I had to find something to do to spend lockown time  so here it is, Alfa Romeos GTam and GTA 1/32(both Team Slot) and 1/24 (static kits GTA Gunze GTam Mr Hobby)
All chassis,motor pods,guides and 1/24 wheels are 3d printed

   
       

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vUmHEeu...e=youtu.be

This will - no doubt - be a place for doodling and procrastination. However, the aim is to get my home/office track off the ground.

The space I have, the sketches I've made and track sections I've built and tested resemble Monte Carlo - unfortunately the Formula-E circuit. However, I want the look and feel of something more like this...



I do recommend you watching that 16 minutes of Murray Walker and some utterly magnificent saloon car racing.

I lived near Crystal Palace Park for a while from the early 1990s - nearly twenty years after racing ceased there. I walked along the southern perimeter of the park on my way to and from the 176 bus stop when I worked in Camberwell and then up the Anerley Hill side when I caught the train into central London for a new job. And I spent plenty of late afternoons and evenings enjoying the peace and quiet, the wonderful trees, the ridiculous dinosaurs and noting the tarmac when my older sister told me about going to the racing there in the late 60s and early 70s. They are good memories.

My Scalextric Sport Digital layout will be a vanity project - a place to test my cars, run some laps and have some fun squeezing somethings that will hopefully look nice into a small space. The narrow track, minimal run off, elevation changes and that big background of trees means the Crystal Palace theme works for me. I lived on Anerley Hill, so that'll be the working name. Reading Phil Parfitt's excellent history of racing at Crystal Palace, plus watching footage of some of the action is certainly getting my creative juices flowing. So here's some more Murray and another great saloon car race, this time from 1969...



The plan for the week or two is to put the track together on the flat in the kitchen or living room and test the whole layout for the first time. And then try out some elevations. That'll help decide if straights run side-by-side or on top - a double-decker. A track design is one thing, seeing if it works in practice is another.

Custom Wrecker using cheap charity shop find wrecker bed and damage-salvaged Tyco HP7 cab, NOS chrome and eBay-find amber roof beacons.

   

WRC are holding a "Greatest" type competition to identify fans favourite drivers. The voting starts today with qualifying rounds leading to more challenging choices between the more obvious top drivers.

Access via the WRC web site, here is a direct link:-  https://www.wrc.com/en/news/season-2020/...vote-now-/

Leo

   

With most countries in lock down, slot car enthusiasts are missing out on some of our springtime swapmeets and slot car shows. So here's my attempt to create a virtual London International Slotcar Show (aka the Orpington Swapmeet) at home...

First things first - you'll need to get up early and stand outside the house in the chilly morning air - ideally with the smell of freshly-cooked bacon wafting through an open window...

At a pre-arranged time, open the door, dash past whatever interesting slot car stuff might be in the hallway, pay your £1 entry and settle down on your computer, tablet or phone to see what some of the usual stall-holders have for sale. Unfold your shopping list... and then forget about it. Also forget the budget you set yourself the night before.

If you haven't had breakfast, grab a bacon roll and cup of tea - and wave goodbye to all the very best bargains as they are snapped up. Although in our virtual swapmeet, you can eat and shop at the same time...

As you enter the show, it's difficult to miss what show organiser Phil Smith has to offer - his tables cover the end of the hall next to the entrance. Our first virtual stop should probably be his website: https://www.philsmith.co.uk/ - that's mostly all the mint-in-box stuff. If you want something that's used, unboxed and normally found  in the trays, just send him an email.

Next stop for me is usually Typhoon Slots and Models - but like quite a few retailers, the web store is temporarily closed. You can still have a browse: https://www.typhoonslotsandmodels.com/

   

Definitely open for business is George Turner Models: http://www.georgeturnermodels.com/ - George has quite a few new kits on the site and more that he'd planned to take to the UK Slot Car Festival. Perfect projects for those of us with some time on our hands. Of course, a highlight of any Orpington swapmeet is a good natter and gossip with George - we'll have to make do with his entertaining  musings in the News section of the GTM website and on Facebook.

