# Track AFX vs Tyco



## Jafo (Apr 22, 2005)

looking for some help. Been a long time since i raced on the HOPRA circuit. Im going to build a large 4 lane layout on 5 by 15 table.( alread built) I have a ton of tyco track but wonder if I should switch to Tomy/afx or just try to find more tyco track. I heard theres an adaptor from Tyco to Tomy. any thoughts and suggestions appriciated!
thanks!


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Better selection of curvers with the TOMY. More options for layouts. rr


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

Tomy has a better curve selection as stated, and a deeper slot. But Tyco has its good points.... Even lane spacing, and smoother than Tomy. There is an aftermarket 15" and 6" curve made for Tyco track. Tomy came out with an 18" curve, so if you want to get those, you'll have to get those Lifelike track adapters.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Tyco Pro's:equal lane spacing
:better rail quality
:less warpage of straights then Tomy
:fits together better as a 4 lane track
:Grandcheapskate has piles of big radius curves,lol

Tomy Pro's:more curve selection then Tyco
:deeper guide-pin slot
:better electrical connection

Tyco track usually lasts longer then Tomy (lots of 20 yr old tyco tracks still kicking around,never yet seen a Tomy track make more then 10 yrs,before the rails were wore-out)
Try to stay away from Tomy to Tyco adapter tracks,the lane spacing is wider on Tyco then Tomy.
Tomy lately seems to be the track of choice,but if you've got piles of Tyco track,i'd stay with it,no point in setting fire to your money :wave:


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Sorry DLW,not meaning to override your post,i was typing at the same time as you :thumbsup:


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

I always disagree with the fact that Tomy has many more track selection than Tyco. A look at the tale of the tape...

Both brands have:
Straights: 6", 9" and 15"
Curves: 6", 9", 12", 15"
Banked Curves: 9"
Loops

Extra Tomy:
Straights: 3"
Curves: 3" hairpin (180 degree only), 18"
Banked Curves: 12"

Extra Tyco/Mattel:
Single Lane Adapters
Single Lane Intersections
Single Lane Straights: 3.25", 6", 9"
Single Lane Curves: 9" 1/8, 9" 1/4
Pit Lane Turnoffs
Off Road Track
Color Track (but you are right, who cares?)

The design improvements Mattel incorporated are very nice. Downside? The silly molded letter. Mattel and Tyco are 100% compatible.

To me, the extra pieces of Tomy are not that important. Only the 18" curve is of frequent value, and I would use an adapter to go between Tyco and Tomy for that - the tighter spacing on the Tomy lanes wouldn't bother me that much heading into a curve. And who knows, maybe I will eventually get to the Tyco 18" and 21" curve.

By the way, Tyco and Lifelike use the same lane spacing. Lifelike makes the adapters to go between all three brands.

I would not discard the Tyco track; in fact, I would use it. Tyco/Mattel track can be picked up usually for far less than Tomy. The only economical way I know of to get Tomy track is to buy a set; otherwise you will be paying near reatil price. Tyco/Mattle track on the other hand is almost always available in large bulk quantities.

I will offer one piece of advice however. If you use the newer Mattel track with the design improvements, go through each piece before assembly and bend the rail outward slightly near the end (where the 90 degree bend is inthe rail). I recently put a Mattel track together (using all 9" 1/4 curves) and found a lot of them had an insufficient bend which caused dead spots. A little tweak and everything ran great. This may also be a good thing to do before assembling Tyco track as well, although that track does not contain the 90 degree rail bend.

Joe


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## Jafo (Apr 22, 2005)

thanks very much guys.
this really helps


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

Well said, Grandcheapskate. And I'll add the two annoying things about Tomy track:

The locking bumps on the underside of the track....These are a nice idea, but made too big. If your gonna use Tomy for a layout, you have to shave/sand these off or you'll have major bumps on your track, especially if your slotroom gets cool or hot and the track stretches and contracts.

The 'S' rail at the ends.... These are the bane of any ski-shoed slotcar. When assembling your track, make sure the 'S' rails are not sticking out above any rail surface. They will literally throw you car out of the slot when round a bend (especially on a 6" curve). Gently push the 'S' rail down until you cun run your finger across the rail without feeling them. If you can feel them, your car's shoes can feel them.


