Businessmen Use Scalextric In Manchester Airport Lounge

High-flying businessmen and women are passing the time in Manchester Airport's new passenger lounge racing each other on a Scalextric track.

For a fee, well-heeled passengers flying in and out of Terminal 1 can avoid the busy terminal hall by retiring to the £1.7m Escape Lounge, which opened on 1 July 2010.

Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/manchester/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8783000/8783254.stm

Scalextric 30,000 rpm Race Motor

Scalextric car with the upgrade 30000 rpm motor from Scalextric – If you are looking for speed here it is.

Wireless Slot Car Accelerator Pedal

AIR for Android Wireless Slot Car Gas Pedal from Grant Skinner on Vimeo.

Scalextric Track Length Calculator

As the name suggests, Scalextric Track Length Calculator enables you to measure the length of circuits so you can setup professional competitions.

The system works by constructing a virtual circuit with the pieces you have at your disposal. Immediately, it will tell you exactly how long your pieces will make the circuit in total as well as the difference between your various designs.

Not only can you create more accurate competition circuits with this tool but you can ensure that circuits are "right" for the cars that you have i.e. not too fast or slow. You can also know exactly how far you have between checkpoints which makes for a much more exciting race enabling you to calculate split times, average speeds etc. A simple tool although only of use to hardcore Scalextric fans that perhaps are involved in race competitions.

This great bit of software is totally free and can be downloaded here

Purchasing A Scalextric Set

When purchasing your first Scalextric set we advise to purchase the largest set for your budget. As this will provide you with the most track for your money. As you can never have enough track
There are two different types of Scalextric available:

1. Scalextric sport the basic standard Scalextric set. The Analogue sets are based on the same principals as the first sets that where made 50 years ago when it all first started
2. Scalextric Digital This type of sets offer up to 6 cars to race on the track at any one time

Scalextric Sport

This type of track is the most simple and is suitable for all ages especially suited for ages 6-9, Prices start from £30 - £150

In 2004 Scalextric brought out there new set layouts to make their layouts simple and easy to expand.

• X-1 this is a small figure of 8 with a 90 degree crossover
• X-2 is an extended figure of 8 with elevated crossover and 2 90 degree racing curves
• X-3 Track is a large figure of 8 with both sides of the loops extended, with elevated crossover and 90 degree curves as per the X-2 track just is slightly larger

All of these tracks can easily be extended by the track extension packs 1,2,3 and the Ultimate Extension, these packs represent good value for money if you are looking to expand your circuit.

If you have the older type track that was made prior to 2002 you will require the Scalextric Sport converter track(C34). These items come in packs of two and are used to connect old sections of track to the new sports track. You simply put one of the half straight converters at either end of the old track then continue with the new type track.

Scalextric Digital

Is the newest way to race, you can race up to 6 cars on the two lane track, This track has selectable lane changes all operated from your digital hand throttle. We would recommend for ages 9-90. Its great fun for all the family. Starter sets are available from £120 - £300. The top of the range set is the Scalextric pro GT C1242, which is well worth a look at as it is great value for money.

Digital racing is simple to set up, all you need to do is plug in the hand throttle and place the car on the track then hold the button on the powerbase for a few seconds to register that car to the hand throttle. Then repeat this for every car you wish to race on the track.

In 2009 Scalextric are re-releasing their 6 car power base (in the 2nd quarter of the year), early models had some technical issues so they was withdrawn, so be careful if you are purchasing one of the older models.

Scalextric have a basic conversion set that contains all you need except the cars so you can decide what Scalextric cars you want. or even convert your own cars, you have you may only need the digital Plug to convert your existing car to digital and these only retail for around £9 or choose from our large range of digital cars that are available. The conversion of a standard car to digital is easy if it is digital plug ready and only a screwdriver is required. However most cars can be converted dating back to 1957 by using the conversion chips these come it two types one for saloon cars and one for F1 cars. A soldering iron will be required to fit this correctly.

If you are converting to digital make sure you have enough of the correct lane change track pieces so they do not direct the cars to one lane and leave the cars on that one lane of track, so are unable to move to the other lane. The most simple was to resolve this is to use the straight lane change as this is the only piece of track that you can change lane from either side.

Scalextric racer and collector

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Catherine

London International Slotcar Show

The 13th LONDON INTERNATIONAL SLOTCAR SHOW
at Crofton Halls, York Rise, Orpington, Kent, BR6 8PR
Sunday 18th April 2010.

The Crofton Halls are situated 10 minutes from J4 of the M25
The venue is less than 1 hour from the Channel tunnel, Ferry ports and all the London airports with the London-Ashford-Dover mainline railway station right next door! The hall is modern and brightly lit with flat unloading and easy parking. There is plenty of public parking in the Station car park. There is a cafe providing tea, coffee, soft drinks and hot and cold food throughout the day.

Full size tables 6’ x 2.5’ (1800mm x 750mm) are £30 each
Smaller four feet collectors tables are available at £15 (no paste table)

Table holder entry will be from 8.30am

Public admission will be £2.00 and under 12's free
from 10.00am to 2.30pm

If you are a collector, racer or trader you cannot afford to miss London's premier slotcar swapmeet.

Please call me on 01959 701514 or email swapmeet@philsmith.co.uk
for all enquiries and table booking.

