Version II of the Zing debuted last Saturday:
This version incorporates a few lessons learned from the first one 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 removed and the track rolled up so that it can be put away or transported. Slide the borders into the 8′ long roll and it all fits neatly into a minivan or SUV…
As for the track itself average track width is 30″ – more than enough. Track borders are made from 7/8″ high painted flexi-ply covered with non-marking 2mm black and white EVA foam which was hot glued to the flexi-ply. The walls follow the contour of the track therefore impacts tend to be glancing, not head on. For this reason thicker foam padding wasn’t used especially at the ends of the layout but can be added if further testing warrants. Time will tell.
The borders are fixed to the cardboard edges by sliding them onto the cardboard and then tightening the screw in each mounting block – one per block – each spaced roughly 12″ apart – so that the screw bites into the cardboard pressing it against the base of the block itself. Remarkably these borders still have some flex too.
Two sets of curbs define two racing lines – one more challenging than the other – use all of the same ones or mix them up. Movable red/white and black/white tire stacks placed inside either curb section deter short-cutting. While the red/white inner curbing uses ‘bumpy’ 2mm thick EVA foam the outer black/white curbs are just painted. Curbs on the outside of the main straight also provide a safe lane for slower cars to allow faster ones to pass so dealing with lapped traffic should be straightforward especially on such a short track.
The flat acrylic paint offers the perfect amount of grip – not too much to flip a car.
This track is somewhat bumpy but not at the seams. I made the mistake of painting it AFTER joining the sections… if you paint the board then join them you will get a smooth surface. Joints were made by adding a 5″ wide painted strip of the same RAM board on the underside of the joint and both halves of the track were stuck snuggly together on top. Duct tape was also used underneath on both long edges of the 5″ strip. I’m happy with the seams – and added a few to test other techniques – including some sloppy ones to see if they had any adverse impact. So far not…
The bumps that exist are gentle ‘rolling’ ones and therefore manageable – they don’t upset the direction of the car since the tires never lose contact with the surface – so no sudden changes in direction or unpredictable behaviour. It is fascinating to me to see the suspension do what it was designed to. I find it quite pleasing to watch the model negotiate an imperfectly flat track surface.
This track runs well in both directions although my preferred direction is counter-clockwise.
There is no pit lane yet but one can be added easily… we’ll see…
For timing I used the Android app ‘LapTrax’ which uses the camera and tracks cars by colour as they cross the start/finish line – it works fine so far but this isn’t a long term solution. When the time comes I’m leaning towards using EasyLap hardware with micro transponders. Trakmate has a timing solution as well but I’m not that keen to use it myself for several reasons.
After all of the moveable/removable tire stack clusters are added scenery will be made for the infield and then billboards to surround the outside corners then some sort of pit area/grandstand detail – whether pictures or lightweight facade… stay tuned… provided I don’t head straight into the table top version next… perhaps a combined 1:24 slot car track and Mini-Z track… who knows…
While racing the 1:27.5 Group C and GT models is a great start I see adapting 1:24 model kits to the Mini-Z platform as the future – Classic LeMans but RC 1:24 scale!!! Imagine!!! A Porsche 917/10 head to head against a Ferrari 512 Coda Lunga… hmmmm… who says it can’t be done?
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The Happy Canadian Scale Modeler!
