1February 2006

EditorEditorEditorEditorEditorBrian Rogers

27 Paige CloseWatlington

King’s LynnNorfolk

PE33 0TQTel/Fax:- 01553 813090

e-mail:- editor@nscc.co.uk

TTTTTrade Advertisingrade Advertisingrade Advertisingrade Advertisingrade AdvertisingAdrian Leggett

RosevilleWestwood Lane

NormandyGuildford

SurreyGU3 2JG

Tel:- 07773 967333 day01483 810102 evenings

e-mail:- sales@nscc.co.uk

ContentsContentsContentsContentsContents

NNNNNOOOOO. 287 F. 287 F. 287 F. 287 F. 287 FEBRUEBRUEBRUEBRUEBRUARYARYARYARYARY 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006

Swapmeets.................................2Diary Dates................................5Membership Update..................6Messages From Margate............7Fly On The Wall......................11Ninco News..............................15Kits ‘N’ Bobs............................17Toy Fair....................................19Ebay Watch.............................27Indy Roadster...........................28Bits & Pieces.............................31Letters......................................32MMRG Open..........................33Carrera Review........................35Slot.It Review......................37Ramblings................................39Adverts.....................................41

No Surprise There Then!No Surprise There Then!No Surprise There Then!No Surprise There Then!No Surprise There Then!

There was a time when I would rush down to the local modelshop every year about now and purchase the new Scalextric

catalogue. I would take it home and read it from cover to coverseveral times over. Today I happened to be passing the shop sopopped in and bought the 2006 version. On returning home I hada quick flick through it and filed it with the rest of the collection. Itthen dawned on me that I hadn’t actually read the thing properlyfor many years now and I began to wonder why this was the case.

Catalogues of ten years ago were nothing like as slick as thecurrent ones and used to contain three or four new cars at most sowhy were they interesting when modern ones aren’t? On reflectionI have to conclude that there are no surprises in the new one anymore. In those far off, pre Interweb days, unless you were a privilegedretailer you had no idea which models would figure in Hornby’sproduction schedules and the catalogue would provide your very firstglimpse of the new cars.

Nowadays everybody knows what is coming some months beforepublication and pictures of the imminent releases are plastered overevery slot-car website in the known universe. The manufacturersseem to have forgotten the commercial benefits of keeping everyoneguessing and building up anticipation; they think that mass mediasaturation is the answer to everything. I guess it is part of this bravenew technological world we live in - ‘Now’ is all important andyesterday is just history.

I am not normally one of those old fogies who constantly harksback to some fictitious golden olden times and I enjoy the benefitsof modern computer science as much as the next man; just oncethough I wish I could open up the latest catalogue and find a brandnew release of which I had no previous knowledge.

And Finally - I may not have read the thing properly but I didnotice a glaring spelling error - “Lane change Staight” indeed! Oncean editorial pedant, always an editorial pedant.

Till next monthBrian

2

As usual for this time of the year there areplenty of recent releases to mention and lots to look forward to as shown in the

new catalogue and at the Toyfairs always held inJanuary and February.

RRRRRecent Recent Recent Recent Recent ReleaseseleaseseleaseseleaseseleasesC2642 Ferrari 330 P4 Le Mans 1967C2642 Ferrari 330 P4 Le Mans 1967C2642 Ferrari 330 P4 Le Mans 1967C2642 Ferrari 330 P4 Le Mans 1967C2642 Ferrari 330 P4 Le Mans 1967

MairesseMairesseMairesseMairesseMairesse-Beurlys No24-Beurlys No24-Beurlys No24-Beurlys No24-Beurlys No24Together with the standard crystal case versionof C2641 comes C2642. To my mind this iseven more attractive than the Scarfiotti-ParkesNo21 version as it has the extra detail of a thickyellow stripe from front to back – absolutely oneof the most beautiful Scalextric cars ever!

C2597/C2598 Hendrick MotorsportsC2597/C2598 Hendrick MotorsportsC2597/C2598 Hendrick MotorsportsC2597/C2598 Hendrick MotorsportsC2597/C2598 Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet Monte CarloChevrolet Monte CarloChevrolet Monte CarloChevrolet Monte CarloChevrolet Monte Carlo

Jeff Gordon No24/Jeff Gordon No24/Jeff Gordon No24/Jeff Gordon No24/Jeff Gordon No24/Jimmy Johnson No48Jimmy Johnson No48Jimmy Johnson No48Jimmy Johnson No48Jimmy Johnson No48

To keep the new Ford Taurus Nascars companyare two new Chevrolet Monte Carlo models.Both are well decorated with lots of finesponsors’ logos over smart metallic paint-jobs.Although etched metal grilles adorn the front ofthe Chevrolets they are as fast and robust asprevious Nascars. The boxes feature the drivers’signatures and even the plinths are printed withlots of detail. ➳

3February 2006

C2604 Ford TC2604 Ford TC2604 Ford TC2604 Ford TC2604 Ford Taurus Plain Whiteaurus Plain Whiteaurus Plain Whiteaurus Plain Whiteaurus Plain WhiteC2605 Chevrolet Monte Carlo WhiteC2605 Chevrolet Monte Carlo WhiteC2605 Chevrolet Monte Carlo WhiteC2605 Chevrolet Monte Carlo WhiteC2605 Chevrolet Monte Carlo White

If you prefer to decorate your own NASCARSwith some of the excellent decal sets availablethen Hornby produce plain white versions ofthe new Ford and Chevrolet. These are onlyavailable in the US. Interestingly the Tauruspackaging includes a sticker warning againstmotors seizing if they are run until theyoverheat. I guess NASCAR racing on a simpleoval is fairly unrelenting!

C2695 Ford Falcon BAC2695 Ford Falcon BAC2695 Ford Falcon BAC2695 Ford Falcon BAC2695 Ford Falcon BA“Caterpillar“Caterpillar“Caterpillar“Caterpillar“Caterpillar” No6” No6” No6” No6” No6

C2696 Chevrolet Camaro Bob JaneC2696 Chevrolet Camaro Bob JaneC2696 Chevrolet Camaro Bob JaneC2696 Chevrolet Camaro Bob JaneC2696 Chevrolet Camaro Bob JaneBack in November I wrote about the first of theAustralian only cars to be released this winter.Here are the other two. The modern V8 Falconis the best of this crop’s liveries in black andwhite with yellow details. Going back severaldecades is the Camaro of Bob Jane. It is finishedin red with modest sponsors’ logos but lots ofcharacter. Unlike most of the Camaros thismodel has lights.

C2680 Maserati Coupé CambiocorsaC2680 Maserati Coupé CambiocorsaC2680 Maserati Coupé CambiocorsaC2680 Maserati Coupé CambiocorsaC2680 Maserati Coupé Cambiocorsa2006 Range Presentation2006 Range Presentation2006 Range Presentation2006 Range Presentation2006 Range Presentation

One of the best collectors’ items each year is therange presentation car given to the mainScalextric dealers who visit Margate to ordertheir stock for the year. The 2006 model is theMaserati Coupé in yellow and black with racingnumber 9 – as this is the ninth year of rangepresentation models. Only 250 of these modelsare made and they are always eagerly soughtafter.

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C6020 VC6020 VC6020 VC6020 VC6020 Valentino Ralentino Ralentino Ralentino Ralentino Rossi / Yossi / Yossi / Yossi / Yossi / YamahaamahaamahaamahaamahaC6021 Sete Gibernau / HondaC6021 Sete Gibernau / HondaC6021 Sete Gibernau / HondaC6021 Sete Gibernau / HondaC6021 Sete Gibernau / Honda

C6022 Max Biaggi / HondaC6022 Max Biaggi / HondaC6022 Max Biaggi / HondaC6022 Max Biaggi / HondaC6022 Max Biaggi / HondaC6023 Carlos Checa / DucatiC6023 Carlos Checa / DucatiC6023 Carlos Checa / DucatiC6023 Carlos Checa / DucatiC6023 Carlos Checa / Ducati

Aside from the two BSB bikes described lastmonth it has been a quiet second year for themuch vaunted Scalextric MotoGP range.However four new models arrived at Christmasto keep the range up to date. Just like the BSBbikes they also feature the modified magnetholder and extra stabilisers that really improvetheir handling.

PPPPPerformance Performance Performance Performance Performance PartsartsartsartsartsIt is over two years since Hornby first begandiscussing a range of tuning parts but these arefinally available on the High Street. The rangeincludes motors, wheels, tyres, axles, brass andrace bearings, gears, magnets and a sprungguide. The axle diameter is 3mm compared withthe standard size of 3/32nd inch which meansthat the new gears, wheels and tyres are notcompatible with the existing axles and old partscannot be fitted to the new axles.

When you have tried them please let mehave your feedback to pass back to Hornby.

WhatWhatWhatWhatWhat’s New in 2006’s New in 2006’s New in 2006’s New in 2006’s New in 2006January is always the time of the new catalogue,Toyfairs and the future product range. TheSport packaging and A suffix of the Sportversions has been dropped for 2006 and all cars,except the Classic Grand Prix pair, will come instandard crystal cases. Otherwise we see anexciting year with lots of new liveries, 10 newcars and new track pieces too.

PPPPPaperworkaperworkaperworkaperworkaperworkCatalogue 47 follows the same format as recentyears and features the Renault F1 on the cover.Not surprisingly it covers the range of sets, carsand accessories but not Scalextric Sport Digital.That features in a separate A4 sized catalogue ofits own. A Race For Real leaflet, edition 12, isalso available showing the complete range withthe Ferrari P4s on the front.

