
3. Gear ratios
A. Two teeth (on larger gear) more than stock
B. Two teeth (on larger gear) less than stock
4. Given optimum lap times try:
A. Adding 1/8-ounce more weight near the pickup
B. Adding 1/8-ounce more just ahead of rear the rear tires
C. Recheck silicon/urethane and large/small tire choices
Pit Board ��
Mixed Breeds
Dirty Track
I have a Carrera track but I would like to convert it to digital. My problem is that I do not
like Carrera controllers and the bulky Carrera
Digital 132 chips will not fit in many of my
Scalextric, Ninco, Flyslot and Slot.it cars. Does
anyone make an adaptor track to mate Carrera to Scalextric (so I can use just the Scalextric
Powerbase and lane-changers)?
My Carrera track seems to run fine but the rail
surfaces just seem to be kind of filmy. Are Carrera track rails made of stainless steel, or are
they plated? I am hesitant about using one of
those "eraser type" things made for model railroad track. Would any kind of abrasive eraser
remove any coating (or plating) on the slot car
track rails, thus promoting rust. Or are the rails
solid, non coated, so that rust would not be an
issue. I found a solution for nickel silver model
railroad rails on eBay, which was non petroleum, non citrus, and plastic safe with no residue. Would something like that be good?
Regards, Carl Reiss
It would be helpful to have an adaptor to mate
Carrera to Scalextric track but both firms have
their joining systems covered by patents and
neither is likely to provide them to their major
competitor. I tried to make this kind of adaptor by cutting a Scalextric half-straight track
in half and cutting one of the Carrera 20516
“Narrow Section" tracks (a two-piece straight
chicane) to bring the slot spacing down from
Carrera’s 3 7/8-inches to Scalextric’ 3-inches.
It was almost impossible to glue the two together because Scalextric uses a more flexible
and slippery plastic. Then I realized I would
need a half-dozen of these adaptors going in
and out of every lane-changer and the Powerbase and, honestly, it just wasn’t worth
it. If you try it, let us know how you did it.
HO Race Track Plans
The HO track plans that you publish always include several track sizes that I do not have with
my Auto World HO track. If they’re any way to
adapt my Auto World track sections to AFX?
Sincerely, Ron Burns.
We design the HO track plans to have as many
different radii as possible to produce more interesting and challenging racing. Auto World
does make a number 00178 3-inch Adaptor
Track to join the current Auto World track
to the current AFX track. You can insert a
pair of these 3-inch adaptors if you replace,
for example, an AFX 15-inch straight with
an Auto World 3-inch adaptor and two AFX
6-inch straights (3+6+6=15-inches). The
Auto World 00177 3” Adaptor Track will join
Auto World Track to Life-Like track. The
AFX 70605 3-inch Adaptor Track will join
the original Aurora AFX track to the current
AFX track. With this wide selection of adaptors you can combine Auto World, Life-Like,
older Aurora AFX and current AFX track in
almost any race track.
Tell me what you think, Daryl Payne
I think the rails are solid but you do not want to
scratch them with any abrasive---the scratches
just promote more oxidation. I just polish mine
with a red shop rag but my track probably
gets less use than yours. Try the model railroad rail solution but it is probably for nickel
silver rails (copper alloy with more tin than
in brass). Carrera has a similar alloy (but steel
and I don't know what other metal), but with
less iron than the rails in Scalextric or SCX or
Ninco track. If the “filmy” surface is a collection of tire and braid-cleaning goop the model
railroad stuff might work. If the problem is
oxidation there are oxide cleaners for brass and
to remove rust (iron oxidation) but some have
a waxy substance to protect from oxidation
that will also interfere with electrical pickup.
A good polish with a rough rag should work.
A Gentle Learning Curve
Can we cut the power to the track from the
transformer to the track with a dimmer switch
(or comparable)? The little ones have a tendency to race the cars too fast.
Thank you, Ron Tournear
You can use a light dimmer switch in the wall
socket and plug the race set powerpack into
that to reduce the power. Or wrap some duct
tape around the controller so it cannot be
squeezed full-on. It is not just the “little ones”
that can have more fun with less power. Many
of the folks that race 1/32 scale digital cars cut
the power back to 9-volts so the cars are not
traveling too fast for the drivers’ to react with
a lane-change. Many of the more serious racers utilize the $200 power packs with up 15
amps and adjustable 5 to 20 volts like the MG
Electronics MGSP10AD. You can set these
to a true 12 volts or less and the 15 amps are
enough so there is plenty of power for even
four cars on a large track. If you are racing
HO cars, the AFX Tri-Power pack has Beginner, Intermediate and Expert power settings.
Body Swap
I just bought several new Scalextric COT
NASCARS, and two Carrera COT NASCAR
bodies. Is it possible to mount a Carrera COT
NASCAR body on a Scalextric COT NASCAR
DPR chassis? My track is Scalextric Digital and
we often race four or five cars at once, including bump drafts. I thought this would be a cost
efficient way of having different schemes, so I
don't have to purchase all the solder-in chips
from Scalextric. I have several spare Scalextric DPR chips. Would it be as simple as either
moving the mounts for the screws, or does the
chassis need to be trimmed, or elongated?
Thank you, Russ,
The two brands have the body mounting posts
in completely different positions---I am not
sure how you would "move" the posts without
destroying the bodies. The 1/32 scale models
are extremely accurate which almost always
means that each body requires a slightly different chassis. A few firms (like MRRC and
some of the Monogram cars) have adjustable
chassis. Neither Carrera nor Scalextric have
adjustable chassis---each chassis’s design for
just one body (which is usually offered dozens different paint schemes). It would be far,
far easier to install the C7005 solder-in chips
into the Carrera chassis. There's an article in
the May/June 2011 number 57 issue on www.
modelcarracingmag.com under “Sample Issues” on installing Scalextric Digital in Carrera NASCAR cars.
