<![CDATA[SlotRacer Forum - NSCC (National Scalextric Collectors Club)]]> https://slotracer.online/community/ Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:49:25 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[NSCC Leeds Swapmeet 9th October]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3271 Thu, 29 Sep 2022 17:00:15 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3271 We have a sell out of tables for this year's event, so there promises to be plenty of goodies available.

NSCC Members, not only get free entry, but the chance to buy a limited edition car. As usual the car is a stunner, so it is worth travelling to Leeds for the day.

Rothwell Sports Centre
Wakefield Road
Oulton
Leeds LS26 8EL

Doors open at 10am]]> We have a sell out of tables for this year's event, so there promises to be plenty of goodies available.

NSCC Members, not only get free entry, but the chance to buy a limited edition car. As usual the car is a stunner, so it is worth travelling to Leeds for the day.

Rothwell Sports Centre
Wakefield Road
Oulton
Leeds LS26 8EL

Doors open at 10am]]> <![CDATA[NSCC at UKSF 2022]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3018 Sat, 21 May 2022 16:24:02 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=3018
We'll also have some of our dwindling stock of past cars, so drop by, you may be able to fill a hole in your collection.]]>
We'll also have some of our dwindling stock of past cars, so drop by, you may be able to fill a hole in your collection.]]> <![CDATA[A fun filled Swindon Swapmeet in prospect this weekend]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=2856 Tue, 08 Mar 2022 12:04:55 +0000 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=2856
We'll also have a small selection of past cars for sale, so if you need one to complete your collection then drop by and see what we have.

Stop by and have a chat, or even sign up as a member to receive the fabulous monthly Journal]]>
We'll also have a small selection of past cars for sale, so if you need one to complete your collection then drop by and see what we have.

Stop by and have a chat, or even sign up as a member to receive the fabulous monthly Journal]]> <![CDATA[About the NSCC]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=2831 Thu, 24 Feb 2022 13:05:22 +0000 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=2831
The club has been instrumental in organising swapmeets; currently Milton Keynes and Leeds, members enjoy free entrance.  You'll also find an NSCC stall at other swpameets.

We hold an annual weekend in Ramsgate; here we race, talk slot cars, visit Hornby where we have had presentations on new developments, the range and production process, a charity auction of special items, some of which were donated by Scalextric, raises money for Hornby's favourite charity.

We also produce limited edition cars annually and for events; Milton Keynes, Leeds and Ramsgate, some of these are very collectable and command high values when they do appear for sale.

The jewel in our crown is the Journal, our editor produces a monthly full colour A5 Journal covering new releases from major manufacturers, historical items, kit bashing and building, a run down of ebay sales and much more.

All this for the princely sum of £35pa,slightly more for Europe and the Rest of the World.

If you want more details catch up with us on our website www.nscc.co.uk, facebook ((2) NSCC (National Scalextric Collectors Club) Group | Facebook) or twitter @NatScalextric]]>
The club has been instrumental in organising swapmeets; currently Milton Keynes and Leeds, members enjoy free entrance.  You'll also find an NSCC stall at other swpameets.

We hold an annual weekend in Ramsgate; here we race, talk slot cars, visit Hornby where we have had presentations on new developments, the range and production process, a charity auction of special items, some of which were donated by Scalextric, raises money for Hornby's favourite charity.

We also produce limited edition cars annually and for events; Milton Keynes, Leeds and Ramsgate, some of these are very collectable and command high values when they do appear for sale.

The jewel in our crown is the Journal, our editor produces a monthly full colour A5 Journal covering new releases from major manufacturers, historical items, kit bashing and building, a run down of ebay sales and much more.

All this for the princely sum of £35pa,slightly more for Europe and the Rest of the World.

