If you like watching some rallying this weekend:
https://www.redbull.com/be-nl/events/fia...hip-belgie

Hub

This is the Headquater of Grenzlandslot, Salzburg, Austria 

More tracks connected to this Club, pics to follow. 

Mostly 1/24 classes and yes corners were cheap-straights expensive !!

Nico

I was always a Graham Hill fan, and when I saw the pictures of the Lotus 56 in the STP colours being built for the 1968 Indianapolis 500, I knew I had  to build one !!

Well , many many years passed without any build attempts, and it was just a few years back when AMT reissued their Lotus 56 static kit, that I decided that it was time to get on with it.

The kit body was used in fairly stock configuration, with just a few bits made/added, with wonderful decals from "Indycals", and Tamiya Flourescent red TS rattle can paint.

The wheels are Cox Lotus 30/40 wheels with repro original Ortmann formula tyres,.....Graham is a Cox drivers head/torso.

I did take the liberty of mounting the wing mirrors low to the body work (they should be on quite tall aluminum brackets), ...as "tall" wing mirrors are not the most robust on any slotcar.


As the model is quite long and narrow, it was never going to be a world beater on a slot track, so a fairly straightforward single rail chassis with plumber pans was built,...powered by a Plafit "Cheetah" motor, with a Sonic pinion, and Parma Crown. Considering the constraints of an extremely long guide lead, and a narrow track, the car does run extremely well.

Cheers
Chris Walker

   

The latest edition of Slot has just been published. It is available from Pendle Slot Racing (here) and as an ebook from pocketmags. You can also pick it up in some WH Smiths stores.

Here's what's in the latest issue...

• Stuttgart’s greatest achievement? If you have never watched the 1971 movie Le Mans by Steve McQueen then shame on you! Featured here is the definitive collectors guide to the Porsche 917K and LH.
  
• Track Layout Feature. With all the recent references we have been making about Airfix, it sparked Eddy Vodden to send in pictures of hislatest retro circuit, based on – you guessed it, Airfix track!
  
• One of a kind for Henry II. Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 Automatic? They never made one, did they? Tim James of Weevil Slot proves otherwise.
  
• Graham Hills Lotus 56. Seeing my slightly aborted Lotus 56B build in the last issue, Chris Walker sent us pictures of his 1/24th Scale Indy version of the Gas Turbine Lotus.
  
• Live Event. The 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed – Yummy!
  
• The Cat that roared! At Last! - the Jaguar XJ-S from Scalextric – their Big Cat is fabulous!
  
• Ray’s Classic Masterclass. An interesting man with an interesting name!
  
• Workshop. The Wolf WR5, a reasonably easy Scalextric conversion.
  
• The work of Phillip Prestage. Phillip Prestage is well known in the slot car community, and now he shares his work with us at Slot Magazine. In this issue we look at some his Airfix conversions and a Pontiac GTO with a Rock n Roll background!
  
• Workshop. I finally get my resin bodied Lotus 56B project finished! Turned out nice in the end!
  
• MRRC Today. We look at what Kurt Petri has been doing with the brand since he took it on in 2010.
  
• The King of the Hill? A car for the Playstation generation? The Nissan GT-R from Slot.it.
  

   

Slot.it CA49a Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 - 24 Hours of Spa 2018 - Matt Parry, Alex Buncombe & Lucas Ordoñez. RRP £62.95. Scheduled Q3 2021

The next model in Slot.it's 'Modern GT' range can't be too far away. UK distributor Gaugemaster published these two pictures in their latest 'Racing Lines' newsletter (here)...

       

There's also a page for the car on the Slot.it website and plenty of wonderful photos of this fabulous looking car...

       

Nissan have had a GT3 homologated GT-R available since 2012. The cars have won in Japanese Super GT GT300, the various Blancpain (now GT World Challenge) series and took a prestigious win at the 2015 Bathurst 12-hours. The 2018-spec GT-R Nismo GT3 model bottom-up re-design - a new engine and gearbox, plus changes to the length, rear track, wheelbase and weight of the car. This is the version modelled by Slot.it...

       


The new 2018-spec car was entered in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup by Team RJN - GT Sport Motul, alongside a 2017-spec Silver Cup car. The #23 Nissan was driven by Matt Parry, Alex Buncombe & Lucas Ordoñez - with Jann Mardenborough deputising for fellow gamer-turned-racer Ordoñez at the final round in Barcelona. Results for the Pro-rated team were solid, finishing fifth at Paul Ricard and then running successfully in the top ten throughout the Spa 24-hours, ending up seventh. This is what it looked (and sounded) like from inside...



