Scalextric C4245 Tyrrell P34 - 1977 Belgian Grand Prix. RRP £53.99. Available very soon.

Hot off the increasingly rapid boat from China is this much-anticipated Tyrrell six-wheeler, featuring the 1977 First National City colour scheme and piloted by Super-Swede Ronnie Peterson. We've had to wait a while after the 2020 release of a '76 Swedish Grand Prix twin pack, celebrating the high-point of Tyrrell's revolutionary Project 34 - but that probably makes this release even more attractive...

       

The model captures the car as it was at the 1977 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder. Although the helmet is not correct for these photographs taken during practice, Peterson did change to an un-peaked version for the wet race...

       

There was no engine cover, allowing Scalextric to show off their nicely detailed DFV. Neither is there the ugly front radiator - Tyrrell rowing back on many of the 1977 'upgrades' as they added weight and seemed to offer no advantage. It makes the Scalextric car very pleasing to the eye...

       

The race itself is remembered for the atrocious conditions and for the sole Grand Prix victory for Gunnar Nilsson - the popular and talented Swede who died of cancer the following year, aged just 29. If we moan about officials' decisions in Formula One today, things were considerably worse at Zolder in 1977. Sandstorms had been an issue all weekend, compounded by a lack of garage space for the 32 cars that had turned up to try and qualify. Sand got everywhere - which is not great for an F1 car. Race day saw the addition of a moist, salty sea mist blowing across the track. And then the rain came. The 27 qualified cars were sent out for a standing start, all on slicks.



Delays and indecision were eventually followed by a full 70-lap race in dark and damp conditions - almost everyone starting on wet tyres. The exception was reigning world champion James Hunt. No safety car start in those days, and it was a chaotic first lap - John Watson got the jump on pole-sitter Andretti, but the American's Lotus hit the rear end of Watson's Brabham and both spun off into retirement. Peterson had qualified third, but the new leader was Jody Scheckter's Wolf - who had Nilson behind him in the other Lotus. Scheckter made the most of his superior visibility and pulled out a commanding lead. The rain was still falling, so Hunt's gamble fizzled out as he dropped to the back and was lapped by the Wolf on lap seven.

Ronnie Peterson was the first to gamble as the rain ceased and the strong wind began to dry the track - he came into the pits on lap 13. Tyrrell's move was the catalyst for plenty of pit lane action - including a 'record' 16-second stop for Lauda's Ferrari. The track surface was still treacherous off-line - especially on worn wets - and leader Scheckter dropped to eighth after an excursion on lap 17. Nilsson now led, but he was yet to stop.

Everyone had either spun off or changed tyres by lap 25 - and the race finally settled down. Lauda had a decent lead, followed by Mass in the other McLaren, Alan Jones in a Shadow and Brambilla in a Surtees. Behind them, Scheckter and Nilsson were recovering from their less-than-ideal race strategies. A light drizzle returned and Lauda spun, retaining the lead - but others were less fortunate. Before the days of an 'intermediate' tyre, drivers slowed or went for wets - which soon overheated - and another chaotic phase of the race ensued. Scheckter was one of those pitting again (and later, a third time) leaving the battle between Lauda and Nilsson, with Peterson struggling to get past Jones and Brambilla - which he would eventually do to grab the final place on the podium.

       

At the front, Nilsson was finding his Lotus a better proposition in the conditions than Lauda's Ferrari. Closing in on the Austrian, he executed a perfect overtake going into the chicane behind the pits "as if he were overtaking a back-marker" according to a contemporary race report. And then the Swede drove away, controlling the race and keeping the revs nice and low. As Denis Jenkinson wrote in Motorsport...

Quote:Never was there a happier winner, his first Grand Prix victory, and a well-earned one; the Lotus had run perfectly throughout “… and was just fantastic”. It was best summed up by the sight of Colin Chapman struggling through the crowds surrounding the winner’s rostrum and Gunnar Nilsson standing amidst the mob, looking happy but a bit bewildered by it all. Suddenly, they came face-to-face, and the spontaneous way they threw their arms round each other and hugged one another from sheer emotion and mutual satisfaction was wonderful. There was no need for words, that embrace said it all.

Zolder 1977 was the only time two Swedes have stood together on a Formula One World Championship podium - Nilsson would be gone the following October and Ronnie killed at Monza just a month before. If they had lived - which they probably would have done in this day and age - who knows what they might have achieved.

