# Ask Tom Lowe #2



## hankster (Jan 1, 1998)

Since we've gotten answers to a few questions from the first thread, we can now start Round 2 (kinda catchy ain't it? )

So here is a thread where you can ask Tom a question. I'll sift through the questions you ask and forward a few on to him. Once he answers them I will post his answers here. I know it's not the one-on-one that everyone would like to have but with the busy schedule that he has right now it's the best we can do for now.

So feel free to ask a question by posting it here. If a number of you agree that one question is really important to ask I'll take that into consideration when compiling the questions. I have no favorities here that I will pick one person's question over the other, I will just try and pick out the ones I think would be most interesting. If your question doesn't get answered the first time feel free to ask it again on the next round.


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## car guy (Nov 22, 2003)

I guess i'll go first....

Tom, can you please tell us what the future plans of the Mustang & Volkswagon releases' are?

Inquiring minds want to know.


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

Has the issue of the "off-center" rear tire and hub issue been addressed yet for future releases? Sure, there are plenty of aftermarket and original wheels to swap with, but I would rather keep them as I get them and have them roll nicely out of the box. I hope I am not asking for too much.

Thank you kindly,
joez


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## lenny (Feb 29, 2000)

Tom,
A short while ago, Model Motoring put themselves up for sale. I made an initial inquiry and after I didn't show any interest in pursuing it further, they sent me a profane email where they called me a 'wannabe a**hole' and they told me that you bought them. Did you buy Model Motoring, will you be buying Model Motoring?

Dan


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## Starfighterace (Sep 14, 2005)

Tom,

You mentioned an "In Line" chassis might be in the works. Will it be the old "G+" chassis? If so, which bodies will be re-poped, and what new bodies are under consideration?


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Tom,
I have a concept in-line chassis with adjustable traction magnets.Would that be something you'd care to take a look at?

Deane Walpole (England)


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

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## vaBcHRog (Feb 19, 2003)

joez870 said:


> Has the issue of the "off-center" rear tire and hub issue been addressed yet for future releases? Sure, there are plenty of aftermarket and original wheels to swap with, but I would rather keep them as I get them and have them roll nicely out of the box. I hope I am not asking for too much.
> 
> Thank you kindly,
> joez


 Joez are you talking XT or TJET?

Roger Corrie


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Starfighterace said:


> Tom,
> 
> You mentioned an "In Line" chassis might be in the works. Will it be the old "G+" chassis? If so, which bodies will be re-poped, and what new bodies are under consideration?


 Excellent question -- I would love to have some new original G+ chassis! They were sweet -- torqy and twitchy but really fun.

Starfighterace -- I think I bought some e-bay from you once.

'doba


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## rodstrguy (Feb 14, 2002)

Tom,

Will you be putting out a new Autoworld Catalog??? Maybe with other companies products much like the original catalog?

Tom (rodstrguy)


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## glbbb (Jan 26, 2003)

Will you be lowering the XT bodies? The Mopars were great looking bodies but they were to top heavy,NOT VERY COMPETITIVE.
GLBBB


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## hefer (Sep 18, 1999)

glbbb said:


> Will you be lowering the XT bodies? The Mopars were great looking bodies but they were to top heavy,


I agree, how a body sits on a chassis is mucho important.


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## bluerod (Nov 1, 2005)

will the new cars have differnt colors than what aurora had already put out also amx without numbers thanks bluerod


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## coach61 (Sep 6, 2004)

Hi,

First off I want to say thank you for keeping us slotheads fed, But I was wondering if you will continue to improve the QC on the cars Xt's in particular? They did get much better as time went on, but they still lack that out of the box racing they need to appeal to small children. Its fine for us old guys who know how to replace parts in the correct spot and bend shoes and rims to allow them to run but the average child who has a attention span of 3 seconds will not take the time. I will for one admit later releases by PM where far surprior to the first couple, and I hope to see this trend continue.

David


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## TK Solver (Mar 18, 2004)

As a big fan of the X-Tractions, I'm very pleased with the progress made on those. I agree with hefer and glbbb regarding the body heights but it's more than just the center of gravity. Bodies with stilts (Challengers and Chargers, for example) can cause the gears to bind if they're not mounted just right.

