# AFX Super G Plus Special?????



## Mike(^RacerX^)

In todays mail I recieved a 1981 copy of an old Auto World catalog.Tho I think I got my last one around '79 or so,it was really a heck of a stroll down memory lane.Those catalogs were pretty much IT when I was racing slots way back then,and I would spend many hours reading them and dreaming of what I would need to build the ultimate racer.

I saw a car in there that I don't ever remember seeing before.It was called the "AFX Super G-Plus Special".
The ad boasts an armature with heavier wire,and less winds,and that it is 1.5 grams lighter then a regular G Plus.
In the small photo in the ad,it appears to have the pickup shoes that pivot on the front of the car,and small wires are attached to the brush barrels.

Interesting looking car.Wondering if anyone here has ever seen one or knows anything about them.


Mike


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## Montoya1

interesting.


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## AfxToo

Aurora did a version of the G-Plus called the "Super G-Plus." It easy to tell it apart from the G-Plus because it has a snap-in rear axle, stronger orange magnets, different orange gears, a hotter arm, and the chassis is predrilled for lexan body posts. I don't think what you're describing is a straight Aurora Super G-Plus. Auto World did some customs from time to time and offered various upgrade kits. It sounds like a slide glide kind of thing. Pics would be cool.


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## EBasil

Yeah, Mike: you gotta get some scans or photos of the AutoWorld catalog posted up here!


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## Mike(^RacerX^)

Attached is a quick pic that I took.Not the greatest but it gets across what I am talking about.

Tho I read the old catalogs way back when untill I wore them out,I do sort of remember AW having a lot of exclusive type items.

Still carrying the darn thing around with me like I used to.Some things never change I guess.There are a few more oddball things in there that I will post when time allows.
As I said earlier,this catalog is from '81.It is a lot thinner then I remember them bwing in the early to mid '70's.Very little of the larger scale slot stuff.I am guessing that this was towards the end of AW's exsistence.

Mike


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## mamilligan

Just a guess but the front of the chassis looks like a Screecher. I know they sold the pictured body as a set car in the Screetcher set. I don't remember the screecher chassis having body mount tabs though.


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## Slott V

Actually Oscar Koveleski published the AutoWorld Catalog into the early 1990’s before he closed up the doors of AutoWorld. I have one of the last editions with the 1991 release of the TOMY Super G+ line up.

If read look more closely at your 1981 AutoWorld ad, the car is actually called “The G+ Special”. The word “super” is only used in the description of the product. This G+ Special was a car built for modified classes with a worked up armature, shunted pick up shoes and more. $3.95? Man, I wonder what one would get today at eBay?

Interestingly though- the first “Super G+” was not long behind, released in late 1980 by Aurora. It was the last unique chassis produced by Aurora before Tomy took over operations with the “Turbo” chassis. I have a couple of these original Aurora Super G+ chassis’s. They are very fast and have excellent handling due to a hotter arm, trick polymer magnets, special gears and silicone rear tires. They also had a unique snap-in axle design; however the design was flawed in that you have to remove the armature to replace the pinion gear, which often slipped on the armature, as does mine. Combine these unique features with the already awesome design of the G+ with independent front end and low CG chassis and you’ve got a really awesome car for the era. Too bad they really never took off. Tyco stole the market with the 440 and soon to come 440X2 which totally stole the show in the early to mid 1980’s.

I searched my web servers and BBS archives and sadly could not find a scan of one of my Aurora Super G+’s. I’ll have to look on my home PC for the images and post them.


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## Slott V

Here's one for the history books. In the picture below is "Sammy Ryan" who is described as the "HO Expert" in your AutoWorld ad for the G+ Special. Apparently he was employed by AutoWorld as well as being connected to Aurora. (what ever happened to this guy?) Sam Ryan built the famous Watkins Glen AFX track for the Nationwide HO Slotcar Championships promoted in the 70's and into the 80's. These photos came from "AFX Road Racing Handbook Volume 3." :thumbsup: 










You can see more images of this track and event at my website in the "HO Tracks" section under "Track Layout Ideas"

http://www.supervipersystems.com/VargoSpeedway

-Scott V.


