Steve McQueen Le Mans Tribute Track.

[BARC 1]

A truly inspiring project. Taking slot cars to Model Road Racing.

[Mt Tam I am]

A well used year sir. :text-bravo:

[downtowndeco]

Before I build and add a large structure I'll make a quick cardboard & hot glue mock up so I can see how it looks in the spot & to also race a few laps to find out if it's going to be too big of a view block. This will be the Hotel des Hundaudieres.

[downtowndeco]

After racing with it for a bit & mulling it over I decided that the hotel just didn't look right where I had originally placed it. I was trying to cram too much in too close together. Less is more! I cut it in half and placed it on one of the edges of the layout. As you can see, I started the actual build as well. I use foam core, styrene & Tichy Trains plastic windows. Stay tuned for updates. Any questions?

[downtowndeco]

More progress on the Hotel des Hunaudieres. The sign is laser cut, but I'm not sure if I'm going to use it because the font is wrong. Next up are awnings, signs, window shades & a bit of aging so that it does not look so new.

[Fathead59]

Very nice lay out, I am sort of planning on doing the same thing but a different layout , my question since you are using Scaletrix brand track what will you be using to power the track ?

[Fathead59]

Just looking for info so I can do it for myself , happy slotting

[downtowndeco]

Glad you like it. Power will simply be 2 Scale Sport wall warts.

[slothead]

Looks like a fun project you have going with this track. Racing on a track with scenery heightens the realism and adds to the enjoyment.

Once you get further along checking out an adjustable power supply may be worth your while. I put it off for a long time but the voltage from Scalextric wall warts just didn't suit my routed road course. The Trans Am cars, mostly Scalextric and Pioneer, were too twitchy and hard to drive on some sections of the track. I finally bought an adjustable power supply from a guy on this forum, experimented with different settings, and settled on 12.5 volts. The Trans Am, Le Mans (World Sportscar), and Can_Am series cars all run better at that voltage. I got a wiring harness from SCC to safely connect the power supply to the Scalextric power base I still use for PM controllers and getting power to the lanes. I has definitely been worth the investment, which was very reasonable.

[downtowndeco]

Other than adding a chimney & planting this onto the layout, the Hotel des Hunaudieres is done. I think the aging looks just about right. Not too new, not too ratty. Questions?

[downtowndeco]

I'm going to need a fair amount of figures but I can't afford to pay $3 or $4 each for them. I searched ebay & found a company that sells unpainted 1:30 G Scale figures super cheap. Something like $20 for a hundred. The detail is not so good but in crowds, with a little work, I think they'll be OK.

I primed them with flat tan spray paint & then after painting the skin w/Model Master flesh color paint added color with cheap acrylic craft paints. When dry I gave them all a wash w/a medium/darkish brown to create shadow. Questions?

[downtowndeco]

My latest creations. These are about 2 1/4" tall. When I buy figures in bulk from China sometimes they send many duplicates of the same figure. For some reason I got dozens and dozens of this one same woman holding a purse. I was trying to think what I could use them for, you know, being that they are all the same. Ta da! I shortened some, moved the heads around on a couple of others & then painted them & added the habits (paper) etc. Well? :)

[slothead]

You do a great job painting figures, those are very well done. I like fact you seem to have different skin tones on the nuns, but having attended a lot of races I have to admit to not having seen many (any?) nuns in attendance.

That said, a documentary on racing deadliest decade, '65 - '75, said safety measures were virtually nonexistent at Grand Prix races and when Jim Clark had a terrible accident (went off the track and hit a tree) and no ambulance was around, it was a group of nuns that put him in their station wagon and took him to the hospital. In honor of them, this is justified.

[chappyman66]

Nuns....what a great piece of creativity!

[downtowndeco]

I weathered the grandstands/pits a bit using chalks to better replicate the gritty look of early 70's Le Mans. Still need to add a lot more figures.