Usually opposite George is the RS Slot Racing stand with wheels, Ortmann tyres and fabulous Immense Miniatures driver heads: http://www.rsslotracing.com/index.htm

Often squeezed next to RS Slot Racing was John Secchi. It came as a sad shock to our UK slot car community that John recently passed away. We will miss you John.

One of the stands in the side room is the National Scalextric Collectors Club - definitely check out their site and consider joining: https://www.nscc.co.uk/

For new cars, Steve Cannon (aka Triplex) is worth a look, usually to be found just by the steps to the stage. Steve can be found on eBay here: https://www.topratedseller.com/ebay/triplex

Mark travels all the way from Stockport with the Scale Models stand: http://www.scalemodels.co.uk/. The website lists RUSC spares, general spares and accessories - with links to new and used cars on eBay.

   

Up on the stage at recent events has been the fabulous Slot Track Scenics: https://www.slottrackscenics.co.uk/

Walking down the other side of the hall and you'll come across Adrian Norman and his 'Scalextric - The Ultimate Guide' book. You can get a flavour of Adrian's knowledge of slot cars - and buy his book direct -  on the Slot Car Portal website: https://slotcarportal.com/

One of my favourite vendors on that side of the room is the Slot Outlet: http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/theslotoutlet

There are, of course, plenty more stall holders from around the UK and mainland Europe - most of whom sell on eBay or various Facebook groups. And that's probably where you'll be heading next after another cup of tea and a second bacon roll... Just remember that shopping list and your budget.

I don't think I'm alone in enjoying the chat as much as the browsing and buying. It's not quite the same, but slot car forums and Facebook groups will have to do for now. And there is the delightful benefit of including people from all around the world - not just an hour's drive from Orpington.

The next real London International Slotcar Show is scheduled for Sunday 15th November at the Crofton Halls in Orpington. Doors open at 10.30am. Stay safe and hope to see you there.

Not from the motorsport side - I kinda get that; but from the slot racing side.
I am trying to see what the challenges and techniques are that would make this appealing for slot car racing.  To me with my limited imagination, I am thinking that surely this is just down to reaction time to just pin the throttle wide open.  No deslotting or corners to worry about.  Is it all about just building the car?  If so, what are the types of rules that you build to?

Not trying to knock this type of racing, I am interested if this may be a possible build for me later.

This car represents the initial car used by the Lancia Team (Abarth) to prepare the Delta HF 4WD for the World Rally Championship.  Cars were subsequently entered in the European Rally Championship and subsequently the WRC. 

While the 4WD was winning events and ultimately successful, the next phase of development saw the widening of the wheel arches and more powerful 16 valve engines. The subsequent cars were branded as "HF integrale" (with lowercase "i"),  integrale being the Italian language for all-wheel drive. 

   

   

Team Slot Lancia HF 4WD - Stradale

These were the first of the all-wheel drive Deltas, being the standard Delta bodyshell with no flared arches. The company launched these cars while Group B rallying was still active and were using the Delta S4. The HF 4WD became the World Rally Championship contender, leading quickly to the "integrale" versions with wider arches to accommodate wider wheels and tyres. The rest is history! 
(HF stands for "High Fidelity"  representing the factory club that owners were enlisted to after they had purchased 5 new Lancias. The tag was then used to identify the sporting versions of the Fulvia, Flavia and Delta)

Leo

   

   

So I thought I would clever and buy a roll of Pendle copper racing braid, and cut off lengths as required. 

The first car I have used it on seems to be shedding the occasional strand, and I am sensing a small amount of pickup jerkiness in the car. 

Is there some prep of the braiding I should have done before it ran on the track? 

Is there a more robust braid out there I should consider? 

Is there a 'best' shape to bend it into to deal with normal plastic track joints? 

Cheers