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Group 5 (G5) Group 5 (G5) v5.0 Eligible Models: Any Sideways brand Anglewinder ‘Group 5’ model; Motor: ‘Stock’ Sideways plain yellow wrapper; Rear Tires: Any DArt Club Series Urethane Tire [DArt D11 strongly recommended]; Minimum overall weight of 84g; Optional modifications: Any parts that come standard on any currently eligible model may be used or incorporated into older eligible models (ie. pods, etc.). Any aftermarket washers permitted.
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in: R32 Class Criterium
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- 2 years ago
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Group C (GCI) Group C (GCI) v5.0 Eligible Models: Any Slot.It brand inline Group 'C' or 'IMSA' model; ‘Stock’ parts only or identical plastic/resin replacements; Motor: ‘Stock’ White or Orange endbell Slot.It motor; Rear Tires: DArt Club Series D11 or SI0201 Urethane Tires; Minimum overall weight of 80g; Optional modifications: Any Slot.It parts that come standard on any currently eligible model may be used or incorporated into older eligible models (ie. offset pods and offset crown gears, larger diameter wheels, screws with metal washers, set screws and spacers for aligning front axles, etc.). Any aftermarket washers permitted.
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- 2 years ago
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NASCAR (NC) NASCAR (NC) v5.0 Eligible Models: Scalextric brand Sidewinder NASCAR (Car of Yesterday or Car of Tomorrow); Stock parts only or identical plastic/resin replacements; Rear Tires: DArt Club Series SC0705 Urethane Tires; Front Tires: Stock Front Tires or DArt Club Series SC0705 urethane tires.
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- 2 years ago
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Trivia Question What was the basic configuration of the 8 lane slot car track in Jack Rabbit Slim's Restaurant? The prize is a pack of urethane washers for the first correct answer. Tie Breaker: What lane was white? If you identify the lane correctly with your winning answer then you get 2 packs of washers.... Good Luck!
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- 2 years ago
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1936 Auto Union Type C – #4 Bernd Rosemeyer This is a PGP+ class eligible model for our Pre War Coppa D'oro series. The main restrictions for this class (apart from the mandated motor) are a maximum track of 50.8mm (excluding inserts which may extend beyond) and maximum tire diameter of 23mm. Of course all tires must be DArt club series urethanes and wheels cannot exceed 16.5mm in diameter nor be wider than 5.5mm... so armed with that info we can begin building something eligible...The basis for this build was the DArt Auto Union C Type body kit with a few modifications and upgrades. As always I begin with the wheels which I modified by turning down a set of 4 DArt DA16x9XL alloy wheels. I carefully mounted 4 DA0210 club series tires using clear Gorilla Glue after scuffing the outer rim surface and let them dry overnight before truing with my Hudy. Using the truer I also narrowed the front tires using a sharp Xacto knife. After sorting the overall tire diameters I gathered some small bushings and the rest of the parts needed including the low power BWMS050 motor with a 1.5mm 10T pinion. Initially I also opted for an aftermarket 23T crown gear but then went with the orange 25T gear instead after initial testing. I opted for a simple torsion chassis using a combination of piano wire and brass. The front end would use stub axles made from piano wire with DuBro No2 steel washers soldered on one end. Because the washers were too large in diameter they needed to be ground down to fit within my front axle braces. I also fabricated the motor mount and guide sleeve. After sanding all of the parts I soldered the rear end together. Then I made the front section. The front and rear sections are only held together with piano wire tabs that slide inside a small brass tube. By gently pulling them apart (and out of the tube) you can separate the front and rear halves of the chassis which allows for convenient cleaning and maintenance. The wire tension is enough to hold it in place. Before final re-assembly I made sure to clean any flux residue before applying a blackening treatment to all of the chassis parts using a disposable dollar store brush. Make sure you are happy with the chassis - because after you apply the blackening chemical treatment to the steel you won't be able to solder anything to it. While the steel does turn black the brass is more stubborn and will only give you an antique look at best - but I still prefer this to painting anyday - and I prefer to take away the shine of brass (or steel) especially on exposed parts that don't reflect the real thing. I painted the wire wheel inserts that came with the kit and after final assembly I glued them in place using white glue. The assembled chassis weighs in at 45.7g.. I wanted to use as much of a complete pilot and interior so I modified the original body by opening up the cockpit. I also extended the cockpit slightly by removing material up to the recess for the original windscreen (which I would replace with a more detailed windscreen from the DArt Type D body kit).The painted and washed body shell (without interior and exterior detail) now weighs 9.6g. Decals which I printed on clear Testor's decal sheeting were applied. I also used Micro Mark decals for the front grill detail. Then I made firewalls which could be glued in place using thin styrene sheeting. Other upgraded parts included a pilot figure, head, steering wheel, shifter and interior side panels from the DArt D Type body kit, plus DArt button radiator cap and DArt fuel cap. After painting the body silver I added a black wash using Tamiya flat black acrylic paint diluted with Tamiya acrylic thinner to bring out more detail where I wanted it. If using the acrylic thinner (which is alcohol based) only apply carefully where you want it and let it pool and dry to give the desired effect. Quickly wick away any wash that creeps where you don't want it since the longer it remains the harder it will be to clean away. Once it is dry it is impossible to remove easily - you'll need to polish it out then. I would do the interior first. I would use clear 5 minute epoxy to fix everything in place, starting with the firewalls. Then came the seat back (minus head rest) and dashboard. While that dried I removed the lower portion of the pilot's legs and sanded away the underside of his thighs to give me as much clearance underneath as possible. Luckily I did not need to shrink his torso. Once satisfied with the fit (and clearance) of the torso/legs I glued the pilot arms to the torso and placed the steering wheel in his hands and let dry. [I trimmed the steering wheel shaft since I never fix the steering wheel to the dashboard - I always leave it in the pilot's hands - which I find much easier to work with.] Then I glued the pilot's body to the seat and let that dry. Then the side panels were fixed in place and finally the shifter was added. The interior was done. I could add a styrene piece underneath his legs to finish the interior but I'll leave that alone for now. [Turns out the blackened chassis works nicely underneath so I decided to not bother adding a floor.] Exterior details were then added. The windscreen was second last - after hand drilling a pair of holes to fix it in place. Finally a solid aluminium wire was added to the rear of the body through another small hole hand drilled. The completed body now weighs 12.9g. Not bad!Add two screws and four urethane washers (2 for some body float and 2 underneath the head of each screw (to prevent the screws from backing out) and our completed model weighs in at 59 g.The original crown gear performed just fine when the chassis alone was tested (before the body was completed) but as fate would have it would fail on the first lap in its debut... but replaced and tested the model is very quick and this chassis shows lots of promise for 2022.Happy to answer any questions. If you would like to upgrade any parts on your C Type (like I did) drop me a line... Cheers! [foogallery id="20971"]
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- 2 years ago
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Recent ‘Brute Force’ & ‘DD0S’ Attacks’ on Scratch32 Gents, Some of you may have recently experienced frustrating delays and/or errors loading pages and forms. This was due to both unprecedented cyber brute force attacks and new DD0S attacks on our website by hackers in multiple countries. Brute force attacks repeatedly try to crack administrator passwords to gain unauthorized access and DDoS attacks bombard the site with coordinated zombies/botnets to flood the server and slow it down or even crash it. Welcome to 2021! I've been monitoring these attacks and tightening our login requirements using several tools. So far I can confirm that no breach has occurred although our website has been very slow at times. With https our site already offers the most secure server side connectivity as is possible so for all users/members there is no need to do anything other than ensure you follow safe internet practices, such as: ensuring your connection to our site is always secure - via https only (you will see a little lock icon beside the address); use a unique password for your Scratch32 account to ensure that should any breach ever occur your password is useless for any other web related services; change your password regularly; and avoid using auto login on your computer. Remember that under 'My Profile' you can also add/remove/edit your own contact information at any time. Please ensure that you only provide as much information as you are comfortable with. To have a Scratch32 account you only need to provide a valid login ID and email address - the rest is superfluous. Scratch32 does not process payments, payment information of any kind nor any financial transaction at all. Links to products from any of our advertisers are handled and processed separately and independently through their own secure servers. No data whatsoever is shared. For example, our title sponsor DArt processes every financial transaction through square.com . For those of you who I may not see over the upcoming break - stay well this holiday season and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Remember that if we all do our part we will continue to keep Scratch32 safer for all of us to use for years to come.
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- 2 years ago
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Scratch32 Administration Refinements Gents, I removed the black menu bar which used to sit at the top of the page which I believe many users found confusing and problematic to use. Some features did not work using the links from this bar, like changing your avatar for instance. Now if you want to change anything related to your own profile you will have just one option - to go to 'My Profile' in the top menu from any page - and everything there works. Create blog posts from your profile page as well. For new forum topics please make sure you are within the appropriate sub-forum first before starting a new topic, otherwise every new topic goes to the General Information forum. I'll do some housekeeping with this and hopefully everyone will be on board going forward. I also reset all forum user accounts to eliminate the problem that some accounts had with posting new forum topics and replies. I've tested this with a dummy account and it seems to have solved this problem for all accounts which have already posted a topic and a reply in the past, but hey, you never know. If you post a new topic or reply in our forum area and it doesn't appear online immediately after you submit it then it would need approval before being published - it isn't gone or lost - so be patient and it will be approved if need be...
