1September 2004

EditorBrian Rogers

27 Paige CloseWatlingtonKing’s Lynn

NorfolkPE33 0TQ

Tel/Fax:- 01553 813090e-mail:- editor@nscc.co.uk

Trade AdvertisingAdrian Leggett

RosevilleWestwood Lane

NormandyGuildford

SurreyGU3 2JG

Tel:- 07773 967333between 09:00 - 18:00

01483 810102 eveningse-mail:- sales@nscc.co.uk

ContentsSwapmeets.................................2Membership Update.................4Diary Dates................................5Messages From Margate............7Ninco News..............................10Traders Travels........................13Shipment From Spain.............15NSCC Championship.............17Letters......................................19Festival Of Speed....................20Track Signs..............................23Norman’s Conquest.................25Bits And Pieces.........................27World Classics Review.............29Can-Am Challenge.................31Power To The People..............37Adverts...................................35

NNNNNOOOOO.270 S.270 S.270 S.270 S.270 SEPTEMBEREPTEMBEREPTEMBEREPTEMBEREPTEMBER 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004

So, farewell then, man with bobble hat?

It is generally reckoned in the world of work that the time to worryabout job security is when they move your desk nearer to the front

door. It is highly likely that you will soon be walking through it on apermanent basis. I suppose the Scalextric equivalent is the back pageof the catalogue so let us turn to page 74 of the current one wherewe find the last surviving remnants of 60’s production - Grandstand,Pit Stop, Control Tower and assorted miniature people. Thebuildings date back to the very first catalogue in 1960 while thespectators and pit crew made their appearance just a year later. Isuspect that none of them will be in employment for much longeras new mechanics are already with us.

I must confess that I will be sad to see them go - all over the worldthese little plastic people have been doing sterling service onminiature race circuits for over 40 years. Through rain and shine thewell endowed lady has been waving her programme; the countrygent has leaned on his stick; the press photographer has struggledwith that Box Brownie and the man with binoculars has presumablybeen studying the finer points of the well endowed lady! Meanwhile,over in the grandstand, man with bobble hat continues to wave, thecourting couple are still holding hands and the young child resolutelycontinues to crush his father’s leg.

Most of their colleagues have long since departed - the ice creamseller no doubt has upgraded to a Mr. Whippy van but the starter onrostrum has been replaced by soulless traffic lights and the TVcommentator has moved to air conditioned luxury in the presscentre. How long can the rest of them survive?

And Finally - I really think that we ought to start a retirement homefor these oft derided figures so they can live out their twilight yearsin peace and comfort. Perhaps we could arrange an annual coachtrip to the Goodwood Revival meeting for them so they can rekindlethe memories of their youth and see how that young Stirling Mossis progressing.

Till next monthBrian

2 www.nscc.co.uk

by Rob Smith

DigitalSport Digital is in the final testing phase andcoming on nicely. Everyone at Hornby isspending time playing with it and I was pleasedto take my turn when I visited them last week.Sport Digital is great fun. Racing several cars atthe same time and changing lane adds a wholenew dimension to racing and the lane changingis slick and easy. I know there are some scepticsout there – I can only advise them to keep anopen mind and try it. Digital is far more thanmultiple cars and lane changing though. Thecontrol box enables many different types ofracing including lap and time based races and arally mode. It can be configured for jump startpenalties and to cut power after the race. Thetechnology will lead to pitlanes and a whole newlevel of realism. We should see Sport Digitalbefore the end of the year.

Porsche Boxster and Audi TTThe plain silver solo Audi TT followed soonafter the first Porsche Boxster. This is C2506Audi TT “Silver ’04". This has no tampoprinting at all and just looks like a standard roadcar.

For those of you who like the TT andBoxster there will be plenty to collect:

Porsche BoxsterC2478 Porsche Boxster “Red ‘04” - alreadyreleasedC2479 yellowC2608W yellow – different from C2479 andonly in C8306 track packC2610W silver – only in C8308 track pack

Audi TTC2506 Audi TT “Silver ’04" - already releasedC2506/W Audi TT “Silver ’04" – in C1145Road Rivals Argos exclusive setC2507 blueC2609W blue – different from C2507 and onlyin C8307 track packC2611W red only in C8309 track pack C2617W blue – different again and only inC1145 Road Rivals Argos set.

The Boxster and TT will also feature as thecars in the new Sport Digital sets in due course.

Street CarsThis year’s fashion for road going liveriescontinues with street versions of both theMustang and the Corvette.

C2574 Ford Mustang Boss 302 ’70Street Car

This new livery on the 1970 version of theMustang is yellow with black detailing. A host ofdetails differentiate this version from the racingliveries which have preceded it including ➳

3September 2004

chrome wipers, door mirrors and a rear spoiler.Louvres over the back window make a bigimpact as do excellent new wheels. The tyresalso feature incredibly small printing.

C2575 Chevrolet Corvette L88 GM TestCar

This differs significantly from the car illustratedin the 2004 Catalogue. It is predominantly whitewith a single, wide, pale blue stripe running fromfront to back. Again, the tampo printing of thebadges is incredibly fine but still clear.

Limited EditionsC2568 Mercedes CLK DTM Service 24h

No24The Collectors Centre car for 2004 is in theshops already, much earlier than in previousyears. It has a really attractive pale blue livery asdriven by Gary Paffett in the 2003 DTMchampionship. It is in a limited edition of 1000and is sure to be popular.

C2629 Porsche GT3R whiteA plain white Porsche GT3R was rumouredsome time ago but no further news about it wasforthcoming until recently. It was decided byHornby not to release this model but they hadreceived approximately 200 samples fromChina. What to do with them? The solutioncame when Margate held a charity fund-raisingevent on the seafront. The Hornby Roadshowwas there and all of these white Porsches weregiven as prizes to lucky race winners. The car isplain white with no tampo printing. It came in

a standard crystal case with no printing on thebase and without a sleeve. This car is going to bevery hard to find – good luck!

ArgosOnly one new set unique to Argos in theirAutumn/Winter 2004 catalogue. This is SpeedMachines containing two Audi TTs and a smallX1 layout. There are no new items in thecorresponding Index catalogue.

4 www.nscc.co.uk

BikesThe next MotoGP to be released will be the2004 Yamaha ridden by Rossi. The packagingfor the bikes has been heavily revised to be muchlike the standard crystal case with a black plasticbase, rigid Perspex top and MotoGP sleeve. Thenew boxes are the same length as the car box buttaller and shallower to match the shape of thebikes.

All future bikes will contain a self adhesiveweight that can be stuck on the stabilisers todramatically lower the centre of gravity. Thisweight is also in the new MotoGP sets and willbe available as a spare from the Hornby web sitesoon too.