As for the Tyrrell six-wheeler, the podium at Zolder was the best Peterson would manage in 1977 - teammate Patrick Depailler finished second in Canada and score two third places at Kyalami and Fuji. Tyrrell finished a disappointing fifth in the manufacturers' championship. Japan was the final race for the P34 and it was back to just four wheels in 1978. Ken Tyrrell explained "We have closed the book on our six-wheeled project, and I am sure the cars will become something of a collector's piece". The Scalextric six-wheeler is one way we can all enjoy part of that history.

The Zolder '77 Tyrrell P34 will be available very soon from the Scalextric website and will be with retailers over the next couple of weeks. Many thanks to the Scalextric team for the fabulous photos.

Magnetic Downforce Scale Apparatus

Inspired by several similar devices made by others using other materials (wood, metal, etc), and attempting to simplify and democratize the design and construction of a basic device to compare magnetic downforce between multiple cars, I've designed this model and provided the Fusion 360 file for quick and easy manipulation to accommodate different types of rails (from track as shown, or just bar steel if you want) as well as different scales. By just changing the parameters in the Fusion 360 file, this design can be easily adjusted for any combination of those things, and then printed out and put to use in a single day of printing.

The files are free to download at the link below, which also includes additional detail on design and construction. If you already have a Magnet Marshal, then you certainly don't need this. But if you've wanted one without spending nearly so much, this might be for you.

https://www.printables.com/model/280855-...-apparatus

   

   

Finally, we get to enjoy our long-planned homage to the Goodwood Revival - featuring models of classic cars that raced before 1967. The format is very similar to our regular digital Saturdays, but the classes are different. Don’t worry if you haven’t got suitable cars to bring - there’s a Goodwood Club Car Rotation, a St Mary’s pairs race, a classic GT team race, plus loaners for the Whitsun Trophy sportscar race. It should be a lot of fun - and we have plans to make our Goodwood Saturday an annual highlight on the WHO calendar.

This Saturday’s event is the first of four all-day Digital Saturdays between now and the end of the year.

Goodwood Revival Digital Saturday - 24 September 2022. 10am - 5pm.

Regulations and formats can be found here: https://www.whoracing.org.uk/who_digital.html 

Mike has come up with this flowing track design, which contains some elements of the Goodwood circuit...

   

Doors open at 10am - please don’t arrive earlier… unless you are part of the set-up crew, of course! As always, we ask that all racers aged 12 or younger bring a responsible adult with them. Race fees: £6 for adults, £4 for under-16s - or £3/£2 for a half day. We now have pre-pay options, including a WHO/digital season ticket. Ask Terry for details.

Digital Saturday format: There’s time for practice after doors open at 10am, but our club car rotation begins sharp at 10.30am. Please don’t be late - we can't add you to the race once it has started. The rotation is a great way to get into the groove and learn the track. You’ll drive each of the six club cars for two minutes each - including a pit stop. The aim is to complete as many laps as possible. The day then progresses with a mix of individual, team and pairs races - there’s a break for lunch (you’ll need to provide your own) and we aim to finish by 5pm.

   

Dressing up: Although not obligatory, wearing a flat cap, a retro t-shirt - or even a full 1950s or 1960s outfit - will certainly add to the atmosphere of the day… as it does at the real Revival event. Some advanced warning… we do like to see a Christmas jumper or festive hat at our December Digital Saturday!

Covid precautions: Covid cases are much lower at the moment, but are predicted to rise again through the autumn. It seems sensible to keep our usual common-sense precautions in place to keep vulnerable members of the extended WHO family safe. The main thing is to stay away if you have any symptoms that could be Covid. Inside the Barn, wearing a face mask, practising good hand-hygiene and giving each other space are non-negotiable requirements. We will ensure as good ventilation as possible - and also have hand sanitiser and spare masks available if you forget your own. Any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Another project has elbowed into the queue...well I couldn't resist 

This was the plan:

   

...I don't expect to get close to that but it's got a coat of paint.  Awaiting a 1mm Molotow pen before going further as I'll end up having to retouch the paintwork afterwards then a coat of Vellejo laquer.

   

The body is 55mm wide to keep it close to scale.

   
   

Appropriate wheels or inserts need sourcing.

It has a 3D resin printed IL pod with a 19k orange Pioneer motor which are super smooth for Rally.

Hi im in the process of selling my late fathers collection. All to be listed on ebay uk under the same user name as that Ive used here. Or message me with any specific requests.

   
Scalextric C4235 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 - 1980 Spa 24hrs. Available end of September 2022.

Another of the delayed 2021 models, this one has been waiting patiently in the production queue while Chinese manufacturing has struggled to meet demand over a turbulent thirty months. The Bastos Camaro's street car sibling arrived a few weeks ago and this 1980 Spa racer is expected in the UK over the next ten days or so. Scalextric very kindly sent me a pre-production to preview last year - and so this seems the perfect time to share my impressions here on the Reviews forum.

