DIECAST RACING REPORT September 16, 2020 – Vol. 1 No. 7
Inside: Superman’s Last Stand – Diecast World Games 2020 Quick Tips: Taking Cars Apart – Charity Racing
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In This Issue
Table of Contents Editor’s Notes News Briefs Calendar Columns
Live from the Rust Belt
Resources
QuickTips
4 5 6 7 8
Features
Superman’s Last Stand
10
8
16
Tournaments
2020 Diecast Games
10
Indiana Diecast Racing
12
Sub4ra
13
Rust Belt
14
Redline Derby
15
OnTheTrack
RTR Diecast
18
Fast Rabbit Racing Club 18
13
War on I-4
19
Chaos Canyon
20
3DBotMaker
21
16 Cover Art: Glenn Harding
Diecast Racing Report is a publication of Kit Kayem LLC, 7511 Greenwood Ave N #112, Seattle, WA 98103, USA Comments or letters to the editor: comments@diecastracingreport.com Are you a writer, photographer, artist, or other ne’er-do-well? Drop us a line: submissions@diecastracingreport.com Staff: Christopher (Kit) Kidder-Mostrom, Ali Kidder-Mostrom, Steven King, Josh Paufler
September 16, 2020 | 3
Editor’s Note A brief note this week. I’d like to say that is because brevity is the soul of wit, but in truth I’m in a hurry. This issue is coming out one day late. For that you have my deepest apology. We had a colossal computer failure on deadline day and have had a rough time getting this issue together as a result.
people who make diecast racing a reality. On what was probably my worst emotional day in a while two of the league owners with whom I get to chat regularly took the time to brighten my day. It’s little things like that that constantly remind me that while our world is an utter mess right now, it’s the people that make everything worth it.
As we go along each couple of weeks putting this magazine together, we’re meeting new people, and learning new things, and I hope that this is the case for you, too as you read what’s on our pages.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for being part of this wonderful community. And thank you to the league owners and car modders who bring joy to the fans of this sport every day.
It’s a privilege to work with and for the
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Kit K-M Editor-in-Chief
News In Brief
Hot Wheels Calgary to Host Massive Live Event Aaron Bird took to YouTube this past week to announce a sequel to his popular Birdco 500 event of January 2019. On New Years Day, 2021, Bird and his team of coconspirators will be offering the world many hours of uninterrupted live-stream racing in an event now dubbed the Birdco 1000. The Birdco 1000 is a winner-take-all stock (not-modified) tournament. Because of the previous event’s sheer numbers (288 cars), a limit of one entree (1 car) per household will be enforced this year. The tournament will also be limited to 132 cars. That
means that in addition to getting their own car back, the winner will be receiving 131 slightly used diecast vehicles. Bird is apologetically (he’s Canadian, after all) requiring a $1 entry fee per entry into the event, to help cover the expense of shipping a heavy box of cars across the globe. Anyone interested in participating must email Aaron Bird at hotwheelscalgary@shaw.ca to get the rules sent to them directly from Hot Wheels Calgary and to declare their intention to enter. Cars must be in hand in Calgary by December 11th to be able to participate in the race. This is a hard and fast deadline. Because any funds left over from the fees will be added to the winning car’s purse, this race will not be
allowed to appear on RedlineDerby.com. It will be on our calendar in future issues of DRR, however.
Popular Diecast Artist Releases Video of Process Glenn Harding’s art can be seen all over the online diecast community right now (including on this magazine’s cover). And with good reason! He’s a talented guy, and his work captures the essence of why diecast racing is so fun. Harding has released a new video on YouTube that introduces himself to the community and lets us all watch as he creates a beautiful rendition of the classic redline Red Baron.
