Honda Accord WTCC "Lvov" - newsletter

Photos and a newsletter from the SCX homeoffice in Barcelona.

Tampo printing video

Rob found this video of a model train being tampo printed. It's something that not a lot of people might have seen before. A quick video.

Red Bull Aston Martin - newsletter

New MRRC controller

MRRC's new controller will start to ship in July and will cost around 25Euro. Click on the photo to read the information.

Kasey Kahne #9 Mopar - newsletter

Preliminary NINCO World Cup Rules Posted

Ran across the preliminary rules posting for the 2008 NINCO World Cup Qualifier Race Rules on the NINCO World Cup blog.
The NINCO World Cup Blog is at: http://www.nincoworldcup.blogspot.com

The rules are posted at: http://docs.ninco.com/nincoworldcuprulesqualy2008.pdf
and were preceded with the comments of:
"These are the rules that NINCO recommends for the qualifying races of the NINCO World Cup. Obviously, every country could do certain variations to adapt them to his own event format and the special features of each one. Anyway, the Silverstone final will include the 95% of this document."

The eligible cars listed so far are:
* Mosler MT 900R
* Porsche 997
* Ascari KZ1
* Lamborghini Gallardo
* Ferrari 360 GTC
* Lexus SC430

Look for more to come soon.

New Super Wheel SS

Super Wheels SS were designed based on requirements and feedback from 1/32 racers who actively participate in organized club and proxy race events. Super Wheels SS were then subjected to an extensive battery of tests to validate and refine the design. The result is a high-performance 1/32 aluminum wheel which offers the following features and benefits:

True hubless design provides exceptional flexibility when adjusting the rear track width. This is particularly important when rules specify the wheel/tire must be completely inside the fender and/or a maximum track width.

Affordable alternative to other manufacturer’s hubless wheels which cost up to twice as much as Super Wheels SS.

Precision machined using state-of-the-art CNC machine tools which ensure Super Wheels SS are perfectly round and the axle bore is concentric with both the outer wheel surface and longitudinal axis of the axle.

Perfect concentricity between the axle bore and longitudinal axis of the axle is achieved by designing the Super Wheel SS for a specific axle (Slot.it SIPA01). Tolerances between the axle bore and axle are extremely tight which ensures concentricity is maintained when the set screw is tightened. The result – no wheel wobble or vibration which can adversely affect a car’s handling.

Designed specifically for Super Tires ® and Yellow Dog Super Tires ®. Super Wheels SS were designed to compliment Super Tires and Yellow Dog Super Tires. Super Wheels SS have undergone extensive design and testing to ensure Super Tires contact patches are perfectly flat ensuring the best possible grip.

Attractive five hole design complements a wide variety of 1/32 slot cars makes and models.

Easy to locate set screw using small dimple machined on inside of wheel. This is especially helpful if the tire is glued to the wheel and you can’t easily peel the tire back to locate the set screw.

Flexible design accepts Slot.it 20x12mm tires (all compounds) and 17mm wheel inserts if desired.

Super Wheels SS weigh 2.9 grams per wheel.

Note: Tires, axles and car shown for illustration purposes only - these items must be purchased separately.

Super Wheels SS are in stock and available for immediate purchase - please visit the Slot Car Corner online store for more details.

Super Wheels SS retail for $9.99 USD (1 pair); however, special introductory pricing is in effect until July 3, 2008 ($8.99 USD per pair).

NSR anglewinder conversion

News here first from NSR about anglewinder conversion.

A little Aston video to get you in the mood for LeMans

So only a week until the best race of the year! LeMans baby, it's all about LeMans! So a video where you get lots of information about the relationship between Aston Martin and Prodrive.

NSR news... Abarth's, GT40's, and a Porsche 917K

The latest NSR news here in English! Click on the photo to read a larger version of each page.