New To The Hobby?
There’s more information on page 46 of this
issue. There are some basic tune-up tips that
are needed for every model race car on www.
modelcarracingmag.com under the “New to
the hobby?” link. There are 13 tips including:
How To Get Started in Model Car Racing, Two
Driving Techniques, Perfect Pickup Braid, Tire
Mounting, Cleaning Track Rails, Cleaning Track,
Avoiding Disaster: Oil & Grease, Controllers,
Race Program Set Up: Color Coding & Racing
classes, Reliable Wires, Chassis Set Up, Carrera
Guide Shoe Mods. There’s lots more you can
do, including changing to silicone rear tires
with better grip, loosening the body-to-chassis
screws and more.
Model Car Racing 47
Club Directory ��
Most model car racers prefer to race at home on their own tracks with a few
friends. There are hundreds of model car racing clubs in the world but some
of them are groups who race very highly modified cars on tracks routed from
wood or PVC. The model racing cars you see on the pages of this magazine are
all designed to be raced on plastic tracks (although they can be raced on most
wood or PVC tracks) from Scalextric, Sport, Carrera, NINCO, SCX, Riggen or
Artin or the older Strombecker, Revell or Monogram tracks 1/32 scale tracks or
Tomy AFX or Mattel/Tyco HO tracks.
The clubs that are listed here are groups whose main interest is to race out-ofthe box cars and mostly on plastic tracks (although the club may also race on
one or two hand-routed wood or PVC tracks). The group may have a modified
class where extra magnets are allowed or different bodies. We try to NOT list
the clubs that primarily race cars with hand-made metal chassis and clear plastic
bodies---those clubs are listed on various internet sites or you can find most of
them through the Old Weird Harold site at http://www.oldweirdherald.com.
There are hundreds of dealers in the country that have operating tracks in the store.
We cannot list them all, but you can contact the ones in your area from the list of
dealers that carry Model Car Racing magazine www.modelcarracingmag.com.
If your group races out-of-the-box 1/32 scale or HO scale cars, with only occasionally events for modified cars) send us the information at www.modelcarracingmag.com and we’ll try to include your club in the next issue.
California, Los Angeles (Glendale): OTHG – Farrout
Slot Car Club. Contact Stephen Farr-Jones (818)
260 9192, www.farroutslotcars.com/
Illinois, Central area: Hotslots 1/32 Slot Car Shop,
1809 A. Philo Road, Urbana, IL 61802 (217) 3552277, [email protected]
Michigan, Kalamazoo area: West Michigan
Slot Car Group, John Lacko (269) 344-5588,
[email protected] https://www.facebook.com/
groups/205657316120426/
Illinois, Chicago area: Bolingbrook Speedway, Karl
Staehlin, [email protected]
Missouri, St. Louis area: (Carl Shorle) gsra@
swbell.net
Illinois, Chicago area: Great Lakes Slot Car Club,
contact:
www.greatlakesscc.com
Missouri, St. Louis area: Monaco Grand Prix
Miniature Racing Club, www.mgpmrc.org, email:
[email protected]
Illinois, Chicago Area: JYD Racing, contact www.
toys4slots.com
New York, Binghamton Area: Tri-County Slots,
Contact: [email protected]
Illinois, Peoria/ Metamora area: Peoria Model Car
Raceway,
(309) 573-1027, [email protected],
(309)712-3299 [email protected]
New York, Watkins Glen area: The Slot Car Club
Of The Twin Tiers, Contact: Frank Spena, Jr., [email protected]
California, Fresno area: Insane SCRC,
Joe Cabral [email protected]
California, North San Diego County: Nomad Slot
Racing Club, Jim Cunningham (760)492-4619
[email protected] www.NomadSlotRacing.com
California, North San Diego County, Escondido
- “The Slot Outlaws” 760-747-4511 or email:
[email protected]
California, San Jose area: Devin Mauldin web@
flyinghump.com
California, South Bay (Los Angeles): Stan Smith
(310)812-1866
[email protected]
California, South Bay (Los Angeles): ITG - In The
Groove Slot Car racing, 324 W. Florence Ave.,
Inglewood, CA 90301. Contact: Marc Natividad
(310) 200-6300. [email protected]
Colorado, Denver area: Rocky Mountain Slot Car
Club (RMSSC)
http://rmscclub.proboards.com/index.cgi
Colorado, Denver Area, Colorado Slot car Club,
contact:
http://coslotcarclub.proboards.com/
www.nascarslots.com or www.metalracer.com
Indiana, Indianapolis area: (Jeremy Dunning)
[email protected]
North Carolina, Winston-Salem area: Road
America Racers, King City, North Carolina, Tom
Brooks, (336) 985-3867 or [email protected]
Indiana, Terre Haute area: Otter Creek Slot Racing
Association,
Bob Redman [email protected]
Ohio, Columbus area: 1/32 Slot Car Racers of
Central Ohio, Randy Horton, http://groups.yahoo.
com/group/1-32SlotCarRacersOfCentralOhio
Iowa, Cedar Rapids area: Iowa Model Area Racers,
http://imar.us/
Oregon, Portland area: Beaverton Area Slot Car
Club (B.A.S.C.C.),15430 SW Gull Ct., Beaverton,
Oregon 97007, 503-330-6907
Indiana, Fort Wayne area: Wallace Dale Monroe,
[email protected]
Iowa, Cedar Rapids area: ERASR (Ecurie Road
America Scale Racers) Art (319)626-6374
Colorado, Denver area: Front Range Vintage
Slotcar and Historical Racing Club, http://monovell.