September 16, 2020 | 5
Calendar
Mail-in Race Deadlines Stock: Diecast 64 Open Stock and Hot Off The Shelf (September) – Deadline for Entry: September 19, 2020. Drag strip. Two of five divisions are stock. Open Stock is any 1:64 scale cars. Hot Off The Shelf must be 2019 or 2020 Mainline cars. Entrance fee. More Info: RaceHotWheels.com Redline Derby Racing League September Races - Deadline for Entry: September 23, 2020. Drag strip. Weight limit 65 grams for stock vehicles. Field limited to 32 participants. One car per participant only. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Pinks for the Cure – Deadline for Entry: October 1, 2020. Road course. 70 gram weight limit. Cars must be pink in color. Entry Fee. Racing for Charity. More Info:: RedlineDerby.com
Modifieds: Cops v. Robbers – Deadline for Entry: September 18, 2020. Road Course. 50 gram weight limit. Cars must be obviously cop cars or robber cars. No FTE axles allowed. More Info: Jack John and Katie Racing
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Diecast 64 Open Modified & Modified Street (September) – Deadline for Entry: September 19, 2020. Drag strip. 57 gram weight limit in both categories. Entrance fee. More Info: RaceHotWheels.com Diecast 64 Six Wheel Big Rig Race - Deadline for Entry: September 19, 2020. Drag strip. 6-wheeled SemiTrucks only. Modifying for speed. Limited modifying for appearance. 100 gram weight limit. Entrance fee. More Info: RaceHotWheels.com Dixie Grand Prix 3 - Deadline for Entry: September 23, 2020. Road course. 50 gram weight limit. Only Indy Car and F1 style vehicles permitted. Two cars per team. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Redline Derby Racing League September Races - Deadline for Entry: September 23, 2020. Drag strip. Weight limit 60 grams for modified vehicles. Field limited to 32 participants. One car per participant only. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Miatas at the Crest – Deadline for Entry: September 30, 2020. Road course. No weight limit, but weight must no exceed height of doors. Modding for appearance required. More Info: RedlineDerby.com
Pinks for the Cure – Deadline for Entry: October 1, 2020. Road course. 70 gram weight limit. Cars must be pink in color. Entry Fee. Racing for Charity. More Info: RedlineDerby.com The October Boneyard Classic – Deadline for Entry: October 21, 2020. Draig strip. 57 gram weight limit. Cars must be made of body and chassis that weren’t meant to go together. Axles must be nonmatching front and back. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Franken Drags – Deadline for Entry: October 31, 2020. Drag strip. 100 gram weight limit. Cars must be built from non-matching parts. Mainline axles only. Live Race. More Info: Rust Belt Diecast Racing Friday Night Cheese– Deadline for Entry: rolling (open submissions). Road Course. 150 gram weight limit. More Info: ILC Race Series King of the 621– Deadline for Entry: rolling (open submissions). Drag strip. 100 gram weight limit. More Info: RedlineDerby.com
Column
Live from the Rust Belt Racing for Others: A Driving Force for Charity by Josh Paufler
A
community comes together in times of need and the diecast racing community is no different. There’s never been a bigger time of need than right now, in the middle of this worldwide pandemic. A few racers and channels have found ways to give back and be awesome in the process. TuneTrax Racing hosted a charity event this week, sponsored by Silverback Racing, to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital. This was an atypical charity race as all the vehicles were Chris Lowey’s house cars. A $5 minimum donation to St Jude
bought you a seat on his brand new track in Thailand. The 2-lane speedway set up made for some exciting finishes and the diorama surrounding the track gave it a great immersive feel. A fun watch for sure.
Uniting for Good – Tune Trax Racing and Silverback Racing worked together to raise funds for St Jude Children’s Hospital.
If you’ve read my recaps or watched the action from the Westfield 500 last month, you know that it was one for the books…. literally. Jim Desaulniers started the mail-in tournament to raise money for his local library that was affected by the COVID shutdown. As a Boy Scout leader, Desaulniers encourages kids to use the resources available at the public library and saw this race as a way to help the library survive. It just goes to show, you don’t need to fully fund medical research to do good in your community. Speaking of medical research, here at Diecast Racing Report we are sponsoring a very bright charity
event this October. Pinks For The Cure will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation, an organization focused on supporting breast cancer research. This is a wide open tournament with all brands and castings allowed, with one stipulation… they must be pink. With an 8 car per household limit, there will be one big and wild field of racers heading to Box Canyon Loop this fall. Over at Rust Belt Racing, we’re organizing a race later this year to benefit a local Autism group in Michigan. Stay tuned for more details as the plans develop. Looking at how this online community of racers has reached out to help the real world community makes me proud. There are some generous and caring individuals out there looking to make a difference. Let’s support these causes as best we can and lift up our community in these uncertain times.
September 16, 2020 | 7
Resources
Quick Tips
Many Ways to Skin a Cat (or, Take Apart a Diecast Car)
T
he great thing about diecast racing and modding is that the sport continues to grow – attracting new folks all the time. Whether you’re new to diecast racing, a long-time participant who’s transitioning from stocks to mods or an old (modder) dog wanting to learn a new trick, these quick tips will teach you a thing or two about step 1: opening up a diecast car. 1. Be gentle. When it comes to drilling posts, slow and steady wins the race. If you take care at this crucial phase, your car should come apart and go back together with ease. See how Honest Diecast does it in “How to
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take apart Hot Wheels using a drill. DRILL BIT SIZES INCLUDED!” 2. Keep it clean and smooth. In “How to Take Apart Hot Wheels and Matchbox Diecast Cars and How to Put Them Back Together”, Rust Belt Diecast Racing files the rough edges off his posts and uses lubricant to make sure his tapping process goes smoothly. 3. Find what works for you. It’s great to learn from experienced modders, but sometimes you just
need to try something a bit different. When traditional drilling didn’t pan out, Paul Youdelis developed a method using a vix bit. See what he does in the video “A BETTER Way to take Diecast Cars Apart!” 4. Work with what you’ve got. You don’t necessarily need to invest in the heavy tools to start modifying diecast cars. Some folks use hand drills and, in “How to Take Apart your Hot Wheels Step by Step”, 3rd Eye Diecast shows you how a Dremel can work just right. 5. Some like it hot. If you want to open up your car, but want to leave
Resources the post intact, try the soldering iron method. For a quick overview, Redline Derby Racing highlights this technique in the video “Take apart diecast cars without drilling”. If you want to see all the details, check out “How To Open a Diecast with a Soldering Iron” by Diecast Show Customs.
