got a christmas present from my wife in 2000 - an artin set.
got setup, got packed away.
did so 2 or 3 times
the idea of a permanent setup got in my head.
found the internet
found 1/43 forums
never got interested in bigger or smaller scales, because i got hooked with the need of DIY in 1/43
it was
cheap and fun.
kids could play with it.
it was fun and great people in the forums ...
built some cars ever since and a track or 2 ;-)

 

When I was a kid I did have 1:32 scale. Could not afford more cars, so I would buy a model kit & fasten it somehow to give me the feeling I had multiple slot cars. After a sabbatical of more than 50 years I got back into slot cars last November. Since I live in Canada, the Litehawk brand & Motomaster brand were readily available and very cheap to buy. Today my 1:43 analog track is about 85 linear feet with a half dozen power taps. Separated the lanes, bought two variable power supplies, bought 2 Professor Motor speed & now I also run Carrera Go & SCX Compact. Four grandkids love spending hours on the track.

 

With 3DP anything is possible now.
But tires and motors......

 

Biggest advantage I can think of is the relative size of the layout. I migrated to 1:24 and it's undeniable the layout feels smaller. Not ready to switch to HO but the thought has passed my mind.

 

For as long as I can remember, I have always made models, starting with Airfix aeroplanes.

I dabbled with slot cars in the mid 60s, building a couple of Riko kits and adapting static car kits.

Then life happened. I still made some models but, with a very limited budget, I chose subjects where I had to make the models from scratch, rather than buy them. As a modeller first, and racer second, 1/43 fitted the bill. I could make fun layouts from scrap and solder a few bits of brass together to get the cars running.

A big influence to me, was a hillclimb rally track that was at one of the London Racing Car Shows back in the late 60s/early 70s. From that day, I wanted one like that. It took until I took early retirement in 2010 to make my first one, I am on number 3 now.

A very long winded way of saying that 1/43 is a great modellers scale. If you want to buy a wide variety of older style cars, choose another scale!

 

Chappyman, wheels, tires and motors are no problem these days.

 

Before 3DP anything was possible as well.
Even a bit more scratchbuilding (👍👍👍).

I chose 43rd scale primarily because there is the biggest selection of cars of all scales.
You find almost every car you want. I found all my favourites 😊.
Besides that I prefer the possibility to make almost everything scratchbuilt, without having to take notice on words like "equal chances".
And of course 43rd scale is the best compromise between size and and scale.
You can build scale models as well as really fast slotcars, comparable with their bigger pendants. As long as everything else fits, for example controllers.
The only difference I see to the bigger scales is the size.

Roland

 

The only difference I see to the bigger scales is the size.

I can't address 1:43 however I find a much different experience between 1:32 and 1:24. So much so I have virtually migrated to 1:24 only. I can't say it's better... rather my preference as I find cars much more grounded and easier to control. Not to say 1:43 can't be great racing rather perhaps it's simply different great racing.

 

Hey if it’s a proxy the smaller the box the lest the cost , simples

 

'Hey if it’s a proxy the smaller the box the lest the cost , simples'

Good answer UTS but, as you are 1/2 an hour away, you will probably get roped in with driving the proxy cars round the track while I video them! Ask Fluff!

Regards, Lloyd

 

Years ago I bought an SCX 1/43rd scale set just to see what it was about. And I bought some Carrera cars too. Laid the track out on the floor and tried running the cars.

First impression -- the cars are better looking models than HO, not quite as good as 1/32nd. But the pickup and guide systems suck. Especially the Carrera. If you take the traction magnets out the front wheels won't touch the track. The pickup braids are way too stiff. And the Carrera cars have a weird oblong guide pin that jams in the slot if the car drifts.

I replaced the guides and pickups with Slide Guides. Although Slide Guides were developed for HO they are a natural for 1/43rd. Fitting them can take some hobbyist skills, but once in they are a great improvement over the stock systems. Great contact and the front wheels touch and roll.

Not just my opinion. I have sold a number of Slide Guides -- primarily to customers in Europe -- to be retrofit to 1/43rd scale cars. And the feedback I've gotten has all been very positive.

I was impressed with the track that came with my set. I found it was superior to standard HO track for HO cars with Slide Guides. They can slide without falling off the edge. It is wide enough for 1/43rd scale cars, but skirts might need to be added.

So if:

• You want car bodies with more detail and accuracy than HO
• You have some hobby skills
• You aren't expecting to participate in club racing
• You have limited space for a layout

... then 1/43rd should be a good fit for you.

Ed Bianchi
York Pennsylvania USA

 

Echoing some of the other posts, but 1/43 is about as small as you can reasonably go and still build cars with materials and tools that are readily available. It is the scratchbuilder's scale for sure. Not saying that it is impossible to scratch build HO scale cars, but It appears to me to require a different set of tools and skills.

