# HO Formula cars, by Tyco late 80's - early 90's



## christos_s (Jan 16, 2008)

Not quite a collection (yet?) but I liked the detail on some of the formula 1 cars and bought one, then a set of two with the track.

My slotcar playthings originate from an original Aurora set from 1969, "dug" up from storage around 2004. That track was then fixed to a diorama table and played for a few years. Cars added at the time were more 1960's and 70's cars with pancake chassis, vintage toys I picked up mostly on the internet and from the then new -like the old- Auto World. The table is still stored but I started picking up more cars.

So the last two new formula cars I bought in one complete Tyco "Nigel Mansell" set, including 2 formula cars, Williams FW14(?) of 1991-92, #5 driven by Nigel Mansell and the Ferrari 640, also driven by him in the year 1989, as #27:














































Buying a set saved me on the shipping of the individual items, I got the two at a more than fair price compared with what they sell for individually and the track is a freebie bonus.


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## christos_s (Jan 16, 2008)

The other one is the Tyco Formula 1, Benetton, bought separately, individually.
Pics coming up ... have that one at the office...


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Welcome to hobbytalk! Sounds like you got a nice deal and a clean track set! 🤙


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## christos_s (Jan 16, 2008)

65 euros for the set, 18 of which is shipping... Greece is a little isolated from the slot car market (not complaining though the location has other advantages!)

Notice how the sponsor on the box, at the nose of the Renault car is Elf and it changes to a competitor, Mobil, on the car inside!
Actually the livery on the box and on the car inside is mixed up: it resembles both Williams FW11 of 1986, powered by Honda and the FW14 of 1991-92 powered by Renault, both driven by Mansell, with #5


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## cbwho (Dec 14, 2021)

For your original 1969 Aurora set, did it have the crossover corners? Also do you have the slimline cars?

The slimline F1 cars are slow but they have their charm and we race at 12v. But still fun as you can spin out. Sometimes we put o-rings on for the rear tires, they are very spin prone and increases the skill level required further.


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## christos_s (Jan 16, 2008)

Benetton car : comparing to information on the internet, this most closely resembles the B193, driven by Riccardo Patrese, in the year 1993. Patrese was #6 and Schumacher #5, that year


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## christos_s (Jan 16, 2008)

cbwho said:


> For your original 1969 Aurora set, did it have the crossover corners? Also do you have the slimline cars?
> 
> The slimline F1 cars are slow but they have their charm and we race at 12v. But still fun as you can spin out. Sometimes we put o-rings on for the rear tires, they are very spin prone and increases the skill level required further.


@cbwho No, my original set included other racers, don't remember all the original cars, but no formula 1. I remember as a boy, leafing through the catalogs for cars and parts (that and ESTES model rockets, were my favorite toy catalogs). We ended up with Tuff Ones, the Lola GT black with orange stripes (the one on my avatar) and a yellow dune buggy with blue-white, striped canopy. I also remember from that period a white Chaparral and the first lit LeMans Ferrari in red. We packed up and left for Greece in 1971.
When I opened the box in 2007, I found the Lola, I put it on the track and it just ran !! Then during 2007-2009 I picked up several T-jets vintage sports and race cars.
The track was the original pieces plus pieces bought at the time in the USA, no curved crossing.
My track / My cars

Your 60's formulas are charming! Funny how different the scale looks (bigger) next to some others in your collection - try to fit the driver figure in the white LeMans type, the white #2 car in your set... I guess the original 60's formula cars were small things?!
Love the pipework in the rear...
Richie Ginther (USA pilot) won the first Grand Prix for Honda in 1964, pictured below in the 1966 or 67, the V12 cylinder motor ending up with 4 tail pipes ! :










Honda RA273, 1966


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## cbwho (Dec 14, 2021)

I find the rear engined cigar shape F1 cars to be the most elegant.


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## glock24 (Feb 3, 2017)

Nice cars. I got a couple SG+ and a G-Plus.


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## christos_s (Jan 16, 2008)

"Under the hood" of the green Benetton formula car is this chassis, which looks to me (limited experience) like a typical Tyco 440-X2, except for this green electronic "thingy" bridging the contacts.









Since the car was bought used, I don't know if it's original.
What is it?


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## SpeedyNH (Sep 13, 2014)

looks like a .1uF ceramic disc capacitor to reduce tv interference.


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## christos_s (Jan 16, 2008)

SpeedyNH said:


> looks like a .1uF ceramic disc capacitor to reduce tv interference.


And what do you think the purpose is? the cars running causing TV interference (or the other way around... sorry, no understanding of electronics)
You think stock? or added later?


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## christos_s (Jan 16, 2008)

Tyco was somehow able to use the commercial livery of the times (early nineties) more closely than AFX, I think from looking at cars, for forumula 1 at least I don't know Indy.
That makes them more interesting to collect for me and search the history background, I like retro. They also have good decals very high res, very fine letters and lines.

Am I wrong about AFX (for F1)? please share photos of good AFX examples if you have some.

I just found this and adding it to my collection, only obvious fault is the missing front suspension (which I can contrive to replace) :









Apparently Tyco at the time broke of the struts "Tyco at that time, removed the two front struts to accommodate the free rolling chassis, modified from the guts of a tcr" , the tcr has more "meat" in the are because the front wheels turn. Most bodies found today are maimed in this area.

The Benetton B188 of 1988, powered by Ford, #19 driven by Alessandro Nannini


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Nice history! 🤙


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## SpeedyNH (Sep 13, 2014)

simply put, as the brushes spark on the commutator, they generate high frequency radio signals. the capacitor is there to somewhat short them out so they don't radiate into the environment or travel back down the wires.


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## glock24 (Feb 3, 2017)

christos_s said:


> "Under the hood" of the green Benetton formula car is this chassis, which looks to me (limited experience) like a typical Tyco 440-X2, except for this green electronic "thingy" bridging the contacts.
> View attachment 327080
> 
> 
> ...


I think those capacitors were present mainly on cars sold in Europe.


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