proboards.com/index.cgi
Iowa, Swisher area: IMAR (Iowa Model Auto
Racing),
Jerry Hightshoe [email protected]
D.C., Washington area: The Capital Racing
League,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tcrl, contact:
[email protected]
Kentucky, Louisville area: Derby City Slot Car
Club, www.derbycityslotcarclub.proboards.com/ [email protected]
D.C., Washington area (Alexandria): Classic Slot
Car Association (CSSA), John Roberts, (703) 5825504, [email protected]
D.C., Washington Metro area: Old Dominion Slot
Car Club, 5322 Graystone Rd., Warrenton, VA
20187, contact: Chris Bowles (540)341-1405 or,
[email protected] ,
Louisiana, Lake Charles area: Lake Area Slot Car
Auto Racing, Julian Guillory, http://groups.yahoo.
com/group/LASCAR
Maryland, Baltimore area: (Allan Schwartz)
[email protected]
Michigan, Grand Rapids area: Rivershore International Raceway, Alto, Michigan, Stephen Thomas,
(616) 891-1632. email: [email protected]
Pennsylvania, Allentown-Reading area: Allen &
Allen Motor Speedway Racing, (610) 520-7247,
[email protected]
Pennsylvania, Chambersburg area.
Sherman Collings [email protected] (717)
377-1435
Pennsylvania, Harrisburg area: Homestead
Speedway, Landisville, Pennsylvania. Ken Falco at
[email protected]
Pennsylvania, Manheim area:
D & B Raceways, Don Noll [email protected]
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area: Mt. Airy Racing
Association, Herbert Bigelow (215) 868-4464,
[email protected]
Pennsylvania, Wilkes Barre Area: NEPA Slot Car
Club, 570-903-9182, nepaslotcars.com
ley Slot Car Association, Nanticoke, Pennsylvania,
wvsca.blogspot.com
Texas, Eastern area: East Texas Slot Car Association,
Tyler , TX 75771, (903)882 0965 ETXSCA@
hotmail.com
Texas, Houston (Northwest Harris County): Houston Scale Auto Racing Club (HSARC), www.hsarc.
net, (281)807-4026.
Northern Virginia-Metro DC area: Northern
Virginia Digital Slot Racers, contact: Hayes Lewis,
[email protected]
Vermont, Burlington area: Burlington Slot Dorks,
Daniel, [email protected]
Williamsburg Virginia area: The Barn Burners”
Contact: Joseph Brimer [email protected]
Washington, Auburn area: Rainier Raceways,
Greg Gaub [email protected]
Washington, Seattle/Tacoma area: PSSRA (Puget
Sound Slot Car Racing Association) http://pssra.
webhop.net/ or Tony Kuljis,
[email protected]
Washington, Seattle/Tacoma area: NMRL (Northwest Model Racing League). John MacKenzie
(206)295-9980, [email protected]
Toronto, Canada area: Scale Sloters 1/32,
[email protected]
Vancouver, Canada area: (Luf Linkert) luf@
telus.net
1/24 scale racing clubs:
Oregon, Eugene area: Pelican Park Speedway
(541)349-0917 htm210@comcast.
Digital Racing Clubs:
Ohio, Mansfield area: Mid-Ohio 1/32 Scale
Racing Club, [email protected], John Chorpening
(419) 289-6563
Northern Virginia-Metro DC area: Northern
Virginia Digital Slot Racers, contact: Hayes Lewis,
[email protected]
Pennsylvania, Wyoming Valley Area: Wyoming Val-
HO Clubs: The majority of HO racing on a club level in the US is home
sectional tracks, using hard bodies and largely stock equipment. The majority
are Thunderjet focused, although many do run the Life-Like, Auto World, Playing Mantis, G-Plus and Mattel/Tyco cars, these mass produced magnet cars tend
to be utilized by small round robin groups by invitation or as groups of friends.
Arizona, Phoenix area: http://ahora.homestead.
com/ahora.html
Inglewood, CA 90301. Contact: Marc Natividad
(310) 200-6300. [email protected]
(517) 290-9952 or [email protected]
California, Bay area: San Francisco HO Racing
Association, www.sfhora.org/home.html
Colorado, Denver area: Front Range HO (FRHO)
club. http://www.scaleracers.com/FrontRangeHO/
default.asp
California, Bay area: M.S.C.R.C. - Model Slot
Car Racing Club www.mscrc.orgemail: info@
mscrc.org
California, Bay area: Shaunadega Racing www.
shaunadega.com
California, South Bay (Los Angeles): ITG - In The
Groove Slot Car racing, 324 W. Florence Ave.
48 Model Car Racing
Illinois, Chicago area: http: nitro-racing.4t.com/
Indiana, Fort Wayne area: Wallace Monroe,
[email protected]
Kentucky / Virginia area: http://www.thunderjetracing.com/
Michigan, Lansing area: NASAR, Richard Leeper
There are some excellent clubs across the US racing basically stock hardshell T-Jet
cars for the most part on sectional home tracks. This is only a partial listing. If you
have an active group racing hard-bodied T-Jet-style cars, let us know.
