SlotCarMAG Issue 4

www.slotcarmag.co.uk

ISSUE 4 • VOLUME 1 • OCTOBER 2011

FOR RACERS, COLLECTORS AND BUILDERS

Slot Rally GB:

Gareth Jex reveals the history and passion behind this event

Body Beautiful: The story behind Penelope Pitlane

Ferrari Glory:

Looking back – 1964 Ferrari 250GTO & 275P

Ready to Rock:

Lynne Haines and the art of producing... rocks!

WIN!

PENELOPE PITLANE RESIN KITS SEE PAGE 2

NINCO CAR TO WI S N!

Mag SLOT CAR

FOR RACERS, COLLECTORS AND BUILDERS

Contents

ISSUE 4 • VOLUME 1 • OCTOBER 2011

visit: www.slotcarmag.co.uk

In This Issue:

2

Pit Board:

3

Foreign Affair:

6

For those about to rock:

8

Lotus 24 kit:

9

Slot Rally UK:

17

Penelope Pitlane:

Hello to “stage” four Issue 4 has a rally theme, plus some other great articles. Look out for our Penelope Pitlane feature too.

AND what about the prizes!

Rui is back and remembers 1964 Ferrari enjoyed huge success, perhaps winning in spite of itself. Rui Costa examines the history and slot cars of the 250 GTO and 275P. Building a cheap, really effective rock face Lynne Haines shows us how to master the art of “building” your own rock face... and it fits nicely into her circuit too.

Even a numpty can build it.

We hesitated giving a PP Lotus 24 kit to Mark Slade, simply because he’s not that good at building kits. We needn’t have worried.

The biggest rally UK Rally event Gareth Jex sets the stage for the biggest slot rally series held in Britain and has taken some great action photos to go with it.

The body beautiful PP bodies and chassis are well known in the slot car world. We talked to Steve Ward and because he’s such a nice chap he sent us some kits!

SlotCarMAG is an independent magazine for the Slot Car enthusiast. It is produced bi-monthly and available for purchase via our on-line store at www.lulu.com/uk and printed in hi- resolution digital format. Hard copies are also available from www.pendleslotracing.co.uk It is also available to purchase as a pdf download from the SlotCarMAG web site.

For further information, please contact the publisher via email. Address opposite.

20

Ninco World Cup:

22

Graymalkin:

24

NASCAR, HO Style:

26

Club Focus:

28

Dilworth’s World:

Full results from Spain.

Peter Solari, our inside man at Ninco, reports on the biggest slot car event of the year. As well as the HUGE track, drivers had to pilot both N-Sport and XLOT cars.

Finally - time to paint the car!

Well, actually... no. First we need to check the clock, then the weather and more importantly be patient...

It’s masking time!

Oval racing with the beefy little US-style cars Andy Player gives us a brief history of the HO NASCAR scene and revels in the delights of these little powerhouses.

Crampton Tower – what’s it like then?

Adrian Norman delves into the change-lane, pit stop, splash-and-dash, turbo-charged world of his digital club... and asks for a national standard.

Trying not to create a scene The professor inspects the difference between the racers and scenery-buffs and comes to a conclusion that may not surprise you.

WIN!

GREAT PRIZES – SEE PAGE 2!

PUBLISHING / WEB: Wayne Tooke: info@slotcarmag.co.uk EDITORIAL: Ric Woods: ric-woods@slotcarmag.co.uk ART & DESIGN: Marc Abbott: marc-abbott@slotcarmag.co.uk Cover photo: Gareth Jex

Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to accurately compile the information contained herein, SlotCarMAG or any of its contributors or advertisers accepts no liability for any errors and omissions or any inadvertent disclosure of any information not meant for publication. SlotCarMAG neither endorses or accepts responsibility for the reproduction of material supplied that is of sub-standard quality, such as photocopies, laser prints, pre-printed photographs, low resolution digital images etc, and reserve the right to refuse the use of such material, products or services of advertisers in this publication. Opinions expressed shall not necessarily be that of the SlotCarMAG. All information should be verified before being acted upon.

