What about RealFX or Magracing

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What about RealFX or Magracing

Postby Modlerbob » Sun Jan 08, 2017 3:24 pm

I have seen ads about these two slotless racing and they interest me more than digital slot car racing. They claim the speeds are up to 180 scale mph which, while slow, might be acceptable. A starter RealFX system can be had for about $129 and I want to find out more about it.
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Re: What about RealFX or Magracing

Postby BARC 1 » Sun Jan 08, 2017 4:53 pm

Although both seem interesting, I would lean more to Magracing. In a small space you really need a guide of some kind to make it really work and the magracing has the magnetic guide to assist in steering. I think with the RC based systems you spend a lot of time off the track. It is getting closer to real racing though.
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Re: What about RealFX or Magracing

Postby ourwayband » Mon Jan 09, 2017 5:19 pm

Bob,with the RealFX system you might want to check out the Hot Wheels AI system.They have partnered up with RealFX .You can find a set for $75 to $100.I too was interested in the system,purchased one over the Holidays to check it out.Found one at a cheap price,about $55.The system is OK,but nothing like slot racing.The system I received had problems from the start.One of the cars had a jammed front well.This made the car go in circles.Knowing a little about slots we were able to free up the wheel to a point.The cars would follow the track,(pretty much thick paper)but still would from time to time just leave the track for no apparent reason.They are slow .In a sense you are getting two cheaper remote cars with some paper like track.The sensors on the cars do read the track to a point.I did find that if you keep the cars turned to the right all of the time you pretty well stayed on track.Fun for a short amount of time.The set goes thru batteries,the cars and controllers just like RC racing.From what we have read the problems with the cars are some what common..Needless to say this is all my opinion,Great idea,but the set went back.I resumed slot car racing..

Rusty
Last edited by ourwayband on Mon Jan 09, 2017 7:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What about RealFX or Magracing

Postby buspor63 » Mon Jan 09, 2017 6:36 pm

I know you said you didn't want to go with digital, but it's not a departure from slot cars like the others are. With Carrera digital and you can have one controlled race car and as many "ghost cars" as you want. Program the ghost to run at different speeds so it's more like racing. For safer action, install some anti collision chips at the lane changers and put a reed switch in the nose of each ghost car combined with a small magnet in the back and it's a lot of fun. The reed switch when coupled with the chip output to the motor breaking the current path, allows the cars to run close, but not touch. I know you run wood, but so do I and it's a lot of fun in digital.
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Re: What about RealFX or Magracing

Postby Modlerbob » Mon Jan 09, 2017 7:16 pm

A while back I tried racing mini Z cars but I never mastered driving them very well. From what I understand about realFX the cars have a sensor that helps you keep them on the track. I'm mildly curious but analog slot cars will remain my primary interest.
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Re: What about RealFX or Magracing

Postby ourwayband » Mon Jan 09, 2017 7:28 pm

The Real FX/Hot Wheels AI do have the sensors.They read the track ..You can run in different settings.The easiest will allow the car to pretty well run by it's self.You can increase the difficulty and have more control yourself over the car.Easier then the mini .Something fairly cheap to try out and see if you enjoy it.

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Re: What about RealFX or Magracing

Postby Nor Cal Mike » Mon Jan 09, 2017 9:15 pm

I have played around with the Magracing system. I bought three cars and controllers early on. I still have them. I built a small experimental track but never took them to the next level. I think the system has great promise although it needs considerable investment to bring it to the level that it needs to be to be viable. Wes Raynor, the inventor of Magracing has sold the business. As far as I am aware, the new owner currently has designed a new better more flexible chassis printed to retrofit already existing Magracing cars. These new chassis are designed to allow use on standard 1/32 rolling parts. That is good because Wes's original plastic tire/wheel were less that I would be satisfied with in a model. To the best of my knowledge, no new complete cars or controllers are available currently. The new owner is working on getting new product out there. If you want to follow Magracing, you can follow what is up here: http://www.magracingforum.com/
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Re: What about RealFX or Magracing

Postby walker » Wed Jan 11, 2017 12:34 pm

I have been watching magracing quite from the beginning because it is a very interesting concept. As long as one does´nt need the speed of wing cars...
I like the more scale speed, for example.
But -
The only remarkable progress over the time are the new printed chassis that allow using parts and bodies from 32nd scale slotcars.
A look into the magracing shop is not really encouraging.
I think the system suffers from its position just between RC and slotracing.
The steering is like in digital slotcars only two positions.
The speed control is stop - full. I would prefer to be able to control the speed a bit more, for example when following a car. In videos one can see how the follower sometimes crashes into the leader. Perhaps he is a bit faster, but he cannot reduce speed and lie in wait for passing.

The only argument for magracing towards RC in my opinion is that you can even mount open cars on the chassis, like CanAm, LMP and similar Spyders. I haven´t found any real scale RC cars of these types yet.
Passing depends on the lane change spots just as with digital slotcar racing.
Building a track is a bit less laborious, but not so much.

Once, when there were only thee vacuformed CanAm bodies available, I had asked why the huge selection of BETTA´s 32nd scale vacuformed styrene - or who prefers, Lexan - bodies is not advised for being used.
I mean these -
Image

but didn´t get any usable reply.

I am still interested in the system. Actually, having switched from 32nd scale, I am doing my hobby in 43rd scale scratchbuilding and am one of the "lone wolves" there, but I would not mind switching once more and becoming another lone wolf in mag racing...
Although it is an attractive alternative I cannot really define what still prevents me from doing it...

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Re: What about RealFX or Magracing

Postby BARC 1 » Wed Jan 11, 2017 1:14 pm

The concept just isn't adequately funded in my opinion. It has a lot of promise but needs more development and that takes time and money. Most than more people are prepared to spend, and there in lies the problem with hobby related businesses. If someone like Carrera could take this mag concept and build consumer version, much like a digital slot car, then I think it would take off. From a business point of view why would Carrera spend time and money developing something that was going to interfere with their digital sales . They won't

However maybe somebody like Kyosho who is heavily invested in RC and at least tried slot cars for awhile, might take a stab at something that allows them to use all their RC components in a slightly different arrangement to produce Mag Racing home sets. I think this is what we are all waiting for. Drivable 1/32 scale cars. Small scale RC just doesn't work on a defined track, but RC with a magnetic lane assist is certainly interesting.

Dan
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