[moped rider]

Scalextric have stated on their website why they have introduced the new guide:-

"A new guide blade system has been introduced to the range. The first car to have this fitted will be the TVR 400R due later this month.
Here's a 'guide' (excuse the pun) to some of the features:
1/ The blade can now turn further through the arc than the previous Scalextric guide blades.
2/ The guide plate can now be replaced without replacing the entire guide.
3/ The guide is hard-wired to the motor - no intermittent electrical contacts.
4/ The self-centering spring has been replaced with the traditional self centering effect of the guide blade wires.
5/ Cars will come with a pack of replaceable guide plates."

There is not mention of digital but there are a lot of good points listed including a bigger turn ard before it hits the stop and no intermittent electrical contacts.

AHA - no intermittent electrical contacts!!!

Interesting!!!

Cheers
Moped

 

[jonny s]

The new guide as fitted to modern cars is a step up in performance, it`s really great on circuits with testing sections or very tight curves.

I`m sure your description is correct ruhdwulf as described to me by Adrian. If the chip is small enough then it should even fit into the older classic types.

 

[BEEJAY7]

Thanks Mope, that clears that up.

I guess it's just me seeing black helicopters everywhere!.

Regards

Alan

 

[Canary]

"New guide as fitted to modern cars"?
But it isn't one bit deeper than the old one!
This is a fact long bemoaned by many of us.

 

[jonny s]

It`s not just the depth that makes a good guide. In my experience this is the best guide fited to a slot car as standard, ever.

A significant improvement can be seen as the car negotiates the tightest of curves and in our case at the club,the bus stop in particular. There are deeper guides out there that are starting to look like they could keep a battleship stable in the water. Make guides much deeper and where is the skill in keeping the car in the slot?

 

[astro]

you still lose time if the back end slides out too much, so keeping in the slot is a bonus and does not reduce the skill needed, just the marshalling! I wish it was deeper, but I do like the new guide.

 

[jonny s]

It does require skill to keep the guide in the slot...that`s what the game is all about, that and keeping your car in a straight line with minimal tail slides and maintaining forward momentum are to me the key skills involved.

I`ve raced at clubs where the Pro Slot wooden guide, AKA Yacht keel, is allowed and the car does not come out. Obviously this is extreme but I`ve tried the Fly deeper guide as supplied with the Porsche GT1 cars and yes it makes a difference as it stays in more. So where is the dividing line? What size depth do we really want? The answer will as usual be dictated by the type of track you use or there is a danger of being deafened and driven mad by the clicking as the guide bottoms out

 

[Tropi]

I'm with Astro and Canary- THE FUN in slot racing is in racing, not in deslotting.
Scalextric made the deep slot track so let's have a guide designed to fit it or what was the point!
There were actually better guides in the 1960s
This is why we need STANDARDS!
We'll need 'em even more for digital - eventually.

 

[mrblue]

scalextric making their guides deeper would be a great idea, except for the thousands of people that still have classic track and wouldn't be able to use new cars without having to change the guide blade first.

scalextric making a deeper guide available as a spare part would be a good idea. but fitting them as standard to cars at the moment would just be plain stupid.

 

[fouldsc]

EDITIED :

My original post said
QUOTE Quick question (off original topic - but following thread) , what is this new
scalextric guide you talking about ?

I know of the old black one , the newer blue one and the round one - is there anyother ?

However all these have moved to there own topic and it sounds daft now - so ignore
my post

 

[Doug]

QUOTE (Tropi @ 22 Oct 2004, 00:22)I'm with Astro and Canary- THE FUN in slot racing is in racing, not in deslotting.
...<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think that deslotting is important. Imagine racing without the possibility of deslotting... would it be fun? You would hold the trigger down all the way all the time and the car with the best motor will win. Deslotting is needed to keep us on the edge and to give us a limit to push towards. Sure we don't like to de-slot, but we need it to enjoy the game.

Note: This topic has now been split from the Scalextric 'chip' thread. I don't know where Moped got the idea to start to talk about guide flags whilst on the topic of chip placement in cars...

