SlotCarMAG issue 22

SlotCarMAG

FOR RACERS, COLLECTORS AND BUILDERS

The Cars Of Colin McRae

ISSUE 22 • VOLUME 4 • OCTOBER 2014

www.slotcarmag.co.uk

Hub Habets examines the history of this great driver... via slot cars

Ferrari 156 Sharknose:

Step-by-step process of making the Scalextric model into a classic winner

News From The Front:

Didn’t our boys do well... well not really – but the GPd2014 Proxy series is a blast from eye candy heaven

Shadow Play:

Recreating the Jarama drama of the 1980 Spanish Grand Prix

A New Beginning Pt1:

Brett Jürmann delves into the history of a conquering Porsche

Mercedes W196:

Another beautiful model from George Turner Models

AVAILABLE NOW! SlotCarMAG Annual (issue 3) Featuring issues 13-18 complete.

After our first two popular all-in-one volumes, it gives us great pleasure to bring you our third annual.

These high quality coffee table-style books feature everything from our third year in publishing.

Available to purchase at

www.lulu.com (then search for SlotCarMAG) All international copies of SlotCarMAG will always be available on this site.

SlotCarMAG

FOR RACERS, COLLECTORS AND BUILDERS ISSUE 22 • VOLUME 4 • OCTOBER 2014

In This Issue:

In The Spotlight

2

A New Beginning

9

156 Sharknose

17

Colin McRae

28

www.slotcarmag.co.uk

2 In The Spotlight – Part 2 Lukáš Ščupák – In part two we delve a little more into the construction, costs and practicalities of producing these F1 classics.

5 Mercedes W196: Classic F1 from GTM – This iconic Grand Prix car looks like another prize Turner offering. Moss or Fangio...or both?

6 Shadow Play: Jarama 1980 – Francisco Nieto DiazdeYela has a dream... to recreate the grid from the 1980 Spanish Grand Prix with cars that you and I can play with. He is off to a good start.

9 A New Beginning – Part 1: Porsche 936 – Brett Jürmann enters into the Spirit of the Porsche 936 Le Mans domination, unravelling the history and looking at the slot cars.

11 HOt Rockin’: Bull Ring home build – It lay dormant for some years, then Andy Player decided that his initial HO track construction needed to be reborn.

14 News From The Front: GPd2014 – You may remember we built the cars to enter this event... now the truth of our failure and the series’ success is here in glorious colour.

17 Ferrari 156 “Sharknose”: A Scalex Mod – Graham Pritchard loves the shape of the 156, but more importantly wanted to race it in anger.

Another Penelope Pitlane chassis hits the track!

20 Larger Than Life – Part 3: Over to you Lynne – Once Brett Jürmann had finished with the Monogram 275P, he shipped it to Lynne Haines, to replicate a more realistic Nino Vaccarella driver.

28 Colin McRae: The cars of a great driver – Hub knows his stuff when it comes to rallying. Here he takes a look at the surprising number of Colin McRae slot cars that are available.

27 Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta: Another “looker” from Cartrix – A delightful little model from Cartrix indeed – just issued as we’ve heard more exciting news of a Scarab F1 and Ferguson 4WD! 27 Dilworth: The Andromeda Stain – In a universe, far far away...

SlotCarMAG is an independent magazine for the Slot Car enthusiast. It is produced bi-monthly and available to purchase from either: www.pendleslotracing.co.uk (hard-copy, hi res digital) www.lulu.com/uk (hard-copy, print-to-order hi res digital with laminated cover) www.slotcarmag.co.uk (hi-res pdf download) For further information, please contact the publisher via email. Address opposite.

Hello everyone I have to say that yet again we have a cracking issue. The retro F1 vibe continues with part two of ‘In The Spotlight’, as well as a look at a 1980 Shadow, ‘Sharknose’ Ferrari and the latest Mercedes from George Turner.

Lynne is back with some great driver work as she finishes off Brett’s Ferrari project, probably the first time we’ve ever had two people working on one car!