       

The second-generation Camaro was a thoroughly modern-looking car in 1979. The chrome of 1970 had become plastic integral front and rear bumpers, the headlights had changed from round to square – and the Z28 had developed lumps, bumps and spoilers to give it a very eighties look for the start of the new decade. These changes were very popular – 1979 was the best year ever for Camaro sales, with 282,571 cars being sold in the US market. The 4.1 litre straight-six engine was standard, but 5.0 litre and 5.7 litre V8s were the preferred options.

Camaros were raced mostly as lightly-modified road cars – and were a common sight at European saloon car events. Competing in the ‘above 2.5 litre’ division of the Group 1B class, the 5.7 litre V8 powered Camaros looked and sounded very different from the European Fords, BMWs, Opels, VWs and Mazdas they were up against. Not that they were wonderfully successful, but they did thrill the crowds.

The Bastos-sponsored Luigi Racing Z28 was shared by Alain Cudini and Jean Xhenceval at the 1980 Spa 24 hours. The car started from fourth on the grid, but could only finish seventeenth – 44 laps behind the winning Capri 3.0S. A Z28 painted in this livery has reappeared in historic racing in recent years – most notably in the Gerry Marshall Trophy at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting. The car is owned by former McLaren sales and marketing director David Clark and the Scalextric team were able to view the car during the design phase for the model.

       

I fell in love with this Scalextric model as soon as I unwrapped it. A good job, because I was really excited by the artwork in the catalogue. I had high expectations and it looks like Scalextric have delivered on their promise. I’ve checked the dimensions and it’s all to scale for a standard edition Z28 road car – and hence the Group 1B race car. Of course, plenty of Camaros were fitted with wider body kits, but that’s not what Scalextric are modelling.

This is a big slot car – as it should be. At 154mm long, it fills much of the Scalextric display box. Apart from the Dodge Charger, the Z28 is the longest of the Scalextric Trans-Am and ‘American Muscle’ cars. It is a later model than all of those – and does have a more modern look, especially at the front. The ‘face’ of the 1979 Z28 is distinctive and I can hear the rumble of that Chevy V8 when I look at it. The car also has auxiliary driving lights, as fitted for the 24 hour race.

The construction of the body is interesting as there are three separate pieces – the nose, the bonnet and then the rest of the car. Z28s did have various bonnet styles with intakes, bumps and hood scoops, but the nose was mostly the same. I assume the easiest way to be able to assemble a car with different styles of bonnets is to have a separate nose. It does leave a tiny gap between the panels, which is only really noticeable with the headlights ablaze...

       

The decoration on this Bastos-sponsored car is sensational. It is a well-known livery and Scalextric have reproduced it near perfectly. The windscreen wipers are a painted part of the windscreen moulding, but they look absolutely fine and it does mean they will never break off. The driver figure and helmet are nicely detailed, with the driver sitting in a spacious, full-depth interior. Unusually, the driver figure is sitting a little too low in the car and could do with the seat raised a couple of millimetres.

   

I do like the gold BBS wheels. They certainly weren’t standard on a Z28, but were the exact wheels fitted to this car for the 1980 Spa 24 hours. The Camaro’s wheels are highly detailed, unlike the similar hubs on the Jägermeister Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR that I previewed last month. All-in-all, it’s a pretty awesome model that also happens to be a slot car…

       

Underneath, the chassis has a nifty ‘Z28’ cut-out over the motor. The big gear inside the left rear wheel indicates this car has a sidewinder layout. The chassis is Digital Plug Ready (DPR), meaning it can be easily converted to Scalextric digital using the C8515 Digital Plug - or to Carrera Digital132 using the Carson DPR chip. There’s also the usual easy-change guide, plus a magnet right under the rear axle. This registered 43.5g of downforce on my DIY magnet gauge, which is pretty average for a modern Scalextric car.

Removing the three body screws (two front, one at the back) shows a simple layout inside the car. Unusually for a new Scalextric release, the motor sits across the rear of the car in a ‘sidewinder’ set-up. The Scalextric team have chosen this to match the previous Trans-Am cars – with the exception of the in-line AMC Javelin. This should give all the cars similar characteristics on track. Having the motor sitting sideways does, in theory, add a small amount of magnetic downforce – more noticeable with the traction magnet removed. These Scalextric Trans-Am cars are popular at many slot car clubs.