Copyright: Contents of this magazine or our web site, cannot be reproduced in any way, shape or form without the written permission of the publishers.

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1

Foreign Affair Ponderings from Portugal, by Rui Costa

Italian Job mythic Ferraris from 1964

T

he year of 1964 was the pinnacle for Ferrari. Never before and never since has a team won so many trophies, important races and championships than the Scuderia of the black prancing stallion on a yellow shield. However this year also marked the end of an era.

The controversial Ferrari 250GTO was one of the last frontengined cars to remain competitive at the top level of sports car racing, and after winning the World Manufacturer's Championship in 1962, 1963 and 1964, passed into obsolescence.

The 250GTO prototype was developed in the wind tunnel at Pisa University and at Maranello by Giotto Bizzarrini and his secret crew. Its creator thought it was so ugly he called it “The Monster”. The first real GTO was tested on 5 December 1961 in front of Enzo Ferrari himself, having a body sculpted by the professional coach builder Sergio Scaglietti, and which creation is widely renowned as one of the most beautiful cars of all time. The long list of pilots who had the privilege of driving one of the 36 GTOs made, and the endless racing successes, bears testament to the achievements of this fantastic car.

In 1963 steps were made to improve it, which included revised Pininfarina bodywork.

Sometimes referred to as the Series II or Type 64, only seven chassis received this new body which was quite different from the previous GTO. Mechanically speaking, the 64GTO was very similar to the ‘62/’63 cars. The only modifications adopted were a wider track and wider wheels, with slightly different tuning for the Weber carburettors and smaller exhaust manifolds that did not improve peak power but widened the overall power band.

The body, however, differed considerably, the roof line being the most noticeable difference in that it was no longer a ‘fastback’ design, but formed an airfoil at the trailing edge.

The remainder of the lower and wider body was reshaped

Slot Car MAG – The magazine for racers, collectors and builders

3

For those about to

Rock!

by Lynne Haines

No matter the style of track you choose to build, unless you are working on a flat, perfectly manicured, purpose-built race circuit, there is a pretty fair chance that you will want to create some rocks. As with everything in scenery land, there are many and varied ways of going about this. A quick reference to assorted model railway resources will turn up a plethora of tutorials on building with rocks cast from plaster or plastic, or carving rocks from materials like polystyrene or expanding foam. For those with plenty of money but limited time there are even pre-cast sheets of rock available. Still others will vouch for cork or acoustic ceiling tiles as being the preferred medium for creating rocks.

W

hen it came to building my track I once again decided to take the cheap and cheerful route and chose a completely different method by which to create cliff faces.

I first came across the FRock (Foam Rock) idea mentioned on a track build thread for a scenic track on one of the Australian Slot Car forae (Auslot) and decided to find out more about it. Well, you can imagine a quick Google search turned up some interesting but completely unrelated information. About to give up the search, I eventually found, hidden away on the fourth or fifth page, a link to an Australian website with the information I was after.

The materials for making FRocks are simple and inexpensive.

Upholstery foam can be bought quite inexpensively or often scrounged for free. Plasterer’s jointing compound or dry-wall mud (depending on where in the world you live) is also inexpensive and I have used it extensively in my track build. You’ll also require glue, paint and brushes.

The premise of FRocking is easy. The upholstery foam provides the foundation structure and texture of your rock. The joint compound gives the rock some strength. Depending on the type of rock you are trying to emulate the foam can either be torn or cut to shape. Once glued into place it receives one or two coats of joint compound. When dry, paint it. How hard can it be?

To create the continuous sandstone cliffs on my track I chose to tear long strips of foam. This is simply done, although I will admit to having sore fingers by the end of the task. Laying the foam strip on a table I then cut as much of the bulk from the rear of the strip as possible. This step is not necessary, however I have discovered it beneficial. The thinner wall of foam absorbs less ‘frocking compound’ and dries more quickly. It will also produce a slightly stronger surface.

