# Locating Microscalextrics



## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Hi Guys,
I'm hoping some of our UK friends can help out here.

I'm curious as to how difficult it is to find Microscalextric cars. Obviously they are not here in the US (unless some vendor brings them in) and I don't see them in many websites I visit. Are they difficult to locate in the UK as well, or are they as available as any other HO slot car? Are they manufactured in low quantities?

Thanks...Joe


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

Best thing to do is check EvilBay. Theyre pretty easy to come by on there, and can be reasonably priced. Shipping is a bit higher though.


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Not all that easy to find here, but I can get them online from Scalex and quite often the sets are ONLY available in Argos, Woolworths, M&S, Boots etc.

Can I suggest you get a petition together and I will forward it to my contact within the company and you forward it to a couple of US-based stores that are known to be good stockists of the 1/32nd stuff from Scalex.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Montoya1 said:


> Can I suggest you get a petition together and I will forward it to my contact within the company and you forward it to a couple of US-based stores that are known to be good stockists of the 1/32nd stuff from Scalex.


 I'd have no way of getting such a petition started and would doubt the effectivness of such a campaign. I doubt there are many Microscalextric users here in the states, and probably less collectors. We are scattered all thoughout the country.
Also, not to get too geo-political here, but with the dollar at an all time low against the GBP and shipping costs rising, the cost of the sets once they got here would be really high. Plus, we are probably talking about only wanting the cars, not the track. I really doubt there are many, if any, guys here in the states using Microscalextric track.
I have just always been surprised at the lack of outlets for Microscalextric even when I check UK based web sites. It's almost like you need to know the secret handshake.

Joe


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

_I have just always been surprised at the lack of outlets for Microscalextric even when I check UK based web sites. It's almost like you need to know the secret handshake._


That is because the company itself does not take the Micro range seriously enough


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

I found that if you buy a fgew cars from the same seller of ebay, the whole effort seems worth it. Tubtrack, a US seller on ebay has a few of them too. I have about 10 scaley's and love them all. I would sign any petition that would help in the effort toi make them more available here. I think Jow is right though... only cars, no track, unless they make adapter tracks. Then I'd be willing to give their track a try


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

Since they bought out marchon back in the day, Id be willing to bet that micro scaley track is just a repop of the marchon stuff.


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Nope.

They no longer use Marchon chassis or track.


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

really? I knew the chassis had changed but coming up with an all new style of track when they had full rights to something that worked makes little to no sense at all.


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

changing the chassis made no sense either. The MR1 is one of the fastest toy chassis ever, once you made a good one from five and put in a jeep motor. Scalex should have used those arms and improved the QC, this still would have been cheaper than a new chassis.

Same goes for the track, all they needed to do was make a couple of new curves for the Marchon design.

DW


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

Dunno, I disagree on the chassis. The micro scaley design is way, WAY better. The QC is much improved, the plastic is much more durable and the braided pickups are smoother running and easier to replace ($5 buys a big roll of desoldering braids at radio shack), and the body mounts make more sense. The only downside is the smaller, less forgiving neo magnets and the fact that the body tabs dont work with the Marchon stuff.

Oh and the MR-1 Jeep motors arent so hot. Its the same thing as the copper wire tomy turbo motors which were the slower ones. The micro scaleys use a motor wind comparable to the tomy SRTs.


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## SwamperGene (Dec 1, 2003)

Local Toys R Us had Microscalextrics Transformers Movie sets on the shelves last week.


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

grungerockjeepe said:


> Dunno, I disagree on the chassis. The micro scaley design is way, WAY better. The QC is much improved, the plastic is much more durable and the braided pickups are smoother running and easier to replace ($5 buys a big roll of desoldering braids at radio shack), and the body mounts make more sense. The only downside is the smaller, less forgiving neo magnets and the fact that the body tabs dont work with the Marchon stuff.
> 
> Oh and the MR-1 Jeep motors arent so hot. Its the same thing as the copper wire tomy turbo motors which were the slower ones. The micro scaleys use a motor wind comparable to the tomy SRTs.


There is nothing in all that I agree with! Wouldn't life be dull if we agreed on everything! :hat: :hat:


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Montoya1 said:


> changing the chassis made no sense either. The MR1 is one of the fastest toy chassis ever, once you made a good one from five and put in a jeep motor. Scalex should have used those arms and improved the QC, this still would have been cheaper than a new chassis.
> 
> DW


Deane,
Are you saying that the motor on the Marchon jeeps (Canyon Raider, Doom Buggy, etc.) was different from the motor in other cars?
Also, there were at least two versions of the Marchon chassis with different mounting tabs. So not all Marchon bodies will mount on all Marchon chassis.

Thanks...Joe


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

We found the copper colored arms ran much faster than the standard blue ones.

Similarly the 'spinner' reds in the current Micro chassis seem slower than the Tomy reds.