2006 Range2006 Range2006 Range2006 Range2006 RangeSo what is in the 2006 Scalextric range? For astart there are a number of new sets – A1 GrandPrix, Porsche GT Supertuned and Supercars.The latter two are especially interesting as theyfeature cars not available separately. ThePorsche set (C1184) contains two new GT3Rliveries, one of which is unique to the set. Bothare equipped with the Sport Tuning parts suchas high speed motors. The Supercar set (C1185)contains the red Ford GT but also a blackMercedes McLaren SLR.

In F1 the new Honda 2006 will be eagerlyawaited, especially if Jenson Button does wellthis season. Barrichello’s car is also included –C2715 and C2716. Not in the catalogue but inthe price list are 2006 versions of the Renaultand Williams F1 cars too.

A1 Grand Prix gets lots of space in thecatalogue and 10 liveries are described andscheduled for release in Q3. Great Britain,France, Netherlands, Brazil, New Zealand,Portugal, Australia, USA, Italy and Germanyare the featured countries.

In the GT category there are new liveries forthe Maserati MC12 and Dodge Viper and twonew models. The first is the Aston MartinDBR9 which ran at Le Mans in 2005. Strangely,only one racing number is being modelled, withthe yellow flash. Let’s hope for the sister car andthe privateer team too during the year. Thesecond car was a great surprise as it is the JaguarXKR as raced in the US. It looks good in blackand silver too.

There are also UK releases of the JapaneseTakara Quattrox JGTC cars and these lookgreat. There are two each of the Toyota Supra,Honda NSX and Nissan 350Z. To go with themare two UK designed versions of the NissanSkyline. The Quattrox cars are identical to theJapanese releases but are in standard UKpackaging. In Japan each one will be releasedwith its own pit babe!

Surprisingly there are no new Vectras butthere is a brand new touring car – the Séat Leonfrom the WTCC championship. ➳

5February 2006

Available in Q1 is a very nice SubaruImpreza in Scalextric and Sun livery. Later inthe year will be a brand new Subaru - the latestImpreza competing in 2006.

Fairly anonymously hidden in the catalogueis one of the most often requested Scalextric carsever – the Ford Escort Mk1. The first release isin the white and pale blue Esso Uniflow livery.Q2 cannot come fast enough for this car to bereleased. We are sure to see other liveriesfollowing too.

Also hidden away without much fanfare isthe Classic Grand Prix pairing of McLarenM23 and Ferrari 312T. You too can relive the1976 battle between James Hunt and NikiLauda. Why this isn’t front page news I cannotimagine.

There are plenty of reliveries of popularmodels too, including two new Mini Cooper Ss,a yellow Ford GT, a white and black drift Nissan350Z and a new pair of Audi TT and PorscheBoxster. There are new versions of the Mustang,Camaro and Corvette too.

The Digital catalogue offers a growingrange of Digital ready cars including the Aston.For the first time there is a unique set of Digitalcars – two Nissan 350Zs.

New track pieces include a straight lanechange enabling left to right and right to leftchanging. This is 1.5 standard straights long andis really smooth allowing fast lane changing. Thepit lane pieces which allow a single lane to splitinto two, to the right or left and then merge backagain, should already be in the shops. Whencoupled with the single lane half straights andcurves enormous possibilities emerge. Pleasesend me pictures of your layouts designed usingthese new pieces.

TTTTToyfair 2006oyfair 2006oyfair 2006oyfair 2006oyfair 2006Hornby had a large presence at the recent UKtrade only Toyfair held at Excel in London andthere was lots of interest from new and existingretailers.

Disappointingly there were no prototypes tobe seen other than the Escort Mk1 and the mostexciting releases for the year were only shown assmall photos of the real cars – not ideal forbuilding the excitement and anticipationrequired for driving sales.

Please do let me know if you find anythingnot described in the catalogues. There are sureto be special releases for specific countries orretailers during the year! ■

6

There is plenty to report this month, lotsof new models and the announcementof some exciting new releases planned

for 2006. The finer details and release dateswon’t be announced until the Nuremberg ToyFair in February.

RRRRRecent Recent Recent Recent Recent ReleaseseleaseseleaseseleaseseleasesBMW M1 (A1303) “Motul”, supplied with adecal sheet of a well-known cigarette brand.Driven by Bernard Darniche and Alain Mahe

in the Tour de Corse 1982. They failed to finishthough, due to a brake pipe leak. The five decalson this model are very easy to apply, two downeach side and one on the bonnet.

Porsche 934 (A935) “Jägermeister”,driven by Edgar Dören, Gerhard Holup,Roman Feitler and Hervé Poulain.

Unfortunately they too failed to finish,breaking down on lap 167 with gearbox failure.

➳

A1301 BMW M1 with cigarA1301 BMW M1 with cigarA1301 BMW M1 with cigarA1301 BMW M1 with cigarA1301 BMW M1 with cigarette decals appliedette decals appliedette decals appliedette decals appliedette decals applied

7February 2006

Ford Capri RS Turbo (Fly 31) “Mampe”Another release in the lightweight racing specseries, without a magnet. The bonus with thiscar is that it comes with 4 additional aluminiumcrown gears (23z, 25z, 26z, 29z).

Finally, the psychedelic “Martini” (Team 12)set. Technically not a team from a specific race,but a very nice addition to the range. Theprinting on both cars is very crisp and bright ina very attractive presentation box, typical to theteam set range. Limited to 1250 units.

Decisions, DecisionsDecisions, DecisionsDecisions, DecisionsDecisions, DecisionsDecisions, DecisionsAnother new release out in January was the“Meijers Motorsport” BMW M3 GTR (E280).The car is painted in a very striking two-tonedorange and dark blue/grey colour scheme.There is no sponsorship adorning this car, but itis supplied with 2 decal sheets to decorate intoeither a 2004 or 2005 Belcar championshipcontender.

I purchased two of these cars, as I couldn’tdecide which version to do, and subsequentlyspent a few painstaking hours applying thedecals. The most difficult was the number on the

roof which had to be nurtured into the air duct.The real-life counterparts didn’t have this airduct, but with a lot of patience and dexterity canresult in a very satisfying finish. I found their website very useful; www.meijersmotorsport.nl/a_auto.html, click on fotos, then 2004 for the#84 car and 2005 for the #96 car. There aremany views of both cars to aid you in yourreproduction.

This model is also fitted with the Fly racingmotor as standard.

Fly 31 FFly 31 FFly 31 FFly 31 FFly 31 Fororororord Capri with additional gearsd Capri with additional gearsd Capri with additional gearsd Capri with additional gearsd Capri with additional gears

E280 BMW M3 showing both vE280 BMW M3 showing both vE280 BMW M3 showing both vE280 BMW M3 showing both vE280 BMW M3 showing both versions possibleersions possibleersions possibleersions possibleersions possible

8

Classic Le MansClassic Le MansClassic Le MansClassic Le MansClassic Le MansThere are seven new releases listed on theJanuary flyer. The first of these are nowavailable:

Porsche 917 LH “Gulf ” #18 (A1402) andFerrari 512 CL “Scuderia Filipinetti” #14(C75).

The Porsche is from the 24hr Le Mans 1971race, driven by Pedro Rodriguez and JackieOliver. After qualifying in pole position theyfailed to finish due a problem with the oil system.The sister car, a 917K (#19), performed muchbetter finishing second.

I must admit to being slightly disappointedwith this particular model as it doesn’t comeequipped with rear wheel covers as per thepicture on the flyer. A nice touch though is thetape decoration around the front headlights.

First impressions of the Ferrari are that ofa re-issue from the previously released Team 2set. A closer inspection reveals there aredifferences, the omission of any sponsorshiplogos. This model is the test car from the 24hrLe Mans 1970 race, whereas the team setrepresented the race cars.

Both of these cars are sold out at the factorydue to high demand and are proving verypopular with collectors.

WhatWhatWhatWhatWhat’s Ne’s Ne’s Ne’s Ne’s Next?xt?xt?xt?xt?The remaining five releases should be availableby the time you read this:A903 – Porsche 911 Carrera “Max MoritzRacing” Le Mans 1973.A996 – Lancia 037 “West” Rally Costa Brava1984.E903 – Porsche 911 “Trece” PPG classic rally.This will be limited to 1000 units.Fly51 – Lola B98 racing “Team Vaillante” #19in blue, Silverstone ELMS 2005 British livery. Alightweight racing version similar to E500.Truck55L – Man truck “Cepsa”. A similarlivery to Truck 41 previously released, but withworking headlights and race #23.

PPPPPoly Special Editionoly Special Editionoly Special Editionoly Special Editionoly Special EditionTo celebrate the 30th anniversary of Poly, Fly hasproduced a special edition Renault 5 (E1202).The car is mainly white with a black and whitechequered roof, black skyline silhouette downeach side with “Poly” written in red, and a biggolden yellow “30” on the bonnet. I’m not sureof the quantities produced but it will be oflimited availability.

2006 Announcements2006 Announcements2006 Announcements2006 Announcements2006 AnnouncementsNot many of you will be aware, but this year Flyare celebrating their 10th anniversary. Tocelebrate this they have announced that it istheir plan to launch a ten car limited collectionset with one car to be released each monthbetween March and December 2006. The carswill be the most celebrated cars and liveries fromtheir history!

