Scalextric

Been watching the one with some measurable grey matter, i.e James May, from Top Gear, entertain me with his Toy Stories series. This episode: Scalextric.

To be honest, I was going to be hooked immediately. My eldest brother had the earlier version, and I had the mark II version of it. We even bought the rare bit of track that connects the two versions, so that they could be used together. I eventually sold my huge layout of track and cars, in NZ, and my brother's old track has since turned to mist and myth. In truth, he can't find it, so he says.

Anyway, I soberly watched the building of the route, and my enthusiasm rose. I wanted those involved to succeed very much, and when the cars did their little power race over the track to complete the old Brooklands course, I was the little lad again. And it's good that we adults can all be children again, once in a while.

Great toys come and go, but Scalextric seems to stick around forever.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, and the other editions as well. The next one will be interesting as it was sabotaged by local kids at one point (00 scale railway from Barnstaple to Bideford along the old trackbed).

My Scalextric memories are from my childhood in Singapore and constantly having to sand down the metal runners because the humidity out there constantly turned them rusty.

Didn't watch the programme, but saw this clip on BBC News website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8364820.stm

I was going to post it up last night for Mr NC, but I didn't want to get him aroused before going to bed.

I am pleased I no longer pay a UK TV License fee after seeing that.

I am pleased I no longer pay a UK TV License fee after seeing that.

Why?

What a waste of your money that kids program is oh sorry its for adults

What a waste of your money that kids program is oh sorry its for adults

I think someone is missing the point....

Didn't watch the programme, but saw this clip on BBC News website:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8364820.stm

 

I was going to post it up last night for Mr NC, but I didn't want to get him aroused before going to bed.

I would have thought this BBC iPlayer link more helpful:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00p1dn4/James_Mays_Toy_Stories_Scalextric/

Although i did have Scalextric,which was great,i did prefer TCR(Total Control Racing).

Although i did have Scalextric,which was great,i did prefer TCR(Total Control Racing).

 

You traitor..!

BTW, did you know that Scalextric has lane changing overtaking nowadays..? Although it's not in the manner of TCR, as the slots are still in place to keep the cars on the road, and don't need fences to hold them on the track. It's called Scalextric Digital.

I've got Digital Scalextric, it's brillaint.

I think someone is missing the point....

What an odd choice of Beeb programming to centre that argument on..oh well each to their own.

Off to download the episodes later.

You traitor..!

 

BTW, did you know that Scalextric has lane changing overtaking nowadays..? Although it's not in the manner of TCR, as the slots are still in place to keep the cars on the road, and don't need fences to hold them on the track. It's called Scalextric Digital.

Mmm...that sounds pretty good.

I think my little boy might get that for Xmas

I used to beg and plead for Scalextric as a kid but when I finally got it I found it as dull as hell. The fun was over once it was all set up cos scooting round the floor, on my knees, picking up a car at every corner was irritating and even once max corner speeds had been established, watching it go round and round and round and round was interminable.

I used to beg and plead for Scalextric as a kid but when I finally got it I found it as dull as hell. The fun was over once it was all set up cos scooting round the floor, on my knees, picking up a car at every corner was irritating and even once max corner speeds had been established, watching it go round and round and round and round was interminable.

It's all about playing it, racing with friends. Methinks we have a Billy-No-Mates here.

It's all about the setting up, IMO. That's where the fun is. Racing (with anyone) was either carnage at every corner or just a case of who had the "stickiest" car, and there was always one which was faster on the bends than all the others.

Recently I have even designed and made custom chassis for a work mate who still has a massive set up. That's the fun bit. I lose interest once it's lapped a couple of times.

It's all about the setting up, IMO. That's where the fun is. Racing (with anyone) was either carnage at every corner or just a case of who had the "stickiest" car, and there was always one which was faster on the bends than all the others.

 

Recently I have even designed and made custom chassis for a work mate who still has a massive set up. That's the fun bit. I lose interest once it's lapped a couple of times.

Does the boss know you've been testing scalextric cars in the wind tunnel instead of building a new front wing? No wonder you can't win a race.

I would like to see life size Scalextric using real drivers, where they go around and around and around until you get so bored that you end up just waiting that there will be a crash, in fact willing someone to have a crash. Obviously with no-one sustaining injuries.

A bit like Formula 1 but not quite so mind-numbingly, tediously long.

Actually my dislike of Scalextric probably goes back to the fact that the first time us kids got to have a go was when someone on the army estate was being posted somewhere exotic like Cyprus or Aden. they would get a gratis skip outside their house which they would fill with all the crap that had accumulated under the stairs or in the attic and concrete shed. We'd scurry and rummage through them after dark hoping to find something decent. I once found a pile of magazines with pictures of naked people doing rude things to each other, they got left in the skip where they belonged.

This one time my brother found a massive box of Scalextric and we could not wait to get home and show our prize to Mum and Dad. Dad told us that he would set it all up with us the next evening and sent us off 'up the woodlands' where we drifted off to sleep dreaming of being racing drivers. The next day went so slowly, I just could not concentrate at all. I was always a bit of a naughty child but that day I was like a kid on acid fidgeting and glazing over with excitement. I ran home that day, where normally we would take a detour via the back of the NAAFI to grab an armful of already returned '2p deposit' lemonade bottles and take them around to the counter for enough to get a bagful of Black Jacks, Fruit Salads and Shrimps. I got home in record time that day.

Anyway, there it was laid out in a figure 8 on the dining table; flyover, grandstand, lap-counter and all. Transformer buzzing away on a chair at one end, two controllers (1 red, 1 blue) laid there symetrically and there sat on the starting grid a red and a blue racing car. "Bagsy I'm red" I shouted grabbing the red controller squeezing the trigger, the car span off into the first corner and BANG! A puff of smoke and that lovely electrical burning smell that evokes memories of an old valve radiogram. The dream was over. The dreram was dead.

After that Mum never let us bring back any electrical items from the skips, and by the time Christmas came around skateboards were just coming into popularity so I decided to ask for a a polycarbonate one with Jofa armpads and helmet. I must have looked ****ing amazing! Anyway Scalextric and car racing in general does not do it for me. Sorry.

I have to admit that Scalextric was always more about track and car fault finding than actual racing. But in its best moments it was really great fun. I ended up with a massive track, which could have gone from room to room, and my favourite cars were actually sidecars. They were incredibly quick, but you had to really slow down for corners, so it required real skill.

I sold my layout in NZ in 1992 for about NZ$150.

Does the boss know you've been testing scalextric cars in the wind tunnel instead of building a new front wing? No wonder you can't win a race.

Oops, busted.

I looked at this thread again, and then decided to find a site on the history of slot-car racing. I didn't bank on finding this level of detail though:

http://www.ddavid.com/slot-car-gallery/slot_car_history.htm

I looked at this thread again, and then decided to find a site on the history of slot-car racing. I didn't bank on finding this level of detail though:

 

http://www.ddavid.com/slot-car-gallery/slot_car_history.htm

A good read! You have a PM

Oops, busted.

I've got an R24 and R27 Scalextric cars. I swear they are quicker than the actual thing.

I've got an R24 and R27 Scalextric cars. I swear they are quicker than the actual thing.

Scale speed is around 4 to 6 hundred mph, so I'd agree