# Christmas Slot Car Memories



## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

In the spirit of the holiday season I would like to propose that we share some of our special Christmas memories from years past that involve slot cars. I have a few and I will chime in as this thread fills up with some recollections of those special moments that transformed us in a way that we still recall those fond memories like they were yesterday, whether it was a year ago or 40 years ago. Whether it was wearing the print off the Sears Catalog pages that had all of the cool sets you fantasized about, or seeing your first race set under the tree, I think a lot our our lifelong journeys in this little hobby were started on a magic moment that started on a special Christmas morning. 

Cue the mistletoe, egg nog, and Perry Como ...


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## RiderZ (Feb 19, 2007)

*!!!*

I got one.It was Xmas of 81'.Mom gave me this photo on Thanksgiving and just a week before that i scored the Vette off ebay.Definately brings back the memories!!!:thumbsup:


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## clydeomite (May 5, 2004)

My favorite memory was going to the sears store. They had a Lionel pikes peak hillclimb track st up and if you smiled just right the sales people would let you make a few laps. I used to just stare in jaw dropped amazment at the slot cars and every year I told mom and Dad I want a " race car set" I finally got a tootsietoy corvair set and had nothing but problems that went back to the store and I got a Atlas F-1 type set that was just an oval. All my friends got the cool T-jet sets ot Strombecker sets. I finally got a Strombecker set when I was about 12. I used to sit on my bedroom floor with a controller in each hand thinking If I could do this for the rest of my life I know it would make me happy. Well that was 44 years ago. I guess I got my wish. I know have a large 1/24th vintage collection and 170 t-jets in my collection plus stuff I actually race. So I'm reliving a childhood dream .
Merry Christmas. I smell some thunder oil burning and it sure smells good.
Clyde-0-Mite


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## Dragula (Jun 27, 2003)

The last set I got at Christmas before my dad passed was a Tyco Trans Am barrel jump set,I played with it until dawn,if I knew my dad was not going to be there for next year I would have raced a little longer with him.Now I miss my father more,love you dad.


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## Dragula (Jun 27, 2003)

RiderZ said:


> I got one.It was Xmas of 81'.Mom gave me this photo on Thanksgiving and just a week before that i scored the Vette off ebay.Definately brings back the memories!!!:thumbsup:


My favorite Vette,awesome story!


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## hefer (Sep 18, 1999)

I remember going with my dad to the Western Auto store. There, high on a shelf was a Wide Track Aurora set. I would stand and dream about how cool that would be to race on. Sadly, one day we go in and the set is gone. I'm totaly bummed! Guess where it ended up? I still have the Lola GT that came in that set and I still race on Aurora Wide track.


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## slotnewbie69 (Dec 3, 2008)

i was lucky enough at 6 or 7 to recieve a lional oval tran set and a strombecker figure eight.my older brothers got to my race set before i did,as i was playing with the trains with my dad.well,my big bros had teatowels wrapped around the controllers,they got so hot.sadly,by the next morning,i found holes melted in the casings of the controllers!before i even had a chance to run a single lap!they still worked,but i was choked at my bros!that set still lasted a few years however,and when i found a free box of afx stuff a couple years ago,it brought back some memories,that's for sure!can't wait til my boy is old enough for his first set!he is just now getting the picture that if ya squeeze the trigger it makes the car go round!takes him two hands,but he's getting the idea.one more way i can keep him away from an x box!nice moments to share,past or present!happy holidays,everyone!


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

RiderZ said:


> I got one.It was Xmas of 81'.Mom gave me this photo on Thanksgiving and just a week before that i scored the Vette off ebay.Definately brings back the memories!!!:thumbsup:


ok, that's just six different kinds of awesome. :thumbsup:

--rick


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## win43 (Aug 28, 2006)

I got an Aurora racing set (vibrator) way back in 19XX ....... heck I can"t remember that far back. I remember one of the cars was a Corvette. I also remember that the packaging holding everything in was ascew. The wire on the power pack was not that fancy factory wrapped job. But , I was so excited about getting the race set I really didn't care. Found out later that my father and older brother were doing a "quality control" check on it.


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

What was great back then was you could go to a variety of stores, Sears and Montgomery Wards seems to stand out, and would have a few sets setup in their "Toy Department". You could actually see these sets live and in action.  

 rr


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## Omega (Jan 14, 2000)

I think my favorite store had to be Two Guys, they seemed to have the best slotcar selection around. I remember the last car I got from them with Christmas money from my grandmother. A gold Bachmann HO Stingray. 

Now I need to find one again.

Dave


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Omega said:


> I think my favorite store had to be Two Guys, they seemed to have the best slotcar selection around. I remember the last car I got from them with Christmas money from my grandmother. A gold Bachmann HO Stingray.
> 
> Now I need to find one again.
> 
> Dave


Dave,
I thought Two Guys was the best as well. Glass cases lined with slot cars, track and trains. Nothing like that exists today. There is a huge hobby store in Pa. that has a back wall filled with trains, but no department store has a hobby section like Two Guys (Great Eastern was close). I really miss them.