Spa was the highlight of the season for the Team RJN Nissan - it led the race during the night and was the highest placed non-German make at the end of the 2018-spec's first 24-hour race. The performance and muscular good looks made the GT-R Nismo GT3 a fan favourite, especially in the Asian GT series. I really hope Slot.it produce the KCMG cars.

       

Of course, the Slot.it GT-R follows the company ethos of absolutely top-notch detail and scale accuracy, paired with performance parts. The quality is a level above most of Slot.it's competitors in the GT slot car market. Although I am very fond of a Maserati MC, it's this car that will get collectors and racers super-excited about the new Slot.it Modern GT range.

       

Under the body is the sidewinder layout that seems to be standard for the Slot.it GTs. Although that might not fit the GT anglewinder orthodoxy, it's certainly a perfect set-up for serious home racers - and preferred by some club racers, where rules allow. The 23k S-Can motor certainly offers plenty of power, if less torque. Of course, it's an easy change to fit an anglewinder pod... The car is also fitted with the SP45 connectors which allow easy digital conversion - or motor swaps - without the need for soldering.


There's no firm release date from Slot.it yet. Although it shouldn't be too far away. I can't wait! The Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 is available on pre-order from most UK Slot.it retailers.

   

   

Scalextric C4221 Ford Mustang GT4 - Academy Motorsport - 2020 British GT Championship. RRP £46.99. Available August 2021

It's true that I have a bit of a thing about the Scalextric Mustang GT4 - I love them. They look great, handle well with a few tweaks - and that's with or without the magnet. They're just a lot of fun. Last year, Scalextric released the Multimatic and Race Performance cars from the 2019 British GT Championship. So far this year, we've had two nicely-executed fantasy liveries in the new Drift 360 set (see News item here) - and now we're waiting for a third British GT car...

   

The #61 Academy Motorsport car has been the sole Mustang running in the British GT Championship in 2020 and 2021. A former factory car - and still with Multimatic support -  it was raced by Matt Cowley and Jordan Albert for the first six races of 2020, before Will Moore took over the seat from Albert. The Cowley-Moore pairing has continued into 2021.

   

The livery on the Scalextric model is that raced at the 2020 Brands Hatch 2-hour race, where Cowley and Albert won the GT4 class. Okay, it's another grey livery, but it's rather intricate with dozens of mustang horses creating a subtle, but eye-catching design at the front - almost a camouflage pattern at first glance. The livery then blends through grey to white at the back...

   

The coloured markings on the wheels look cool - and do give a tint to the entire rim when the car is racing. The livery has remained almost the same for 2021 - just a few small sponsors and series decals are different. The release comes at a perfect time, with Cowley and Moore winning GT4 in a wet Race 2 at Snetterton last Sunday - their best result of the year so far...

       

Another 2021 Scalextric release - the RAM Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo - took the overall win in that race. However, the Mustang's big 5.2-litre Ford V8 is by far the best sounding engine on the British GT grid - and it was exciting to watch in the changing track conditions! Here are some sights and sounds from Snetterton...



Underneath, the Scalextric Academy Motorsport model is identical to the two GT4 cars released in 2020 - inline S-Can, Digital Plug Ready, lights front and back, plus the standard easy-change guide. The rear grip isn't good out of the box. Scuffing up the tyres improves things, but still offers plenty of satisfying tail-out action - important with a relatively top-heavy car like this. Because the Mustang is a bit quirky and needs some tweaking, I used it as the subject of a basic Scalextric tuning series I wrote for the Jadlam blog here.

The Academy Motorsport car is on my shopping list - and it's expected in the next week or two. Those who bought it on pre-order will pay less than the rest of us. Scalextric have recently hiked their prices by 10%, a move that puts the Scalextric website price over the £45 mark. Club membership discounts - and loyalty programmes at independent retailers - will lower that price. I suspect the reasons for the mid-year price rise - higher production costs in a chaotic Far East - will impact on all consumer goods manufactured in China and neighbouring countries in the run up to Christmas. The demand for production is simply outstripping the factory space available - a combination of western economies rebounding and companies placing more orders, while new Covid outbreaks are knocking out factories and their supply chains. Hmm... in the big scheme of things, not exactly the end of the world. Some Scalextric models may be delayed - but the entire 2021 catalogue will be delivered.