Missouri, Kansas City area:
http://home.kc.rr.com/jhabernal/mahor/
Missouri, St. Louis area: [email protected]
Ohio, Columbus area:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/colohhoscc/
messages
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area:
http://vintagehoracing.mr-bigstuff.com/
Pennsylvania, Wilkes Barre Area: NEPA Slot Car
Club, 570-903-9182, nepaslotcars.com
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area: Mt. Airy Racing
Association, Herbert Bigelow (215) 868-4464,
[email protected]
Winston-Salem/Greenville, South Carolina area:
Upstate HO Slot Car Club, 403 Hill Lane, Mauldin,
SC 29662
(864)967-7865 Richard Tabb at mrnova@alltel.
net or
Steve Lorch at [email protected]
United Kingdom, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
Burning Rubber, www.burningrubber.net
Historic Road Racing
Slot Classics 1947 Alfa
Romeo 8C2900B Lungo
The newest Slot Classics hand-made cast-resin ready-to-race
model is a replica of the Alfa Romeo 8C2900B Lungo
that won the 1947 Mille Miglia.
The Alfa Romeo that won the 1947 Mille Miglia has been completely restored to its original luxury-sportscar (GT, in today’s terms) condition. The Alfa is driven as well as
displayed. It was one of a hundred or so multi-million dollar classics that drove the 50-mile “Tour de Elegance” that precedes the Pebble Beach Concours each year. Here it is
parked in downtown Carmel, California in 2006 with dirty wheel wells and scuffed tires. The car would win Best In Show at Pebble Beach in 2008.
The Alfa Romeo 8C2900B Lungo Berlinetta is considered to be one of
the finest closed cars produced in the pre-war era. The cars were built
with engines that were very similar to those in the Grand Prix Alfa
Romeos of the thirties. The GP chassis with twin trailing arms up front
and a swing-arm suspension in the rear with both friction and hydraulic shock absorbers were adapted to these road cars. The 1936 version
placed first-second-third at the 1936 Mille Miglia and the 1938 roadsters finished 1-2 in the 1938 Mille Miglia. The 8C2900B Lungo was the
road car with the race cars’ engine and chassis. The “lungo” refers to the
10-inch longer chassis that was necessary to provide more interior and
luggage space in the "everyday" versions.
One of the 8C2900B Lungo coupes was entered in the 1947 Mille Miglia. This was, in effect, a “David and Goliath” Mille Miglia with the fastest driver of era, Tazio Nuvolari, in an open-cockpit Cisitialia 202 SSM
(which Slot Classics also has produced) with an 1100cc Fiat four-cylinder engine against the 2,900 cc double overhead can straight eight in the
Alfa Romeo 8C2900B Lungo “two door sedan”. The 1947 equivalent of
pitting a Ferrari Italia against a Lotus Elise. Nuvolari was running second
late in the 1000 kilometer race and got within five-minutes of the Alfa
before his magneto was flooded by the rain. His stop to replace it took
about 18 minutes. He got back within five minutes of the Alfa in the
mountains but, as the road straightened out the larger Alfa pulled away
to win by 16 minutes. Until the last hour when, in his open car, the rain
and not particularly healthy body, defeated him and the massive Alfa
swept by, its driver and codriver comfortable in their touring sedan, to
finish 16 minutes ahead of Nuvolari. Bionedtti had won the Mille Migila
in an 8C2900B Alfa Romeo roadster in 1938 (there’s an article on the
Modelant cast-resin replica on page 21-24) and would win again in 1948
in a Ferrari coupe, and again in 1949 in a 166MM Ferrari roadster (like
the TDR Innovations (tdrmodels.com/), model in the July/August 2014
number 76 issue---with a white number 624.
There were not a lot of sports cars around after World War II so those
that could afford them raced the best cars available. The Alfa Romeo
8C2900B cars were winning races on both the east and west coasts of
Model Car Racing 49
America, Frank Griswold with a coupe like the Slot Classics model and
Phil Hill with a roadster like the Modelant model on pages 21-24. Two
of the roadster versions of the 8C2900B Alfa Romeos also competed in
the 1947 Mille Miglia so you could recreate that race in 1/32 scale with
this Slot Classics roadster and the Modelant coupe.
Slot Classics 1947 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Touring
Frank Griswold raced one of the 8C2900B Alfa coupes, winning the
first Watkins Glen race in 1948 in a car that was nearly identical to this
Mille Miglia winner but with vented rear fender skirts (which were removed for the race) and more louvers along the sides of the hood. Both
of the full-size 8C2900B coupes cars have competed at Pebble Beach
concours.
½½ The Slot Classics 1/32 Scale
Alfa Romeo 8C2900 Lungo
Slot Classics has produced over a dozen exquisitely-detailed 1/32 scale
cast-resin models. The Alfa Romeo 8C2900 Lungo may be their best.
The shape and proportions of these late-thirties cars are difficult to capture in 1/32 scale but the model seems to match the full-size car precisely. The usual Slot Classics fine details are used to make the model
look as realistic close-up as it does from across the table. Slot Classics produces this model in two versions: the winner of the
Mille Miglia from 1947, with a red body and red interior and number 230 (the Biodentti-Romano team). Only 500 pieces are being produced. The models are available in America at Electric Dreams (www.
electricdreams.com).
SPEC SHEET
The Prototype
(the real car):
be in 1/32 scale:
The dimensions of the Slot
Classics model:
Length:
196.9 in.
6.15 in. (156.1 mm)
6.15 in. (156.1 mm)
Width:
66.9 in.
2.09 in. (53.0 mm)
2.15 in. (54.5 mm)
Height:
NA
NA
1.75 in. (44.3 mm)
Wheelbase
118.1 in.
3.69 in. (93.7 mm)
3.69 in. (93.7 mm)
Track, Front:
53.1 in.
1.66 in. (42.1 mm)
1.66 in. (42.1 mm)
Track, Rear:
53.1 in.
