by mattb » Sat Sep 15, 2018 6:42 am
Actually my slot car interest is a little different than most of this forum. I am a 1/24 vintage collector. That's been my main interest the last 30 years or so. I have always had a running track of some sort, usually plastic, although early on I built a couple routed tracks mostly for 1/32 cars. Never really had any kind of race group, so I went thru lots of tracks (sets, routed, old 1/24, new 1/24), I like all tracks and enjoy track building, which is what you do when you don't have a race group!
About 5 years ago, I got together with another local guy that had a Carrera oval who ran 1/24 cars on it and at the track in L'ville. These cars were hard body 1/24 with H&R chassis and mild motors. Not sophisticated at all, a real throwback to the 60's. I built a car and another old racer I knew built a car and from there we got several of our hot rod buddies interested and now have 4-10 guys involved off and on. Only 3 of us are old slot heads, they other guys are new to the hobby. We are re-living what slot car racing was to us in 1965.
This new track is 4 inch lane centers, designed for 1/24. I could easily go to 1/32 and run a more table top, landscaped track if the 1/24 crowd ever goes away. Not sure I would consider running rtr cars, but I would sure use the bodies and make my own metal chassis for them.
While the main interest on this forum is not about what I race, the forum itself is made up of so many do it yourselfers that I find all that in common with my interests in making and doing it myself. This attitude was prevalent back in the 80's when a few of us got together in the AOL hobby forums. We found out there were other guys that had old slot cars and we exchanged info and were able to keep our hobby going thru resin work, tires, motors, tracks and wiring. We all learned so much from each other, we had a great source of info.
This forum and it's members are the same. That same spirit is alive in this forum. For the number of members, I bet the % that have built tracks, tried resin casting, or made tires is higher than any forum out there! That is why I'm here!