Digital Formula 1 Race Car Install 75 May/June 2014 $6.95 Alfa Romeo 1951 Formula 1 Champion REAL Race Car Sound Six Full Race Car Track Tests: 1967 Trans-Am Ford Mustang USA $6.95 1968 Trans-Am Ford Mustang 1970 Trans-Am Dodge Challenger 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage 1999 BMW V12 LMR LeMans www.modelcarracingmag.com 1982 Ferrari 512 BB LM LeMans Walter Rohrl and Christian Geistdorfer in their Audi Sport Quattro E2, on the way to winning the 1985 San Remo, Italy round of World Rally Cup series. ---LAT Photo 75 75 CONTENTS 11 Trans-Am TRACK TEST: Supertuned Racers, Part 109: Magnet-Free: Carrera 1968 Mustang Fastback by Marc Purdham 12 Trans-Am TRACK TEST: ON THE COVER: The 1/32 scale Flyslot Flying Lizard Porsche 911 on its way ALL-TIME SHOOT-OUT to win the ALMS GT2 class at Miller Motorsport Park in Tooele, Utah in 2009. Supertuned Racers, Part 110: Magnet-Free: 1/32 Scale Model Car Racing: Scalextric vs. Carrera vs. Pioneer vs. SCX. by Marc Purdham 7 LeMans Flyslot Porsche 997 GT3 RSR 13 Start Here Chassis Setup, Part 1: Alignment by Bill Wright by Robert Schleicher 8 Home Racing 14 World Rally Cup Onboard Race car sound from Flyslot Scalextric 1985 Audi Sport Quattro E2 by Bill Wright 16 Real (Vintage) Race Track Plans: 2-Lane Unicorn Raceway for Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, Ninco, Carrera (with optional lane-changing) on a 9 x 17-foot tabletop. by Robert Schleicher 19 Real Race Tracks on a Tabletop 2-Lane Unicorn Raceway for Scalextric Sport, Classic, 9 Trans-Am SCX, Ninco or Carrera (with optional lane-changing) on a TRACK TEST: 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop. Supertuned Racers, Part 107: by Robert Schleicher Magnet-Free: 20 Race Car Shop Scalextric 1970 Dodge Challenger Formula 1 by Marc Purdham Dave Jones 1950 Alfa Romeo 158 with Penelope Pitlane Chassis 10 Trans-Am by Bill Deuroen TRACK TEST: Supertuned Racers, Part 108: 26 LeMans Magnet-Free: TRACK TEST: Pioneer 1968 Mustang Fastback Slotwings 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM by Marc Purdham by Marc Purdham 4 Model Car Racing 28 LeMans TRACK TEST: NSR 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 by Marc Purdham 32 LeMans Scaleauto 1975 De Tomaso Pantera Group 5 HO Model Car Racing: by Bill Wright 49 Track Plans 34 GT Racing 4-Lane Paramount Ranch Track Scalextric 2012 Maserati GranTurismo MC Trofeo on a 5 x 9-foot Ping-Pong Tabletop with a 4 x 4-foot table by Bill Wright to create a 5 x 13-foot tabletop by Robert Schleicher 35 Club Racing Trofeo Racing Departments: by Robert Schleicher 6 Editorial: No Coincidences 36 Supercars 48 Pit Board Scalextric Lamborghini Aventador 50 Club Directory 51 New For 2014-15 by Albin Burroughs 38 NASCAR Racing On Your Tablet: Scalextric 1970 Dodge Charger Daytona Model Car Racing is now available for iPad or Kindle. Just click on the by Albin Burroughs Apple iTunes icon and search for Model Car Racing to order individual issues, subscriptions or a limited number of back issues. There’s more 40 LeMans information on page 56 of this issue. TRACK TEST: Where To Buy Model Car Racing Products: Arrow Slot 1999 BMW V12 LMR Dealers: A listing of the addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, by Marc Purdham and websites of all the dealers that carry Model Car Racing magazine appears on our website at www.modelcarracingmag.com 42 Digital Racing Manufacturers: A listing of the addresses and websites of firms that Slot.it oXigen Digital Chips for Formula 1 cars manufacture model car racing products appears on our website at by Robert Schleicher www.modelcarracingmag.com: MORE INFORMATION: There is an Index of all of the past issues, a Digest of the results of the first 257 cars in our Race Track Test series, Pros and Cons of plastic track by brand, the Pros and Cons of the four digital systems, Pros and Cons of 1/43 scale and an index of the 157 previously published track plans, by size, on our website at www.modelcarracingmag.com. READY-TO-RUN CARS YOU CAN RACE AT HOME 45 Your Track Vintage Racing: Robert Schleicher’s Three-Lane Wood 16 x 18-foot Unicorn Raceway 57 LeMans Slot.it 1968 Ford GT40 by Robert Schleicher Model Car Racing 5 No Coincidences This is our 75th issue. I almost missed the sig- (that would be guilt), but to make you aware that May 17-18, 2014. One of the largest model car nificance of that and planned some other articles buying on Amazon or eBay has far more conse- racing gatherings in the world takes place in England for this issue. However, 75 magazines do contain quences than you saving a few dollars. each spring at the UK Slot Car Festival (www. a major data base of information. We have pub- A Bit Of Personal History, ukslotcarfestival.co.uk/). There are over a dozen lished articles on about 95-percent of the model tracks you can try, ranging from HO to 1/32 scale racing cars that have been manufactured over Again, no coincidence, but I just discovered a file digital, and all of the major manufacturers will be the past 12 years. The magazine is a source for drawer that I had not opened in 15 years and in- there with, essentially, the same products they dimensions and brief histories of nearly 500 side were photos and drawings of my first perma- previewed in Nurenburg a few months earlier---your full-size race cars that are the prototypes for the nent model car racing track. The plans and photos chance to see nearly all the good stuff that is coming models. The basic information you will want to of the Unicorn Raceway are on pages 45-47. I was for the next year. fortunate beyond belief because Albert Hetzel get the most from model car racing is listed on October 4 and 5, 2014. The National Hobby had the skills (that I did not) to build the track. www.modelcarracingmag.com under “New To show, the iHobby Expo is now at the Renaissance The Hobby?” All of the articles in the first 72 is- It was one of the most challenging and enjoyable Schaumburg Convention Center, 1551 N. Thoreau sues are indexed on www.modelcarracingmag. tracks to race on, even more so with fifty-odd Dr., Schaumburg, Illinois 60173 about 20-minutes com and are searchable, but you will need to years of trying other raceways. northwest of O’Hare Airport. The iHobby Expo (www. search through each of twelve volumes. At the I was also fortunate to have Al as an older racing ihobbyexpo.com/Public.html) has become the end of the year we will post a comprehensives partner and we tested and tuned cars and raced largest gathering in the United States for the model index of all 78 issues. them in hobby shops and homes in Southern Cali- car racing importers and manufacturers. Usually, Scalextric, NINCO, SCX, AFX and Auto World have fornia. With very systematic testing against a “con- We have Race Track Tested examples of virtually demo tracks as well as displays of their latest trol” car, we were able to see if extra weight made every new chassis as they have appeared and, in products. a difference, where to put that weight, how many some cases, gone back after ten-years (in the case turns of wire to peel-off the motor armature (or of Scalextric sidewinder chassis on page 9 and what size copper wire to try next on the armature), the Slotwings (nee-Flyslot and Fly) sidewinder Volume 13, Number 3 (issue number 75) what tire treatment compounds worked best and a chassis on pages 26-27) and tested them again to May/June 2014 host of other variables. Whatever it was, it worked see if the years made any difference. We are using because we both won more than our fair share of Publisher: Technical Editor: the same test tracks and the same instruments to Robert Schleicher Chris Walker races on those 1/32 and 1/24 scale home tracks. measure the cars and their magnetic downforce. The commercial raceways appeared about that Editor: Track Test Editor: The cars that were made ten-years ago and time but that was a completely different hobby. Robert Schleicher Marc Purdham more, were really excellent, the only really no- The Joy of Oversteer Layout & Design: Agency Graphics, Ltd. table improvement in that decade plus has been the chassis with a fully-adjustable motor pod What the Unicorn Raceway did reveal was the Contributing Editors: (like the NSR on pages 28-31, Slot.it Ford GT40 joy of oversteer. It hooked us all. There were no Mark Gussin Jeremy Dunning Jason Boye Dan Wilson Alan Schwartz Dan Esposito on page 57 and Arrow Slot BMW on pages 40- downforce magnets in those days (and even if Brad Bowman Bernard Sampson Pat Dennis 41). These somewhat up-market examples are there were, the copper or aluminum pickup tape also lighter than most of the older cars. Having would not have allowed any magnetic downforce Editors Emeritus: said that, the newer Carrera cars are heavier in effect). The tires were hard Veco model airplane Rocky Russo Bill Sipple Albin Adams a successful attempt make them almost inde- landing gear tires, and, later, we skimmed the Jose Rodriguez Jim Russell structible for 8-year olds. The Scalextric cars, skin from the Veco foam model airplane tires Bob Braverman Ron Klein conversely are nearly identical in weight, per- and treated them with a range of chemicals that Circulation & Dealer Contact: formance and excellent detail as their 2002 cars.