My addition started Christmas 1969. I got my first Aurora set. A Sterling Moss figure 8 set with a blue Tornado and white Maserati. That Maserati is the only car I ever owned which burned out an amature. But 1969 is when it all started and I still have every Aurora car I ever bought, and most look like they were bought yesterday.

I remember one Christmas a few years later when me and a couple friends got on our bicycles on Dec. 26th and headed to Two Guys; for me, it was to buy more cars. Considering it was probably about 8 miles to the store and we were only about 13, my parents were not pleased.

I can also remember going to Two Guys for the after Christmas sale when they would mark down excess AFX cars to $1.99 or less. This was in the early 1980s just before they closed up. The cars were all on paper cards and this is when I also got some Tuff Ones which were on AFX cards. They didn't have a lot of different models, but there you were looking into the large cardboard cases of cars. 

Oh if I only had a time machine and could go back, find myself, and tell myself to spend all my money on those cars.

Joe


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## kiwidave (Jul 20, 2009)

Drag, we are from the same era! I too got the Tyco jump track set. Never thought Mum and Dad could afford the set back then and had drooled all over it at the toy shop. Xmas morning and out came this big box for me to open I could believe my luck when I discovered it was the set I had wanted. Thrashed those poor cars for weeks. Good times!!!


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## Brian 1811 (Jan 17, 2009)

I remember going to toys r us and seeing the sets in plastic casesand the cars too and having to take a ticket that know kid could ever reach for and standing in line to pay for it and then standing in another line to get the car locked up in the caged area. Boy those were the days.


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## Dragula (Jun 27, 2003)

Eyes glazed,palms sweating,waiting to get to KB Toys to buy a "pit kit with magnatraction cars and tune up parts" then the terribly long ride home so I could open the precious case and begin running the wheels off my latest score.Ah yes,the good old days.
Kiwi,I remember thinking that if they could jump the barrels,then surely the can jump other stuff..right?


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## Jim Norton (Jun 29, 2007)

*Thank you Sears and Roger Penske*

Mine started with the arrival of the Sears Christmas catalog around September of 1973. I was 11 years old. I opened it up to the slot car section and could not get over what a cool AFX four lane that was featured. It was the "Roger Penske Four Lane Raceway." The track had a split into 2 lanes and the cars featured something new called "Super Traction" a Sears exclusive.

The four AFX cars included in the set remain my favorites today. Two of the cars were Sunoco Porsche 510-Ks with different numbers 6 & 7, a black UOP Shadow and an orange "Auto World" McLaren. Each had little Super Traction stickers attached.

The night before Christmas I picked my 4 best 15" straights from my old AFX set and cleaned them up to perfection. My plan was to extend one end of the Penske and make it bigger. I could not hardly sleep that Christmas Eve.

Well Christmas morning arrived and I ran into the living room to see if I had received the set from Santa. Sure enough there it was! But I was very surprised....I just knew such a big set would be in a gigantic box but it was not. The Sears AFX box was about 2/3rds the size of an Aurora AFX box. I became concerned that there was no way everything could be in that box for a 4 lane.....But, it was.

The set was put together along with the 4 straights from my old set and was the neatest I had ever seen! Later that morning, my older sister and husband had a gift for me of 3 more AFX Sears Super Traction cars on blister packs. I then had 7 new cars and the first four lane in the neighborhood. It was a great Christmas! 

I loved that set so much that I scored a mint replacement on Ebay about 5 years ago. Anytime I see a Shadow, orange McLaren or Blue Sunoco 510-Ks I get a little feel of that great Christmas 36 years ago!

Jim Norton
Huntsville, AL


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## 2.8powerranger (Dec 13, 2004)

I think it was 1974-75,First year for the magna -traction.My brother and I got our first set.just a simple figure 8 set with a blue dodge daytona and a orange and yellow gtx.The 2 extra cars we got were the r/c cola can am car and the l-m racing porsche i think.we[brother ,brother in law, cousins and dad ]ran hard all day .Between the track,the verti-bird and the g.i joe stuff it was cool,not to mention the models.Back then half the kids on the block got slot car sets,lot of good times durig christmas break with my buddies racing in the rec room in the basement,combining tracks and such,We had a record player down there and must have played convoy and crocodile rock a million times.then chiller theater then to bed.I truly believe that our generation is the last one to truly have good clean fun. Trains,electric football ,models,backyard ball,erector sets, tonkas.We were truly blessed to grow up under parents that made us use our imagination.I could go on and on.MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you.And God bless you all.
Matt


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## joeslotcar (Mar 12, 2003)

*remember your first time....*

I was 6 yrs old when my Dad brought home the 4 lane vibe set for Christmas in '62. He was so excited about it that he couldn't wait until Christmas morning to set it up. Here we were, 3 days before Christmas, racing vibes on the kitchen table until well past midnight. My two brothers raced against Dad and me. It didn't matter much who won, but I do remember many nights taking apart the track and making a new layout, then taking apart the cars to try and make them go faster. We would all make weekly trips to Russ's Blasdell Hobby Shop, Field's Hobby or Two Guys to load up on cars and parts. When Thunderjets came out in '63, we had already built a large track in the basement on two 4'x8' tables in an "L" shape. It was the center of the neighborhood. Kids of all ages came to race. That year, I remember getting calls from 5 or 6 friends on Christmas morning telling me they got Tjets for Christmas and could they come over right now and race! Saturday afternoons were full of racing, friendship and fun. My grandmother even got into the act with one or two laps then went off to the kitchen to make homemade pizza for everyone.:thumbsup: Every Christmas until about '72 or '73, Santa brought more slot car stuff. 
Racing slot cars is the best memory of my youth. It was a glorious time. Young, eager and happy kids building, tuning and racing little cars for hours. Now that I'm older, I guess it hasn't changed very much. I'm just an older, eager and happy kid racing little cars for hours in my basement. And I can't wait for this Christmas to see if Santa will bring me any slot cars...:tongue: 
-Joe


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Cool memories.


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## bmt216a (Mar 28, 2008)

My first slot set was in 58 or 59, I was 7 or 8 and it was an American Flyer set. The cars used magnets not guide pins to stay on the tracks. I set it up and than set up my lionel trains around the slots. It was great running both together. I don't even remember how well the cars ran but I still remember that Christmas.
A few years later a friend got a vib set for christmas and broke one of the cars a few days later. He lost interest in the set and gave it to me. Only had one car but I race that ford station wagon for hours. Best after christmas gift ever.
Still have that car and many Tjets were added.
I too used to go to Two Guys in NJ. Went in one day and they had all their Tjets in a box for .68 cents each. The new AFX line had come out and they were closing out old stock. I was low cash ( starting a new family) but I did get a torino, charger,el camio and a few others. Still have those too.
Merry Christmas to all and happy slotting :tongue:


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## tomhocars (Oct 19, 2005)

I remember my father coming home before Christmas with a catalog with A.C.Gilbert American Flyer Autorama cars and sets.This was in 1963.I kept bothering him all the time for a set for Christmas.He kept telling me it was expensive.$19.95 at a hobby store near where he worked in NYC.WellI got up Christmas morning and it was there under the tree.Figure 8 with two CorvettesHe bought a piece of plywood and we set it up.Then he bought some grass mat,put up some trees and painted a piece of plexiglass to make it look like a lake.When I look back I probably I thought there was no better track anyware.Probably thought is was equal to Katzspa of today.I guess thats why I also collect AC.Gilbert.I still have the cars.Still love Corvetes.Thanks Dad. Tom Stumpf


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## 82whiskey (Sep 6, 2009)

I did not even remember my first set I received for Christmas until I read Toms post. I got into Aurora HO racing when I was 9 or 10 years old but I had completely forgotten the first set I got for Christmas when I was 5 or 6. I don't remember the brand but I do remember seeing the figure 8 set up under the tree and racing the two corvettes that came with it. I believe the vettes were 62's. I had a blast with that set. Wish I knew exactly what set it was. 

Thanks for jogging that memory Tom!

Brian A


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

hefer said:


> I remember going with my dad to the Western Auto store.


This must have been a southern thing. As a small town, we didn't have the big hobby shops to go to, but at Christmas, oh boy!!! Western Auto made room and put out the toys. I too, went with my Dad, to show him my wish list. I wanted that Thunderjet set!!! I guess my Dad nodded to the saleman, as I was too busy looking. That set sure did sparkle under the tree, with the lights reflecting off of it. I remember after Christmas, Western Auto had individual cars that they kept in the backroom, for you to buy. Those were the ones in the plastic boxes. My biggest problem was choosing which one one to spend my allowance on. Took a long time to save up, you just don't grab the first one, you gotta be sure!!! Great memories!!! Merry Christmas to all!!! RM


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

I remember my dad yelling at me to go back to bed when I walked in on him in the living room setting up a Tyco Curve Hugger, double loop set. Now, how could I get any sleep then? I got up at 6 the next moring to play with it. He was in such a hurry, he didn´t get one of the screws flush in one of the loops. It never did work right, but that was okay. Funny, as a kid, I didn´t like the loops anyway, seemed too speed racer to me, AS A KID. I wanted my racing as realistic as possible, AS A KID. What are these manufacturers thinking now?


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

I love this tread, every year we have it, and every year I enjoy reading and re- reading the stories. 

For me, it was 1975... I had been getting a race track every year at Christmas since 1969, when I was 5.. but they were always Johnny Lighting or Hot Wheels sets... one year, I got the Ideal "Class A Crash Course"... a figure eight set up were the highlight was the big crash. Anyway, in 1975 Aurora has a very aggressive TV campaign pushing their Magna Tractions sets, naturally, I was interested.

