I am planning to fit these damping washers to the front motor mount fixing points (as I have a suspension set up on the rear). Can someone please clarify where to 1.5mm and 0.5mm washers are located in the nut/bolt assembly? I cannot find any instructions anywhere.

   

Thank you in anticipation...

So I had installed an Oxigen chip in my Scaleauto Porsche 991 R-Series car...

   

But the 'packaging' of the chip was not very neat due to the bulky front end of the Scaleauto motor mount stopping being able to lay the chip flat on the chassis and requiring the use of a remote IR LED...and that was niggling me. So the obvious thing to do was to change the motor mount to a Slot.it version as the front end of those leave more room to lay the chip flat on the chassis floor. But whilst it might have sorted out business at the front, the new mount was causing chaos at the rear!

Firstly the SI rear axle mounts are spaced further apart than on the SA version. And secondly, the SI mount seems to position the motor slightly further to the right hand side of the chassis compared to the SA one. The result being that the pinion gear and the anglewinder gear no longer met, and the body did not seem to fit properly around the motor. Having swapped the SA mount back in to sort out the rear end, I could not go back to the ill fitting digital chip, so the SI mount went back in and a decision made to 'follow' the problem through at the rear end to try and sort it out. So as a first step, I have just bought a new (SI) motor with a slightly longer shaft which hopefully will allow the pinion gear to at least reach the anglewinder gear and hopefully mesh together as they should do. 

Was I being a bit naive to think swapping motor mounts between manufacturers would be a straightforward exercise?

This is not intended to be a definitive guide. I am not a professional pattern maker, just someone who does this for his own pleasure.

However, I’m sure the basics apply. I suspect, that if you have two left hands or ten thumbs, making your own bodies might not be a good idea. For someone with a practical bent and a good eye for shape and form, using a slot car with a body you have constructed yourself, offers a whole different sort of satisfaction.

The choice of wood is fairly important. If you are making a pattern to be used for resin casting or vac forming, the weight is not important. For minimum weight, you just can’t beat balsa. It, as most things do, has advantages and disadvantages.

It is very soft (although strictly, a hardwood) and so carves and sands very easily.

On the other hand, it is very soft! Easily damaged and splits very easily along the grain but is pretty strong across it.

The method will be the same whatever wood is chosen. First, a drawing is needed. I’ve posted quite a few on this forum but there are a few sites around that have them. Some for sale and some free. The free ones are usually low resolution but that doesn’t really matter for our purposes.

I’ve chosen to do a Maserati Streamliner in 24th scale. No drawing that I could find but as the original is based on the 250F that is a good starting point. The first thing is to make it the right size! Most of the drawings are 32nd scale. I used Adobe InDesign to increase the size and then print out the result. I just drew the streamlined body over the original.
   

I used PVA woodworking adhesive to join the sheets of balsa. It’s important to clamp the properly as the soft wood can curve and the join wouldn’t be strong.

The side and top profiles are cut out and the side outline traced onto the wood. In this case, the size dictated that I use solid wood although it would save material to try and build up the sides separately.
   

If you have a bandsaw, it’s the easiest way of cutting. Cut just outside the line. Sanding will reduce balsa quite quickly. Once the side shape is done repeat the cutting out for the top profile. Mine isn’t working so this was done with a Japanese pull saw.
               

From here on in, you are pretty much on your own as the shape will have to be arrived at by carving and sanding. I use a scalpel, rasp and file. Constant reference to photos is essential. As balsa is so brittle, I insert plasticard where there is likely to be a problem such as the quite thin edges at the rear. Also, the raised lip in front of the cockpit has quite small vents and there is no way that the wood would survive those details. Plasticard is also useful if you want small details such as door handles. It’s very easy to cut a slot and superglue the plastic in. By the way, whenever using plastic, always wet it before using superglue. It will then grab - the same way it grabs the moisture in your skin - and hold much better.
                       

Once you are satisfied with the shape, the car has to be sealed and painted. My method is to soak the balsa in superglue. It goes on reasonably smoothly if you rub it with the tube as you go along.

One thing to be careful of - no two things. The first is that the combination of superglue and balsa gives off fumes. Best not to lean directly over the body as you put the glue on. It also gives off heat and, although very unlikely, it could catch fire so just keep an eye on it.

Next, it’s all rubbed smooth and will look horrendous and patchy. I use 120 grade for the first sand. Another coat of glue, rubbed down again and then a first coat of colour. This will show up every imperfection. Any deep ones will need filler. Two sorts I use. The quick way is to sand some balsa - end grain on, it cuts quicker - and use the dust as filler. Drop some superglue onto the hole and drop some sawdust over it. It will go solid immediately. Then be very careful with the sanding as that patch of filler will be harder the the surrounding surface and it will be easy to lower that too much. A slower and safer method is to use Milliput. I lack patience and find waiting for it to cure rather a pain.
   

