Big_John Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 Back when I was a kid, I raced slot cars for fun. That ended when the tracks started closing (late 60's) and my interests were changing as I got older. Fast forward about 25 years and I got back into it again with my kids. That track closed and my kids were growing up so I stopped again. Fast forward another 20 years and a track opened near me and I got into it again... They had a drag strip too and I built a couple cars and suddenly I had some guys wanting me to build them cars. Here's a few. They all were either cars I built to order or some I built to sell. I never seemed to get around to building one for myself... and when I did, someone would make me an offer that was hard to turn down. This one was done during the Covid nonsense. I did the chassis for this too, but don't have a good pic of the completed car. I did the interior/roll cage etc. and cut it all to fit the chassis. This one was a complete build. The white plastic looked pretty good and rather than paint it, I just decaled and cleared it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 Another complete build. Complete build... This was tough to do the decals. The pic doesn't do this one justice. Another complete build. I used some scrap vinyl to accent the hood. Biggest problem with this one was the guy had started to build it and tried to dip coat the body. The oil (or whatever) was soaked up by the plastic and it was tough to get paint to stick and not fisheye. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 I built this as a give away for the track for a big drag race they were hosting. A little girl won it! Complete build with chassis, this was my first foray into printing decals. This Nova was a tough one... I have a lot of work trying to get front fenders right. I screwed up the paint 3 or 4 times and got annoyed an painted it flat black. It actually turned out better... Looking like a primered street racer. That big scoop was an issue too... At speed (and this was a fast one) the air would catch the scoop and lift the car out of the slot. I ended up placing a piece of clear lexan in the opening and that cured it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 (edited) I built this one for myself, but only ran it once before selling it to a guy that wanted it bad enough to pay the price. I told him that I had special permission from Mr Spacely to use his business name on the car... and he believed me. I wish I had taken more pics of this... It turned out really nice. Another attempt at making decals. And this last one involved no modeling skills... But it was done as a challenge that has way too long a story to type out... It involved using junk that was sitting around along with a toy ice cream truck. This thing sits in the case at the track and gets dragged out (pun intended) for a lot of laughs. It took a lot of tweaking to get it to go down the track every time... but it is always good for laughs, especially when things get too serious... And, yes, the cone on top lights up! Edited April 18 by Big_John 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 A couple more... This was kind of Plain Jane with no decals, but I really liked how it came out. This was one of my favorites. This was a real pain... A friend wanted this and gave me an old kit. The decals were too brittle to use and I couldn't save them so I bought a NASCAR decal set and improvised. He was real happy with it, but I said "never again" with people supplying the model. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzure Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 How long does it take for you to build one of these? I've never tried to build my own car, but have thought about it. Do you just start with a model car kit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 5 hours ago, jzure said: How long does it take for you to build one of these? I've never tried to build my own car, but have thought about it. Do you just start with a model car kit? How long? Geez.. I never kept track. Some car bodies go together easier than others. The chassis was pretty much the same for each one and I have a jig that makes things much easier. For the car body, I would either use a kit or eBay often has kit bodies for sale that saves a few bucks. My advice is go find something cheap to build and just do it! The worst that can happen is you'll screw it up... and even then, so what? Put it together and go have some fun. The building technique is slightly different than a conventional model.. Remember that this will be hurtling down the track. I use E-6000 glue or Shoe-Goo to reinforce all the bumpers/grilles etc. I also found that side windows were a necessity to keep the air out. If you'll notice, all the bodies I built have an extended spoiler in the front. That keeps the air out from under the car... The local track had a problem if the guide even lifted slightly. The answer for most was to add guide weight, but this solved the issue for the cars I built without adding weight. Leave off things like side mirrors or anything that can come off easily with handling. I like to just fill in the headlights with Testor's clear glue in place of the lenses. Painting is always the biggest challenge.. But take it slow and don't get too crazy with it at first. I liked using Tamiya acrylic paints with an airbrush, but the airbrush is another investment (I've had one for years) and more learning curve, so stay with the spray cans and just take your time. Clear over the decals, but don't use the Future floor coat as a clear. That looks fantastic on models, but the first time someone picks it your slot car with alcohol or Coleman fuel on their hands, the finish is shot. I learned the hard way on that one. If you want, look at some of the pre-made chassis. I built a car for a guy with a Parma drag chassis and a JK "mini brute" motor. He sold it (he sells and trades everything) and the guy that has it now tells me it is the most consistent car he owns. I really encourage you to try... What's the worst that will happen? It adds another dimension to your slot car hobby. I always enjoyed the building, probably more than the racing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muncie Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 Brings back a few time warp memories from when we had a track in town. Cool stuff, very nicely done. thank you for posting! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A modeler named mike Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 Your slots look really good John. I did the HO Aurora slots when I was a lot younger and I still have all those goodies sitting in a box waiting for the light of day again, Someday.. Thanks for sharing and possibly starting a spark of interest again.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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