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- 2 years ago
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1933 Alfa Romeo 8c 2300 From the original Airfix Model Kit: If you can't read the fine print here it is: "Alfa-Romeo, one of the most famous of the Italian car companies and still one of the foremost manufacturers of high performance cars, started in 1907 building the Darracq under licence. After the First World War they introduced their own very successful series of sports and racing cars. The 1933 8C was a development of the 'Monza' racer of 1931 which won at Le Mans in 1931, 1932, 1933 and 1934 and this car was beaten into second place in 1935. The low four-seater sports body is typical of its era and the 2,336 c.c. supercharged twin overhead camshaft engine with its eight cylinders in line is also typical of the period. This model is based upon the car owned by the late Mike Hawthorn." So after doing a little research I decided that I would model a fantasy period livery in the same colour scheme as this 1:1 survivor (which is an 8c 2300 LM - with the round streamlined lid covering the spare tire(s)). A different version than the one I am building but I do like the extra single windscreens and since there were so many variants of this car that raced I will incorporate a pair of them on my model as well and leave the rest as is, including the uncovered spare tire. Racing number and pilot can be decided later... I do plan to paint the numbers in black. So after looking over everything I decided to start assembling (and welding) what I should in order to be able to sort out the dimensions for the chassis keeping in mind that everything must still be painted - so not everything can be assembled until after paint - and it is first mated to the chassis. I decided to leave the rear fenders separate since I wouldn't be able to remove the body from the frame with them welded in place. So they along with the headlamps and other various bits will be painted separately and then epoxied together, as will the frame to the body. I cut a channel into the floor to accommodate a mid inline 'low power' slim can motor and will decide later if it will be covered with styrene or a flexible piece of metallic plastic sheet. A front motor build would be nice but they are too much work and I would still need to cut away a portion of the interior - so why bother. Stock frame/suspension pieces such as leaf springs will be added to the frame or chassis after the chassis is built. Front axle/assembly will be determined on the fly as I build the chassis - I may use independent pins for each front wheel but we'll see. In any event I plan to use and incorporate the following parts into this build: BWMS050 motor w/10t true pitch pinion & 23t slot.it crown; Slot.It round 'self centering' bushings with PM axles & spacers/washers (I like the very small size of these bushings); Scalextric 'stock' round guide with quick change plate & Slot.It braid; DArt wheels, tires & inserts plus DArt windscreens & pilot; and Various K&B brass stock & wire. I was thinking about adding LED head and tail lights but that might be too ambitious right now - hopefully there is plenty of time in the future... Next Step: Building the Chassis (stay tuned...)
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- 2 years ago
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Ford V8 Special – #32 – Ireneu Correa – 1935 Rio Grand Prix Many consider Ireneu Correa as the 'grandfather' of Brazilian motor racing since he was the first Brazilian to win an international race - the 1934 Rio Grand Prix - which was raced on the lengthy Gavea course. A little history on the Rio Grand Prix can be found here. South American racers who competed in early motor sport events throughout the Americas favoured and raced North American models right up to the outbreak of the second world war and this was particularly true for Correa until his death in 1935. These models were not elegant - they were in fact very hard to look at - but in the 1930's they achieved successes in part because their competition was focused on motor sporting events back on the European continent. But by the mid to late 30's European entries would begin to dominate major south American events such as the Rio Grand Prix. Correa trained in the United States as a mechanic in order to modify and prepare his own race cars. The entry which he prepared for his return as Champion of the Rio Grand Prix in 1935 was yet another Ford - a V8 Special - entered as #32. Unfortunately on the first lap while chasing the race leader Correa would skid out of control and hit a tree launching his car into the canal - an accident that he would not survive. Believe it or not his car would return to race again but became known as 'the cursed car' after killing another pilot. And so with that historical perspective in mind I decided to kitbash a Lindberg Ford kit into something unusual to compete against a deluge of European models for a new 'pre-war' class - an early to mid '30's Ford V8 Special, as prepared and raced by Correa in the 1935 Rio Grand Prix. I'm not a rivet counter or a scale fanatic nor do I believe that a slot car must be as detailed as a static model so I kept an open mind when planning the chassis, but first I would have to bash a body. My priority was for this car to look right when circling the track. That being said I still wanted the model to be as close to scale and as detailed as possible. It was also imperative that the guide be hidden as much as possible and not be visible at all when viewed from above. I shortened, lowered and narrowed the back of the kit body and then fabricated the rear end using styrene sheet and tubing to make the extra fuel tank and crown gear cover (to which the spare tire would be fixed) and wrapped it with a thin piece of L shaped styrene stock. The interior floor was raised in the centre to accommodate the FF050 motor and two DArt racing seats were modified to fit side by side. At the front I added a few styrene plates to cover the gaps left underneath the motor covers along with a few body flaps where the windscreen used to be. I used as much of the frame that came with the kit as I could - and left the fender seam and the trim underneath the front grill. The rear of the frame together with the bottom of the fuel tank (I think that is what it is) was cut off and added underneath the new rear end. The rest of the kit would be tossed except for the steering wheel, shifter, brake and dashboard. A complete DArt 'Nouvolari' driver figure would lose its head in favour of another DArt replacement. and that would come later. When I was finished I was left with two pieces - the complete body, floor and rear end and the separate frame which could be glued to the body after paint. I turned 5 wheels to 16.5 x 5.3mm which would accommodate a set of DA0210 urethane tires and DArt spoked inserts. I know these inserts have too many spokes but I liked their overall look and how they extended well beyond the wheel flange. I also cut off the ears leaving just a small round cap at the centre instead of the original two eared knock off. In order to ensure that the installation of each insert (after paint) would go without a hitch I drilled out material from the backside in the centre of each insert to accommodate any small extension of the axle and the washer for independent fronts. The overall diameter of these wheels with tires mounted and trued was 23mm. With dimensions of the body and wheels now in hand it was time to plan the chassis. I fabricated a small motor bracket for the BWMS050 motor and would use two sizes of piano wire and brass tubing to join everything together. I went with very small Slot.It bushings at the rear in order to give me flexibility in mounting the rear of the body. Due to the ride height of the chassis and with several parts needing to be attached at different levels this chassis took a little more planning to make sure it would turn out right - measure twice, cut once. The motor would sit 3mm below the chassis and the guide sleeve 5mm below. The chassis didn't need to be too strong since it was for a low power motor and a lightweight body - and was never travelling to a proxy race. I decided to mount the body using some styrene tube into which the chassis would 'snap' at the rear and a #226 styrene post up front into which the 'V' shaped wire brace would be secured with a single screw. Material was removed from these three contact points until the ride height was where I wanted it and there was enough body float. Urethane DArt washers would allow sufficient body float and prevent the screw from ever backing out of the brass insert. My own research didn't turn up much to assist with this project so I needed to improvise and make educated guesses where appropriate. With a Brazilian owner/pilot it was more than likely that this model would have raced with a pale yellow body on top of a green frame/chassis with black numbers. I sprayed the wheels a lighter shade of green and weathered them with several washes of dirt. The body was sprayed yellow and then the paint was sanded using 1200 wet paper to give the finish a dull, worn and weathered look. Since I used grey primer underneath the colour changes slightly depending on how much paint was removed. Everything else was hand painted. Number decals were printed on my inkjet printer and sealed using Crystal Clear - and then applied. Nothing was used to seal or coat the decals after they were applied but I still might apply some Micro Set decal sealer by hand... I made a small cover from large styrene tubing which I painted flat black and glued to the front of the guide to hide the clips when viewed from the front. Other details included the textured belt and buckle and a spare with a small aluminium rod that was bent and fixed to the centre of the hub which secured the wheel on the real car. I planned to add a second tire underneath the spare but have not done so (yet). The chassis components for this model: BWMS050 w10t brass pinion x 28t Slot.It crown (for now - gearing will be changed though); DArt 16.5mm x 5.3mm wheels with DArt inserts; DArt DA0210 urethane tires; Slot.It rear bushings and PM axles; Scalextric Round Guide with Slot.It braid and generic silicone lead wire; The basic specs (at present): 60.3g overall weight; Track: front = 53mm / rear=52mm (excluding inserts); Wheelbase: 80mm (83mm from guide); Chassis Clearance: 8mm / Min. Clearance: 5mm (at motor/bracket); The driver still needs a pair of goggles and a co-pilot is in the works too but there is no rush now that the model is ready for action. For more pictures of this eyesore visit our model gallery here.
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- 2 years ago
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R32 XLIV @ Spa Lyons Thanks for hosting a wonderful return to Spa!!! It was great to bang fenders again with the group!
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- 2 years ago
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DArt A Simple Sled (ASS) Chassis Demand for a simple and cost effective low power motored chassis for sportscars and classic stock cars is surprising. This DArt ASS Chassis specifically for NC1 or BWNC1 motors seems to fit the bill nicely. Several regularly ask for this chassis. I do plan to upgrade it but eventually... stay tuned. In the meantime take care to set up your DArt ASS chassis properly - use a jig and glue everything in place - it will reward you in no time. It took me about an hour to assemble. First off, if your chassis is slightly bent, warped or twisted you can place it on a flat ceramic block (or tile, or anything else that is flat) and hold it in place with rubber bands... run hot water over it - then cold - this will straighten the plastic/resin... Make sure to clean off any excess flashing around the parts before assembling. Drill out the front axle holders using a hand chuck. It is easier to make them oversized and then set your brass tube using 5 minute epoxy. If you are very skilled you can drill out both front axle arms and upper and lower set screw holes to allow independent adjustment of your front axle after the chassis is built. I don't bother going that far though. Measure the axle distances and cut the front tongue to accommodate your wheelbase then epoxy in place and if you have them use screws and washers to help fix the tongue in place. Next glue in your motor (after pushing/soldering on your pinion - make sure to cut your motor shaft if will not be centering your rear axle using the crown gear channel). Then glue in your rear bushings or bearings. Then glue in some bracing using 5 minute epoxy and .055 piano wire. NOTE: The lower brace was glued in after the motor but before the bushings/bearings... Here's what I did to the rear end of my DArt ASS Chassis.... For the front end I set my axle, then glued my brass tube in place with 5 minute epoxy... notice here I didn't bother using any set screws for height adjustment. Balsa wood glued to the underside of the shell provides the best and lightest way to secure the chassis to the body using 2-56 screws with brass inserts... Done!!! And it runs as good as any simple sled should... Thanks for your looking!