The planned releases for this year willcommence with the Porsche Carrera 6. Thiswas shown in prototype form at Nuremberg lastyear. There will be two initial liveries launchedat Nuremberg, one will be a special edition tocelebrate the 2006 show.

Following on from that there will be a newaddition to the lightweight racing range. Thiswill be a rally Porsche 911 with a new chassissimilar to the Evo 3 Porsche 911 GT1 98.

Before the summer there will be a BMWM3 E30. Other releases planned, and for me thepick of the bunch, are a Ferrari 250 GTO 1963and an Audi Quattro Group B rally car.

This year Fly have a surprise up their sleevesin the form of a single seater car. There hasalways been speculation as to whether Fly wouldever release a single seater. At this stage there isno other information as to what class it will befrom. Further details on this and the othermodels next month. ■

9February 2006

February sees the release of five new carsincluding a special limited edition. All arere-liveries of existing models although

they do include some new features. First of all,a new Renault Clio Super 1600 (50377) in thefamiliar blue and yellow colours associated withRenault Motorsport. Based on the group andclass winning entry piloted by Kris Princenduring the 2005 Belgium Ypres Westhoek Rally,it includes interchangeable ProShock suspensionand is powered by an NC-5 motor.

Next on the grid is the almighty MitsubishiLancer WRC ‘05 “Australia” (50378). Already agreat looking car, this one features a uniqueeffect on the windows – just like that of the fullsize car that claimed Mitsubishi’s highestfinishing position (2nd) during the final rally oflast season’s World Rally Championship.Gianluigi “Gigi” Galli, brought his Lancerhome in fourth position narrowly missing out ona podium spot.

Galli is one of motorsport’s rising stars andfollowing Mitsubishi’s shock announcementbefore Christmas that they are to withdraw fromthe WRC circuit until 2008, Gigi is set tocompete in the Ralliart sponsored Lancer thisyear. The model is fitted with Pro-Shock 2suspension and an NC-5 motor providing powerto all four wheels via a double transmission belt.

The recent release of the new MéganeTrophy car has already met with nods ofapproval from both racers and collectors alike.It is a stunning model and the GT Trophy seriesoffers a wide variety of liveries. This latestrelease replicates that of motor tuning partscompany “CESAM” (50379). The 330bhp, 3.5litre V6 engine is replaced by Ninco’s NC-5Speeder motor mounted in the angle-winderposition.

The BMW M3 GTR returns in the red andblack colours of the “ADVAN” team (50396).Advan is a brand of sports tyres created byYokohama over 25 years ago that has quietlyruled the world of motor sports with wins in justabout every category from Rally, through Worldand European Touring Cars, to Le Mans. Thisbrand of tyre can be found today fitted asstandard on supercars such as the BentleyContinental GT… however, this BMW comesonly with grippy Ninco slick tyres!

Finally, a rare limited edition Austin Healey“Snetterton” (50389) is released. Finished in adark racing green body colour with a white“hard-top”, the car has a stripped down, race-prepared look to it and is supplied in anexclusive new packaging. Fitted with an NC-5motor, this is sure to be a handful on the trackso prepare for some serious power-sliding! ■

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A bit thin on the ground in the UK thismonth for Kits ‘N’ Bobs but plenty outon release if you live in the United

States or mainland Europe. Most exciting and eagerly awaited release in

kit form is the new Ferrari 275 GTB4 69LMfrom Protoslot. Available as either a pre-paintedplain red street car kit or pre-painted redScuderia Fillipinetti Le Mans 69 version; this isone of the most beautiful of all real life front-engine Ferraris and yet another in a stunningline up of kits from these French resin specialists.Designed to utilise the PCS32 adjustable chassis,these cars look even more fantastic whenfinished off with the new range of classic wirewheels from PRS. Hopefully I should be able tobring you a full review next month once theyreach the U.K.

Next up are two releases from MMK - theFerrari 250GT in plain white or yellow and avery unusual subject, the Bristol 450, in greenand white Le Mans livery complete with its twohigh roof fins; all three available only as readyto race cars. From sister company TKP we have

a pale blue Citroën DS from the 1972 rally ofPortugal, and a maroon Saab 93 circa 1962complete with roof spotlight, both of theseshould be available in kit form and presumablylike most other TKP kits will also use the PCS32chassis.

As announced last month the ReineckeMotorsport range has two new arrivals in theform of a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda and the1970 AAR Cuda, designed to run on eitherScalextric Mustang or Camaro chassis thesemake an interesting addition to anybody’sTrans-Am line up. ➳

Kits ‘N’ BobsKits ‘N’ BobsKits ‘N’ BobsKits ‘N’ BobsKits ‘N’ BobsA round up of recent kit and resin releasesA round up of recent kit and resin releasesA round up of recent kit and resin releasesA round up of recent kit and resin releasesA round up of recent kit and resin releases

By Phil Insull

PPPPProtoslot Frotoslot Frotoslot Frotoslot Frotoslot Ferrerrerrerrerrari 275 GTB4 Le Mans 1969 Scuderia Fillipinettiari 275 GTB4 Le Mans 1969 Scuderia Fillipinettiari 275 GTB4 Le Mans 1969 Scuderia Fillipinettiari 275 GTB4 Le Mans 1969 Scuderia Fillipinettiari 275 GTB4 Le Mans 1969 Scuderia Fillipinetti

MMK Bristol 450MMK Bristol 450MMK Bristol 450MMK Bristol 450MMK Bristol 450

11February 2006

In the world of plastic slot cars the Team-slot Audi Quattro is due in to U.K. importersClassicslot Limited any day now, and I for onewill be itching to see how it stacks up against theold SCX version. This great looking model ofa group B car could well prove popular come theToyota NSCC Slot Rally GB in September.

Another contender come September maywell be the latest rally release from Spirit.Following on from their successful Peugeot 205

Reinecke MotorsporReinecke MotorsporReinecke MotorsporReinecke MotorsporReinecke Motorsport 1970 AAR Cudat 1970 AAR Cudat 1970 AAR Cudat 1970 AAR Cudat 1970 AAR Cuda

TTTTTeamslot Audi Quattroeamslot Audi Quattroeamslot Audi Quattroeamslot Audi Quattroeamslot Audi Quattro

T16, Spirit have now launched a new Renault5 Turbo, available in a number of rally liveriesbeginning with Carlos Sainz, Jean Ragnotti andBruno Saby versions. Spirit have also produceda number of Renault 5 Cup versions with themost popular colours surely being the red andwhite Jan Lammers version.

Finally, from race masters Slot.It theMercedes Sauber C9 made it into the U.K. justtoo late to feature in last month’s article, andsimilarly their new Castrol liveried Jaguar XJR9should make it to these shores early in February.Both should be exciting additions to the rangeand are expected to feature heavily in the 2006Slot.It challenge series. ■

12

Let me start by briefly explaining that lastyear I vowed not to bother going to the London Toy Fair this year – why? Well,

to be honest, Scalextric info is released at the endof the year and as a result there are normally nosurprises to be seen. Ninco, Fly and most of thesmaller Spanish brands do not exhibit; SCX andCarrera normally show a reduced range andwait for the German Toy Fair to release all theirnew product. So it was with clenched teeth thatwhen Tecnitoys asked me to design and buildtheir exhibition stand (that’s what I do in the realworld!) I agreed.

So, less hobby time - more a busman’sholiday! However it did have its advantages -free contractor parking and early access, plus thechance to get to know Tecnitoys and AEC alittle better.

The show is held in two halls at LondonDocklands Excel exhibition centre. This year itopened on Wednesday (press day) and closed onSaturday. Officially it’s trade only, but anyonecan in fact register on line in advance which doeslead to a large number of familiar faceswandering round the show; great for visitors butit can slow up the show for exhibitors. Press daynormally has a number of themed events tocatch your eye and this year was no exceptionwith Corgi celebrating its 50th Birthday withchildren and costume characters paradingaround the halls singing “Happy Birthday” andanother stand demonstrating their latest boardgame themed on the TV show ‘I’m a celebrityget me out of here’ with young ladies eatingworms and maggots!

I made the effort to visit all the show thistime to try and ensure all slots were coveredalong with any other items that I thought mightbe of interest to you, including 1/32 scalediecast and models. To ensure an unbiasedreview let’s do this alphabetically!

AirfixAirfixAirfixAirfixAirfixNot strictly speaking an Airfix stand as the spaceis branded Humbrol. Only items of note are theexisting range of 1/32 scale multi pose militaryfigures which can be converted for scenic trackuse. New this year is the re-release of someclassic 1/32 car model kits. Shown in a triple giftpack, the models released include the FordEscort Mk1, Triumph Herald and the VauxhallViva. I was informed that the kits should be inthe shops around March this year. No plans foradditional 1/32 releases, but that’s what theysaid last year!

CarreraCarreraCarreraCarreraCarreraCarrera are distributed in the UK by Nikko UKLtd who had a large open stand opposite SCX.They sell a vast range of RC cars, boats andplanes etc along with Meccano and otherspecialist toys. Carrera had their own dedicatedarea with a Pro-X track, display cabinets andposters showing this year’s releases.

Starting with the Exclusive 1:24 range, newfor 2006 are the ‘Hot Rod’ range with six newmodels featuring lots of exposed engines, flamesand big chrome wheels; think ZZ Top video andyou have an exact picture of these machines. Noactual prototypes on display and it was clear thatthe photos and posters were only preliminarydesigns, expect to see actual mock ups at theGerman Toy Fair. GT cars will include theChevrolet Corvette C6R in four liveries and theFerrari 575 in three 2005 liveries and a newplain silver one for 2006. One additional liveryin the classic range with the Ferrari 330 P4getting a 1967 LM paint job in red with lightblue stripe. There will also be a limited edition1:24 scale classic car for 2006 but they would notsay what it was.