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September 16, 2020 | 9
Tournaments
Big Poppy Racing by Ali Kidder-Mostrom
The games have begun! Over Labor Day weekend in the USA, Big Poppy Racing aired the first event of the 2020 Diecast Games. In “The Push” 64 competitors (2 each from the 32 competing teams) tested their brute force, colliding with and pushing a wooden block. The farther the block was moved the higher the car’s standing and points earned. As will be the case for each event in the Diecast Games, the top half of the pack each claimed points for their team. Not surprisingly, trucks did well in this event. Of particular note was the JL Coca Cola Studebaker casting, which came in both first and second place (driven by Diecast Game rookies, QC Racing and Your Nightmare Racing, respectively). However, bigger wasn’t always better; the broad Mitsubishi Lancer Evo – a car quite popular in the world of diecast racing – generally landed in the middle of the pack. This was not an event where fantasy castings, often smaller and with more narrow fronts, succeeded. The notable exceptions were KA-Boom Racers’ Noodlist and Red Pill Racing’s Carbonite (which helped
land Red Pill Racing in first place for team standing). Red Pill Racing’s other car, the Mercedes 500 SEC was another model which made a good showing; Nick Deavers and Red Pill each placed in the top 10 with this car. Right behind Red Pill Racing, Your Nightmare Racing’s consistent showing led to a second place finish in team standing. On the other side of the chart, Arc Command, Rust Belt Racing and Silverback Racing had particularly rough starts in this event, with each of their cars finishing in the bottom 10. Overall, 21 of the 32 teams earned points from The Push, placing them at the head of the pack moving into the next event. Event two, “The Climb”, had cars racing down into a valley and back up a hill, with the apex of their run measured to see just how high they could go. Climbs ran quite a range, the lowest being 71 3/4 inches, which wouldn’t seem bad, except for the fact that 19 cars had climbs of 100 inches or more.
THE PUSH – Red Pill Racing’s Mercedes 500 SEC nudges a wooden block over 28 inches for a solid score.
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The highest climb was an impressive 104 1/8 inches by
Nick Deavers Racing’s Burlesque. Nick Deavers came out of the first event at third place overall in the point standing. Unfortunately, the great showing of his Burlesque was balanced by a 31st place run by his other entry – the Mercedes 500 SEC (which faired much better in event one) – and kept him from gold-medal standing. So, coming out of event two he’s moved up to second place. After finishing The Climb without earning points, early leader Red Pill Racing fell to 6th place in the overall standings. Your Nightmare Racing moved on up to the top, with an impressive finish in both events. Earning an outstanding 46 points in The Climb, League of Speed was able to climb all the way up into third place. Again, Arc Command, Rust Belt Racing and Silverback finished in the bottom of the pack. Perhaps they can climb out of this when the events move from these specialty events to more traditional races. Also struggling was Fast 5 Racing, who just escaped having two cars in
Tournaments Nightmare Racing’s Pretorian Guard have each completed their two individual events, finishing with an imposing 57 points and 43.5 points, respectively. If GOING UP –Your Nightmare Racing’s strong showing in The Climb puts them in the drivers seat going into the 3rd event. the teams’ other cars also fair the bottom 10 for both The Push and this well, Your Nightmare Racing The Climb and just hasn’t yet may be headed straight for gold and seemed able to break away from the KA-Boom Racers (currently in rest of the pack. Luckily for these fourth) could easily land in medal teams, there are a wide range of contention. events (all the way through midEvent 3, “The 1/4 Mile”, airs later this December) where they can hope to week. prove their mettle. Coming out of the first two events, KA-Boom Racers’ Noodlist and Your
Diecast Games Second Year Events Now in its second year, the Diecast Games have grown from 11 teams to 32 teams. Last year the games were by invitation only. This year the teams are competing in the following events: • The Push – Completed • The Climb – Completed •
The ¼ Mile – Coming 9/18 A straight-forward downhill sprint.
• The ½ Mile – One of the standard lengths in 1:64 scale racing • The 1 Mile – Longer than most straight drags. New Event this year. Replaces The Jump. • Marathon (The Roll) – Each car rolls as far as it can until it stops. • Obstacle Course – The track is what goes over and around obstacles. Cars just follow the track. • Slalom Race – Single lane downhill with 7 zig-zag curves. • Fat Track Free For All – All cars racing on the Fat Track. • 4 Car Relay – Every car on each team will be lined up at intervals. First car bumps into 2nd car to get it going, and so on.
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Tournaments
Indiana Diecast Racing by Josh Paufler
wins to advance.
The Westfield 500 has finished up and the champion has been crowned. What’s next for Indiana Diecast Racing?
Ragtag Jim, hometown favorite Maria Harden, DRR’s Kit Kayem and Insane G from SilverFox Diecast Racing filled out Group 2. Ragtag Jim’s Chevy Stocker came in as the points leader and started on the pole. After a rollover on lap 1, his best finish was second. Other than that, he didn’t get a single point.
