Another way off topic - slot cars

[toyfiats]

Things have changed dramatically since I was a kid and had a cheap (but fun!) two lane slotted track. I'd love to get another set to enjoy with my kids, but the biggest issue (aside from the desire to go overboard every time I see one of Slotmods's ultimate tracks) has always been where to put it. I would want it to be semi-permanent so we wouldn't have to assemble and disassemble each time we wanted to use it, and have thought of all kinds of elaborate schemes with a 4x8 sheet of plywood mounted against a garage wall that would then pivot out of the way when not in use.

But there are so many other choices and decisions - digital, analog, slotted or slotless (which I never had but thought was totally cool when I was younger), 2, 3, or even 4 lane tracks, etc. Then there are the compatibility (or lack of) features to consider.

Anyone into slots, or is this another old man's hobby (like trains, stamp collecting, etc) that has been replaced with video games?

[spiderdan]

Wow, that just brought me back a few years.
Me and my buddies had Eldon tracks and cars. We used to add 2 or 3 sets together and spend hours racing. Even "tried" to modify our cars for more power/traction.
My fav was my 66 Charger.
Remember even putting my dads lighter fluid (Zippo days) on the track, turning the lights out, and driving thru the "wall of fire"
Great fun, tx for stimulating those memory cells.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-ELDON-S ... 2edad4fe22

[Jimb]

Yes, fond memories indeed!
You could install it like a murphy bed, hinged against the wall and even behind bifold doors to conceal and protect it.
Jim

[dom]

I was big into afx slot cars. I had a bout 30 cars and trucks in mint condition, all the popular ones which are now rare and collectible. Back in the 80s I gave them away for next to nothing because I got bored one day. Big regret as I wish I can have them back. Now to replace them would cost me thousands. If anyone has a collection that they are ready to let go, let me know. And I want my vertibird back, the original one that actually flew.

[azruss]

When my son was young, I had a fiberglass shop. Built a slot car track out of 3 1/2 sets along with 2 switch-overs and a banked curve. It wouldn't fit on a 4x8 sheet, so had to add 8" to one end. It had 3 tunnels and 2 bridges, a 10 1/2" elevation change, a straight away that ran over 6' with the banked corner on the end. It was 2 lane and required 2 transformers to get enough power. The mountains were slow capped (white gelcoat dripped on the top of the two fiberglass mountains.) Found some luminescent paint and put a center stripe down the whole thing. used velour cloth to create meadows and lakes. I made the thing by piling dirt on a piece of plywood and shaped mountains and road beds. Road beds were finished with sand where i could slightly bank corners. Rained resin over the entire mess and then shot a coat of chop over the tops. When it dried, i washed the dirt away and was left with a fiberglass shell I screwed to the plywood. Mounted on an offset base bolted to the wall and was hinged so it could be tilted against the wall. The track was bolted to the fiberglass and wood at each joint and shimmed to keep the track smooth. My kid still has the track but hasnt been operational for decades. I spent most of my time maintaining cars while the kids raced.

[Martin124]

Slot cars is another of my hobbies. I have a track that hoists to the ceiling in the garage when not in use. The table measures 6 metres by 2.25 metres. It is four lanes and each lap is 27 metres (I'll let you guys do the conversions). I decided not to go for the digital option because it was new when I set up my track and it still took a few years before the manufacturers (that I know of) ironed out the bugs.

A friend of mine persevered and waded through the early, difficult days of digital and I have to say his track is brilliant. The racing on digital is a lot more tactical. With blocking, nudging, lane changing etc.

Either way you go - you'll have a lot of fun.

[spidernut]

My slot car sets were too big for a fixed track. I grew up with Strombecker 1/24 and 1/32 scale slot cars. I have about 4 or 5 sets of tracks, with transformers and controllers. Unfortunately all the tires rotted on the cars so I can't race them. I bought some HO scale sets and separate cars (57 Tbird is my favorite). They're not as much fun because they don't fishtail around the corners like the classic sets from the 60s, but my kids and I still loved racing them.

I'm not big on a fixed layout because half the fun was coming up with new track layouts. I had one setup that started in my dining room, filled the living room, went the full length of my hallway and into two bedrooms. The drag strip down the hallway was fun because the cars would crash, flip and fly about 5 or 6 feet when you hit the corners and didn't let up.

What great memories!

This isn't mine, but this is similar to the style of track that I have: