# T-jet's Thunderjets



## T-jet (May 3, 2016)

I have some Thunderjets packed away and now that I am settled into my new digs here, it is time to get them out, get them running and make sure they all look and run good like I remember them doing. I'm kind of weird about the Thunderjets I collect. I don't always need to have a particular car in every color made, depending on what it is. For example The racing cars GT-40 , Ferrari 250 GTO etc. I only buy them in colors that they originally raced in. I do this so that when I am racing my cars on the track I can have it look and feel as authentic as possible. Other cars, like the Jag, Stingray etc, I would try and get as many of the colors I could because the real cars came in so many colors.
I also like my track to look as close as possible to the real thing as well. So I will be starting a thread in the Track build section,called The Thunderjet 500 ( *Lame maybe but thats what I call it*). I know slots have progressed well beyond these old pancake cars but I grew up with these and when the change to A/FX came along I did embrace them too. Faster, better handling, and all of those Cool bodies. As time and technology marched on we got Magnatraction, G+, Super G+, Etc, etc. I can't even follow them around the track anymore - too fast. Relax, I'm not hating on them, I'm just gonna be talking t jets here. I'll share pics of my cars , and what I am going to do to them. Be back soon, talk at ya later

T-jet :smile2:


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

Originally the Aurora cars were intended to be part of model train layouts, so they mostly did street cars for some time. Road Race Replicas has this nice Ferrari GTO.


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## twolff (May 11, 2007)

I too prefer the older, slower chassis. Partly due to the relativity small layout I have (4x8). The sweet spot for me is the old Tyco Pro. Has the sound and feel of an 1/24th scale pan car. I also like the new AFX bodies that still fit on the AFX and Magnatraction chassis. BRE Datsun 510 on an non-mag AFX chassis is a blast too.

Got a bunch of Tyco 440x2 cars when the chassis could be had from Mattel for $2-$3 each. There's info out there for detuning them to run at a more useable speed.


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## T-jet (May 3, 2016)

Rich Dumas said:


> Originally the Aurora cars were intended to be part of model train layouts, so they mostly did street cars for some time. Road Race Replicas has this nice Ferrari GTO.


 Rich Hi! yes I knew about the older cars (pre T-jet) the vibrators. I never had any as by the time we (my family) got our first race sets by Aurora, they had already changed over to Thunderjets. Funny thing though about the original vibrator cars was like you said, they made some really cool street cars of that time to drive around the track. Even later was the L&J track had the white lines still painted on them when they were selling the Aurora Racing sets


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## T-jet (May 3, 2016)

twolff said:


> I too prefer the older, slower chassis. Partly due to the relativity small layout I have (4x8). The sweet spot for me is the old Tyco Pro. Has the sound and feel of an 1/24th scale pan car. I also like the new AFX bodies that still fit on the AFX and Magnatraction chassis. BRE Datsun 510 on an non-mag AFX chassis is a blast too.
> 
> Got a bunch of Tyco 440x2 cars when the chassis could be had from Mattel for $2-$3 each. There's info out there for detuning them to run at a more useable speed.


twolff, I think mine maybe a little larger than 4x8. I'll have to check it out. I'm just glad that FINALLY I have the space to set them up - *permanently*.


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## Stillplayswithcars (Sep 19, 2013)

T-Jet,
I am with you on the older cars. It actually takes some skill to stay on the track. I like watching the cars broad-sliding around the corners. They are much funner watching them run around the track. Myself, I'm working on an idea of setting up a track on a trundle bed frame so I can slide it up under a day bed in my office. That way, the grand kids can enjoy some racing whenever they come over. Enjoy!


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## jimtone (Jul 20, 2014)

I reentered the HO slot cars hobby about 6 years ago when my nephews were 4 and 3. We sat for them twice a week and all they wanted to do was watch TV, so I bought a small set (AFX Cobra race set) with 2 Cobra Daytona cars so they were perfectly even while driving. I was 5 when we got the first Thunderjet 500 Stirling Moss set with 1963 Galaxie conv. & 63 Fairlane hardtop (wish I still had that white Galaxie! ). The boys loved it as we did back then, and the traction magnet chassis make it even easier to drive them. The 3 year old would hold the control with one hand and pull the trigger with his other, which was so fun to watch! I wound up taking out my original Tjets to clean and oil them and expose the boys to what it all used to be like, but they really never got anything out of the Tjets (no nestalgia) and they only saw them as SLOW. I've been buying original pin and clip Tjet tracks for the stability and durability they had. Enjoy!


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Welcome back! Are they still hooked?


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