Pocket Rockets... an enabler or a cure?

When you stop and think about it, and I don't care how old you are, the longevity of slot car racing is nothing short of amazing. My first recollection comes from my original Aurora HO set. These were powered with little "reed" motors... nothing more than a carbon rod alternating up and down making the "reed" drive a barrel gear at the rear axel. At 10 years old it was a blast.

Later came the HO magna-traction cars that utilized the motor magnets to give some "ground effects" pulling the car closer to the metal rails. Then by the late seventies, it was the G-Plus cars that literally stuck to the rails... sometimes to the point of stall.

Of course, lots happened in between those generations of HO scale development. But it was always a popular scale because of the small footprint required to have a pretty nice layout.

Commercial tracks sprung up around the country and slots were off and running. Not only was there HO, but scales grew to 1/32 and 1/24. And there was drag racing with drop pickups for wheel stands, road racing with realistic appearance.. you name it, they raced it. Off course, it was all accompanied by go-fast gear.

Home sets of 1/32 became popular with Strombecker being one of the leaders. The cars were detailed, the tracks not too bad in size... and the action was... well, what YOU made it. They were a lot of fun.

The commercial brands of cars flourished too. Lots of styles and choices, though the world didn't understand compatibility back then. Companies would work toward proprietary use... so it would tend to keep you locked into a brand... though not for long.

With the commercial tracks, racing got very serious. The tracks got huge. This was the draw the commercial tracks could offer because of the space required. 1/24 scale racing started to dominate the scene. This was the era that creativity and racing truly flourished. Between clever thinkers and tinkerers, the racing got hot and heavy. And in the 70's, with credit going to a Ohio company named Parma, the hobby enjoyed a huge resurgence. With clear lexan bodies and the revolutionary Parma Flexi Car, slot car racing managed to establish itself as a great American past time. Sure, it's been an up and down ride, but I don't think there's anyone, kids and grown-ups alike, that doesn't get an ear-to-ear grin doing a few laps on the slots.

Now... that's just a recap from my faded memory. Hopefully, as you sit here reading, you're enjoying fond memories of your own. The point of this article was to talk about what is out there now. Believe me, things are alive and well and there are terrific home sets available. With 1/32 seeming to dominate the home track scale, the sets are quite affordable and the cars are fantastic. There's a wide assortment of body styles and with the exception of some of the high-end digital stuff, the cars easily run on any brand of track.

The three big companies for sets and track appear to be Carrera, Scalextric and Ninco. Though there are also great cars available from companies like Revell/Monogram, Fly, Ninco, Scalextric, Carrera and Parma. Just a note though.... the Parma cars tend to be simple yet high-performance hobby cars, while the others mentioned put out cars with detail that rivals die-cast models. The Parma cars are affordable... and you can make them fly... but they lack the realism of the others.



I've not tried the digital tracks where you can pass, switch lanes and lots of other things from your hand control. I got the distinct impression there was perhaps a "format" battle going on and could lead to leaving you with an obsolete set. It spills over to the cars too. So, I opted to stick with the traditional "pedal to the metal" drive by the seat of your pants type.

All three companies make a wide variety of sets giving you a nice choice of track length and style course. And, they all sell additional track sections so you can add on. While one company's track is not interchangeable with another, the cars are. Also keep in mind, the two cars you get with a set probably aren't going to appeal to your aesthetic desires, so budget for a couple of extra cars.


I opted for the Ninco Pro set. The main reason was the track. It has a high grip texture, but more importantly, it is constructed from a flexible rubber-like plastic. It can be stepped on without breaking and it withstands a lot of set-up and tear down abuse. The track locks together nicely too.

The handsets simply plug in to the power section just like a set of headphones... as does the power brick. So once you've got your layout in place, just add the guardrails (you'll need them) plug in the controllers, figure out what lane you're in and you're racing.


And the racing is great. The track has just enough extra grip to let you hang it out a little bit... with just a little left over to get you in trouble. You can lean the car on the outside rails... but try it on "S" bend or a hairpin turn and you'll quickly find you've run out of talent.

Now.. here's the fun part. You can find ALMS or at least "Le Mans" cars to fit this track. The Audi R10 is available as is the Penske Spyder. The Le Mans C6.R and Aston Martin, Flying Lizards, Corsa Masterati MC12.. and I've even seen older Intersport prototypes as well as Alex Job Porches.


Just as a disclaimer... all of this is written from memory in hopes of generating some interest... I'm not a historian, nor do I know all the ins and outs of the current hobby. I know what I know... the new generation of home sets are great and fun for all. My five-year old has no problem keeping his car on the track lap after lap. So, take it for what it's worth... for a few hundred bucks, you can make three or four months of off-season disappear in no time.

Hey... can you put mine back on? No, no... other lane.

JT

A few good links:

Carrera
Scalextric
Ninco
MMRC