1.66 in. (42.1 mm)
1.66 in. (42.1 mm)
Tires, Front:
5.50-19
4.4 x 23.8
6.4 x 22.3 mm
Tires, Rear:
5.50-19
4.4 x 23.8
6.4 x 22.3 mm
Weight:
2,889 lbs.
NA
118 grams (4 1/2 oz.)
50 grams (1 3/4 oz.)
78 grams (2 3/4 oz.)
NA
NA
2.0 mm (.080 in.)
1.9 mm (.075 in.)
98.2 mm (3.87 in.)
Gear Ratio:
3.00:1 (9/27)
Source: www.supercars.net/cars
The Slot Classics Alfa Romeo has a custom-designed
cast-resin chassis that fills the underside of the model.
The motor and rear axle are mounted in the Slot
Classics plastic pod that is part of their aftermarket
chassis but the pod is cemented to the chassis. The
wheels are aluminum but are pressed-on. This a model
that you will want to tour around the track because
there really isn’t anything else that quite matches it for
overall size. Yes, it is even lovelier when moving.
50 Model Car Racing
The side window frames, windshield wipers, and the wire wheel inserts are etched metal.
Model Car Racing 51
The grill, lights, door, hood handles, and rear license plate bracket are plated cast-metal,
52 Model Car Racing
The driver and navigator are works of art, with hand-painted facial features,
weathered clothing with wrinkles and a of map of Italy in the navigator’s hands.
Slot Classics is also producing the Alfa Romeo 8C2900B Lungo in its later “street” trim as a sky blue convertible with cream interior and a female driver, made by miniature
sculptor Marco Navas (who made the CJ-33 Hispano Suiza figures). This car is presently at the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo and is at sometimes an exhibit at concours events.
Slot Classics calls this version the "Museo Storico" car.
Model Car Racing 53
All New For 2015-2016
Most of the model car racing manufacturers introduce the products
that will be shipped in 2015 at the Nuremburg International Toy Fair
in early February, which is about the time this magazine is already
in your hands. We will have a full report in mid-February from Toy
Fair on www.modelcarracingmag.com under the left sidebar and it
will also appear in the next printed issue. A few of the manufacturers announce what will be coming earlier. About a fourth of the cars
that were announced back in February 2013 and, again in 2014, are
yet to be shipped but most of those announcements were long-term
introductions so you will not see some of them until early 2016. There
are dozens of new paint schemes on existing bodies coming for 2015
but the only ones listed below are cars made from new tooling. Here’s
what’s coming:
½½ 1/32 SCALE:
Scalextric: (images at http://scalextric.hornby.com) The 2014
Formula 1 McLaren Mercedes MP4-29 announced in 2014 will
be out this spring with a replica of the Mercedes F1 W05 World
Championship Formula 1 cars (the 2014 Lotus Formula 1 is not
coming). Other all-new cars will include the 2012 BMW Z4 GT3,
2013 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, 2014 McLaren P1 supercar,
Brabham BT26A-3 (to race with the Tyrell, Lotus 49 and
McLaren 1968-1973 F1 cars), 1968 Lotus 49 with low duck tail,
1/32 scale Go-Karts, Peugeot 205 T16 Rally car and (from the
2014 catalog) the 2013 Volkswagen Polo WRC Champion. The
two Scalextric BMW Z4 GT race cars and the two McLaren P1
street cars will be fitted with a high-performance chassis for 2015
called PCR. The PCR chassis has a Slot.it anglewinder motor
pod, motor, gears and wheels with plug-in electrical connections
and the chassis are Digital Plug Ready so you can also plug-in
the Scalextric C8515 Digital Plug to convert the car to Scalextric
Digital. The 1969 Sunoco #6 Trans-Am Camaro is coming back
with a DPR-ready chassis for quick conversion to Digital. The
new Scalextric ARC control system for analog has been shipped
but the Digital version will not be available until summer.
Racer “Sideways” range: Group 5 BMW 320, Mustang GTP,
Kremer 935K3, Lancia Stratos Turbo, Nissan Skyline, and
Toyota Celica
SRC: (Slot Racing Company) 1972 Matra MS670B LeMans
MRRC: Still due from 2012: 1963 Corvette Stingray fastback
NSR: 2013 BMW Z4
Mr. Slotcar: Still due from 2012: 1995 McLaren FI GTR
LeMans and 1969 Lola T70
Cartrix: 1953 Lancia D50 and the 1960 Scarab and 1961
Ferguson P99 Grand Prix cars still due from 2012.
Le Mans Miniatures: (cast resin) to be announced at Toy Fair
MSC: Still due from 2012: 1985 Rothmann’s Porsche 959 Dakar car.
½½ 1/24 Scale:
Auto World: to be announced at Toy Fair
Carrera: to be announced at Toy Fair
Scaleauto: to be announced at Toy Fair
1/43 Scale:
Carrera Go!!!: to be announced at Toy Fair
SCX Compact: to be announced at Toy Fair
½½ HO Scale:
Racemasters AFX: to be announced at Toy Fair
Auto World: to be announced at Toy Fair
Slot.it: the 2013 Audi R18 quattro four-wheel-drive car
announced in 2014 should be here this spring. New cars
include the 1967 Chaparral 2G and Lola Aston Martin 'Gulf'
Policar: Formula 1 cars from the sixties and seventies, Lotus
72C, Lotus 72E, March 701, March 711 all with double-gear
reduction chassis.