Plenty to keep F1 fans happy in the1:32Evolution range, new cars for 2006 include:Ferrari F2005, Toyota TF105, Red Bull RB1and the McLaren-Mercedes MP4/20. 1:32 ➳

London TLondon TLondon TLondon TLondon Toy Fair 2006oy Fair 2006oy Fair 2006oy Fair 2006oy Fair 2006By Gareth Jex

13February 2006

also gets three Hot Rods along with a new seriesof Fast and Furious street cars with addedfeatures including ground effect lighting (neon)and spinner wheels set onto the new FordMustang GT 2005, Chevrolet Corvette, Nissan350z and a Ford Mustang ’67. GT racers arewell covered with the Ferrari 575 GTC in fourliveries and the Maserati MC12 in four liveries.

Not too surprisingly DTM cars feature highon the Carrera list and this year there are sevencars, Merc and Audi; there is also a Sebringversion of the Chevrolet Corvette. Moving on tomore classic machines and Carrera announcethe new Porsche 935/78 in Martini Racing,Momo, Kreepy Krauly and John Fitzpatrickliveries. The Ferrari 512BB LM also gets a newlivery this year in the form of JMS Racing‘European University’. The remaining carsseemed to have been thinned out, classic Nascarreduced to two cars and WRC to three. Thesame liveries are repeated in the Carrera DigitalPro-X range with the addition of a FordMustang GT 2005 in US Police Highway Patrollivery with flashing roof lights. Apart from thatthe digital range did not appear to have anyadditional/new products.

The1:43 scale ‘Go’ series will include the F1Renault along with the Red Bull F1. As youwould expect in this scale there are a largenumber of themed sets from films including Fastand Furious and the new James Bond filmCasino Royale. In all a substantial range and amassive catalogue (which was in short supply).

RRRRRevellevellevellevellevellAnother company celebrating its 50th Birthdaywas Revell. I’m glad to say that, after severalyears of struggling to have closer relations withRevell, they have changed their PR company soperhaps in the future the NSCC will be betterinformed. Again all product on display waslocked behind glass making full access tricky.

Two ranges to report on: 1:32 ‘easy kit’ statickits and of course the slot-cars. I was told thatsome of the kits had been held back from salelast year, but that they are now all availableincluding Dakar cars; Nissan, VW, BMW andMitsubishi and the Ferrari cheap static kits.

On the slot-car front the range expands toinclude some new rather unusual choices. Firsta Trabant 601 in two liveries - black ‘Rotstern’and a red ‘Stadwirtschaft’, pretty track carscertainly in a class of their own. However, thesecond new release is equally obscure - SimcaRallye Mk2. Again two liveries - one boggy limegreen and the other red. Along more familiarlines there are also plans to release a Chaparral,Porsche 904 and King Cobra and there will benew liveries for the NSU. The limited editionrange this year will include a Porsche 550 MilleMiglia ’54 ‘Hermann/ Linge’. The limitededitions are due mid year, but the new cars arenot due until the end of 2006.

ScaleScaleScaleScaleScalextricxtricxtricxtricxtricAs I mentioned at the beginning of the report,Scalextric release information about theirproduct range towards the end of the year andit gets confirmed at the Dealer launch eventsheld prior to the Toy Fair. So I was not expectingtoo many surprises but I will assume that noteveryone knows or has previously seen the info.

Let’s start with what Hornby say will ensurea flying start to 2006. The big push this year willbe A1 Grand Prix. Scalextric signed an exclusivedeal with A1 GP that will initially bring 10 ofthe international grid to the Scalextric cataloguein analogue, digital and micro ranges. The carsare all identical in terms of physical andmechanical appearance but each carries countrycolours/flags etc. They do look great in photos– no prototypes were available and the flyingstart may be delayed – cars are due for 3rd

quarter release.Sticking with the single seaters, Scalextric

have also signed an exclusive deal to bring us theHonda F1 car. There will also be a new livery forthe IRL range in the form of ‘Klein Tools’. Theexisting range of F1 cars remains the same.

Big news on the Endurance front was theAston Martin DBR9 and the Jaguar XKRalong with new liveries for the Maserati MC12and Dodge Viper. The Porsche 911 gets anotherlivery as does the Nissan 350Z drift car. All theother Endurance cars remain as 2005 with MGLola and the wonderful Ferrari 330 P4.

14

SCX SelectionSCX SelectionSCX SelectionSCX SelectionSCX Selection

15February 2006

ScaleScaleScaleScaleScalextric JGxtric JGxtric JGxtric JGxtric JGTTTTTC CarsC CarsC CarsC CarsC Cars

16

Eagerly AwaitedEagerly AwaitedEagerly AwaitedEagerly AwaitedEagerly Awaited

17February 2006

A Grand day OutA Grand day OutA Grand day OutA Grand day OutA Grand day Out

18

JGTC ( Japan Grand Touring Car) isproving a popular series with manufacturers andScalextric have done a deal with Japanese firmTakara for them to use Scalextric technologyand sell the cars under licence in Japan. Theywill also be on sale in the UK. On the stand wereproduction prototypes of the Toyota Supra,Honda NSX and the Nissan Skyline. Themodels displayed included the digital chips, butat this time it’s not clear if these will be releasedin digital form. The new Digital catalogue doesnot list them, but they are all shown in theanalogue catalogue. Initially eight liveries will beoffered but, with the recent news that theMaserati has joined the race series, expect othersto follow. The models looked bright, colourfuland very well made. You may notice on thebases of the prototypes that there is a circularspace – this is for a model pitlane babe, the carswill be sold in Japan with these, but UK modelswill not come with one.

On the Touring Car front the range remainsthe same with the Opel Vectra, but an additionlatter in the year will be the Séat Leon WTCC,pictured in the catalogue with Spanish driver J.Gené - expect two liveries during the year. Alittle quiet on the rally front, but new liveries forthe Subaru in the form of the works 2006 specand ‘The Sun’ livery as sponsored by Scalextric.

Best, in my opinion, of the new releases isthe fantastic Ford Escort Mk1. Displayed inmock up prototype form the car is a brand newmodel and features new driver and co-driverfigures. The first, of hopefully many liveries, isthat of the 1972 RAC winner driven by RogerClark and Tony Mason. Number 4 in whitewith light blue Uniflo stripe. The prototypelooked great, chrome a little too bright for mytastes, but shape and wheel size all looked good,due for 2nd quarter release.

There are also new liveries for the Audi,Porsche Ford GT and Minis this year. Look outfor the set only black liveried Mercedes SLR.

Last on the car front, but certainly not least,is what might be the only Sport or limitededition cars on general release this year.Released under the classic range is a twin set ofF1 cars from the seventies: C2558A features the

Ferrari 312T driven by Niki Lauda and theMcLaren M23 driven by James Hunt. Expectdelivery toward the end of the year.

The entire range of Sport performanceparts were on display along with accessories anddemos of Sport World. The new catalogue alsofeatures a DVD preview of Sport World on theinside of the back page. No new track sectionsannounced.

The digital range is now covered in aseparate catalogue. New for digital this year isthe lane change on a straight ref C7036 and anew lap counter C7039. New cars are the sameas analogue with the Aston Martin, Renault F1,two A1 GP cars (GB and France), Merc SLRand Nissan 350z.

Finally the 1:64 Micro Scalextric range hasbeen updated, brand wise, and features two newsets - Mazda Mayhem with two RX8s and A1GP with Team GB and Team France. My firstScalextric, The Simpsons and Mighty Minisremain.

SCXSCXSCXSCXSCXFor a brand that I have the closest links with, Iwas surprised at just how little I knew abouttheir plans for 2006. Sure I had been sent boxesupon boxes of stock and display material beforethe event, but I was under strict instructions notto open certain boxes until Luca and hiscolleagues arrived from Spain. So it was withsome trepidation that I sat down with Luca to gothrough the prototype 2006 SCX catalogue.

Digital first, because that’s how it’s laid outin print. New for 2006 will be a basic setcontaining three DTM cars and the Pit Stop setwhich will be the same but with additional pitbox facilities and track. New accessories includeRef 25110 ‘Console’, basically this will be a boxto connect your track to the TV! On display willbe the starting grid lights, timer, speedometerand fuel levels. It also includes a championshipmode which allows you to configure races anddefine a championship. Winners receive pointswhich allow racers to buy improvements to theircars or repair damage. Details were a little brief,but development was in an advanced stage. ➳

19February 2006

Ref 20240 Car Digitalization Kit, basically thisis the guide flag activation hardware to allowyou to retro fit SCX Digital into original cars.

On the digital track front there are threenew accessories: Ref 25130 Chicane is a newtrack section with single lane chicane, Ref25100 is a banked curve and Ref 25090 Supersliding curve ‘oil effect’.

New digital cars include BMW 320 WTCC,Ferrari 360GTC, Aston Martin GT, Séat LeonWTCC, Séat Cupra GT ‘Puma’, ChevroletCorvette C6R and the Volvo S60 in the GTrange. New liveries for the Opal Vectra in DTMrange and a Mitsubishi Evo-3 in WRC. Therewill also be a Mercedes Safety Car with rooflights and special functions that allow it to beused as a ‘ghost’ car, set in ‘Hindrance mode’ thecar will drive itself and players will have toovertake it, set in ‘Normal mode’ and playerscan control the car as normal.

