May Notes: New Controller plus other stuff

 I got a new controller, and I'm thinking of picking up another one right away. I'll tell you why: I've been having some trouble with my SCP-1 controller, notably that the wire is starting to get really soft and brittle. I was having some issues the other day with it, and went on a search and found a new SCP-2 controller. After having received it, I want another one. I think I'll go ahead and order it and shelve the old one and the DS controller.

The SCP-2 is everything I liked in the SCP-1 when I first got it. Total package kinda thing. Feels stronger, especially the cable. I like the adjustable trigger, and what seems to be a slow/med/fast controller setting. I haven't tried it yet, plan to tonight. Then the decision will be whether to buy another SCP-2 or see about picking up a replacement cartridge for the SCP-1. 

Also, as of this post, I have now bought more cars in 2022 than in 2021, and it's just May. Buying collector packs will increase your collection quickly, as will rounding out some of these race teams that I'm forming. I'm in a bit of a lull right now, as I'm waiting for the next batch of cars to come out. Still looking for a few things as well, and am considering branching out into another class to keep things interesting. 

I'm finally caught up on the blog. I've had a few of these new cars for almost a month now. I got the Rothmans 908 a month ago and didn't have time to write about it. Started drafts of all the cars, filling them out as time went by until I felt I had finished each post. They're still in the order which I got them. 

Manufacturer wars should get very interesting. With this new influx of NSR cars, that's going to put pressure on the Thunderslot cars to stay on top, which is under threat more and more with every purchase. I have 12 NSR cars to Thunderslot's 6 cars. Either way you slice it, that's going to give the competitive advantage to NSR on the very idea that there are double the amount of entries per race. We'll see how that all irons out. 

I'm going to delay purchasing the tire truer. Now that I'm up to speed with the cars I have, I don't need to do a batch truing job. Sure, it would be nice to have, but not for 200 bucks. Not right now.

Photography of cars is going great. As is video stuff. Putting together more stuff for the YouTube channel, just doing it in bits and pieces. Coming soon: the Gulf 917K #9 and #10, and the Bosch 908.

New Cars: NSR Canon F1 86/89 #5 and #6

 I picked up a couple of new cars yesterday. These are out of my normal "classic" era class of cars, so they'll be in their own category. 

NSR Canon F1 86/89 #5 and #6

Nelson Piquet [#6] and Nigel Mansell [#5]

First, it's important to note that these cars are quite different from what I usually run. While Classics run with 21k Sidewinders, the F1 cars run a long can KING 21 EVO/3 motor, which while it still runs at roughly the same rpm as the Classics, the long can motor has a built in magnet, adding 350gm/cm to the grip. That'll make the cars quicker and better handling in the corners. I would consider the Evo King running alone as a light magnet, which wouldn't be as strong as if it was in the kit, but strong enough. 

The Evo King fits very nicely in a pod, which has an open area for access to the gears. There are places for two more pod screws, which were curiously enough not included. Maybe it's for a suspension kit, which really wouldn't make much sense for a magnetized car.

It also has a curious magnet installed just in front of the motor. So these cars were pretty much intended to run with some magnetic pull, even though I suspect the magnet in front is just to help distribute the grip a little better in the front half of the car. I don't think that either the motor alone or the magnet alone would be strong enough to keep the car on the track. I could take it off, which would be a permanent move, but I want to try it as it is first. The magnet is heat-molded in with plastic, so it would not be easily put back.

Also, since it'll be running with magnets, I'm not going to bother with much in the way of tire work. I'll do a bit to get a solid patch, but that's going to be it. I really don't think I need to mess with tires while I have magnets. 

Okay, while I could see the desire to have current F1 cars, and I'd probably collect them if they were available, I don't think they necessarily have to be the current liveries, or even modern day cars. 

Overall the cars look great, and I'm hoping to get them on track tonight. Bonus points for being a Canon livery, as that's what I use for photography. One of the other reasons I got them, to tell the truth. 