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Here is the later Marchon chassis, the one Hornby should still be using (with better QC):



And this I think is the first chassis they did, very similar to a Tyco of some kind?:




This is the middle chassis I think, what a piece of crap these were!!:


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

The middle chassis shown is very similar to the Tyco HP-7; a chassis which I believe would be great as an introductory chassis since it has so few parts and runs well right out of the box.
I really need to sit down and look through my collection of Marchon cars. I have seen an assortment of chassis under Marchon bodies, along with different colored chassis - yellow, orange, black. Never really took the time to see which runs best. They all run lousy on my Aurora MM track (as do almost all magnet cars) and pretty good when I set up a temporary Tyco track.
I also like the way MicroScalextric cars run.

Joe


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

Montoya1 said:


> There is nothing in all that I agree with! Wouldn't life be dull if we agreed on everything! :hat: :hat:


Hey, I take no offense whatsoever, disagreement is the source of exchange of ideas. Now, back to why Im right about everything I wrote.... :thumbsup:


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

grungerockjeepe said:


> Hey, I take no offense whatsoever, disagreement is the source of exchange of ideas. Now, back to why Im right about everything I wrote.... :thumbsup:


Good one.

Turns out we agree the magnets are too small. Oh, and they should have been threaded IMHO.


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

Montoya1 said:


> Good one.
> 
> Turns out we agree the magnets are too small. Oh, and they should have been threaded IMHO.


how would you thread the magnets? You were right about that top chassis--grey plastic frame--being the best of the MR-1s, and the lower one like on the jeeps being a real crapper. They run real well, but they bust all apart is the only problem. The yellow and orange ones seem to suffer a bit too. 

Oh and I dont think Marchon was at all capable of making a wheel hub that wouldnt wobble. Whether you like the scaleys or not, the wheels are pretty close to true, and the design of the wheel looks a lot better also--IMHO.


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Agree about the scaley wheels and general QC. some of the Jeeps I bought had the last chassis and copper motor BTW.


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

grungerockjeepe said:


> how would you thread the magnets? .


Actually you would thread the chamber above. This would give you down movement. Pushing up on the magnets with a dowel rod against the raised grub screws would give you up movement. Thats basically how my chassis I sent to AW did it, and you can see the S3 has the holes up top and it could have come off if the China syndrome had not intervened.


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

ok, the threaded magnet idea sounds pretty sick. 

Oh and my micro scaley batman begins set cars just came in. That batmobile chassis is wierd. Cant believe they went and molded and engineered a totally unique chassis just for that one car, which was a limited set release. The only thing about that car that I dont like is that finding replacement rear tires is gonna be tough when they finally wear out.


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Isn't that Tumbler (correct name) awesome? I so wish they had done it in army colors too.


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## buzzinhornet (Jan 20, 2000)

I like the MicroSCX also. They are a little bit big for HO track and are better sized for 1/43 track IMHO. 

I wish there was a distibuter here in the states... I really like thier F1/A1GP cars. 

GP


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

Montoya1 said:


> Isn't that Tumbler (correct name) awesome? I so wish they had done it in army colors too.


Yup, it is the Tumbler, and I agree that a camo version like in the movie would be a good way to get a little more mileage out of the tooling. 

Trouble is, I finally got to run it a bit today, and its not without its problems. The front tires are way too small, and are nowhere near touching the track, leaving the front plate and braids to grind on the track rails. After a little trial and error I found some in my parts box that were big enough, but the trouble is that the slot pin is WAY too far back and when you go into a curve the fronts scrub around the turn and it ground to a halt each time. I considered relocating the pin into the nose of the car, but since this thing is a limited release and probably will be valuable I dont want to hack it up.

Its a shame too, because that batmobile had a little more work put into it than the mattel version which I also own. The mattel one isnt quite as detailed, but it runs great and actually has the proportions a little closer to what's correct.

Im hoping thats not the last we see of that cop car either. Crown Vics are a staple of cop cruisers and the flashing lite is a nice touch.


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## A/FX Nut (May 28, 2004)

What scale are these Microscalextrics? Randy.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Dean what's the purpose behind your adjustable mag idea.
On paper the only advantage i could see is a car that could be sorta adaptable to other tracks from what it's set up to run on,but tires would be the better way to go,less top heavy.
It's not a legal mod in any race class except unlimited,so where would you be able to use the idea.


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

There are countries outside the US you know! and people who run stuff at home. I imagine that the chassis would fare OK at EAHORC races too. You need to look at the big picture here. But then lately you just seemed to be hassling me so....

To run a chassis at as many possible heights as possible, you would have to spend $100 on tyres (which wear out) and you would still not be able to achieve as many magnet-to-track settings as with adjustable magnets.

Every time you change tires you probably change the whole axle, and they would all need to be lapped in and running at their best.

Every time you change tires you change the gearing slightly.

Adjustable magnets would be available to all, not just those who know you can buy aftermarket tires.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

LOL me hassle you,i think you better look in the mirror there young-in,i don't usually stick my nose in where it doesn't belong,and you have a great habit of trying to get your opinions across,whether they apply to you or not.BTW:i'm not a Yankee,you really don't pay much attention do you Dean,cause by now you should'a picked up on the fact i'm a Canuck,just like you're a jolly old boy from England,see i pay attention, :thumbsup: 
Wouldn't the extra top heavy weight of your mag adjusting system,offset any gain.
And if the idea is to compensate for differant rail heights,you still have the motor mags and armature unmovable,personally i really can't see any advantage to your idea,but keep trying.