Back to the IDR Open! This opencall stock race is what started their YouTube channel. It’s nice to see it continue but with all the new improvements to the track and filming techniques from the Westfield 500. It has the feel of hitting the ground running as Jim Desaulniers dives back into this racing series. He picked up with the start of Round 2. Group 1 featured Rex Wild, Kevin Fairbairn, Kevin Smith and JD Elst. The “Barn Fire”, Fairbairn, ran away with points racking up 3 consecutive
However, the F40 of Maria Haden dominated with 4 straight victories to take the round for the home team. Could it be another tournament championship for the hosts?
Jenny Vinny, Jason Elliott, John Receveur and Mr. Freeze of LF Ent Racing made for an interesting race in Round 3 with Vinny having a phenomenal day at the track. A race full of flips culminated with a bizarre rollover from Mr Freeze, resulting in a full stoppage, but not before all 4 cars lined up and tried to push him to the finish. Jenny Vinny completed the round in first place with 13 points. A couple more Ferraris found their way into Group 4, driven by Mayfield41 and Harper Hamilton. The other two cars on the line were driven by Rodney Anonymous and Dax Quade of DXP Racing, who had a perfect round coming into this group race. Hamilton was able to spin Dax for the pass and win on lap 1. Lap 2 went much the same way with Hamilton blasting her way through the field for another runaway win. And that was the story of the day as Harper Hamilton, my favorite to win it all, took 4 straight wins. Dax Quade moves on along with her into Round 3. Stay tuned for Group 5 when this reporter will join Jim as a guest commentator. Coming soon from IDR: Plethora of Party Wagons, a mail-in race for only modified TMNT Party Wagons.
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Tournaments
sub4ra by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
W
hen Sub4ra launches a new series, it happens in a whirl and a great rush. Many other leagues put out content once per week. Twice per week is common for the most active channels. This past week saw three videos released on the Sub4ra YouTube channel, and they were all part of the preliminary activities of the JLH Krafts Truck Racing Series. The event at hand was Speedweeks. These were essentially time trials conducted on a 6-lane drag strip. Not even time trials technically, but just a series of short runs down the track to see which trucks were functional, and which weren’t able to meet the basic needs of a major racing series. The set-up was simple. Trucks would run in four-vehicle heats. The truck in first place in each heat would go on to the next round. Any trucks that couldn’t make it to the finish line were deemed unable to compete in the actual race series – not the next race, but the entire series.
Small Sampling– A few of the cars waiting to race on night two of the Speedweeks event, part of the JLH Krafts Truck Racing Series.
That may seem a little harsh, but there are a lot of trucks competing. A lot. In each of the first two nights Rhyno sent 15 sets of trucks down the track. That’s 122 trucks in total. (Yes, there was an extra truck in a couple of heats to accommodate all the entrees). And, while any truck that couldn’t finish can’t be used in the race series, the drivers are allowed to submit a replacement ride in order to continue on as the real season gets going. In many ways, that is huge gift to those drivers. After all, who wants to be entered in a contest with a truck that can’t meet the basic parameters? There’s no hope for eventual victory there. So... after the two days of basic fourcar heats, thirty cars remained actively in pursuit of the one stated goal of the Speedweeks sessions: namely, a guaranteed spot in the first race event of the series and a coveted 5 points head start on the season point totals.
Ten trucks of the original field didn’t make the cut. In the end, one out of every twelve entered trucks didn’t make the final field. The top 30 racers quickly filtered down to a small group of finalists, and Maxilla, racing for Red Pill Racing will be starting the series 5 points ahead of everyone else. All in all, a very exciting week, and Rhyno’s informative and entertaining commentary made what could have been a daunting slate of races into a constant celebration of the competition and the creativity of the builders. Now 112 trucks stand ready and waiting for the time trial qualifiers to join Maxilla in the field of the first race event. Up next at Sub4ra: The final events of the 2020 ADRC (Adult Diecast Racing Championship), and a full six-race season of intense truck action.
Maxilla driving the Red Pill Racing #9
September 16, 2020 | 13
Tournaments
Rust Belt Diecast Racing by Josh Paufler
There was a lot of live racing action already this month over at Rust Belt Diecast Racing. On Midnight Shrub, Brandon Murray, aka “AKA”, became the first driver to win on 2 different tracks at the weekly late-night live street race and has now become the first driver to win 3 feature races. Fossil Rock Raceway in Ohio ran the first race of the new series, King of the Belt. This unique modified challenge race series will be run live in the Facebook group on the last Friday of each month with any cars sent in during that month. Lightweight class is 50g and under, heavyweight class is 50-80g. Other specs can be found in the Announcements tab of the Rust Belt Facebook group. Mayfield41 is currently on the podium with a 70 Monte Carlo. Coming soon to Fossil Rock: Open wheel and NASCAR.
