I was wondering what forum members preference is on the type of controller either thumb press or trigger style?

When I first drove Scalextric we had thumb controllers both of Scalextric manufacture and the Blue MRRC barrel types, when I raced on a permanent track I used a custom made thumb press controller.

Now that I have just moved into the 21st century my Scaly controllers are all trigger types, force of habit has me holding them upside down and thumb pressing the trigger.

Does anyone else struggle with this?

Baz

Picture 844 are the Tyco Turbo, and 845 are the Magnatraction.

So here is my 1:64 T-jet AFX track from 1970.  It is 738 inches on the inside lane, and 743 inches on the outside lane. I run 20 Magnatraction AFX cars, and 20 Tyco Turbo cars in my races.  I also have 2 magnatraction Semi Trucks, and and 2 Magnatraction chassis with lights for the Police, and Fire Chief. cars.

I got back into my HO 1:64 AFX track from many years ago, and have spent some time getting the track and my cars set up.  
I will be posing pictures and information in the Show Us Your Track section soon.

   

It should have been the 2021 UK Slot Car Festival this weekend...

Instead, the organisers are holding their own virtual slot car market, with the 2021 limited edition Festival car available for £54.95...

   

To look at what other treasures you can find, check out...

• Pendle Slot Racing Slot Car Market: www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/special-offers/slot-car-market
  
• Scale Models UKSF Weekend Sale: scalemodels.co.uk/product-category/sale-uksf-weekend/
  
• Roger Barker Slots - Weekend specials in store and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Roger-Barker-Slots-1278762305626113
  

Many thanks to Sean at Pendle Slot Racing for sending this to us this evening - hot news of a brand new 1/32 range from Scaleauto. The first models are expected this July...

   

I did get a sense of déjà vu when I opened the email - and NSR have posted angrily on Facebook this evening (see here). However, a bit of Spanish vs Italian rivalry in the F1 club racing scene can't be a bad thing - can it?

Scaleauto are offering white kits and single colour schemes for both body styles...

       

Plus four great liveries on the F90-94 shape for eight different F1 drivers - some icons, some cult heroes...

       

       

Inside, this is what you get...

• common chassis  with and without front wheel diffusers. Two different hardness. (hard SC-6670a and medium SC-6670b) 
  
• In-line motor mount with offset 0.5mm (SC-6523c). Modified tool to make offset available.
  
• SC-0025b high torque and magnetic motor. 21500rpm.
  
• Reliable guide set SC-1608 with suspension system. 
  
• 26 T inline gear with NEW lightweight and harder aluminum Ergal center and M2.5 set screw (SC-1112R)
  
• 10 T nylon pinon for smoother friction (SC-1010)
  
• Hard Steel axles 55mm lenght: SC-1211
  
• Front Aluminum lightweight hub: SC 4083f25  (m2.5 screw) 14.0mm x 10mm 
  
• Rear Aluminum lightweight hub: SC 4083f25  (m2.5 screw) 14.0mm x 13mm
  
• Hard front tyre (SC-4762): 18.0x10.0mm 
  
• AS-25 supergrip rear tyre (SC-4763): 20.0x13.00mm
  
• Half thread  mechanized screws. SC-5138
  
• Highly detailed and lightweight body thickness, just 0.65mm 
  
• Front axles adjustable in height
  
• Reinforced chassis
  
• 6 position suspension system optional on the motor mount fixing
  
• Front and rear body height adjustment.
  

   

No news on prices, but do keep an eye out on the Pendles website, I wouldn't be surprised to see the cars added for pre-order over the next 72 hours: www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/brand/scaleauto

Carrera 1/32 Digital. How often do you guys pull maintenance? Do you set up by laps? time? Trying to set up a schedule in SmartRace

This was built to resemble the car Keke used for practice during the 1986 GP of Portugal......it ran only in practice, and never again.
 
To make it look a touch more "McLaren MP4/2C ish, I filled in the side mounted radiator vents, cut some new ones into the top rear of the sidepods, used different mirrors, and a few other bits.
 
While it is certainly a far cry from being accurate, it is much closer than the stock NSR,
 
Decals are from Atalaya, and my decal stash, and the helmet is from Interlagos miniatures.....drivers suit decals are some old Marlboro HO sized decals from the parts bin.
 