Carrera: to be announced at Toy Fair
Ninco: to be announced at Toy Fair
SCX: to be announced at Toy Fair
Scaleauto: to be announced at Toy Fair
Avant Slot: to be announced at Toy Fair
Pioneer: (www.pioneerslotcars.com) Still due from 2012:
British “Legends” dirt track coupes, 1965 MGB hardtop, 1970
Plymouth Barracuda Trans-Am, and 1970 Javelin Trans-Am.
Auto Art: to be announced at Toy Fair
Flyslot: Brabham BT44 1975, Williams FW08 1983, Toleman
TG193 1984, BT52B 1983 Formula 1 cars. Still due from
2012: 1979/80 Renault RS10 Grand Prix and 2007 and 2008
Lamborghini Diablo.
54 Model Car Racing
MMK is producing cast-resin replicas of the Cadillac-engined Allard J2 that was
third overall at LeMans in 1950. The model is available either ready-to-race or as a
kit. The Cad-Allards were the cars to beat in America in the early fifties---there’s an
article on them in November/December 2004 number 18 issue if you want to build
and paint your own MMK kit.
Avant Slot has shipped their replica of the Mirage Group 8 car that won Le Mans in 1975
The Scalextric Brabham BT26A-3 will also be available as the double-wing 1968 car
in a two-car set with a McLaren M7.
SRC has shipped their recreation of the Matra MS670B that won LeMans in 1972.
Scalextric will ship both of the 2014 Mercedes F1 W05 World Championship Formula
1 cars.
The 2014 Formula 1 McLaren Mercedes MP4-29 announced in 2014 will be out this spring.
SRC is the first to reproduce the Lola T600 that finished 15th overall at LeMans in 1981.
The Scalextric 1968 Lotus 49 with the low ducktail
SRC has shipped two replicas of their Porsche 914 including this car that competed
in the 1971 Targa Florio. The Scalextric Brabham BT26A-3 will be available to recreate the low wing 1968 car.
Scalextric will be shipping 1/32 scale Go-Karts late in 2015.
Model Car Racing 55
The Scalextric 2014 McLaren P1 supercar (and the 2012 BMW Z4 GT3) will be fitted
with a high-performance chassis for 2015 called PCR. The PCR chassis has a Slot.it
anglewinder motor pod, motor, gears and wheels with plug-in electrical connections
and the chassis are Digital Plug Ready so you can also plug-in the Scalextric C8515
Digital Plug to convert the car to Scalextric Digital.
Innovative Hobby Supply (www.innovativehobbysupply.com) has a new series of photo-reproduced buildings. They offer over a dozen 1/32 scale buildings but these six are
specifically for race tracks: The kits are thick card. Use scissors to trim the parts from the sheets. Scribe the fold lines. Color white paper edges with water-based felt tip pens.
Assembly instructions son on website. The models are designed to be assembled with a hot glue gun with the glue fillet providing the bond and reinforcement for each joint. Bleacher
Kit & Hot Dog Stand, Ticket and Gate Entrance, 4 Stall Pit Garage, Race Tower, Press & Media Tower" Photo Real Scale Building Kits are $14.95.
AFX has shipped the first cars with new Mega G+
chassis. The Formula cars are included in the Infinity
Raceway set with a figure 8 track and the AFX adjustablepower Tri-Power Pack with trigger controllers. The new
chassis is lower and the motor and gearing provide race
control that is similar to that in the larger scale cars. We’ll
have a full report in the next issue.
56 Model Car Racing
The new Slot It SICA08E Lancia LC2 (Long Tail) is a
replica of the car that raced at the WEC Fuji 1000km
in 1985 driven by A. Nannini and Henri Pescarolo. The
model has received the usual Slot.it upgrade with a
modified motor pod to accept two downforce magnets,
one in front of the rear axle and a second location in
front of the motor. This version has visible (but nonfunctioning) headlights.
The newest Auto World Racing rigs are fuel tanker
tractors and trailers decorated for Union and Shell. You
can race the tractors alone or race them as rigs. The
trailers have two guide blades to help keep them in
the slot. The tractors are powered with the Auto World
X-Traction chassis.
Coming Next Issue
The May/June 2015 number 81 issue of Model Car Racing will be on sale
April 15, 2015 and it has the articles you asked for:
• Digital Racing with an app, the Carrera Digital 132 system
• Scalextric 2014 Formula 1 Mercedes F1 W05
• Scalextric 2014 Formula 1 McLaren Mercedes MP4-29
• SRC 1971 Porsche 914 Targa Florio
• SRC 1981 Lola T600 LeMans
• Slot.it 2009 Lola Aston Martin MP1 LeMans
• Track Tests:
- Avant Slot LeMans-winning 1975 Mirage
- Flyslot Hi-Per Ferrari 512BB
- ScaleAuto Home Set Porsche 935
The 7 x 22-foot three-lane Ring Raceway is routed from ½-inch MDF board. The
track is host to Toronto area clubs so there is some serious racing. The scenery was
designed to make the track as realistic as the cars. It is the featured "Your Track” in
May/June 2015 number 81 issue of Model Car Racing.
• Build a classic clear-body 1961 Lotus 19
• Race Track Plans:
- 2-Lane Formula 1 Hockenheimring Track on an 8 x 16-foot tabletop
Now You Can Have Model Car Racing Delivered To Your Computer AND To Your Mailbox! Both The
‘Paper’ Copy And The Internet Version Of Every Page Are Just $35 — That Sixth Issue Is Just 25 Cents
“Instant” Delivery And A Magazine To Keep:
When you subscribe for $35.00 your sixth issue is just 25-cents---you save $6.70 over the newsstand
price---and you will be notified by email that your Internet copy is ready to view the moment the paper
magazines are printed and ready to be mailed to your door. Subscriptions received after January 15,
2014 will begin with the May/June 2015 number 81 issue. Subscribe now!
