[moped rider]

QUOTE Comin soon:
MotoGP motorbikes,4wd Skoda rally car, Audi TT and Porsche Boxter and the exciting new vintage F1 series starting with the Maserati 250F and Vanwall are all due later this Summer.

Note the use of the words "the exciting new vintage F1 series starting with" in connection with this announcement on the Scalextric website. Clearly more of these are on the way.

My guess is that these vintage F1 cars will represent something of a conundrum for the racing set up folk at Hornby.

Are they to have vintage Scalextric handling or not?

That is the question.

We all know the cars are going to have magnets but are they to be small button magnets Lotus 7 style or stronger bar magnets GT40 style?

The curved shape of the chassis of these vintage F1 cars is not really condusive to a bar magnet is it so it looks like weaker button magnets will be favoured.

That should of course suit most folk here who prefer the more sedate slot car life with cars that have extremely narrow tyres.

The first cars in a new race series clearly set the tone for the future models.

I wonder if these will be the first SPORT cars to have 2 button magnets?

Moped

 

[BEEJAY7]

It would be much better if they didn't have any magnets at all.

These cars are meant to slide on corners, It's what they are all about.

I'm really looking forward to their release and future models they may introduce in this Series.

Regards

Alan

PS Please Scaley drop the mags!

 

[Guest]

I agree with Alan, no magnets please.

RR

 

[LMP]

FYI The set called 'Focus Rally' has two non mag ford focuseseses. Great little cars. Therefore they have no excuse not to make these without the magnets.

 

[Wankel Ickx]

QUOTE Are they to have vintage Scalextric handling or not?

If by that you mean the kind of "handling", I use that term lightly here, that the old Metros displayed, then the answer is NO!

If you mean should they handle like the 1:1 then the answer is a most catagoric, YES!

Hell, they could save themselves some money and increase their dividends to the shareholders by not putting in the magnets.

QUOTE That should of course suit most folk here who prefer the more sedate slot car life with cars that have extremely narrow tyres.

Think again, Mope. High power and skinny tyres does not equal a sedate life. Not with a racing car. It requires a high level of two things: skill and courage.

If these cars end up as Margate Missiles then they are fools and rightly labelled such. Why, it would be as silly as slow running racing bikes on stabilizers that don't lean. D'oh!

I'm confused, nothing new you cry, I thought the TT was canned?

 

[Mecoprop]

QUOTE Are they to have vintage Scalextric handling or not?
"Vintage" carries an implication of high quality - pardon me while I giggle!

QUOTE We all know the cars are going to have magnets but . . .
Pardon me again, but I don't think we do all know that.
We might guess or assume or even, heaven forbid, speculate!
OK, let's do all three.

The cars should, first and foremost, be designed to run as well as possible with NO magnets whatsoever.

The underside of the car should be designed to make it as easy as possible for the user to add a magnet or possibly more than one.
The preferred magnet would be a transverse bar, with the novelty of being set into a channel on the UNDERSIDE of the chassis. This channel to run the full length of the car, thus allowing the bar magnet to be easily slid to ANY position without the need to disassemble the car at all. Careful design would ensure that more than one magnet could be fitted into the same channel, in any position the owner chose, thus permitting it to be transformed into a magnetic monster by fitting nose to tail magnets, should SheHeIT wish to do so.

Once it sank in that this is the ultimate way to design cars that will appeal to both magnetotophobes and magnetophiles, patent the idea, adapt it to all future designs and make sure that Mecoprop gets a fair cut of the ensuing proceeds.

Waits for applause . . .
Hmmm . . .

 

[Mo55man]

I too would prefer there to be no magnets in these new vintage F1 cars. I have a Ninco Ferrari 166mm which I race, not drive around my circuit, and I must say it is a pure joy. All I have done to it is add a little weight.

My suggestion would be for Hornby to start producing weights in the same format as the magnets, and then people could purchase more as spares if they want. Maybe even supply a weight with the sport cars as an option to use.

M

 

[MK2-Escort]

QUOTE (LMP04 @ 21 Apr 2004, 16:37)FYI The set called 'Focus Rally' has two non mag ford focuseseses. Great little cars. Therefore they have no excuse not to make these without the magnets.
I think you must of got a dodgy set

Both of my Foci in the "focus rally" set had button mags.

Sam.

 

[sprint]

No mag for me too; what is the matter to trash these classics around at lightspeed?
They were made to slide in the real world : please learn to drive them!
Ciao

 

[moped rider]

Look at the cost of similar cars produced without magnets. More than twice the price or more even?

The mass market would not stand it.

These cars WILL have magnets to keep the price reasonable. Remember though that Scalextric are going to have a magnificient range of suberb quality Pit Stop tune up parts to satisfy even the most ardent tune up no magnet fan here.

Maybe they should produce complete tune up kits for entire cars for around £20 to £30 to enable you to have what you want. I would rather pay £25 to £30 for the car as it will come rather than £50 to £60 for a car that runs perfect on wood track.

Its down to the degree of magnetism on these vintage cars at the end of the day.

Mecoprop has got the right idea but Carrera already have the patent for a sliding magnet so neither Scaley or anybody else can do it. See the patent reference in the Carrera catalogue.

Moped

 

[phipster]

Leaving the usual magnet debate to one side for a moment here.......

