# Best slot car memories?



## martybauer31 (Jan 27, 2004)

Based on another topic on this page, and to try and keep this forum group from turning into other forums that clearly are not as good, I thought it would be interesting to see what good memories people have, both old and new.

Old: Getting my first AFX set for Christmas at 7 years old, running #43 and #11 around the track with my Dad and just being utterly thrilled about these cars. I had no idea who drove them cars in real life, but they sure were fun. So much so in fact, that this was the first present I opened on Christmas day, and my folks had to drag my butt back to the front room 5 hours later to finish opening the rest of what I had received!  

New: The first get together on my brand new 4-lane Brystal track at age 38. The track was so smooth, and so were the cars. I felt like I was 7 again, racing with friends who just wanted to thrash, anything we wanted to, all night long. Bringing in new people to our little group up here (that would be Bill!), after all, that is what this hobby is about right? 

Good friends, playing with little toy cars and trying to get back a little bit of our childhood. I can still smell the fresh track and the cars coming out of that box from that Christmas morning.... 

I love this hobby.

Marty


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## Ligier Runner (Nov 29, 2004)

Old: It's a tie between winning a trophy in the novice division of the one and only event I attended that was put on by NIHOPRA in '83 and discovering slot cars through my babysitter's son. He made me run the slower car but I had fun anyway. I was maybe 6 or 7.

New: I hope to create some good new memories with the track I built by getting my kids involved (when their attention spans lengthen).


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

My first introduction to slots was from my father who broke out an old vibe set he had... years after he stopped messing with it. This would be around 1970 or so when I was about 6. I was too into Hot Wheels Sizzlers at the time to really get into slots, especially since my dad seemed frustrated by how poorly his set ran. 

I wound up getting my first AFX set for Xmas 1975. With came the Daytona superbird and the Yellow 55 Bel Air. By some chance of luck, several of my classmates and friends from the block all got sets that same year... so we would bring our straights to school and we organized drag races at lunch time. My Dad and I raced that set for weeks... but the old AFX track was fragile and as the track broke our love for the playing it with dwindled. I was into slots, it off and on again, for years after that, coming full circle with a tyco nite glow set I got in 1978


By the next year I was in High School. I was one of the better baseball players in my county and focused on that.. along with girls. That would be replaced later by pot smoking, guitar playing, super 8 film making.. and GETTING girls. 

College came and I had to buckle down, since I was mostly paying for it myself

New: Nov 2001... I bought a life like set for my nephew. We set it up and had a blast. It was the first time ran cars in more than 20 yrs. I was hooked all over again. I discovered ebay and have since spent a fortune on slot cars


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

Old: Christmas 1974, My brother and I recieved an Aurora AFX Jackie Stewart Golden Gate Race Set.


New: Running the old and new cars with friends at each others home tracks. Randy.


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## win43 (Aug 28, 2006)

OLD: (real old..lol) getting an Aurora vibrator racing set for Xmas when I was (mmmm so long ago not sure how old I was) about 8 or 9 I guess. 

NOT QUITE AS OLDbut almost  ) the release of the "pancake thunderjet 500s". I was soon hopping up everything I could get my hands on. Took a Hop-Up kit and some AJ's threaded silicones for the rear, magnets, and whatever else I could do at that time, popped a Matchbox (Lensley) Volkswagen Beetle off its base, bent the front post a bit. It fit right on the Tjet chassis with no screws. The body was metal so it stayed on just from the weight. It was the fastest HO car around for some time. At the local slot car place, every saturday they held a HO race which my VW won time after time. Eventually the owner told me to pick out any Tjet car I wanted just so I wouldn't enter the race anymore with the VW.

NEW: getting back into slots very recently and finding these boards. You guys are great!!!!


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## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

My first set was afx slotless cars - i was told by my dad that i got my first one when i was like 5 yrs old. i do remember it but cannot remember which set it was. i do remember about controller that had the steering wheel on it - that was back in 1975 and then got 3 slot car sets in 1980 (tyco police pursuit) that i remember well!! it was so cool to have 3 firebirds and cops cars plus lots of tracks which is cool to get 3 sets for christmas!!!! thats was my best memories.. dad and i would play for hours and hours under the tree.. 