Onto the ‘original’ or analogue range ofSCX and the Aston Martin and Ferrari 360 gettheir own new set in C2 configuration (figure ofeight) while the new McLaren 2005 Kimi goeshead to head with the Ferrari 2004 Schumacherin a new C1 set. New this year to the rally frontwill be the excellent Suzuki Swift JWRC and theMitsubishi Evo-3. As digital the GT range hasbeen expanded to include the BMW 320WTCC, Ferrari 360GTC, Aston Martin GT,Séat Leon WTCC, Séat Cupra GT ‘Puma’,Chevrolet Corvette C6R and the Volvo S60. Inthe tuning series expect a new shape of car inthe form of Ref 61980 tuning car 2 with neon,metallic paint and butch driver!

In the classic range Tecnitoys have decidedto add the Renault 5, details were few but thiswill be a new model and not a re-release of theExin mould. This year’s Vintage limited editionwill be the McLaren F1 1970 in bright orangeas driven by Derek Bell.

On the accessories and track front the rangehas been expanded with two new products; Ref88630 Chronometer Rally Pack features a startramp section and single lane track loop withbuilt in timing system. Ref 88620 Super slidingInner curve ‘ice effect’ adds to the successfulrange of winter rally sets and other track

sections. Other figures, track sections, buildingsand electronic accessories remain as 2005. Awelcome return, and one often asked for bymembers, is Ref 88640 RX-41 motor. Untilnow the only replacement motors have been ProTurbo which are still available.

The new SCX PRO range, initially basedaround two special edition cars - Citroën WRCand Audi R8 which will feature the very latest inrace performance parts with new crown gears inbrass and aluminium, Pro spec wheels, tyres,axles and a new guide flag. The rally car will alsofeature a drop-arm guide and - at long last -replacement chassis will also be available. Bodieswill be light weight. The final details of thisrange are still in development and I will reportback to you as soon as I have more info.

Sad news also at the show, the TecnitoysSéat Panda and 1800 models will not be releasedin SCX form. Spain only!

SCX/NSCC Exclusive NewsVery hush hush at the London Toy Fair and notofficially released until the German Toy Fair Iwas sworn to secrecy regarding the next newrelease info. SCX will be introducing (orreintroducing) an off road track system similarto SCX TT. In 1:32 scale the system will featureoff road bumpy track, bridges, ramps, dips andclimbs and will have two new models to go withit based on the Dakar race; new cars will be theVW Touareg and the Mitsubishi Pajero. I wasshown some prototype photos but all detailsTBC. The second exclusive was the release of aTuning set featuring the new Tuning cars.Nothing special I hear you say, but the set willfeature MP3 playing cars! Again details all to beconfirmed and don’t expect either range to beavailable until the end of the year. We do hopeto have the new off road system on display at theNSCC Rally GB event.

Well I think that about wraps it up foranother year, too many similar products for myliking and frankly not enough rally cars, butthat’s just me.

Best in show – Scalextric Ford Escort, butthe news about SCX off road is great. ■

20

The theme for this month’s report was tobe “January Sales”, mainly because Iwas going to take a look at what you

could have got for less than £20. However thiswill have to wait until another month for an indepth review as I need to report on one of thelargest collections of cars that I have seen beingoffered on eBay.

The item was listed as Scalextric VintageTriang Collection Huge!!!!!!!!!!! and subtitled“Biggest UK Scalextric auction ever, never to berepeated”. The starting price was a walletbusting, (well for most of us anyway) £30,000with a Buy It Now price of £35K. It actually didnot attract any bids in the end but plenty ofcomments and was viewed over 4000 times bythe time the auction closed. The listing itself wassomewhat quirky as it started off with very fewdetails but then progressed as the auction wenton with loads of links to pictures of the cars anddescription of the collection. In fact it ended upwith so much text that it could have served as thebasis for some student’s thesis on slot-cars! Brianwould have a field day reviewing and correctingthe spelling and grammar if this had been areport for the Journal. I have a copy shouldanyone want one but in summary:

Scalextric: Complete set buildings andtracks, C68 Aston Martin (green x 4, blue x 4red x 3), C69 Ferrari Berlinetta 250gt x 3, Super1/24 cars x 6, CK1 AC Cobra x 2, C34 Jaguarx 8, 007 Bond set plus spare Bond Aston, E5Aston Marshal’s car x 5, C57 Aston Martin x 4plus numerous Lister Jaguar, Porsche Spyder,Mercedes 190SL, TR4, Mini, Go Karts, andEscorts. Also included were some rare resin kitsand many Airfix items. Hope you can get thepicture if you did not see this listing.

Another incentive listing day on UK eBayincreased the number of auctions in January assellers took advantage of all those newcomers tothe hobby who had sets for Christmas and were

looking to expand them. Suddenly new Sportstraights and standard curves were fetching £3and £2 each in job lots and Starsky and Hutchpairs of cars normally fetching £17 or so endedup going for almost double that on someauctions. Someone even managed to sell 4 xC187 banked curves, all be it at 1p plus £4.99p&p. Top example spotted of bidders gettingcarried away was for a boxed Williams F1 car at£609. Don’t believe all the auctions you seethough, as this one had not been completedwhen I checked with the seller.

Other top prices this month along with eBaylisting description were:-Attention!!!! Jaguar E Scalextric 1/24 with box£830Scalextric James Bond slot-car set 1968 £15601960 Vintage Auto Union Type C MB £460Scalextric Truck Lorry £46 and £36.20(Converted Morrison’s £5.99 lorry with aScalextric cab chassis)Scalextric Maserati Range Presentation 2006

£165.88Scalextric Preview Ltd Edition 2006 C2680Maserati £180.01Scalextric TVR Speed 12 £77.10(This had a plain yellow body shell, was in a boxwith no reference number and looked similar toC2316 Brussels limited edition coloured car.)

Some more Porsche/Subaru/TVR bodyshells as reported last month turned up and havebeen offered individually on eBay during themonth by one of the buyers who bought a joblot. From my inquiries the black TVR is the onein shorter supply but how many that means, Iwas not told!

Finally an item I found quite amusing onAustralian eBay in the slot-cars category, notusually found at a swapmeet, was :- “Tin Sign‘Caution Low Headroom’ Great for the Shed”bought for AU$0.99 by “doctorslotcar”, maybeone of our members down under perhaps? ■

21February 2006

I truly believe that we are privileged to live inTHE golden age of slot cars. Modern slotcars are incredibly good value and superbly

made. And, as for the range of models available– well what more could you ask?

However, for those of you of a certain age,the late 1960s were a magical time for slot carracing. With beautiful Cox, Monogram, MRRCand Revell models, hard shell racing was on theup. The cars got ever faster and gradually theLexan shells began to replace the hard plasticbodies but even the Lexan shells were prettygood especially some of the Taylormade andLancer bodies. With brass chassis parts andcheap powerful motors easily available fromRichard Kohnstam in Hemel Hempstead, theRIKO brand ruled the roost at my club againstthe owners of expensive Pitman/Dynamic/Lancer creations. If you sometimes hanker aftera new brass chassied, Lexan bodied, alloywheeled slot car then look no further than EJ'shobbies in the USA.

A couple of years ago I was lucky enough tobuy a mint unmade Monogram Ferrari GTO1964 body shell kit. The Monogram GTO hadbeen my first ‘serious’ club car back in the 60sand getting my hands on a new one was a joy.When I discovered that EJ's made a replicaMonogram brass chassis with all the runninggear my year was made and my GTO nowresides amongst my most treasured slot cars –and it is damn fast!

EJ's not only sell chassis kits but alsocomplete kits, usually built up from originalvintage parts where possible. The next model onmy build table will be a EJ's Dodge Coronet 440,the 1960s American Muscle car, using anoriginal Eldon hard plastic body shell with

chrome parts and the aforementioned EJ'sMonogram copy brass chassis. That completekit with ALL running gear costs an astonishing$55! The subject of this review is however evencheaper, it is the EJ's Indy Roadster kit and itcosts only $40 + post and handling.

The kit is well packed with a packing list andThe kit is well packed with a packing list andThe kit is well packed with a packing list andThe kit is well packed with a packing list andThe kit is well packed with a packing list and

all small parall small parall small parall small parall small parts in plastic bagsts in plastic bagsts in plastic bagsts in plastic bagsts in plastic bags

The big build up – theThe big build up – theThe big build up – theThe big build up – theThe big build up – thebody shellbody shellbody shellbody shellbody shell

Having checked the parts against the packing listit was time to make a start.

I had decided to make the Dean Van LinesSpecial, the Pole sitter at the Indianapolis 500 in1961. I could have chosen any of 5 differentIndy roadsters from the late 50s and early 60s asthe superb decal sheet offers five different decalsets with the chrome exhaust parts etc. to matchthe decals.

The first job was to thoroughly wash theLexan body shell and then leave it to air dry. Ithen cut it very roughly to size with a pair of nailscissors before wrapping it in cling film to protectit against overspray. Three thin coats of PactraSprint White went on (and over my fingers) andthe shell was ready for the next stage. I drilled

Flashback SpecialFlashback SpecialFlashback SpecialFlashback SpecialFlashback SpecialThe EJ’s Hobbies IndyThe EJ’s Hobbies IndyThe EJ’s Hobbies IndyThe EJ’s Hobbies IndyThe EJ’s Hobbies IndyRRRRRoadsteroadsteroadsteroadsteroadster

By Peter Emery

22

the holes for the exhaust, roll bar, oil tank etcand then glued these in place with a little clearglue. I then trimmed a piece of scrap Lexan tosize for the windscreen, as my kit had nowindscreen provided.