When you subscribe to Model Car Racing you also have free access to the current issue of the magazine
on the Internet. To see a short sample of the Internet version of the magazine click on the words “Digital
Edition” on www.modelcarracingmag.com. The $35.00 yearly subscription now includes both the “paper”
copy and an access code that will be emailed with each issue so you can see the magazine on your
computer the day it leaves the printer. If you prefer only the Internet version (with no paper copy mailed to
your door), the price for 6 issues is just $19.95. This (and the “tablet” edition----see below) also makes the
magazine more accessible to enthusiasts in countries outside the United States.
This Internet version of Model Car Racing cannot be downloaded for security purposes. You can, however, print one or all of the pages of the magazine for your own use, but be aware that the files are large
and will take some time. The paper copies cannot, of course, be sold or distributed because they are protected by International copyright. We would advise you to print any articles you wish to archive because
we can only provide access to the Internet versions for the six issues (12 months) of your subscription.
We can only process orders about the 15th of each odd numbered month so there may be a delay in
your receiving email notification that your first Internet issue is available to you on the web. Mail delivery
of the paper copies can add a week or so to that. You will be notified by email that each of the next five
Internet issues are available on the same day that the paper copies are mailed, which is about the first
of every even month. Note that you will not be able to read this $19.95 internet version or the internet
version offered with the paper copy subscriptions on an iPad, Kindle or Google tablet---iPad, Kindle
and Goggle versions are only available direct from those stores---we cannot “bundle” the paper or the
$19.95 internet versions with any of the tablet editions---if you want both versions you will need to
purchase both versions of the magazine.
Now Available For iPads Or Kindles
We cannot process orders for ether iPad or Amazon downloads—they must be ordered directly from the
Apple iTunes store or Amazon Kindle….
Paper Edition NOTE: if you do opt for the iPad or Kindle editions and you also want the paper edition, you
must ALSO purchase the $35.00 paper subscription---there are no “bundle” packages that include paper
and iPhone or Kindle web editions.
If you simply want an internet edition that you can read on your lap top, that is included free with the paper
edition subscription but it cannot be downloaded---only read or printed. You also have the choice of subscribing to only that Internet edition (with no paper copies and no iPad or Amazon Kindle versions) on our
website www.modelcarracingmag.com but that version is NOT downloadable (it can be printed, however).
Back Issues:
We have no paper copies of any back issue. You may be able to find some paper back issues at some of
our dealers on the www.modelcarracingmag.com website, and Electric Dreams (www.electricdreams.
com) has a few of the number 1 through 6 issues (from 2002) with a Scalextric Limited edition Cadillac
Northstar LeMans car.
Internet versions of issues number 55 through 78 (all the issues from 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014) and
#79 are available for $4.95 each direct from the Apple iTunes store for the iPad, but only as readable and
downloadable copies.
“Instant” Delivery and a Magazine to Keep:
When you subscribe for $35.00 your sixth issue is just 25-cents---you save $6.70 over the newsstand
price---and you will be emailed that your Internet copy is ready to download and the paper magazines
are mailed to your door. Subscriptions received after January 15, 2015 will begin with the May/June
2015 number 81 issue of Model Car Racing will be on sale April 15, 2015. Subscribe now!
One Year (six issues, plus the Internet replica) mailed to the Continental United States:
$35.00________ Internet ONLY Version One Year (six issues): $19.95__________
Foreign or Canadian subscriptions for the paper version will not be accepted. We are sorry, but
the postal services in most of these countries are taking 8 weeks and more to send magazines
when they deliver them at all. Only the “Internet Only” subscriptions ($19.95) for Foreign addresses (including Canada) will be accepted. We have a network of dealers in Canada, Europe,
Australia and Japan listed on our website at www.modelcarracingmag.com that will be pleased
to supply the paper version of the magazine.
I am a new subscriber _____This is a request for a second subscription _____ This is a renewal _____This is gift subscription, from________________________________
Please Print: Name_______________________________________ Address________________________________________________________
City _________________________________________________State _____ Zip Code ___________Country_____________________________
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Charge My Visa or Mastercard No.________________________________________ Exp. Date_________________
Signature��
To order by email, use our secure order form on our web site at www.modelcarracingmag.com or Return Mail To: Model Car Racing Publications, Inc, 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142, Boulder CO 80301
Model Car Racing 57
80
Autoworld Ad
Books & Back Issues:
All of the books by Robert Schleicher are currently out of print.
We have no paper copies of any back issue. You may be able to find some paper
back issues at some of our dealers on the www.modelcarracingmag.com website, and Electric Dreams (www.electricdreams.com) has most of them as well
as a few of the number 1 through 6 issues (from 2002) with a Scalextric Limited
edition Cadillac Northstar LeMans car.
Internet versions of issues number 55 through 69 (all the issues from 2011,
2012 and 2013) and issues number 70 through 80 are available at $4.95
each direct from the Apple iTunes store for the iPad, but only as readable and
downloadable copies.
We have tried to keep the most significant material in print because photocopying back issue articles is not an option. The most important tuning and race
setup information is on the www.modelcarracingmag.com website under the
left hand link “New To The Hobby” as well as information on 1/43 scale vs. 1/32
scale. All of the Race Track Test results from issue #1 through #72 are also on
the website under the top bar link ”More Information” then in the left box “Race
Car Tests” and there is information on selecting a specific brand of track. All
of the articles on digital racing, on visits to “Your Tracks”, 4 x 8 and 5 x 9-foot
1/32 scale plans, 4 x 8-foot HO plans and additional features from issues #44
(March/April 2009) through the current issue are available on the website under
the top bar link “Sample Issues”. These are readable and printable but cannot
be downloaded for security purposes.
