Carrera Slot Cars

Carrera slot cars have been around as long as fifty years and they are still in demand. Carrera is a slot car brand which came about in 1960s and dominated the German markets. The reason for its popularity was innovation. With the help of innovative technology Carrera slot cars created a strong brand name over other brands in the market. Carrera slot cars are more than just a toy. Slot car racing is not only for kids it’s even for big time racers too.

The latest from Carrera Slot cars are the Carrera Digital 124 and 132.These racing cars are very similar to the racing cars in reality. Hence will be a challenge to the users. The Control Unit of Carrera slot cars has the capacity to perform the following functions; Brake performance, tank capacity, pace car functions, Startlight, Position Tower, Driver Display. The carrera slot cars 143 digital sets are compatible to the Carrera Go! Furthermore it also has a digital racetrack system. This racetrack system can allow up to three cars in one lane at the same time.

Carrera slot cars are a perfect gift for your kids as this will help them to be creative and can be considered as a learning toy. Since carrera slot cars are miniature in size, they can be used to teach kids. Slot cars are very helpful when it comes to teaching physics or science. In this way they will understand the concepts of acceleration, velocity and force better. They can also be used to teach mathematics. Since these are racing cars and you could ask your children to keep a track of time.

Although initially Carrera Company only sold Carrera slot cars, now you will find various brands such as Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, BMW, Bentley and Nintendo being sold under them. If you are a beginner you need to purchase a slot car track set. You will find everything in it from power pack to the slot cars. These are affordable but if you wish to go for extra features that’s totally up to you. However it could cost you a bit more than the standard pack. In your beginners set you will three types of carrera slot cars; 1:24, 1:32 and HO Slot cars. Usually HO slot cars are bigger than the standard ones and will require a bigger track.

You will be able to purchase Carrera slot cars in any gaming websites or from any online stores. These slot cars will cost you about $30 to $500 based on the model. You will also be able to purchase carrera slot cars cheaper if its second hand. Make sure that it’s worth the money. You will also find some good deals online check them out too. Carrera slot cars have come a long way in history of racing cars and today it’s considered to be the most luxurious gaming car.

Artin Slot Car

If you are a fan of slot cars, Artin will be a familiar name to you without doubt. They are pioneers in keeping up with the originality of the slot car industry and have been since they first formed. The headquarters of Artin is situated in Bangkok and their focus is on manufacturing and marketing electronic toys. Artin slot cars are given the prime place in their manufacturing process, not just because they produce awesome cars, but also because many automobile lovers are taking up slot car racing as a hobby.

Artin has a strong, highly qualified team of electronic engineers who put together these amazing toy cars and their products include road racing models, radio controls and other related accessories. They are popular for their amazing 1:48 and 1:32 products that create a revolution in slot car racing. Even though initially slot car racing was only popular in the US, England and Australia, Artin has taken the initiative to introduce it to many nations around the world. Hence, today, Artin slot cars are taken very seriously by both die-hard slot car racers and electronic device enthusiasts.

The Artin slot car factory moved to Dongguan, China in the late eighties and today, over 2500 workers strive towards a common objective at their high-tech plant. What is noteworthy about Artin slot cars is the fact that they are not as sophisticated as the top manufacturers, yet offer equal speed for a much lower price. In fact, a fine Artin slot car can complete side by side with a Fly Car Model or Ninco.

Most of the Artin slot car models are powered by the traditional can motors and are usually configured as inline chassis. An inline chassis is a car in which the motor shaft runs down the chassis perpendicular to the rear axel. They are also referred to as longitudinally mounted motors and were invented by the slot car craftsmen of the 1950’s. Even though this traditional inline chassis causes Artin slot cars to limit their performance, slot car enthusiast find this fact both challenging and original. In simple, Artin strives to preserve the originality of the slot car business, while keeping their designs interesting.

Artin slot car tracks are both easy to fix and durable. Most their tracks are 1:32 in scale and can be extended up to 6 lanes. Their primary HO 1:32 and 1:64 tracks are both equally popular. They contain smooth tracks and appropriate borders that make the entire race worth while. In Germany, Artin slot cars are sold under the name Racy. The lesser complicated varieties of Artin slot cars come with simpler systems that makes setting up the track a matter of a few minutes even if for a kid.