On the track, they run with magnetic grip, however light. You can go faster, but expect the back to come out if you push too hard. Spin-outs happen much more often than end-over-end crashes. That's always a good thing at 75 bucks a pop. I was pleasantly surprised by this, as I was expecting magnetism at least as strong as what comes standard in the cars. But it doesn't seem to be as powerful of a downforce. Sure, you can rip through corners, and it'll definitely set a much better lap time than any of my Classics in their current condition, but it's not infallible. Perfectly possible to spin out from simply too much gas coming off the corner. 

I think the cars are balanced very well overall. Small pod adjustments have effects, so there's tune-ability. 

I won't be running these against the Classics, as I suspect these will soundly beat them. They'll instead be used for racing against each other and for unofficial times on various tracks. I'll use a win/loss system for them, since a points system is...pointless.

Before these arrived I thought I would look at some others to expand the field, but I'm not completely sure I want to do that just yet. Classics are my main thing, and unless the F1 cars prove to be more fun than expected, I'll probably just stick with these two cars. We'll see about that. I haven't even gotten them on the track yet; just lube/oil. Besides, I just found a couple more Classics that I need.

New Car: NSR Porsche 917/10K Bosch/Kauhsen Team

Every once in awhile I come across a car that doesn't necessarily scream at me. Something that is interesting enough, maybe even just barely. Kinda like the Revoslot Ferrari MOMO. I'm still not sure why I bought that car. I mean, it's grown on me, but it stands out like a sore thumb in my collection. I guess I just really wanted a Revoslot. Glad I got the Porsche GT2 as well. 

One of those cars I didn't find impressive by the pics from the hobby shop, but was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box, is the new NSR Bosch Porsche 917/10K:

I didn't put two and two together at first, but then I realized what I liked about it; it's got that great yellow color that I love from the Shell GT40. Once I got it out of the box I realized it, and my eyes got real big. Within seconds I knew I made the right decision. 

"We're going to paint the car this sweet Yellow with black logos. But Guy, you'll be wearing your ol' white firesuit."

Sometimes you read stuff about certain brands and how they don't always stick to the exact scale replica in every way. And I suppose some of that is true if I were to look. I don't count rivets. The historical significance of the 1:1 version of the slot car is cool and all, but once it gets here it becomes a completely different person/entity. The new history starts here, as it does with all my cars. So as long as the car looks good, goes fast and represents what it's supposed to within certain parameters, then I'm totally fine with it. 

In my days as an unconscious Porsche collector, I particularly like how the various makes compliment each other. This looks just as good sitting with a 908 as it does a 917, and that makes it an easy add to my group. I'm sure I'll have a fleet of 917/10s before too long. RC Cola is coming. 2 pack.

Hard to tell from these pics, but this car has some MEATY tires on the back. Holy smoke.

I fully expect this car to be immediately competitive, and maybe even dominant. The tires are considerably more beefy than the other Porsche tires. And although the 917/10 has a tail, it's not one that I'm overly worried about, as it is pretty thin in mass, so it's not adding all that much more weight to the car. The nose is also a little deceptive, as it slopes down rather quickly and turns the front end into an ankle-snapper. Totally love the face on the front. Once you see it you'll never not see it...

New Car: NSR Rothmans Porsche 908/3 #95

 Funny thing about this car...the other day I was taking pictures of my cars for a post about race teams, and I was going through each of the teams, taking group pictures. When it came to shooting Team Rothmans, I grabbed the 917, but couldn't find the 908. I looked everywhere for it. Thought I might have misplaced it since I'm running out of storage boxes. 

Actually, what had happened is I hadn't bought it yet. 

It had been on my list for awhile, and I had thought about it for so long that I had somehow convinced myself that I owned it when I didn't yet. 

NSR Rothmans Porsche 908/3 #95

The Rothmans livery looks great on the 908.

This car, like the Gulf 908 I bought recently, feel a little stronger than the previous 908s. Did they change something?

This is what a quick, nimble, corner-eating race car looks like.

I'm developing a fanaticism for the 908. They're so much fun to drive, and so competitive. Even on the longer tracks, they don't give up all that much to the longer cars. But they devour corners for breakfast. Crazy handling abilities make you feel like you can almost punch it through the tightest of turns. 

Simple yet elegant. The workmanship on these cars is awesome.

