[moped rider]

There has been some discussion here and elsewhere about whether racing liveries on slot cars should include the tobacco sponsorship.

Here is a brilliant idea for Scalextric to follow up.

The SPORT editions are for adult collectors.

Why not offer the full race livery for limited edition SPORT models only?

That would definitely be a big plus for the SPORT line up!

And leave the crystal editions with the non tabacco livery.

Folk would then have the option of purchasing both livery types if they wanted to.

In fact Scalextric could reissue previous SPORT cars such as the F1 Mclaren and F1 Renault with further limited edition weathered models with the full tobacco livery!

So what do you think?

Adrian, take this idea to the next New Products Committee at the end of February.

You might get a bonus!

Moped

 

[moped rider]

Whilst it is a good idea to offer choice if a company has ethics then I for one will understand. It is how it goes about offering a choice if a company does have ethics. Should a company put a "Smoking Kills" message on the packaging of a car that has tobacco sponsorship livery?

There are a lot of folk who are vegetarians (5-10% of the population?) and it did not stop Scalextric from producing the MacDonalds NASCAR livery.

There is now a trend against Coca-Cola advertising as seen in Scottish schools as obesity is a very big problem and is actually a bigger killer than tobacco. Sweet food is addictive. Drinking Coca-Cola is seen to encourage the wrong type of food education among children. Recently Scalextric have produced an IRL Coca-Cola livery.

The food industry is now being targeted in the USA for the same kind of litigation that the tobacco industry has suffered.

I am very much anti-smoking but where do you draw a line?

It is going to be a big decision for Scalextric very shortly with the new range of MotoGP bikes about to be released. They are designed to appeal to a MotoGP audience that is largely adult. More so than even Formula 1 possibly.

The real issue is that if Scalextric do change their policy then SCX, Carrera and Ninco may well also go in that direction so it then affects the whole "toy" industry. Maybe we should just let the small players Fly and Vanquish MG continue to differentiate their product from the majors with their tobacco liveries and allow the major players to produce products in their own way for the wider audience and turn a blind eye out of respect for their thinking.

At the end of the day the decision has to be about what is in the best interests of the hobby.

Moped

 

[moped rider]

What legislation?

And if there is legislation how are Fly and Vanquish MG permitted to produce their liveries?

And then you have the die-cast industry that is much bigger than the slot car industry and look at the liveries on cars from that industry.

Moped