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## ParkRNDL

mamilligan said:


> Just a guess but the front of the chassis looks like a Screecher. I know they sold the pictured body as a set car in the Screetcher set. I don't remember the screecher chassis having body mount tabs though.


 I was thinking Screechers too, and I don't remember my old G+ cars being so big and square in back... so I dug thru the junk chassis box and this is what I came up with.  This is all that's left of my Screechers AND my G+ cars...

--rick


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## EBasil

I think that's it: a HiPerformance Screecher!! Now you guys that have old chassis have a "project" to make out of them!


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## AfxToo

The AFX chassis page has pics of the Aurora Super G-Plus. 
http://members.aol.com/hifisapien/afxchas.htm

There's also a tweener G-Plus chassis that has the snap-in rear axle but otherwise is a regular G-Plus, with regular magnets and such. I never recall any G-Plus cars coming with silicone tires, all of mine had sponge. 

The G-Plus was a revolutionary new chassis design that far surpassed anything Aurora or Tyco had done up to that point in time. I was in total awe of the G-Plus design when it first came out. It just seemed so thoroughly modern and efficient compared to the boxy, complex, and quaint pancake chassis design. It also delivered the world of high performance open wheel race cars to HO racers and collectors. Open wheeled racing was very popular back in the 60s and 70s, with the Indy 500 being a huge event with a worldwide following. We longed after Indy and Formula style cars and the G-Plus finally delivered them. That combination makes the G-Plus my all time favorite collectable HO slot car.


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## Ligier Runner

I've got two of the old Super G+ cars. One being the Ligier which helped me win a trophy at a NIHOPRA event (hence my name) and another but I can't remember which body came with it. Might have been the Lotus Essex with the chrome stickers.

Anyway, I still have an old 1984 AW edition which shows just a little more of that track with Sammy Ryan. You can see some buildings and a grand pit lane in the photos.


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## Mike(^RacerX^)

Thanks for all of the info.I think the vintage G Plus cars are becoming my favorite slot car to collect.I too was totally blown away by them when they came out.I have been picking them up when I can,and they really are a blast to race.

Too bad about Auto World going under.I never realized they went al the way up to the '90's,but I guess I was into other things then.

I realize that you can go on line to any number of places and get what you need for your slot car needs.But I still wish that someone still did a good old catalog that you could carry around with you and look at whenever you want.
A lot easier then putting a computer in the bathroom too.  

Mike


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## Slott V

Wow that G+ Special does look like a "screecher".

The Aurora G+ is one of my favorite collectibles and they are still cool to race. One of my all time favorite HO slot cars is the G+ Ferrari 312 PB. :thumbsup: 

Mike I do the same with my old Scale Auto HO Journals, Slot Car World and Hot Rod magazines. :thumbsup: Love collecting and scanning through old printed stuff. Probably because I'm old. 

-Scott


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## ParkRNDL

Check this page:

http://www.slotbox.net/h0_fahrzeugeaurora_magna_steering.htm

It's all in German, but Umpfi does call it a MagnaSteering Screecher in English. Click the thumbnail of the chassis pic. Dead ringer for the AW ad.

--rick


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## Mike(^RacerX^)

Very interesting Rick.Thanks for the link.SOme interesting stuff on there I wasn't aware of.

You can translate it with this:

http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/tr


Mike


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## SCJ

A Screecher and a Screecher Magna-Steering chassis are actually two different chassis!

Screecher Magna-Steering is slot-less has a steerable front end (hence the giant wheel wells) with magnets that sit just over the pick-up shoes to help hold it to the track, as there is no guide pin.

Screechers are essentially the same chassis, but the front end is riveted in place, there are no magnets above the pick-up shoes and it has a molded in guide pin.

Both chassis came in male or female configuration.

----------------------------
www.SlotCarJohnnies.com


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## EBasil

Yeah, I think the "Special" is a regular Screecher without the pivot. 