An interesting modification to alter the bike’shandling requires the use of a scalpel blade.Above the rear wheel is a spring governing therear suspension movement. Next to this is asmall square plastic lug. As standard this lugprevents any suspension movement as themagnet would just pull the bike down as far asit could. To race the bikes in a different way justcut off the lug, remove the magnet, fit the newweights and off you go. Hornby ran the bikes atthe recent MotoGP round at Donington in thismode and the feedback was excellent. Let meknow what you think.

PaperworkTrack Plans

Look out for a new track plans booklet in yourlocal store. It gives advice on planning andbuilding new circuits and how to extend yourcircuit from an initial set. There are big trackdesigns of all of the main Grand Prix circuitstogether with details of all the track piecesneeded.

Sport DigitalA 4 page Sport Digital brochure is also available.This gives more details of the forthcoming sets,accessories and cars. Disappointingly there areno new car liveries.

Coming SoonVanwall & Maserati Classic Grand PrixThese are the next cars to arrive and will be in

the shops during September. More informationabout packaging has emerged that differs fromprevious information published. C2551 &C2552 will be available in both Standard andSport versions. The Standard versions are innormal crystal cases but with a “Classic GrandPrix” designed sleeve. The Sport versions are inSport boxes but these are a green and blackchequered finish together with the Goodwoodlogo. They will be available from the normaloutlets.

Ford GTThe design of the new Ford GT is coming onquickly and the first test shot looks great. It isbigger than the GT40 as it should be but keepsthe same proportions. Hornby are using threedifferent photo etched mesh grills on variousparts of the car. There should be two versionsmimicking the real car as Ford are producing a“racing version” with twin fillers and differentrear spoilers and exhausts.

Skoda Fabia WRCThe Skoda Fabia WRC is complete and shouldbe in the shops soon. This is Hornby’s first fourwheel drive car for a long time and the frontwheels are driven by an elastic belt on thenearside. The rear pulley being between thewheel and the sidewinder contrate gear. The beltjust fits very neatly between the body shell andthe interior. Being short and wide the car goesround sharp corners extremely well and the fourwheel drive gives it more bite when acceleratingout of the corners.

C2528 NSCC Mini Cooper SAt last, progress! Not ready for you to buy yet buthaving our own C reference number means wehave a slot in the production schedule. Thelivery is being designed right now and hopefullyI can soon release details.

Thanks again for all of your letters andemails. Your ideas are always passed ontoHornby in our discussions, even if some of youwould like the entire Ford back cataloguemodelled as slot-cars! ■

5September 2004

From Peter Solari

Ninco 8-hour enduranceWhile Spain took a well-earned rest in August,the New Tottenham Raceway played host to an8-hour Ninco GT Endurance race. The cluborganised this event to be held on their ownpermanently set-up 6-lane layout which reallyhas to be seen to be believed. It is a technicalcircuit with an interesting collection of verydifferent corners that is challenging to drivers ofall abilities and must be one of the best designedclub circuits anywhere in the UK (if not theworld!). With an average lane length ofapproximately 200ft, non-magnet cars cancomplete a lap in around 18 seconds.

New Tottenham Raceway entered threeteams, each with a different GT class car - aPorsche 911 GT1, a Ferrari F50 and a McLarenF1 GTR. The remaining three entrants werefrom Eastcote, Essex and West London clubs -

all running Porsche 911 GT1s. Five teamsfavoured the new NC-5 “Speeder” motor withEssex choosing the NC-3 “X-Trem” as theirengine. The event was split into six 80-minutesessions to allow for each team to race on everylane. Racing was close throughout the day withoverall positions changing during almost everysession. “Tottenham 1” managed to stay in frontto win the endurance race completing 1548 lapsover the 8 hour period. “Tottenham 3” took 2nd

place and “Essex” finished 3rd. The fastest lap ofthe race - an astonishing 16.61s - went toGraham Eldridge.

New Tottenham Raceway is located at 4th

Floor, 61 Markfield Road, Tottenham, N154QF. For more details about the club, pleasecontact Ian Newstead by phone (020 8808 4350or 07939 482183)

E-mail: (ianhomer@btconnect.com).

The New TThe New TThe New TThe New TThe New Tottenham Raceway cirottenham Raceway cirottenham Raceway cirottenham Raceway cirottenham Raceway circuitcuitcuitcuitcuit

6 www.nscc.co.uk

Product feature:Transmissions

Transferring the power from the motor to thewheels comes about through use of gearing, anddifferent gear-ratios can determine factors suchas acceleration and top speed. Apart from theKarts and the BMW M3 GTR, the currentrange of Ninco cars are fitted with a 24- or 27-tooth crown gear, centrally mounted on the rearaxle. The 9-tooth pinion mounted on the motorshaft can be interchanged with a 10-tooth pinionto mesh with the crown gear resulting in ratiosbetween 2.4:1 and 3:1. Pinions and axles areavailable in the Ninco “Racing Components”range and the table below acts as a referencewhen choosing replacement parts:-

80204 9-Tooth Pinion (standard) x 280205 10-Tooth Pinion x 280401 27-Tooth Crown Gear on 49mmAxle + Front Axle and 2 x Brass Bushings80402 27-Tooth Crown Gear on 53.5mmAxle + Front Axle and 2 x Brass Bushings80403 24-Tooth Crown Gear on 49mmAxle + Front Axle and 2 x Brass Bushings80404 24-Tooth Crown Gear on 53.5mmAxle + Front Axle and 2 x Brass Bushings80410 27-Tooth Crown Gear on 46mmAxle + Front Axle and 2 x Brass Bushings80411 24-Tooth Crown Gear on 51.5mmHardened Steel Axle + Front Axle80412 27-Tooth Crown Gear on 51.5mmHardened Steel Axle + Front Axle ➳

The winning PThe winning PThe winning PThe winning PThe winning Porsche 911 GT1 and 2orsche 911 GT1 and 2orsche 911 GT1 and 2orsche 911 GT1 and 2orsche 911 GT1 and 2ndndndndnd place F place F place F place F place Ferrerrerrerrerrari F50ari F50ari F50ari F50ari F50

7September 2004

If you want to dabble with changing gearratios or maybe just replace a worn-out pinion,you can do so using the Ninco Pinion Press &Puller (80201). This gadget will help you do sowithout damaging the motor shaft. Pinionpresses and pullers are available as separate toolsand can be relatively expensive but the simpledesign of this Ninco product combines both ina single instrument.