After drilling out the holes for the axles topass through and then applying the transfers thebody shell was almost complete. Last but notleast I painted the cockpit base and the driverthen glued the driver in place. Job done.

The Chassis – seriouslyThe Chassis – seriouslyThe Chassis – seriouslyThe Chassis – seriouslyThe Chassis – seriouslysimplesimplesimplesimplesimple

Assembling the chassis was next on the list. Allthe running gear is provided including theexcellent Mabuchi Fox FK-130 SH motor. Ioiled the motor bearings and put the motor ontoa low voltage supply to gently loosen up. Thesemotors go really well but they do benefit from alittle running in. The brass chassis is a simplepressing with ‘oilite’ (phosphor bronze) bearingsfront and rear. Two screws hold the motor firmlyin place. I shortened the lead wires as they wereobviously designed to fit a top fuel dragster! Therear axle has a flat on it for the grub screw in theCox contrate to locate, a nice touch.

A full set of different width nylon spacers areincluded and the somewhat rudimentaryinstructions give a suggested selection for frontand rear. This sets the track width for the car. Asthe plastic inserts for the alloy wheels don’t havea central hole the axle cannot protrude into thewheel at all. This further fixes the track width asdoes the shape of the brass chassis pressing atthe front of the chassis.

And it is way too wide!

The Indy roadsters had a fairly narrow trackand this setup equates to a track of around 65inches! I was unable to confirm the track of the1961 Kurtis Offy but the 1963 winning roadsterhad a track of only 50 inches.

And that is my only real criticism of the kitbut it is a big one. It changes this kit from apretty good replica to a ‘fun’ car and that is ashame. I have a vintage Strombecker Scuttler 2chassis, also supplied by EJ's, and that wouldmake this body shell into a super scale model.Perhaps EJ's should rethink the way the modelis sold as the Strombecker brass chassis haspretty reasonable performance and would beperfectly scale and period for a vintage slot car.

In the end I decided to narrow the track asmuch as possible, so I opted to ignore the insertsand merely painted the wheel centres a gun-metal colour and fitted the locking nuts on theoutside of the wheels. This narrowed the fronttrack to around 58 inches and I set the rear tomatch. Overall I think the narrower track wasworth giving up some of the wheel detail.

The slot guide provided looks a little strangebut in practice it works just fine. At the time ofwriting I have only run the car on my ScalextricSport/Digital set up and it runs well with nosnagging at all. I elected to ignore the spring clipbody fixings and simply open out holes in the.030 inch Lexan body and let the axles securethe body. This works fine in practice. Finally Iglued and trued the rear tyres before fitting themto the front axle and repeated the process so thatall four wheels were trued. Note that this stagewas completed after photography! ➳

The simple stamped brThe simple stamped brThe simple stamped brThe simple stamped brThe simple stamped brass chassisass chassisass chassisass chassisass chassis The underside of the chassisThe underside of the chassisThe underside of the chassisThe underside of the chassisThe underside of the chassis

23February 2006

And the result?And the result?And the result?And the result?And the result?A cracking drive! These slot cars drive like a mid1960s car with plenty of tail out action and alovely benign manner. I could have played aboutwith magnets or lead but frankly they are a hootjust as they are. They would make a great ‘fun’class at your club or a really relaxing fun car foryour home circuit, either way recommended asbeing great value for money and something alittle bit different to today’s precisionmanufactured masterpieces.

Oh, and by the way, I liked these kits somuch that, rather than badger the Editor (allkneel) into acquiring some samples from EJ'sHobbies and then risk somebody else beinggiven them to review, I bought them from EJ'sby their (excellent) mail order! People that knowme will realise that means I must REALLY likethem.

Contact www.ejshobbies.com for moredetails and tell Ed’ that I sent you! ■

24

Farewell Newark, HelloFarewell Newark, HelloFarewell Newark, HelloFarewell Newark, HelloFarewell Newark, HelloDudleyDudleyDudleyDudleyDudley....................

An article appeared recently in my localnewspaper regarding the Grove Leisure Centreat Newark. This location is, as you are aware, thevenue for the Newark swapmeet. The articlebasically read that the site is to be redevelopedin the near future and a new leisure complex isto be built, to be completed by 2008.

This obviously meant that at best we mayhave got one more event there before the sitecloses for at least two years. So, myself andfellow organisers had to find an alternativesuitable premise to hold the meet. A chanceconversation has resulted in our agreeing to takethe event to Dudley in the West Midlands. Thedate of the event will be Sunday 29th October2006. It is our hope that the event will remainunder the umbrella of the NSCC, the categorywill be decided when details have been finalised.It is our belief that this move will be beneficialfor all parties; the venue is very easy to find andis located in the middle of a potentially massivecatchment area (excellent for buyers and tradersalike!), with ample parking and on site cafeteriafacility. Obviously the overseas members/collectors will be able to access the event byflying into Birmingham Airport and there are anumber of good hotels in the vicinity for anyonewishing to travel up the night before.

We will be releasing further details of thisexciting new event at Milton Keynes. Lastly ahuge thank you to all those members andtraders who have supported Newark over thelast few years, and we hope to see you ALL andmany more at Dudley.

Roger Barker

NSCC WNSCC WNSCC WNSCC WNSCC WebsiteebsiteebsiteebsiteebsiteThe revamped website is now on-line - a coupleof sections are still under development butshould be available very soon. All comments andsuggestions for future improvements would begratefully received.

Mark Sanderson

!!!!!20th Centur-20th Centur-20th Centur-20th Centur-20th Centur-ee Tee Tee Tee Tee Toyoyoyoyoy!!!!!“Traditionally their late night sessions revolvedaround a mutual passion for Scalextric. Johnand Marc had set up a sprawling Scalextrictrack that had begun to colonise the house, roomby room, until almost every inch of carpet, everysurface, was obscured. There was constantmusic in the house but now this was joined by anew sound audible in the spaces between songs:the tinny crackle of toy cars negotiatingcomplex slaloms. Each of us - John, Marc,Marc’s girlfriend June and myself - had our owncar.

Meanwhile, the track just kept growing, andthe larger it got, the more power it required,until eventually John and Marc would embarkon an emergency errand to buy more boosterpacks. They must have been quite a sight; twohippies dashing to the nearest toy shop foranother fix of Scalextric.”

The John? - the sadly missed Radio 1 DJJohn Peel and the Marc? - Marc Bolan, frontman of 70’s glam rockers Tyrannosaurus Rex.Taken from ‘Margrave of the Marshes’, theautobiography of John Peel, written by John(obviously) and finished by his wife, Sheila.

Spotted by David Bates and Chris Lale

PrePrePrePrePre-add Body Kits-add Body Kits-add Body Kits-add Body Kits-add Body KitsAnybody wishing to order one of Mac Pinches’body kits will need his new phone number -01922 410420.

25February 2006

Sir,Congratulations on the new front cover of theNSCC Journal, inspired!!!

When Motorsport changed the cover Iwrote to complain and was told that the newdesign was intended to stand-out on the shelf. Sohow come I have trouble finding it in amongstall the other car mags? How come I nearlybought a copy of Autocar a couple of monthsago by mistake? Green might be considered anold fashioned colour these days, but that is whatmade Motorsport stand out from the crowd. Ifail to see how you can make your living out ofnostalgia and then get rid of decades oftradition! Still, their loss is the NSCC’s gain. Allwe need to do now is resurrect Jenks and get himto do a few car reviews.

I also wanted to support Roy Snell’s requestfor Andy Priaulx’s BMW to be released. As acompetitor in hillclimbs during the 90s, I got toknow Andy and his father Graham quite well,although we never competed directly againsteach other as we were never both in the sameclass (in both senses of the word!). Havingwatched him take the hillclimb crown, I’vefollowed Andy’s career very closely ever since.He’s a great driver, a bloody nice bloke and nowhe’s a world champion. Come on somebody,there’s got to be some selling power in thatsurely? Imagine how many Honda F1s will floodthe market if Jenson Button ever wins the worldchampionship..........................oops, sorry. I hadto stop typing then as a pig flew past the window.

I am, yours etc,Mel Turbutt

Sir,I don’t usually bother to comment on this kindof thing but that new cover is a stroke of puregenius!

I am, yours etc,Derek Cooper..............................................................................Sir,Just had to drop you a quick note to congratulateyou on this month’s Journal.

Fabulous cover, the best since I’ve been anNSCC member, and your editorial aboutHornby and Marlboro was great too. Keep upthe excellent work.

I am, yours etc,David HarmerThe new cover certainly seems to have struck a

chord, I have never had so many letters of

approval - thanks for all the kind comments.

.................................................................................................

Sir,I had several phone calls about the “Toy Story”article in bits and pieces(January issue). Poor oldGraeme Thoburn had enough trouble gettinghis own car running at the world record attemptso the good old lads at Larkfield Scalextric Club(Kent) offered to lend his daughter a car so shecould take part!

Alas our own cars didn’t record proper timesthrough the counters but, as we know, our spareone did! Hope we didn’t embarrass Graeme toomuch with his daughter beating him.............