Wes


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## oldraceral (Dec 1, 2005)

OLD: Routing a 3 lane 1/32 track at my cousins' house and spending Saturday afternoons racing. It was sort of a kidney shape on a 4x16 table. We squeezed part of it down so that the middle lane either had to go for it or back off. Unmerciful razzing if you backed off.
NEW: Racing tjets with the HOSERs in Rapid City. We had a special Hot Rod race, and during practice found if you back off slightly in the corner then blip the throttle you could easily take out the fast guy trying to make a pass on the outside. The fast guy learned to back off and wait for the straight. Again, unmerciful razzing.


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## micyou03 (Apr 8, 2003)

I favorite slot car memory was back in the 70s. Must have been between 1976 and 1978, because I remember that at one point while we were playing with slots "My Life" by Billy Joel was on all the time, but I know we started a couple of years before that.

Anyway my friend's mom was at work and we had his Aurora track set up on a ping ping table in the basement. "we loved fire" We were racing the cars around and anytime one crashed we would douse it with lighter fluid and set it on fire and leave it there burning (the true meaning fo crash and burn). Mind you we were running T-jets and Tuffones (the cars we burnt). Eventually there were little fires all around the track. We began running the cars while they were on fire. Then my friends mother suprized us by comming home for lunch that day. When she came down stairs she went through the roof. When we looked up there were little strands of plastic suit floating in the air, the place was a mess. Not to mention we are lucky we never burnt anything down.

I have less destructive memories too, but I love that story. 

I also remember we used to mow lawns and then walk to the hobby store 5 miles away to buy Tuffones for $3. Then a year or so later Caldor a department store about 4 miles away began selling AFX and Tyco Pro cars. I remember seeing the Super IIs there, but never bought one. 

I was never, and still am not much into racing. We just liked running our cars, and that's pretty much still what I like aside from modeling and discussing things here. Oh, yeah and buying more slot cars.

I also get a kick out of selling them too, sometimes.


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

One of my favorites was back in the spring '71, there were three of us that rec'd sets that previous Christmas. Anyway, someone got the idea to put up a layout combining all of our track. Well, we started on carport and went down his driveway and back. Had to be a good 100' lap per lanes. We were able to figure out hooking up a single transformer per lane which made it all the much better. Raced our arses off until his dad came home and reclaimed the carport.  


 rr


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

Somewhere around '68-'69 my uncle had a Sterling Moss Aurora set in the box. He would set it up at Christmas and let us race with the thumb controllers. I can get still remember the thrills of propelling a small electric car around the track and the smell of the red oil in the cars. Not long after that my father got him and I a set and then we were off to Bargain Town (now Toys-R-Us) or Dispensa's Kiddie Kingdom for Aurora Thunderjets. One of my first cars was the '64 Mustang conv't in white. Then I got a '67 Galaxy. I still have the original plastic boxes with the price tags on them.  

After that I moved up to AFX racing and also 1/24 Revell sets with my cousin. I can remember covering one corner of his track with oil so we'd slide out. Then came fire. Then we got in trouble.  

I also had Sizzlers and Johnny Lightning sets. Also remember Ideal Motorific cars and sets. I can distinctly remember the Ideal track layout with the hiding spot for the cop car.

One of the very first toys I got as a child was a car toy. It was called Trik Trak. Even though I was only 3 or so I could still remember it years later. My mom didn't believe me. So last summer I was able to find the name of the toy and bought 2 mint sets on E-Bay. It was so cool to have my first "car toy" again. And it was so small! :tongue:


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

WesJY said:


> My first set was afx slotless cars - i was told by my dad that i got my first one when i was like 5 yrs old. i do remember it but cannot remember which set it was. i do remember about controller that had the steering wheel on it - that was back in 1975 and then got 3 slot car sets in 1980 (tyco police pursuit) that i remember well!! it was so cool to have 3 firebirds and cops cars plus lots of tracks which is cool to get 3 sets for christmas!!!! thats was my best memories.. dad and i would play for hours and hours under the tree..
> 
> Wes


That sounds like an Ultra 5 set. I recently purchased a mint vintage set and it was cool to race again like the one I had. :thumbsup:


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

My very first race set was the Johnny Lightning 500. Remember mini motorific? 