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- 2 years ago
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Making The Ring Constructing The Ring Planning Prior to routing and after contemplating layout alternatives I decided to stick to the past features of tracks that I believed worked best for all forms of 1:32 scale racing with some compromise to facilitate the scenic element I desired. Some of the DO's and DON'Ts I followed: DON'T: Cram too much track into your space - less is more Use mechanical lane switchers or other 'gimmicks' that more often than not fail at some point during an event Use lane cross-overs Try NASCAR style banked turns with corners having an outside diameter of 6 feet or less Have ANY 'humps' (depressions or compressions are fantastic and achieve the same drama) or any abrupt elevation change Incorporate any very tight fixed radius 'kink' in the middle of any long straight Have 'shortcuts' that dramatically favour any lane Place corners or brake zones in obstructed areas Place corners in unreachable spaces Have more than one squeeze zone Have any lane with a diameter less than 10" (10" is already a hairpin) unless this absolutely cannot be avoided Have lane spacing less than 3" anywhere but for a squeeze - 3.5" spacing is ideal Have outside gutters less than 6" away from any outside lane in or after any corner Place any scenic element (ie. guardrails, tire stacks, hay bales, trees) closer than 6" on the outside of any corner or the exit of any corner Make straights perfectly straight DO: Have an odd number of track overpasses Endeavour to make your lanes as equal in length as possible (if you space your lanes the same distance apart throughout without shortcuts they will be the same length provided you have an odd number of overpasses) Place all driver stations along the same vantage 'area' (ie. same side of track) but not too close together (alternate driver hookups spread around any track are great for practice or those times that just a few of you are having some fun) otherwise the home track advantage is too hard for many guest racers to overcome Ensure the last corner before your main timing straight is either an 'easy' corner to drive or a hairpin to minimize the frequency of 'riders' Incorporate at least one high speed corner, one hairpin, one long straight and one squeeze zone (Since preparing this article I've changed my mind and moved away from placing a squeeze in my newer tracks) Have lane spacing of at least 3.5" or 4" in the area directly in front of driver stations. Remember that the higher speed corners require greater lane spacing than just 3" otherwise cars will constantly make contact which is a big problem for open wheel models, especially wider Grand Prix models Routing & Support Structure For efficiency I used three routers, one mounted to an adjustable radial arm to cut the outside track edge, one set up with a jig using two adjustable bearings to cut the outside lane and one with a stepped base (3", 3 1/2", 4" spacing) for center and inside lane routes as well as edges and ditches. I had Luf's flexible strip on hand, some 8' strips of 1/8" hardboard plus the most warped piece of strapping I could find, and from scrap mdf I also made an 'S' shaped template to route each lane for the squeeze so that all three lanes would be identical. If you are an experienced and capable woodworker with the necessary tools and wish to try to route your own track there are no shortage of tutorials elsewhere if you need them. But I will assume that no one with little routing experience would take on this critical component of such a large project... The frame supporting this track is nothing special. It uses a combination of pine (1x4s & 1x2s) and spruce (2x4s) which is hidden by a cloth skirt. A shelf was made underneath for storage. Assembly Now that you've completed or purchased your routed sections and built your open grid support it is time to give your race room a track! Adhering to the 'measure twice' 'cut once' adage means that this portion of the build should come together quickly and with no surprises. Individual pieces were laid over the grid and glued together with white glue using scrap mdf underneath each joint, a section at a time. Proper alignment and clamping ensured a smooth transition. Patience is a virtue! Of course, with more clamps the quicker things go. By the time I clamped the second last joint what was clamped first was already dry... Clamp the last joint to complete the track after all other pieces have dried first. Here the last joint was set and clamped. Perfect joints do not require any fill for smooth performance. If necessary, I use Bondo. But remember, even the most 'perfect' joint will show after painting unless it is filled and sanded. If you do not want a joint to show at all you must fill and carefully sand each one. Now we have a single floating track. Time to add cross members. Strips of pine were laid out in the locations shown and glued and clamped in place underneath the track. These provide additional support and a place to fasten our uprights and later our hardboard borders. Since we didn't use screws there was nothing else to fill or sand on the track surface. Next decide where you want the track elevated. Keep in mind that overpasses should be no less than 3" high - I went with 3 3/4" to be safe. Camber can also be introduced and will have a dramatic impact on how your models perform in the corners. I used 1x4" pieces of pine cut in various lengths as uprights joining the cross members to the frame. Once the uprights are screwed to both the cross members and the frame they can be adjusted later without compromising the track surface. (You may want to tweak camber or the height of any track areas after your uprights are all screwed in place which is easy enough to do - just back out screws from the frame, adjust and then re-screw...) Don't forget you can use your clamps to help add camber, but don't be aggressive - otherwise the mdf will separate - and if this happens you tried to do too much. With 3/8" mdf if you can bend it without breaking it then as a general rule it should be fine for racing on...Elevation together with camber changes are now complete and the track is fully supported. Be conservative with any elevation change, especially rises. Off camber corners are challenging but do not over use them. BE CONSERVATIVE! Lightly sand the slots now. Painting A single coat of flat latex mid grade paint was applied using a standard roller. (Now I recommend using a small foam roller (4" wide) such as the ones you can buy at your local dollar store - this will give you the smoothest finish which will enhance the grip level.) Care was taken to ensure even coverage. Two coats should be perfect - if you need to do yet another coat then you've done something wrong.Areas for concrete patches were masked and painted using the same technique. Concrete sections, asphalt patches and lines were masked and dollar store acrylic paint was applied - for the patches using a small foam roller and for the lines using a small brush and 'dry brush' technique.Cutting uniform lines was made easy using two box cutter blades affixed to each side of a 1/8" scrap of hardboard. Curbs made from the halves of N gauge cork rail bed were also painted white and glued in place. The inside of the slot is not painted. Those that know me understand that I try to make things consistently imperfect to reflect the era of a 1950's or 1960's track... so perfectly solid white lines, curbs colours, etc. must be avoided... For a modern circuit - sure, but that's not my goal here... For the curbs I painted the entire curb white (two coats) and then used a rectangular stamp I fashioned from some solid foam to paint the black checks. As you can see they came out just the way I like them - far from perfect! Cracks in the concrete pads were cut using a fine Xacto knife. Applying a wash brings out the detail nicely. Lane marking 'dots' were applied where needed. Ensure all power tap slots are painted as well as routed ditches. You can mask and paint your skid marks at this point. I did not. Copper Foil Allow paint to dry for several days before applying the copper foil (copper tape). Do not attempt to tape your track in high humidity - this will have a number of adverse consequences down the road and you'll be unhappy with the results. The tape and the mdf have different expansion characteristics, not to mention that mdf absorbs humidity as well and will expand more in a damp environment.Make sure to take your time doing this. Use a single piece for each run trying not to break the tape. Start and stop each run from one of your power tap slots, this way the solder will ensure conductivity both ways. Luf makes a handy tape application tool if you've never done this. I find that applying by hand allows me to stretch the tape carefully around tighter corners for smoother corner transitions. Use a smooth rounded edge to burnish the tape after application, such as the side of a BIC lighter - but make sure not scratch the paint with the metal top! Burnishing the tape is VERY important and I cannot stress this enough. Edging and Facades Overpass facades fashioned after a bunker style poured concrete look were glued and clamped in place. Walls were also added. Ensure sufficient clearance for classes you race. 3 3/4" will accommodate Fly trucks. 1/8" hardboard was cut into 4" wide strips and applied to the outside edges of the track, fixed against those cross members we previously glued in place. Although it varies, border height averages just 1 1/4" above the surface of the track, sufficient to keep a 1:32 scale closed wheel racer on the table.Additional scrap pieces of wood 1" thick were added where more support for the hardboard was needed. Additional hardboard was used to fill in gaps between the border and track. DAP paintable caulk was applied to fill cracks. A hardboard back was also added to support the small hill.Now that outside edging is in place driver's stations were added. I used a minimalist approach but mounted the stations so that the controller hookups were upright. Wiring I use a central harness from 18 gauge wire for each lane which joins the driver's stations to each of the power taps located throughout the track. Trackmate driver stations together with all of the Trackmate timing, gantry and power relay hardware are easy to hook up when you follow the instructions.Make sure to get your polarity right when soldering your power taps though... otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy figuring out what went wrong. Adding a shelf underneath your table for both the power supply and computer is time well spent too. Make sure you test everything thoroughly before attempting any scenery. Scenery After proper wiring and testing it was time to start the scenery. Notice that where appropriate, track edges were routed to accommodate a smooth and realistic hard shell scenery transition to the mdf track surface.Cereal box or other similar thickness cardboard strips were glued to the underside of the track surface and to one another in a 'grid' to provide lightweight yet sturdy support for the wet hardshell to come. Wherever possible I always use white glue rather than other adhesives or fasteners. This part is fun for the kids too! After carefully masking the track surface and covering the rest with plastic wherever necessary it was time for the hydrocal. Small batches of hydrocal were mixed in a large plastic wash bowl and strips of shop rags were dunked in the mixture then quickly applied over the cardboard grid. If a rock casting was to be applied in an area I waited till the mix set and then 'glued' a cured casting in place using more mix, carefully filling gaps and cracks with more of the hydrocal mix and sculpting the surrounding areas as the mix dried. Where smooth or grassy areas were desired I simply brushed on several coats of hydrocal. Until cured, the colour of the drying hydrocal mix is darker and clearly reveals the castings. Woodland scenics water soluble liquid pigments were used to colour the rock formations, applied in several light washes, using just a large brush. Let gravity do the work for you. Soak up excess. A tan base coat of flat latex was brushed on to cover up the rest of the snowy landscape. I let this dry.After masking each area to be worked on a 30/70 white glue/water mixture with a drop of dishwashing liquid was brushed wherever grass was to grow. A liberal sprinkle of a mixture of fine Woodland scenics foam ground cover was applied, using several shakers. After spraying another coat of the glue mixture more ground cover was applied. After the third application of ground cover the grass was done. Adding Man Made Features Custom built structures and other man made elements were then installed. Urethane tire stacks were weathered and glued into place using Gorilla Glue. Scalextric guardrails were cut, painted, weathered and 'nailed' into place. Other details were installed, including an army of urethane straw bales, painted first, then glued into place at several locations around the track.It was a start and although far from finished the track was now ready to host its first race. - Art
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- 2 years ago
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Welcome to The Rock! A Few Pictures [foogallery id="20363"]
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- 2 years ago
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Introduction to The Ring – The Numbers The Ring Mississauga, Ontario, Canada This version of The Ring is the fifth custom routed three lane wood track that I've built for myself. Briefly, the Ring is a private three lane custom routed scale model slot car race track occupying a footprint of approximately 22' x 7'. The track surface is constructed from 3/8" mdf routed using a 1/8" flat bit sunk 1/4" deep. The track 'floats' on open grid bench work and is fully scenerized using a cloth soaked hydrocal hard shell base over cardboard strips. There are 1/8" borders raised an average of 1 1/4" high above the track surface. The three lanes are spaced 3 1/2" apart but for the single squeeze where spacing drops to just 1". Lane lengths are very close (green=72' 2 3/4", yellow=72' 3", red=72' 2 7/8") and the number of left and right turns are identical. Outside gutters are at least 6". Three overpasses provide a minimum clearance of 3 3/4", enough for Fly Euro Trucks. Total track surface elevation change is just 7" but appears greater. Average race surface height from the floor is 2' 9". The track was painted using a standard roller and mid range flat latex paint. Dollar store acrylic paints were used to paint the 'patches', skid marks, lines and race driver tributes. Wired positive, this track was 'taped' using Venture Tape Master Foil Plus 7/32" width and .038mm thick (red core) part no. 1750. Four soldered 'power taps' ensure continuous and uninterrupted power throughout from a Pyramid 30A adjustable power supply. Trackmate hardware and SlotTrak software provide the timing while Trackmate driver stations ensure easy controller hookup via alligator clips or banana plugs. As racing is a priority at this track racer's sight lines and ease of marshaling were kept in mind during the construction of this track. Model railroading inspired the scenic 'dimension'. But for a handful of recognizable items (grid rats and pit accessories, half tires, guardrails, signage posts and 7 'Kleinbahn' HO light posts) everything is scratch built from wood or styrene or cast from either plastic, resin or urethane. All but 5 trees are hand made, including various birches, aspens & hemlocks. Don't overlook what raw scenic materials you can find in your local green belt or at the bottom of a Muskoka lake... Pictures and a blurb on how some of these scenic items were created may make it here. As always, time will tell.