Most people will want to use an undercoat but, being a cheapskate, I use cheap paint cans from our local builder’s merchant and just rub away until it’s smooth.

Once the surfaces are smooth and flat, then top coats can be applied. I won’t go into that as I’m sure we all have our own ways of achieving a decent finish. My secret is elbow grease.

The one thing I always have trouble with is the glazing. Fortunately, on the one, the glass fits inside rather than flush so it was easy just to use some contact adhesive. The glazing in this case was part of the packaging from the contact adhesive!
                               

How you fit the chassis is another subject. Being a woodworker, I use a hardwood block glued in and wood screws.

Related to the slot racer's manual thread.

I stopped racing around 1974/5 after having been doing just about nothing else since I was thirteen (1960) including studying, attending every school lesson etc  

I returned four or five years ago I was surprised how hard it was to get back up to speed with what was happening. The main problem was where to source parts, especially as my heart is still in the sixties and the cars we used to race back then. It was only by joining a forum (SFI) that thing slowly took shape and the help provided there was invaluable.

If there had been a clear map on how to get started / restarted, it would have been useful rather than the wallowing around I had to do.

I knocked up 4 x Scalextric BMW Minis for wood track racing some time back.
One of the quickest, roughest, dirtiest builds I have done, but by jingos are they fun to race
as a house class. (IROC to USA readers)

I really must get around to a more permanent motor fixing method than hot glue
. . . but so far they have held together.

CHANGE OF DATE FOR THE 2020 1/43 LITTLE MONTE CARLO RALLY PROXY!!!
The rally will now start on SUNDAY 19th JULY 2020.
 
RULES:
 
These are the RULES for the 2020 1/43 Little Monte Carlo Rally Proxy.
 
The event will take place on the Little Monte slot rally track in Norfolk UK starting on Sunday 19th July 2020.
 
The track is a scenic single lane routed MDF rally stage with a track length of approximately 85 feet. The layout is 14' x 3' and the height difference between the lowest and highest points on the track is 5'.
 
The track has copper tape, so traction magnets will have no aeffect.
 
This is a mountain rally stage built for 1/43 scale slot cars and is very loosely based on the Col de Turini in the French Alps. The track is challenging to drive and the fastest lap time so far has been around 25 seconds.
 
*NOTE*: This is a rally proxy and, as such, your cars will driven as quickly as is reasonably possible around a very twisty and sometimes rough stage that is 6' from the floor at it's highest point. The speeds are slower than that of a racetrack, and most 'offs' usually just result in a spin rather than a fall. I have never had any cars damaged whilst driving on this track but the possibility is always there, so please bear this in mind before entering!
 
Entree fee: 10 British Pounds (up to 3 cars max.). To cover return postage.
 
The Classes: ( to be run separately)
Ready to run.
Scratchbuilt scale models.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
READY to RUN CLASS, eg. Carrera GO, SCX Compact, WRC, Jouef, Artin, etc. Must be a rally car.
 
Standard/stock except for:
 
Urethane rear tyres, Essential!
 
Coat front tyres with varnish or CA glue.
 
Add weight to chassis. Note* The winning car in 2018 weighed 58 grammes, but any weight over about 38 grammes seem to work ok.
 
Fit swivel guide, preferably one of Pfuetze's guides from Shapeway as they are short and deep, which helps the car through tight turns.
 
Cars with pin guides have completed laps in the past, but spin out too easy, so are rarely competitive!
 
Note! Whatever guide used, the front wheels must touch the track and the guide must be able to turn to at least 70 degrees each way.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
SCRATCHBUILT CLASS.
 
Important note: Cars in the scratchbuilt class MUST be a scale model of an actual car that competed on the Monte Carlo Rally between 1950 and 1986.
 
No oversized diameter wheels/tyres and no body mods unless photographic evidence show the 1/1 car with the same nodifications. (Experience has shown that low, wide cars can be a disadvantage on this track where speeds are fairly low)
 
Body, hard plastic or resin, no vacforms, and have clear windows.
Interior, must have interior and 2 crew.
 
Chassis, free, with added weight as needed. Note, the winning car last time weighed 58 grammes, as does my main test car, but one of my other test cars weighs 37 grammes and gets round the track ok.
 
Wheels, free, but of scale diameter for the car.
 
Tyres, rubber or urethane.
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
All of the Scratchbuilt class cars will be entered in the Concours event.
 
In both classes, any loose body mount screws must be taped over.
 