I had this one toy, I don;t know the name, maybe someone out there can help me... it was this blue car, about 1/18th scale, that had a solor panel on the roof. You controlled the car by using a flashlight gun that came with it... or you could take it outside and let it run wild under the sun... I got for Xmas in 1969 or 70.. 

Anyone have any idea of what I'm talking about?


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## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

Slott V said:


> That sounds like an Ultra 5 set. I recently purchased a mint vintage set and it was cool to race again like the one I had. :thumbsup:


yeah i do remember the controller but i dont remember the cars.. i dont think it was cam am cars.. did they make another one like it? or just cam am only? 

thanks slott!
Wes


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## Marty (Oct 20, 1999)

To be honest my best memories are all about the friends I have aquired over the years due solely to my slot car hobby!! Some I met in the late 80's and am still close to them!

To pick a specific best memory is difficult.

Old: The year I got my first Aurora T-Jet set for Christmas five of my friends also got sets that same Christmas. I think it was a collaboration of our parents. We had HOURS of fun setting up a track at one of our houses and tearing it down when the parents got tired of our noise (and probably the TV interference). We just packed it all up, went to another house and started all over again.

New(er): Getting my Aurora Tub Track!!

Thanks for the great thread!!

Marty


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

You know, after I started thinking about memories I recalled my first event with slots. Christmas of 68/69, I rec'd the 1/24 scale Manta Ray slotcar and a controller from Sears. It was orange painted plastic (lexan or whatever they made back then) with a brass style frame chassis. Anyway, the day after Christmas we went to the local track. Actually we had two within five miles back then. We went to Dodge Park Hobby shop. Anyway, Dad and myself got there and he was going to show me the ropes. Well after we rented some track time and had the controller hooked up, Dad placed the car on the track. Talk about a launch! The car made it down the straight away before we even knew it left. However, it didn't make the turn. Remember the Batman TV show? Kabam! Blotz! and all those other cartoon pop ups? Well this car hit the first wall in turn one and bounce across the whole hobby shop. When I retrieved it, this thing was totaled. Bent guide arm, cracked body, broken brush holder, a bent wheel and I'm sure many other things. Well, If you're a Dad, you know how he must of felt. Much less me as the kid witha great new Christmas gift that just got .......... Anyway, there was a slot guy sitting next to us with a box as big as a steamer trunk. At least it seemed that big back then, remember I was only 11 or so. He came to our rescue. He took a long 30 minutes or so and rebuit the car to stock form and handed it to me ready to run. Yes, he ran and tested it to make sure it was ready. Then he gave Dad and me a lesson on hooking up controllers, how to run cars, and basically that all these big guys running these little cars back then were good guys and if you need a hand, just ask. The funny thing was he wouldn't let Dad pay him for a single part or labor. He just said ,one day your day may come to do the same, just remember today. Hell of a guy! Reminds me of alot of the posters here. Thanks to all and remember, your day may come. 


:thumbsup: :thumbsup: rr


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## SplitPoster (May 16, 2006)

Wow, I had the Trik Trak too, didn't remember what it was until I saw the post. I remember scotch taping the curves to the wood floor so the track would stay lined up. I still have a fairly large number of '60's Matchbox, most came from my Mom or Grandmother-they encouraged the interest in cars - so always took care of them. I hauled a Matchbox case, later a Hot Wheels case, with me where ever I went. When I got the fire bug I started building model rockets..... No cars incinerated, but several lizards and bugs joined the space program.

