Sunday 17 October 2010

Tarting up the Marcos LM600

This Marcos Le Mans car is very popular in slot car circles - Fly produce lots of different versions.  Andy bought me this one last Christmas but I've always had trouble with the gears.


It's from a range called Fly Poly Starters and they are aimed at the younger driver who crashes a lot - hence no wing mirrors or aerials, with fewer transfers and a robust wing.  After going through one gear, I've fixed the driveshaft and replaced the gear and pinion, and now it runs very quickly.

But I always thought it a shame that the driver was so plain, so I painted him and the interior.


Looks good fitted back in the car, but perhaps I need to get some more stickers for it now...


(Updated 25 October 2010)  I've now painted the alloy wheels, front grille, exhaust and bonnet catches:


Saturday 16 October 2010

Camera Car

I bought an Action Camera this week - a small camera with various attachments for fixing it to bike handlebars, car windscreens and even for strapping it to your head.  It's the last I thought would be most fun - I'll try it out ski-ing next February.

In an inexplicable oversight by the manufacturers, it didn't come with an attachment to fix it to a slot car.  So I had to make one.


You can see a very short clip of test footage around the track here or embedded below if you're reading this in your browser.

Thursday 14 October 2010

Best of three?

Andy was quite taken by my Hummers and so was pleased to learn that Ninco produce a third model - the H2 County Sheriff - which was ordered at the weekend and arrived yesterday.

Like the other two models, this is based on a real car - although the markings don't specify a particular county (Hazzard would be good!) so I presume this is another promotional vehicle from Hummer to encourage police forces to buy them.


Possibly the campest police car yet...?


Andy and I had a quick "best of three" races which I just managed to win as his Hummer was sliding out quite a lot.  I noticed at the end that one of the rear tyres wasn't fitted quite right so that explained the poor road holding.  I expect to get thrashed next time...

Sunday 10 October 2010

TV tie-in

In one of my very first postings, I highlighted some pictures I'd hung on the wall in the loft and said they'd be the subject of a future blog, but never got round to it.  Originally, I bought three prints from a guy at last year's Toy Collector's Fair at the NEC - Starsky & Hutch and their Gran Torino, Michael Knight and KITT, and the Duke Boys and the General Lee.


I'd suggested to him that the set would be complete if he painted BA Baracus and the A-Team van.  He says he still might do that, especially since the film came out this year.  I saw him again at the NEC last month and bought a new painting featuring KITT, the A-Team van and Airwolf.


I don't think Louise would let me have this downstairs but it looks great above the slot car layout, although I'll have to find another place for it if he does paint BA.

And of course, I do have the three cars matching the small prints.


The General Lee and the Ford Gran Torino are both excellent models.  But KITT is very disappointing.  Scalextric based the model on the mold for the Triumph TR7, and as a result the proportions are all wrong and it's far too small.  Perhaps another manufacturer will make another one day.

Here's what it should look like... my very first car...


Finally, here's the current state of the layout (click to see larger image):


Sunday 3 October 2010

A couple of eco-friendly little cars

The final pair of purchases from last Sunday's Toy Fair.  Ridiculous, obscene but irresistible - at least in 1:32 scale - it's the Hummer H2.  I know someone who has one - he sold his Lotus Elan before buying it, but I am still talking to him.

The first car is the Hummer Baja that competes in desert rallies.


This model by Ninco is genuine four-wheel drive with independent suspension on each wheel.  Here's the real car competing in the "Best in the Desert" Terrible's 250 in Nevada in 2008.


The second version isn't quite so suitable for off-roading.  Despite the Gulf livery, this is for posing not racing.


As well as the nice paint job and bling wheels, this even has scissor doors, as you can see in this photo of the real car (non-functional in the model).


These cars are great fun to race despite their size.  They do clip each other's wing mirrors on the way round but I don't expect that will be a problem for long.

Friday 1 October 2010

Another Audi

I already bought a second Audi from Revell to race against the first one from Fly but it just wasn't fast enough (and horrors, it was actually two-wheel drive!).  So I found a different liveried model from Fly.


This is Stig Blomquist's winning car in the 1983 RAC Rally.  You can see it in action here and winning here.