Although I probably shouldn’t have favourites, if I did, in this issue it’s without a doubt the Colin McRae piece. As a longtime fan of rally and of the man himself, it’s nice to see many of the slot car versions of cars he drove throughout his career all together in one place.

Finally, a quick public service announcement: for those of you who like to everything in one very neat and readily-accessible place, the pdf and printed versions of Volume 3 of SlotCarMAG are now available in one complete book. Further details are on our website.

Wayne Tooke

WEB: Wayne Tooke: info@slotcarmag.co.uk EDITORIAL: Ric Woods: ric-woods@slotcarmag.co.uk ART & DESIGN: Marc Abbott: marc-abbott@slotcarmag.co.uk SlotCarMAG is printed digitally by LDP Ltd

ldpltd@btconnect.com

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.

It is assumed that all permissions have been obtained by contributors prior to submission to SlotCarMAG. Whilst every effort is made to comply with copyright legislation, SlotCarMAG cannot be held responsible for infringements that are beyond our control.

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

Spotlight In The

In The Spotlight

by Ric Woods

part 2

In the first part of our interview with Lukáš Ščupák of Fslot-F1slotcars, we looked at his passion for Tyrrell F1 cars and his models of that instantly recognisable classic, the Tyrrell P34. This time we are delving a little more into the construction, costs and practicalities of producing these F1 masterpieces.

Tell us about your chassis construction. Do you use one basic chassis design?

Until 2014 our chassis were stainless steel, laser cut, silver soldered or glued with high-strength epoxy adhesive.

I had laser cutting done but over time the price reached the level that could not be accepted any longer, so since 2014 chassis have been made of plastic FR4 (material used on printed circuit boards – without metal layers), glued with high-strength epoxy adhesive. We ourselves mill individual components with a CNC milling

2

machine. Regarding wheels, we also lathe hubs and then grind tyres.

Another reason for changing the chassis material was the argument that metal chassis are unacceptable in various racing series, but I think they will come out with some objection against a plastic chassis sooner or later, e.g. chassis can only be from...!

Chassis are manufactured in a variant for 13, 13D, and ‘slimline’ motors. The motors are screwed into the chassis, 3/32" diameter rear axle, hubs are aluminum alloy, the rear wheels are mounted with an M2 screw, the front wheels lined with

PTF and pressed on to a continuous 2mm or 1.6mm axle.

The body is pinned to the chassis, the rear spoiler is screw mounted, and is easily removable after a collision.

I am about to finish a chassis where the body is bolted and the front wheels are on a split axle, but the basic concept of our chassis remains unchanged. I have not considered ‘universal’ chassis yet, because, in my view, cars each have their own characteristics, so each of our models has its ‘own’ chassis. Of course, if modellers are interested in some

The magazine for racers, collectors and builders – SlotCarMAG

George Turner – Mercedes W196

George Turner’s

by Marc Abbott

I

’ve been waiting for this car for a while... and I don’t think I’m at all disappointed. George Turner is offering four versions of the iconic Mercedes W125, a car that dominated the Grand Prix scene during the mid ’fifties.

The might of Mercedes threw itself behind the development of a car that was virtually unbeatable and, to make matters worse for the opposition, employed arguably the two best drivers to win for them – Fangio and Moss.

However, both their top drivers said that it wasn’t as easy to command as

the equally famous Maserati and really had to be “driven” with concentration.

I was surprised at the size of this beast... being used to other 1950s Grand Prix cars, this is a real beast.

Yes this is a large car, which I hope will make it good on the handling front. As we go to press, I haven’t had a chance to make my kit up (which arrived quickly and well packaged from George), but the process looks simple – perhaps the rear decal being the only potential for thought as I’m sure you’ll need decal softener!

Perhaps George will introduce more versions of the car in the future or

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

maybe even the streamlined “sports car”-looking model.