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- 2 years ago
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Rebuilding Goodwood Sadly, after many many years of service in Beaverton, ON, Goodwood was taken apart earlier this past summer after the passing of owner John F. last year. Thankfully Goodwood found a new owner and is now being resurrected in another beautiful Ontario location. I was happy to take up the challenge of helping move this track to its new home. After months in storage on several skids the pieces survived, albeit some badly warped, but all intact. Since the track was cut into 6 sections (using a 1/8" bit in my trusty router) reassembling the track sections would be straightforward just as it had been built - align, glue, clamp and next...The front straight was quite warped but with a little luck and some help from gravity it came about. This was the first time I had ever tried to straighten a piece of mdf... and it proved to be a much bigger challenge than even the corkscrew of Bass-Seca.Since the reattached sections had fairly tight joints filling, sanding, painting and re-taping could be avoided. After adding patches over the copper joints, a little paint touch up to the track surface and the black borders - all of the original wiring and electronics were connected and tested. At first the overhead gantry wasn't getting any power but after cleaning and reconnecting the socket everything worked as before and we were in business to run some test laps!After thorough testing and many several 100's of laps she is ready to go with just scenery to finish (and rollers to be added)... it took a couple of days to get this far, perhaps a few more to get the rest finished - stay tuned...
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- 2 years ago
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Scratch32 Website SSL Upgrade Gents, Over the next 24 hours Scratch32.com will be getting a long overdue SSL upgrade providing us all with a more secure and safe website connection. This option will cost more but so be it - the train is slowly pulling out of the station and we can no longer afford to miss it... So, the site may be down for a few hours while the migration occurs, but nothing else should change for scratch32 users - fingers crossed...
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- 2 years ago
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404 not found (top of page) error Members, after an upgrade this past weekend it appears that something broke and you may see a pair (or three) of these error messages at the top of every Scratch32 webpage. I believe it has to do with the template script referring to the background image and how it is displayed although I can't be certain... and I cannot change it or fix it through the front end interface... so in the meantime please disregard this message and carry on as usual... either a patch will be created by the developer to fix this bug or we will have to switch display templates (which I hope not to have to do)... Cheers!
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- 2 years ago
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Liquid Chrome by Molotow Anyone who has tried to replicate a chrome finish knows that this can be a challenge. As noted elsewhere I've had good luck with Krylon's Premium Chrome rattle cans - but thanks to a tip from F1Nutz I now have another great product in my paint shop that is even easier to use - a 4mm Liquid Chrome Pump Marker by Molotow. They have a complete line which includes a refill too... Available from Amazon or at the Group 25 model car show (by Sunward Hobbies). I tested the marker on some knock offs and headers/tail pipes and wow does it leave a nice finish! Impressive! And so easy to use too! This product gets 5 out of 5 thumbs up! :good: :good: :good: :good: :good:
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- 2 years ago
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Updates Again… Gents, This weekend several upgrades were made to many of our plug ins and our wordpress server software - now up to v5.8... Among other things you will see that most profile pictures (avatars) for our users have disappeared. If you use a Gravatar image then this does not affect you. If your image has disappeared and you don't want to use Gravatar for cross platform image display then please re-submit your image next time you log in... images which did not meet the minimum avatar criteria may not display either, but you will be reminded of this when you upload an image... Also, smilies are gone and there are no plans to replace or add them right now... My apologies for the inconvenience.
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- 2 years ago
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July 5, 2021 (10am – 2pm) Rule Twerks & Open Track Practice [seatt-form event_id=67]
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- 2 years ago
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New User Accounts & Editing New Forum Topics and Replies… Gents, In response to several inquiries about why some topics or replies aren't posted or temporarily disappear without explanation I thought it best and most efficient to provide some background information about new member accounts and how new forum topics or replies can be edited. All new forum members must have their first new topic AND their first new reply approved by a super moderator prior to either being posted. After a new member has had their first reply approved all of their subsequent replies will be automatically posted. After a new member has had their first topic approved all of their subsequent topics will be automatically posted. So even if your first topic was approved and you may post new topics automatically, your first reply to any topic will still need approval... They are treated independently. ALL members may edit their own topics and replies within 30 minutes of posting that topic or reply. Edits thereafter may only be made by the super moderator and only then in exceptional circumstances. If a new member's first topic or first reply is approved and then posted but they choose to edit that previously approved first topic or first reply within 30 minutes of it being posted then it again must be approved since it is treated as a new (and first) topic or reply. This will mean that it will disappear pending approval and any replies regardless of who they are from will receive error messages. The role of the moderator is to perform general forum housekeeping, to keep topics and replies on point and to ensure that offensive or inappropriate topics are dealt with accordingly. Moderators are not proof readers. Over the last several weeks up to and including yesterday experiments with some of the settings in our forums area may have at certain times provided or taken away opportunities to edit new topics and replies so please don't dwell on your own personal experience over that period. The settings mentioned above are now in place and should remain so for the long haul. I hope this helps...
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- 2 years ago
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2021 Outside Track Optimism Despite the fact that our regional governments were recently ambushed and are scrambling with no coherent plan to immunize, our Ontario government passed the buck while deferring to regional medical officers in their ivory towers, and our fearless entitled drama queen Justin spouts more bullshit while ensuring he stands by our country last in G7 and worse than 40th in global vaccines to date I hope - I sincerely hope - we'll be safe by later this year. Given our government's track record now I don't believe I'll receive a vaccine until next winter. I hope the rest of you remain more optimistic - at least for your own sanity... as such... An outdoor track may be the only place we might race safely later this year/fall. Help me with your suggestions as far as how many lanes, how long, how easily transported - I guess I'm asking how many of you might participate on a strictly outdoor venue/track later this summer and fall. If proxy participation is anything to go by I am happy not to waste my time - but again I must ask.
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- 2 years ago
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New Scratch32 Classifieds Area We now have a FREE classifieds area on Scratch32! Just click on 'Classifieds' in our top menu to see what is for sale (or wanted to buy). Or select 'Add a listing' from the 'Classifieds' drop down menu to post your ad right away! Users with a Scratch32 account can now post ads containing detailed descriptions and pictures of items they wish to sell privately for FREE. These ads can be read by anyone, including those without an account. [So you can post an ad and then link it anywhere else.] It is also easy for every user to manage their ads. All ads expire in 60 days. There are just three limitations: Only model slot car related content is permitted; No junk - only items of quality that you would or have used yourself; No retail sales or ads for inventories of items. Scratch32 will reserve the right to remove any ad(s) that do not comply.
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- 3 years ago
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Painting a Driver’s Head Last week I had the opportunity to paint a 1:10 scale driver's head for a friend. It was for his R/C off road vehicle - but I'm not sure which manufacturer's - I suspect Tamiya but I could very well be wrong... I used Tamiya flat acrylics diluted with Tamiya acrylic thinner (for airbrushing) or water (hand painting/washes). After cleaning the plastic parts with SuperClean I airbrushed the head with a stock skin tone then darkened that skin tone slightly with a tiny amount of brown for the faint shadow underneath the cheeks, chin and ears. While the airbrush was still within reach I painted the cap with another stock dark olive colour. All of the airbrushing was done using roughly a 50/50 mixture of Tamiya acrylic paint and thinner to get a milk like consistency that I find perfect for airbrushing. Three light coats gave me enough base coverage. For the hand brushing I always start with the hardest or more detailed parts first - in this case the eyes - since if I screw things up I don't lose as much time if I have to apply the base coat over again. For the eyes I washed in some off white (which I think is still too bright - next time I'll add more colour to the white) then painted the iris blue and then the pupil black. I added a little line of diluted brown both above and below the eye for his eyelashes. Then I added a few very diluted washes of red over the lips - starting with the most diluted coat first over the whole lip area followed by a touch more pigment to the centre of the lips until I was satisfied with the result. Brown hair and eyebrows were next followed by some lightened highlights. Cleanup for everything was with Dollar store nail polish remover (with acetone) and so there was never any unpleasant smell. Soaking the airbrush parts in this solution for a few minutes then scrubbing them clean took all but 15 minutes... I did not use a primer and although I cleaned the plastic the paint can be scratched off with a finger nail if one tries... fortunately this head will not be handled much (if at all) so this was not a concern - but I would use a primer next time... ...hope this helps!
