Why Do I Do It This Way?

 In the 10 years I've been doing this blog, I don't think I ever explained why I approach slot cars the way that I do. I don't think it's particularly weird or anything, just a little different. If anything, I'd say it's a slightly refined approach to what most people do anyway. 

My attitude with slot cars has been pretty consistent through the years: what comes in the box should be good enough for the car to run, and with tweaks it can run even better. Sounds realistic to a lot of people I'm sure. And I learned that, for the most part, that's true. I'd say the only thing that would probably be a needed replacement on many cars would be tires. Other than that, they should run well out of the box and better once set up. 

I guess you could say I have expectations, but if I'm paying 70 bucks plus for a car, I'd like it to not only run, but run well.

Naturally there are racers at clubs and even at home that go way above and beyond any of this, and that's great. This is in no way a claim that my way is better than anybody else's. In fact, I don't even think it's "my way." Feels more like just a way. And that way is to get the most out of the car that you bought without having to fork over for replacement parts just to get it to compete.

Thankfully many brands of cars these days run a similar setup, so it's possible to race other brands against each other fairly and competitively. This blog is proving that.

So I'd like to be able to buy a car from a manufacturer and know that it would run fine out of the box, and I think these days many manufacturers do just that. I will tune them and tweak them 'til the cows come home, as is my right. But I'm going to do so without motor swaps or expensive higher-performance parts. Sure, I have a handful of screws and such for when I lose one, and I have loads of replacement tires for when they are needed, but I generally don't do anything upgradey to the cars I run. I want to see if what the companies make will do the job. Sure, occasionally I'll get a car with problems, and I have before. But those were all individual events and not design flaws. And part of the fun is getting those cars to work well despite whatever problems they might come with. With some it's an uphill battle, but with others it's a success when they show improvement.

Something like this McLaren M6B, which has absolutely no design flaws, slips in all quiet like so nobody notices. Then WHAMMY! Wins it all and is Champion of Life [or something equally important]

I have enough cars now to do loads of different comparisons. Makes, brands, teams, constructors...and others that I'm sure I can come up with. I'm curious to finally find out what is the fastest brand on my track, and I think I have enough samples to come to some conclusions. Setting up a series of races and getting some good endurance challenges out of them should help figure that out. Running 57 cars can take awhile, so I'll likely do long races over multiple days. Short races are unsatisfying. I'd like to run 100-lap heats if I can, and do them in small groups so I can spend a little time with the cars as well. Then do updates here with pics and all that.

You might be wondering how the different brands of cars can compete against one another. Some are clearly more expensive than others, and some brands have the reputation of being the fastest and the best. But when cars across all manufacturers are made with similar motors and parts and construction, it's possible to tweak a car to get more out of it, which makes it more competitive. I've had plenty of examples of various brands being hundredths off from each other on lap times. After all, they might look good on paper, but they still have to race. And I will be trying to get the most out of each car. As the series goes on I'll tweak and tune the cars so they can remain on equal footing throughout the competition. I'd be hard-pressed to believe that anybody would run away with it, rather it could get pretty hairy towards the end. I have my suspicions and predictions going in, but I don't know how confident I am in some of them. I've seen enough with these cars to know that pretty much any car could win at any time. I can think of a half dozen "favorites" to win it all out of my collection.

So there it is. I hope this somewhat explains what I'm all about and why I do it this way. I'm excited to find out just how well these cars are going to do. Will it be some hotshot from outta nowhere or some 10 year-old car that's just going to spank the britches off the whippersnappers? Will the Gulf Team reign supreme? Or will it be some journeyman in an Elva? Do tires matter, and if so, will replacement tires give cars an edge over others? What about the cars running the secret gaskets? 

There is so much pre-season drama building. This should be an exciting series. I would expect more to unfold over the coming days.