So if you feel the need to place an order, go to the GTM website for your favourite driver’s car at: www.georgeturnermodels.com The models on offer are (above left to right): • 1955 ARGENTINIAN GP FANGIO NO. 2, WINNER • 1955 BRITISH GP MOSS NO. 12, WINNER • 1955 BELGIAN GP FANGIO NO. 10, WINNER • 1955 BRITISH GP FANGIO NO. 10, 2ND PLACE

5

SHADOW PLAY JGP Models – Shadow Play

Ric Woods discovers what Francisco Nieto DiazdeYela has hidden in the Shadows of jgpmodels...

It’s not particularly unusual for a smaller manufacturer to have a theme to its releases – the lifelong love of a particular make of car, for example – but I have to say that Francisco Nieto DiazdeYela’s idea behind the Jgpmodels is one of the most usual and intriguing that I’ve come across.

F

rancisco hails from Madrid, so perhaps it’s no surprise that he should have a particular interest in the Spanish Grand Prix, JaramaGrandPrix y’see, except that the race Francisco is particularly interested in is the race held at Jarama in 1980... This race was notable for being at the centre of a dispute between Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), then the sport’s governing body and the Formula One Constructors’ Association (FOCA), which represented the interests of the garagistes, led by one Mr Ecclestone. Very briefly, the dispute arose over (surprise, surprise!) money, and the distribution of revenue

6

between the teams, and also a perceived bias on the part of FISA towards the big manufacturers with the forthcoming rules. Things came to a head just before Jarama, when FOCA attempted a protest and

advised its drivers not to attend the driver briefings. FISA then suspended some fifteen racing licences. King Juan Carlos insisted that the event organisers, Real Automóvil Club de España (RACE) should go ahead with

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

A New Beginning

A New Beginning

Part 1

by Brett Jürmann

I

f you have been following my articles, you may have noticed a theme of Le Mans winners. To win the greatest endurance race is something special, and so I have a nice collection of some of the past racers and winners at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

I cannot claim to be fanatical about it, but when they are reasonably priced, I tend to pick them up. So when Pendle Slot Racing began to discount their Spirit range of Martini Porsche 936 models, you would imagine I would snap up the 1976 Le Mans winner. The trouble is that its history was making this car unattractive to me.

You see, Porsche had the 1976 race practically sewn up before the start.

The 936 was technically miles ahead of the scant opposition and had won all but the first race of the season. As most expected, the 936 was dominant at Le

Mans and Ickx and van Lennep won the race. That makes the 936 a bit Ho-Hum in terms of being a classic racer, right? Well, yes and no.

The formation of the 1976 endurance racing season goes back to the 1973 Oil Crisis which I detailed in a previous issue of SlotCarMAG. After several years of having no money for racing, car makers were getting themselves back into motor sport and Le Mans was no different.

The 1975 race was essentially devoid of works cars and had fallen to one of the Cosworth-Ford powered Mirages, after the Gulf team finally figured out how ease the Grand Prix engine around for 24 hours.

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

Porsche led the works charge back into prototype endurance racing with a full programme for the 1976 World Sports Car championship. It could not be foreseen at the time, but Porsche’s 936 programme would lay the foundations for the German manufacturer’s domination of endurance racing’s golden era in the 1980s.

Porsche was already committed to the 1976 Manufacturer’s Championship with its Group 5 sports racer, the 935, but they also wanted to win the Sports Car championship and specifically Le Mans, which were conducted under more liberal rules which included three-litre Group 6 prototypes. While Porsche had been absent from European prototype racing, they had been involved in the North American Can-Am series with the 917/30 Spyder, and Reinhold Jöst had been doing

9

Hot Rockin’

A simple track build that could have been finished in a long weekend, but takes three years – sound familiar? Well, here's the story of my weekend project, the Rock County Raceway.

T

he idea for the raceway came from browsing obscure American slot car forums and learning about the great fun to be had with short 'bull ring' ovals. Reallife bull rings were the tiny ovals that appeared around the USA from the 1930s to the ’60s that satisfied an appetite for racing where there was either a lack of money or a lack of space to build the more usual quarter-mile or half-mile local tracks.