And Finally...Following on from last month’s announcement of new cars, here are the official pictures of the Reynard“Corona” Champ Car, BMW “Sachs” X5 and Subaru “Imola” WRC. ■

8 www.nscc.co.uk

August saw the arrival of the first digitalsystem - from SCX. The Slot City demo set was packed in the car boot and

taken for evaluation by the boys at the Oxfordclub. The journey from Swindon proved aninteresting one when I forgot to shut the tailgateand pulled back out from a parking lay-by ontoa very fast dual-carriageway sending a veryheavy sack truck out the back! Fortunately nodamage done... Back to the digital system.

The demo set in question was a generoustrack size affording a very large offset oval. SCXuse a new track system which is incredibly easyto put together and pull apart and will no doubtwin friends in its own right. I’m not going toattempt a detailed review here, but suffice to say,my own theory about digital was echoed withsome of the comments received.

You need a very large layout to keep eventhree cars running round happily, bigger eventhan the generous size demo set we had. Can thissize track be accomodated in the average home?It is likely to win friends in club racing but, withSCX digital at least, it will require a very largeinvestment to set-up. The cars aren’t cheapeither at £45. The technology itself worked likea dream though and appears to be very wellimplemented. I still suspect Hornby will sellmore due to the compatibility and flexibility ofthe product. Ultimately I think that the future ofdigital will not be as a separate range but as thecore product itself. Costs would have to bereduced to mainstream levels so I can’t see ithappening for a few years yet but I wouldn’tmind betting this will be the agenda for themanufacturers.

It has been a busy month for interesting newreleases. The Carrera James Bond DB5 hasarrived and is superb. This car has certainlycaught the imagination of a large number ofpeople. And at well under 30 quid it’s a bargaintoo. Top marks to Carrera for continuingprogress with their range in a sensible andmanageable way for collectors.

Traders travelsBy Robert Learmouth(Westwood Models)

Also worthy of mention this month are thesuperb new repro parts from RUSC. Injection-moulded (chromed) bumpers and hubs are nowavailable for a range of 1960’s Scalextric carsand they look absolutely superb. Very, verydifficult to distinguish from the originals.

Hot off the press are reports that there aregoing to be three new series of Altaya Miticoscars. However, the reports are so new that I hadto try and decipher them from a SpanishInternet site and I think the posters themselvesweren’t 100% sure of the information. Anywayif word is true we can expect to see re-releasesof existing Miticos cars, paired up and issuedtogether. Hopefully these will be re-liveries as Ijust don’t see the point otherwise. We can thenexpect a range of Fly, yes Fly, Miticos cars andfinally a range of Ninco Miticos cars. I have tosay I’m sceptical about the latter two rangesappearing so please treat this info as gossip fornow unless you hear otherwise! ■

9September 2004

Not a great deal to report on this month,Spain, like most of Europe seems toshut down for the summer months and

everyone takes their holidays. However, justbefore they left Tecnitoys did send through somenew info.

It’s an F1 bonanza thismonth!

You may remember from the London Toy fairthat the Williams F1 FW26 “Walrus” nose was

not going to be available in the UK due tolicensing agreements. This has now been sortedand they confirm that the SCX 61670 isscheduled for release in September. Stocks maybe limited.

Struggling in the current season, but withhopes of new sponsorship the new Jordan F1“Australia” is due for release very soon. RefSCX 61500 In bright yellow with “Be On Edge”these cars always look good. ➳

10 www.nscc.co.uk

Last in the new F1 line up is a relivery of theJaguar F1. This car was reviewed a while backand was very good. This new livery Ref SCX61540 “Sepang” features the HSBC logos in redon the side pods and rear wing

Tecnitoys have also confirmed that theCitröen Xsara WRC and the Subaru WRC, thatcomes in the 1000 Lakes set, will have workingbonnet mounted lights. This was mentioned atthe London Toy Fair, but not confirmed untilnow. I’m not sure if this car will be released asa separate item.

SCX Digital is now available in the shops!This is the revised version that differs slightlyfrom the Spanish release. A new demo set isbeing lent to the NSCC and will be available tomembers at as many swapmeets as we can get itto. Tecnitoys and Bachmann plan a launch eventof some kind in the UK, details will follow assoon as I know. ■

SCX 61500 JorSCX 61500 JorSCX 61500 JorSCX 61500 JorSCX 61500 Jordan F1 “dan F1 “dan F1 “dan F1 “dan F1 “AustrAustrAustrAustrAustralia”alia”alia”alia”alia”

Photo supplied by PPhoto supplied by PPhoto supplied by PPhoto supplied by PPhoto supplied by Pendle Slot Racingendle Slot Racingendle Slot Racingendle Slot Racingendle Slot Racing

11September 2004

Six months to go!The final date for clubs to hold their races, heats,mini championships etc is Feb 27th 2005.

Several people have asked how everything isgoing and to be honest my answer is, “I don’tknow”. Very few clubs have sent me any infoabout the championship heats they are runningand the first I know about it is when the resultscome in!

If you are planning for your club to competein the championship, please let me know as soonas you can. A good example of the flexibility ofthe rules is the mini championship being held atScale Models Slot Racing; here are a few notesfrom Mark about how he is organising the eventat his club:

“We thought long and hard about how todo this- six different cars and six lanes - we cameup with this idea, and four weeks in it is workingbrilliantly. It is the best racing we have had inages.

The Race format is: five minute endurance(marshalled) on Monday evenings.

We run the race programme as two cars(from the specified six) per night and each racergets to run those cars on three lanes. The raceis against the clock - five minute endurance andthe track has been split in to 10ths for veryaccurate recording of the results - the personwith the most laps wins. We are now at the endof one set of six cars on six lanes and the overallleader is 1/10th of a lap in the lead!

Once every one has raced all the cars on allthe lanes, we are going to do it all again, whichwill mean every one gets a chance to record atime for each lane. In the event of holidays/work/sickness then you put your best timeforward and the enthusiasm is growing eachweek.

We will be running another session beforethe finals, so anyone who wants to join us, get intouch and we will be pleased to keep youinformed.” ➳

NSCC Championship updateby Gareth Jex

12 www.nscc.co.uk

My local club Farnham Scalextric Club, hasjust finished the fourth of seven races in theirthree class championship (Carrera, Ninco andVanquish MG) running on our permanentNinco track and the racing is close. We arerunning races of ten laps, crash and burn, withsupplied lane cars. The heats are incorporatedinto our normal club championship.

Once this championship is complete we willbe running the next three cars (Fly, Scalextricand SCX) in a separate one. There are alsorumours of an endurance event. We meet everyWednesday at about 8 pm, time permitting werun eight heats every night.

Don’t forget that there are sprayed up clubcars available to borrow from the NSCC. Pleaseget in touch if you wish to use them.