6

With the aid of dressmaker’s pins (above), the strips of torn foam are assembled and trial-fitted to the proposed rock face. Once satisfied with the arrangement, the foam can be glued in place using a suitable adhesive. Once again, the pins become a handy way of holding things in place whilst waiting for the glue to cure.

Plasterer’s jointing compound can be purchased in powdered form and mixed with water to create a slurry (above). This is definitely the cheapest way of going about the task, but for the

The magazine for racers, collectors and builders – Slot Car MAG

T

he SlotRallyGB 2011 Championship has just completed its fifth round before concluding the series with the final rally event in Wales at the Wye Valley Club on the 6th November. Plans have already been confirmed for next year’s series. If you are interested in collecting and racing slot rally cars, read on.

SlotrallyGB is in fact a bit of a catch-all for several things, all based around racing and collecting rally slot cars. A little history is required before we go much further. Back in 2005, whilst I was responsible for PR at the NSCC, I organised the NSCC 25th anniversary weekend at Toyota’s headquarters in Epsom. This involved tracks, trade displays, birthday parties and a race championship series final. Off the back of this event I was persuaded to run another event the following year at the same venue for the NSCC. This event would be similar, but based around rallying and became SlotrallyGB 2006.

The reason for the change from racing to rallying was simple. Having collected all types of slot cars for many years (mainly Scalextric and SCX) my collection had simply become too large and I found I was buying cars simply to complete the collection rather than concentrating on what I really liked – i.e. rally cars. In addition to this, a small group of racers from the Farnham club had begun to regularly attend the two slot rally events held at the Wye Valley (Wales) club. It was on the long drive home from one of these events (with various trophies won) that the seed was sown and plans made.

The SlotrallyGB event in 2006 was, by most accounts, a great success and brought together slot rally racers, clubs and manufacturers from around the UK and further afield. It did, however, take an enormous amount of effort on many people’s part and hard work by a dedicated team of enthusiasts and members of the NSCC. After the event I publically said that I would not run another event on this scale.

Slot Car MAG – The magazine for racers, collectors and builders

Gareth Jex sets the stage for the biggest slot rally series held in Great Britain

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Slot Car MAG – The magazine for racers, collectors and builders

13

F

or those of you who have never heard of Steve Ward, you may well know him by his alter ego of Penelope Pitlane. This is not quite as exciting and controversial as it first appears; Steve just wanted a name and a logo for his slot car products that would stick in the memory, and he certainly managed that!!

It really started for Steve at the age of 11 when he went to the ‘Big School,’ where he met John Shinton, now of John Shinton Models (check his site out and be prepared to be blown away!). John had a spare bedroom with a permanent slot track, and Steve and a group of other lads would build crude brass rod chassis and run their own championships. Steve remembers that no matter how he tried, the axle never seemed to form a right-angle to the motor, and one of the crowd could never solder two bits of brass that would hold together long enough to finish a race, all of which sounds horribly familiar! However, this was the spark that started a lifelong obsession with motor racing.

Let’s fast forward 15 years to the ’80s now, when Steve built a Formula 1300

sports racing car on his driveway – you couldn’t get around it in the garage – and before the days of ARCS Tests, bought a competition licence and entered his new car at Mallory Park in a 750 Motor Club event. No-one was more surprised than Steve when it passed scrutineering and this virgin driver and car had to take to the track! He ran that car for a few seasons before moving on to racing a road-going MG Midget for a couple more, then becoming an instructor with Everyman Motor Racing for 2 years.

Now in the ’90s, with no formal training and being solely self-taught, Steve thought he would produce model kits. He started SDD and cut his manufacturing teeth on 450 military kits, including 54mm ‘Dads Army’ figures from the popular BBC

Slot Car MAG – The magazine for racers, collectors and builders

television series. The BBC then did a piece for the local news which was bought by Breakfast Television, being broadcast on the hour, every hour the next morning. At 11a.m. Steve was contacted by BBC Enterprises to have his legs smacked for not buying a licence from them… he still has a copy on video but says “you have got no chance of seeing me in a tin hat with Pike’s scarf around my neck!” Some five years later he started Penelope Pitlane with a range of 1/43rd static racing cars: a V16 BRM, Connaught B type, HWM etc., culminating in a 1/8th scale Lotus 18.