I am, yours etc,Dave Smith

26

On Sunday 8th January, Medway ModelRace Group (MMRG) hosted a NincoJGTC Challenge Event. Whenever I

manage to attend a race meeting my main goalis to have fun and hopefully not finish too fardown the table. Now there are some people outthere with 12VDC running through their veinsand when a large enough group gather arounda track the atmosphere has the tendency tobecome very tense. I’m not saying that’s a badthing – but let’s be fair, these are scale modelswe’re racing and it’s never a matter of life ordeath, is it? It’s fine to be committed to win andI do admire those who have the ability tosqueeze that little bit extra from a car but I’mstill firmly in the category of racing for theenjoyment factor… and for those of you who haveseen me race, you’ll know why!

It was five years ago at MMRG that I firsttried my hand at competition racing and havesince raced there on many club evenings.However, circumstances have kept me awayfrom regular racing over the past year, so theopportunity to race at the weekend was awelcome one. The day began at 8:30am whenMMRG club members and guests assembledthe six-lane routed wooden track.

Open practice followed giving newcomers achance to familiarise themselves with the circuit.Within the hour, Alan Green addressed thetroops informing us of the day’s programme. Itwas made up of four stages with differing pointstructures and the top places would be awardedto those achieving the most points. With twenty-one entrants and four events, it was importantto keep a quick turn around and our aim was tohave just sixty seconds between races.

All of the cars were brand new “out-of-the-box” Ninco cars from their JGTC series and,with the wide choice of liveries available, eachone was different. Three Honda NSXs andthree Toyota Supras were subtly(!) colour codedto match their individual lane using colouredtape on the front windows and rear spoilers.Ortmann Tyres from R/S Slot Racing were theonly modification fitted to these cars offeringmaximum grip to the painted surface of therouted wooden track.

The first stage consisted of 15-lap raceswhere everyone raced once in each of the sixlanes. Points were awarded for finishing position(10, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1) as well as 2 bonus points forfastest reaction time when the lights turnedgreen. Peter Day, one of the club’s most ➳

MMRG Open ChallengeMMRG Open ChallengeMMRG Open ChallengeMMRG Open ChallengeMMRG Open ChallengeBy Peter Solari

27February 2006

experienced racers, won the first round with 52out of a possible 72 points with Trevor Allentaking second spot.

Heat two was a real change from the norm.Paul Hatcher (known within the club for his love ofbig aerofoils and silver paint!) had built a ratherspecial car for this stage. Each entrant had tocomplete three laps with this totally unique car,individually against the clock. When everyonehad raced, scores were awarded to each positionin 5 point increments with the slowest attracting5 points and the fastest taking 105 points. Witheveryone watching, and the knowledge that afraction of a second could cost big points, thepressure was really on. It was a real challenge tokeep the car in the slot and many peoplecommented about how different it felt to racealone.

With lunch over, round three took us back tomore traditional racing - a series of 5-lap“sprint” races. Lap times for these GT cars onthe Medway circuit is in the region of 8.5seconds, so staying on was vitally important in

sprint races. To ensure these heats didn’tresemble half a dozen snails out for a Sundaydrive, a bonus 5 points was up for grabs for thefastest lap of each race. This meant that thewinner of each race had to have the fastest lapto guarantee taking home the most points. Onmany occasions, the person finishing second wasable to achieve more points than the winner bysnatching bonus points for fastest lap.

The final stage was a 12-lap, crash and burnrace. For those of you not familiar with “crashand burn”, the rules are simple… if you comeout of the slot, you’re out! The stakes were alsoraised for this last round by making pointsavailable not just for placing but for quickestaway and fastest lap. Keith Fishenden won thisround and was also one of only two racers totake a maximum of 17 points in a race.

Following this final round, everyone helpedto dismantle and put the track away while thepoints were totalled. The day’s event hadproduced three different winners from fourrounds but overall 1st, 2nd and 3rd places went toPeter Day, Paul Hatcher and Terry Battersbyrespectively. The top junior driver of the daywas MMRG member Alex Bartlett who finishedan impressive 9th overall. All four were suitablyrewarded with Ninco cars from the JGTC series.

The varied stages and continuous turn-around kept everyone on their toes and thechanging point structure added an interestingelement to the mix. It was nice to be able to turnup at a competition with just a throttle and afiver and not trolley loads of cars, tools andspares! By running the same cars for everybody,it was always going to be a test of driver abilityand not how good the car had been set up;- nowhispering behind silver boxes about adding specialpotions to motors or tyres at this event! Yes, I know slot-car racing is a serious sport for some, but we allneed to unwind and enjoy ourselves round thetrack every once in a while. Well done Medwayfor keeping the FUN in slot-racing!!

MMRG meet every Wednesday, 7:30-10pm.Details can be found via the NSCC website orby contacting Alan Green: Tel: 07855 511804,email: Alan.Green@marks-and-spencer.com ■

28

What a top man! Having sent a copy ofmy review (December 2005 issue) toColin Spark he comes up with the

goods and sends me a pair of those excellentOrtmann tyres to try on the car.

The replacement tyres look different in sizeand profile before fitting but once fitted they fillthe wheel arches to the same proportions as theoriginals. Below you can see the original Carreraboots on the left and the Ortmanns on the right.

The new tyres fit in the wheel arches welland a quick check is required to make sure thatthe Ortmanns are not rubbing on any of thebodywork. No problems.

Another thing that I found, to my mildsurprise, was that the wheels come in two pieces.By this I mean like an Easter egg. You pull offthe tyre and half the wheel comes with it. Nowthis in itself I do not find a problem but I suspectthat racers would.

Have a look at the image below and you willsee exactly what I mean.

Carrera Ferrari 575GCarrera Ferrari 575GCarrera Ferrari 575GCarrera Ferrari 575GCarrera Ferrari 575GTTTTTCCCCCThe test continues…The test continues…The test continues…The test continues…The test continues…

By Mark Hatton

Off the wheel rim comparison of the CarrOff the wheel rim comparison of the CarrOff the wheel rim comparison of the CarrOff the wheel rim comparison of the CarrOff the wheel rim comparison of the Carrererererera tyra tyra tyra tyra tyre (left) and the Ore (left) and the Ore (left) and the Ore (left) and the Ore (left) and the Ortmann tyrtmann tyrtmann tyrtmann tyrtmann tyre (middle) for size. Thee (middle) for size. Thee (middle) for size. Thee (middle) for size. Thee (middle) for size. The

other Carrother Carrother Carrother Carrother Carrererererera tyra tyra tyra tyra tyre (right) is down on its side with the front side of the rim re (right) is down on its side with the front side of the rim re (right) is down on its side with the front side of the rim re (right) is down on its side with the front side of the rim re (right) is down on its side with the front side of the rim resting on it.esting on it.esting on it.esting on it.esting on it.

29February 2006

The detail of the brake callipers and discscan also be seen. You can also make out thedriver’s nose and intent stare through his helmetas he waits patiently for the pit stop to complete.The names of the drivers can be seen clearly onthe “A” pillar of the car as well as other sponsors’names on the door panel and front wing.Compare these to the Pirelli logo on the wingend plate which looks like a bit of a smudgeagainst the others. The detail of the fuel fillercap, the window access and part of the frontgrills between the front wheel and door can alsobe admired.

Ortmanns fitted and off to my currentNinco track again. All magnets installed and atmaximum grip = very little change to thestandard fit tyres. There is still too muchmagnetic effect for the motor to deal with andso acceleration is still relatively sedate. I thenproceeded to move the centre magnet to its leasteffective position and several other ones butfound that this really didn’t make any significantchanges to the handling of the car over theoriginal setup.

OK, remove the rear fixed magnet. Now itgoes but still not much better, I’m still strugglingto spot any performance difference from thestandard fit rubber. I tried various positions andcombinations and anything with the magnet inwas really not doing anything special for the car.

Now for what I thought would be the realtest as I have found Ortmann tyres and non-magnet cars very much to my liking in the past.All magnets out and off we go for a lightninglap, or ten, of the track. Yes, now you can tell thedifference and the Ortmanns are giving me a lotmore grip on acceleration (remember thoughthat the motor is still no rocket and progress isrelative), but I can still get the rear end out fora bit of power sliding and the braking hasimproved a little but only due to the tyres andnot from the braking abilities, or lack of, fromthe motor. The improvement of the handlingprovides the car with a much more enjoyabledriving experience.

However I did find one peculiar new effectwith the Ortmanns that did not show up withthe regular tyres to such an extent. Even with themonster guide blade I find that, as I come overmy bridge sequence of corners on the insidelane with a reasonable dose of speed, the frontend pops out, the car slides across the track, hitsthe Armco and bounces back into the outsidelane slot. Now while this is fun doing it onpurpose several times with two controllers inyour hand (who needs this new digital system?),it doesn’t help if you have two people trying tocirculate at the same time! Back to the regulartyres and the problem is not so pronounced. Isuspect that this is because I have modified mydriving style slightly to compensate for thereduced level of grip of the standard fit tyresand, to be fair to the Carrera, I have other carsthat are caught out by this “bump” in the track.

In conclusion, would I use the Ortmannsover the standard fit tyres? Well, yes I would butthere is a “but”. I am lucky enough in this caseto be supplied with the tyres to test and I havebought and used Ortmanns for racing in thepast and found that they are superior overstandard fit and suit my preferred type ofdriving and non-magnet cars. I have also foundthem to be better on magnet fitted cars as wellon both plexi type and routed tracks. Whetheryou want to spend the extra money on severalsets of Ortmanns, at £2.50 for a pair of tyres(Ref 49a but do check with Colin when pickingyour tyres if you have any doubts), is up to you.If you do, then don’t forget that you can transfera set of tyres around several suitable cars tomaximise your investment but this can also be ahassle that you might not want!