The mark of Artin slot cars is simplicity, ease and originality. Hence forth, if you are looking for serious slot car racing, Artin is the manufacturer for you.

1 32 slot cars

A Slot car is a miniature car powered car or automobile which is directed by a groove or otherwise known as a slot in the track in which it runs. A blade or a pin extends it self from the bottom of the car in order to make the slot car run its course. Slot cars are used to model highways and scenic operations such as in town planning etc; the greater majority of slot cars are used as a competitive hobby known as slot car racing.

Slot cars are usually modeled after authentic automobiles, most people in to slot car racing buy the commercially manufactured slot cars especially designed for a better performance. Some are known to “scratch build” that is to create their own slot car by creating their self manufactured mechanisms and body parts from materials available.

There are many scales to the slot car, 1 32 slot car is somewhat smaller and are generally more suited and preferred for home use in home sized race courses. 1 32 size is also generally the traditional or the standard size for miniature sized cars in the industry. A man would be approximately 2-1/4 inches tall in comparison with a 1 32 slot car scale. There are also many a 1 32 slot cars in clubs and hobby shops where they use as a competitive hobby for slot car enthusiasts.

There are a number of 1 32 slot cars manufactures from big time companies to small scale companies, most slot car companies are foreign companies with only a small range produced in the United States. Artin is a Hong Kong based manufacturer who has sales up to two million 1 32 slot cars sales annually , however the make is not taken too judiciously by slot car enthusiast as the best brand out there. The level of quality that the most slot car enthusiast are looking for are some what lacking in Artin.

Spain is a great producer of slot car companies from Bum slot, a company based in Barcelona that offers a great number of 1 32 slot cars ranging from French classics such as Renault Alpine, to Autoart that released the Subaru Impreza WRC in 2002 as its maiden slot car to Catrix, a relatively young company that has released models 1 32 slot cars such as Hyundai Accent, BMW Z – 3, and the Porsche Boxster.

Carrera, a German based 1 32 slot car manufacturer is the oldest in the trade and their reputation for quality stands high. The German company has had its share of visscititudes, however it has come back strongly, it is extremely popular in the United Sates and they are now in the process of creating American vintage classics, to cater to their ever growing consumer popularity in the U.S

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1 24 Slot Cars

A slot car is a miniature model of an actual car, designed with particular dimensions which are guided by a slot in the track on which it runs. In simple terms slot cars are models of actual automobiles. Some enthusiasts’ custom make their own model of a slot car from scratch, creating their own unique bodies from various parts and materials.

With the development of slot cars, slot car racing also became an American phenomenon. Slot car racing requires a track made out of plastic or any other material. Generally slot car tracks are made available in relevant clubs while some enthusiasts maintain slot car tracks in their own homes.

Slot car racing uses a hand held regulator to control the car. Traditionally slot cars were raced on separate lanes. But today technology has made possible the technique of changing or sharing lanes making the racing experience more realistic. The most challenging part of slot car racing is perfecting the technique of taking curves and overcoming other obstacles at high speed without losing its grip and spinning out of control.

Slot cars are of three common scales: 1 24 slot cars, 1 32 slot cars and OH sized slot cars. Among which 1 24 slot cars are the largest and the most commonly raced. 1 24 slot cars are those which are built on a scale so that 1 unit of the slot car equals to 24 units of the actual car. 1 24 slot cars will either be made out of thin light vacuum-formed polycarbonate plastic or hard plastic. 1 24 slot cars which are made out of light plastic are further divided into Scale and Wing versions. Scale versions bear close resemblance to the original automobile while the wing version is known to be less like the original counterpart.

Since the scale of 1 24 slot cars is relatively large, they require a fairly large track or a course to be raced on. Therefore generally 1 24 slot cars are raced at commercial or club tracks. But today slot car producers have made arrangements to build tracks and accessories which are compatible to fit into homes.