The slick rear tyres are 8mm wide – very slightly on the skinny side – and the rear track is a couple of millimetres less than the Z28’s earlier Trans-Am rivals. That might make the rear of the car slightly less stable… However, at the front, the tyres just touch the track surface – perfect for handling and definitely an improvement over the other models. The wheels look to be the correct size for fitting Slot.it or NSR racing tyres.

The full interior does add quite a lot of weight to the car and to the body. However, there are no extra fixing screws to attach the interior to the chassis, as there was on some older Trans-Am models. Usually, these were simply discarded. With light sanding of the chassis edges, removal of some tabs and re-routing of wires, I expect there to be some excellent body float available. It’s good to see the body posts on the chassis do not have flanges, so the body can move nicely.

Camaro stats.

• Length: 154mm
  
• Wheelbase: 85mm
  
• Rear track: 54.5mm
  
• Height: 39mm
  
• Weight: 85g (body = 33.5g not including front valance)
  

       

I was really surprised by how well this big car performed on my living-room-floor Scalextric Sport track. I expected something around the Capri Mk3 or Jaguar XJS level, but was blown away by the balance and speed of the Camaro. It felt really stuck down, but the magnet didn’t measure as being super-strong. And when I pushed the car, the rear did slide rather than break away. The tyres might be narrow, but they also have a decent level of grip.

The Camaro cruised round the twisty layout without a hint of tipping or rolling, just very nicely planted – and deceptively quick. Over a two-minute run with the ARC app, the Camaro managed a massive 28 laps and a record-breaking 3.97 second fast lap. That puts it – without any tweaks – as the fastest Scalextric car on that track configuration. I really didn’t see that coming!

To be honest, I’d put this new Camaro down as a looker rather that a racer. After driving the car, I’ve completely changed that assumption. I didn’t have the chance to test the car with the magnet removed, but I see no reason why it shouldn’t be a stunning non-mag racing car with the usual fettling - new rear tyres and a little ballast. With plenty of European saloon car liveries that can be produced, the Z28 is certainly going to be a contender in the late-70s and early-80s saloon car range that Scalextric are putting together.

       

I've finally got enough space to start my take on Donington Park.
I have a wonderful book called Donington Park The Pioneers and it has track layouts from 1931-present day.

Because I reallly like the older cars and the MotoGP bikes I've decided to make half the track circa 1931 and the other half 2004, hence the Melange part of the name.
The 1930's section is from the old Redgate Lodge up to the Old Hairpin Bend.
The start section use to be in between Craner Curves and Old Hairpin so this is where mine will be.

The 2004 section will start from Starky's Bridge just before McLeans and from Coppice Corner heading to the Dunlop Bridge straight, I've decide to make the straight all the way to Redgate Corner so I have a really nice straight to stretch the cars/bikes legs, so unfortunetly Fogarty Esses won't exist (I prefered Aaron Slight anyway )

I already have a long stainless bench attached to my wall so I've only had to add leg sections for support.
I'm using Insulation board for the base in 3 sections and will build up the gradiants with thicker insulation boards.
   
   
With the fences and gravel traps I will use some of the scalextric ones and blend them in and some I will make with  building up/blending insulation board.
I've just put some fences in place to test the track so I don't damage cars.
This will be my start finish area.
   
Then up to McLeans and Coppice.
   
Then the main straight up to Redgate which will have the Old Original Dunlop Bridge just before Redgate Lodge on to Hollwood.
   
I have spent the last few evenings tweaking heights of elevation to see if cars and my bikes can handle the track, this bit has been enjoyable.
   
As you know this will take a long time but I think that's part of the fun as I love the building process.

I hope you enjoy watching my progress, I'm quite buzzing to have finally started.

Cheers
Tony

It's Goodwood Revival weekend, with qualifying and the first race having taken place yesterday at the historic West Sussex circuit. As you can see from the video, it was a cracking day - and there's plenty more unmissable action and atmosphere scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. You can watch it all on the official live stream here: https://youtu.be/HjXF518YTHM

Slot cars are very much part of this year's event - everyone gets the chance to race on this fabulous Alpine-themed hillclimb layout...

   

Built and run by Think Scalextric (the owners of Magnetic Racing), the track was commissioned and hosted by the Swiss tourist board and takes pride of place in their 'Grand Tour of Switzerland' marquee. The track was certainly busy from morning through into the evening - a fabulous advert for slot car racing.

Although they've taken exhibits to the event in the past, Revival Friday is now a research and development trip for the Scalextric team - they were spotted yesterday meeting with car owners, taking measurements and colour matches... so there seems a good chance that more Goodwood Revival historic racers might be in the 2023 Scalextric catalogue.