I can still the Sears Wish Book, dreaming and drooling over the AFX sets. When I came downstairs that Christmas morning, my Dad had a small oval set up... we ran it for hours before setting up the full layout in my bedroom. Back then, they used to interfere with TV sets... so there were times when racing was off limits. A few of my freinds also got sets that year and we would bring all our 15 inch straights into school and set up a drag strip to run at recess. My fastest and favorite car was a yellow Bel Air, the other car that came with the set was a Yellow Daytona Superbird. 


great memories!


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

I was lucky in that my parents documented each Christmas with pictures and 8mm movies. My first slot car set was in 1966, it was a Model Motoring set and I remember the car I was given was a Turquoise or Light Blue Fairlane. I later got a Batmobile and a Mustang. I had that set for many years, even in 1978 after High School, but my step mom threw it all out after she and my dad divorced in 1980. I have a picture that I've posted in the past, of my brother and I in the summer of 1967 racing on our patio on an oval. It's one of the few pictures that has survived from those days, the film all turned to mush about 15 years ago before I could get it transfered to video and a lot of the pictures recently were ruined when rain water got into my storage unit during a storm. I wish I still had those cars, especially the Batmobile but I remember distinctly taking a hammer to it about age 10. The things we did as kids....


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## Rapid Robert (Feb 13, 2008)

Those were the best memories.I got a t jet aurora set two 65 mustangs two Buick Riverias.We would race these for hours and hours.I can remember the aurora hop up kits we later got.Nothing but good memories.


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## foxkilo (Mar 27, 2008)

Christmas eve was always celebrated at my grandparents. And there I got in '64 my first set. It was a Faller one with a blue 356 and a red hardtop Merc 250 SL. It trew me of the rocker as I didn't expected one. Drawback having no brother I had to race with my sister. Durng the next years I got me a few new cars and accessories and had a track build up together with my railroad set on plywood plate. Years went by and went into slots again and found that nearly everything was still there. Okay the first to cars and the original box was gone. So I got me a replacement for the box and the first cars. By now we were spending christmas eve at my sisters house in a kind of commemorative act to my late grandparents. And there I took my newly recompleted set. In the end my brother-inlaw and I ended laying on the floor playing with the set and my sister being slightly annoid to put it mildly. Anyway I am no longer alowed to bring that or any other slotcar set to a christmas do at my sisters house. And come to think of it any other event.


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## T-jetjim (Sep 12, 2005)

*1965 Xmas*

I believe it was 1965. I got a track mounted on a fiberglass molded shape. The modular bridge posts were glued together, then screwed into the fiberglass. It had transformer mounted as well and a rectangle with a Model Motoring logo. I got two cars with it, a red lola and a tan mako. If you didn't have momentum, the skinny wheels would really struggle up the spiral.

I have never seen a track mounted on fiberglass since. Now I wonder if it was a store display?










We used to migrate to Florida for Xmas. I got my track the night before we left and raced until my folks put me to bed. It was agonizing spending 10 days in Florida knowing I had a new track sitting at home. My best friend, Chuck, had a Christmas layout with a train intersection, intersection, bump tracks, etc. I would go over there and we would have a blast racing for hours. Naturally, we would have to plow through snow (flock) etc. and really gum up the cars. Chuck was into some early body mods. We thought they were cool, but collectors would certainly grimace.
Jim


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## Gear Head (Mar 22, 2005)

After inheriting well used tjets and track from my uncle in about 1975, and begging for new cars every birthday and christmas, my Sears wish book dreams were going to come true a couple of years later. Keep in mind I would wake up early every day before school and tinker with my cars for sometimes up to an hour, only to skip breakfast to catch the bus. This Christmas was going to be the best ever. I was going to get the "new" AFX G-Plus 4 lane race set with indy cars. Finally some NEW cars and track to play with! I vividly remember waiting in the lay away line with my mother to pick up the set at Sears. The line seemed like it went on for miles! I also remember thinking about how insignificant the items were that the people were picking up in line ahead of us. "Why would you want that?" and "Why is it taking them so long?" We finally got to the counter and got the "best" lay away item. Though the Sears box was kind of bland, my eyeballs still almost fell out of their sockets when I got it in my hands. The only problem was that I wasn't allowed to open it until Christmas morning!!!! ARGHHHH ...Fast forward...Before the fragments of cardboard from the box even hit the floor, the track was set up and I was arguing with my brother over which car I was going to try first. In the end it didn't matter. Before the day was over, all four cars had their spoilers broken off, and most had one side of the front spoiler chipped or broken. These cars were not for me, I couldn't and still can't drive them! The best thing that I walked away from the cerebral orgasm with was a stronger love for the tjets, AFX and Magnatraction cars that I already had. I had a similar experience with the AFX flex track! Thirty something years later I still get excited about these silly cars. Happy Holidays everyone!!!:wave:


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Gear Head said:


> . . . The best thing that I walked away from the *cerebral orgasm* with was a stronger love for the tjets, AFX and Magnatraction cars that I already had . . .


Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha!!!! That's awesome! :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: ROFLMAO


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

i've been racking my brain for this thread... but i don't remember getting slot car stuff for Christmas. i think my first set was a Christmas gift... i know it was a big Tycopro set, but I got it when I was like 4 and I think my dad kinda bought it for himself under the pretense that it was for the kid :lol: . i don't remember it being under the tree or anything, it was just always around. and the slot stuff i had later, i bought myself. i do remember a few other car toys i got at christmas...

u-drive-it:
http://www.timewarptoys.com/udriveit1.jpg

digital derby:
http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Tomy/Derby.htm

drive yourself crazy:
http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Tomy/DYCrazy.htm

then there was this bigger one that reminded me of digital derby, but it had to sit on a tabletop. it had a brown or tan plastic hood and somehow the cars were projected into your field of vision using a mirror or something. i HAD to have it... then i got it and i was really disappointed. i think we returned it.

but i DO remember the days when toys r us had a road race and train set aisle, and it was AWESOME during Christmas season...

--rick


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

The Santa Wish List.

Christmas was always a big family event at our house, from getting a tree, decorating it with Christmas music playing, getting and giving presents, eating the big meal, and visiting with friends and relatives during the days afterward. One of the reasons Christmas was so special for us kids was because Christmas was the only time other than our birthday when we got any toys. That was it for the whole year. Needless to say, we looked forward to Christmas with much anticipation and our parents always asked us to put together our "Santa Wish List" well in advance of the big event. 

At the time it seemed like we'd start putting our Santa Wish List together months in advance, but in reality it was probably only a few weeks. We also knew that no matter how many items we put on our list we would only get a few of them. That was the reality of the situation, we knew it, and it was no big deal. Plus we truly appreciated whatever we received because we spent nearly a decade living in a housing project and on welfare so having escaped that and to be living in our own house was a pretty big deal by itself. 

Everything we had was the result of our step father working hard to provide for our family, the kind of hard work that few people know. My step dad worked for the city water department, repairing busted piping and water lines in the middle of the street, some of which were 100 plus years old. Very dirty, very arduous manual labor, the guy covered with slime and crud from head to toe in a wet hole in the middle of January in sub freezing temperatures. The guy with dirty hands that never came clean. The same guy who would wake me early on a Saturday morning to go to the lumber yard to get some plywood and studs to build me a track table for my slot cars. Those were some very special days.

Over the years, far too few years, the Santa Wish Lists were still made and it seemed we were getting a little deeper into the list very year. Overtime pay seemed to find its way into the Christmas fund and the pile of presents under the tree grew more impressive. Then one summer in the early 70s the work and toil took its toll on my Dad, the step part had been long forgotten, and he died suddenly and unexpectedly, not even 40 years old but looking like he was a beaten down 60 year old. Needless to say, it was very hard but we tried to keep the holiday traditions alive. That year I got everything on my Santa Wish List, top of the list to the bottom of the list: Super II, Boss Riggen, DynaBrute, TycoPro, everything that a young boy could want to fill his slot car collection. But it wasn't the same. Sometimes you get everything you asked for and it's still not enough. Even though we'd gone through the motions, created the wish lists, seen the lists delivered on Christmas morning, the one thing that mattered most couldn't be on the list. I still have most of the slot cars that I got that year. They serve as a reminder of the things that you wish for because you think they will make you happy. But they also remind me that the most important parts of your life are not the things that you wish for or acquire, but the friends and family who surround you and are the most important part of your life. 

Merry Christmas to all, and please enjoy it with your friends and family. They are the only true rare and hard to find entities in the universe.


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## 82whiskey (Sep 6, 2009)

Thank you for sharing that story Afx... I'm sitting here typing with a tear in my eye thinking about my dad. I was fortunate to have my dad around a little longer than you did but it sounds like the time you did have was good. You certainly put the meaning of Christmas in a very good perspective.

I hope you truly enjoy the holidays with your family and friends. Same to all the other HT members.


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## oldjunker (Jan 29, 2008)

I don't have a specific memory of the slots I recieved for Christmas but reading through this thread gave me other memories of slots at this time of year. Many years ago my best friend and slot car buddy Mark and I would spend the whole Christmas vacation running the little cars. His birthday the 22nd and mine the 30th with Christmas in between would always give us new slot items to play with. The last 25 years we have gone our seperate ways except for the few times our paths have crossed.
Stumbling onto HT a couple of years ago got me back into the little cars and I have been working on a layout that I'm sure Mark would have a blast running on. Because of this thread I am going to call him and get together early in the new year. The joy of our reunion will be because of all you guys who have inspired me on the layout.
I wish health, happiness, prosperity, and some new slot items to all of you
Happy holidays 
Carl


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## Baggy (Nov 1, 2009)

Afx, I copied and pasted your Christmas story and sent it to a group of friends we have, I hope you don't mind. Thanks for sharing your story, it has a lot of meaning to it. Thanks again and Merry Christmas to all.:wave:


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## RacerDave (Mar 28, 2006)

Thank you very much for sharing your story with us AFX. It was beautifully written and truly captured the meaning of Christmas. Merry Christmas all. Dave.