There's no official definition, but a track length of anything less than a quarter or fifth of a mile counts as a

by Andy Player

Above: T-jets ready to race

bull ring. The racing experience was a very short blast on a very short straight and then skilful driving round the tight corners.

After much playing around and taking advice and inspiration from the other side of the pond, I set about building my four-lane HO bull ring. I would use Tyco sectional track on a 4 x 2 foot lightweight board.

The track and most of the materials were things I had lying around.

The table was built with 3mm mdf on top of a timber frame. I squeezed some PVC angles between the frame

and board to give an integral retaining wall on each side. The Tyco plastic sectional track was attached using silicone sealant with power wires soldered to the underside of the rails. I drilled holes for light sensors, but later changed my mind and used reed switches, which meant cutting out a section of the base board. I was glad it was just 3mm thick.

I tested the track and it was just what I'd hoped for. The straights are just under four feet long and the turns have an outer radius of just

Auto World Stock Car Legends on the Rock County Raceway

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

11

NEWS FROM THE FRONT...

GPd2014 Proxy Invitation

GPd2014 Proxy Races:

I

n the last issue of SlotCarMAG, Marc Abbott and I put together a couple of classic F1 cars – a Lotus 49 and Eagle-Weslake respectively – to take part in the GDd2014 invitation proxy event, a series of races in the UK for 1966 – 1968 Grand Prix cars. At the time we also rather foolishly promised to let you know how we were getting on…

As we went into the first round at Dave Wisdom’s Forest Hall circuit, we were under no illusions as to the enormity of the undertaking; indeed, Marc had described it as a “battle with Ric’s Eagle for last place in all the races.” My own mood was suitably buoyant after Dave’s first ‘unofficial’ warm-up. Seventh place out of nineteen, four-tenths off the leader. Marc had fared less well, a further half-second or so back, in eighteenth, but still there or thereabouts. Dave had very helpfully

written a report on his first driving impressions. Mine was: Excellent road holding capability; very good traction/speed on corners; very good top end speed; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting.

And Marc’s: Good road holding; good traction on corners; some oversteer; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting.

So, very encouraging all round, in fact the best school report I had since I was about nine years old. Marc had a slight grip problem, which was a bit strange as we were both using the same type of NSR tyre, but that would get better as they ran more, I’m sure.

I was thinking that this proxy racing lark was really rather good, even when in

by Ric Woods

‘proper’ qualifying I slipped to ninth and Marc to nineteenth, out of now twenty runners. Sadly this gravitational trend continued into race day… I finished tenth and Marc’s car had started playing properly with a lift to seventeenth. Oh well, I was happy with that, right up until the moment our beloved steeds were scrutineered; somehow I had exceeded the Eagle’s scale wheelbase by more than 2mm! I had looked it up, done the maths (“uh-oh” – Ric’s former maths teacher) checked it on the car... and still messed up, in a very big and no-no way. Not only was I branded a fool, a cheat and a liar in

Main pic – The starting grid for round 1.

All other pics – Goodlooking cars need a circuit to match!

SlotCarMAG – The magazine for racers, collectors and builders

15

Ferrari 156

Ferrari 156 Sharknose

by Graham Pritchard

After my recent article on the Penelope Pitlane 1958 Ferrari 246 Dino, Ric and Marc asked me whether I had any other ‘creations’ that I could write about for SlotCarMAG. Well, that was a bit awkward at first as I have so many projects ‘on the go’ and finding one that was suitable and was actually completed was quite difficult, but then I remembered the Sharknose Ferrari that I had done a few months ago (and had actually mentioned in the above article), so after getting approval from the bosses, here we go with this one…

T

he car was actually built for Bill Charters’ ‘Half Tonners’ race meeting at Wolverhampton Slot Car Club that was held in November 2013, and started out as a rolling shell that I bought as spare parts off the internet. Now, believe it or not, some people actually chose to run more or less standard cars on the day because they do go quite well out of the box on a large wooden track, but I fancied trying to squeeze a Penelope Pitlane (PP) chassis under the body as this should make the car far better than standard.