The Trophies for the top three racers arenearly finished and I hope to have some photosnext month. These really are worth winning! Allof the trophies feature at least one very rarecollectors car!

We hope to be holding the second openround of the NSCC Championship at theMilton Keynes Swapmeet 19th September

(space permitting). We will be using the SCX/Ninco NSCC Rally track with SCX CitröenXsara WRC 4wd cars. Depending on time andnumbers we may hold magnet and non magnetclasses. Winners (fastest lap) on the day getinvited to the finals plus they will win an SCXcar.

Plans are also afoot to run another round atthe Newark swapmeet in October. We could alsodo with some volunteers to run these events;please get in touch if you can help.

This is your championship so please takepart! ■

13September 2004

Sir,I just had to write in support of RichardPainter’s letter in the August edition of theJournal, especially with regard to Hornby’s rallycars.

I understand that the new Skoda will be4WD and it’s about time too. However, I hopethat it’s proper 4 WD (like SCX’s) and not thecop-out of belt drive. I have to agree withRichard’s view that Hornby place far too muchreliance on the power of their magnets ratherthan making a chassis that still works withoutone (as Ninco and SCX seem able to).

I have begun to form the opinion thatHornby aim their products at people who useSport track and race their cars straight out of thebox. I realise that Scalextric is primarily achildren’s toy and the vast majority of theircustomers probably do just that, but I alsobelieve that those of us who still use our old trackand can remember the pre-Magnatraction daysdeserve something for our loyalty.

It really pains me to criticise Hornby in thisway. After all, like most other members I grewup with Scalextric and we’ve been together fora hell of a long time. But even in this dog eat dogworld, I believe that loyalty works both ways,and the sad fact is that I only buy Scalextric rallycars if they’re not available from SCX or Ninco.Please Hornby prove me wrong and bring out arange of proper 4wd World Rally Cars thatdon’t handle like a block of flats if I choose toremove the magnets. Let’s not go through amessy divorce.

I am, yours etc,Mel Turbutt

Sir, It seems that the hobby of slot-cars, andScalextric in particular, is never too far away. Letme explain.

I’ve just finished reading the excellent newbook “Steve Marriott - All too beautiful” byPaolo Hewitt and John Hellier on the life andtimes of that late, great Small Faces andHumble Pie singer/guitarist.

The book unexpectedly recounts theirinterest in Scalextric and it was heartening tonote that Steve had things in perspective! Let mequote you the relevant passage from the book asnarrated by one of Steve’s friends, Hugh Janes.I’ve included my additions in brackets:

“By 1966 they (The Small Faces) had thewhole world at their feet and WestmorelandTerrace (their London residence at that time)was one non-stop party. One room was set asidefor a giant four (lane) Scaletrix(sic) set. No chairsin there, just cushions and in the middle of thetrack was all the drugs, food and drink. Theytook their racing very seriously and during pitstops they’d take the opportunity to roll a joint.

Steve (Marriott - lead singer/guitarist) andKenny (Jones - drummer) in particular wouldspend hours on end racing Scaletrix(sic) andeating baked beans. There would be dozens ofgirls outside and, of course, certain hand-pickedones were invited in. But to be honest, Steve wasmuch more interested in Scalectrix(sic) andmusic.” Ronnie Lane’s brother made the toycars that were used as the original cars weredeemed to be too slow. How times change!

I am, yours etc,Peter Novani

14 www.nscc.co.uk

As I’m sure most of you know, each yearLord March opens his gardens to petrolheads like you and me to run the annual

Goodwood Festival of Speed. For those of youwho haven’t heard, this is basically a hill climbevent with timed and demo runs of some of themost fantastic cars, bikes and go-karts from the1900s right up to modern day. The hill isactually Lord March’s front drive. Toy retailers,manufacturers, accessories dealers, and manyothers take stands or displays in the grounds tocomplement the event.

During the last couple of years Hornby/Scalextric have been a major sponsor of theevent and you can see their logos on trackside,pre show publicity material etc, etc. Previouslythey have reproduced a 1/32 scale layout of thehill climb complete with scenery and GT40s.They are also a sponsor of the GoodwoodRevival race in September held at the famousrace circuit, just down the road.

This year they had somecompetition!

Scalextric took along their Roadshow trailercomplete with four lane circuit and showcases of

their latest products and an awning to keep offthe sun (or on Saturday the rain!).

Carrera made a big splash this year and, inconjunction with their UK distributor Nikko,brought over their German ‘Tour Truck’. Insidewas a four lane, 30 metre long Carrera track onwhich visitors could compete for free and winprizes for the fastest time of the day. Cars usedwere in the spirit of the event and included theAston Martin, Ferrari 166 and the Jaguar D-Type. Outside, under red pods, were a CarreraPro-X Digital Race system and, for youngerracers(?), Carrera Go tracks. Prizes includedsome of the big Carrera sets and Go sets for theunder 12s.

Both companies seemed to be very busy onall days; you have to feel for the guys manningthe displays, all those kids!!! However, I hope I’mnot alone in saying that the Carrera Red DollyGirls in the leather outfits are a little bit morepleasing on the eye! If you think that wasinteresting you need to get your hands on theCarrera 2004 Poster, lets just say it’s adultorientated!

Goodwood Festival of Speed2004

Event report by Gareth Jex

Scalextric roadshowScalextric roadshowScalextric roadshowScalextric roadshowScalextric roadshow

15September 2004

Mark Scale (Scale Models) was on hand torelieve you of your slot cash at his stand whichhad a great selection of all the major brands anda good collectors’ section of mainly period cars(in keeping with the event). Modelzone were alsoon site selling their wares.

Whilst the slot-cars were good fun, I go forthe main event and the chance to see the fullscale versions of your Scalextric collectionracing up the hill less than 10 metres away fromyou or the chance to touch, photograph the cars

in the paddock and talk to the drivers! This yearmy involvement was a little more than normalas one of my clients had entered a soapbox inthe Dunhill Gravity race. We didn’t do too badly,3rd in class 7th overall. Gravity slot racinganyone?

If you get the chance to go along, do, it’s oneof the best Motorsport events in the UK. Let’ssee who turns up at the Revival meeting inSeptember! ■

Carrera roadshow - exteriorCarrera roadshow - exteriorCarrera roadshow - exteriorCarrera roadshow - exteriorCarrera roadshow - exterior

And insideAnd insideAnd insideAnd insideAnd inside

16 www.nscc.co.uk

Part of the allure of collecting Scalextric isthat there has always been a variationbetween what is advertised in the

catalogues and what reaches the shelves of thetoyshops each year.