To conclude, whip out ALL the magnets,change the tyres if you want and enjoy the 575up against other Carreras of your choice, whichis quite a good selection at the moment. I usedanother 575, acquired at a recent DoningtonToy Fair, and an Audi A4 (the fantastic liveriedRed Bull 26571) against my son and we had afun half hour sliding, crashing and sometimesracing round our little circuit. Thanks again toColin and Carrera for supplying the tyres andcar. ■

30

Let’s not beat about the bush; Slot.It makesome great looking slot-cars and they contain some of the best out of the box

running gear currently found anywhere. If onehad a criticism it might be that they only dohistoric Group C or IMSA cars, but it’s a subjectthey clearly enjoy and are very good at. TheMercedes Sauber made it into the U.K. late inDecember with the 1989 Le Mans presentationversion with an almost plain silver livery save fora few small sponsors’ logos.

This car was quickly followed by the number62 car, which finished second at Suzuka in 1989in the hands of Kenny Acheson, and thereshould be a number of different livery/drivercombinations as in real life this car was drivenby Jochen Mass/Stanley Dickens/ManuelReuter to win at Le Mans in 1989, with othernotable pilots including Baldi, Schlesser,Jabouille, Brancantelli and later in the C11

evolution of this car the names of Schumacher(M), Wendlinger and Frentzen formed theformidable “Junior” line up.

BodyworkBodyworkBodyworkBodyworkBodyworkEven the plain presentation livery has someexquisite details with roof aerials, driver’s airintake, exhausts and turbochargers visiblethrough the cut outs in the side panels. Brakediscs and callipers show through the black sixspoke wheels and there is even a little red photo

etched emergency electrical cut off handlealongside the cockpit. Once you look past theblack seats and scuttle, the cockpit interiorcontains plenty of details including the full-length driver figure with excellent tampoprinting on the helmet, steering wheel, dash-board controls, and even honeycomb paneleffects for the cockpit sides which make this aquality slot-car body. ➳

Slot.ItSlot.ItSlot.ItSlot.ItSlot.It® ® ® ® ® Mercedes SauberMercedes SauberMercedes SauberMercedes SauberMercedes SauberC9C9C9C9C9

By Phil Insull

The Slot.It MerThe Slot.It MerThe Slot.It MerThe Slot.It MerThe Slot.It Mercedes Scedes Scedes Scedes Scedes Sauber C9 1989 Le Mans prauber C9 1989 Le Mans prauber C9 1989 Le Mans prauber C9 1989 Le Mans prauber C9 1989 Le Mans presentation caresentation caresentation caresentation caresentation car

31February 2006

Running GearRunning GearRunning GearRunning GearRunning GearUnderneath the chassis is held by two screwsfront and rear, with the motor cradle/axlecarrier held by four screws that can be adjustedto allow the motor to rock. As always this can bereplaced by the magnetic suspension motorcradle for the really serious racers. Axles arecalibrated and the rear hubs are aluminium,with a bronze pinion and aluminium/nyloncontrate. The guide is self centring and aimedat plexy type tracks, but again is replaceable bya deep slot guide for racers who run on routedcircuits with a deeper, wider slot. Finally powerin standard form is supplied by the in-line Slot.It26,000 RPM motor, although this can bechanged for various other motors for those whofeel the need for it.

Onwards then to Wolverhampton to seehow the C9 fares against decent opposition.Now I know my limitations so I handed the C9over to an old friend and Slot.It championshipracer to give a try and while it wasn’t quite onthe pace of some the well prepared earlier Slot.Itcars (the Porsches and Nissan 390s) it was only

around a second a lap off the mark as it cameout of the box. I wasn’t prepared to race tunemine just yet, but one of the Wolves regulars haddone some tuning in the form of zero grip lowprofile front tyres, deep slot guide and up-ratedmotor, and was happily trading quick lap timeswith the best of the Slot.It Porsches and Nissans.To be honest these cars are just too quick for myslowing reactions and deteriorating eyesight tocope with and I have nothing but admiration forthe Slot.It challenge guys who can wring everylast ounce of speed from them.

ConclusionsConclusionsConclusionsConclusionsConclusionsIn summary this is yet another stunningly quickand highly detailed slot-car from one of the bestcurrent manufacturers, and I would expect to

see plenty of Club racers, home racers, andcollectors being tempted by one of these C9s.Next up from Slot.It is the Jaguar XJR9 so we’llbe able to re-enact some of the classic Porsche/Jaguar/Sauber sports car battles from the late1980s on our slot tracks – Fantastic. ■

StandarStandarStandarStandarStandard running gear is of an outstanding qualityd running gear is of an outstanding qualityd running gear is of an outstanding qualityd running gear is of an outstanding qualityd running gear is of an outstanding quality

32

A few ramblings prompted by SteveBaker’s “Can you make a Carrera carperform better?” article last month.

At the annual Christmas, round the sparebedroom, slot-car session I was very impressedwith the performance of my newly acquiredCarrera Plymouth Road Runner. With the rearmagnet thrown away and the front onepositioned just less than half way back in its slotthe car handled well enough to please my nomagnetic aids wherever possible tendencies: wellenough to make me invest in a Carrera FordTorino after Christmas.

The Torino was a totally different kettle offish. Any attempt to make it go anywhere nearas fast as the Plymouth ended in spectacular offs– it was complete rubbish in the going roundcorners department. As the chassis of the twocars seemed at first glance near enough identicalthis called for some investigation and I very soonfound two marked differences. First, the magneton the Torino wouldn’t pull the skin off a ricepudding (assuming a topping of iron filingsinstead of the more traditional nutmeg gratings)and second, when the cars were placed side byside on a spare piece of track and viewed at eyelevel, I found the guide on the Ford was set upabout an eighth of an inch higher than that ofthe Plymouth. So the terminal understeer typeoff was due to the tiny amount of guide bladeactually in the slot, and the back end suddenlyletting go with a spectacular roll type off wasdue to the inherently high centre of gravity andminimal magnetic attraction. (An aside: haveyou too noticed that with some manufacturersthe tyres are now mainly cosmetic; most of theroad holding and ‘handling’ is due solely to themagnets. Not that I call going round on railsuntil the limit is reached handling, mind you…)

Anyway, I borrowed a stronger magnetfrom another Carrera car and lowered the guideblade by filing the top off the mounting so thatthe blade dropped down and adding a spacerbetween guide and chassis. Voila! It now goes aswell as the Plymouth – but why didn’t theCarrera designer man realise that the object ofa guide blade is to go in the slot and why isn’tthere any quality control over the magnets?These Carrera cars are very attractive butthey’re big, heavy lumps and need all the helpthey can get to stay slotted.

Further on magnets and Christmas I gotone of the rather lovely Scalextric CooperClimaxes as a present. It’s a really good modelbut it looked ridiculous flashing round at a scale‘million’ miles an hour and ran rings round ourother F1 cars of a certain era. Not without alittle difficult fiddling, I removed the evil magnet.This made it completely undriveable as it hassuch a whizzy motor, even though that motor isin the sensible, i.e. not at the front driving via aspring, position. Ortmann tyres borrowed fromanother car made it just possible to complete afew laps in on/off bursts but it was NO FUNand now the other old F1s ran rings round it. Isolved the problem by running it at six voltswhen it was both controllable and fun. I supposeit’s time to invest in some adjustable voltagepower supplies or throw the Cooper away!

In what I belatedly recognise as a momentof madness I recently bought a ScalextricCaterham at a toy fair and that behaves verypeculiarly. Knowing there was no chance of itever going round corners without its magnet Iknew I must grin and bear the evil device.However, whilst the car will quite happilytrundle round and round, undeviating, on aboutthree-quarter throttle with no attention from ➳

A Horse of a DifferentA Horse of a DifferentA Horse of a DifferentA Horse of a DifferentA Horse of a DifferentColourColourColourColourColour

By Bill Grigg

33February 2006

the operator, the moment I push the triggerdown on the straight or attempt a bit ofambitious cornering, i.e. race it, there’s aZizzzzzz noise and the car instantly throws itselfsideways off the track. Analysis shows that thisappears to be due to the onset of viciouswheelspin. It appears the power comes insuddenly, the tyres can’t cope and they spinround at peak revs, generating a sidewaysmoment.

I dare say some decent tyres would help butas my competitors have Caterhams that do workon the tyres they were born with I wouldn’t bepopular joining in with an ‘unfair advantage’ soit’s to the spares box with my Caterham –written off to experience.

Finally, to show that all this may be becauseI’m out of both touch and date (not that I’dadmit it), a recent sobering experience. I went tosee our Editor (about magazine publishing, notslot-cars) a while ago and thought while I was atit I’d take some of my less common cars to showhim how well they went. Well, mine are set upfor Classic track and he’s got some of that newSport stuff. Imagine my chagrin when, inter alia,my much vaunted baby racers (“These are greatfun Brian”), just spun their wheels and slidgently sideways along the track and my loopbraid BRM (“Goes like a rocket!”) wasextremely pathetic. He did say the BRM was ingood nick - which was probably the onlycompliment he could think of !

Perhaps I should just accept that it’s horsesfor courses. ■