If you want more details catch up with us on our website www.nscc.co.uk, facebook ((2) NSCC (National Scalextric Collectors Club) Group | Facebook) or twitter @NatScalextric]]> <![CDATA[The history of the NSCC]]> https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=1624 Wed, 14 Oct 2020 13:46:40 +0100 https://slotracer.online/community/showthread.php?tid=1624
.jpg banner-nscc green.jpg Size: 23.38 KB  Downloads: 333

The National Scalextric Collectors Club (NSCC) is currently in its 40th year of existence, founded in January 1981 (not 1980 as their website erroneously states). It is almost certainly the oldest such enthusiasts club in the world and its monthly magazine is the longest continuously running English language publication devoted purely to slot cars anywhere.
 
It has never had a huge membership but has consistently punched above its weight and been responsible for initiating many of the things we take for granted these days such as swapmeets, limited edition cars and the UKSF. Several of today’s major slot car suppliers such as Pendle and MRE can trace their foundation directly back to their membership of the NSCC. As with all such clubs it has had its fair share of ups and downs but has managed to survive financial crises, committee upheavals and the rise of the internet so I thought it time to document its full story.

Part 1
Prehistory
The 1970s were an exceptionally low point in the history of Scalextric following the bursting of the slot car bubble at the end of the previous decade. The market had almost totally collapsed due to declining interest and the advent of new mechanical toys such as Hot Wheels. Several of the smaller slot manufacturers had gone bust, as had Scalextric’s parent company, Triang, in 1971. Scalextric managed to survive under new ownership but the range was drastically cut back and production of new cars was severely limited for the next few years. Quality took a nosedive with cars such as the Mini Clubman and Porsche 935 amongst the worst ever produced by the firm. Slot racing clubs had also mostly disappeared with just a few well-established ones managing to cling on.
 
By 1977 however, there was the glimmer of a revival in interest and some new racing clubs appeared, amongst which was the most important as far as this tale is concerned – The London Scalextric Club.

Roy Charlesworth, the club’s founder, worked as a dance instructor at the Harmony Ballroom, located above the Odeon cinema in Wood Green, North London and so he was able to use the dance hall on a Sunday to build a circuit and host races. The track sections he used in the beginning were old Plexytrack from his previous club nine years before when model slot car racing had succumbed to the might of the commercial raceway.

He advertised his race days in the Exchange and Mart and was surprised at the good response he got as people came from all over London and the South East to race every two weeks. The club grew so well that it organised a South of England Championship for several years. The 1979 event attracted a 60 strong entry and one of the drivers racing that day was a 15 year old John Herbert from Romford, Essex. Though he had never even seen the circuit before he went on to finish 3rd, beating most of the home drivers in the process. Johnny, as he later became better known, went on to greater things in real cars, winning F1 Grand Prix as well as Le Mans. A report of the race can be found HERE. The following year the club lost its premises but soon found a new home at St Marks Church Hall, just 200 yards from where it had begun, and they race there to this day every Tuesday evening.

Aside from the racing quite a few of its members had begun to collect early Scalextric cars which could be picked up for as little as a pound each at that time. Foremost amongst them was a certain Roger Gillham who was already working on the first edition of his legendary ‘Enthusiasts Guide’. Accordingly, Roy decided to start a collectors branch of the club, it was a separate entity with a subscription of £3 a year and produced newsletters in 1979/80. I have 6 of them in my possession but there may have been more. Here is #2 which also came with a couple of pages of members’ sales/swaps/wants.
.jpg London club NL.jpg Size: 2.86 MB  Downloads: 326

Apart from Roger there were several members who would become well known to the collecting fraternity such as Martin O’Reilly, Shaun Claremont, Chris Gregory, Reg Palmer and Eddie Collins. Surprisingly, the branch had some members in the USA including Lee Stokely of California and Chuck Lawrence from New York. I have no idea how this was achieved in those pre internet days! Several auctions were held in the ballroom which were a precursor to later swapmeets, and a visit was also made by Anton Palau who ran a famous model shop in Spain which led to the first significant arrivals of Spanish Scalextric cars in the UK.

The man who started it all, Roy Charlesworth (right) with future editor of the newsletter, Malcom Parker.

