Does anyone still race H.O. scale slots?

[Tonioseven]

I still have mine from about 30 years ago. They still work too. Just curious.

[jbwelda]

i dont but i do have a friend with a large HO layout in his garage. they are too small for my own tastes and its difficult to get a car to look realistic but they are still THE THING for some folks.

[Zoom Zoom]

I've got an HO track setup in my basement, have tons of cars from Thunderjets to Magnum 440 X2's, Super G Plus, etc. My favorite cars are by far the Thunderjets and Tuff Ones; they're quick, they hang the tail out in the corners, and don't need monster magnets to hold them to the track. The fast cars are so fast you can barely see them, when they crash they're like rockets. The newer Johnny Lightning Thunderjets that I got from Hobby Lobby run great. The new motors/chassis are fast. There are some great online stores that sell repro bodies and some killer upgraded wheels/tires for Thunderjets. Minilites, Magnum 500's, Chevy rally rims, Halibrands, etc.

The track is fun, but I only use it occasionally. It's atop a bunch of storage shelves so it's not taking up floor space. I probably have 50-60 feet of track set up, and four transformers to keep power even (one car won't fly off the track from a burst of power when the other car crashes). It's more fun to race than 1/32, but the cars aren't quite as interesting since they're smaller.

Here's a link to the place w/all the cool repros, originals, decals, rims, parts, etc. I got a '68 AMX from them and a '69 El Camino w/surfboards to replace one I had when I was a kid. Far cheaper than the originals. The resin is amazing; looks like molded plastic.

http://www.ho-slotcars.com/

My HO AMX sitting next to a Johan model:

[jbwelda]

bob why do you say they are more fun than 1/32 scale?

[Zoom Zoom]

bob why do you say they are more fun than 1/32 scale?

I've raced a couple of 1/32 tracks at a couple friends homes and have a few 1/32 cars. My HO track is much longer in scale than 1/32 would allow-you have to have a huge layout to run a 1/32 car flat-out for more than a nanosecond (unless you go to a commercial track); the 1/32 cars are great to look at but racing them is a chore, they're always running off the track and a lap time, if you stay on track, is very short. Racing is more fun for me on an HO track w/the Thunderjets. Less chasing after an off-track excursion, more track time per lap, much more full-throttle time, still challenging. However technology has made racing slot cars less enticing...I enjoy racing GT3/GT4/Need For Speed on my PS2 more than chasing down slot cars (and it takes up no extra space in the house). But if I'm slot racing, my personal favorite is the old-school HO style vs. the modern 1/32 stuff.

[jbwelda]

>they're always running off the track

and i was always running into 1:1 scale trees too...until i learned how to drive!

personally i prefer road race courses to those flat out courses...i rarely use the 1/32 scale cars at full throttle except on the short straightaways we have on our group track...to me that makes it more realistic unless youre talking about nascar and that particular form of racing has always puzzled me, big straights and left hand turns: gets pretty boring pretty quick.

so i guess maybe we have different expectations which is ok. i gear all my cars down for rapid acceleration but not top speed. i would have to regear them for running on a commercial track but again i prefer sears point/laguna seca style layouts myself.

ps: we use the "four wheels off course" rule when we race...that is, if you go off the track during a race you just lost. it keeps the speeds realistic and forces you to learn to control your vehicle which isnt hard with strong magnets but did i forget to mention we usually dont use magnets?