New LeMans Miniatures Pink Pig and Bugatti

New Cartrix in the US

Cartrix 0961 retail $78.99 1956 Da Silva Ramos #32 Gordini T32 has arrived at REH Distributors.

Innovative SCX-D track designs

Check out SCXWorldWide.com to see the latest track designs done by members on the website.

View the track designs at this link.

Slot.It 19.5k Blue Endbell Motor Test

I finally purchased two Slot.It 19.5k Blue Endbell motors for testing. Tony Kuljis of Fantasy World was kind enough to throw in a Slot.It 23k Black Can for this comparison test. And a free 16.8k King motor, but that is another story . . . thank you Tony! The 23k Black Can is compared to the 19.5k Blue Endbell because the Black Can is going out of production, its place being taken by the Blue Endbell motor. Here are the three motors on the break-in block:


The two Blue Endbells are better described as turquoise, or aqua. Both Blue Endbell armatures are balanced with epoxy, and have long shafts on both ends, like the venerable 23k they replace in the Slot.It lineup. The little Sun motor insignia (a stylized S) no longer appears on the endbell, replaced by Slot.It in an oval. I noticed the shaft has about .001" sideplay; it seems loose in the end bell bearing. Closer inspection revealed that the bronze bearing is a close fit on the shaft, but the bearing itself is loose in the plastic endbell. Both motors had loose bearings. The can-end bearings are tight. Whether this will affect performance in a slot car remains to be seen. Nevertheless, I proceeded with the test. I ran all three motors on 6 volts for 45 minutes to bed-in the brushes and bearings. The Blue Endbells barely slowed as I squeezed the shaft between my fingers; the Black Can slowed right down under finger pressure. Obviously the new motors are putting out more torque.

I then ran all three motors up to 12.00 volts, letting them settle in to the higher voltage for 5 minutes or so. The tachometer read 19,499 RPM for the so-called 23k Black Can, and 19,232 and 19,450 RPM for the 19.5k Blue Endbells. I have tested several Black Cans in the past, in proxy racers and in my own cars; the better ones rev to 23k, and even surpass 24k for a good one. I have encountered 19k Black Cans, though, so the new one I have in front of me today is one of the slower ones made. Bear in mind that a standard Scalextric or Fly motor will rev in the 20k to 21k range, and produce 75 gcm torque. The Blue Endbells are close to the advertised RPM, with obviously healthy torque.

Torque testing with my arm-and-scale showed an average of 124 gcm/12v for the 23k Black Can, and 150 gcm/12v for the Blue Endbell. The Black Can had been advertised as a 23k motor, and 83 gcm; this sample makes up in extra torque for the lower than claimed RPM. The Blue Endbell is twisting with an extra 20 gcm over the advertised torque (130 gcm), and revs nearly the same as advertised.

Computation of power output, based on max RPM/2 times max torque/2, shows the Black Can putting out 6.0 Watts, while the Blue Endbell is pumping out 7.2 Watts. Track testing will probably show the Blue Endbell excels when geared around 2.7:1, in a no-magnet slot car that weighs 80-90 grams. But, track testing will have to wait until another day.

Conclusion: Gear it high, and go fast with the Slot.It Blue Endbell, in 19.5k limited rev competition.

New RMS Resin body kits

Dave Reinecke has 2 unique and sought after Datsun's for sale now:
A Datsun 510 and a Datsun 620 Pickup. The 510 is $35.00 and the 620 is $30.00. To order check out his website.

Honda... well... you know...

From the Honda F1 Media site:

Ross Brawn

“Our information is that, relative to the other teams, we have a very strong car in development here at Brackley and we will continue to develop the RA109 to ensure a strong start to 2009 and improvement through the season.
“This is a unique opportunity. The facilities we have here are among the best in the sport as a result of multi-million pound investments over the past 24 months. We have a fantastic workforce and a car that could be one of the best.
“Honda are keen to help us try to preserve the team and fortunately we have some time to react. If this had happened closer to the season it would have been much more difficult. It's a fantastic opportunity for someone to step into what will be a very competitive team next year. The facilities here are amongst the best in Formula One, the workforce is definitely one of the best in Formula One and we have a great car in progress for next year. We have aspirations to be at the front of the grid and we want to find investors who have the same ambitions.

