[dvd3500]

How about reviews of slot car books?
I don't think any have been published within the past 3-4 years but most of the content is still relevant...

[JasonB]

How do you envisage that working?

[Mr Modifier]

Is the manual up and running - it’s just that I can’t see it.

If it’s a work in progress - can you add a list of the sections in its latest incarnation please?

[JasonB]

It's not officially open yet to the wider public, but obviously we're taking opinions on board, so there's a link in the first post, and I'll put one here...

The SlotRacer's Manual

[Mr Modifier]

Doh!  Knew I had seen it somewhere!

Anyway - I had a nose and it’s looking good.

As I browsed it occurred to me that if would be interesting to see some interviews with different new and recent recruits to our hobby - to share their experiences and choices and how things worked for them.  A fair bit of work I realise but it adds a human dimension.

Seeing how others have eased into the hobby and  gained knowledge and confidence might encourage others. 

I realise that if you are here then you are probably already bitten by the bug but I would find it interesting to see the various paths that people journey along as they discover the breadth of our hobby.

And on another subject - I would be really interested to understand the process a manufacturer follows to decide what their next model should be, how they choose liveries and the design considerations.  I am sure a manufacturer would see the value in giving the background to a product.  Understanding how Maurizio Ferrari decided on the Slot.It DTM models and what goes into the chassis design and bodyshell compromises would be fascinating.

Or maybe Jules and his Legends adventures.

It probably wouldn’t harm sales of a featured model either.

[woodcote]

I think the manufacturing process and the book reviews would both make absolutely excellent forum threads in themselves. I’d like to see the Manual stay concise, but with links to more detailed content - on this site and elsewhere. That way, it remains useful for people reasonably new to the hobby. I think the idea is more Quick Start Guide than an encyclopaedia.

I am sure Scalextric would help with an article about the development of their models - although all the info is in the James May BBC documentary and the final chapter of last year’s Hornby Hobbies ‘bookazine’. Comparing that with a smaller manufacturer would be interesting.

As for slot car books - that’s a perfect forum thread that we can all contribute to. I can think of my personal top five (or ten) and a few sentences to write about each.

[JasonB]

There are some good ideas being thrown up here, thanks.

However I think we have to be careful. I think the maual should be a general consensus of knowledge condensed into as small a package as possible, with links to more detailed information.

Regarding book reviews, I've had a look online, and they are virtually non existant. So I think a forum thread would be a great place to start. Once we've got a few recommendations and reviews from a few different people, then we can either condense that into a section of recommendations, or provide a link to the forum thread.

The same might go for people's experiences of getting into the hobby, or getting back into it. Again that would probably make a good forum thread, but how we turn that into something relevant for a manual I don't know.

[dvd3500]

Write.. errr. right.-. I will write something some day..

[Mr Modifier]

Fair points Jason.

Keep the manual concise but develop the non-manual ideas as separate threads.

[Nonfractal]

A great resource.
Much more of an undertaking than I would ever take on.
However, I'd suggest:
-  keeping this squarely aimed at newbies and returnees. 
-  avoid, topics where opinion is divided. 
It would be far too easy for this to try to be "everything to everybody" and lose its focus and usefulness. 
Alan