First try was the PP In-Line Competition chassis – but whilst it looked like it should fit, once the Ninco NC-5 size motor was introduced it soon became clear that it was not going to be a goer. Next try was trying the NC-5 motor in the original chassis – but again, there just wasn’t enough room for it. So, it was going to have to be an FF motor in a

suitable PP chassis. They tend to be a bit undriveable on our club track but I was very pleasantly surprised when I tried a couple of other FF-motored cars on the Wolves track, so this rather unexpected discovery gave me faith that this project might just work.

First thing to do was to remove as much as possible from the bodyshell in order to create as much space as possible inside the car and also to ensure that we could see what was going on inside the car – it’s amazing what you can take out of this car isn’t it ?

Next on the cutting list was the chassis – and Bill was right when he had said to me previously that it was a bit of a

SlotCarMAG – The magazine for racers, collectors and builders

‘clamshell’, and so out came the trusty X-Acto saw and after a few cuts to myself and the chassis, the bodyshell sides were free and waiting to be affixed to the top half of the car.

Do not rush – I used a temporary fix first to ensure that I could remove

17

Larger Larger Than Life Part 3

Than Life

In this, the third instalment of the ‘Larger Than Life’ articles, I’m looking to finish off a facelift to a Monogram 275P Ferrari.

T

his was not a straightforward assignment. There are no definitive colour photos of Nino as he would have appeared in action in the cockpit at Le Mans in 1964. For some reason, most pictures of the winning car feature his co-driver Pierre Guichet. There are several quality books on Le Mans history and Ferrari sports racers, but there are few photos taken in the Ferrari pits where you might expect to glean details. The end result is that we went for the next best thing, piecing together photos from various events around the era which were consistent with the black and white photos of Nino that were available.

20

Some of the basic details were clear.

The race predates full-face helmets, and in 1964 Nino wore a silver openface helmet with a black stripe and silver peak. While Guichet wore the older two-piece aviator goggles, Nino wore single-piece rubber type. There are clear shots showing him on his way to the winners' presentation wearing pale blue Dunlop overalls.

Close examination shows that they featured an Italian flag on the left breast. Some of the finer details are a little sketchy. For example, although he consistently wore gloves, there are no photos of his hands on the wheel so the colour is at best a guess.

Then there is the look of Nino

When I accepted Brett’s assignment to prepare a driver for this I knew little about Nino Vaccarella and what he should look like.

With some help from Brett and some time with Google, the elements that would make this figure authentic began to fall into place.

Part 3

by Lynne Haines

himself. Certainly with an open-face helmet, some facial features are visible. The native Sicilian was distinctive for his Roman nose and the cleft in his chin. With these details in mind, I went looking for a suitable driver figure.

In a very short time it was obvious that the visual attributes of Nino were going to be easier to deal with than the physical requirements of fitting a driver in the restricted environment of the interior. The problem stems from the variety of different car layouts.

For an inline layout, the driver figure may be quite distorted as the tray needs to clear the motor. Such was the case in this instance (above).

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

n i l Co e a R c M His cars on the k... slot trac Colin McRae

by Hub Habets

S

ince his childhood, Colin had been familiar with rallying because father Jimmy was already active in the seventies and, in the following decade, even a fivetime British Rally Champion.

But first he started driving autotests in a Mini. He was so talented that he won the Autotest Championship of West Scotland in 1985, when he was only 17 years old.

The experiences of the autotests were very useful as a basis for rallying. He got noticed very quickly in the Scottish Rally Championship, now driving his private red Talbot Sunbeam.

With an underpowered Vauxhall Nova 1300 (Opel Corsa), he even finished the British Rally Championship 1988 in 6th place.

Meanwhile, he won the Scottish Rally

SlotCarMAG – The magazine for racers, collectors and builders

Championship that same year in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth.

After a retirement with a Peugeot 205 GTI during the RAC Rally in 1988, he moved back to Ford. First he competed with the 6-cylinder Ford Sierra XR 4x4 in the 1989 Swedish Rally, after which he drove the legendary Sierra Cosworth RS. Here the history of the Scot on the slot track begins for the slot rally fan.

