[autoavia]

I do think that some people need to realise that companies like Scalex have to make some compromises because they are still aiming at the toy market so the Lotus possibly had to be a little wide to make it driveable by children and non-enthusiast grown ups. If the screen was the same for every incarnation of the Lotus 25 there is no excuse for getting it wrong but it could well be that Hornby had to choose a screen that is correct for most of the versions that they will produce in which case the compromise is understandable as new moulds don't come cheap.  If people want absolute accuracy in every model they probably need to buy from the specialists that make resin cars which are beautiful models but their accuracy and attention to detail is reflected in the price and most are really intended to be shelf queens so if you want to race you have to accept compromises.   

I think one problem with all slot race sets has always been that they take a fair time to assemble and dismantle which means less actual play time and that is a problem that just can't be resolved. For some reason it seems there are more people prepared to mount a model railway on a baseboard than people who are prepared to mount a slot track possibly because it is possible to squeeze a reasonable OO gauge layout into a lot less space than a half decent slot track.

My age means that I am a traditional analogue racer so racing a car from an ipad, simulating fuel stops and having six cars to a lane doesn't interest me. I can see the appeal of digital for children and their families and all the gizmos like fuel stops probably look great on paper but I suspect they can be difficult to set up and wonder how many people give up on them when the novelty wears off.
i did visit one DISCA event to have a look at club level digital but everyone seemed to use one lane and punt off anyone they wanted to pass. It was a very bad tempered affair and convinced me that club level digital was definitely not for me.   

 Personal service that encourages the buyer to stick with the product when things go a bit wrong just isn't available in an age when there are few specialist shops. Finding a way to offer that sort of service coupled with marketing that allows children and adults to see the product up close rather than on a computer screen is probably the best way forward.

Incidentally I have a 25 year old step grandson who recently asked me how my slot cars work. He had been under the impression that we built the car, put it on a track so that it ran at a set speed and the last car to stay in the slot was the winner. He did have a Scalex set as a child which soon got wrecked and I bought a Ninco set when he was younger which rarely got used and he still didn't understand the concept of racing a slot car. Something has gone wrong somewhere!