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

Grandcheapskate said:


> Dave,
> I thought Two Guys was the best as well. Glass cases lined with slot cars, track and trains. Nothing like that exists today. There is a huge hobby store in Pa. that has a back wall filled with trains, but no department store has a hobby section like Two Guys (Great Eastern was close). I really miss them.
> 
> I can also remember going to Two Guys for the after Christmas sale when they would mark down excess AFX cars to $1.99 or less.
> ...


Crazy! I have only the foggiest memory of being in a Two Guys when we left NJ in the late 70's. I was only 3 or 4 y/o at the time.

All the AFX's I grew up racing every X-mas were Two Guys closeouts that my dad scored for dirt cheap on clearance. Black/yellow A/P vette, r/w/b Matador, lime Charger, orange daytona, blue XLR and my all time fave car, the blue #5 Javelin to name a few--still have those today. I had some of my uncles old beat and battered T-jets also, but always loved those AFXs. We had the L&J track that had to constantly be resanded to make the connections and the funky steering wheel controllers. Every year, Id help my dad break out the slot cars, tear em down, oil em and set the track up on a new piece of plywood. My sisters would race a little, but lost interest quickly. Id have friends from down the street race during the day and Dad and I would race at nite. I remember we'd get a new car every now and again (when we could find an AFX), but werent allowed to have tycos since my dad was convinced they wouldnt work on aurora track. I remember wanting a chevy stepside at Kmart pretty badly, but he said no since it wouldnt run on ours. I think I went for the red flamethrower Ferarri 512 instead. Once I got back into slots, I figured out that it mustve been a command control stepside, since this was in '80 which was our first Xmas in TN and those were available then. 

I lost interest in slots altogether once girls, college getting a 1:1 vehicle, and being an unruly yahoo started to take priority. But a couple random trips down the toy aisle in the mid-late '90s took me past the slot sets and all the old memories came back. I saw the Marchon set with the Jeeps and took notice, but at the time they looked similar to the 1/43 stuff to me. I spotted the Doomsday Duel set with the post apocolyptic cars and that stuck in my mind. A few years later when I lived in Oregon the first time in '00 I hit my g/f with a random X-mas item I wanted. We went to every toy and hobby store in southern Oregon it seemed, hunting for either the Doomsday set or something with Jeeps. Didnt know about EvilBay at that time, so I went for a lifelike set with the glow in the dark T-birds. I was hooked again! I had my parents ship out the box of old AFXs and T-jets, tuned em up and the rest is history. Been solidly addicted for 9 years now. 

Im still lucky enough to have both parents, some of your stories are a good reminder of that. And what Christmas is supposed to be about. Chuck G


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## LDThomas (Nov 30, 1999)

*A couple of Christmas H:O scores...*

I got my start in slot racing in the early 60s with a Strombecker set. I played some with scratch building and rewinding while in high school but basically left it all behind when I went off to college and to earn my fortune. While out in the real world with my first job (I lived in Omaha.), I found that I was working with an H:O junkie that raced all the time. I picked up a couple of cars and started racing with his group of racers.

Every year at Christmas time, a local department store in Omaha would have a race track set up as part of their Christmas displays and all the eager little racers out there could play with the cars and try things out. One day I asked the clerk if they ever broke any of the cars and if so, what did they do with the broken ones? She went behind the counter and brought out a handful of cars in various states of disrepair and tossed them on the counter. I made her an offer. I would buy each of them for $1.00 and I would continue to buy them all during the Christmas season. She thought that was a great idea because in past years they simply threw them away. I scored over 20 cars that way - most of which were the just released Aurora Super G+. :thumbsup:

The next year was even better. They still had a few brand new Tyco Pro cars with the brass chassis plates and white silicone tires sitting in their display case. With the new 'magnet' cars out, nobody would buy them even though they kept lowering the price. I proposed an offer to them. If they would take all of the Tyco Pro cars out of the case and put them in one bag, what would they charge me? The department manager thought for a moment and said, "How does $5,00 sound?" I tried to remain cool and contemplated the offer, then accepted. When she was done putting all the cars in a bag, there were *57 cars* in the bag. Not bad for $5.00! :dude:


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

*Yep what all of you have said here...Family and friends are the most important...*

I have been reading this thread from it's start and am just now posting on it. Great stuff about slot car memories and the importance of family and friends.

My memory of slot cars at Christmas was getting an AFX Semi & Police car set and adding the track onto my growing layout on the black and white large tiled floor we had. 

I loved the Semi Truck and Police Car so much as they were so much fun to run. Blinky lights and a Peterbuilt with a trailer to run around the track. It was a blast to run. So much so I took my Chirsmas money and bought another set just like it.

My freind Chris lived right across the street and had his TYCO track layed out in his basement. We would be over at each others houses all winter long racing cars. Those were the days.