   

1.  I'm confused as to working with this site.  I have a lot of SCX Digital stuff including several full sets.  I have twenty digital cars and several practice cars including the yellow Corvette.  I have six handsets and also have the wireless handsets.  I have never got around to building a large scenic track and everything has been in storage. I have just about every option that was offered.  I would like to be rid of everything and anyone interested could give me a call at 360-378-5430 or email me at pooterjoe@rockisland.com

   
          
Racer Sideways SWCAR02A Ford GT GTE #85 Keating Motorsport - 24 hours of Le Mans 2019. RRP £74.95. Scheduled August 2021.

The first livery on the Racer Sideways Ford GT GTE is due later this month. Not surprisingly, it's the very striking purple and orange Wynn's-sponsored car entered by Keating Motorsport in the GTE Am class at the 2019 Le Mans 24 hours...

   

It was the first Ford GT to compete in the pro-am LM GTE Am class at La Sarthe - American team owner and gentleman driver Ben Keating sharing with Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen and Brazilian Felipe Fraga. It was the car's racing debut. After an advantageous post-qualifying Balance of Performance tweak, the #85 Ford dominated the GTE Am class - leading the class for most of the 24 hours and proving a big fan favourite as it crossed the finish line 45 seconds ahead of its nearest rival. Controversy followed... An investigation into fuel delivery infractions saw the organisers penalise the Keating car 55 seconds, dropping it to second in class. Further post-race scrutineering found the fuel tank was 100ml too big and the car was disqualified. A crushing end to the weekend and the final goodbye of the Ford GTE programme at La Sarthe...



There are a good crop of liveries from that 2019 race, plus IMSA heritage schemes and the red, white and blue factory colours from the previous years of the programme. However, Sideways have given us a livery that's going to fly off the shelves - certainly if the Scalextric model was anything to go by. Here are some more pics...

       

The Wynn's livery is a tribute to the Hotchkis Racing Porsche 962 car that raced in IMSA during the late 80s. It was used by the Riley Motorsports team on their Mercedes-AMG GTD entry for the 2019 Daytona 24 hours, driven by Ben Keating, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Luca Stolz and Felipe Fraga. It was no surprise the livery was re-worked for Keating's Ford GTE Am at Le Mans. Both the Mercedes and the Ford have been produced by Scalextric.

Because I'm used to looking at the Scalextric model (here), I needed to look a side-by-side view of the Sideways GTE and the real car...

       

All the dimensions are correct to 1:32 scale, but something jars. Is it just the Wynn's decal on the side not stretched enough vertically, or is the door panel too high? The side windows and the roof line seem too low to me. It's all fractions - and no-one's going to notice when the car is belting around a home or club track... but I suspect a lot of these will be sitting on display.

Inside, it'll be the usual Sideways GT3 layout - including the 17k baby Raptor motor in an anglewinder pod. The Ford will join the Lamborghini Huracán and the BMW M6 in the Racer Sideways GT range. Fingers-crossed we see the rumoured McLaren 720 GT3 at some point too.

The Sideways Ford GT GTE is available now for pre-order at Pendle Scale Racing here.

   

Our next race is August 22. Call or email to get details on how to enjoy our free racing program. 603-826-4242.  Racing is free, as are the hot dogs. Here are this week's winners. Spectators welcome, loaner cars available.

   

Although the club has been dormant for nearly 18 months - and we're not quite back in action yet - we are making plans to spruce up our digital racing for the next few years.

I am in the process of confirming with the Barn our five Digital Wednesdays and five all-day Saturdays for 2022 - which will expand to seven Wednesdays in 2023 and 2024. That will be one digital event a month and will put our HO and 1:32 scale digital racing on an equal footing in terms of events each year.

The "Guide to WHO/digital 2022" will be published at the end of September. It'll include all the dates, formats and class regulations, plus a brief guide to the RCS64 software and our Truspeed SSD IV wireless controllers. However, we'll be introducing a few of the highlights in the run up to the publication of the guide...

   

1. New Pioneer Legends Class

From next year, we'll be replacing Trans-Am with Pioneer Legends for our Wednesday evening WHO/digital pairs race. The Legends car have three body styles, all sharing the same DPR chassis and mechanical parts. It was a class we looked at as soon as the Legends range was announced by Pioneer. Our plan is to run them without magnets - with optional ballast - fitted with a Scalextric C8515 digital chip, but otherwise with all standard parts. The rear track will be limited to a maximum of 65mm and there'll be a minimum overall weight of 82g.

The format will be similar to the current Trans-Am class. Cars will be driven by two drivers, swapping during a 'driver-change window' at the halfway point. Laps completed in the qualifying heats determines the top five pairs for the feature race. The next six cars battle it out in a half-distance B final for the final spot in the feature.

We expect a colourful grid and some great racing, just like the real thing...