These variations appear throughout therange of Scalextric products and this articlehighlights some of the differences in the sixties’track signs that I have come across as myScalextric collection has expanded over theyears.

Track signs appeared in catalogue number1 (1960) as a set of five; they were attached to thetrack with metal clips. The signs were continuedin this format until catalogue 6 (1965) whenplastic clips were incorporated as part of themoulding.

Track signsBy Tim Ainslie

Early type with metal track clipsEarly type with metal track clipsEarly type with metal track clipsEarly type with metal track clipsEarly type with metal track clips

Later vLater vLater vLater vLater version with moulded clipsersion with moulded clipsersion with moulded clipsersion with moulded clipsersion with moulded clips

The earlier mouldings appear to show thesame signs apart from the hairpin bend thatshow a bend to the left in the earlier set and abend to the right in the later set.

The early set demonstrates consistency ofthe signs in catalogue 1,2, 3, 4 and 5.

The later set also shows a consistent set ofsigns in catalogues 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, ( thesigns are discontinued by catalogue 13).

There are several variations that I am awareof:

A) Early type showing track deviation to rightA) Early type showing track deviation to rightA) Early type showing track deviation to rightA) Early type showing track deviation to rightA) Early type showing track deviation to right

and leftand leftand leftand leftand left

B) Later type with hairpin to right and leftB) Later type with hairpin to right and leftB) Later type with hairpin to right and leftB) Later type with hairpin to right and leftB) Later type with hairpin to right and left

C) LaC) LaC) LaC) LaC) Later type, humpback bridge showingter type, humpback bridge showingter type, humpback bridge showingter type, humpback bridge showingter type, humpback bridge showing

difference in difference in difference in difference in difference in the positioning of the bridge onthe positioning of the bridge onthe positioning of the bridge onthe positioning of the bridge onthe positioning of the bridge on

the signthe signthe signthe signthe sign

➳

17September 2004

I have also seen a later type right angledbend to the left with the bend being apronounced 90 degree angle rather than themore gentle curve illustrated above.

The signs were sold as sets of 5, howeverthere would appear to be some variation in whatsigns were likely to be included in a set.

It seems odd that the moulds for items suchas the spectators have been used so often that therecent products resemble burns victims, yet thereis variation in the track sign design and imagesdisplayed when these were discontinued in theearly 1970s.

These signs provide a nice finishing touch fora more traditional layout, they are still availableat swapmeets or on eBay and a set can be pickedup somewhere between five and ten poundsrelatively easily.

Now if you thought that this article wasinteresting have you ever looked closely at thedifferences between those half tyres that pluginto the Goodwood chicane track…………!!!■■■■■

18 www.nscc.co.uk

Norman’s conquest –revisited

Norman Griffiths – who oversaw

production at Havant from 1964-1971 –

recalls the development of possibly

Scalextric’s finest range.

PPPPPaul Straul Straul Straul Straul Strange range range range range reporeporeporeporeportststststs

Part 8: the 1/24th Superseries

By 1966, Scalextric’s development team, led byBill Langley, were on top-notch form. They’dbrought in the race-tuned series of cars with thepowerful Johnson blue can motor and advancedA/262 race-tuned hand controller, and theinnovative if somewhat sluggish Power Sledgecars were in the pipeline, but they weren’tallowed to rest on their laurels. The LinesBrothers directors – particularly Graham Lines– wanted further innovation and were thinkingbigger. Much bigger – 1/24th scale, in fact.

Norman Griffiths, Minimodels’ generalmanager between 1964 and 1971, picks up the1968 ninth catalogue, turns to the final pagesand his eyes light up as he sees what was tobecome one of Scalextric’s finest and rarestproducts. “The 1/24th series was fantastic stuff,”he says, as we continue our chat at his home inBroadstairs, Kent. “It never did really take off,though.”

Breaking new ground and with a buildquality far exceeding the 1/32nd series, the 1/24th system was principally designed for clubs,slot shops and outdoor use. With its rigid three-lane track, highly detailed cars and innovativemechanical construction (including a metalchassis with drop arms and dynamic braking forthe cars), it deserved to be an outright winner.Unfortunately – due to its high price and the factthat the 60s’ Scalextric boom was beginning tofalter – the 1/24th system fell on stony groundand failed to sell. Not surprisingly, today thetrack and particularly the cars are extremelycollectable. ➳

19September 2004

“The 1/24th system was the dream of oneof the directors, Graham Lines. He envisagedpeople having it out in their garden,permanently laid down. Graham was very bigon the American stuff. He used to go over thereat least once a month and get his ideas from theStates. In fact, at one particular point we wereborrowing American tools to make certain itemsfor the 1/24th stuff.”

“I’ll never forget that to prove the durabilityof it, Bill Langley and I got permission from theRAF on Thorney Island near Chichester, andwent and nailed a piece of 1/24th track on to abreakwater at low water and left it there for sixmonths to see what would happen. This wasreally scientific stuff ! And surprisingly, not agreat deal did happen to it!”

There were problems in producing the trackthough. “It was a cow to mould! For a start thetrack was rigid and whereas with the normalScalextric track it would bend to a degree if youwanted banking and so on, with the 1/24th ifyou wanted banking, you had to mould thebanking into the track and you’re into a differentball game all together, with shrinkage and

everything. But I thought the 1/24th series wasgreat fun. I don’t remember a great deal aboutthe cars other than they were much easier tomake because they were larger and that theywent like a bat out of hell!”

With few sales, it wasn’t long before the plugswere pulled though.

“Unfortunately the 1/24th hadn’t got thesales potential. You see, the Formula Juniorreally made Scalextric. It sold a huge amount,particularly mail order. It costs a lot of money todevelop and to tool any car. Today I doubt thatyou’d get much change out of £20,000 on amould for just a body. By the time you’ve donethat, all the tools for all the bits and pieces, you’relooking at a lot of money and you’ve got torecover that money in sales. The 1/24th systemhad a lot of interest and the enthusiasm, butnever the sales. You’ve got to recover the initialoutlay and keep getting the sales. Scalextric hadto stop the 1/24th series pretty quickly, and infact it didn’t go on for too long prior to themgoing into liquidation.” ■

Next month: the CougarNext month: the CougarNext month: the CougarNext month: the CougarNext month: the Cougar, the D, the D, the D, the D, the Dararararart and missingt and missingt and missingt and missingt and missing

stockstockstockstockstock

20 www.nscc.co.uk

BITS & PIECES Carrera liaison person

wantedDue to lack of time available Steve Baker hasrelinquished the above post. If you have aninterest in Carrera products and would like totake on the job please get in touch with GarethJex (address on back page) for more details.