 

[astro]

With many cars, the 'limit' for best time is before the 'limit' for deslotting. The back end slides out too much, the wheels spin. The car can even sort of stall and stop, and then be recovered. Keeping on the line, maybe with a touch of slide, goves better times.

Look at Xlots video of his non-deslotting track! There the cars cannot desolt at all, but watch the car spinning out. Lack of skill is losing that driver a lot of time. Hold your trigger down full the whole time and you will be left for dust, not winning a thing!

Realism? In real races, drivers lose time and races from not getting the best line, the best braking point, the best amount of slide, on corners. Not who crashes the least!

Personally I don't mind de-slotting, but I would like less of it, and do get a more satisfying and FUN drive out of my fly cars when I have replaced the guide with the deeper Fly racing guide. With small guides and plastic track, you can have deslots at really slow speeds too which is ridiculous.

I think Scalextric should make cars which work with their current track - ie a deeper blade, and offer the short blade as an option for people running obsolete or other manufacturers tracks!

 

[jonny s]

This is where tuning plays a big part for home racers as much as club racers. You could argue that you shouldn`t need or that you don`t want to but it helps to stay in the slot. No car should deslot at slow speed, it needs sorting.

I wouldn`t enjoy the style of racing described above with a deeper guide and cars that stay in the slot whilst the back end slides all over the place would cause chaos in six lane club racing. At least if a driver loses it and the car deslots to run freely I have a chance of getting by. Don`t take the hump with this comment, but staying in is about skill combined with car prep.

I can also see the validity of having a deeper slot for home racing where there are no marshals on hand to replace your car. I happen to know from my club experience that a lot of youngsters give up on slotting because in the early stages they cannot keep the car on. and get frustrated and abandon their set.

I`ve therefore persuaded myself that it is perfectly logical for manufacturers to provide alternative guides with a car. That way you can choose the type to meet your requirement to match your skill level, a bit like the magnet situation isn`t it? You can have a very strong, a weak or no magnet at all so why not a choice of guide. Well done Dave you`ve persuaded me

 

[Xlot]

QUOTE Lack of skill is losing that driver a lot of time

Well excuse me Astro, but I thought it was obvious that I wanted to demonstrate the spin recovery action in the video !!

As those who attended SF's party can attest, my real skill level is..........at times, marginally better

Ciao
Beppe

 

[astro]

tut - I advertise your ingenius system and THIS is the thanks I get!!!!

 

[uksqueezea]

QUOTE I happen to know from my club experience that a lot of youngsters give up on slotting because in the early stages they cannot keep the car on.

Maybe they should take up Ballet instead.

That which in mean men we entitle patience,
is pale , cold cowardice in noble breasts..!
( Richard III )

 

[jonny s]

A snippet of a quote,as above, is misleading. I refered to the youngster at home. At a club new racers get all the support they need and as we have proved by maintaining a strong membership.

Ballet

Surely you meant join the Guides

 

[Tropi]

I'm still with Astro!
Deslotting is the biggest pain in the gluteals and the biggest turn off there is.
It's no fun and it damages cars. It should be the absolutely least likely reason for losing a race which, as Astro says is to sort out who can drive round the course the fastest. Ham fisted driving never wins races, slipping and sliding doesn't win races.
You shouldn't have to suffer termination for every tiny mistake - it just isn't fun!
Added to which, it really doesn't reflect the real thing, where you can spin and continue or drive on the grass or whatever, which both lose you time but don't terminate your drive except in the worst possible cases.

 

[Scott B]

You guys need to go RC racing.

De-slotting is part of the game, just as being able to afford huge numbers of rare and classic cars, racing without having to travel, the lack oily smells and mess and not paying for engine rebuilds is.

The slot defines slot racing, embrace it, love it, cherish it.

 

[Doug]

There technology is here to 'transcend the slot'. You could have sensors unde the cars to keep them on the track because if we had full steering - at the speed we go - we wouldn't handle it.

These kids are following a line with their robo-racers. More info.