Last year was the first time this race really grabbed my attention so this year I made sure to watch many more hours than I did in 2023.

Very enjoyable, great team of presenters and no 'F1 style whittering' (I'm looking at you crofty)

Well done to Ferrari for the first car over the line but the beauty of this race is the various winners.

Really looking forward to Le Mans 2025 and we'll be increasing our two Le Manx events on our own race calendar as they are really popular.

   

AFX22082 Shelby Mustang GT500H Black/Gold. RRP $42.99. Arrived at the AFX warehouse on 12 June - due with retailers very soon.

After acquiring exclusive rights for the AFX brand in 2020 and finally unshackling themselves from parent company Tomy, Racemasters are delivering an exciting time for HO enthusiasts around the world, with wave after wave of new releases.

       

The next car due to arrive is a stunning livery on the rather tasty Mustang GT500 mould. Designated GT500H, this is a throwback to the famous 1966 'Rent-a-Racer' Mustang GT350H...

   

Around a thousand of these cars were produced in partnership with Hertz, almost all painted in black with gold stripes - although a few were Shelby Oxford white with blue stripes. The 1966 GT350H hire car was marketed to businessmen and strictly for over-25s - however, many ended up at the local racetrack or drag strip, hence the 'Rent-a-Racer' nickname. Often passed over as ex-rentals when coming up for sale in the late 60s and early 70s, these V8-powered Shelby-spec models are now some of the most sought-after Mustangs for modern-day collectors.



Fast-forward to the summer of 2022 and the Shelby-Hertz partnership was revived to produce 25 'H' versions of the 2021 Mustang GT500 - 19 in black and 6 in white. The 5.2-litre V8 engine delivered over 900 bhp, making this one hell of a hire car! They were available at Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix and Tampa, costing from $399 per day. A bargain!

The AFX model recreates the GT500H as an HO slot car, featuring the iconic black and gold livery plus tiny Hertz and Shelby decals...

       

Underneath the Mustang body is the 1.7-inch wheelbase Mega-G+ chassis, which runs on any traditional HO slot car system. Spares are widely available...

   

The AFX Shelby GT500H is available for pre-order at a number of US retailers for $35 upwards. Enthusiasts in Australia, Europe and the UK will be able to pick up the car a few weeks after the US release from their usual vendors. There is a store-finder page on the Racemasters website: https://afxracing.com/stores/

Thanks to Elyse and the Racemasters AFX team in Reno, Nevada for the fabulous images of this new car...

   

I'm a bit of a fan  of the Belga livery and got excited by the arrival of the Scalextric Capri but the frontage didn't seem right. 
Today, I noticed that my local hobby shop, Time Tunnel Models had stock at a good price so couldn't resist.

   

   

Now that Scalextric has released a second Land Rover (the poppy red version) there is an exciting opportunity to create a digital racing pair. One green and one red :)

   

The digitisation looks straight forward except for one detail - the high chassis clearance and hence the requirement for careful positioning of the Infra-Red LED.

I have no doubt there are many possible solutions - I plan to share mine over the next few posts.

The motivation here is to see two of these Land Rovers racing on a digital track, changing lanes, pitting etc etc and all with the ultimate objective… to be first to cross the finish line.

C

Race results - 6th June 2024 - Le Manx Classic plus Le Manx Group C/LMP

   
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A good turnout for an event that a few of us have been looking forward to.
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Mike H suggested a BoP (Balance of Performance) so a similar spreadsheet to the TV/Film cars was used…this closed the cars right up and reduced a 27 lap spread to 5 laps in Le Manx Classic and a 25 lap spread to 6 laps.
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The BoP was based on each drivers best lap in each lane.

   
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Classics were pre-1975 whilst Group C/LMP ranged from 1983 to 2013.
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The winter series is in December

Getting a bit frustrated here. I have one particular (used) Slot.it 23k motor that's got me puzzled. 

Put it cold straight onto the track and the car couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding. It'll pootle round at one (slow) speed for the whole heat.

If I run the car with the back wheels off the track for 15 seconds or so before the race the motor turns into a real screamer, outperforming most of my other cars (magless.)

I'm reluctant to give up on it as when it performs after a no-load warmup it is awesome BUT - I can guarantee it will give up the ghost if it's rested for a minute or so. In fact it's really embarrassing if the start countdown is even a little delayed as it's back to being a dog again and will barely drag itself off the line.

Should I write it off and just swap in another motor, or is there a solution for this behaviour?

Some 3 years ago now I talked Gordon into selling me his 1/32nd Balsa bodied Ferrari Spazzaneve. This was the not so fond name five to the test mule by the Italian press at the time.He had raced the car in both 1/32nd and 1/24th versions at Bordo that year

A little history of the not so well known car!
During the 1972 season, Mauro Forghieri - the Italian Marque's talented designer- experimented with a new front bodywork on the 312 B2 (version now produced by Policar)  that was very similar to the front bodywork of the Tyrell 003 -  it was tested and fitted to the cars for the race in South Africa that year, however it was not used again afterwards due to it making the cars uncompetitive. 
Forghieri also designed a radical new car featuring a square bodywork and full width nose on a very short wheelbase. 
This new 312 B3 was tested by Arturo Merzario and Jacky Ickx but never raced in a Grand Prix. The Italian press nicknamed it the spazzaneve (snowplow).

       

The second pic above is the car in the Ferrari museum.

This is the current view of the car:

                           

Gordon is a very talented scratch builder of cars, and has done a superb job on the bodywork. As I am not so talented - I decided to upgrade by buying a Policar 312 B2 white kit and using the chassis, engine and exhaust, and suspension detail. I had toyed with using vintage equipment but eventually decided to go the Policar route.


Kudo's to you Gordon!! You even got the short wheelbase correct

Another Motorsport magazine competition which may be of interest. Free to enter, just vote for best ever cover. LINK
Win triple Ford set of the Escort Mk1, Mustang and Capri MKIII.

Good evening everyone 

Please can I ask for some advice on the best practice of priming,  and painting 3D printed bodyshells. 

I have purchased a few, about 50 !!, over the last couple of years, all from the same seller on eBay,  who has been excellent in every aspect. 

The bodyshells look great, very good detail, but I want to check before starting to get them finished. 

I have built plenty of resin kits, and can make them look very good.  Spraying is no problem. 
All the 3D bodyshells are classic 1960'S,  70's and 80's British models.

Do I need to rub them down with fine wet and dry first?   Do they require a different form of primer due to the materials involved.?   Any help and advice much appreciated.   I normally use Halfords primer and paint.

Thanks 
Pip