Reviewers wantedIt has always been my policy to send most reviewcars out to members as I feel that an endless dietof the editor’s own prejudices would soonbecome boring. Just to remind you, therefore,that more volunteers for the ‘Review FocusGroup’ are always welcome.

If you would like to become involved, thequalifications needed are:

• A decent track to test them on - doesn’thave to be a club track but a figure of eight seton your living room floor is unlikely to besufficient!

• Basic timing facilities preferred.• Photographic facilities also preferred.• An ability to write an honest review - I

am not interested in mindless praise just becausethe car is free. Yes, you do get to keep the car!Your annual subscription recouped in one go.

• Most importantly - you must be able toproduce copy on time and at short notice.

If you are interested then please get in touch.Brian

Slot.It bargain?In the September 2004 issue of ‘Top Gear’ thereare a couple of adverts for slot-cars andaccessories, one being that the ‘Slot.It Pit Babes’retail for the princely sum of £4.99 at www.slot-it. After a good look around the net, such pricewas sadly unavailable.

Rob Chambers

Roger’s 6th editionThe new book is in production and scheduledfor launch at the Goodwood Revival meeting onthe 4th September.

Roger will be doing a book signing between1300 and 1400 at Scale Models stand.

It should contain 256 pages (176 in the 5thedition) and 350+ extra images so it is morecomprehensive.

Educational aid“Scalextric is a slightly elaborate way ofconnecting the 12-volt DC supply from theterminals of a transformer to the carbon brushesof a small electric motor. How much moreengaging O-level physics might have been if Sirhad demonstrated the relationship between thissimple phenomenon and domestic motor racing.Scalextric is simply brilliant.”

James MayDaily Telegraph July 31st

21September 2004

Having produced two of the classic midto late seventies rally icons in the lasttwo releases, World Classics turned to

a very unusual car for their next offering to theworld of 1/32 slot - the Lancia Fulvia F&MSpecial.

In World Championship terms this car onlyran once to my knowledge - this being a two carentry for Sandro Munari and Timo Makinen inthe 1969 Tour de Corse. Lancia’s little Fulviawas a competitive car, but team manager CesareFiorio and senior engineer Claudio Maglioli(The F&M come from their two surnames)wondered if the car could be made even betterby reducing the weight and lowering the centreof gravity. What better way they reasoned thanto simply slice off the roof and create a “FulviaSpyder”. The car they created had the roofremoved and just the front screen and “A” frameretained along with an oversized roll bar behindthe cockpit. The cars length was also shortenedand in all a weight saving of around 45 kg wasachieved bring the car down from 825kg to780kg, not bad at all and with the little V4,1600cc engine pushing out 165bhp to the frontwheels via a 5 speed transmission the teamthought they were on to a winner. Alas what isgreat in theory is often complete pants in reality,and so the F&M Specials performance proved.

At Corsica in 1969 the team felt rain waslikely so the crews had to wear waterproof suitsnot dissimilar to a frogman’s wet suit, not exactlyideal for rallying in. However the event stayeddry and to add to the crews discomfort the opentop Fulvia sucked in lots of dust and exhaustfumes. This had not been noticed during a high-speed test track session but was a problem on theslower sections of Corsican road being used inthe rally. The real problem was, however, thatthe majority of the weight loss had come fromthe rear of the car disrupting both handling andbrake balance and causing massive oversteer.

The cars were a flop, trailing in 11th and13th

behind team mates Kallstrom and Ballestreirewho were driving the conventional FulviaCoupes. Following this poor debut the F&Mspecials were switched away from rallying toroad racing events, the highlight of which was aclass win in the Mugello road race.

Building itThe kit comprises resin body shell, interior,drivers’ heads, front grille, a white metal roll bar,lexan front screen, clear headlight lenses, and avery good transfer set for the Sandro Munari/John Davenport entry for the aforementioned’69 Tour de Corse. The kits are also availablewith a complete set of running gear from PendleSlot Racing; this comprises a modified TeamSlot Fulvia Chassis, engine mount, Mabuchimotor, screws, guide, braids, and SCX axles,wheels and tyres.

So, equipped with all the gear, off we go.First we line up the chassis; the small front endmodification has already been done by Pendle-Slot and requires no extra work. Ensure it’sstraight and drill the two front postholes and twoholes in the chassis sides. Next fit the runninggear, again no modification is required - thewheels fit properly under the lovely flared wheelarches. Trim the lexan glass and cement thedrivers’ heads in place, then do a full dry fit tomake sure everything runs o.k. It’s much easierto correct something at this stage before youpaint the car up. This is possibly the easiest kitto build I have ever come across and everythingshould fit together with no problems. Nowdisassemble the car for painting; the shellmoulding is good quality and requires just alight rub down with wet ‘n’ dry and a tinyamount of flashing removed. Wash the shell inslightly soapy water to remove any grease beforespraying and then spray two light undercoats. Iused Plastikote grey primer. ➳

Lancia Fulvia F&M Special byWorld Classics

A review by Phil Insull

22 www.nscc.co.uk

Next spray several light coats of red (I usedPlastikote Insignia red) and allow to dry in a dustfree environment. A tip here is to get a crystalcase from another car such as Ninco or Carreraas they are a bit larger than the rest, and placeit over the painted shell while it dries, thuskeeping the dust off the car. Paint and detail thecockpit, drivers, and grille, before resin bondingthem into place and refit the completed chassis.You can now hold the car by the wheels whenyou do the rest of the detail painting. The rearpanel and front panel around the grille/headlights needs painting in white, then the rearlight clusters can be detail painted.

The roll cage needs fitting next - fit the mainroll hoop section and bond it in position. Whendry, fit the two bracing pieces (the curved endsfit into the holes in the body shell) and then theother end needs cutting to size so that they restagainst the top of the main hoop. Use a pair ofside cutters for this. Once you are happy with thebracing pieces bond them into the hole and tothe top of the main hoop. Allow the resin timeto dry then paint the whole assembly in mattblack. Glue the headlight lenses and windscreeninto place and the assembly work is complete.Finally fit the transfers. These are excellentquality and fit exactly without trimming.However, one thing to note is that the instructionleaflet shows a couple of transfers in the wrongplace. First the yellow spots on the doors shouldgo behind the numbers not in front of them, andsecondly the little Tour de Corse number plateshould go right in front of the bonnet in thecentre, rather than angled on the side of thebonnet as shown in the instructions. If you don’tbelieve me look at Reinhard Klein’s Rally Carsbook page 178 for a picture of the car in actionon the ’69 Tour de Corse.