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- 3 years ago
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Peterbilt 352 Cabover – Revell Kit 1964 From the Revell Instructions: The Peterbilt 352 Cabover is in a class by itself with custom styling, functional design and uncommon rugged beauty. The impressive Peterbilt 352 tractor is a trucker's dream. This cabover engine design reflects Peterbilt's thoroughness in the manner that they engineer and build heavy duty trucks. Every Peterbilt that rolls off the assembly line is custom built to suit the needs of each customer. And on the Box: The Peterbilt 352 Cabover is a 10-wheeler with 110' cab and has comfort and elegance built into the driver's compartment and sleeper. The high standard of manufacturing excellence sets it apart from all other trucks. Length: 8 1/4" # of Parts: 59 Molded In: Light Blue Decals: Peel 'N Stick So, after nearly 10 years this project has returned to be the focus of my workbench... A square/rectangular brass frame was constructed to accommodate this body and the 10 wheels that it rolls on - using a high torque king can motor in an inline configuration with 8x29 gearing. The motor powers the first set of dual wheels - the second set tag along and can be removed with a pin for tighter tracks/corners. The cab is so large that in order to fit everything under the gantry/overpasses I will either need to lower it and open up the wheel wells or chop it shorter in some places - the jury is still out on which option to pursue... but for now here are a few spy shots from The Ring: BTW, this is no slouch - in its current configuration it will complete a lap in the 8 second range... but its real purpose will be to transport race models and/or pull a track conditioning/cleaning trailer... stay tuned!!! :good:
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- 3 years ago
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Microace & ARII Models – HobbyLink Japan It appears that Microace is re-releasing the original ARII 1:32 body kits which we love so much... and still very cheap. Porsche 911 & Turbo versions, Volkswagens, and many others... search for 1:32 and they have lots of goodies... including Revell, Airfix & Aoshima! Link: HobbyLink Japan
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- 3 years ago
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Soldering Essentials for Chassis Building – What You Need 40/60W Soldering Iron Your largest and most important expense for building any piano wire/brass chassis will be your soldering iron. You will need at least a 40W or preferably a 60W soldering iron with a suitable chisel tip, ideally ¼” (but this is a matter of preference). Other smaller tips on lower power irons (20/30W) are perfect for soldering lead wires. There are several manufacturers of suitable soldering irons - Ungar and Cooper/Weller – among others. Make sure you also have an appropriate stand to hold your iron when hot. Better stands come with a tray to hold a replaceable (and less abrasive) damp sponge used to regularly clean your tip. Tinning Compound New tips may need to be ‘tinned’ prior to first use and whenever required thereafter. Your tip should always look shiny, like melted solder – otherwise it will not work. Simply apply the tinning compound to your hot iron tip then apply your solder. Clean the tip on your damp sponge and repeat until the whole tip is completely tinned. Solder A rosin core solder containing 60% lead and 40% tin will work very well for both chassis building and lead/electronic joints. Thickness of the solder is a matter of preference. ‘Silver’ solder requires a lot more heat and although it creates stronger joints this is unnecessary for 1/32 10-20v slot car chassis. Flux and Pre-Cleaning You must use flux when soldering your chassis. While rosin flux is fine for soldering simple electrical joints you will need acid flux when soldering chassis joints. The purpose of the flux is to clean the surfaces so that flowing solder actually penetrates the metal thereby forming a strong joint or chemical bond. Flux also prevents oxidation during the soldering process. If your pieces have corrosion, oil, or any other surface imperfection you must also remove that before beginning the soldering process. Sanding and/or scrubbing may be necessary to adequately clean your pieces. ScotchBrite works nicely as do household cleansing powders such as Ajax or Comet. Acid flux comes in either a paste or in liquid form and while both can be used liquid acid flux is best. If using paste, apply sparingly with a toothpick. If using liquid, apply sparingly with a small paint brush. Brands such as Lucky Bob’s Liquid Acid Flux comes with a convenient applicator. A small bottle of liquid acid flux will last you years. Post Cleaning Immediately after using acid flux you will need to clean your chassis. Acid flux will corrode all steel pieces or piano wire if it is not removed. Prepare a ‘bath’ for your chassis (and any other items such as jig supports, etc. that come into contact with the flux) again using a household cleansing powder mixed with water to neutralize the acid. Scrub thoroughly with a toothbrush. Soldering Surfaces & Jigs You will need a flat preferably heat resistant surface on which to solder your chassis pieces, such as a ceramic or porcelain tile or a marble or granite slab. Do not use anything metal. Measure and mark suitably spaced lines or use graph paper to assist with alignment of your chassis pieces. Better yet, make or obtain a ‘jig’ using pre-drilled holes with pins to easily align your chassis pieces. A great purpose built jig is made by Precision Slot Cars such as the 1/32 Scratch Builder jig for both 2mm and 3/32 axles which comes with wheel/axle blocks, guide, axle and chassis pins. The time you will save by using it is well worth the cost. Make sure to get extra wheel/axle blocks to accommodate all possible R32 wheel diameters. Pliers/Cutters A good sturdy set of linesman’s pliers which can both snip and bend piano wire is essential. You can even cut brass strip. Also helpful to hold small pieces when using a cutting/rotary tool. Rotary Tool A variable speed rotary tool with cutting wheels, grinding and polishing attachments will let you cut and prep piano wire, brass and brass tube. Drill with Assortment of Bits Use on a wood block to drill holes in your brass pieces for chassis mounting screws and/or guides, sizing dependant on specific parts. You should mark your hole using a mallet and punch first but be careful not to bend your brass piece. It is best to make all holes in every piece prior to soldering. Sandpaper You will want to have a range of sandpaper grits to help prep and polish your metal pieces. Files Filing sides corners and holes to prep pieces and remove excess solder. Both a flat and round file are good to have for these tasks. Optional Tools A sturdy bench vice or wire bending tool will help with bending wire and to create more complex bends. A ‘nibbler’ makes cutting into brass strip or plate easier, especially when building either a brass pan or torsion plate chassis. A drill press and machine clamp will help you drill more accurate holes. Thank you to Al Penrose and Chris Walker for their help and for sharing their vast soldering experience and knowledge.
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- 3 years ago
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Rio Grand Prix (Gavea) 1934 – 1937 In the 1930's the Grande Prêmio da Cidade de Rio de Janeiro were held on the infamous 11.16km long Gavea track known locally as Trampolin do Diablo ("The devil's spring board"). This course followed the coast on the edge of a cliff and returned to Gavea up in the mountains where it featured a series of hairpins in hazardous terrain... a wonderful historic course! And the vehicles that raced there ranged from lowly Ford V8's to Alfa's, Ferrari's, Bugatti's and yes - even an Autounion! Click on the attached .pdf below to review this article - it features interesting facts with numerous pictures about an obscure Grand Prix course and the pilots and their cars that navigated it... Enjoy! :yahoo:
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- 3 years ago
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R32 XL @ Molto VeLoce – September 12, 2020 [seatt-form event_id=63]
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- 3 years ago
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Wheels: 1970's Grand Prix (70GP) Gents, for those of you looking to upgrade the wheels on your 1970's Grand Prix cars these are my recommendations: Front: BWA BW13-300-093-375 which take a Small BWA insert and will fit the RM0202 tire (which will need to be trued down significantly); Rear: Part Number PCS321413 "Classic Scalextric F1 Rear" from Pendle which has the typical skinny scalextric rib and will work with SC0105, SC0106 and FL0101 although none of these tires are a direct fit and would need to be glued in place. A small BWA insert will need to be 'tubed' with styrene to enlarge it enough to fit inside the .415" insert opening. One other factor - these wheels do have a small boss for the set screw so make sure you have enough room for them to fit (68.5mm) - otherwise you will need to use single flanged bushings (with the flange on the inside of the bushing holders) - but since the boss is not that large (approx. 2.5mm) they should fit most applications without issue; Both of these front and back wheels are aluminium (which are allowed). Furthermore, there are other rear wheels available, some of which I have yet to try myself but this should get anyone started. Of course, if you are upgrading your wheels you will also want to replace your axle, bushings and crown gear (make sure to keep the mandated ratio however). Cheers! :good:
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- 3 years ago
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Looking Ahead – Scratch32 Rules Update Gents, Looking ahead and given feedback to date we'll be implementing a few updates to our scratch32 rules (v4) for this summer. These will be: restricting the 1.5L Grand Prix (15LGP) class motor to the BWMS050 ONLY and removing the VANSKI as an option - since they have not been available for many years now - VANSKI motors are still eligible for other low power motor scratch32 classes (unless specifically excluded); adding a pre-CANAM class covering 1960-1965 USRRC & SCCA models - which will be divided into PC and PC+ subclasses; and adding an open Trans Am class (TA+) (1966 - 1973) which will allow period fantasy liveries and have no motor restriction. The second update was already tested in our last CANAM Thunder event and the third will be implemented for CANAM Thunder IV...
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- 3 years ago
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Race To Line vs. Race To Laps & Rotate On Time Some of you remember the days of SRO and SS32 when many hosts used SRM, a DOS based timing system. The advantage was that you could take an old DOS based piece of sh*t and give it renewed purpose. Each host used their own preferred timing method with this software. One method (and the best one in my opinion) allowed everyone to race for a set amount of laps in every lane and the total time to complete their laps would be used to determine the race finish order with the fastest (lowest) time winning. This worked well enough with the one huge drawback that no heat was finished until the last car ran its total number of laps. You didn't need power shut off for this timing method and you could make the timing hardware yourself. Other hosts used the old school timing method whereby every racer would start at the same point on the track (usually the start/finish line) and then race with the others for a set amount of time in each heat, rotating into another lane from the point at which they stopped, or out, or in, depending on rotation order. After power for the final heat switched off you would look at the screen to see the total laps run by every racer and ties would need to be manually recorded based on finishing track position, with the car finishing more of the lap placing higher. Often the track would be divided into 1/10ths to make tracking finish position easier. Several drawbacks existed when using this method: the racers were often spread out and on longer tracks there was little passing or excitement, cheating was possible when rotating your car (especially after sitting out a while) and the results often needed to be tabulated manually. Then came along SlotTrak which allowed an additional timing method of 'race to line' along with refueling. (To Be Continued)
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- 4 years ago
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Mandarin Monsoon – 1930 Ford Model ‘A’ Pickup The Mandarin Monsoon Hot Rod was made using a Life-Like Hobby Kits 1930 Ford Model 'A' Pickup truck body, BWMS050 motor with 10 x 23 inline gearing, BWA 14 x 5mm wheels, DArt whitewall tires & inserts and other DArt parts, including gas cap & rear transmission detail. The pilot is also DArt. Rear bed has removable mahogany boards. No pickup would be complete without a trailer hitch. This model 'A' also features a Ferrari V8 under the bed... The chassis is a torsion chassis from piano wire and brass. The body is mounted using a slide in front pin and two wire supports at the rear which clip in place. Exposed suspension areas were chemically treated with Gun Blue. With little torque to worry about the motor was simply epoxied in place. This chassis also uses old school brass tubing in lieu of bearings or bushings. Rear end detail includes a few hand made components. Exhaust pipes are polished aluminium tube. Cheers!
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- 4 years ago
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Inactive User Accounts Gents, With more than 100 user accounts the beginning of the decade is a good time to clean up our home - so I've initiated our website to automatically reset the passwords of inactive accounts. Accounts for which temporary passwords are not changed will be deleted automatically. Cheers! Art
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- 4 years ago
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Removing Decals or Tampo Print – Super Clean Sometimes you just want to remove the livery from a nicely painted body before priming. If you do not, then you compromise the quality and adhesion of the new paint, not to mention that you may see the raised edges of the prior tampo afterwards. To do this you can use 'Super Clean' - Tough Task Cleaner-Degreaser typically found in a 3.78L purple container: You can source Super Clean from Canadian Tire, among other retailers. To get your best bang for the buck you can re-use the same fluid on multiple bodies/parts - I like the dollar store clear plastic containers which come in various sizes with a snap on rubber gasket lid - like the 8"l x 5"w x 3"h (I'm guessing there) Betty Crocker storage containers (with the red lid). Let the pieces sit and soak for days (or even a week if necessary). If anything remains remove it with gentle rubbing (or a non-abrasive brush). Rinse in clean water and dry. You've now removed traces of the old livery and can either prime/re-paint or apply new decals...
