Remember slot cars?

[Mjark]

I remember the real little ones about the size of your thumb. They sold for about $1 each I think. We had to go to a hobby store and pay to run on their track. This would have been 1961 or 62 I think.

 

[Happy Enchilada]

There was a time every town had a hobby store, and most housed slotcar tracks of various scales.
I read somewhere that there was a home slot racing set in over half the households.
When I was 11 or so, my friends were all into HO scale Aurora Thunderjets and also AFX.
We learned how to tear down the motors and hot rod the cars for more speed.
This launched some of my generation into a career in electronics.
It was also a social thing. We'd all get our tackle boxes full of cars and parts and go downtown.
Spend Saturday afternoon racing and hanging out with all kinds of kids from all over town.
Kids today could benefit from the hands-on aspects of slot racing and the human interaction.
There were a bunch of guys my age in town here who had a racing club a while back.
But alas, raising a family got in the way and I bailed.
Still have lots of cars, parts, controllers, and boxes of Aurora lock-and-joiner track.
Maybe I'll dig it out someday and set up a layout in the basement.

 

[flathd]

Gilbert '40 Ford Stock car set, 1/32 scale. 1960's

It's an Over and Under figure 8, but I went with the simpler oval track to test it out.

I think it's from the early '60s, my older brother had the set with Corvettes when we were kids. I remember the gas pedal controllers.

 

[lucius Mojo]

Very cool;I think Gilbert made a version where the parts of the car would fly off upon impact and you then replaced the body panels .They also made a full sceniced James Bond set but it had so many electrical issues that the rate of return was unacceptable,further sinking a doomed company.

 

[flathd]

I have another Gilbert set with the Go- carts.

Old Slot car case? Wynn's decals on it.

I had a Tyco set in the '80s, the cars were way faster and handled better. I gave that set to my nephew.

 

[CJM3309]

I used to love slot cars when I was young. We actually just found my old set and the remaining cars at my mom's house. I was born in '83 so the cars and set represent that late 80s early 90s stuff.

When I was very young (4 about), in our extra room, my dad made a track on a standard 8'x4' sheet of plywood. Sort of a table he made for the track. I used to just gun the car on a straightaway and have it fly off the track into the wall cracking up everytime while playing with my dad. Such a vivid memory and fun time

 

[lucius Mojo]

Cool!I have that Tyco Vette!

 

[ozcal]

Late to the party. I have a collection of scalextric 1/32 scale cars... mainly ford falcons from australia... love slot cars

 

[drmordo]

Great, now I have GAS for a slot car rig...

 

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These guys liked them

 

[lucius Mojo]

From Slap Shot

 

[Slim Chance]

These guys liked them
View attachment 1100344

So did these guys.

 

[imwjl]

They were two waves of fun.

Around middle school my dad got a big sheet of plywood and with some neighborhood kids we made a course with the HO size track on it starting with painting the wood green. When not using it the big piece of wood would fit behind our downstairs furnace. We had fun with tire, magnets and polishing brushes mods.

In college my mother wanted that stuff gone and the students slum house I lived in had space. For a short while the same fun came back centered around young adult partying. At that point there was a new grade of cars that worked on same old track. Someone who knew that had the edge but then a bunch of us went to a hobby store and got those.

The newer ones from the college party time might have been the AFX????

 

[flathd]

Set with 2 Firebird Trans Am's. I don't know Trans Am's but looks like '80s? 1/32 scale called Alden and runs on batteries. I've never had it set up, still in the original box with instructions.

 

[flathd]

I used to love slot cars when I was young. We actually just found my old set and the remaining cars at my mom's house. I was born in '83 so the cars and set represent that late 80s early 90s stuff.

When I was very young (4 about), in our extra room, my dad made a track on a standard 8'x4' sheet of plywood. Sort of a table he made for the track. I used to just gun the car on a straightaway and have it fly off the track into the wall cracking up everytime while playing with my dad. Such a vivid memory and fun time
View attachment 1098289 View attachment 1098290 View attachment 1098291 View attachment 1098292 View attachment 1098294

That Blue/red #43 looks like Richard Petty's car.

 

[Donny Osmond fan]

Old K&B Ferrari View attachment 1096209

Yes even the cheap ones at the discount store. As a kid I had the Dukes Of Hazard one.

 

[lucius Mojo]