1 24 slot cars are usually raced on tracks with 6-8 lanes. 1 24 slot cars which are raced at national level championships such as USRA are backed by original American Raceways (AMF) commercial tracks or variations which are made out of the original blueprint. Such tracks generally have an expo or polymer painter surface with recessed braided electrical contacts. The Blue King is one such track which is identified to be the most famous type to race 1 24 slot cars.

The slot car phenomenon is gaining more and more popularity each year. As a result a great number of slot car producers have made available a wide range of options in terms of slot cars, slot car racing tracks and other accessories in order to offer enthusiasts a realistic experience.

Vintage Slot Cars

Slot car racing might be an unfamiliar term to most individuals not accustomed to the world of racing. Slot car racing is the activity of racing miniature automobiles within the grooves of a track. The slot cars themselves are actually modelled after real life automobiles. A slot car racing was most popular during the 1960s and the fad lost its drive during the 1970s. Vintage slot cars are derived from these golden eras of racing. Vintage slot cars are grouped by the fact that they were pre 1970s unlike the modern slot cars.. Vintage slot cars are not modelled after the modern day auto mobiles as it is rooted in the nostalgic genre of slot car racing.

The idea of vintage slot cars is to produce the cars from the materials of the slot cars made for racing in that sixties. The scales of these vintage slot cars are related to the size of the course on which they would race it. Some vintage slot cars are 24 times smaller than the actual vehicles and were therefore quite large, the course required for these cars are not suitable for home enthusiasts as they can be too big. There are smaller vintage slot cars though; theses miniature models were a ratio of 1:32. HO sized vintage slot cars. HO sized cars have variations in their ratio as compared to the actual automobiles ranging from 1:87 to 1:64, despite that they all can function on a track of approximately the same width.

There is high competition between the manufactures of vintage slot cars. There is high promotion of this brand of cars that were famous during the “golden age” of slot car racing. These brands range from those based in the United Kingdom such as Airfix. While Revell is a home grown U.S based company, Scaletrix though is a worldwide organization. Indeed vintage slot cars seem to be a lucrative business when one sees the amount of manufacturers out in the market. Even in the state of Kansas a proposed plan for a casino by a company named Global gaming has the intention of having vintage slot cars race on a circuit run by the casino.

Vintage slot cars are attractive and are also a collector’s item, which makes it quite expensive to purchase especially with the current financial climate. However there is the fact that vintage slot cars are considered prized possessions especially from those looking back to the good old days. It marks a time of simple pleasure with no graphics, where the top racers would place their cars in fishing tackle boxes. Vintage slot cars remind us of a time when the world was bereft of major problems and it was indeed a vintage time.

Slot cars

Automobile racing enthusiasts exist all over the world, each involved in different types of racing. The most popular being formula one and rallies, other less popular racing such as slot racing has been around since the beginning of the 1900s. Slot cars are miniature models of race cars that are primarily used for racing. The slot cars are run on tracks which have slots in them that guide the cars along the track, hence the name. The slot cars have contacts in the form of pins or brushes that are used to send electricity from the slotted track to the car. This allows the user to control the speed of the car through a wired controller. The power to the track is usually taken from a standard power outlet through a transformer. Varying the voltage with the help of the controller is what regulates the speed of the slot cars.

While some cars are custom made by serious slot car racers, most are scaled models of real cars. The most common scales for slot cars are 1:24, 1:32 and the H0 scale. As implied the 1:24 scale means that 1 unit of the slot cars is 24 times smaller than the actual car. While this may make the model slot cars seem small, they are in fact quite large. They are so large that tracks that use 1:24 slot cars are too big to be used in most homes. As a result, most of the 1:24 scale slot cars are used in commercial establishments for slot racing. For home users, the most popular scale is the 1:32 since they conveniently fit into most homes while maintaining a reasonable resemblance of the actual car. However, they are also used commercially. H0 scales are much smaller than 1:32 and originally followed the standardized H0 scale of 1:87. Now, however, this scale has had to be adjusted to around 1:64 to meet the higher standards of racing. Very often the cars are made disproportionate to the original cars to accommodate bigger working parts, mainly motors.