Items Available To Get The Most Form Your Scalextric Digital Sets

Digital Lap Counter (C7039)

This lap counter is powered by the track so batteries are not required. It is suitable for both 4-car and 6-car digital powerbases. The advantages of using this when racing include the race leader being displayed throughout the race and the number of laps remaining. There is a built-in start sequence and it also displays the race finishing order so as it's set up to 999 laps there is plenty of time for a really great race.

If you are seriously thinking of purchasing a Digital Lap Counter , please keep in mind it is not also a lap timer. The only way to obtain lap times is to purchase the 6 car powerbase which will be available in October 2009. Full details of this item are listed below. The 6 car powerbase will make the lap counter obsolete due to the fact that the powerbase will also count laps, so think carefully about your requirements before ordering either of these products.

The Digital Lap Counter is included in the top of the range Scalextric Digital Pro GT C1242 Set.

Digital Pit Lane Game (C7041)

The Digital Pit Lane Game is powered by the track so batteries are not required. It can add fun to any Digital layout as you can select up to three pit stops per race. Pits open randomly for ten seconds only and as you enter one pit stop light is extinguished. If you enter the closed pits you will receive an additional one pit penalty. The game is for up to six players and the winner is the first to extinguish all pit lights. This Pit Lane Game adds not only excitement to the race, it also requires you to improve your competitive skills to give you that extra edge in the game.

The Digital Pit Lane Game is included in the Scalextric Triple Cup Set.

If you combine the Pit Lane Game with the Lap Counter it offers the very best racing fun. You can set in place rules so only the race leader with the highest number of laps can extinguish their last remaining light on the pit lane game. Only then can the winner be found.

To improve your Scalextric Digital Sets , a Lane Change section of track is a very good buy.

Lane Change and Sensor Track (in to out left hand) C7009
Lane Change and Sensor Track (out to in left hand) C7007
Lane Change and Sensor Track (out to in right hand) C7008
Lane Change and Sensor Track (in to out right hand) C7010

We would recommend spacing all lane change sections of track at about 1 second of racing time around the track to ensure there is always something to think about and to create constant excitement during the race

How To Convert Your Original Track To Digital
 
For this you will need a Digital Conversion Kit (C7040 or the new C7056 which is the same item with just a new code)

The Digital Conversion Kit contains:-
1 x Powerbase
2 x Hand Controllers
1 x Straight Lane Change Track
1 x Straight Track
1 x ½ Straight Track
1 x Transformer

This will give you all you need to convert your track to digital. All you will have to do is convert your cars and you can start racing.

Look out for the 6 Car Powerbase (C7042) expected arrival October 2009.

The new powerbase runs on the current power transformer C7024 that is standard issue with all digital sets that have been sold over the past 3-4 years. If you have not already got a digital layout the transformers can be purchase individually.

Features of the 6 car powerbase are as follows:-

• The unit has a clear user interface with two levels of features to suit both the novice and experienced user
• The Skill Level option allows you to adjust the maximum power levels to individual cars so that 'novice versus expert' races can be run more fairly.

Hand throttles can be calibrated to equalise controller performance for all drivers. Multiple gaming modes including solo rally, timed endurance and total lap format racing. Setting the car ID is easy via a simple, one-button action.

This Powerbase is upgraded to 15v for better car performance.

This item is Scalextric's flagship item for 2009. It is set to be a best seller for a long time because of the high demand for digital sets over the past couple of years as people have found the new type of racing so captivating.

This new Powerbase can be used in Analogue or Digital power modes. This great feature allows the Powerbase to be used with standard 2-lane Scalextric circuits (for 2 cars only) or with Scalextric Digital layouts. The race modes can be used in either power configuration. Scalextric digital cars can be used as analogue cars but non digital cars cannot race on a digital track.

Now the best of both worlds is offered , an all-in-one race control system for Analogue and Digital racing.

Source: Looking for a slot car set for any small child then there are two very popular makes that will offer you something slightly different, it is more a matter of choice and price. Smaller scale slot car sets are suitable for ages 3-7. We are sure that they will get plenty of use from any car fanatic child and are ideal entertainment for a wet day.

Scalextric Chatsworth Land Speed Record

Scalextric, Guinness Book of Records, 1/32 Land Speed Record, with Gadget Show & Vodka Kick cars. Scale flying 1 Mile track.

Types of Track

The very first sectional slot track from Scalextric and VIP was molded rubber and folded metal, respectively, but modern slot tracks fall into two main categories: Plastic tracks and Routed tracks.

Plastic Tracks are made from the molded plastic commercial track sections. Sectional track is inexpensive and easy to work with and the design of the course can be easily changed. The joints between the sections, however, make a rough running surface, causing the derisive term "clickety-clack track." The many electrical connections cause voltage drop and contribute to more frequent electrical problems. For a permanent setup, the joints can be filled and smoothed, and the power rails soldered together or even replaced with continuous strips, but the surface is seldom as smooth as a good routed track.

Routed Tracks have the entire racecourse made from one or a few pieces of sheet material (traditionally plywood or MDF, but sometimes polymer materials) with the guide-slots and the grooves for the power strips cut directly into the base material using a router or CNC machining. This provides a smooth and consistent surface which is generally preferred for serious competition.