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NINCO WORLD CUP 2011

by Peter Solari

S

The ONLY slot-car World Cup event!

even years ago, Spanish manufacturer Ninco held the first slot-car World Cup, with teams competing from around the world, representing their country on a central global stage. Each team is selected through national qualifying heats, bringing together the best-of-the-best from a variety of nations to guarantee racing of the highest standard. Previous years have seen the competition held in Spain, Italy, Germany, UK and Gran Canarias, and this year it returned to Spain, with the town of Cassa de la Selva playing host to the event. Two massive 8-lane circuits were assembled and uniquely intertwined to give the full 16-lane World Cup track designed for both N-Sport and XLOT finals.

As with previous years, the race weekend was split into sessions for practice, qualifying and racing, although since 2009 these sessions have again been split to incorporate Ninco’s new 1/28th XLOT range.

Countries taking part this year included Andorra, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom. It was expected that Finland, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA would field teams, but unfortunately each of these pulled for different reasons just weeks before the event. Late-entry “wild card” teams from Portugal and Spain were therefore drafted in to fill the open lanes.

Specifications governing the vehicles used for the competition were based on Ninco products, with chosen cars being the Renault Mégane Trophy for the 1/32nd scale race and the BMW M3 E30 for the 1/28th scale XLOT final. Motors and tyres for both categories were fixed, but choice of gear ratios and overall car set-up was free to be determined by the team, as long as it stayed within the strict NWC guidelines.

Friday’s two three-hour test sessions allowed teams to finetune their cars for best race performance, before settling down to qualifying when grid positions would be decided. Just prior to qualifying - referred to as “Super-Pole”- all cars were checked for compliance to the NWC regulations. Ninco scrutineers meticulously checked weights and dimensions before placing each race car in parc ferme. The next time the cars would feel the track beneath them would be for the Super-Pole shootout...

Albert Ranera from Spain’s Wild Card 2 “Cric Crac” team set an excellent 18.12-second fastest lap to secure first choice of lane in the 1/32nd race. The XLOT pole time of 18.99 seconds was set

by Sander Martens for Team Belgium. With all starting positions for both races settled, a good night’s sleep had been earned

before the main final races the following day.

The 1/32nd scale final was the first competition to take place on Saturday 10th September. Updates of the race were reported via the Ninco World Cup website (http://nincoworldcup.blogspot.com/), set up specifically to announce news of the event and this remains as an online archive of all NWC finals. Spain’s first team, “Palau”, previous winners of the NWC crown, took an early lead and very quickly settled into a fast-paced rhythm which no other team could break. The rest of the field were never far behind, however, and the battle for the remaining podium places was hotly contested between Spain’s wild card entries, the Italians and the Belgians. At the end of all 16 heats, less than twenty laps separated the top eight finishers, with Italy holding on to second place from the closing Spanish Cric Crac team.

The 1/28th XLOT final was also a very closely-fought race.

Even after the first eight heats, there were just five laps between first and fifth place. The consistent lap times posted

by Palau, who again found a perfect rhythm, saw them creep ahead from around three-quarter distance of the race. In the closing stages of the final, Cric Crac edged ahead of the thirdplace battle between Italy and Portugal’s wild card team, these two trading places right up to the very last heat of the race when Portugal moved up to take the final podium place.

In addition to team Palau achieving the Double Champion status, their team member Ignasi Baldominos managed to set fastest lap of both races with times of 17.97 and 19.13 seconds respectively. Race day finished with an award ceremony and presentation of special prizes for Best Decoration, which went this year to Team Canarias.

Once again, congratulations go to the winning Spanish team; a superb finish for the nation that has dominated the Ninco World Cup series and, even more impressively, this is the second time that Team Palau has won the double (both 1/32nd and 1/28th)!