I have a pair of the magna-steer versions that we put guide pins into (they're otherwise fast enough to just blow to the outside lane, magnets or not) and they make for Really Fun "dirt tracker" cars, now. They will hang out the rear end for quite a long distance, scrubbing along with a guide pin and a pair of magnets in the pickup shoes to keep the front wheels "steering" right down the track. On straights, they're fast enough that the loose front ends develop speed wobbles.


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## Mad Matt

Slott V said:


> Actually Oscar Koveleski published the AutoWorld Catalog into the early 1990’s before he closed up the doors of AutoWorld. I have one of the last editions with the 1991 release of the TOMY Super G+ line up.
> 
> If read look more closely at your 1981 AutoWorld ad, the car is actually called “The G+ Special”. The word “super” is only used in the description of the product. This G+ Special was a car built for modified classes with a worked up armature, shunted pick up shoes and more. $3.95? Man, I wonder what one would get today at <a href=http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-1606754-2202639 target=_blank>eBay</a><img src=http://www.awltovhc.com/image-1606754-2202639 width=1 height=1 border=0>?
> 
> Interestingly though- the first “Super G+” was not long behind, released in late 1980 by Aurora. It was the last unique chassis produced by Aurora before Tomy took over operations with the “Turbo” chassis. I have a couple of these original Aurora Super G+ chassis’s. They are very fast and have excellent handling due to a hotter arm, trick polymer magnets, special gears and silicone rear tires. They also had a unique snap-in axle design; however the design was flawed in that you have to remove the armature to replace the pinion gear, which often slipped on the armature, as does mine. Combine these unique features with the already awesome design of the G+ with independent front end and low CG chassis and you’ve got a really awesome car for the era. Too bad they really never took off. Tyco stole the market with the 440 and soon to come 440X2 which totally stole the show in the early to mid 1980’s.
> 
> I searched my web servers and BBS archives and sadly could not find a scan of one of my Aurora Super G+’s. I’ll have to look on my home PC for the images and post them.


Plus those Original Super G chassis scream like a banshee


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## Slott V

OK this topic is a little stale, but I found the image of my Aurora Super G+ car in my BBS archives and had to post it:


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## sethndaddy

A fellow worker of mine had a car parts magazine back around 1990-91. there was an autoworld add in there, so I called, got a catalog sent and found out they were only about 1-1/2 hours from me, me and my friend took a ride and I bought the BLUE/BLACK/WHITE CAPRI #13.....STILL ONE OF MY FAVORITE CARS.
Cool memory kicker, thanks


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## Rawafx

Liger runner,
I remember the NIHOPRA series, I entered a few of their events back in the early eighties. 

Bob Weichbrodt
Rawafx
A and H Hobbies
W-S, NC


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## elcamino

Mike(^RacerX^) said:


> In todays mail I recieved a 1981 copy of an old Auto World catalog.Tho I think I got my last one around '79 or so,it was really a heck of a stroll down memory lane.Mike


And I thought my mailman was slow.


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## JordanZ870

elcamino said:


> And I thought my mailman was slow.


 OMG! LOL


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## jamiestang

Slott V said:


> OK this topic is a little stale, but I found the image of my Aurora Super G+ car in my BBS archives and had to post it:


is it still possible to get this chassis ? will it cost alot ?


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## Marty

They are screechers chassis with the mold modified to hoild the front wheels straight.


They flat out flew!! I was the only one in our group that had one and it kicked their butts! Of course it was outlawed. The one in the picture is a NOS that I have not run YET.



















Marty


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## T-jetjim

Marty- Very cool looking chassis. Wonder why they didn't make more?
Jim


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## noddaz

Interesting thread...
It seems there are all sorts of "odd ball" production slotcars out there..
Thanks again for the read..
Scott


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## Rawafx

Here are a few reasons I recall why they were not so great to run:
The pickup shoes wore through very quickly
The pickup shoes had to be removed(not an easy task) to increase the spring pressure
There was not a lot of magnetic downforce
Guide pins broke off real easy

Bob Weichbrodt
"Rawafx"
W-S, NC


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## videojimmy

The screecher chassis are still pretty easy to find. I know NCPhobbies.com has them, as I've bought about 10 of them over the years from them. They're cool little chassis and I'm surprised more folks don't run them. Their chrome rims slide nicely onto a Gplus chassis... for those Gplus cars that just have to have chrome rims. hehehehe

The Super Gplus chassis (with the orange magnets) are much harder to find. I have two of them and they run GREAT! Every once in a while I'll see one pop up on ebay and they ususally go for about 30 bucks or so.


