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SlotsNZ

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Everything posted by SlotsNZ

  1. Zandvoort would be stunning with landscaping because of the hilly banking all around it. You'd need Gref casting spectator figures full time for all the embankments/sand dunes, and TileGuy and Phoeno making grassy dunes and buildings . . . .
  2. Get used to the "Garrgh" Half of it comes from being unable to resist "just one more", and the other half comes fromthe pain when SWMBO discovers "just one more" and treats you to 49 lashes with the jug cord.
  3. I wouldn't mind entering something- - if you're taking foreign entries, and happy to have a "slow moving roadblock" car at the tail of the field. But I only race on the same basis as Scott Dixon (kiwi Indycar driver) when asked how he felt about running on a particular track where several drivers were blacking out due to high G forces. "I'll race anything, anytime, anywhere"
  4. Hi Roberto It looked familiar, which was why I asked. It checked my database, and it is a picture from "Wet Coast Racer's" track - a english Canadian. He is also active on this board, and is a moderator at SCI forum - and a super nice guy. He kindly sent me some large scale images of his track and descriptions of each turn, why it was constructed and how. I really like his design and the way he used "squeezes, and elevation changes etc. If you ever want the information, just send me a private message with your email address. I made a WORD document from his notes and the pictures.
  5. Very good work. You will certainly not starve your cars for power. Is the "avatar" picture by your name your own track?
  6. Welcome aboard Roberto. You will find a very friendly bunch of guys here.
  7. If you decide to go with sensors and a PC. Here's a possible temporary solution. It is possible to mount one straight section of track on a strip of say 12mm MDF about the equivalent of 2 straights long, and run the sensor wires through the MDF. You could cut a channel in the MDF underneath for the cable to nestle into, and hot-glue it, or tack it in place. That way the cable would sit flat, be secure and not be subject pulling on the sensors themselves. The thickness of the MDF is not so much as to make the track layout too "hilly" if you are cunning in your setup of the track. Then the track can be packed up and moved easily. The sensor can be trialled in different positions and on different layouts before you go "permanant"
  8. SlotsNZ

    Ortman Tyres

    Thanks Phil, it's just amazing the performance differences on different surfaces.
  9. There's a few "SPAs" in Slotict's archive, varying sizes. http://ux5490.us/world_tracks.htm
  10. SlotsNZ