The tracks for the slot cars are made in two types. The more popular of the two is plastic tracks. These are relatively cheaper compared to the other type, though it does not offer the same quality. Plastic tracks come in pieces which have to be connected together which can be a problem for the electrical system. When a large number of pieces need to be joined together, a large amount of voltage tends to be wasted at the joints. Router tracks prevent joining many pieces by using a single piece of material such as plywood or MDF. The slots are cut into the material and the power strips placed in them. Router tracks are mainly used by professional racers.

Slot Car Track

So you are a car racing enthusiast and love collecting all types of cars and vehicles , be it in the form of pictures or in miniature form. If you have been collecting cars for years, you probably know how much they costs and how hard it is to find certain models, especially if it is vintage. If you enjoy car racing then you probably prefer collecting ho slot cars over various other types of racing cars! Whether you do have a few ho slot cars already, or are looking to buy new ones, you would know that all other parts and accessories that come with it are also as important or even more important that the ho slot cars themselves. One such part is the slot car track.

Although you may have already received a basic track set with your ho slot car racing set, you probably want to have tracks that are more complex and challenging in order to give you a more real experience of car racing. If this is the case, you would definitely have to get bigger tracks. You could easily purchase these tracks from ho slot car dealers across the country.

The first thing you would need to look into, before you get your slot car track, is the landscaping for the tracks. To make it look as realistic as possible, you would need to have trees and foliage but not in such a way as to allow it to block the way of the slot car. In addition to this, you would also need a good , sturdy track table which would hold your slot car track well.

You do not have to always purchase a slot care track that is ready-made. Several slot car distributors also design and make different types slot car tracks based on the needs and requirements of their customers. You would in this case have to have a clear idea of what kind of track you want in order to convey and explain the design on the slot car track to the designer. They would then be able to bring your dream slot car track into reality.

You can then move on to deciding how many lanes you wish to have for your slot car track. It could range from one-lane car track to something more complex with four lanes. If you wish to have an under or over pass, you can even include this in your layout and designs. Remember however that these would cost more than simply having a flat single-lane track.

Always compare prices with different designers before you decide on where to get you slot car track done, to ensure that it’s exactly what you want.

Slot Car Set

Slot car sets are the craze of any automobile lover. Whether it is a Scalextric, Ninco, Artin, Fly, Fleischmann or Jouef, slot car sets are a part of every car-lover’s world. What we can learn about slot car sets is almost boundless. From the history to the present developments, the slot car set manufacturing standards and scales to popular brands plus slot car set costs, there are innumerable numbers of things we can learn about this satisfying hobby.

The first slot car sets were manufactured by the American Lionel, in 1912. However, until the mid 1930’s, slot cars were not given the Paten. Never the less, these gained massive popularity in a relatively short period of time and by the end of the 1930’s, thousands of hobbyists were racing against one another with their slot car sets. Most of these slot car sets were 1:16 and 1:18 scales. Today, the slot car industry has reached its apex and popular manufacturers produce cars of 1:24, 1:32 and even 1:64 scales. The route to such immense success and popularity of slot car sets is indeed vivid and any slot car lover must have knowledge on at least bits of this eventful history if he/she wishes to make the best out of their hobby.

In 1962, AMT's Turnpike system in the United Sates introduced a process of utilizing multiple electronic pickups so that the driver could control the steering of the miniature cars. Then the German Arnold Minimobil system enabled cars to run without crashing, because the cars of the same lane moved at equal speeds, whereas those in different lanes moved at varying speed. Then, in 1970, three US based companies, Aurora, Lionel and Ideal came up with the slot-less system which allowed drivers to pass each other even if they were on the same lane. Since then, slot-less and slot car sets have advanced in many different ways.

There are basically two different types of slot car set tracks in the market today. Those are routed tracks and plastic tracks. Routed tracks have guide slots with grooves and are made of few sheets of plain metal. These are cut using a router or CNC machining system. Plastic slot cars set tracks are the most commonly used and they come in simple and easy designs. However, there are some problems related to slot car set tracks made of plastic such as the fact that they cause voltages to drop sometimes.