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- 4 years ago
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Major Update Coming Next Week to Scratch32 Folks, I must apply a manual update to our website but since there is a great chance things may no longer work as they do now (or not at all) I'm leaving it for later this week (November 8th or 9th) when I'll have extra time to wait on hold for technical support if things go off the rails. Sorry about that. BTW, this update should not change anything if it goes according to plan - so you won't notice anything if it is successful. :unsure: Cheers!
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- 4 years ago
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Wheels: Sportscar, Classic Stock Car, Trans Am & 1960's G.P. (Group 2) If you still have a set of the BW15-275-093-375 or BW15-275-093-450 consider yourself very lucky. For those that do not the CB Design Insert Wheels (15 x 7mm) PART NUMBER IW1507S are an appropriate and cost effective aluminium wheel to use in any of the following classes: Sportscar Classic Stock Car Trans Am 1960's Grand Prix (Group 2 Cars - ONLY) Classic LeMans (for any car taking narrow wheels, such as the Carrera 6) Some of the confusion stems from the fact that for the CB Design line of 15" wheels it is unclear what the 15 stands for (likely scale 15") added to the fact that with each wider version of the 15 series wheel the overall diameter changes. The IW1507S measures 14.06mm in diameter and 7mm in width which accords with our R32 rules for these classes. Other wider versions of the 15 series may be too large in diameter and therefore not permitted under R32 rules. (The reason stems from the fact that in any fixed gear class you can change the gearing by using a taller wheel/tire combination.) Nevertheless the IW1507S remains a competitively priced, readily available and safe bet alternative to the old BWA wheels for each class listed above. It makes sense to buy a bunch and then know that they are eligible for several of our classes. Of course there are other makes and types out there, some of which are also eligible for some of the classes listed herein. The IW1507S takes any DArt D8 or D9 tire (or other Ninco classic alternative). Glue on your tires for best performance - when gluing make sure that the rib in the tire is tightly set against either side of the rib to ensure there is no wobble. [One difference between the BWA wheel and the CB Design wheel is that the wheel 'rib' is a hair narrower on the CB than the BWA.] If you do not wish to glue on your tire then the NC0202 or SC0805 tires are the most snug fit. No truer? Then stick to the NC0202. You can try your luck at RaceHaven if Ron has them in stock, or at MiniGrid, or you can order from Slot Car Corner Canada at: http://www.slotcarcorner.ca/cb-design-insert-wheels/ I now have inserts to fit these wheels. The inner diameter for sizing inserts is .490" (or 12.45mm). There are three insert wheel styles which fit these wheels: 490steel60; 490mag5snut & 490minilite, but more will be added over time. Note: These wheels may be listed as 'made in Canada' but there is nothing Canadian about their manufacture, nevertheless they remain a suitable and well performing alternative for several of our classes and therefore worth suggesting here. -Art
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- 4 years ago
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Wheels: 3.0L Grand Prix (3LGP) For those of you looking to upgrade your wheels for your 3.0L Grand Prix cars you should consider the following: Front - BW13-300-093-375 - which take a small BWA insert & the RM0202 (or CX0201) tire, depending on the look you wish to achieve; Rear - BW13-380-093-375 - which take a small BWA insert & the CX0202 (or RM0203) tire, depending on the look you wish to achieve; A larger 14mm diameter rear wheel (BW15-380-093-375) may be used in place of the rear wheels mentioned above if you wish to model a car that did have a larger diameter wheel in this period but with the overall tire diameter restriction of 22mm this will mean that you will give up the dampening (and grip) offered by a larger tire to wheel ratio... Cheers! :good:
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- 4 years ago
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404 Galleries Error One of our updates broke the links to our model and event galleries which I now hope are fixed... :good:
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- 4 years ago
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Indianapolis 500 Event With the upcoming Group 25 show now is a good time to give some notice and canvass interest for this variant of open wheel racing - like Ringwood and The Coppa - we can start with one class - the iconic front engine models from the '50's and '60's... and perhaps establish other classes covering earlier/later years or configurations depending on interest - actual liveries raced only (but number may be changed) and motor must be in a front motor configuration... motor will likely be restricted to either a BWNC1 or a BWMS050 unless there is interest in an unlimited motor designation... ...please give us your thoughts and suggestions either in person (preferred) or online here.
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- 4 years ago
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Auto Union Type C Decal Set For those of you looking for a complete set of Auto Union Type C decals here is a .jpg image you can print yourself...
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- 4 years ago
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Posting your raced model photos elsewhere made easy… As they say - a picture is worth a thousand words... to include any recent photograph of your model which exists anywhere on our website all you need to do (if you use Chrome) is to right click on the picture you wish to use (from our website) and select 'copy image address' - then just paste it into your post - the picture should appear as it does where you right clicked originally... :good:
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- 4 years ago
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Livery – Carrera Panamericana I – 1950 – #56 1949 Ford (Nieders MEX/Diener MEX) Here's my best guess at the livery for this car based on hours of research - I've got some extra numbers, the plates, etc. If you wish to modify the original MSWord files I'd be happy to email them to you - they are just too big to post on a website... Cheers :good:
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- 4 years ago
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Calendar, Database & Model Galleries Updated Gents, Our Scratch32 calendar is now updated for the summer season - one new event may be in order in August yet but plenty of time to sort that out. I've updated our model database and it is now up to 134... with several still missing - models which may have been raced but which never had a form submitted are not included. Also, some forms were submitted but the models never showed or raced - so those forms were deleted - please submit a new form when you register any new model in any event - don't rely on a past submission... our gallery is also almost updated completely - stay tuned...
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- 4 years ago
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Replacement LED GU10 Bulbs Not necessarily a workbench essential but a race room lighting essential... Those of us who have race rooms using GU10 halogen bulbs whether recessed or on tracks who are looking for an energy saving, warm glow and compatible dimmable LED alternative when replacing existing 50w halogen bulbs should try the Philips 4.5w LED Soft White Light Dimmable Flood GU10 bulbs. They are 380 Lumens and behave the same as original halogen bulbs throughout the dimming range - much to my surprise - so much so that you will not notice any difference in light quality if you use them to replace blown bulbs here and there as they go like I am doing... Available at Home Depot they are just under $17 for a three pack... and they will probably outlast me... The Home Depot Article/Product Number/SKU (in case you wish to order online) is: 1001065206 with the following description: LED 50W GU10 Soft White WG GLS 3Pk
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- 5 years ago
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1963 Honda T360 Pick Up 1963 Honda T360 Pick Up This low cost ARII Owner's Club model kit found its way to my hobby bench and was adapted/upgraded into a 'low power' track utility vehicle for The Ring. Background on the box reads: Honda was established in 1948, and since then, it kept introducing a lot of famous motor bikes. The model "Honda T360" was the first car that Honda produced. It was called "Sport Truck" rather than "Light Truck". It was mounted with a 354 cc, 4-carb HOHC engine, and could make the maximum 30 hp. Two months later, "Honda Sport 500" was marketed. It is tiny (but tall): body measures approx. 92mm x 40mm; front and rear track of 39mm; wheelbase of approx. 63mm with guide post set approx. 66mm from rear axle; and weighs approx. 61.2mm (complete). I kept it cheap by using a DArt guide, BWMS050 motor, 8T BWA pinion, scavenged Scalextric 28T crown gear, piano wire for axles and 1/8" brass tubing in place of bushings. In its finished form it is smooth and quiet but for my taste would still benefit with a 10T pinion - which it may get yet - time will tell... Since pictures are 'worth a 1000 words' here are some pictures of this build. You will note I first planned to use styrene clamps to fix the rear of the body to the rear axle sleeves but bailed on that plan for a more reliable method. A rear frame made from piano wire covered by tissue paper soaked in a solution of H2O and white glue (as suggested by f1nutz) plus DArt fog lamps were later added to this model. Several parts were extensively modified as the pictures indicate. I used navy blue tent repair tape to cover the sides of exposed motor and some scrap patio umbrella fabric (painted with a dark wash) courtesy of Porsche911 as mud flaps to cover the crown gear. [foogallery id="10642"] It is fun building something that isn't meant to race... Cheers!
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- 5 years ago
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1969 CANAM Piper Ferrari 612 (No. 43) This period fantasy livery uses a DArt body kit and will have a scratch built chassis underneath mounted using one screw/body post behind the front axle and two clips for wire uprights just behind the molded tailpipe shell detail. Who better a pilot to place in this unreliable rocket than the other Polish Prince (not Marek) - Tony Adamowicz! After applying a dark green base coat and fixing the mounting post/clips we were ready for the next step - decals. 29 of the 34 decals used were printed using my standard inkjet printer and coated with two coats of Krylon Crystal Clear (as I do with all of the decals I make). Regarding the five store bought decals used – three were rectangular Monogram white blank number plates with a black pinstripe border and two were Pattos Ferrari badge decals – in hindsight I was disappointed with both the opacity and misaligned pin stripe on the white blank Monogram number plates (but it gives the model character) and should have just printed my own along with the Pattos Ferrari badges since I am really not a fan of their low resolution. Nevertheless the project turned out just fine. The decals will be left to dry for a few days and after some cleaning up the body will be ready for two clear coats (yet to be determined), then some detail painting and a dark wash. I haven’t decided if I want to paint or decal the spoiler orange yet… no rush… ...stay tuned!
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- 5 years ago
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Event Pictures Gents, From this point forward, pictures for all entries presented for events will be taken prior to the start. Additional pictures may be taken at the conclusion of the event, but this will be the exception.
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- 5 years ago
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Lotus 30 – DArt Body & Scratch Sidewinder Low Power Motor Chassis What better time to get into a Lotus 30 build than now - just in time for the upcoming CANAM Thunder! After some contemplation and a little scavenging then more contemplation it was settled. For this build I would mate the new DArt Lotus 30 body kit with full interior and fantasy livery to a scratch built chassis. I planned to use the following major components: DArt Lotus 30 Body Kit; 'low power' BWNC1 in a sidewinder configuration; Slot.It spur gear with scavenged 15T nylon pinion from some electronic device I threw away many years ago; 2 pair of BWA small 13" (11.85mm diameter) wheels all with DArt DA0211 urethane tires & DArt small inserts (customized); oil lite Parma bushings in the back, 1/8" brass tubes for the front stubs; and scavenged 'push in' guide from a Fly or other RTR scrap chassis. The trouble with making a 'low power' sidewinder model is always the gearing - so when I found the 15T nylon pinion with the correct pitch I couldn't resist. This sidewinder chassis would also be a torsion version using 3/32 piano wire as the spine sleeved by a section of 1/8" brass tube. The defining feature up front for this chassis would be the independent pins allowing the front wheels to have noticeable negative camber. I've wanted to experiment with a front end like this for a long time... if it didn't work then it would be easy enough to replace the sleeves with a straight section of tube. Several extra bits from the body kit are set aside for parts storage - like the larger inserts, clear lenses, short stacks & valve covers - they'll come in handy on another project sometime down the road I'm sure. I plan to use everything else.