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## wm_brant (Nov 21, 2004)

Jafo --

If you already have a bunch of Tyco track in good shape, stick with it; there's no point in spending a lot of money to re-buy what you already have. While not every part that Tyco ever made is still being sold, Joe (Grandcheapskate) has better-than-original quality turns to fill in the gaps of what you really need.

Like Joe said, I've heard that the Tyco/Barbie track is available in bulk, but I've never heard how to get it (is it new?), or what (if any) savings there were.

If you were just starting out, then my recommendation would be different; I'd recommend Tomy, largely because it's the only new track made with anything resembling a full set of turns, and also available in decent sized sets. But in all honesty, the differences between classic Tyco and Tomy make little difference in the end except to the brand fanatics, and if you're that picky, you should consider a routed track...

-- Bill


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

dlw said:


> The 'S' rail at the ends.... These are the bane of any ski-shoed slotcar. When assembling your track, make sure the 'S' rails are not sticking out above any rail surface. They will literally throw you car out of the slot when round a bend (especially on a 6" curve). Gently push the 'S' rail down until you cun run your finger across the rail without feeling them. If you can feel them, your car's shoes can feel them.


Deane,
If you only push the rail down, won't a magnet car just pull it back up?

Joe


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

wm_brant said:


> Jafo --
> 
> If you already have a bunch of Tyco track in good shape, stick with it; there's no point in spending a lot of money to re-buy what you already have. While not every part that Tyco ever made is still being sold, Joe (Grandcheapskate) has better-than-original quality turns to fill in the gaps of what you really need.
> 
> ...


Bill,
Thanks for the advertisement. Your check is in the mail. :thumbsup: 

Tyco/Mattel track is sold bulk because Tyco used to produce a lot of sets. Many vendors bought the sets to get the cars and had the track left over. Some guys (like myself) would then buy the track and are able to sell it for far less than the packaged or retail price (ex. 9" Tyco straights or 1/8 curves - $1; less in larger quantities). The track is new and I have thousands and thousands of pieces. Mattel may have stopped making sets, at least in any great quantity, but the amount of Tyco/Mattel out there should be sufficient for years to come.

Besides, if the track sells well, more can be made. We have the technology!!!

Lifelike also produces a lot of sets, but the market for Lifelike (both cars and track), is not that large. Plus there are a lot of LL figure 8 sets with no marketable track. Tomy never produced sets on the volume of Tyco and didn't have a lot of set only cars (therefore, vendors didn't buy lots of sets), so the amount of loose Tomy track is far less.

After you figure out what you still need, drop me a private message.

Right now, I have to get back to my newest project. I have just removed my Aurora MM layout from the table and I will replace it with Tyco/Mattel. I'm hoping that creates a much smoother track for magnet cars.

Thanks...Joe


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Grandcheapskate said:


> Deane,
> If you only push the rail down, won't a magnet car just pull it back up?
> 
> Joe



Maybe, but only with a neo car I would have thought.

Deane

(dlw is not me by the way)


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*So then...*

Tyco track is smoother than Tomy? I thought Tomy was the best game in town for that?? nd


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## SCJ (Jul 15, 1999)

tjd241 said:


> Tyco track is smoother than Tomy? I thought Tomy was the best game in town for that?? nd


Just my .02¢..............but vintage A/FX (Non Tomy) track is the smoothest plastic track and doesn't have those annoying holes for your guide pin to get stuck in (you Tomy/Tyco folks know what I'm talking about) when you deslot! 

The Con is those damn tabs that break off, they are a pain in the a$$.  


SIDE NOTE: does anyone remember 3Ds hobbies in the Detroit area.......this was the first plastic track I ever raced on that the rails had been removed the track epoxied, sanded and then the rails replaced to make THE SMOOTHEST track I have ever raced on....even smoother then our routed track!



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


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Both vintage AFX and Tyco-Pro track were way better then what we've got now a days.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Hornet said:


> Both vintage AFX and Tyco-Pro track were way better then what we've got now a days.


 Funny how we all look at things differently. I wouldn't use Aurora AF/X track if you gave it to me for free. Because none of this stuff is made to anything approaching tight specifications, there were just way too many pieces of AFX track that were too tight a fit and breaking the tabs was almost a given.

Having worked with Mattel track today for really the first time, I can see differences in the various pieces. Some pieces snap together nicely, while others are really tight. The black finish can vary from shiny to flat. Some of the newer Mattel came out of modified Tyco molds as you can see the imprint of the old center tab slits.