    Im A Newbie

    LOL, just spotted that bit of convict cheek. Of course I know, I've watched guys doing it !
  11. Now I get it Bigfela, you were able to buy slots because the missus is in the hospital giving birth and not watching what you're up to online . . . . .
  12. Yeah Steve, the year they brought out the legendary '57 chevvy, and legendary slot-head hee hee Thanks all for the greetings. Fortunately, I got totally spoiled with 2 "dos" Unfortunately my family consider me self-sufficient and totally indulgent in my rabid addiction to little electric toy cars, so they don't even go there. . . . never mind my "Moffats" turned up Friday, so I'll pretend Jim and Cathy gave me a present. 2bras, enjoy the next 10 years. After that, you get up in the morning and check to see what fell off, fell out, or got washed away in the shower. Thats if you can remember what you actually had from a whole day ago . . . . .
  13. Definitely go for sensors and one of the aftermarket software packages. There are a few freebie ones about, and the parts of the sensor cable only cost a few bucks. They have multiple race mods, data saving, they're just in a different league. Software to consider is Laptimer 2000, Ultimate Racer 3.0 - and there's others, but those are the ones I have used. They all use similar sensor setups - and you can use sensors on a plastic track very easily. It's just a case of drilling a hole beside each slot and mounting the sensor from underneath to be flush or fractionally below mean track level. For that you can use Duck tape, hot glue etc.The sensors can be vissible light sensitive, or IR (infra-red) I prefer the IR smly becuase they are less affected by stray light, shadows etc, There's threads about it here, so do a search and have a read.
  14. Why not just throw in the classic to Sport adapters (times however many you need to utilise the required number of lane changers), or for that matter the classic to Ninco adapters and you could run N-digital. A bit messy, but "do-able" if you have that much track already.
  15. Mate, you inspire again. Love the outcome. When do we get an invite to visit the chop shop for lve viewing?
  16. If you find the Bimmer is noisy on the body, and/or has a lot of "hop" here's a couple of suggestions, as I had had trouble getting my Advan one to run smooth when I bought it as a slot newbie a few months back. It got "tossed in the wardrobe" for months until a couple of weeks back. I'd previously done the usual glue and true, and had tried a bit of bracing, but it was still noisy and hoppy, so I glued the tyres to the rims AFTER re-truing the rims first. I noted that the axle had a fair bit of slop on the bush, so I shifted the red collar across the axle so I could access the inside of the bush on both sides of the axle, cleaned off the existing lube gave a light fresh oil to the bushes, and spun the wheels just enough by hand to run the oil through the inside of the bush. THEN, I added some "thin" superglue to the axle on one side only and held it on the side so the glue ran through the inside of the bush. I waited till the glue was starting to go off and turned the wheels by hand a bit to break any bond forming between axle and bush (the oil prevents most bonding) but didn't overdo this, as I wanted to leave a film of glue to pack out the slop inside the bush. Once the glue was hard in a couple of minutes I repeated this for the other side. After 15 minutes, I cleaned off any superglue sticking out from the inside of the bush on the "collar" side, and shifted the collar back to the correct position. Then I spun up the motor and added a little more oil to the axles, and stuck it on the track. All "slop" play was now gone from the rear drive train, and the performance of the car on wood was dramatically better. The car was much smoother under load out of the corners, because everything seemed centred and tight. I guess if the axle had settled "off centre" when gluing, you might still have the problem, but I since fixed another "problem child" the same way, so it's something worth a try.
  17. Yeah, Greg, I overlooked your primary reason for buying OS on this one. What's the brand/type, I HAVE done a pile of digging on sites in English Italian and Dutch in particular, and sorted out different dealers for different types of car, so I may be able ot make a suggestion. Mark
  18. Depends on the brand and models you are buying. I have bought a lot overseas because there was only Scaley and a bit of SCX available here until recently. I bought different brands in different countries based on combination of raw cost, VAT situation and variable post cost breaks from different national postal services. It's fun finding the stuff, but VERY time consuming. I found the OZ slotshops often much cheaper than Europe, because they take of the GST (mostly), and postage is cheaper. Actually Oz has some of the lowest prices in real terms. Compare say AUD69 for a Ninco car, with 25 quid plus postage at around 6 quid per car. Even if you get at say 22 quid plus the postage, 28 quid total is around AUD68 to 69 at credit card rates. No saving, but you lose ability to deal with your local shop for problems. Even for you guys paying retail, if you have a good slotshop, try and support them, and sometimes they'll give you deals for regular business. Plus they give you SERVICE, and WARRANTEE when you get the "4pm Friday" car. They also have to stock your parts and other items to support your hobby. Mot of them are enthusiasts like us, helping the hobby. I know it's not your "job" to keep tem in bread and wine, but we should deal with our locals whenever we can. This topic got covered in some fierce detail a while back on a thread about Mebourne versus Sydney prices.
  19. Those computer games have connections to an "age sensor" If you're over 30, the software scrambles your keyboard/joystick/steering wheel input, and just feeds out whatever it feels like to make you feel like an idiot. I know this to be true, having proved it with a PS2, V8 SUpercars 2 game, and many hours of "clinical trials" My theory is that this software is all written by spotty faced 15 year olds who have an equal hatred of our "mature years" to Sid viscious and Johnny Rotten.
  20. SlotsNZ

    Ortman Tyres

    Hi Phil, not doubting you or anything, but I'd read several posts around forums from folk who said Ortmann and MJK were very similar in performance on equal surfaces, so I was just going off their comments. So I'd be interested to know what sort of surfaces you've run them on, and how each brand performs on each surface - as a rough comparison. Do Ortmanns sand easily to grey powder like MJKs??? I'm also thinking I might buy some Kelmacs to try. They are a Urethane tyre, which I am told both MJK and Ortmann are - or do I have that wrong. I just ran on MJKs this week at a track with a chalkboard type abrasive surface. (They told me Ferrodor until I got there, then told me chalkboard . . when I arrived] The locals there said nothing else works apart from MJK. Certainly the only other things that worked at all well were REALLY clean Spirit car stock rubber and new (shiny) Ninco Shore A25 Indygrips were banned there, but they said Indys were like driving on ice anyway for that surface. Interestingly, as a VERY well used track, it hadn't rubbered up at all. It looked like it had been cleaned down, but they never clean it . . . .
  21. SlotsNZ

    Ortman Tyres

    Hey Grego I'll loan you some MJKs to try. They are Urethane like Ortmanns, but by reputation are generally more true, and has less air bubbles. If nothing else they'll give you an idea of grip for each surface we use. - And they work on Artin and Carrera as well as Mac's woodie and mine. Email me which cars you want to fit, I'll see what I've got here. Hugh is the NZ agent, and has stocks - I pinched some more sets off him while I was there this week. Mark
  22. SlotsNZ

    Ninco Moslers

    It's pretty hard answering your query not seeing the cars, but you NEED to swap motors and magnets betwen the various cars. That will narrow it down considerably. As Phil says, the locating collar needs to be right or your mesh will change and cause the gears to bind in the corners. I just use a pair of needle nose pliers and twist it gently while applying lateral force until it slides back to "tight" against the brass bush, then back it off a fraction. If you can slide a sheet of paper in between the bush and collar - you got too much gap. If your gears bind, and sound laboured through the corners, you probably have too much gap, or the chassis is flexing, causing the drive train to tighten up. It's all about experimenting and learning. Once you can listen to a car, watch it through a few laps, and go "oh yeah, THAT again" and just fix the problem, stick it back on the track with 95% confidence it will be cured, you're on your way to a happier life! nb. Those scaley bar magnets vary up to 20% in downforce, and usually have around a 5% variation between one side downwards and the other. (all scoffers go buy a magnet marshall, you might be shocked)
  23. SlotsNZ