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Lotus 30 – Why It Failed – Article "Sometimes there are good grounds for saying "it'll never work". To paraphrase the famous Richie Ginther quip, the Lotus 30 was a 40 with 10 fewer mistakes. But still too many to make it anything better than occasionally successful, even in the hands of Jim Clark. Ever the loyal Lotus professional, Clark did what he could with the car but, like everyone else who drove the 30, he disliked it, and it sometimes got away even from him. Designed to compete in 'big-banger' racing against Lola and McLaren, the 30 sold quite well in 1964 — 21 were built — but quickly earned a reputation for evil handling. An improved Series 2 version was prepared for 1965, but only 12 of them were made. Although the 30's modified 4.7-litre 350bhp Ford Fairlane V8 was inferior to the Chevy opposition, that was the least of its problems. One person who foresaw the car's failure was Lotus's own Len Terry, but his concerns were largely ignored. "Colin Chapman gave me the scheme and asked for my comments," recalls Terry. "I studied it for two days and by the end I'd produced a critique covering two foolscap pages. Of all that I considered wrong with the car, the only thing he agreed to change was boxing in the rear chassis members. That was it. He was not prepared to change anything else. That's when I told him somebody else would have to draw the car because I didn't want my name attached to it." To read the article view the attached .pdf which can be found below these images.
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- 5 years ago
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Ferrari 330 P4 No. 21 Ferrari 330 P4 Number 21 I've been asked to post a few photos of this model's body/chassis. The body is a modified Scalextric clam shell with modified interior and scratch built wire / brass chassis in a sidewinder configuration. The motor is a Piranha, gears are slot.it, rear bushings Parma, wheels are BWA, inserts & tires are DArt. To the best of my recollection the guide is a leftover Fly or Slotter. This is a very smooth runner - perhaps a bit more motor is in it's future. The modified interior with four body posts - nylon spacers glued in place - with flat black paint added. The bottom of the interior tray was raised slightly. Although the pilot's body was kept, I had to replace the pilot's head with a DArt period one - even though it is hard to see through the window... Ample clearance throughout the length of the chassis. I used a snap in guide from my spares bin plus whatever wire came with the Piranha motor. If you are buying parts always get the best - never anything like this guide - but I like to recycle whenever I can... the front 1/8" axle sleeve isn't even centred on this build - notice the extra brass washers on one side... not flattering photographs but that's what this is - this chassis was never intended to be a showpiece - I had to laugh after I opened it up yesterday to take these pictures... also note the brass tube used to lock the hinge pins in place. The motor is held in place with a fabricated motor bracket and 2mm motor mount screws. Hard to see here but the bottom of the endbell side of the motor fits very tightly within the piano wire chassis - basically snapping into place. No other bracing is used - but should I replace the motor with a 25k S-can then I would prepare to solder to the chassis to lock the motor in on the endbell side. But as I said - not needed for this application. Some interesting wear on the right rear tire... looks like the rears need to be re-profiled again which will give more grip. Lots of re-enforcement at the back. The motor rests against the rear piano wire assembly at the top. Axles with high iron content will be attracted to the magnet in the motor - never bothered to worry about that. You can see from the top that the motor is offset slightly. I never added weight to counter any imbalance - the model corners just as well in either direction. The bottom of the chassis - you can see how tightly the motor is located within the chassis base. The hinged brass body base floats atop the chassis. The wire 'pins' that hold the body plate/pan in place can be removed using tweezers and prying them out of the centre tube located just behind the guide. It never hurts to take full advantage of all of the properties of each material or component you are using - in this case the flexibility of the wire (just as in a torsion chassis too). Looks like it will be time to change that braid... I suspect it was the braid that was already in that guide... when I put this model together... Cleaned and back together again and ready to go once more! I'll leave profiling to the tires to another time. BTW, A shout out to Frank who gave me this setup block! It works better for photographs than the aluminium SCC block I usually use.
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- 5 years ago
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1950 Carrera Panamericana Video Here's a short video from the first Carrera Panamericana narrated by driver Jack McAfee and filmed (mostly in car from the front seat) by his co-pilot Ford Robinson - they went on to finish 10th in the race. https://youtu.be/sXk1jQU7Kxg
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- 5 years ago
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La Carrera Panamericana Blank Plates (1950) Found this recently - here's a blank plate for the 1950 Carrera - just add your number and print the decal on white decal paper:
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- 5 years ago
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Copper Tape Repair Across Power Taps – Courtesy KK Quoted From KK to others in SOS: I stumbled upon this little repair trick I thought I’d share with all the copper tape track owners I know out there. I have had a few issues with the tape tearing up where the power taps were installed recently and they can be difficult to re-solder once torn. I recently purchased some copper foil shielding tape for my guitars and it comes with “conductive adhesive” on the back. I used the 2” roll and cut 6 - 3/8” strips x 2” and placed them across the power tap locations Sunday afternoon. This tape is far thinner than the original tape I used and so far they are holding up nicely. With a multi meter there is absolutely no power drop or loss across the 2” repaired section. I also tried to remove a piece and it comes up without hurting the tape below. The problem spots were re-soldered and filed down smooth before applying the thin conductive adhesive copper tape layer on top. It actually smooths things out a bit and takes away the little click as the cars pass over the power tap. I will continue to monitor and report back if I find any issues that may arise with this type of repair but after about 1,000 laps there is no sign of wear, lifting or power issues of any sort. Thankfully all of my tap joints are in the middle of long straights and therefore should never really be much of a problem should there be some sort of minimal power fade in the future. This conductive adhesive shielding tape for guitars can be found for about $5.00 on ebay and Aliexpress. I also have tons of it in 1”, 2” and 4” rolls for my guitar cavities and back plates should anyone care to just try a piece themselves on a problem spot. The three lane section I tried this on used all of a 2 1/4” x 2” piece of tape and looking back I probably could have used the narrower 1” roll to do this. From JMSracer: Thank you for sharing this, your repairs looks very clean and seamless. I haven’t had any issues with tape lifting or tearing at the power taps only little on a couple of my tight turns but this is a great solution for a quick repair. From DArt: Excellent! :good: :good: :good: :good:
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- 5 years ago
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WordPress Update Recently our service provider automatically updated our website software (Wordpress) to a new version - v 5 - which now uses blocks - and with this has created a number of challenges for me to deal with on the back end. Things should be transparent on the front end however. I need to come to grips with these changes so I apologize for the delays with adding new content... :wacko:
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- 5 years ago
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Several Updates… and a few Upgrades! Gentlemen, Over the past few weeks we've had a multitude of updates added to our humble little corner in this universe - and one that failed - so after many many hours of confligulating annurosis and conjugulations to the untowards things were finally stabilized. I've never been closer to a pale shade of white than I was recently during those harrowing steps... but all is good that ends well and which is unnoticed by most... So upwards and onwards Blitzen, Ruben & Bacardi - hmmmm - something isn't right - yes - the order.... One upgrade featured alternate randomly generated user avatars - monsters - and since we are all sick of the tapestry avatars the monsters looked fabulous so I checked that box instead... funny how that spurred some to add their own avatar now... but like the screenplay says - nothing is foolish - it only gets better!!!! If you think that was subtle - take a closer look around - you might discover something... :wacko:
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- 5 years ago
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Vanski – Death Row – May, 2019 Execution – Sportscars Only Gents, As a heads up and given that the Vanski motor has been unavailable for many, many years now - we will be the first group in Southern Ontario to eliminate these motors from our Scratch32 and R32 1950's & 1.5L Grand Prix classes. This will have no effect on sportscars where they will continue to be permissible. We'll focus on the definition of 'low power motors' to effect this change... Over the winter you might want to consider moving some of your inventory to other groups - where they will be sought after... Cheers!
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- 5 years ago
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New Classifieds Plug In Gents, I've settled on an alternate classifieds plug in which works fine - Not my first choice but it is still good - and FREE! Many more things to configure... I'll have a few ads posted tonight to verify that everything works as it should for any registered user... :good:
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- 5 years ago
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PGP Insert Detail x2 Those of you interested in the upcoming Coppa D'oro and more specifically our new pre-war class (PGP/PGP+) have already worked with the new DArt pre-war wheel/tire/insert package. This is the recommended package for the class which comes with a choice of three inserts. Another new option for you: Using the same wheel I've taken two of the 20 spoke inserts and sanded one (the white one in this example) down to a thickness of approx. 1mm and placed it behind an original sized insert (the grey one) to see how it looks. You be the judge. It took me approx. 5 minutes to do this using both a coarse grit sandpaper, finer sandpaper and a sharp exacto knife. For best results I would suggest that you spray both the spoked inserts with your choice of Tamiya TS (or airbrush acrylic) and the wheels. Adding a black or dark grey wash (or any contrasting colour) to the inside of the wheel will make the spoke detail pop. Since most of the kits come with centre nuts or knock offs use them to finish the centre... So this is a fourth insert alternative for those of you building models for the Coppa. I'll be using this technique for both the Alfa 8C and the Mercedes SSK wheels that I am preparing for myself. Those of you who might still need a wheel package let me know - I've got 4 or 5 sets completed - now I am working on white tires for early models...
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- 5 years ago
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Classifieds Plug In Removed After several software and plug in upgrades on Sunday our Classifieds plug in broke - I've been working on fixing this over the past day but I haven't had any luck - so I've disabled it for the time being and will work on a fix or a suitable alternative - my apologies for the inconvenience.
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- 5 years ago
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Model Database & Model Gallery Updated Our Database and Galleries are updated to include the latest Carrera Panamericana models...