Earnhardt Wrangler #3 - newsletter

Slingshot Speedway - SCX National Race sign up

I just got off the phone with Dwayne at Slingshot Speedway (in the Altanta, Georgia area) and he's thinking about having a regional race in the SCX National Series July 26th. He's interested in having people sign up for the race, if you're interested give him a visit to sign up.

Many more race dates will be announced in the next few days.

DaveK

Montoya #42 - newsletter

Williams F1 Collection

Hamilton's father crashes Porsche

Indy's Texas stop - video preview

SCX 550 Maranello - review

Used with permission from Harry Wise of Home Racing World:

Most of us in this hobby have our favorite style or series of racing that we enjoy the most. Sometimes it is due to the class or series, other times it be simply the time period. But what if it is just about the fun factor a car delivers? As odd as that may sound, it seems to describe my recent attraction to the GT line of models from SCX.

These models have been around for quite awhile in our hobby to say the least. I have had many different styles and brands over the years with some getting more attention than others. Although I know little about the 1:1 series as I do not follow it as closely as some, I do know a fun slot car when I drive one and this car combined with a few others has really delivered some very close, fun racing in our old basement.

This particular Ferrari was on my list not so much for the livery, but so it could broaden our current field of models in the GT line. I did not have the 550 and expected it to fit right in with the 360, Aston Martin, and Corvette we currently are racing. It mind seem odd for SCX to choose a livery from 2003, but I am glad they did.

This model gets decent marks for scale detail as SCX has captured the overall shape and look of the car very well. The rear wing appears to be incorrect according to prototype photos, but still it plays the role well enough for most enthusiasts here. The bottom paint of gray should have been on the lighter side of silver, but again nothing too offensive.

Interior detail is more than enough considering you really cannot see much from the outside. Roll bars are visible along with our driver figure which adds enough detail for my eyes. The mirrors, top antenna and rear wing are stiff plastic and will not stand up to repeated hard crashes, so you better keep her in the slot!

Read the full review at this link. And thanks again to Harry for the use of his review.

Quick Fix for Hop

How to cure the "hop" of cars with torquey long cans, and flexible anglewinder chassis? Brace the rear axle mounts against the motor. This quick fix goes to the root of the the problem, first encountered in Ninco anglewinders, and now found in the otherwise-admirable Spirit Peugeot 406 series. Look through the rear window, and under that faux V-6 engine (now removed), the white styrene braces are clearly visible:

I used white Plastruct styrene tubing, but anything will do, even scrap sprue from old plastic model kits. The tubes are in compression and tension, with little twisting forces. A solid blob of Goop (rubbery, tough glue from the hardware store) across the top of the axle bearing holders, and on the motor, are all that is needed:

This fix reduced the rear axle hop, vibration, and even helps keep the guide in the slot under braking (the hop was that bad). Best lap time on my wood track dropped from 5.344 seconds to 4.951, a remarkable improvement for such a simple "tweak". And, the car is more predictable, and more fun to drive.

Rush 36k Motor

Mainline Hobbies (Philadelphia, PA, USA) has developed the Rush 36k motor for magnet racers, and for no-mag racers who need high revs and good torque. This is an FC-130 configured motor, in a plain steel case, that revs to 36,000 RPM at 12 volts. Torque is 218 gcm/12v. A non-contact tachometer verified the RPM, and a lever-action torque tester verified the torque; both are very close to the advertised figures. For those concerned with such things, a ride on the Magnet Marshal showed no magnetic downforce. The shaft is long on both ends, for universal fit in any chassis using this style of motor. Price is $12.99.
www.mainlinehobbies.com

MRRC/Scaleauto Pinions for Slim Cans

MRRC/Scaleauto is bringing out much needed, press-on, brass pinions for FF-050 type motors, with 1.5mm diameter shafts. Three sample pinions are shown above (8, 9, and 10 tooth), next to their intended "slim can" motors. 11 and 12 tooth pinions are also to be released. Pinion diameter increases with the number of teeth. Tooth spacing is constant as tooth count increases. Diameters are: 4.95mm (8t), 5.49mm (9t), 5.94mm (10t) and so on.