It is also important that a slot car hobbyist becomes aware of the brands he can choose from. Renowned brands will ensure that you get the authentic products with high levels of performance. By doing some thorough research online, you are very much likely to land on an awesome slot car set that will make you want to keep competing.

Slot Car Race

Many diehard car racing fans regret the fact that they are unable to physically take part in races. If you enjoy racing you can do so without putting yourself in any danger, if you take part in slot car races.

Some people might think that playing car racing games would take you closer to the actual world of racing. However, some of those who have taken part in slot car races could tell you that the two experiences are quite different. Driving a ‘virtual’ car and having the control of an actual small car is not the same thing. You should take part in a slot car race in order to get this experience.

How do you take part in such a race? Commercial tracks can be found in many places and home slot car tracks can be bought off the internet. You could even order a custom made track of your own. Many people took part in slot car races during the sixties. The popularity of these car races weren’t limited to the country. Even in countries like Australia and Canada these races were quite popular. You don’t have to be a kid to take part in a slot car race, though many kids would love to take part in such a race. Many adults too love these types of races.

Some of these slot cars could cost you around $150! However, there are others that can be bought for around $25. However, if you want to become good at slot car racing, you would have to do much more than just buy an expensive slot car. You need to gain experience in order to control the car. After the introduction of digital tracks these races have become more competitive than ever before.

First of all, before trying to become a pro at racing, get a good idea of slot cars. There are those of different scales. 1:32, HO and 1:24 are some such scales. Some of these cars like 1:24 cars could be used most effectively in slot car races conducted on commercial tracks while others could be best suited for home tracks. Think of your requirements before making your choice.

Different types of tracks and formats are used for this purpose. If you want a short and fast slot car race a round robin one could suit you. Don’t think that these cars are slow, funny little toy cars. Some of the cars can move faster than 50 mph! The speed could depend partly on the nature of track. The tracks can be made as realistic as possible by adding buildings and trees if you want. However, some don’t like any such distraction during slot car races and prefer undecorated tracks.

Hobbies can make your life more interesting and could make the boring work hours more bearable. Slot car racing could be the ideal hobby for you.

Slot Car Raceway

Slot car raceway is perfect for those who are hardcore racers, who want to have a racing team of their own. Unlike ‘’real team’’ which requires you to invest in huge sums of money, slot car raceway only requires a small investment. You could create your own racing model team as well as the driver. Model racing is just like the real racing! There’s every reason for your adrenaline to rush.

The slot car runway can accommodate little cars which can whizz through in about four seconds within a speed limit of 100mph.Slot car raceway is a passion and a hobby for many and worth the investment. You do need to invest in a proper slot car raceway which comes with the right tyres, brakes, controller, motor, gears and body. The crucial point that one needs to be aware of is the ability to control and brake in at the turns and then spend on.

Slot car raceway is a perfect gift for your kids or even your friends. For kids this proves to be more than just a toy, they can learn a lot from it. You could even turn a gaming hobby to be an activity where kids will learn. Many countries hold slot car racing competitions where the slot car raceway extends to a longer size. However the cost of purchasing slot car raceway can be a bit expensive. You could check out for some great deals online or even can purchase it second hand.

The common type of slot cars is controlled by a single button which can control the speed of the card depending on how hard you press. The main objective is to get around the track in a fast repetitive manner without getting knocked off.

The latest slot car raceway available is called the Realistic Digital Slot Car Raceway. In this you have to do more than just pressing the button and driving it repeatedly. In this latest slot car raceway you need to be aware of your fuel consumption as well as brakes and also adhere to the slot car raceway rules. If the slot car is full of fuel, the car will drive bit slower due to extra weight. If you disregard the slot car raceway rules, you will be given a penalty.

This slot car raceway comes with 3 x 1:32 slot cars as well as a 20 feet track which comes with banked bends and 3 lane switch areas. This is definitely worth purchasing and will be much more challenging than the other typical slot car raceway. The price range is set within $400.00 - $499.95. As mentioned above you could purchase slot car raceway second hand if you do not want to exceed your budget. However make sure of the quality of the slot car raceway before purchasing.