“I would like to thank the staff here at Brackley for a fantastic demonstration of courage and fortitude today despite difficult circumstances. I am proud to be part of this team.”

Jenson Button

“As you can imagine, I was totally shocked by yesterday’s news. The process of absorbing it is one that will continue for some days to come, so the only focus today was being here at Brackley to return the support I have counted on throughout our past six years together. I am sure I will have more to say in the coming days but today is about the people I consider my team - and what a fantastic group of people they are.”

Audi pulls out of ALMS

Copyright 2008 Slot Car News Photo

From the ALMS website:
"American Le Mans Series President and CEO Scott Atherton expressed nothing but praise for Audi following its announcement that it will depart after the first event of the 2009 season, calling Audi's near-legendary accomplishments and technological advancements "the pinnacle of achievement in sports car racing.

Audi's new state-of-the-art R15 TDI sport prototype will still make its debut, however, in the American Le Mans Series. With its new revolutionary clean diesel-powered prototype, Audi will attempt to record its 10th consecutive victory at America's most iconic sports car race, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on March 21. After that, it returns to Europe to prepare for its defense of the 24 Hours of Le Mans championship.

The decision to withdraw from the American Le Mans Series was a very difficult one," said Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport. "Furthermore, with the Champion Racing team, we also had a partner that operates at the highest level. The extraordinary dedication and precision of Team Champion was the key to Audi's victories over the last few years in America. We achieved an unprecedented winning series together. Our brand dominated proceedings last season by taking seven wins in 11 races. "

New Revell Monogram 1/32 models/slot cars in January

Under the Snaptite name in 1/32:

• Hummer H2
• 2007 Shelby GT500

New Slot Cars for 2009:

• Lola T70-Follmer
• Lola T70-Donohue-Limited Edition
• Lola T70-Surtees
• Galaxie 500-#28 Fred Lorenzen-Limited Edition
• '67 Ford Fairlane-#11 Mario Andretti
• Ferrari 275P
• Ferrari 250 GTO LM/64

New Riley Daytona Prototype from "Sideways"

The new Sideways SW02 - Riley MkXX - AIM Autosport - Daytona 24hrs 2008.

Breaking news-SCX MotoGP's-Video added!

First photos from Slot MiniAuto of the SCX MotoGP's. These will be featured in Slot MiniAuto No.51 in January.
The bikes lean, they have riders, and they are actually in 1/24 scale but will be released in the Compact line because they race on the Compact 1/43 track. They will be available in Spain soon, and worldwide in 2009.
Video now added!!!!

NSR Porsche 917 Gulf team photos

New NSR Mosler

NSR will be shipping the 1018SW &1018AW MOSLER EVO2 white/red this week according to REH distributors, preorders are strongly suggested.

Auto Art Jaguar C-Type Le Mans 1953

I think I am in love.

Even after 3 years of heartache while waiting since it was first announced, I am still enamored with this car. I knew it would look good from years of experience with Autoart diecast cars, but some of their previous 1/32 slot cars had been less than impressive from a performance standpoint. I am happy to say that this car meets nearly all of my expectations for a great slot car. Autoart have addressed several problematic designs and produced a surprisingly good driving slot car!

And what better car to build so well, than the gorgeous Jaguar C-Type that won Lemans for the second time in two years in 1953, this time in the hands of Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton. It was based on the production XK120 sports, but covered in a lightweight, aerodynamic, and beautiful aluminum body. It was also one of the first racer cars to make successful use of 4 wheel disc brakes, which made up for slightly lower top speed than some other cars. The car was certainly fast because this victory also marked the first time a car had averaged over 100mph for 24 hours, 105.85 mph to be exact.

First let me say that I am not a scale or jaguar expert and I apologize because my photos can not do this car justice. But to my eye, I think Autoart (AA) have nailed this car. The proportions, colors, and stance are just about perfect, again to my eye. It is about the size of the Carrera D-Type, just slightly longer wheelbase and wider track, but much smaller than the Ninco XK120. The overall length is 122mm, the track (outside edge of tread) is 45mm front and 47mm rear, and the wheelbase is 76.5mm. And the details are breathtaking, rivaling their 1/18 scale diecasts. The wheels are stunning with photo etched wire inserts and knock offs mounted with scale narrow tires.