23

Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta Cartrix – Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta

Grand Prix Legends Collection – Luigi Fagioli in the 1950 Swiss GP

The model is presented as a Special Edition on a Perspex display mount packed in a silver

by Mark Slade tin box, complete with duster. Limited Edition of 1500.

T

his car, in other guises, has been around for a while now and as usual the demand pushed eBay prices up to silly levels. However, at last, Cartrix have delivered the Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta as driven by Luigi Fagioli in the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix. We wanted to include it in our last edition of SCM, but alas it arrived too late for publication.

This model features the small FF motor, which will keep it around the same lap times as the Cartrix Talbot Lago. Obviously you’re not going to be able to compete with the Mabuchishod models based on cars from later

in the decade, but rest assured this car does handle rather well for what it is.

You will, however, need to do the usual – glue the motor in and, of course, add a dab of glue to the wheel hubs (why is there always a problem with loose wheels on these cars?). If you’re racing on plastic track, then experiment with some added weight just behind the front axle line.

Motor power isn’t fantastic but the gear mesh is very smooth, not something Cartrix cars are renowned for. The front end is quite low and I was hoping this would mean that the

SlotCarMAG – The magazine for racers, collectors and builders

centre of gravity would be good. It is better than the Talbot Lago, but you’ll still need to watch the turns if you have a grippy track… they didn’t have roll bars to protect the drivers in those days – so watch out!

The bodywork is beautifully finished and will grace any racetrack or indeed display stand. If you’re into Cartrix cars from this era you won’t be disappointed. If, however, you’re thinking about a first purchase, source yourself a BRM… they handle much better and can still be found at a reasonable price.

27

The Andromeda Stain

Long ago in a a weird galaxy far far away... probably located in Dilworth’s head...

The planet 23-Skidoo was first observed in 2025, and immediately recognised as an Earth-like body with potential life-supporting systems. A close fly past by the observational craft Bug-Eye 6 in 2053 prod uced dramatic images that caused an immediate stampede to trans-dimensional launch facilities all over the world.

There were striking signs of intelligent, co-or dinated life.

The entire terrain of 23-Skidoo was etched with fine lines running in concentric patterns, almost like fingerprints. No Earth geologist could find a natural explanation for the phenomenon. The planet had an atmosphere, oceans, a temperate climate… everything was in place for life, and what could be seen surely represented the activity of that life form. It had to be investigated.

The first Thoton-weft trans-dimension ship arrived on 23-Skidoo in December 2089 and reports arriv ed on Earth in time for Christmas. But the news was disappointing. The place seemed deserted.

No organic activity could be detected anywhere. Some breathed a sigh of relief – there had been much speculati on about little green men and death rays, but others were intensely disappointed. Life on other worlds!

New frontiers!

But later reports changed all that. The explo rers on 23-Skidoo, assured of the breathable atmosphe re and Earth-like gravity had been doing their work , analysing and excavating the exhaustive tracery of shin ing metal lines and grooves covering every dry and flatt ened surface of the world. Why where they there?

What was their function? Who had made them? Were they all a coded sign, a message to visitors? Perhaps even a dire warning that they could not decipher?

Then, beneath the swirling web, a transform ational discovery was made. Digging carefully in a spot pinpointed by their farj-cluster echo snufters, explorers

28

broke through into a space beneath the finel y engraved surface. It was certainly an artefact of hum anoid activity – a rectangular, straight-sided cave rn, crusted over with sedimentary deposits, but obviously created to house beings of human proportions. Fumbling along the walls, Frex, the leader of the group, hit some thing – a lever, a toggle or something, and the place began to hum.

Lights came on. The group stood, petrified.

The long dead machinery of an extinct life form had been jerked into action. What would it do? Would it over whelm them as it had overwhelmed whoever had construct ed it?

A message came through the x-ak-range close enhancer, from the mothership on the surfa ce. ‘Guys!

Guys! Come up – quick – you have to see this!