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## FastMann

Nice car, Marty. I love that 54 with the slot car track on it, that was a sweet car. It's nice to see they managed to get in an HO version. I'll have to check that out and the 1/32 version from Vanquish MG. Oscar Koveleski's cars looked very nice, with or without the track on them.


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## jamiestang

The g plus with the orange mags and gears.can now be newly built with neo motor mags and a hot stock arm and it will run better than the older version and cost less to


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## Piz

Its a screecher chassis that has the front wheels locked into a straight ahead postion. I have a couple of them that I bought at a hardware store about fifteen years ago . they were just left over stock and they were in a clear plactic bag. I have never seen them advertised as anything before . They run pretty quick but handle like crap . I never really used them I just use dthe bodies with reg magna traction chassis and threw them in a box. I will have to dig them up and post some pictures.


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## Mike(^RacerX^)

jamiestang said:


> The g plus with the orange mags and gears.can now be newly built with neo motor mags and a hot stock arm and it will run better than the older version and cost less to


Ive been seeing a lot of the orange magnet chassis on e-bay lately.

Mike


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## Marty

FastMann said:


> Nice car, Marty. I love that 54 with the slot car track on it, that was a sweet car. It's nice to see they managed to get in an HO version. I'll have to check that out and the 1/32 version from Vanquish MG. Oscar Koveleski's cars looked very nice, with or without the track on them.


I like 'em too! I have three different versions of it:









There is a yellow version I would like to get also.

Marty


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## EBasil

Nice collection! Isn't the yellow one the "really" hard to find body?


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## Marty

EBasil said:


> Nice collection! Isn't the yellow one the "really" hard to find body?


Thanks!

Probably. I always get outbid on ebay for them. 

Marty


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## sethndaddy

EBasil said:


> Nice collection! Isn't the yellow one the "really" hard to find body?


Nice to see you posting again ebasil. welcome back.
I too, always get snipped in the last minute on the mclaren cars. still don't have one.


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## Slott V

Had to drag this one up from the depths...

A fellow named Steve Ryan contacted me and said he discovered this topic through doing research online. His full name is Steve Ryan and he is Sam Ryans' cousin. Sam Ryan is mentioned in the first page of this topic and was affiliated with Auto World and Aurora back in the 70's. Steve wrote to me with some interesting news and background in regards to the where abouts of the infamous Sam Ryan, early "HO Expert" of the Aurora catalogs. Here is some of what he told me:

*"I am Sam's first cousin and have had very limited contact with him over the last 30 years. I was fortunate enough to spend some time with him over this past Labor Day weekend at a family function. Sam and I grew up in Scranton, Pa. I am 47, he is 45. He and I shared many interests including model building and slot cars. The Auto World connection started due to the fact that our uncle owned a body shop just down the street from Auto World. We spent so many hours there. I cannot remember to what extent Sam may have actually worked for AW, but to my knowledge, he never had any official affiliation with Aurora. We were just a couple of kids that loved the slot car scene at the time.

Sam went on to work for a driving school and did a lot of work for corporate driving programs. He still races (I do not remember what class/series) as does his wife and 5year old daughter. He now resides in the Pocono area of Pa.

He is a heck of a guy who stated that he still speaks with Oscar Kovaleski weekly. Oscar is retired and living in the Scranton area. 

Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to give you an update on Sam and help me remember the countless hours we spent in our younger days enjoying each other's company and a love for slot car racing."

Respectfully,

Steve Ryan*

Pretty cool the way the internet has the ability to produce this kind of information sharing today. I wonder what group Sam Ryan still races with on the East Coast?


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