I think my favorite memory was about 4 years ago when my storage unit flooded (well that wasn't actually a good memory at all) and I pulled out the big ol' box that held ho trains and my accumulated t jets and afx cars from childhood. I expected the absolute worst, but lost almost nothing, as the water only got to the bottom of the box. Getting those cars running after almost 30 years was something. Brought back a lot of memories of running fast laps in with my first AFX car, a BRE Datsun 510 in 1971 or 72, and setting up my t jets for the first time in 1966. Still have all of them, and the XK 140's with the black plastic spacers so the bodies clear the tjet chassis run fine once more. Make me smile every time I look at them!


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Oldest: I vaguely remember seeing a yellow Tjet '67 Galaxie in a hobby store display case, and that I wanted it but didn't get it. Dad bought a Tycopro set for us, probably in the very early 70s. The one with the white Chappy and the silver Porsche. I don't remember much about it, except that by the time I was in 4th grade or so (maybe 1978), enough of the tabs were broken that it was tough to put together a decent layout. I kinda remember getting an Oscar the Track Cleaner too. 

Not quite so old: When I was in middle school and riding my bike all over creation, I remember riding to Larry's Hobby in East Northport and picking through boxes of Aurora/AFX parts. I got a Pinto Dragster body and a Porsche 917 body really cheap. Then I scored a HUGE bag of oddball Faller track pieces from Caboose Hobbies in Huntington Village for like 5 bucks... it was primarily a train store, and he was blowing out the Faller track. I set up a 4x8 layout with the Faller stuff, put paiper-mache mountains at one end and a few houses and a gas station and a Howard Johnson's (or whatever that cool Atlas restaurant is) at the other. The Faller track was really clicky-clacky, but it worked. I remember customizing... I did the pickup conversion on my orange Nomad, I painted a Chevelle Stocker blue to be a street car, painted an AFX Camaro midnight blue with light blue stripes, tried (unsuccessfully) to convert a Magnum 440 Corvette to look like the car from Corvette Summer. Still have them all.

Newer memories to come in a later post... the kids want to go outside...

--rick


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## 22tall (Jul 28, 2002)

As a kid it was gluing army men to the tops of cars and setting them on fire. Talk about a crash and burn race.

As an adult it was a couple years ago. 29 people showed up for one of my races. I supply all the cars and was one short so I shared with my a friends little 5 year old Claire. In no time at all she was cleaning the tires and shoes, oiling and changing lane marker tape. Best part was she listened to me when I told her how to race. She came in 13th. Beat her parents and older brothers and sister. Boy did she have a big smile.


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## krazcustoms (Nov 20, 2003)

Wow, this is a cool thread. Some of my favorite memories are getting my first AFX set in 1975 (still have the box) and being disappointed that the cars pictured were the Datsun Pickup and the Bronco but the cars included were the Ferrari 512M and Dodge Daytona. Even being 5 years old I knew those two kinds of cars wouldn't race together. I remember my father taking me to the local hobby shop where they were selling T-Jets 2 for $3 and I got a Tuff-Ones AMX and a green Cougar (also with tuff-ones chassis, for some reason) and was incredibly disappointed that they weren't as fast as the AFX cars. I remember painting the Cougar to look like the Dukes Charger on my front porch while listening to real cars race up the Giant's Despair Hillclimb a few miles away. I guess that was my first 'custom'. I remember going to K-Mart when they had the "buy one car, get the 2nd for one cent" promotion, and still picking a single red '56 Ford Pickup over a two pack of vans (those were the only two packs they had left). My father got me a 4x4 piece of plywood to use as a platform and racing outside on the picinic table, covering it up with plastic sheeting because we were going somewhere and it was supposed to rain and coming home to see that the sun, magnified by the plastic had warped every single piece of track but replacing it quickly after a trip to the flea market. I remember going to "Motor-World", a go-kart place in Tannersville (now the Crossings outlet stores) and discovering my first Auto-World catalog in 1979 and wearing it out from reading it so much. Not knowing that I only lived 20 miles from the place, my father surprised me by taking me there and I remember being blown away by it all. We would make the trip once or twice a year (it still seemed like an all-day trip to me) and I would struggle to see what I could buy with the $6 or $7 I was able to save after weeks of lawn-mowing and then my father would always let me go $20 or so above my puny little budget. I remember wanting the Data-Race set so badly (it was $47 at the local Zayre's store) and saving and saving and finally I got to about $40 and my mother said "well, we're going to set up at this flea market on Sunday, and if you can't make the extra $7 there, then I'll cover the rest". Well, imagine my surprise when the table directly behind ours had a Data-Race set - slightly used but with 6 extra cars for $8. That is probably my earliest recollection of my mind being blown by such an impossible coincidence. I remember saving diligently for what seemed like months just to buy another car or an odd piece of track. I remember the "Kids" toy store at the mall selling Screechers for 99 cents and getting three of them - later on buying a T-Bird and Mercury Stocker and even later buying the '57 Corvette convertible there, even though I really wanted the red hardtop but being told that the company went under and they probably wouldn't be getting any more cars at all. Wow, I can go on and on, but I think it's someone elses' turn! I really enjoy reading all the other slot memories, so keep 'em coming!!