The paint is a very dark, deep green applied perfectly smoothly. There are photo etched grills and latches and the gas cap is very realistic. The tonneau cover is made of rubber, as is the driver! This is a great idea for an open slot car with no roll bar, even run with the magnet, I doubt you’ll be able to lose this driver’s head... The leather straps holding the engine cover on also seem to be molded of rubber. The full depth interior is nicely detailed too. The car also has working lights front and rear! This level of detail on a $45 car is just amazing.

But this cars beauty is more than skin deep. In order to have the full interior this car is a front motor design. While they are almost never the fastest, I really enjoy the handling of a front motored car, especially with no magnet if set up correctly. They seem to be more forgiving and easier to drift smoothly. The motor is connected to the driveshaft with the standard spring, but the driveshaft rides in a brass bushing like the axles for all 4 wheels. The gears are the standard AA 10/28 plastic pinion and crown, but run very smoothly from the start. The front axles are independent stubs, but they are metal ones riding in brass bushings and with virtually no play at all!? Until I removed the body, I though it had a solid front axle!

The guide is relatively solid and sits almost perfectly deep in the slot with the front tires just touching the track! No adjustments needed and it is the standard style with wires attaching directly into the braids. The chassis is also nice and straight with all 4 wheels touching evenly. The lighting wires have a quick release plug for disconnecting the body from the chassis when it is removed. There is a single bar magnet glued into a slot on the bottom of the chassis about halfway between the motor and rear axle. The magnet can be removed by pushing through slots from the top of the chassis, which I did later because like rally cars, vintage sports cars shouldn’t have magnets.



The magnet is not too powerful when first run on my Scaley Sport track and the motor has good response, and brakes!? It must be new because previous AA motors seemed to lack torque, especially with magnets, and braking. It seems closer to the standard Mabuchi motor used by Scalextric power and brake wise. The car was very quick, but would slide fairly predictably without crashing. It was also quiet and smooth running, but the brass bushings need a little oil and some grease for the gears. Although the car ran very well with magnetic down force, I was scared to crash my new prize, so I soon removed the magnet to see how bad it could be? To my pleasant surprise, it was drivable with just the magnet removed on stock tires! On the stock 16v power, I had to be very gentle with the throttle, but it could be smoothly run around! And it could be pushed to drifting without crashing if done with care. It seemed to have potential!

A little tuning seemed to be needed, but just a little. Most front engine cars respond well to weight added near the back to bring them to at least a slight rear weight bias, which seems to work well with slot cars. I added about 6-7 gms. of lead in the stock magnet pocket and above the chassis right behind the magnet pocket, just ahead of the rear axle, as seen in the photos. The only other tuning done was a pair of Tru Grip tires for Scalextric Cooper F1 cars on the rear. Other narrow vintage tires should also fit. The wheels were also cleaned up to remove a little flashing on the ribs, but they seem pretty true. I did have to trim the inner rear wheel wells inside the body (also seen in the photos) to clear the new tires, although they are just slightly larger than the originals.

With these few easy changes, the car improved greatly. It is now quicker, but also very easy to push hard, drifting smoothly out of turns just like they did for 24 hours back in the day. It can be driven deep into the corners using the strong brakes (just like the real thing!) and while it will just tip at the limit, it is pretty easy to feel the edge. Though the power is a bit strong for this vintage on this voltage, this new motor is much easier to control than the old AA lump. It is just a really fun car to drive now. And the wonderful combination of a beautifully scaled and detailed model that runs so well is just what this hobby is all about. I spent hours in the basement last night just sliding it around my track with a smile on my face. And for the price of this model, I think Autoart has raised the bar for value in vintage slot cars.

Slot MiniAuo #50

Official photos of the SCX Compact Porsche

Official photos of the SCX Compact (1/43 scale) Porsche 911 (997) Cup car. They will be released first in the GT Overtake set then as individual releases in 2009.

Ferrari FXX photos

Photos of the new Ferrari FXX by SCX.