New Cars: NSR Gulf Porsche 917K #10 & #9 Brands Hatch 1000k

 I'm starting to realize something. I may never be able to let a sweet Gulf car pass me by. One thing that got me back into the hobby was the thought that I could actually own one of these, even if I couldn't fit into it or drive it. But since I was a kid I have loved this livery more than any other. 

NSR Gulf Porsche 917K #10

Winner of the 1970 1000k at Brands Hatch. Driven by Pedro Rodriguez and and Leo Kinnunen.

I've seen reviews of this car that comment on the lack of orange along the sides like the other Gulf cars, but I like it. The only way you don't see the orange is in a direct profile shot like the one below. And even then there is a nice big Gulf logo on the side. Plus the lack of orange on the side really shows off the flowing curves very nicely.

feeling curvy. might delete later idk

I have expectations for NSR cars right out of the box, as I now have a good collection of them and have seen how they usually are upon arrival. This car was no different. After the setup I let it drone run 1000 laps. Then I ran it against the #19 Gulf car and it was immediately comparable. I'm satisfied this car will set impressive lap times. 

Of course, some things are impossible to resist, one of those being that there was another car released at the same time as this one, from the same race, and now it's here:

#9 Gulf Porsche 917K Brands Hatch 1000k 1970. Driven by Jo Siffert and Brian Redman. It didn't finish, but it looked good not doing it.

I have an absolute LOAD of cars now. It's going to need separate sessions just to be able to take the time to focus on them so they get the attention they deserve. That's SIX cars now that are still in varying levels of tuneup needs. Some haven't had any work done on them at all. It'll be some assembly line stuff for sure. 

All of this has brought me to lean pretty heavily on a piece of accessory that I was pretty sure I wouldn't ever need. Now I'm starting to think I do, for a few reasons. It's a tire truer. While the tried-and-true piece of sandpaper taped to the track can do in a pinch, I think I need to put more work into my tires. I've always thought that, just haven't had the nerve to buy the dang thing. I never thought I would need it, but I'm almost at 30 cars. I have reviews sitting waiting to be finished. I need to race them. I might have to temporarily shelve a large percentage of my cars just to get the new cars a chance for some track time. 

NSR Gulf Brands Hatch 1000k 1970

I also want to come up with a track design that I can keep up for awhile that won't get in my way. That's tricky since that means it has to be square-ish, so I'll need to work on that. I want to have the track down so I can put a car on and race whenever. I'll need something like that if I'm going to try to do any kind of race, which I'm intending to do soon. 

Gulf Team Photo

The Gulf Team has a significant advantage in the Team Championship, coming in with four cars. The best two score for the team each race, so that gives them a considerable edge. All the other teams [Rothmans, Shell, Sunoco] have two cars each, so they'll have to accept the points from both entries, without the benefit of multiple cars fighting for two spots. I expect the Gulf Team to do quite well, as all four cars are competitive and could podium finish at any time. While a Gulf car might not win the overall championship, they're going to be practically unstoppable as a team.

A few days later....

Both cars have been setup and are ready to race.

Working on the YouTube Channel

 Sunday:

Now that I have the Canon 90D, I've been kitting it out a little bit, readying for some serious video stuff for YouTube. When I was doing stuff before, I was struggling with the 500D to get usable footage. It wasn't the smartest camera when it came to things like focus and light. So I didn't do all that much stuff back then, instead focusing on larger videos with smaller snippets of video. Lots of editing and fixing in post. 

But that's changed now. I can think in the current and work on things and see results. I've been recording snippets for upcoming videos, and even have started a few new episodes. I think I'm going to get happy results from it. The tests so far are proving very positive. 

I haven't used the camera much as a camera, I must say. I've taken shots, but I haven't really gotten serious just yet. The video aspect of the camera is so much better than my old one was that I'm captivated by it. That'll pass, and when it does I'll have a fantastic camera to take pictures with. The few car shots I've done I've liked very much, and plan to do another run tonight while I still have everything setup from today's shoot. I'm getting into shooting the more conventional 45° angle, which requires a little different approach than the straight 90° angle shot I like shooting so much. But this camera just gets such great detail that I want to shoot that way. 

