SLOT CARS

In my opinion there are three big companies in this hobby, SCX, Scalextric and Carrera. I have already posted about the first two, so it is time for the third. Carrera is a german slot car company and this is their history: "In 1920 Josef Neuhierl started manufacturing tin toys in the Franconian town of Fürth. Little did anybody know at the time that these toys actually marked the beginning of long road to success, or that the Carrera racetrack, which was being born in Neuhierl’s workshop, would one day be one of the world’s most popular toys. But, in 1963, all the pieces fell into piece: together with his son Hermann, Neuhierl launched the “Carrera Universal” system, the first electronic 1:32 scale Carrera racetrack. It was an overnight success. In 1969 the "Carrera 124" caused a further sensation on the market, with its larger scale of car. Then, as now, Carrera had all the ingredients for a recipe of success: excellent level of quality, a wide range of accessories and...

I have been playing with my two new cars and I do like them, they run smooth, without any stop or interruption, they keep on track easily although if you push them hard or hit the turbo boost button too close to a bend, you are out. They are not just toy cars as the Artin ones, impossible to take them out of the track. They run better on the SCX Compact track but their performances are also good on the Artin track I have. But, you can also find some problems. If you look close enough to the Mc Laren picture you will realize the paint is not so perfect and the car can even look¨"old". It is better in the Ferrari. And you can also appreciate how "high" the guide is. This keeps the front wheels from touching the tracks, wha t make them a little bit "weird". The front axle is different from the 1/32 cars, in these smaller cars it is fixed, it does not move. But, in spite of these details, I like these cars and enjoy a lot of hours playing with them,what I thin...

And I finally got a SCX Compact F1 set. Everything is good quality inside. The cars are wonderful, small because of its scale but highly detailed. The only problem I found is that the front wheels do not touch the track, maybe because of the brushes, and of its small weight. The same happen to the Nascar cars, but when you try them, you forget about the problem. They go incredibly better than the Artin cars and much better than the Carrera GO I have. I cannot talk about Jiada because I have not tried one yet, but I would like to try and compare. The decoration in the cars is also much better than the one in Artin or Carrera GO. And the power is much better, 12V, than the Artin one, 7.5V. So cars run better and smoother. And the tracks, the difference is so huge that I don´t recommend what I told in a previous post, to have and Artin track, cheaper. Once you have tried these tracks, you don´t go back to the others. SCX Compact tracks fit better, electricity is not lost and th...

Yesterday (01/10/08) I saw a SCX Compact F1 set in Target with a reduced price $62.90. In my "normal" Target, Centerton Square in Mount Laurel, there was no one; in Route 130 close to Delran there was no one either, but there was one in Route 541 between Mount Holly and Burlington (close to I-295). So if you are interested in this wonderful set, come on, run and get one before it is over....

Good news for the 1/43 scale. JWL slot cars is already selling the new Jiada sets and cars in this scale. I have not tried them yet, so I can not compare the quality of the tracks and the cars with SCX Compact, Carrera GO or Artin, but I will try to get some information as soon as possible. Until then, you can visit JWL web page for more data, http://www.jwlslotcars.com/Jiada143.html

This a small spanish company that makes slot cars and accesories with a very good quality, here you have their web page http://www.cartrix-slot.com/ and their distributor in USA http://www.slotcars.org/reh/index.html and this is what they say about themselves in their web page "Mecánica del Modelismo, S.L. it is a small company devoted to the cars and spare parts manufacture for slot (1/32) that sells under the brand CARTRIX. CARTRIX it is a dynamic brand that directs their products to user as to other companies. In this page you can see all the products that CARTRIX sells for the slot enthusiasts. If you are a manufacturer or club and need special quantities or even custom parts; not doubt in consulting us, perhaps we could help you. Mecánica del Modelismo, S.L. Polígono Industrial Carrús C/ Segorbe, 37 03206 Elche (Alicante) España Telf: (+34) 96 666 13 69 Fax: (+34) 96 545 88 99 e-mail: cartrix@cartrix-slot.com http://www.cartrix-slot.com/ " Here is the picture of one ...

Here you have two pictures, in one of them you can compare the size of a SCX 1/32 Nascar car and the 1/43 one. In the other one, there is a proposed SCX Compact layout for an Indy track, with all the components you need. And besides it fits in a 4X8 plywood. Hope it is useful ...

This article appeared at the end of last year in an important spanish newspaper "El Mundo" and talks about the future projects of SCX, especially in USA, sorry it is in spanish : "Scalextric busca la 'pole position' en el mercado estadounidenseTecnitoys, licenciatario de la marca, venderá los legendarios circuitos en la Quinta Avenida. Quiere multiplicar por 10 sus ventas en dos años y facturar 44 millonesDani CorderoSergi Pastor tiene una teoría acerca de Scalextric. Desde que llegara a España hace 45 años, la marca de slots «siempre ha llamado la atención de los españoles». En ocho de cada 10 hogares hay o ha habido un circuito. Cada año se han vendido entre 80.000 y 100.000. Y si preguntas a los ciudadanos, el 89% de ellos sabe lo que es. ¿Es una leyenda? «Pues sí», asevera Pastor.El problema radica en cómo hacer negocio de una leyenda. El dirige Tecnitoys, la licenciataria de la marca en España desde hace 10 años, donde tiene un 75% de la cuota del mercado de...

Holidays are over and prices are back in Target. The tuning set is 49.95 $ and the two cars set is 19.95 $. So the reduced price was only for the season. They have reorganized the stands in Target and SCX has told to the Spanish press that their interest USA and 1/43 will go on and even increase. (SCX Compact will be sold in FAO Schwarz, the famous toy store in New York City, I do not know if the same sets and cars, let´s see). So, till now, will have to go on with what we had before holidays. Come on SCX, send us something new!