Also, the continuation of their new challenge series where members can put out a challenge for other members to accept. This is a weekly mail-in series. A little further south in Ohio, at T.F.T. Raceway, Sunday night races are just heating up. Now into the 6th race of the weekly series, Jason Hatfield has yet to be dethroned from the Tooth Fairy podium in the 2013 Camaro. Coming soon to T.F.T.: Championship race with prizes. At Rocket Dragway up in beautiful Reese, Michigan, the racing was crazy as Mike Rader ran a day long Labor Day race series. The Big 3 Shootout featured cars from Ford, Chevy and Dodge. Each manufacturer had a 48 car heat earlier in the day, leading up to the Shootout at night. Glorious Gus Greenfield had a chance this week to tie the consecutive podium wins record but was upset by Shaun Bjorn Oliver. Chey “High Octane” Wheeler retains the record at 6 consecutive podium wins, the most at any Rust Belt track. Out of nowhere, Randy “Tooth Fairy” Jarusiewic took the podium Friday night and will be the new champion when races resume at Rocket in a few weeks. Coming soon to Rocket Dragway: Bus Bash, the drag race featuring all buses, will be run down the Descent Into Madness in October. Also, the first championship race is coming up. The new Sky Drop is finally ready to roll at Rust Belt Raceway Park in Buffalo, NY. After a month of construction and tweaks, the crashes have been cut to a minimum and the
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Summer Modified Series has started, and will continue to run into the fall to make up for lost time. The weekly YouTube race, Friday Night Food Fights, has found some solid competitors in the modified food truck division. The Sledding Hill has also proven to be a worthy adversary for them as Jimmy John took a header off the side of the track to kick off September racing at RBRP but recovered to notch his second win. Coming soon to Rust Belt Raceway Park: Grocer Getter 250 with all modified station wagons, continuation of the Kids and Lightweights Series. The Shorty Showdown will start on September 25th and run before Friday Night Food Fights on YouTube. Details are in the Announcements tab in the Rust Belt Diecast Racing Facebook group.
Tournaments
Redline Derby Racing by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
Over the the last two weeks, Charger Summer completed its fifth event at Red Pill Hill. In our last issue we addressed Round One of the cars’ time in Georgia, but the rounds of 32, sixteen, eight, four, and the semiand finals hadn’t yet been aired. That’s a lot of racing, and most of it was dominated by Voxxer (Jon Soffa). In fact, in this event he took both first and second, which will add heftily to his overall points in the standings. At the time of going to press, we have not yet seen any updated standings for the overall results of
Charger Summer. It is hoped that we will be able to bring you full results after the next event, which is soon to be held in Michigan. Nick Deavers Racing is the host for the sixth leg of Redline Derby’s premier summer series. Deavers’ track is a wall-mounted two-lane speedway, and it is lightning fast. The racing action should be exciting. More on Charger Summer in the next issue. Also next issue, the September RDL Racing League results. Cars are currently on their way to Red Pill Hill for that event.
Participants Announced for November #8Modders Event Diecast Racing Report will be hosting a second installment of the popular 8 Modders Project, which will appear on these pages on November 15, 2020. The project selects 8 of the top customizers in the world and features how they do what they do. This group will be working on the Custom Ford Maverick casting. Participants include the following world-class builders: Jon L. Soffa (Voxxer), Matt Allen (Mattman213), Warwick Rule (Chaos Canyon), Robby Comeford (Diecast 64), Frank Kline (Red Pill), Robbie King (Rob’s World of Hot Wheels), Heather Harmon (LionHawk Racing), and Mark Heisler (Jackson Pass)
September 16, 2020 | 15
Feature
Superman’s Last Stand: I’m Just Here for the Gasoline by Steven King
W
hen it comes to Hot Wheels, I think I started out like most of the people that follow 3DBotmaker.
I would take the money I earned from mowing lawns (I had 4 lawns on the block I would take care of) and that would keep new cars coming into my ownership. I still remember the place I would go: Jerry's Toys and Hobbies in Saint Anthony, MN. It was the type of toy store we don’t see much anymore. Jerry the owner would get to know his customers; he always knew what cars to show me, cars I simply could not reject. still got used enough. I would watch car movies as a kid and replay the best scenes from the movies on my bedroom floor. Smokey and the Bandit, Gone in 60 Seconds (1974 version), Vanishing Point/ Duel, The Road Warrior; they all where replayed over and over again during the long Minnesota winters. Then one summer my life changed: the older kids down the block where selling their orange Hot Wheels track with a duel lane starter (almost 20 feet of track, to be precise). From that point on, the focal point was not simply re-enacting car stunts I watched on T.V. or the movies; now it was to challenge the cars with thrilling, death-defying racing. The first tracks were somewhat short, barely tapping into the over 18 feet of track I had bought. Starting off on the top of the chair and going a few feet, I would race all my cars. The cars I bought from Jerry's Toys and Hobbies started to change as well; I started looking for specific traits: faster, lower, heavier. The tracks started to grow as well; they moved from the chair and slowly got long enough that they would travel from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor. The cars would dance their way down the track. When I had a friend over, we took turns being at the starting line or the finish; when they were busy, I would bribe one of my sisters into starting the cars for me and, when no one was around, I would race them alone and do my best to figure out who won. Later on, I got the big flag finish line that rarely lied. The door to the 2nd floor still has grill imprints permanently testifying that these cars flew down the track and often came to a short stop. As I grew older I got more scientific about racing the cars, looking at weight and wind resistance. I didn’t race the cars as much as I was when I was younger but they 16 | Diecast Racing Report