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- 5 years ago
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Group 25 Model Car and Model Slot Car Show Flyer – Saturday, September 29
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Adding a Face & Shield to that Helmet For Targa V I re-entered my Porsche 908/2 with pilot Gijs van Lennop (red helmet) at the wheel but felt that another racing upgrade was necessary - not to the motor or chassis - but to the pilot's helmet. The DArt HT70 comes in two pieces - helmet and opaque visor - so I decided to remove the visor and add some facial detail by cutting a cross section of HD05 - enough to fit inside the helmet - which I painted complete with fire resistant balaclava. I sliced off both sides of the original opaque visor, painted them flat black and added them to either side of the visor gap, but before doing so made a template from which to cut the visor. I hate working with thin pieces of brittle transparency and so for the visor I decided to experiment with something much easier to cut and handle... Using the template I traced and cut out a slightly larger piece from a clear plastic bag (yes - the same bags that all of the DArt parts come in) and placing a very small drop of clear epoxy on either side (where the visor pivots would be) I added the clear plastic visor making sure that it was tight across the face of the helmet as the glue set. After this dried a small drop of silver paint would be added on either side of the visor as visor pivots and to help cover up where the epoxy was applied. The upgraded visor and helmet performed flawlessly - and more are on my 'to do' list for other models. :yes: Total cost was $3.50 (HT70 $2.50 + HD05 $1 + bag they both come in)...
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Coppa D’oro Trials Some time was found to run trials for the new Scratch32 Golden Era Pre-War models - and so the Coppa D'oro was born.[foogallery id="8039"] After nearly a century it is never too late...
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Ferrari 750 Monza Scaglietti Here is an extensively modified Ferrari 290MM body kit which was turned into a 750 Monza as raced by Fon Portago in the final edition of La Carrera Panamericana. A single plastic exhaust (with exposed muffler) is used on the left hand side - and the exposed tail pipe is aluminium tube attached to the chassis. And in an effort to keep the look of this model period any temptation to lower or slam the body was snuffed - there is room above the motor to lower the body - but that would just not look right. This model in its current configuration utilizes an 18k Ninco large can motor for competition in the SP+ class. The added RPM (and torque) offset its overall weight (115g) to make this model perform and handle exceptionally well. "Look Ma - No Screws!" The body is attached to the chassis using one of my favourite methods - hinged side pods glued to balsa wood (epoxy) - using piano wire sleeved with brass tube inside brass tube on either side... The beauty is that all you need to do to remove the body is pull out the flexible wire tabs from brass tubes attached to the rear bushing uprights... no screws to fiddle with, work loose or lose on track... Just a simple wire/brass chassis with your basic .032" brass tongue front end and flat brass motor bracket to allow the motor/pinion to be swapped out. All of these parts were made using household hand tools although a trip to the garage to the drill press would have been quicker... square Parma oilite bushings were used at the rear. The angled wire braces on either side of the motor sit very tight to the motor giving the chassis added stiffness. The motor itself is angled slightly downwards towards the front of the chassis, both to lower the COG and to ensure the pinion is properly lined up with the crown gear. Round oilite bushings holding the front axle are reinforced with a 'chuck' bar soldered to each bushing and to the brass plate. The guide is a clone of the Ninco classic guide made by DArt. Crown gear is slot.it 28t, axles are professor motor, a DuBro #2 washer is soldered to the end of the front axle for independents, all four wheels are modified BWA, inserts and urethane tires are DArt - the tires are the club series tamper proof marked DArt CT0101 tire using a 1/8" white dot through the meat... which were leftovers from a past MiniGrid order. ...gearing and motor can yet be changed to increase performance - this chassis should be able to comfortably handle any motor up to 25k... and one day it might... :good:
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Figures132 I took the liberty to combine these previously posted pics for Figures132 on behalf of Michael Dark. You may have taken the time to notice a few photographers around the Ring courtesy Bob... Should you be interested in any of these please contact Michael directly. I'll leave it to him to reply with his preferred link should he wish to fulfill any orders... in the past he has provided both unpainted and painted versions... not cheap but well worth every cent!
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Draft Scratch32 Rules & Guidelines v4.0 – May, 2018 Gentlemen, I've prepared and attached an update in draft format of the current Scratch32 Rules & Guidelines (v3.0) that addresses the following: Eliminates the confusing reference to 15" wheels and sets all of the basic wheel sizes in metric (millimeters); Offers a basis from which to calculate wheel diameter and width to avoid confusion and make compliance intuitive; These updates to wheel dimensions are not substantive - they do not change anything - but clarify the rules as they were; In hot rods wheel size is no longer restricted to 14mm wheels - hot rod wheels may be smaller in diameter since this does not offer any performance advantage; In hot rods the previously mandatory SC0120 DArt tire is now no longer mandatory but still highly recommended; In sportscars since we have the relatively new SP+ subclass the 'target' motor reference allowing any motor to be used especially for heavier models is no longer necessary and so the SP class is once again restricted to only 'Slow' motors listed in G7. All models using any other motor will be classed as SP+; The draft version reflects all of these changes. For convenience I've marked all of the changes as follows: deletions are crossed out; and additions are in red. Please feel free to print/review your own copy (attached below) and comment by replying to this thread or in person at our next scratch32 event. You must be logged in to review the attached draft and comment below.
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Wheels: Hot Rod, 1950's Grand Prix, 1960's Grand Prix (Group 1) Those of us who no longer have the BW15-200-093-450 (skinny) wheels can get a similarly sized copy from RS Slots in the U.K. These wheels PART NUMBER: RSW001 are suitable for our: Hot Rod (use the SC0120 tire - either blackwall or whitewall (special order)) 1950's Grand Prix (use the SC0120 tire) 1960's Grand Prix (Group 1 - use the SC0118 tire) and (very nice front wheels for early Group 2) Sportscars (for early era cars - use the D7 tire measuring 7mm in width at the sidewall) Fill in his online form, he'll request payment via paypal and throw your order in a bubble pack. You should get your wheels in 10 days or so - shipping and customs are VERY reasonable. - Art
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Your Guide and Tongue – Limiting Over-Rotation Fabricating the tongue that will hold your guide of choice should follow several basic principles, one of which is that travel or rotation should be limited either by the just the shape of the leading edges of your tongue or by adding stops. If you allow excessive rotation then you risk allowing your model to rotate well beyond the useful range of performance and either wedging it at a 90 degree angle which becomes a hazard to others or worse yet allowing it to travel in the reverse direction. Be sure to limit the rotation of your guide to just 45 degrees each way by shaping your tongue into a triangle or soldering stops in place depending on the style of guide. If your car is sliding more than 25 degrees from the direction of travel then it is already out of control and if it rotates well beyond that then a properly set up guide stop will at least force the guide (and your model) out of the slot, removing power and allowing it to slide to the gutter and usually out of harms way. In a recent race one car which allowed the guide to over rotate by at least 180 degrees repeatedly wedged itself sideways, blocking the track and creating a hazard for others at numerous locations around the track. Limiting the rotation of your guide will not only increase the life of your model but also the lives of the models of those who race with you.
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- 5 years ago
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Country Colour Reference Chart A quick and useful guide (attached below in .pdf format) for those of you who are considering applying colours - especially if your only resources are black and white photographs without written detail. If you discover that anything in this chart is incorrect please let us know by replying within this thread/topic. ;-)
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- 5 years ago
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Essential Tire Adhesive This new Gorilla Clear adhesive is what we've been waiting for to glue our urethane tires! With no expansion, no mess, and no tan ooze this is the perfect tire adhesive. Reasonably priced and available at most big box retailers this should be an easy addition/replacement to everyone's toolbox. Please note that the manufacturer suggests you keep this product IN LIGHT to prevent yellowing over time. If you use it as much as I plan to do then it won't have time to yellow but nevertheless that is the manufacturer's suggestion. I've used Gorilla Clear on many sets of tires and find that it is much easier to use than the original formula but it does need longer to cure - I would wait at least overnight (or in a perfect world) 24 hours. As they would tell Mikey - 'try it - you'll like it'.
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- 5 years ago
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Shadowfax Slot Cars – The Dawn of Grand Prix Racing through to the Golden Era For those of you who are interested in pre-war models Shadowfax in France provides a number of high quality bodies/chassis/parts at a reasonable cost. Currently there are a few models from the 1930's that are being offered... Visit them at:
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- 6 years ago
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Event Galleries Load Faster Now Some background reconfiguration now means that all Scratch32 'Event Galleries' [on the Galleries/Event Galleries page (via the pull down tab on the main menu bar)] now load much faster.
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- 6 years ago
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R32 VII – Spa Lyons – April 4, 2018 The following gentlemen registered for R32 VII @ Spa Lyons: Porsche911; Art; Jimbo; MiA; FoX;
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- 6 years ago
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SlotTrak 13.03 – Free As many of you know, slottrak became freeware last fall. For those of you with a purchased version updated to 12.50 there is no substantive change apart from the software now being free. For that reason I don't see any need to update your track software to this newest version unless you are having hardware compatibility issues.
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- 6 years ago
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Scratch32 Rules & Guidelines v3.0 – December 2017 Make sure to review the latest version of the Scratch32 Rules & Guidelines updated for 2018. In a nutshell the update includes: a restriction to FF050 'slow' (or low power) motors in the 1.5L class; and the creation of an SP+ class under sportscars which allows any motor - vintage/new, custom/stock, unaltered/altered. The SP and SP+ classes will both race in future International Meisterschaft events but will be scored separately as either SP or SP+. The restriction to FF050 'slow' motors is logical to maintain the status quo in our 1.5L class. The addition of the SP+ sportscar class was motivated in part: due to some clearly wanting to stretch the boundaries of the 'target' 'slow' (or low power) motor in SP; to accommodate vintage motors of varying capability; and to encourage innovation in chassis construction. The SP+ and SP classes will race together and because we limit racers to 6 and give pilots an opportunity to race two entries it is hoped that those building SP+ models will race models in both classes. Those with only SP models (or those not interested in racing SP+ models) continue to be encouraged to race multiple SP models... :good:
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- 6 years ago
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Model Building Software & Electronics For creating model buildings out of paper - yes - their software can size anything you create using their templates and textures in 1:32 - there is a cost but it could be well worth it since so little is available in our scale. They also sell an affordable LED lighting system for just about everything on your layout, including buildings, signals, campfires, welding, etc. and also with optional sound for police cars, fire-engines, first responders, etc. Postage is reasonable or free for orders over $55.00(U.S.)... https://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/
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- 6 years ago
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Tamiya Modeling Wax I've just started using this product from Tamiya and it really does bring out the lustre of your paint. It comes with its own 'cloth' applicator and is very easy to apply. No white haze after applying but make sure to remove any excess and simply buff to a brilliant shine with a tiny piece of cotton T-shirt scrap - just remember to be careful picking up your model since it will be slick - and no finger prints either! I haven't used this yet over unprotected decals so I'm not sure if it will attack them - best to do a test piece first. Retailing for around $12-$15 per bottle/kit at almost any hobby shop (that carries Tamiya products) a tiny drop goes a long way so price shouldn't really be a worry.
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- 6 years ago
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