It’s unbelievable!’

Seeing as how the long-beam snarg distractor blift system transmitted all communication insta ntly back to Earth, there was mayhem at home. People all over the world gathered round their gratsnope sens e infiltrators to share the experience. There, in the fallac y-scope fields, they saw what the explorers on 23-S kidoo saw. As the heads of Frex and his crew emerged from the hole in the ground and looked towards the mothersh ip, they saw hundreds of tiny creatures scuttling along the fine engraved patterns interlacing themselves acro ss the planetary surface. As far as the fallacy-sco pe receivers could probe, these beings were hurtling arou nd in various complex circuits. Suddenly five or six of them were seen heading directly towards Frex and his crew.

Were they friendly? Poisonous? Had they alrea dy eaten the previous population of the planet?

One by one they slammed into Frex’s men, and the scopes focussed in on them.

In tight, measured tones that would become known throughout mankind, Frex gave his assessme nt.

‘It looks a bit like a McLaren M6B, folks.’

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

A

NYLOC on track

day that he t the Hornby ‘Meet The Team’ our very own Marc ue, iss t reported on in the las ng with Ian Townhill Abbott had a chance meeti us Owners’ Club from the North Yorkshire Lot devotee to all things (NYLOC). Ian is a long-time collection of Lotus models, Lotus, amassing an enormous slot cars, and was there including a huge number of an interesting and extremely because he is embarking on t with the support of worthwhile slot car projec 600, through Sales Manager performance car dealers JCT , through the legendary Steve Dargan and Scalextric Adrian Norman. no tinpot gathering of a few NYLOC, it should be said, is into their pints of real ale glum Lotus owners mumbling an mp retraction; Ian (himself about the pitfalls of headla ng eti me ber tem Sep the ng to Elan S4 owner) invited me alo t y Lotuses covering the las near York, and more than fift gnificent sight! fifty years were present, a ma is that a track will now be in in Where Scalextric comes ets and events and will be operation at various club me b and members of the public open to members of the clu l s, prizes for the best overal on the basis of ‘£1 for 10 lap ble era sid con g sin rai will start times’ and, in doing so, they , rse cou of s, thi m fro ff n-o . A spi amounts of cash for charity the by ion of our slotting ranks will be the probable expans Scalextric” and get bitten by adults who “used to have a ’t drivers who find that you don the bug again, and younger ll ski use to een g at a little scr necessarily have to be lookin ). and have fun (and tantrums of appropriately, the opening s, wa per pro The first event ds, Lee in p shi ler car dea a new JCT600 performance zes having been gathered pri and ip rsh nso support, spo (deep breath) Kit Lotus from a very illustrious list: ck, us, Club Lotus, Lotus On Tra Magazine, Classic Team Lot t Slo something called Lotus Cars, Lotus F1 Team and petition heritage; I’m com g lon e Magazine. JCT600 hav l remember the exploits of sure many older readers wil ’60s and ’70s, and grandson founder Jack Tordoff in the British Touring Car Sam currently drives in the up ich incidentally was made Championship. The track, wh run s additional straights, wa of two ‘Grid Force’ sets plus rly £95 was raised for nea for the invited guests and sun glitch being caused by the charity, the only technical the h oug thr y lap counters blazing down onto the batter ! Good old-fashioned stop dow win om plate-glass showro hand, however, so the show watches were (literally) to ic Lotus Evora C3387 with went on. The cars (Scalextr a couple of Scalextric blackC3379 held in reserve and y, ‘weathering the storm’ of window Audis) ran faultlessl very well indeed. Ian did some six hours’ constant use ndards were remarkably comment that the driving sta

s, in high-performance 1:1 car high, so perhaps an interest ll ski e som really does bestow no matter how old you are, ’s enthusiasm remains Ian ly, in 1:32. Very important undimmed! ed as I write and with those More events are being add ng, plans are underway to dark winter nights approachi es on club nights as well. It tak press the track into action e hop ing like this work. We a lot of effort to make someth the r track’s exploits ove to keep you updated on the coming months.