We've seen a few Revival models from Scalextric over the past couple of years, so it seems a good opportunity to recap on those just released or in the pipeline...

   

Scalextric C4330 Ford Lotus Cortina - Jordan Racing Team - Mark Sumpter. RRP £49.99. Expected Winter 2022-23

Mike and Andrew Jordan have brought three Lotus Cortinas to Revival this year for the prestigious St Mary's Trophy pairs race. All have a distinctive livery design format, but each is unique - the team utilising a vast palette of colours over the years. This pale blue car was prepared for Porsche racer Mark Sumpter and has been raced extensively in various historic saloon car series, including at Revival. With the #777 on the side, Sumpter competed in the 2018 Master Historic Festival at Brands Hatch. This is the first view of a pre-production model of the new car.

   

Scalextric C4232 Jaguar E-Type - Goodwood Revival - Adrian Newey. RRP £49.99. Expected Autumn 2022

Going well in practice for the RAC TT Celebration yesterday - second in the first session - Adrian Newey is joined by Jensen Button this year for one of teh highlights of the weekend - a two-driver race for 1960s GT cars. Wearing the #22 and minus the Red Bull logo, Newey's '63 E-Type lightweight is distinctive with the deep red roof. This is a delayed 2021 catalogue car - and is expected imminently.

   

Scalextric C4338 Shelby Cobra 289 - COB289 - Bill Shepherd. RRP £49.99. Expected Winter 2022-23

Topping the timing charts in the RAC TT Celebration yesterday was the #47 COB289 Cobra driven by Romain Dumas and owner Bill Shepherd. This car is a fan favourite at Revival - and in the hands of Dumas will be one of the most exciting cars to watch over the weekend. The Scalextric Cobra is a brand new mould. It will have a front-mounted S-Can like the E-Type Jag, so is not Digital Plug Ready – but should be equally fun to drive and a perfect competitor on track.

   

Scalextric C4325 Austin Mini Cooper S - Gulf Edition Nick Riley & Gabriele Tarquini. RRP £49.99. Available now

There are six Minis on the St Mary's grid this year - the star drivers including André Lotterer, Brendon Hartley, Karun Chandhok, Alex Brundle, Jean-Éric Vergne and Tom Blomqvist. However, the most exciting man to watch is Nick Swift, who has also prepared most of the Minis for the race. Swifty's best lap was almost a second quicker that the best of the professionals - Alex Brundle. This Gulf-liveried Scalextric Mini is a model of a car prepared by Swiftune Engineering for the 2018 Goodwood Revival.

       

Scalextric C4339 Ford Mustang - Alan Mann Racing - Henry Mann & Steve Soper. RRP £49.99. Expected Winter 2022-23
Scalextric C4353 Ford Mustang - Bill and Fred Shepherd - Goodwood Revival. RRP £49.99. Expected Autumn 2022

Although there are plenty of Fords - three Galaxies and seven Cortinas - on the St Mary's Trophy grid this year, there are sadly no '65 Mustangs. These two cars modelled by Scalextric have been a highlight of Revival over the years and it's great to see them in the catalogue. There have been mutterings about an unusual sidewinder motor layout for this Scalextric car, but I'm keen to have a closer look and have a drive before passing judgement. The white & black Bill Shepherd car is expected before the end of the year, so we shouldn't have long to wait.

Those are the Revival cars available from Scalextric over the next few months - but what liveries on existing models or brand new moulds would you like to see in the future?

Without doubt, the Galaxies would be my #1 choice - and they could utilise the new Bluesmobile extended display box. Otherwise, there are some beautiful Lotus Cortinas, a couple of cool GT40s, more Jags and more Cobras - including this awesome Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy pole-sitter driven by Andrew Jordan and Mike Whitaker...

   

That just has to be done

Policar are soon to release some versions of the 1982 Ferrari 126C2. Available to pre-order is the Gilles Villeneuve #27 Zolder GP Qualifying 1982. LINK

What idiot thought it would be a good idea to make a slot version of the exact car that Gilles died in? The mind boggles!

Paul Gage is a well known supplier of excellent urethane tyres. He has an extensive range, including many that other suppliers do not make. The downside is that he is based in Canada, only sells via eBay and the postal charges are astronomical thus making it financially unviable to buy from him if you are UK based.

However, there is now a UK stockist -  Slot Car Supplies of Wales run by Gareth Rees. LINK

He doesn't stock the entire range but I have found him helpful in importing some rarer types on request. Usually a bit of a wait but they do turn up eventually. Well worth a try if you are looking for that hard to find type of tyre.