On TrackTo the track for a run then and how does itperform? Both on my small Ninco home track,and the somewhat larger Wolverhampton clubtrack the little coupé handles beautifully -drifting through the corners in a predictable tailout slide; wonderful stuff, particularly if youdislike the false handling and speeds from mass

produced magnet cars. Lap times are good fora car of this type and show an improvement onthe non-magnetised Team Slot Fulvia Coupé ofaround 0.6 seconds per lap with very similarrunning gear. Visually there are a couple ofminor niggles for the absolute perfectionist,firstly the Munari car at Corsica ran with a pairof additional low level front spotlights, andsecondly the car had a full front windscreen with“A” pillars rather than the aero version providedin the kit. (I believe the Mugello car ran with anaero screen) and finally the car is slightly toolong (if you recall the real car had beenshortened).All in all though World Classics have brought usanother unique piece of auto engineering in 1/32 form and the finished article looks delightful,handles beautifully and surely this is anothermust have for the rally slot enthusiast. Again Icannot stress how easy this kit is to construct andcredit should go to World Classics for using thekeep it simple approach. Not everybody is anexpert modeller, but they have done such a goodjob on this kit that any one with a modicum ofability should get great finished results from it.

Other kits available in the series are:BMW 2002 TurboJaguar E Type Fastback LM 1964 LindnerTalbot Sunbeam RAC 1980 Russell Brookes.Andrews Heat for HireFord Escort MK11 RS1800 RAC Winner 1976Roger Clark CossackFord Escort MK11 RS1800 RAC Winner 1977Waldegaard British AirwaysFord Escort MK11 RS1800 Monte Carlo 1979Hannu Mikkola CastrolLancia Fulvia Barchetta Tour de Corse 1969F&M

Planned future releases:Ford Capri MK1 Road CarFord Capri Mk1 3.0GT W. RohlFord Zodiac MK111 Monte Carlo 1963Ford Zodiac MK111 1962 Safari Rally AnneHallSunbeam Tiger Monte Carlo 1965 ■

23September 2004

The phone rang one evening a few weeksago - it was master model builder DavidYerbury. “What info, have you got on

the Ferrari 612?” he asked, “I’m thinking ofmaking one but I’m a bit short on photographsand dimensions so anything you have will beuseful”.

David was, of course, referring to the firstprototype Ferrari that was specifically built forthe North American Can-Am series; promisedmuch, but in the end devoid of works backingfailed in its quest to dethrone the mightyMcLaren juggernaut that was dominant from1967 until 1972 when the Porsche 917/10eclipsed the English based team.

Ferrari’s U.S. agent was Luigi Chinetti,whose North American Racing Team hadentered cars in many races including Le Mans.In 1967 he prepared a re-bodied 4 litre 330 P3/4 and with Ludovicio Scarfiotti driving, heentered the Can-Am championship atBridgehampton where the car finished eleventhand at Mosport where it retired.

With Chris Amon’s arrival from McLaren toMaranello that year, Ferrari’s challenge wasgiven a bit of a lift and the factory, independentof N.A.R.T., had produced a pair of lightenedand re-bodied 330 P4s with special 4 litre V12engines giving 480 bhp. However, they did notmake much of an impression when they firstappeared at Laguna Seca; Amon was fifth andteam-mate Jonathan Williams was eighth. Amonwent on to finish eighth at Riverside withWilliams retiring.

Clearly something better than this wasneeded. Back in Italy, the factory came up witha brand new car. Designed from scratch, with atubular space frame, the 1968 model waspowered by a specially built 6.2 litre V12 enginewith 4 valve cylinder heads, fuel injection and

100 bhp per litre (apparently). The aluminiumbody had a big rear wing mounted just behindthe driver’s seat (more mid than rear mounted).

As was the norm with Ferrari at that time,the car’s debut in the 1968 series was late butfinally, keeping faith with thousands of fans whohad expected it at every race since the openinground at Edmonton, the 612 reached Las Vegason November 8. At the eleventh hour theScuderia fielded the largest, most powerful andfastest racing car it had ever built. TeamManager Franco Gozzi, racing engineer MarioForghieri (now in charge at F1) and chiefmechanic Guilio Bosari had just two days ofpractice to make a dent in the (then) world’s mostlucrative road racing series.

During practice the 612 showed excellentacceleration, a top speed of 185 mph but ratherunstable handling. Forghieri only had time forminor suspension adjustments and the additionof a few spoiler tabs.

After coming 8000 miles and qualifyingninth, the Ferrari, through no fault of its own,covered less than a lap. The tangling of BruceMcLaren and Mario Andretti at the first cornersent most of the pack off into the desert. Amonvery skilfully avoided the shunt, but the 612, withits throttle slides clogged with dust was one oftwo cars which would not re-start.

Ferrari was eminently capable of building awinning Can-Am car but in 1968/9 the Can-Am was one of six (yes, six) different types ofracing that they engaged in. Just to recap, apartfrom Can-Am, there was Fl, F2, the Tasmanseries, World Sports Cars and the mountainchampionship. The Can-Am programme wasthe last to start and consequently testing anddevelopment generally carried out during racesbut the biggest problem was that the engine wasplagued with an oil cooling/scavenging ➳

Can-Am’s continentalchallenge

By Tony Secchi

24 www.nscc.co.uk

problem throughout its life. Additionally, the carwas about 200 lbs (90 kg) overweight andalthough as fast as the McLarens in a straightline did not have the handling/braking balancethat a proper development programme wouldhave provided.

The following year (1969) the car was re-built with much lighter revised bodywork andsuspension. The big wing was also omitted andpower was reputedly up to 650 bhp. It wasmainly funded by Chris Amon himself whoreceived little in the way of factory help in itsdevelopment.

Generally the 612 (except for the twoMcLarens) was the fastest car in the series. Itshandling improved when the wing was put back,albeit this time hub mounted. Unfortunately, itsunreliability was a liability and its sixth place inthe series championship was not much of areward for the car’s potential.

The new 612 made its debut at WatkinsGlen in the third round of the series, Amonqualifying and finishing in third place. In thefollowing race at Edmonton Amon had his andthe 612’s best ever finish, qualifying third andfinishing second only five seconds behind DennyHulme’s McLaren after swapping the leadthroughout the race. The car actually ranwithout the new Lamar rear wing. Having beensent out from Italy it managed to end up inLondon instead of Western Canada - typical ofFerrari’s organisational priorities at that time.

At the Mid-Ohio race Amon had a troubledqualifying session finishing thirteenth on the gridbut after nine laps he was up to third where hestayed till the finish.

Amon retired at Elkhart Lake after the 612ate its fuel pump, but was back on the grid atBridgehampton in fourth place before theFerrari’s appetite for fuel pumps manifesteditself on lap three of the race.