All cars will be driven for as many test laps as needed to establish their best voltage settings, and at least 5 timed laps, the best laptime counting in the final result.
 
Any questions, feel free to PM me or ask on this thread.
 
Have fun!
 
Regards, Lloyd.

Although wireless controllers are becoming more mainstream on digital set ups they are not widely available for analogue. One exception is the Scorpius controller which was developed for use on that manufacturers' digital system but, with the addition of an extra accessory, is eminently suitable for analogue use as well. I have had one for a couple of years now so I thought I would share my experience of it. I have no knowledge of its digital capabilities so cannot comment on that aspect.

It is not a cheap option, about £150 at current exchange rates plus postage from Australia (no European distributor at the moment).

Do you actually need one?  
If you have a small home track in a fairly confined space then probably not as wired controllers are not really a handicap in that situation.
If you have a large home track with sight line restrictions or race at a club where other competitors can hamper your view from the podium then it is a much more viable proposition. The freedom to run your car from any position around the track can be most useful.

What do you get?
A Scorpius digital controller:    
and a WAM (wireless analogue module):    
The WAM is plugged into your normal driver position and communicates at 2.4 GHz wireless frequency with the controller leaving you free to wander about the track. It does not rely on line of sight so you can drive your car from the back garden if you really want to!

Set up
The controller itself is battery operated and needs a couple of decent AAA ones fitted (Duracell or similar). Poundland cheapies won't do! They are a bit fiddly to replace as you need to dismantle the controller but battery life is generally good and the controller will switch itself off after about 30 seconds inactivity to preserve them.
 
Before first use you need to set up the controller ID and link it to the WAM. This is easily done in a couple of minutes via the menu button and you are then good to go. It only needs to be done once as the settings are retained in the memory. If other people are also using one you need to make sure they are connected to a different channel or they will clash.There are 24 channels available so this shouldn't be a problem. You can also add your own name to the LCD screen to identify it as yours.

Adjustments
There are two available via knobs on the side of the controller and the settings can be viewed on the LCD screen:
1) Brakes - seamlessly adjustable from 0 - 100%

2) Sensitivity/throttle curve - 10 presets. A USB dongle is also available as an extra and this enables you to alter any of these to your own liking via your PC.

If you use high end electronic wired controllers with a multitude of adjustments available this is probably not suitable for you but, for the average user, they are usually sufficient.

In use
I haven't noticed any real performance difference to a wired controller which is exactly as it should be. It happily adjusts to all my cars and control is smooth and predictable.
Some people may not like just 10 preset curves but I find that they do everything I need.
It is difficult to change the control settings during an actual race as you would need to take your eyes off the car and look at the LCD screen. I never do this as I have enough trouble driving the car without twiddling knobs at the same time so it doesn't bother me.
No maintenance cleaning is required as it utilises a Hall effect sensor rather than a wiper board.
It switches itself off between races so you do have to remember to fire it up again before the green light or you can have an embarrassing non-start!

Conclusions
This is a good product although it doesn't have as many parameter adjustments as wired versions in the same price range. If a wireless controller would be of use to you then it will fit the bill admirably. After sales service is also good in the unlikely event of any problems but, bear in mind that Scorpius is based in Australia so postal delays and costs will be a factor.

It is not my first choice of controller as I normally use my wired Truspeed MTII which fits my hand better and has an extra acceleration control which I find useful but that is just my personal preference and in no way detracts from the quality of the Scorpius one. When we have our monthly GOLD club meetings at Fluff's track with its terrible sight lines then the Scorpius one is indispensable.

Hello all,
Has anyone actually used 'Manuscript Callicreative White Italic Markers'  in the quest for white lettering or stripes?
On-line reviews vary from "I haven't tried these yet but they look great" through "Not as opaque as expected, need two coats" to "Excellent results on black background".
Comments regarding the experience of using them in the slot-car world would be greatly appreciated.

Leo

Can anybody help with a source of replacement aftermarket tyres (preferably urethane) for a Revell BMW 320i please?
I have one of these:
   

Front motored and not the world's greatest performing slot car but I like it. The rear tyres are shot and I am struggling to find replacements. Paul Gage does some (PGT-21137LM) but his UK distributor doesn't stock them and buying from Paul in Canada is way too expensive when you factor in postage costs.

As mentioned in my introductory post yesterday I will be posting pictures of one or two of my projects.  This is my latest build of Jack Brabham's BT24 from the Canadian GP of 1967.  Currently its running in a proxy in North America.  The body shell is modified Pre-wing shell which has been narrowed by 3mm, shortened slightly at the rear and with side panels added below the engine cover.

Best Regards

David