NO. 368 NOVEMBER 2012 Contents It’s Sneaking Up! Events...................................2 esterday Whilst on a visit “up town” to London I exited Oxford Diary Dates..........................5 YCircus tube station to see to my surprise Christmas lights Messages From Margate......7 overhead and decorations in the shop windows. I told Denise upon Kits ‘N’ Bobs......................14 my return home that evening and she said “ well it is only six weeks Carrera Corner..................19 or so until Christmas you know, we have putting stuff out for a couple Proses Race Tower.............21 of weeks now (she works in M & S)”. Fly On The Wall...............25 This has made me think about couple of things, firstly I need to OCAR Meeting.................28 get out more or at least walk around with my eyes open a bit more, Ninco News........................34 as I hadn’t really noticed the festive season and all it’s trimmings Heart of England Report..37 approaching and secondly whether it is an age thing? Since it seams Chiarman’s Chat...............41 it was only a few weeks ago it was summer, where is the time going? Standstead Swapmeet........46 This now means that I must curb my immediate enthusiasm for Ebay Watch........................47 Slot cars and concentrate some of my available time and efforts on Christmas shopping, in particular what the three “Herberts” want from Father Christmas this year (apart from everything and anything they seen advertised on the children’s channels!) plus of course the other half. I had thought of slot car related items, but I think this would not be appreciated by the receiving parties, well perhaps Ciaran would, but at the minute Fireman Sam is flavour of the month and currently Scalextric don’t do Fireman Sam and Ciaran hasn’t yet been introduced to Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker or even James Bond so some of the latest releases from Hornby may be lost on him at the moment. As for the girls, well if is isn’t pink they are not interested and Denise did say if ever I bought her a Scalextric car I would risk having to have it surgically removed. So gentlemen, I am left to ponder what to buy with no hints or offerings from those who are to receiver. I am sure I am not alone, so to any wives, girlfriends or perhaps children reading this now could you give us dads, husbands or boyfriends an idea, because I hate shopping on Christmas eve, much preferring to be in the pub! Until next month. Jeremy November 2012 1 By Pete Simpson mazing, it’s happened yet again: I go on a business trip to the USA and AScalextric deliver thirteen new models to the retailers! Despite Karen’s belief, I didn’t have them all on order but, to compound the postman’s workload, I had also purchased the 2012 R18 from N*n*o (and very nice it is too!). So, when I got home I was guided towards a parcel for me in the lounge, another in the study, one in the kitchen and one, just arrived, by the front door. This should have created a nice, will only be available from the on-line Scalextric healthy stock level at most retailers well in shop or by personal collection at, you guessed it, advance of the Christmas rush: might be a good the Visitors’ Centre and will be limited to 999 time to leave this article lying around for examples. As it comes with two free entries to the partners or parents to read. Hornby museum, remember to buy it on the Latest new prototypes at Margate include a way in! Certainly a welcome addition to the road car, an Australian Ford, a Ford GT, a Lotus ranks of road going machinery: not everyone 49 and another version of the Dodge Charger. wants all their slot cars to be race replicas. True I’ll leave the Charger to last as I’ve had a bit of to the prototype it is front engined, thereby fun with mine which I’ve detailed below. permitting the installation of a full interior. For First in the list is a brilliant red Mercedes lovers of Mercedes, this is a must; it looks so SLR McLaren, C3355. An unannounced car much nicer than the archetypal silver of most for this year, it is a Visitors’ Centre release and versions of the marque, although not quite as radical as a BRG Ferrari! Sitting on the track it gives every indication that its McLaren- developed 5.4 litre supercharged V8 will➳ 2 provide all of its 617 bhp to power it well out of the reach of even Scalextric’s police cars with 124mph being reached in a mere 10.4 seconds. And that’s only part of the story: 190mph is achieved only 20 seconds later. The Australian car is another new moulding for 2012: the Ford XB Falcon GT of Moffat Ford Dealers as run in the Bathurst Hardie- Ferodo 1,000 in 1976, C3303. The car The Ford GT3, C3290, is that of Lambda illustrated in this year’s catalogue is not quite Performance as driven by Dane Kurt Thiim and how it will appear when released; whilst German Thomas Mutsch during the 2011 correctly described as the 1976 Bathurst car, the ADAC GT Masters Series. I don’t know much illustration is of the 1977 winner, race number about either driver apart from Thomas’ entry at 1. However, the model will be the rather less Le Mans in 2010 – driving a similar model Ford successful number 9 car from the 1976 race in in GT1, along with Jonathan Hirschi and which Allan Moffat and Vern Schuppann Romain Grosjean: a team of first timers. Alas, retired on lap 87 when the engine harmonic no result on his 24hr debut as the car retired balancer came adrift. This model will make an with engine troubles after 13 hours, having ideal companion to the number 5 Holden completed 171 laps. Looking at images of the Torana, C3214, released at the beginning of this car racing at Hockenheimring in October of year, either in analogue or, with an Easy Fit 2011, this model appears to be a good Digital Plug fitted, in full-on lane changing representation although the “Baufeld” sponsor format. decal on the door, as shown in the catalogue image, appears to be only on the left side of the car, the right side being blank: the car as released does not have this on either side. Of course, it could easily be the livery as raced at another round of the series. The vagaries of Wikipedia were highlighted when researching Thomas Mutsch as the content displayed on the German site is significantly different to that of the UK version. Whilst searching for information on this car I came across a superb resource centre for old motor racing photos: www.MotorsportArchive.com. Searching can be a bit tedious as images are credited, and arranged, by contributor but there is a huge wealth of interesting old race car images, many described and photographed at the time they were actually racing rather than November 2012 3 images of restored examples and the associated degree of uncertainty. Allow plenty of time if Let’s hope that next year sees further visiting as it is one of those sites that will lead you examples of this great car as it developed with into many interesting distractions. the various high and low rear wings and front The Lotus 49, C3311, is a car that I first saw canards and driven to further victories by back in July but remained forgotten, and Graham Hill and Jochan Rindt as well as other unreported, until my example arrived on the drives by Mario Andretti, Jo Siffert, Emerson doorstep. It represents a milestone in car liveries Fittipaldi, John Miles, Richard Attwood and Jo as it was the first car to carry major sponsorship: Bonnier or even John Love and Dave Charlton. that of Gold Leaf cigarettes, introduced at There could be as many interesting versions as Monaco in 1968. It represents the car that Jim there have been of GT40s. Clarke drove at Warwick Farm in the 1968 Tasman races, going on to win the series. This Dodge Charger Hot Rod, C3317 was to be the last year in which Lotus had sole Commenting on the accuracy of most use of the Ford DFV, prior to it being made Scalextric releases is normally only a matter of available to other teams, partly to ensure that searching text books and web sites in order to Ford’s image wasn’t tarnished by presenting a find the exact car on which the model is based. whitewash over the competition. Obviously However, with a Hot Rod, this isn’t as Scalextric have had to omit one or two sponsor’s straightforward as the owner does not need to decals but, for those of us old enough to justify the râison d’etre; it is his, or her, remember, the colour scheme brings back fond personality that is reflected in the metal so memories of F1 racing, albeit as the age of comments regarding choice of colour or➳ innocence vanished. 4 modifications are academic. Full marks to put away as a spare for the Duke’s wheels. The Scalextric for not slipping into the common trap second disappointment is the omission of lights: of calling it a “Street Rod”, which must, as the grille lamp covers are represented in the defined by the NSRA, be manufactured prior to closed position making working headlights 1949.