Things started chipping away at my racing time: Boy Scouts then video games, High School then girls, all took me further away from my racing. From something I would do every day, it slowed way down; they got packed away at some point for months at a time (it is hard to impress a girl with orange tracks and Hot Wheels all over the place). But I never stopped collecting, and at least once a month I would introduce my new cars to the old ones by racing. I even got some of my high school friends into racing for a minute. Hot Wheels started to drift away from me, though. I had a real car now and I was determined to learn a few of the tricks I saw in the movies and recreated when I was a child on my bedroom floor. Then I meet a great gal, punk as all-get-out and with an eye for big stupid guys with Mohawks. We started talking and dating and, as things go, we grew close. Because winters suck in Minnesota, with long stretches of cold, she decided she was going back to the land of hot summers and warm winters. Given the choice, I chose to go with her. As I was going through my belongings, I came across my cars and, out of instinct, I packed them away - the idea of leaving them was too great to deal with. When I first got to Los Angeles I was the typical fish out of water. Our work schedules often left one of us alone for a large part of the day and one day in a fit of boredom I opened that box I brought from Minnesota. Each car I grabbed gave me a rush of memories: I remembered where I bought it, I remembered the time it won a race sliding down the track upside down. It was a
Feature flood of memories (all great) and they brought a smile to my face. I was still into bigger cars at the time and when I would bring up Hot Wheels to my friends a few of them thought I was crazy, but on a few I could see a smile and a recollection of races won in the 1/64th scale. I would bust out a few cars from time to time and display them, but that was as far as it went. As an adult, I didn’t know how to recapture my youth yet stay true to the adult I had become. That’s when I saw it. YouTube had gifted me a path forward: videos of guys just like me with the same
passion for these little cars, still putting them to the test. It started with YouTube channels like Ghostjerker and Races for Fun and then I saw some who took the concept to the next level. I jumped in watching 3DBotmaker's channel right when he was finishing up the 2019 KOTM. I remember it was Episode 31. Soon, I was hooked. The production, the set, the commentary and (most importantly) the racing - just as honest and exciting as when I was a kid, sending my cars down the stairs on the orange track. It felt like coming home again, but this time the house had better lighting, a proper finish line and way better commentary. Then fate stepped into my life yet again and I put my name in as a driver for this new series 3DBotmaker had created. He called it the DRC and it was very different than Race Mountain. It was a diecast rally championship and I instantly fell in love with the idea. I was granted Caduceus (better known as the 1995 Ford Escort Rally, good old number 8). And then I watched as that little car performed magic on the newly printed DRC track; it was almost as if the car was built just for that track. For drag racing, the odd weight positioning made the Escort perform sub-par. It was slow off the starting line and never lived up to its potential. But something about the DRC track sends that little Escort flying around the corners like almost no other car can. It is now the 4th event for the DRC. That magic little Escort has won 3 events for 2020, but she is showing her age; some test and tuning has caused damage and she struggles where she used to fly. Even if we lose this 4th event, I have nothing but love for that little Escort. It has rekindled a long dormant flame, buried deep inside, and has brought me joy - introducing me to a great community of new friends. Fate brought me into the DRC, so it is only fitting that fate decides my future for the DRC. But, either way, I will be smiling. A great movie asked “Where must we go, we who wander this wasteland, in search of our better selves?” I found the answer: it is in the DRC.
September 16, 2020 | 17
On The Track
On The Track: RTR Diecast Racing League by Ali Kidder-Mostrom
Now that the Firebird vs Camaro Tournament is complete, RTR Diecast Racing League has turned into quite the grudge match, literally. The latest races to grace Mayes Mountain are Saturday Night Grudgefests. For the last two weeks, Hot Wheels and Matchbox have been squaring off in a grudge match that is years in the making. In the first showdown, it was Mercedes vs Mercedes, with a Matchbox Mercedes GLE Coupe facing a Hot Wheels Mercedes A Class. No fancy commentary here; it was just car vs. car, brand vs. brand racing action. With “action” being the operative word. Especially when faced with the newly installed ramp into the
finish line, the cars flew, flipped and collided like never before seen on the Mountain. Based on the grudge matches seen on this channel earlier in the year, it seems Matchbox has an edge over its younger competitor (whether due to its 15 years extra experience, true to scale modeling or some unknown special factor). This best out of three race of Mercedes shared that trend of Matchbox supremacy, with the GLE Coupe coming out on top. From the first heat of the latest race, a battle of the Cadillac Escalades, it seemed Matchbox
indeed could not be beat. The race had a Spy vs. Spy aesthetic: Hot Wheels was represented by a Black 2007 model and Matchbox by its White 2015 counterpart. However, this time, Hot Wheels decided to fight back. Winning the subsequent two races, the Hot Wheels Escalade was able to take out its Matchbox rival. Sadly, the only thing the Matchbox Escalade took out was four spectators.
On The Track: Flat Rabbit Racing Club by Ali Kidder-Mostrom
While the cat’s away the Flat Rabbit Racing Club (FRRC) will still play. With Glitch not having returned 18 | Diecast Racing Report
from the wasteland, Chops and Knuckles decided to have another run for fun. This time they went head to head in a best of five battle for the carrot.