Track tests of an 8 tooth MRRC/Scaleauto brass pinion, driving a Slot.It 24 tooth crown, showed very smooth running (axle spacers were used to set the mesh).

These pinions are a boon to anyone who has struggled to bush down 2mm bored brass pinions, or made do with plastic pinions.

Ninco's N-Lifter

News from Ninco Bob to pass along:

Here's something NEW and UNIQUE!
NINCO's "N-LIFTER" is a height adjustable track support kit that is used to vary the elevation of NINCO's slot car track.

Because it's fully adjustable for height and width, track sections can be banked and N-Lifter can even be used with all other brands of 1/32 slot car track!

Now, you'll be able to easily customize a layout and add overpasses and elevated sections & bridges to make racing more exciting.

By adding overhead track, you can reduce the overall "footprint" of the racing layout, enabling you to have lots of track in a smaller space.

The N-Lifter can be used on straight or curved track sections and can support over 6' of track.

Preorders anyone????
Item 10222 N-Lifter MSRP: $45.98

All Fuched Up: BWA Porsche Wheel Inserts

As any of you who have seen my slot car collection or visited my Rennsport Reunion III Gallery can tell you: I like my Porsches. We've had the good fortune to have many models of these great German cars released as slot cars. The problem with many of these Porsche models is a problem that's common across the whole range of slot car manufacturers: wobbly eccentric wheels and bent axles.

If you're looking to upgrade the Porsches in your colletion then BWA Wheels are one likely source for replacement parts. These wheels come in different sizes and allow the slot car racing hobbyist to replace wheels from the narrowest ones used on vintage cars, to the monster rubber used on racing prototypes. What we haven't always had access to are the inserts necessary to finish off these great aftermarket wheels - until now.

BWA has augmented their range of inserts which has up until now included vintage Porsche steel wheel style inserts as well as 5 spoke alloy wheel style inserts with the Fuchs alloy inserts first used on the Porsche 911 model both for street and track use. All of these inserts fit the 32002, 32004, and 32006 wheels from BWA. With a bit of sanding and paint they look great and really finish off the look of any Porsche model slot cars as well as enhance their performance. The steel type wheels are great for Porsche 356, 904, 906, 550 spyder and other vintage machinery. The Fuchs inserts look great on the 911 series cars and have also been used on 904 and 356 series cars. The five spoke alloy inserts look great on 908s, 917s and the Carrera 911 RSR pictured. Between these three inserts just about the whole model range of older cars are covered. The BWA wheels and inserts are available from better slot car parts retailers as well as from BWA directly.

Ninco race in Pennsylvania

I received this race announcement from Main Line Hobbies. The Mount Airy Racing Association is having a Ninco Challenge race August 2nd. Read about the race details and rules below. Please note that this race is NOT part of the Ninco World Challenge.

New SCX Digital Chip

Here you can see the new #20320 SCX Digital chip (in the foreground) and the older 20240 SCX Digital chip in the background. The new chip looks smaller around the top side edges and then there's the obvious color difference and much more delicate looking arm on top that pushes down on the guide peg to change lanes. Then there's the tabs that stick out from the front of the chip that make contact with the guide. After having struggled to adjust the older design of power tabs these look much easier to straighten should they become just a bit bent from a heavy frontal hit.
And, why not a shot of the bottom of the chip...dunno what there is to see here that's notable but I thought I'd show it anyway.
You can keep up to date with what cars are compatible with the new chip on this thread on SCX WorldWide.com.

So far these cars will work with the new Digitization Kit #20320

#62510 Audi R10 "Biela" –Rojo
#62750 Audi R10 "Kristensen"-Amarillo
#62710 Peugeot 908 HDI FAP
#62810 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (997).

63370 Ford Fusion #16 (COT)
63390 Ford Fusion #17 (COT)
63410 Ford Fusion #99 (COT)