The 'Z' Ring (Stage 2 - Paint)
Dollar store acrylic craft paints are the go to for this step using an almost dry brush technique which is quick and very easy to do.
White lines were painted first. I only painted the inside lines for every corner. Using masking tape to mark 10mm wide lines I dry brushed white paint.
The raised 2mm EVA foam curbs in the high speed corners were replaced by painted curbs - they would turn the cars too much......
The 'Z' Ring (Stage 1 - Planning)
The concrete floor was covered with two coats of flat/primer acrylic paint close in colour to most slot car track surfaces. No additional floor prep was needed since the floor was already in great shape and any existing cracks are tiny and even.
Luckily I still had leftover paint for the walls so touch ups were done - couldn't match the dirty areas so just painted over many of those.
Baseboards were not added yet...
- The Zing II -
This version incorporates a few lessons learned from the first Zing along with some new features. I also abandoned a few ideas I had after building the original…
Made from painted RAM board this portable track has an approximate footprint of 17′ x 8′ and despite the small size and simple layout it packs a lot of racing fun in the space.
With a half turn of each of the border wall barrier screws the borders themselves can be remove...
- The Zing -
A basement track (no matter how small) to test, run and possibly race a Mini Z in the comfort of ones’ own home is a rather nice luxury… so the project begins… let’s see what can reasonably fit into the space I have right now… if testing proves that it is enough then a more permanent solution can be pursued…
Just using EVA tiles with generic square corner foam barriers doesn’t turn my crank – the track, just like the models on it, must ...
The Kyosho Mini-Z Platform - A Nice Surprise!
The Kyosho 1:27.5 scale hard body Mini-Z racers are a very pleasant surprise. It wasn't until I tried one that the hook was set. Since then I've enjoyed more laps with this palm sized platform than anything else... and it is true - that great things can come in small packages.
The Mini-Z platform is a hit with me for several reasons:
Entry Cost - at approximately $260 (cdn + tax) the Kyosho Ready...
Before I found slot cars and well back in my university days I raced 1:10 and 1:12 scale remote control battery powered 'cars' on a local carpet track in Brampton. Carbon fibre Team Associated chassis with NiCd batteries, Novak controllers, Futaba Alpina radios and servos all enclosed within a clear plastic single piece body were the ticket back then. I even traveled to Florida to race at Lake Whippoorwill International Speedway - a scale version of the D...