I would shovel snow in Nebraska as a kid to make more money and get slot cars at the local Hobby Store. Life was good for me as a kid and now that Local Hobby Store has been closed for several years now as the Owner Mr. Fields who owned Bel Air Hobbies passed away. He was a great Man and always chatted with us kids all the time. As I grew up I still went to his store and chatted with him all the time. I miss Mr. Fields alot but, the memory of his beeing a real person and friend will always stay with me.

Mr. Fields set up a track for us kids to race on in his small Hobby Store. You could de-slot twice and the third time you were out. I think we did 10 lap races on a 2 lane layout if my memory serves me right. It was a blast as we took our cars apart before and after each race, ran our tires over reversed masking tape & had the times of our lives. 

The older kids ran in the G-Plus class which was amazing to watch back then as those were the fastest cars out at the time. I had G-Plus envy and eventualy ended up getting my hands on some later on. I was a Shoveler you know and could shovel all day. Had a route of sorts with the same people on it every time it snowed.

Great thread and great memories of times gone by. Will be giving memories like these to our 2 kids. Fletcher and I do lots of slot car stuff together and after a while he will be having more friends come over to race I am sure. Bree is a girly girl so, Ginger and her do Girly things...Eeeeew. LOL

Bob...Eeeeeeek Girl germs...zilla

P.S. LDThomas I lived in Omaha as a kid and still drive from Gretna to work in Omaha. All those Tyco Pros...Man you lucky DOG!!!! I graduated from Burke High School in 1983...are we close in age at all?


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

LDThomas said:


> The next year was even better. They still had a few brand new Tyco Pro cars with the brass chassis plates and white silicone tires sitting in their display case. With the new 'magnet' cars out, nobody would buy them even though they kept lowering the price. I proposed an offer to them. If they would take all of the Tyco Pro cars out of the case and put them in one bag, what would they charge me? The department manager thought for a moment and said, "How does $5,00 sound?" I tried to remain cool and contemplated the offer, then accepted. When she was done putting all the cars in a bag, there were *57 cars* in the bag. Not bad for $5.00! :dude:


DUUUUUUUUUUUDE!!!!!!!! Thats a haul of urban legend proportions.


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## LDThomas (Nov 30, 1999)

*Those were the days...*



bobhch said:


> Mr. Fields set up a track for us kids to race on in his small Hobby Store. You could de-slot twice and the third time you were out. I think we did 10 lap races on a 2 lane layout if my memory serves me right. It was a blast as we took our cars apart before and after each race, ran our tires over reversed masking tape & had the times of our lives.
> 
> 
> P.S. LDThomas I lived in Omaha as a kid and still drive from Gretna to work in Omaha. All those Tyco Pros...Man you lucky DOG!!!! I graduated from Burke High School in 1983...are we close in age at all?


Bob,

Back in the day I also used to race at Mr. Fields Hobby Store! My, my, my... It is a small world. "Are we close in age?" you ask. I have got you by about 15 years. I was one of the 'adults' that raced at Mr. Fields while you were one of the kids. I had a Tyco Curve Hugger that was lowered to the point of scraping the rails that ran pretty well on Mr. Fields track. Ahhhh... Memories...

Thanks for jogging these memories back to the front. :thumbsup:


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## old blue (May 4, 2007)

Last year I posted to this thread and told my story of getting slot cars as a young child and keeping them through my second childhood (I'm 43) and how much fun I have with slots. My story is much like all of the early postings in the thread. My father is gone now too and he did start me off with my first TJet, a blue Willys that I have today and hence my name Old Blue.
My story this year begins at 5:00 AM yesterday on Christmas morning. I woke up with pangs of guilt that I did not get enough presents for my wife of 20 years who puts up with me and my little cars, (not to mention 4 kids and 3 dogs). I went downstairs to find my 16 year old who was still on his video game that he received on Christmas Eve. I told him to get dressed because we were going shopping. We enjoyed an hour in the car driving around to different stores just to see who was open on Christmas morning. I was pleased to see it was only a Walgreens and a QuickTrip. Being resourceful, we managed to buy a large stocking (on clearance) and filled it with a nice coffee mug, some hair brushes, lottery tickets, candy bars and other simple gifts. I had to pass on the Chia Pet because I do have standards when it comes to my wife. We laughed all the way home.
Once we were home I looked at him and said "slot cars" and the two of us spent the next hour, before anyone woke for Christmas, running all of our old slot cars on the set up that is in the unfinished part of the basement. It was some of the best face time I have had with my 16 year old in a while.
Later that day my brother came over with his family and the two of us spent a good hour running our old slot cars from childhood and telling our stories of slot car history to both of our families. 
I like that slot car memories can be made today, just the same as 40 years ago.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Old Blue


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## smalltime (Jun 3, 2006)

I remember getting my first set, an AFX Magna traction set,with the the lighted chassis.

After we ran the crap out of them, we needed more cars, so we went to Trilby Sport shop in Toledo Oh. to grab more stuff. As I was looking ot all of the AFX stuff, my dad was looking at the 50 gallon barrel FULL of loose t-jets. for 25 cents a piece. Of course I wanted the AFXers and not the old stuff.