 

 

 
 
 
It will be run in the new owners F1 class, so , it has been built to comply with his clubs rule set......I did,......change the guide, use the stiffer chassis platform, install a FC-130 motor, silicone washer damped  body/motor pod, changed gearing and axles. Spacers have been added to either side of the Crown (between the Crown face and the inside bushing flanges) to control and maintain the mesh. The car runs on glued/trued NSR tyres.
 
Weight will be added by the new owner.
 

 
 
Cheers
Chris Walker

   

Despite the Scalextric website having all their 2021 pre-releases listed as 'Available Winter 2021-22', the new cars continue to arrive pretty much on schedule. May and June are the final months of 'Quarter 2' and there are three classic racers to look forward to...

   

Scalextric C4261 Jaguar XJS – Spa 24Hrs 1982 – Walkinshaw, Nicholson & Percy. RRP £42.99. Scheduled May/June

This a brand new tool for 2021 and had got Scalextric fans rather excited. The XJS was highly-competitive in the Group A European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) between 1982 and 1984, picking up plenty of race wins – Tom Walkinshaw winning the drivers championship in 1984. The XJS also notched up victories at the 1984 Spa 24 hours and the 1985 Bathurst / James Hardie 1000 at Mount Panorama in Australia.

   

The first racing livery produced by Scalextric is the Tom Walkinshaw, Chuck Nicholson & Win Percy car that claimed pole position at the Spa 24 hours race in 1982, but then failed to finish. Scalextric kindly loaned me a pre-production sample of the car to look at and the photographs here are of that car. It's a great scale model - probably my only gripe is that it should be a vent behind the rear quarter window, not a sliver of glass. Otherwise, a big thumbs-up from me.

   

The Scalextric XJS is powered by a standard inline short-can motor. The car is narrow, with very similar dimensions to last year’s Capri. My Capri vs XJS test session (with magnets fitted and on Scalextric Sport track) gave extremely similar lap times, but slightly different handling characteristics. With more late Group 1 / early Group A models in the pipeline at Margate, this is becoming an exciting theme for collectors and racers.

You can read my full review of the XJS in the March edition of Slot Car Magazine and on the Jadlam Racing Models blog.

   

Scalextric C4222 Ford Capri MKIII - Spa 24hrs 1981 - Woodman, Buncombe & Clark. RRP £42.99. Scheduled May/June

Yes, there's a bit of a Spa 24 hour theme going on at Scalextric this year - six 2021 models, plus the Scalextric Club car. And I understand there are a few more to follow over the next couple of years... The Capri was my favourite new Scalextric car of 2020 – you can read my review on the Jadlam blog. I am utterly delighted to see two pretty famous Capri Mk3 racing liveries added to the 2021 catalogue. The first is the Esso-sponsored car of Vince Woodman, Jonathan Buncombe & Peter Clark, which came third in the 1981 Spa 24 hours. Woodman also drove the Esso car in the British Saloon Car Championship and had the honour of scoring the final BSCC victories for the Capri in 1982. The classic red Gordon Spice car is expected later in the year.

   

Scalextric C4220 Chevrolet Camaro IROC - SCCA Trans-Am - #33. RRP £42.99. Scheduled May/June

I have to admit to being a little underwhelmed by the first two Chevrolet Camaro IROC cars that were released last year. The model featured in the Scalextric episode of the BBC's James May documentary about Hornby, but the red and blue liveries were a bit plain for me - although they went down very well in North America. In the Duracell colours of Scott Sharp’s Camaro – winner of the 1991 SCCA Trans Am championship – I think Scalextric have brought out the best of this American racing classic. It might even be on my shopping list.

That's it for now - but I'll bring regular updates and the occasional review through the year. All three of these cars - and the rest of the 2021 Scalextric range - are available for pre-order at your favourite Scalextric retailer and should be in stock within the next 4-6 weeks.

Hello,
One of special interests is Formula 1 Medical cars.  Due to the move to Aston Martin products this year, I need a DBX in approximate 1:32 scale (say 1:30 to 1:36). Have been looking since F1 made the announcement but not found any such models.

If you know of a source, please let me know.

With the Mercedes station wagons, I have had to create the cars from saloon bodies, the DBX will only require paint, decals and a roof light :-)

Leo