Last night I was working on some footage and discovered that it had some focus issues going through it. I figured out the problem later, and am going to try again in a day or two. Now that I have the 90D I'm really wanting to do great stuff with it. I don't want to put anything half-assed up and call it a day. 

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I'm going to compress this process into this one post so that my blog doesn't get filled up with tech info that might not interest most slot car fans. 

Tuesday: 

I just ordered a few things to go with the camera to help make better videos; a light kit and a field recorder. The light kit will have two flat LED lights with stands, and the field recorder mounts right on the tripod under the camera and will be able to hold up to 4 microphone inputs. Both of those things should be here Monday. 

I know it might seem light I'm diving headlong into something suddenly, but this is something I've wanted to do for a long time now, and I'm finally at a technical level to be able to pull it off the way it's been rolling around in my head all these years. In the nineties, I had a working system that could make digitally shot and edited movies with sound effects, music and everything. And with what I just ordered, I'll have a considerable amount of options at my disposal. I won't be using it for just the slot car videos. I'll be doing a lot of other stuff that'll put this gear to work. Suffice it to say I'm very excited by the possibilities.

Once that stuff arrives, I'll need to go through testing to get familiar with the system, which means I'll likely be re-shooting all of those snippets that I've made so far. They'll make good test material, so they'll be easy to shoot while I focus on the gory tech stuff. 

I have microphones, but I suspect I'll be adding more in the near future. Once this recorder comes I'll begin testing and find out which mic is going to work best for what I'm doing. I think I know which one that will be, but I'm going to test others on the chance I find something even better.

Regarding the lights; every one of my videos has lighting applied to it to make the picture clearer, even if it's just standard house lights. I've been waiting to get a set of actual photo/video lights, and found an affordable pair that I can expand if I need to. They're energy efficient, light, don't take up much space and can be mounted virtually anywhere. 

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Wednesday:

I just ordered a couple of slot cars.  I did have one of them on my list, and one of them is an impulse buy. Both of them should come in the next few days, and they'll both round out some of the race teams that have been forming in my collection. I'll also be using them as test subjects for my new video gear. 

I just recorded a 28 minute long video that was not able to be uploaded. I think I hit the maximum, so I'll have to pay attention to that and make my takes shorter, maybe around 15 minutes at the most.

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Thursday:

I got a call while I was at work today from the camera shop saying my gear has arrived. I got off too late to pick it up tonight, so I'll go first thing in the morning so I can have some time with it before work. I think I should be okay with what I have here, but I'll ask the guy at the shop if he carries accessories for the Tascam as well as for the lights. 

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Friday:

I got up early and was down at the camera shop when they opened up. Got both things and didn't get any other accessories, except for a couple of batteries for the lights. I'm going to go to the music store tomorrow and pic up some mic cables. 

So, the stuff! Yes, it's glorious. I'm very impressed with the lights, actually much more impressed than I was expecting to be. There are two of them, and they're each about the size of a laptop computer....just larger than an iPad. Anyhow, the light quality is pretty great, and very even. The color temp on the lights works great too, and matches up nicely with my camera settings. These are going to be extremely versatile. I'm already thinking of getting one more. Nice that there's already room in the bag for one mroe light fixture. 

I haven't tried the Tascam yet, as I need time to get it going and don't have it right now. The lights take no time to test, but the Tascam is going to be a bit of a beast. I have to go to bed early tonight, but I'll be up early tomorrow and will start on it then. 

Tuesday:

Ha....yeah, I kinda thought that would happen. Once I started messing around with the Tascam it was full test mode the whole way. I have been on the setup now every waking minute of the day. It's been so crazy that I have made well over 50 videos that go over the discovery process with all the new gear I have. Oh, and that's not the end of it. Sunday, while recording a video, I turned the crank on my tripod and it broke off right in my hand. On Monday I went down to the camera shop and got a great deal on a Rollei C6i tripod. Totally great and a real tripod, not like that cheesy thing I had before. I never liked that old tripod. 