When we were doing the Tyco curves, we wanted to get the right size. We did this by making a complete circle with 9" and 12" Tyco and Mattel, and then seeing if our 6" would fit snugly inside the 9" and if the 15" would fit tightly outside the 12". During this testing, I discovered that Tyco and Mattel curves are slightly different in size (Mattel is larger). We ended up trying to compromise our 6" and 15" so they would work with both. I can tell however how much easier our track snaps together than factory produced Mattel.

Joe


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

> wonder if I should switch to Tomy/afx or just try to find more tyco track


Start off by doing the math. 

I came from old Aurora Model Motoring and AFX snap and break track where electrical issues were the bane of my existence. The reliability of the Tomy electrical connections is what sold me on it, plus some sound advice from a commercial raceway owner who has run Tomy tracks in rental and heavy organized racing situations for more than 10 years and swears by Tomy track after having tried other brands that did not hold up. 

Like Bill said, if you really want the best and cost is not a factor, a large format sectional or routed track is going to deliver the premium level experience and most professional looking result. It also comes at a premium price. Figure around $25 per foot for 4-lanes WizTrackz or MaxTrax. If I had to guess I'd say a 4-lane Tomy track setup will set you back somewhere between $4 - $6 a foot just for the track pieces. 

I'd go the cheapest route and save your money. If you ever find yourself running on a large format sectional or routed track you will find out why more and more people want them and are willing to fork over the money.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Joe,IMO Tyco-Pro was one of the best sectional tracks built,but i think it was somewhere around the early to mid 70's when Tyco quit manufacturing the early version,and went to the style of track we know today.Not overly familiar with the early version of AFX,wasn't many of them kicking around up here in my youth.
In the early days when Tyco Canada was still in operation,it was the brand of choice up here,miss that operation,they used to be the best place in Canada to get anything Tyco related.They'd build you any layout you wanted,for usually less then the cost of a raceset in a hobby shop,but in the early 90's they shut the doors


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Hornet said:


> Joe,IMO Tyco-Pro was one of the best sectional tracks built(


 I never used Tyco Pro track, so I can't offer an opinion. Record the date - this may be a first.

I grew up with Aurora L&J and then toward the end, AFX. I hated AFX from the start. It was hard to assemble and breaking pieces when taking it apart was almost a given. Also, the method of electical connection on L&J and AFX (along with current Lifelike) is the worst design possible. Not only are the connections only accessable when the track is seperated, but the design relies upon the fact that the rails tips will maintain their shape and stay in contact with each other, while at the same time pushing against each other trying to seperate.

Also as I mentioned either here or elsewhere, I have given up on trying to get my MM track smooth enough for magnet cars (like 440-X2s and G-Plus). It will be replaced with Mattel and I'll see how that goes.

Had MM track been designed so that the rails slid in next to each other, it would have made a 100% improvement. However, this design would not have worked with AFX since the pieces join by sliding together sideways.

The bottom line is that there are many people who are happy with either Tomy AFX or Tyco/Mattel. Therefore, one must conclude that both brands, if handled properly and tuned, will give you as good a track as you are going to get with readily available sectional plastic.

Thanks...Joe


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## vaBcHRog (Feb 19, 2003)

Here is a little tip I got from Wizard back in the late 80's With lick and joiner track and the old AFX when you have an electrical problem you don't have to pull the track up. Take an AFX pickup and cut the front and rear of it off use it as a shim between two pieces of track ie lay it next to the rail across two pieces of track and push it dwn besided the rail. It will wedge in place and fix your electrical problem.

Roger Corrie


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## BewstdGT (Jan 4, 2005)

I say tyco FTW! I bought someone out on Ebay, might even be someone from the forums. But there were probably 200 pieces of all kinds of different sections from the 9"banked stuff to 3" straight sections. But I was able to build my track and have LOTS of pieces left over. Probably enough to build 2.5 more tracks. But I only paid $75 shipped for it all and the only thing I ran out of was 15" straight sections, which was easily remedied by a 6 and 9" straight combined. Overall I have nothing but good for my tyco stuff. And unlike the older tomy track the tyco rails seem to be less likely to rust/corrode. My box of track was out in the cool damp garage and the tomy pieces were rusty and the tycos werent after a few years. To each his own but I wouldnt jump ship to tomy. Grandcheapskate has the additional features you need and if you really want to get serious Im sure theres a way to make an 18" or 21" curve if you get desperate enough. Just my .02.


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