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## *MAYHEM* (May 4, 2007)

From just a couple months ago:

One of the members of the local club was hosting a HOPRA regional event. I was working and missed the Superstock race but got there in time for stock Tyco NAStyCAR. Unfortunately I didn't have a NAStyCAR body. I did have a Volvo 850 though. I stuck some tires on it and sent it to tech, where they sorta hem-hawed about the body. So, I said, "Look it's a four door sedan and it has numbers on it. How much more nascar does it get?" 

They let me race it and I finished fourth, beating the track owner.


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

ParkRNDL said:


> (snip)
> 
> Newer memories to come in a later post... the kids want to go outside...
> 
> --rick


here's the recent cool stuff...

The yard sale find that got me back into the hobby around 1999-2000 (Vibe Jag & Corvette, Tjet Fairlane and gray Corvette, old Tyco and Atlas track...)

Building a BIG layout with Atlas and Lionel track off Fleabay...

Finding a group in Westminster, MD to race with. I only ever went a few times because my schedule with 4 kids makes the trip really rough, but it was nice to find out that there are other wackos like me out there...

Bringing my son 5-year-old Chris (he's 9 now) to one of the races held by that group...

Any time I take my two youngest kids (Andrew and Jonny, now 5 and 3) to the basement to run a few laps...

New Tjet bodies by AW and MM and Dash and all the resin casters out there...

At a local estate auction, snagging a box of junk diecast with a Vibe Ford pickup at the bottom...

picking through dollar junk boxes at slot shows...

--rick


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## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

When I was little I remember staring at a green and white #28 nomad with black flames at Kiddy City in Allentown, while my dad was ho train shopping. They had a glass case with tracks lined up and all the cars on display on the track.
I totally forgot about that car, started up racing again around the age 15, dropped the hobby till I was about 24 when I buddy of mine suggested we throw up a huge track in the basement, we did, had fun, and again the hobby was shelfed. Then when I heard this company (johnny lightning) was producing tjet bodies I got back into it.

While searching on fleabay for afx nomads I saw my beloved green #28 tyco nomad and being an adult now I threw a crazy bid at it and won it for 36.00. I am not a tyco fan at all but this is my favorite all time car.

I too have tons of memories with the hobby, most really neat a few downers (mostly because of my ignorance I traded away the flamed red and white willys tjets for 2 javelins I told where super rare prototypes from aurora, only to find out they where chrome stripped cars, and trading all my rare nomads to Joe at Nostalgia hobby in NJ for common cars, when I had no idea a mint Brown nomad was worth more then a green tjet porsche, lol, but johnny lightning made that all better, and thats how I know I'm in it for fun and not money)

I'll be posting more too, this is a fun and what this board is made for topic, as oppossed to the recent fighting and arguing about AW.


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