I've been testing all of my mics with the system, getting the best levels I can out of them, and seeing which ones will work best for what I need. I think I have it down to an Audio Technica ATR35s lav mic for the wide shots and racing coverage, and an AKG C1000S for standard shots. There were others I decided not to use, but they may pop up in the future. I also just picked up a USB power pack. It wasn't expensive, so hopefully it'll work. 

I also got two cars in the mail today. I'll need to get some pics of those asap and get them on the track. I have a four-day weekend coming, and no plans. So I'm doing some racing and some video shooting. 

A few weeks later:

I've gone through a lot of the system, done numerous tests and experiments, tested mics and settled on what works best for various situations, and overall got a general handle on the whole thing. I've added more things, small things, and feel like I've got a working kit now. I added a USB battery, another light, another external hard drive, and a few other things that needed replacing. 

Today: 

I uploaded this review of the NSR Porsche 917/10K box set, shot on the new equipment. It was very fun.

April 30th:

I have almost completely outfitted my kit, which I affectionately am calling the "shooting match". It's the phrase that keeps popping up whenever I'm trying to explain the thing and not call it the "rig". I solved my microphone situation by buying a new one that didn't cost much and sounded great, plus it had a cold-shoe mount for going on the camera. A Rode Videomic GOII. Very nice, clean near-field mic. I also added one more lens: a Canon EFS 18-135mm. While considered the "kit" lens for the 90D and 80D, it's hardly a "kit" lens in the true sense of the word. Kit lenses tend to be inexpensive, low-quality bashers that get you started. This is no basher. It's big, strong, effective throughout its spectrum, and very well built. It's what I'm using to shoot all of the shots of the cars on the right side of the blog now. 

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About the YouTube Channel

So I'm going to start shooting these ideas I've been sitting on, and all slot car related stuff will go on the main channel, and other stuff will go on my secondary channel, which I'll be opening up soon. That'll have my new music channel, which will have my stuff and things I'm involved in. So, bands I record, shows I film, anything I'm doing, etc. So it's going to be a holding facility for a whole bunch of various stuff. 

I probably won't be cross promoting the two, since they won't need it, and anybody who wants to could make the connection. And as more things happen, more channels will happen. 

New Box Set of Cars: NSR L&M Porsche 917/10K Laguna Seca 1972

 When I was a kid, racing slot cars on Saturday mornings with my brother, I'd spend my weekly allowance on a new slot car, hoping that I would find that special car that could win it all. It also needed to be pretty much indestructible, as the inevitable demolition derby would occur at the end of the session. Those tended to be a winner-take-all format. Loser lies in a heap of plastic and metal. 

One of the strongest and fastest/best cars I had at the time was an L&M Porsche 917/10K. It was brutally fast, which made it the target of my brother's ire. It stayed at the top of the heap for weeks, even though he and I both bought other cars to try to beat it. It lasted what seemed like an eternity in our format. Win or Wrecked. 

Which brings me to today. I'm not afraid of buying collector sets, provided they're something I'm actually after, and not just sets to collect, if you know what I mean. In other words, I'd just as easily buy these two cars as singles out of the set. Either way, doesn't matter. The set comes with a very nice box that'll look good in my bookshelf. 

NSR L&M Porsche 917/10K

I love that I can buy a car that brings back so many memories of when I was a kid. Just a larger, much better detailed format. I feel like I've grown up a little bit.

NSR released this body style not long ago, and I waited until they had a nice looking livery before buying one. The first two that came out didn't interest me, and there were a couple of "test" cars, painted one color, but that didn't interest me either. Then this collector set came out. 

To get the big question out of the way: just one. The side view mirrors. 

The size/shape of the car is more in line with the 908, which is to say both are larger than the 917. The 917/10 has about as much nose as the 908, but a little more tail, although that little bit is mostly a thin bit sticking out the back. So I'd still consider it a short-tail in my world. It'd match up with the 908 better than the 907. 

Out of the box, both cars ran well, with the #6 needing a tire scrub to get the dust off. I lubed/oiled/set the chassis and did all my standard setup stuff, and they are both running very well. The #7 is as smooth as butter and really grips the track. Once I understood what was doing it, I gave the #6 the same treatment and it hooked right up. The two are going to be fast cars, that's for sure. 

Link to video.