[JEXY1]

Just had info on the New Le Mans track pack from Tecnitoys.

It includes the Le Mans start (as last year) but also a 'X' cross over section to allow for four lane starting.

These items seem to go for mad prices on Ebay (not anymore?).

The bad news? - Spain only (at this time).

Can't grab a photo from their web site, but go to www.scalextric.es and check the new section.

Gareth
NSCC

 

[Slot City]

Here's the picture, taken from the SCX website:

Jon,
Slot City.

 

[Sidecar Steve]

Yay! So that's the "W" turnout and the "X" crossing taken care of. Now we're only four track pieces away from a four lane pitstop.

Given SCX's track record (no pun intended), could there be a pit lane next year with the Z crossover the year after?

Who's handy with a crystal ball?

Cheers

Steve

 

[howmet tx]

If this is the SCX track that is compatible with old Scaley classic, this is wonderful news for me!

Can anyone confirm? And how can I get them?

 

[goldfish_samurai]

It is certainly compatible with the scaley classic track, as for availability, I guess we'll have to wait and see! cant imagine that they wouldn't stock it here tho.

 

[gecko]

It's out in Spain already and is selling for 23 Euros, check out www.sphobbies.com for more details.

Cheers

Mark

 

[Mecoprop]

This should kick those ridiculous Ebay prices into touch.
It will also be interesting to see how well these parts actually sell, now that they are available at a fairly reasonable price. I suspect not very well. I have never believed that all the ranting and raving to bring back these parts was created by anything but a tiny minority who alter their personal desirability rating for something purely on the basis of whether it can be obtained or not. ie if it's readily available, it's not desirable at all and if it's not available, it immediately goes to the top of their wish list, completely regardless of whether the item is either practical or useable in their own situation.

 

[goldfish_samurai]

Thats a good point...

Does anybody know (or have an opinion) on how the SCX Le Mans start has sold here? (the one with the two cars, which seems like reasonable value)

 

[Sidecar Steve]

QUOTE (Mecoprop @ 7 May 2004, 10:59)I have never believed that all the ranting and raving to bring back these parts was created by anything but a tiny minority who alter their personal desirability rating for something purely on the basis of whether it can be obtained or not.
Oi...who are you calling a tiny minority!!! Take care Meco or I'll load all 95kg of me on a plane and come sit on you!!!

And another thing, the silly money a 4 lane scaley pit lane goes for on ebay shows that there is a market. Small but it is undeniably there.

Seriously though, Yes there will be a small market for these things. Just like there was when Scalextric first released it, discontinued it and re-issued it and discontinued it again. IMHO this sort of stuff is toys and adds to the fun of having a home circuit. Maybe club racers don't get it.

In Australia, we got the LeMans start well ahead of everywhere else (except Spain) and they sold like hotcakes. My local hobby shop had about a dozen on the shelf when I went in, all gone a week later. Specialist Solt shops sold out as did the Internet shops. Even the big toy retailers sold out. (Technitoys is distributed in Oz by a company that sells a lot of other junk and the big toy shops buy SCX stuff in bulk). Sales have slowed now but considering Australia is a VERY small market, I'd say the sales were pretty good. Maybe packaging them with cars was the big plus though...

As for me, I imported a couple of crossovers (one branded SCX one EXIN both identical) from Spain and sold one on Ebay to cover my costs. I am very happy with my 4 lane LeMans start (evidence of which you can see in the members layouts section). I would add a 4 lane pit if it became available. I'm cashed up and ready to go if anyone from SCX is reading this

Cheers

Steve

 

[Mecoprop]

Being in a tiny majority is perfectly OK, Steve - it isn't any form of criticism.
More a recognition of the likely reality of a situation.
People who build circuits good enough to display in SF Resources are definitely in a minority and that's equally definitely a compliment.

I am simply amused at the irony that, after years of wailing and gnashing of teeth, a manufacturer produces the goods at a fair price, only to possibly (probably?) find that there isn't much of a real market for them after all, as the exploitative profiteers are completely nullified, leaving only the genuine enthusiasts, who value the accessories for themselves rather than the potential profit from their resale.