.jpg MALCOLM.jpg Size: 294.93 KB  Downloads: 310
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.jpg banner-nscc green.jpg Size: 23.38 KB  Downloads: 333

The National Scalextric Collectors Club (NSCC) is currently in its 40th year of existence, founded in January 1981 (not 1980 as their website erroneously states). It is almost certainly the oldest such enthusiasts club in the world and its monthly magazine is the longest continuously running English language publication devoted purely to slot cars anywhere.
 
It has never had a huge membership but has consistently punched above its weight and been responsible for initiating many of the things we take for granted these days such as swapmeets, limited edition cars and the UKSF. Several of today’s major slot car suppliers such as Pendle and MRE can trace their foundation directly back to their membership of the NSCC. As with all such clubs it has had its fair share of ups and downs but has managed to survive financial crises, committee upheavals and the rise of the internet so I thought it time to document its full story.

Part 1
Prehistory
The 1970s were an exceptionally low point in the history of Scalextric following the bursting of the slot car bubble at the end of the previous decade. The market had almost totally collapsed due to declining interest and the advent of new mechanical toys such as Hot Wheels. Several of the smaller slot manufacturers had gone bust, as had Scalextric’s parent company, Triang, in 1971. Scalextric managed to survive under new ownership but the range was drastically cut back and production of new cars was severely limited for the next few years. Quality took a nosedive with cars such as the Mini Clubman and Porsche 935 amongst the worst ever produced by the firm. Slot racing clubs had also mostly disappeared with just a few well-established ones managing to cling on.
 
By 1977 however, there was the glimmer of a revival in interest and some new racing clubs appeared, amongst which was the most important as far as this tale is concerned – The London Scalextric Club.

Roy Charlesworth, the club’s founder, worked as a dance instructor at the Harmony Ballroom, located above the Odeon cinema in Wood Green, North London and so he was able to use the dance hall on a Sunday to build a circuit and host races. The track sections he used in the beginning were old Plexytrack from his previous club nine years before when model slot car racing had succumbed to the might of the commercial raceway.

He advertised his race days in the Exchange and Mart and was surprised at the good response he got as people came from all over London and the South East to race every two weeks. The club grew so well that it organised a South of England Championship for several years. The 1979 event attracted a 60 strong entry and one of the drivers racing that day was a 15 year old John Herbert from Romford, Essex. Though he had never even seen the circuit before he went on to finish 3rd, beating most of the home drivers in the process. Johnny, as he later became better known, went on to greater things in real cars, winning F1 Grand Prix as well as Le Mans. A report of the race can be found HERE. The following year the club lost its premises but soon found a new home at St Marks Church Hall, just 200 yards from where it had begun, and they race there to this day every Tuesday evening.

Aside from the racing quite a few of its members had begun to collect early Scalextric cars which could be picked up for as little as a pound each at that time. Foremost amongst them was a certain Roger Gillham who was already working on the first edition of his legendary ‘Enthusiasts Guide’. Accordingly, Roy decided to start a collectors branch of the club, it was a separate entity with a subscription of £3 a year and produced newsletters in 1979/80. I have 6 of them in my possession but there may have been more. Here is #2 which also came with a couple of pages of members’ sales/swaps/wants.
.jpg London club NL.jpg Size: 2.86 MB  Downloads: 326

Apart from Roger there were several members who would become well known to the collecting fraternity such as Martin O’Reilly, Shaun Claremont, Chris Gregory, Reg Palmer and Eddie Collins. Surprisingly, the branch had some members in the USA including Lee Stokely of California and Chuck Lawrence from New York. I have no idea how this was achieved in those pre internet days! Several auctions were held in the ballroom which were a precursor to later swapmeets, and a visit was also made by Anton Palau who ran a famous model shop in Spain which led to the first significant arrivals of Spanish Scalextric cars in the UK.

The man who started it all, Roy Charlesworth (right) with future editor of the newsletter, Malcom Parker.

.jpg MALCOLM.jpg Size: 294.93 KB  Downloads: 310
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