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Apologies to the rest of you that this thread has gone OT, but thats the nature of the beast. I seem to have attracted a stalker. Hornet is picking on my at another forum too, but I can handle it. I think the hostility dates back to some measurment I gave eleswhere and Hornet took exception too.

I have opinions about the mess the US racing scene is in too and I guess that does not go down well either with some.

There is no reason to raise the motor of a chassis, but moving the traction magnets up or down will alter the handling a lot. I have no idea how much the raising of them would alter the handling due to increased COG but I am open to finding out. I guess you could use a tire on the high side of the normal range you would use and adjust the magnets to suit. Certainly seems more logical than having all those axles to hand at $20 a pop.

If a chassis like this came out and could only be used in unlimited on the other side of the pond that says more about how screwded up things are than anything about the chassis.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

A/FX Nut said:


> What scale are these Microscalextrics? Randy.


 Microscalextrics are just a slight bit larger than Tomy or Tyco, but not much. If you have ever seen a Marchon car, that's it. Microscalextric bought Marchon somewhere along the way and stayed with the same size. They may be the same width.

Of course, there are a few larger Microscalextric when you get to the silly stuff, like the Ninga Turtles and Simpson's skateboarders. While using the same chassis (I believe), the bodies are much larger.

So, if you do look for Microscalextric cars, which have been the hardest for you to locate? I have very rarely seen the two Sauber Mercedes cars; G034 (AEG) and G035 (Shell). I am also trying to locate the latest three F1 cars - Great Britain, France and Germany. I have just been able to aquire two HTF cars - the yellow Porsche Boxster and the blue Audi; both of which only came in sets - and two different sets at that.

The problem is that a lot of the recent releases seem to only come in sets, and the sets are not that plentiful. Right now, it seems the sets that are out there contain the two new F1 cars (Alonso and Hamilton), the Transformers cars and the new Aston Martins.

Joe


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Dean i'm not gonna scrap with you on Hank's board,but you are amazing.
You better go back and start reading,stalker and basher might apply better to you,who bashed who's idea of equal track spacing,who bashed who for trying to get a standardized weight system into place,and who always shows up and posts where i have,yes you are an amazing man,but truth's not your forte is it


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

I think we'd better avoid each other cos I want to discuss topics on their merit, not get into a situation where things get personal and hinge on what someone may have said in the past. I have never called you a basher and I have never said anything in a thread based on you being in the thread too. In fact I have forgotten who you are at least twice.

I would advice you get a thicker skin and learn to discuss things on their merit and without an axe to grind.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

I think i told you that last week,quit reading what i post,cause apparently it pee's you off Dean.
BTW:you should work on your memory problem Dean,there are mind exercises that will help you overcome your memory loss problem :thumbsup: 
Nuff said Dean,don't read my posts anymore :wave:


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## A/FX Nut (May 28, 2004)

Grandcheapskate said:


> Microscalextrics are just a slight bit larger than Tomy or Tyco, but not much. If you have ever seen a Marchon car, that's it. Microscalextric bought Marchon somewhere along the way and stayed with the same size. They may be the same width.
> 
> Of course, there are a few larger Microscalextric when you get to the silly stuff, like the Ninga Turtles and Simpson's skateboarders. While using the same chassis (I believe), the bodies are much larger.
> 
> ...


Thanks Grandcheapskate,

I've seen these at Meijer in Goshen, Indiana last night. Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick cars and F1 cars, 3 different sets, one battery powered and the others wall wart powered. I didn't get a price. If you want I can stop in one the way home from work. Randy.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

A/FX Nut said:


> Thanks Grandcheapskate,
> 
> I've seen these at Meijer in Goshen, Indiana last night. Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick cars and F1 cars, 3 different sets, one battery powered and the others wall wart powered. I didn't get a price. If you want I can stop in one the way home from work. Randy.


 Hold on there young warrior!!!

There are no Nascar cars in Microscalextric, and I really doubt what you saw were Microscalextric sets here in the US. I think what you saw are the new 1/43rd Scalextric sets; I know there is a Burton and Harvick car in that size. I also know some 1/43rd sets made it into the US market, most notibly in Target.
These are not the same as Microscalextric.
But thanks for the offer.

Joe


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## A/FX Nut (May 28, 2004)

Grandcheapskate said:


> Hold on there young warrior!!!
> 
> There are no Nascar cars in Microscalextric, and I really doubt what you saw were Microscalextric sets here in the US. I think what you saw are the new 1/43rd Scalextric sets; I know there is a Burton and Harvick car in that size. I also know some 1/43rd sets made it into the US market, most notibly in Target.
> These are not the same as Microscalextric.
> ...


Okay, they do look to be 1/43rd. They are quite a bit larger than 1/64th. Sorry about that. Randy.


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