 

[JEXY1]

I think the first edition SCX Le Mans set sold well enough (like people have said to home users) it was released as their annual gift set around Christmas time so an ideal gift.

This new section of track is pretty specific and only really applicable to four lane home tracks (although my club used to have one!).

All that said 23 Euros is pretty cheap!

My info is that the track section should be released as SCX some time in the future.

Note that a short make up section of track has also been re-released, this is being released as SCX soon.

Gareth

PS SCX Track is fully compatable with Scalextric Classic and with a Sports/Classic Scalextric adaptor is compatible with Scalextric Sport and Ninco track (with another adaptor). The larger radius curves are very slightly different.

 

[Jamie]

This version appeals more for scrooges

you don't end up buying two cars that you may not necessarily purchased in the first place.

Anyone remember the Scalextric version, where the lanes crossed so neither competitor had an advantage? (at the risk of start line pile ups) I note that SCX has opted for conventional lanes, in a four lane race, lane 1 is sure going to be popular.

I recall reading an old Scalextric leaflet where the official racing rules, requested that competitors (racing Le Mans/endurance races) should start a distance away from controller and run to their station to begin. ahh a classic.

James

 

[Sidecar Steve]

No offence taken Meco, just pulling your leg a wee bit....

QUOTE (Mecoprop @ 7 May 2004, 15:20)I am simply amused at the irony that, after years of wailing and gnashing of teeth, a manufacturer produces the goods at a fair price, only to possibly (probably?) find that there isn't much of a real market for them after all, as the exploitative profiteers are completely nullified, leaving only the genuine enthusiasts, who value the accessories for themselves rather than the potential profit from their resale.

The Spanish have had these parts before and SCX has reacted to a percieved need. Good on 'em and I hope they sell truckloads. Methinks SCX see's its market as Spain first and foremost. That other parts of the global market buys their stuff is probably perceived as a bonus.

And if it takes out the exploitative eDwellers on eBay.....good

I've got a scaley pitlane but it is very old and a bit too fragile for day to day use. I've got a plan to make a wall display of every track piece made by Scalextric but I'll pass on paying hunderds of dollars for the "X" and "Z" crossovers

Cheers

Steve

PS Jamie. I reckon $AUD90 for a leMans start and two cars is good value especially as SCX cars on their own cost between $AUD40 and $AUD50 each. Look at it this way, buy two limited release cars and get the track bits free

 

[Tropi]

I think Steve's summing up of the SCX attitude is probably about right and the company seems to be doing quite well on that basis.

Until I joined a club a couple of years ago, I had not been very impressed with any of their product. However, I was quite taken aback to find that the club's rather large 4-lane track was actually 100% SCX and several of the long standing members owned large collections of SCX cars along with their Scalextrics. Several of the most popular classes were exclusively for SCX cars and I had to do a U turn and buy a few more to ensure I had entry to all possible races. They still aren't my top choice but constant exposure and experience has raised them considerably in my esteem.
I too have my doubts as to there being much of a REAL market for the Le Mans starts and similar accessories but I genuinely hope that SCX continue to thrive and congratulate them for their enterprise in getting them onto the market.

 

[peter]

I have no idea about what SCX does why or how they make money... I am however familiar with a story that may have some interesting similarities... First of all I would like to point towards SCX existing track alternatives. Compared to other manufacturers they recently were for a while alone in having a collection of interesting pieces of 'odd' track types. Ice curve, humpback bridge etc. Ok it is clear that other manufacturers have had intersting stuff before - but the point is - what is available on the market from current production? Ok there are interesting pieces from others I know... but wether something is worth while for a manufacturer or not is a rather complex thing and something that can be rather deceptive and at first sight misleading. Now to my story:

There was once a company that had a product line of a few hundred different product. For years these products had been developed and offered to the customers, usually most older products stayed in the sortiment and so the amount of product grew slowly. The company was quite popular within its area and it had a significant number of faithful customers - even though its main products were not very unique - and their prices, altough good, not exceptionally low. The company leadership kept many products in their sortiment because they were proud of having them, so while they did know that they did not make much money on many of the products they did strongly fight any efforts to withdraw several productlines that did not do very well at all. Convinct that it would hurt the company image.