Thanks go to every international team that has taken part in each of the NWC events to date. Let’s hope they continue to participate in this well-established contest. Special thanks also to the members of Ninco who make this event happen. They remained pleasant and professional throughout the entire event and along with the participants are great ambassadors for the hobby.

Bring on the Ninco World Cup 2012...!

Final podiums for Sport (above) and X-Slot (right)

Fastest driver, Ignasi Baldominos (left), fastest car (above)

Award for best decorated cars went to Team Canarias (above & below)

ult Méganes

Full grid of Rena

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The magazine for racers, collectors and builders – Slot Car MAG

HO scale

by Andy PLayer

NASCAR

Racing

W

ith HO being a predominantly US-based scale, it’s no surprise that stock car racing has always featured prominently in manufacturers’ catalogues – and on basement racers’ calendars. Whether the cars are from the local short-track or driven on the big stage by household names, a stock car grid is always full of colour.

Tyco, Mattel and Life-Like have all produced NASCARlicenced liveries, including Life-Like’s range of the current ‘Car of Tomorrow’ Chevys, Fords, Dodges and Toyotas. Nastrucks were produced by Tyco and Life-Like in the ’90s, the latter also producing a run of winged Outlaw sprint cars.

Thanks to Bruce “Patto” Patterson’s vast treasure trove of decals, plus the wide range of US sedans produced in HO, almost any Nascar from the past forty years can be recreated. Resin and lexan bodies just add to the modeller’s options. Nonetheless, it

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Main pic and inset: COTS – Life-Like brings Sprint Cup racing to your living room. (pics: Andy Player)

The magazine for racers, collectors and builders – Slot Car MAG

Club Focus

Crampton Tower

Scalextric Digital Club

by Adrian Norman

S

What's it like, then?

calextric racing has, traditionally, been all about one car per slot. Car A races against Car B and ne’er the twain shall meet. Well, that all changes with digital racing, as all the cars can use the same lane.

Now this is the point where many seasoned racers think “Yeah! And there’s a pile up on every corner for the entire race and I don’t want my car ruined!” I agree with you. The problem was how to get around that problem.

The normal rules of running a race in terms of who races, when, how many laps/how much time, etc. is the easy stuff.

Even the car modification rules can all be ported over from traditional ‘analogue’ racing. For digital racing, though, crashing into other cars and ruining everyone’s race is not a pleasant way to spend an evening racing.

In the end, it was an easy solution. If, just as in real racing, all cars can take the same racing line, then there have to be some pretty hard and fast rules about contact between two cars with some harsh penalties applied with firm but fair discipline from Race Control. The answer: Any car-to-car contact = a 10 second penalty in that driver’s pit garage in the pit lane. In practice, some contact is inevitable and allowable. Swapping door paint on corners is allowable and this happens in the real world of racing.

Ramming a crashed car out of the way so that you can carry on

racing isn’t allowed, nor is it in normal motor racing. This, along with similar contact which reflects plain bad driving and any other unscrupulous ways of gaining an advantage all meet with a 10 second penalty. No more first corner destruction derby, no pushing the car in front off at the next corner, no brake testing.

All these bad habits are soon driven out of the ‘analogue’ racing style because the 10 second penalty damages the chance of success in the race so much. To rub salt into the wound, the offending driver has to count out his 10 seconds penalty aloud so that the other drivers can all hear, and know, who the culprit was.

This works so well that the drivers, upon making contact with another car and realising it was their fault, now automatically go to the pit lane to serve their penalty without Race Control having to ‘black flag’ that driver. There we are, then, just ONE RULE: NO CONTACT. Easy for everyone to understand and comply with. We have a mixture of experienced traditional racers and newbie digital racers who haven’t experienced a traditional club and all have taken to the new ONE RULE system easily.

The racing at Crampton is run using the C7042 powerbase and SSDC race management system from the PB-Pro team and Andy

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The magazine for racers, collectors and builders – Slot Car MAG

Above pic: All the drivers stand in front of the pits so that they can easily see the pit lane when refuelling – and see the culprits serving their penalties!