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## 82whiskey (Sep 6, 2009)

old blue said:


> I like that slot car memories can be made today, just the same as 40 years ago.
> 
> Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
> Old Blue


Racing slot cars on Christmas with family and freinds... sounds like a GREAT Christmas!


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

grungerockjeepe said:


> Crazy! I have only the foggiest memory of being in a Two Guys when we left NJ in the late 70's. I was only 3 or 4 y/o at the time.
> 
> All the AFX's I grew up racing every X-mas were Two Guys closeouts that my dad scored for dirt cheap on clearance. Black/yellow A/P vette, r/w/b Matador, lime Charger, orange daytona, blue XLR and my all time fave car, the blue #5 Javelin to name a few--still have those today.
> 
> Im still lucky enough to have both parents, some of your stories are a good reminder of that. And what Christmas is supposed to be about. Chuck G


 I don't think I ever even OPENED any of the cars I got from Two Guys in the later years. I still have them all either in the jewel case or on a blister pack - with the original price sticker!

I am also lucky to still have both parents. And as they get older and we spend more time at the doctor's office each year, I value each and every day we get to spend together. Family has always come first for my parents and they spent their lives making sure their kids had everything they needed. My parents grew up in the Depression and my dad has never let those memories leave him. All these years later, he still can't bring himself to understand that you can have extra money to spend on nonessentials. While I never had it tough, I always understood not to take anything for granted; just another gift my parents have given me over the years.

Joe


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## gonegonzo (Jan 18, 2006)

Joe , that's pretty my story as well with my parents amd depression etc.. I lost my father 6 years ago and just recently my mother. This Christmas conjoured up past Christmas memories. I realize what scarifices our parents made to allow us to have the things we wanted and needed. Spend every moment you can with them and let them know you appreciate what they've done for you.

As far as slot car Christmas memories go , it was 1962 / 63 I got the Gilbert 40 Ford Jalopy set for Christmas. It had little gas pedals for controllers. I've recently found the Ford bodies online and am going to kitbash a chassis and make them run once more.

HHHmmmmmm , I'm reminded now of the Matell Fanner 50's cap pistols. Oh , yeah , that's off topic so I'll need another forum for that story.

Merry Christmas all, Gonzo


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## Rawafx (Jul 20, 1999)

I remember Christmas, 1961 when I got a Tyco Santa Fe train set. A simple oval that my Dad mounted to a eight-sided board. It was a locomotive, a coal car, a box(cattle) car, a flat bed with wooden rails on each side and a simple red caboose. For Christmas, 1962 I got a VIbrator set with a red Ford Galaxie convertible and a yellow Ford Police car. I was a simple oval with two crisscross tracks, one on each straight. I got a T-Jet set for Xmas, 1963. For the next few years I got Aurora slot car stuff at Xmas, with 1966 being a 4' x 8' layout built by my Dad after seeing a layout in the Nov. 1966 issue of BOY'S LIFE. My two best friends and I raced on that layout for years until it was destroyed during a flood in the summer of 1972, I think. I remember the water was up to the light bulbs on the ceiling. 
After that we built a shortened four lane version of the Riverside layout that was in the HO RACING BOOK that CAR MODEL put out. Some of my old T-Jet track still has traces of mud on the bottom. We ended up having a layout at my best friend's house down the street from my parents. AFX cars were the rage and they made our beloved T-Jets "obsolite". I do recall buying Speedwound arms, AJ's slip-on silicones for the Hot Rod wheels, silver pick-ups, and silver brushes. Then the threaded axles with aluminum rims and silicone tires came out and that raised the bar even farther. Ford GT's were my race body of choice until the beloved "J" car came along. It's too bad the real car was a design failure and very unstable at high speed. Too bad Aurora didn't wait to do the Mk. IV. I remember getting my first M/T, a '55 Bel Air and that car was another step up the evolutionary ladder. I also remember my friend Bruce getting a Riggen that we didn't have long enough straights for.(The same problem I had with my first Tyco Pros, they were WAY TOO FAST for my small layout. But man, they would SCREAM around my Loop track, lifting it up off the floor!) 
Well, yesterday I gave my youngest grandson (4) a Mattel "CARS" slot car set. My good friend Derek Whittington from High Point, NC was nice enough to go find one at a COSTCO store Tuesday. He called and they showed 11 in stock but the woman only found one on the floor so she pulled it for him. My grandson is a CARS fanatic so he opened the set and we took the cars downstairs to my smaller tack, the 4 by 16 Wizz track. Each lane has a seperate rheostat so we turned his voltage down to about 60% of the regulated 18. Thankfully he only wanted to run his cars, though he was looking at ALL the T-Jets in the big display case. We didn't even take him over to the "big" HO track(5 by 27) or the rows and rows of display cases with all the "newer" magnet cars. I think 2900+ would be just too many for him to comprehend at this point. So I think the HO racing clan has a new member. He has also stated that he wants a tool box......

Bob Weichbrodt
"Rawafx"
W-S, NC


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