Surely they will have a different type of engine in the car? My knowledge of that era's car speeds is very sketchy, but I can't imagine that they would be as fast as todays F1s, or even some of the Le mans cars that are around? Will Scaley produce them with a "weaker" engine to provide realism, or will they match someof the newer cars speeds?

 

[peter]

interesting with the carrera reference regarding the sliding magnet - does not seem to be a problem for revell / monogram though...

//peter

 

[Wankel Ickx]

QUOTE Look at the cost of similar cars produced without magnets. More than twice the price or more even?

The mass market would not stand it.

These cars WILL have magnets to keep the price reasonable.

Eh? Me no speakie Moped-speak. Me no follow your logic.

 

[Race-Jan]

QUOTE (phipster @ 21 Apr 2004, 20:47)Leaving the usual magnet debate to one side for a moment here.......

Surely they will have a different type of engine in the car? My knowledge of that era's car speeds is very sketchy, but I can't imagine that they would be as fast as todays F1s, or even some of the Le mans cars that are around? Will Scaley produce them with a "weaker" engine to provide realism, or will they match someof the newer cars speeds?
a little background info: the 1950 Alfetta 158 Formula 1 car already had a top speed of 180 mph (or 290 km/h), engine was 1.5 liter supercharged pumping out 350 BHP...

that is 54 years ago folks...... not much changed in the speed department

Alfa Romeo GP 158 (1950-1951)

 

[Tropi]

Oh dear - I had hoped that loopy logic had been sloughed off during the rest period.
QUOTE Look at the cost of similar cars produced without magnets. More than twice the price or more even? The mass market would not stand it. These cars WILL have magnets to keep the price reasonable.
Arghhh!
What gobbledegook!

Having no magnet is most certainly not the reason why 'similar cars' cost 'twice the price or more even'!

QUOTE Mecoprop has got the right idea but Carrera already have the patent for a sliding magnet so neither Scaley or anybody else can do it. See the patent reference in the Carrera catalogue
Words almost fail me, but thank goodness, not quite.

1. Carrera's magnet setup hardly bears the faintest resemblance to Mecoprop's well thought through suggestion.
2. In direct contradiction to the Mopedian statement, Scalextric HAVE produced something very like it, ALREADY.

Dammit, I didn't think I would need my tranquillisers QUITE so soon!

 

[Harry Porsche]

What conundrum? Scaley will produce what they think they can sell everywhere. Not much in their catalogue caters more to wooden track racing specifically. If one uses magnets, they are there (aimed more toward home racers), if not, then it is easily removed. I have been thinking that 1/32 scale is mostly directed at home racers, thus the scale. On large, wooden, etc. tracks the 1/24 scale seems the "proportional" choice, what with their easily tuned rocket(ness) and easy viewing on a large circuit. They are also much more realistic and fun to control in a slip and slide technique around the track. Face it, 1/32 cars are rarely graceful as they whip back and forth, jitterbugging out of a turn. The precision required to pilot a 1/32 car at speed lends itself more to home racing. They seem suited to a smaller(than commercial tracks) layout. On large, wooden tracks there is nothing like a well developed 1/24 car. In that environment the 1/32 cars look like H.O.(too small to see well, and lost in a large space). Next, I'll tell you how I really feel.

 

[peter]

QUOTE (Race-Jan @ 21 Apr 2004, 21:28)a little background info: the 1950 Alfetta 158 Formula 1 car already had a top speed of 180 mph (or 290 km/h), engine was 1.5 liter supercharged pumping out 350 BHP...

that is 54 years ago folks...... not much changed in the speed department

Alfa Romeo GP 158 (1950-1951)

yes you are absolutely right - they were fabulously fast already a long time ago - but usually only straight forward... any curves would be taken - though dangerously fast for the time - considerably slower than todays formula one.. that is why they loved the banked curves so much - the cars preferred to go straight forward and were often more than willing to slide their way through the curves...

- ouch what does this logic say about the NASCAR cars....

ok ok just joking

//peter

 

[Tropi]

Laughing at Harry Porsches post!
It IS almost exactly what 1/32 racers say to the HOers!
Hmmm - that seems to read a little odd, out loud - don't do it chaps or at least cover your innocent little lug'oles when you do!

 

[Maltese]

Hey Harry,

The current 1/24 tracks have close to 8 lanes, wider than scale for a real track I suppose. I would bet either 1/24 or 1/32 would look quite nice with a landscaped track, some rolling hills, 3-4 lanes with MCPL (Multi Car Per Lane) goin' on.

Those classic beauties would look great in a landscaped environ.

Would'nt the scale 1/24 models look better on what looked more like an actual race track than a rubber band that has fallen on the floor?

(Uh oh!! I'm in for it now!!) But...but I'm bi-scalual too!!

-Maltese

 

[Swissracer]

Moped you really do need to learn to do some basic research before you post and make your ridiculous statements.

Non mag cars are twice the price of those with ?

Ninco Classic - cheaper than Scalextric
Proslot - Cheaper than Scalextric

Both these Companies also produce magnet cars.

If you are alluding to the expensive resin cars coming onto the market more and more then yes- they are more expensive and normally without magnet (Ostorero are one exception) but aimed at a totally different market.

However, I sadly do agree that these cars will come with magnets and be capable of earning the label 'Margate Missile'.

I just hope they will run in character when these magnets are removed.

But! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! no redesigning them so they run like old Scalextric cars!!!!!