All of the articles from the first 72 issues are indexed under the top bar “More
Information”, then scroll down on the left to “Model Car Racing Index”. The
Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation.
index is searchable (with Safari, Firefox and others) under the top bar “Edit”,
then scroll down to “Find”.
However, most of the articles from any of these issue are only available in the
full paper or iPad issues, including the larger plans for “Real Race Tracks On A
Tabletop” and the majority of articles comparing model cars to their prototypes,
with the history and provenance of over 300 cars including the 50s, 60s, 70s,
80s and 90s Formula 1 cars, Jaguars from XK120 to C to D to E to XKR, most of
the GT, sports and Formula 1 Ferraris and Porsches and more.
The majority of the material (including all of the race track plans and visits
to finished home tracks) that appeared in the in the January/February 2005
through November/December 2007 (numbers 19 through 36) issues of Model
Car Racing is in the book SLOT CAR RACING IN THE DIGITAL AGE. Similarly,
much of the material in SLOT CAR RACING, TIPS, TECHNIQUES & TRACK PLANS
was first published in the magazine in the January/February 2003 through November/December 2004 (numbers 7 through 18) issues but both of those books
are no longer in print and no reprints are scheduled. At present, no additional
books are in preparation.
There are two other earlier books on model car racing (also by Robert Schleicher) that contain additional material that was not published in this magazine but
both books are long out of print: RACING AND COLLECTING SLOT CARS was
published in 2001 and the SLOT CAR BIBLE in 2002.
To subscribe to Model Car Racing magazine, click on “SUBSCRIBE” on the top
bar the www.modelcarracingmag.com home page.
1. Publication Title: Model Car Racing. 2. Publication Number: 020-443. 3. Filing Date: September 22, 2014. 4. Issue Frequency: bimonthly. 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 6 . 6. Annual Subscription Price: $35.00. 7.
Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Model Car Racing Publications, Inc., 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142, CO 80301-3346. 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher (Not printer): Model Car Racing Publications, Inc., 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142, CO
80301. 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: . Publisher: Robert Schleicher, 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142, CO 80301. Editor: Robert Schleicher, 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142, CO 80301. Managing Editor: Chris Walker, 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142, CO
80301. 10. Owner: Model Car Racing Publications, Inc., 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142, CO 80301. Robert Schleicher, 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142, CO 80301. 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities.
none. 12. Tax Status : Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. Publication Title: Model Car Racing. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: January/February 2015. 15. Average No. Copies of Each Issue Published During Preceding 12 Months/No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: . a. Total
Number of Copies (Net press run): 5,000/5,000. b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation:. (1) Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541. (Include advertiser’s proof and exchange copies): 707/718. (2) Paid In-County Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541 (Include advertiser’s proof and exchange copies): 4/4. (3)
Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid Distribution: 2850/2995. (4) Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS: 0/0. c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation [Sum of 15b. (1), (2),(3),and (4)]: 3561/3717. d. Free Distribution by Mail (Samples, complimentary, and other free):. (1)
Outside-County as Stated on Form 3541: 108/108. (2) In-County as Stated on Form 3541: 4/4. (3) Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS: 0/0. (4) Free Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means): 0/0. e. Total free distribution (sum of 15d and 15e): 114/114. f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c. and 15f): 3673/3829
. g. Copies not Distributed: 1327/1171. h. Total (Sum of 15g. and h.): 5,000/5,000. i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c. divided by 15g. times 100): 97%/97%. 16. Electronic copy circulation:. a. Paid electronic copies 450/475. b. Total paid Print Copies (line 15c) + Paid electronic copies 4011/4192. c. Total Print
Distribution (line 15c) Paid electronic copies 4123/4304. d. Percent Paid (Both Print & Electronic Copies)(18b divided by 16c x 100) 97/97. I certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic and print) are paid above a nominal price. 17. Publication of Statement of Ownership. Publication required. Will be printed in the January/
February 2015 issue of this publication.. 18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner. Robert Schleicher, Publisher September 22, 2014. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who
omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).
58 Model Car Racing
Collect all 6 Willys from Release 14
#1 1941 Coupe - Speed Demon
#2 1941 Coupe - Willy the Kid
#3 1941 Coupe - Blood, Sweat & Fears
#4 1941 Coupe - U.S.A. Willy
#5 1940 Custom Panel - Stardust
#6 1940 Custom Panel - Irish Luck
1:64 Scale Slot cars!
Paying tribute to the classic Willys gassers that have been burning up
drag strips for decades, Auto World has dedicated an entire series to
these fuel-thirsty quarter-milers. ThunderJet Release 14 features 6
different paint schemes reminiscent of actual gassers that we’ve all
seen stage at the light on race day. The ThunderJet® Ultra-G™ chassis
is Auto World®’s improved adaptation of the classic “pancake”
design, originally developed by Aurora in the early days of
electric slot racing. This is retro slot racing at its best!
FIND THESE GREAT SLOT CARS, SLOT SETS AND
MORE AT HOBBY STORES AND AUTOWORLDSTORE.COM
Willys is a trademark of FCA US LLC and is used under license. ©2015 FCA US LLC. Other names and trademarks used under license to Round 2, LLC or by permission. AW AUTO WORLD and design is a registered trademark
of Round 2, LLC. ©2015 Round 2, LLC, South Bend, IN 46628 USA. Product and packaging designed in the USA. Made in China. All rights reserved.

Model Car Racing Magazine - Aaron Tipton

Transcription

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