There’s a change to the track in New Westrock, since Steel Corp Auto Repo (SCAR) blew out the road. Now the typical race course starts with one mean-looking jump. But
On The Track prize is “Burgers at Pinks”, perhaps it was Knuckles who really pulled out ahead.
that didn’t stop Chops (in a ’61 Impala) and Knuckles (in a ’70 Escort, with the paint still wet) from sending some exciting racing action across the feed. Chops took an early lead, but Knuckles wouldn’t be shut out. The pair had a havoc-filled set of races, with many scrapes and crashes ending in DNF. Ultimately, Chops finished in first, but when the real
The transmissions out of New Westrock haven’t been all fun and games lately though. In “Incoming!! Max Havoc!!” Chops had to assist a visitor from Chaos Canyon who was being hotly pursued by SCAR. But this was no simple run to safety; Max Havoc definitely showed off his familial Stuntman ties in a escape you have to see to believe. With SCAR out of the way, the fun could really begin. Chops (in a ’68 Mercury Cougar) went up against Max Havoc (driving
a purple Thresher) for a best of five race for the win. Max Havoc took an early lead, zooming ahead and leaving Chops in his Southern Hemisphere dust. He really showed the old rabbit some new tricks, but Chops fought back and the two ended up being very well matched from race to race. Having had their fun, Max Havoc pointed them in the direction of something completely different. Glitch and a whole crew of FRRC racers (including DRR’s own, Kit) were last seen headed through the wilderness to Diablo Ridge. SCAR was hot on their tails, which isn’t surprising since the rabbits left town driving a set of Monster Trucks. You’ll have to intercept the Diablo Ridge feed to catch them in what is most certainly going to be one Hell of a battle.
On The Track: War on I-4 by Josh Paufler
Last month, one of the more unique tracks in the sport held one of the more unique races in the sport. The first “24 hour” race happened at Harrison Speedway, the home of War on I4 Diecast Racing. The Endurance Car Series Michelin 24 was a massive undertaking but Luthrell Church put in the work and it came out great. The field was set at 24 cars that ran 24 laps to simulate 24 hours of racing. There were scheduled pit stops, trackside reports and even a change in lighting as the race went on. Church made it
even more unique by asking drivers to record audio of themselves answering a few questions. He then dubbed the voices into pre-race interviews with pit reporter, Chuck Mackavea. The lead changes were many and the excitement was high as Church packed it all into one 37 minute video. The key to endurance racing is to hold the pole position for as long as possible. Peak too early and you’ll get
left behind. Too late and you won’t catch up. The fun of this race was watching cars move up and down in the standings as the race went on. You could see the faster cars slowly work up through the pack. On top of September 16, 2020 | 19
On The Track all that, it was 4 wide racing action the entire time, so you can’t beat that. Something new at Harrison Speedway is the grudge races, hosted by the one and only Big C himself. We saw the Iceman, Ty Frozo, hold strong to the podium, knocking out
any opponent that came his way. But that all ended when Daniel Mercado took the track in the 69 Firebird. Unfortunately for him, the thrill of victory was short lived as he was taken down by “Jimmy John” Hanson in the 66 Mustang. Jimmy John is the current champion of the grudge race series and looking for an opponent.
Coming up next at War on I4: The Diecast Open Wheel Series moves to Germany for the German Grand Prix. Later this month, Battle Zone will run in the Florida Everglades. Church has a new promo posted, revealing the race runner for what’s sure to be some great competition in his first ever mail-in race.
On The Track: Chaos Canyon by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
NAS-Carnage has quickly established itself as a wild ride, as the twice-per-week series from Chaos Canyon has provided video after video of stock cars smashing about the track. The series features a bevy of drivers making their first appearance at the Canyon. Only 5 of the 64 drivers in this series are vetrans of the track. And now after six group stages, only one veteran (Grandma) has had any success at all. Groups 1 & 2 were covered last issue.
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With each successive group race, fewer and fewer of the cars are still in the field. That is naturally how tournaments work, but the rapidity with which cars leave the field is mind boggling. In group 3, four of the eight cars were out of the competition by the end of the first lap. While the other cars were banging about, Sir RB dominated the field with four remarkably clean runs. At this time, he must be considered one of the best vehicles in the tournament. Group 4 featured two of the aforementioned veteran drivers. Gnocchi Jack followed suit of previous veterans like Kit Kayem with a first lap exit. Eventually, James Kirk from Fractal Panda, and Todd bowser of Brick Church Racing were the remaining drivers on the track, and they advance in
the tournament. Group five is the first to feature cars that have been already down the track in previous groups. While there are 64 drivers in the tournament, the number of cars is limited to a smaller amount. So, drivers from here on out will be driving cars that were eliminated previously. Lightning Jim, the last of the veterans to take the track, kept the trend going, driving right off the track partway through the first lap. Ian Parks managed to win the first lap in the same truck that took Kayem out of his group two weeks before. Parks held on to advance, as did Cretin, a relative unknown. Their third and fourth laps were clean racing once the others were taken off the tarmac. The sixth group was made up of all rookies, but names that are familiar in the diecast racing community made their first appearances. Hot Wheel Racer Mike, John Tran, and Hot Wheels Calgary all made their Canyon debuts. Not unlike the
On The Track group before, only two cars were still in the race after lap two. This group was not destined to be just a repeat of past performances, however. Group 6 claimed the dubious honor of being the first group to only have one car advance to the next round. Only Birdman of Hot Wheels Calgary survived to race another day.