After the old main manager had retired there were some bright new people brought in. Soon there was an assessment made of all products and related returns. All really interesting and good statistics. It was very quickly found out that almost all of the customers never bought anything from more than 14 percent of the product sortiment. In fact a fascinating majority of all products that were made brought actual losses to the company - it was interesting to see because the company as a whole did very well. The lessons from this investigation were made very swiftly and efficiently. Within a year over 70 percent of the existing productlines were closed and their was a large investment made in resarch of future products. There was a lot of confidence that the withdrawal of the products that incurred losses to the company would lead to noticably increased financial surplus. Within two years the company losing money all the way round - no productline was in plus.

That was the situation when the retired manager was called in as an effort to try to save the company. What was the problems? This time around the manager requested qualitative (intervieus) research to be made into their past and existing customers experiences. What seemed to have happened is that customers used to get a really nice catalogue with a lot of products every year. The majority of the customers bought products from the same small number of productlines. The products were not always the best, they were not always the cheapest - infact the core products that most customers actually did buy could be bought from many other companies and sometimes better quality and often cheaper. The main reason to why customers did prefer to buy from 'our' particular company was explained by many customers as being 'the possibility to browse through all those interesting products, the possibility to maybe in a future to buy some of them next time'. The year after a number of the products that had been withdrawn were reintroduced and the company was soon back in black.

My personal understanding of this phenomena is that the company had forgotten that their customers need to be given the opportunity to DREAM about possible applications. That is part of the customer satisfaction - not only what you do - but even more so what you could have done. Alternatives, possibilities and DREAMS gave IMAGE to the company and supported customer satisfaction and was core to why customers came back year after year. Even though the products they actualy bought could just as well have been bought somewhere else...

THE END.

//peter

 

[Sidecar Steve]

Nice story Peter.

Economic Rationalists are the second up against the wall when the revolution comes.

I have a dog eared Scalextric catalogue from about 1966-67 where, along side the pit lane, Goodwood chicane and such, is written (in pencil, in a childlike hand) the price and comments about desirability.

Dreams echo down the years.

(a slightly sentimental) cheers

Steve

 

[Tropi]

Yes a great story, very well told and with the ring of truth.
I can personally feel the emotional pull that was the crux of that company's original and eventual success.
It doesn't always work like that, but how customers, both existing and potential , 'feel' about a company should never be forgotten. Acountants have their emotional feelings surgically excised in the course of their training - always assuming they ever had any in the first instance. (There is a theory that only the emotionally challenged are inclined to this career anyway, so excision isn't a major operation). These people (are they still people?) certainly have a vital function in any company, but they should NEVER be allowed to actually take overall control of ANYTHING.

 

[NASCARMAN]

Just ordered four sets ... now I have to sit and wait

Next SCX coud make the P I T L A N E track with 4-lane extensions too. There are plenty of "young" boys out here who didn't have enough cash in the 60´s, but are loaded now

Please make our dreams come true

 

[Farnham Nerfee]

[anorak]
Just a word on the compatibility of the SCX track!

While the end lugs are fully compatible with the Scalextric track end lugs, be aware that the lugs at the sides of these particular track pieces are not compatible.

On the Scalextric track, the lugs are angled to match the angle of the crossing whereas on the SCX the lugs are perpendicular to the track side. Because of this, the new four-lane crossing section would not be able to be used with Scalextric track if you wanted to use the crossing towards a four-lane pit stop.

[/anorak]

Alec.

 

[Sidecar Steve]

Nascarman:
Not this cashed up though

eBAY-Four lane pit stop. Don't look if you have a sensitive hip pocket nerve...

Farnham Nerfee:
True, you can't use the SCX "X" crossover to join a Scalex Lemans start to it's paddock or as the crossover eXit (is that why it's the "X" crossover?) in a four lane pit. That's why at least Nascarman and I would like to see SCX go the whole hog and do a pit lane with the "Z" crossing.

Cheers

Steve