Back on the track at Michigan, it was clearthat Amon loved the circuit from the start.Quickest in practice on both days and having setthe fastest pre-race lap, disaster struck - anotheroil pump failed and the V12 melted its bearings.

With no back up engine the 612 was out ofthe race. At Laguna Seca Amon did not even geta run - the re-ground crank on the engine gaveout - the pump once again. However, Chrismanaged to jump his contract for one race anddrove a McLaren M8B, having no better luck forthe change, he retired nine laps from the finish.

At Riverside Amon had the new 6.9 litreengine installed (officially making this version ofthe car a 712). After another oil pump failureChris was third on the grid, but it did not matterbecause come the race the Ferrari refused to dowhat it should do on the starting grid - start up!Amon tried in vain to re-start the new engine.The organisers allowed a push start and thenchanged their minds and disqualified the car justwhen Amon was really pressing the McLarens,confident that he could nail them at any time.

The last race of the series was in Texas andChris was raring to go after his all too shortRiverside debacle. He qualified third but had theengine blow up on lap ten.

So ended a promising but unfulfilled seriesfor the 612 and, as I stated previously, sixth placein the championship was a scant reward for theone car in series that gave the McLarenssomething to think about

Back to David’s model - of course I hadsome info on the 612. Am I not Italian? Am I nota Can-Am nut? Am I not a bookworm?

Yes I am all of those things so I forwardedposte haste several Xerox copies of the car takenfrom my books on Can-Am racing containingdebut photos and full body/chassis dimensions.I also sent him an excellent Osprey publicationon the same subject which features a wholechapter on the ‘Continental Challenge” ofFerrari and Porsche (from which I pinched thetitle of this article). David also sourced sometechnical drawings of the car and in due timereturned my book and (generously) the first castfrom his mould.

The car is made of fibreglass resin and hasto have the ‘flashing’ cut off, the wheel archesfiled out and profiled and any ducts, vents etc.opened up to suit - a pleasure for an old longtime model maker like me.

25September 2004

David had chosen the 1968/ early 1969version of the 612 because of its clean, classiclines. During the lifetime of the car it had loadsof fins, vents, wings, tabs, openings etc. addedalmost race by race to try and improve thehandling. In his opinion all these ‘improvements’spoilt the pristine proportions and grace of theoriginal, so no big rear wing but unclutteredclean lines and a beautiful shape were David’sparameters and he certainly has succeeded inthat aim.

BuildingAs I said, the car is moulded in fibreglass exceptfor the cockpit area which on the real car wasvery confined and must have caused driverdiscomfort from high temperatures. For thisDavid had vacuum formed a separate unit inclear acetate and is so narrow in its true scalethat I had to use the head of one model driverand the arms of another (with very narrowshoulders) to get a fit. However, I was able tosuccessfully replicate Chris Amon’s open-facedpeaked helmet with its simple red and blue lines.I fitted a new stalk-type rear view mirror andanti-roll bar from stock. For the engine inlettrumpets I used the same trick as I did onDavid’s “Testa Rossa” built earlier. I used twelveScalextric pick up lead ‘eyelets’ glued into thepre-drilled engine block incorporated in David’smodel.

For the running gear I used a complete unit(chassis, axles, wheels/tyres, engine and drive)from a ‘Fly’ Ferrari 512/512S. This gave me thecorrect gold Ferrari wheels and front tyres. I hadto adjust the underpan slightly to suit the 612’swheelbase and use wider tyres on the rear wheelsto get them to scale and look right. In real life the612 was seven feet (2100 mm) wide at the rear,so the tyres had to match the then current widthused in the Can-Am series. Fortunately, I wasable to keep the tyres within the body soeverything looked authentic. The huge widthgave a boost to the roadholding and the ‘Fly’Mabuchi engine with its final drive gearingmeans that it is competitive with other cars inour series. Excluding the 612 we now havetwelve cars racing in two classes of six each.

The whole chassis/underpan unit was fittedinto the underside of the body by the usual‘mounting post’ system described in the Journalpreviously by others and myself.

TestingThe Can-Am series that we run on my hometrack has some seriously fast, regulation free cars(just like the real thing was) so the 612 wouldhave to be quick and stable to compete on eventerms. Anything under 40 secs. is a quick ten-lapstint on our circuit and of the twelve cars we raceonly one has not broken that barrier on bothlanes. The fastest of the cars is the Chaparral 2Gon lane 1 with 36.74 and the Porsche 917/10with 37.52 on lap 2 (the longer lap). ➳

26 www.nscc.co.uk

As we have no roadholding limitations onthese cars we all use Magnatraction. The ‘Fly’chassis carries the standard powerful circularmagnet just in front of the sidewinder engine.This was retained, a circular hole drilled beneathit and the magnet lowered to the underside ofthe chassis pan. A small piece of lead sheet wasadded just behind the pick up for balance andafter a few laps of testing a small half piece ofan old Scalextric bar magnet was added to therear. This gave the car good stability, late brakingand allowed the back to step out in fast andgraceful power slides without spinning.

First runs gave fastest times for ten laps onlane 1 of 39.86 and for lane 2 39.71. Addingthe rear magnet brought the times downmarginally to 39.51 and 39.63 respectively with,I think, more to come. These times gave the cara provisional 6th fastest on lanes 1 and 2 - soabout half way up the list. This is very promisingfor a reasonably heavy car and compares verywell with a ‘Topslot’ resin Ferrari 712 poweredby the same running gear which is only a quarterof a second faster. So things bode well for thefuture when our Can-Am series begins at theend of the year. The car looks great, goes welland, when fully run in, should be a goodcompetitor in the top half of the championship.

As ever, my heartfelt thanks go to my friendDavid Yerbury, who invariably seems to hit thespot with his hand built cars. His standards gethigher all the time and this is the best yet, on apar with any professional product bodywise. Itmakes a refreshing change to build a car yourselfand race it against proprietary makes which runstraight out of the box.

PostscriptI live in Islington and last Saturday I was passingthrough Camden Passage when I saw that mylocal toy shop - Becks -was having a closingdown sale after over 100 years of traditionalservice. I am 71 years old and I can rememberBecks for most of my life (even before Scalextric)I was sorry to see it go. However they had a saleon and I was able to purchase a few of the latestScalextric ‘Sport’ cars including a very nice‘Dyson’ racing MG Lola. It was very light, fastand well balanced, right out of the box andready to race. With a modicum of ‘tinkering’ Igot its times down for ten laps to 40.84 on lap 1and 40.93 on lap 2. As our good readers willnote these times are not quite as fast as theFerrari and I know which one gives me thegreatest pleasure and reward to race. With asuitable amount of smugness, I rest my case. ■