    Scaley Gt40

    helrayzer, you lucky lucky. you so lucky. {I forget which chinese character used to say that in his movies} You guys all got it bad. You should seek help. Fortunately I act only in moderation with regards to slots. - and could the man on 23rd avenue please wipe my nose, as I seem to be unable to reach it. But I HAVE cut back, I stopped pre-ordering cars, I stopped even looking on EBay AND stopped buying on our domestic auction site. There is the unfortunate effect of continuous motion. I finally worked out the package sitting at the post office must have my 2 Moffats on board. (I've been too scared to go there and collect it) Then I was visiting another city this week, and spied some early Ninco releases. But I feel guilt-free because I on-sold 2 duplicates to a member yesterday. Oh, but then there were those hand made stock cars . . . . shoot it's hard.
  24. I guess "Jack" won't be coming to town anytime soon either then! LOL Which IS a shame, we have their agent in our club, a familiar checkered border around one wall of the club, and some nights an outrageous looking "beast" that runs on whisky parked outside the clubroom door. . . Shame we don't have street frontage, it would really pull the punters into slot racing. Anyone done paints lately? Got any colour numbers, decals designed . . . . Has Patto done anything lately? I always wonder how he fits with "licensing" and trademarks etc, or dare we not ask aloud?
  25. SlotsNZ

    Ninco Moslers

    Gidday Not sure how much you've done to these. I run three of them in various states of "warm" and spent 3 months tring to hunt down the fastest one in our club, so if nothing else, I've tried to extract the max from these. (from one to six magents and 750 grams downforce on magnet marshall) - which means near a KILOgram on Ninco track due to the rail elevation. OH how I've tried. Note that our task is complicated by the fact that they are stuffed full of pro-race parts, NC-6s, have bodies lightened courtesy of Mr Dremel and his cheaper asian cousins, chassis' either braced or turned to Swiss cheese to lighten them, etc etc etc. 8 seoncd laps are now 5 second laps on the same course, so you have "scope" to take on the missus' car if need be! Out of the box mine have all been close. Anyway, here's a few things to tick off if you havent already tried them. Get those bodies off ! Spend time just looking carefully at how each one is fitting together mechanically. How are the tyres sitting on the rims? Did you square (sorry ROUND) off the rims. Trued the tyres? How do they each sound when revved freely. Does the mesh sound sweet or rough, loose or tight? (Ninco's usually sound a lot noiser than slot.it - the stock gears are "robust" and take a lot of use to get really quiet). When the car is revved in your hand is there vibration, or is it like a sewing machine? Turn the wheels by hand. How does each one feel to you? Notchy and jamming at some point in the revolution, or even all the way around? How do they sound when on the track. Is there body rubbing, do the gear meshes sound laboured or sweet? Is there body rattle? Sit them on a piece of spare track. Put it on a table and stare the thing down like you were a cobra about to grab a meal. Does each car look to be sitting square and flat, or is the chassis twisted, the body fit twisted, anything twisted? Try swapping motors between cars. Does it affect the relative speeds much? Run all of them with bodies off, does it affect the relative speeds and handling? Since you're running with magnets. Lift each one off the track. Does the downforce feel equal for each car? In the end, these are a pretty basic piece of engineering. Differences between supposedly equal cars should become obvios with a bit of sleuthing and expeimentation. In fact the differences you have, are a great way to learn what can be right and wrong with any two or more cars of supposedly identical manufacture. You have an opportunity here! If you've tuned all these cars, and there is that much difference, I start to wonder if someone wrapped an NC6 in pink paper. - Quick go join a race for "stock" cars somewhere. The NSR SHOULD be snot faster than an NC-5 powered Ninco. The Ninco should be somewhat similar in a straight line on Ninco track to any of the orange endbell McLarens and Nissans, or 25K old motor in the 956s 962s etc. An NC-6 is roughly - with several provisos - equivalent to a new yellow endbell slot.it motor, or 30K scaley motor, or the NSR in stock form. - all this just to give you a benchmark or two. The McLaren and Nissan will have way more downforce on Ninco track, even with the stock slot.it magnet, and should run rings around the Ninco in stock form. Attaching a 2nd button magnet to the Ninco Mosler should give it similar "glued to the rails" characteristics to the slot.it. I hope that helps you narrow down the posisbilities - and I'd like to hear back any results and observations. cheers Mark
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