From a retail standpoint, what I cant get my head around is the pricing on HO scale cars/track. It is priced nearly the same as 1/32 scale stuff.

The Go!!! sets and cars are usually cheaper than the HO stuff on the rack. The design of the Go cars is flawed and the quality is poor. Not a great combination. Several shops I've come across over the years have stopped carrying the Go stuff because there were just too many customer returns due to issues. A shame, because the experience probably turned many potential new folks off from the hobby.

It is realistic to build an interesting 1/43 track on a pool table or ping pong table foot print. I've built up a Scalextric track and have found the minimum table size to satisfy myself is about 6 feet wide and 15 feet long. Any smaller and it just seems like there isn't enough room for the cars to really run.

I really enjoy running my 1/43 cars on the Scalextric track. They look "right" from the standpoint of the size of the cars to the size of the track. I also enjoy running off the shelf 1/32 cars. Sometimes it is nice to just buy a car, throw it on the track, and run it without requiring a 3 month science project to re-engineer and rebuild the whole thing....

 

You point out some great facts about this scale that's for sure! Even reinforced some thoughts of mine I tried to elaborate on another thread on here about the future of slot racing, that the companies putting inferior products on the shelfs at Xmas for people who work hard to earn money to buy these things and are very disappointed with it thus the hobby doesn't keep going through or handed over to the next generations!
Cheers,
John.

 

Ed wrote a very sad truth : No club racing in 43d scale.😢😢.

This is the main reason why I switched to 43rd scale : I can scratchbuild AND am allowed to use it - in case of 43rd scale in proxies.
This is a VW bug chassis including the good old Flexi Iso principle.

Roland

 

Ed wrote a very sad truth : No club racing in 43d scale.😢😢.

View attachment 359249

This is the main reason why I switched to 43rd scale : I can scratchbuild AND am allowed to use it - in case of 43rd scale in proxies.
This is a VW bug chassis including the good old Flexi Iso principle.

Roland

That's a nice chassis and should go very well, SW too!

 

Roland I think your reason echoes my own ,for me it's more about the building ,but now I am too far away from any club to race so it's proxy for me

 

The same with me.
I only wished one more rule for proxies - a restriction of motor size to max. GO and SCX compact motors.

 

Lovely chassis, Roland.

Someone above said cars could be built cheaply from spares, leftovers etc. Not so in my case as I am entirely involved in 1/32.
Also I have never found scratchbuilding in any scale to be cheap or low cost.

If I enter a proxy in the UK my shipping cost starts at approximately £14.00 ...which I don’t mind.

Currently trying to get my Mk7 Jaguar finished... it uses a body from Lloyd and chassis from my bench. Body mounting is the current focus..... it’s only been two years.

 

I only wished one more rule for proxies - a restriction of motor size to max. GO and SCX compact motors.

Not familiar with those but like the Solarbotics 030 motors

 

The Solarbotics 030s are the nearest size equivalent to Carrera Go etc. I use this motor, in it's Radioshack guise, and the HO cube motors most of the time. There are also a lot of interesting Chinese motors in my motor box waiting to be tested as well.

Pre covid, the HO North Kent club ran regular 1/43 races.

 

Lloyd, one of my SCX Compact slot cars recently burnt out a motor. I did not have any spare but used a Carrera Go motor from a slot car than ran poorly. It fit perfectly but it needs more voltage to run. Do you know which motors would fit the SCX Compact Chassis & perhaps where to purchase them?

 

I like the idea of a Altaya 1/43 Scale Opel Ascona 400 but never worked on a diecast. These can be picked up cheap and look great, but are they overly heavy?

 

Motorizing diecasts is popular at the moment, with motorizing kits available. The Diecast proxy seemed to be a great succcess, the cars running, and handling, well.

I am doing a couple to try.

 

Of course they are heavy.
And there are only three ways to face up with it.
You lighten them to a weight you are okay with,
You design the car around that higher weight
You adjust your expectations
😊
Running them is as much fun as any other 43rd scale slotcar.
We had a heavy metal proxy, the main restriction having been the motor which had to be GO! or SCX compact.
It was really good !

Roland

 

Although I've never cast resin I should think they make a good base to make a silicone mold from.

 

'Although I've never cast resin I should think they make a good base to make a silicone mold from.'

Most of my resin bodies were moulded from DeAgostini magazine models and similar, and the detail comes out well.

 

when you start testing those chinese motors, they will not be available anymore :-(
i did the list in the ressource thread and sadly many items are already outdated and i can not find anything similar :-(

 

Although I've never cast resin I should think they make a good base to make a silicone mold from.

Done it a few times, using diecast as a master, 1/32 and 1/64 scale. There are a couple of things to look out for but results are usually positive.

 

I suggest paint stripping.
The diecasts mostly are covered with so much paint that all tiny details and panel lines disappear under a fat - looking layer of paint.

Roland