Sam is making great use of the Chaos Canyon facilities to show off some amazing stunts. The first half of the month has seen him going out into the wilderness to jump a motorcycle over a helicopter with its blades actively spinning.
There is surely more chaos to come in the remaining two groups in the first round. We can’t wait to see it.
And, donning a new silver racing suit with a noble vertical black stripe, he took a car right through two burning hoops.
When NAS-Carnage isn’t demolishing the track, Stuntman
Stuntman Sam’s videos are consistently entertaining, and it
sounds like they may soon be doubly so, as the arrival of his brother Max Havoc has been teased multiple times recently. The character of Max havoc made his debut this past week in videos on the Flat Rabbit channel. The Outlaws series has also been teased quite a bit, and chatting with Warwick Rule, the track owner, it sounds like they’ll be starting that series in the not=too-distant future. Some of the participants have gotten stuck in customs and quarantine, but will be to the Canyon soon.
On The Track: 3DBotMaker by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
Viewers of the 3DBotMaker channel will know that “Superman” Steven King is currently trying to defend his DRC title, yet again, in an attempt to become the only driver to be the champion of the 3DBotMaker Diecast Rally Championship. Viewers who have watched closely will know that King’s Ford Escort Rally #8 car isn’t as spry as it once was. The first half of September has shown off the car’s relative age. After a strong start in the first week of this 4th DRC event, it looked as though King would handily defend his title and four-peat. Two renault models were part of the field, and had both shown some potential, but with King posting the only perfect score in the first round, it seemed his legacy was safe. And then, the last two weeks happened.
Event 4 Round 2 started with a surprise when the Renault Alpine A110 of Andres Gutierrez and the Chrysler Pacifica of Harry Wrecker collided early in their first lap. Each only scored one point. Neither car performed terribly well on their second lap, either. Angi Stig in the other Renault (the Megane Trophy), had two terrific runs, and leapt to the front of the rankings. The rest of the round was all about Steven King pushing Crazy Jimmy around the track. On both laps of their heat, Crazy Jimmy was helped across the finish line by contact with Steven King. The otherwise loose and wild Fiero claimed two heat wins while Superman dived off the track to his own detriment. This specific heat may be the one that makes Crazy Jimmy an actual contender in the Rally race.
Meanwhile, it may also be what eventually pushes Steven King into early retirement. Event 4 Round 3 started with a lap that ended in the first tie in the DRC. Steven King and Tom Hurst end the round with just one more point than Angi Stig started the round with. Crazy Jimmy’s wildness caught up with him in his first lap in which he veered off the track right before the finish line. He survived an awkward second lap with one more point than Steven King and Tom Hurst. In a battle of the Renaults, the last lap of Round 3 ended in a double DNF, that just barely kept Angi Stig from having an insurmountable lead going into round 4. As it currently stands, any of the remaining drivers would have to make basically perfect runs and Angi Stig will have to post two miserable DNFs in order for September 16, 2020 | 21
On The Track and a Datsun (Nissan) pick-up truck. King Yardie in the pick-up, made a good showing in the first lap, but then made a hard right on the straightaway after turn GOING NOWHERE – Angi Stig is foiled in her three. We almost saw a attempt to clinch the DRC title a full round early. repeat of the McClyde incident. someone else to capture the title. King Yardie became the focus of everything from then on. Each time Elsewhere on the 3DBotMaker he came loose, it appeared yet channel, two rounds of King of the another driver was going to die. Mountain qualifying took place in early September. It’s sort of a shame that the attention was taken away from what proved to A Ford v. Chevy match-up gave us be quite solid racing by Dom the best qualifier in this tournament Woodley in the Silvia. When all was since Kong won the first bout in this said and done, Woodley claimed the round of qualifers. T-Lamont posted #4 slot going into the tournament. a sub-17-second time to claim the #2 With only three more qualifiers to ranking going into the KotM go, he’s securely in the top half of the Tournament 2. field. The other qualifying race featured an all Nissan line-up. A Skyline, a Silvia, a Nissan NV Van (Matchbox),
Finally, we can’t really report on the racing in 3DBotMaker’s newest video, but it is of note.
3DBotMaker has definitely hit the big time with the newest addition to his channel. The makers of the revived version of Micro Machines sponsored a video that was essentially a four and a half minute product endorsement. The quality of the video was impressive. And it was nice to hear Adriel talking in the same cadence that he does when he’s doing his behind the scenes videos, rather than in the projected announcer voice of 3D. This reporter was just out of the targeted age range of the original Micro Machines, but seeing the nostalgia in the comments made on the video’s YouTube page, it appears that picking 3DBotMaker to be part of the product launch was a good move. 90s kids are clearly glad to see the product line back on the shelves, even if there are no licensed models included yet. And it is great to see the entertainment success of 3D becoming commercial success, too.
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