I'm hoping that a minor change can be made to keep the front tires from falling off so easily. That would help with the out of the box appeal.


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## mking (Apr 25, 2000)

*XT body styles*

Have you considered reproducing the AFX 70 styles Camaro? I believe it was a very popular body style (which suffered from easily damaged window pillars), and it would seem to offer an opportunity to reproduce the same body in a lot of different paint schemes (I would probably buy every variation even though I am more of a Ford guy than a Chevy guy)

and speaking of Ford's, any chance of a body based on the new Ford GT?


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## TK Solver (Mar 18, 2004)

I second the motion on the 70-72 Camaro bodies for X-Tractions. I'd love to see a nice crisp paint job like those for the Mopar release. The AFX paint schemes were awful on the Camaros and the Vettes, with goofy pastels and crazy stripes.

Speaking of Vettes, a run of the 69-79 era would seem to be popular too, but again, using stock paint schemes. I'd love variations with and without side pipes but I don't want blowers on Vettes. Cool colors might include black cherry or maroon (I was never very good at guessing Crayola colors) like the Fast and Furious Nissan, the dark green used for the Shelby Mustang pullback, silver, black, white, red, and white. Some could include black ragtops.

It seems to me that both of these body styles should naturally sit low on the chassis as they did in the AFX versions so they should be popular with racers.

On a different subject, I really think that offering a variety of wheels would make things a lot more interesting. You could use that in addition to or instead of the silly (and ugly) White Lightning cars to appeal to collectors. Say wheel type A shows up on 70% of the cars, type B shows up on 25% of cars and type A on just 5%. Some cars might look better with one type than another which would encourage more buying and swapping. Kids (young and old) love swapping wheels to change the looks of a car. I love the variety in the wheels of die cast cars and it would be great to see a little of that here too.


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## 2.8powerranger (Dec 13, 2004)

the camero would be sweet with black steelies with dog dishes,a nova in x-track would be sweet the same way.


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## okracer (Mar 11, 2002)

i really dont have a question i just want to really let tom know how appreisative i am of his endevor and look forward to whatever he makes and produces


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

It would appear Tom is interested in my chassis concept (adjustable traction magnets) as he has asked to see the prototype.

How cool is that?


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## jack0fall (Sep 8, 2004)

Ok, Now that is cool. :thumbsup:


Jeff


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## buzzinhornet (Jan 20, 2000)

Montoya1 said:


> It would appear Tom is interested in my chassis concept (adjustable traction magnets) as he has asked to see the prototype.
> 
> How cool is that?


Wow! That is cool Deane. Do you have a patent on that chassis before you let your trade secrets out?  

GP


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## Piz (Apr 22, 2002)

Did I miss something, Isn't the 70's style AFX camaro already on the 2006 new release list ?


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

buzzinhornet said:


> Wow! That is cool Deane. Do you have a patent on that chassis before you let your trade secrets out?
> 
> GP


I have taken a look at the legal 'coverage' options I can give myself but, frankly, they are not worth it. First off is the time/expense and then the fact that the patent or similar legal 'device' would be leakier than a sieve chewed on by a rottweiler.

By my own estimation there are at least 4 ways to move the magnets plus countless variations on the way I do it. If Tom uses any of those he is off the hook to me.

For me it was never about money, just a little recognition and the drive to get a genuinely good, logical idea 'out there'. With Round 2 it seems I have a shot at that, in which case I should bite the bullet and send the chassis off?

My only concern is that, should Tom not run with the idea, I should still be free to persue the concept myself.
Any legal eagle type people here have advice, bring it on!


dw


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## T-jetjim (Sep 12, 2005)

dw
If the Patent process is anything like the Trademark process, then you can register (fairly low cost) without doing the full patent application. Keep your documentation of when you first put your concept together. If there is any infringement, whoever has the earliest documented use of the concept is in the driver's seat. Additionally, you should ask Tom to sign an agreement not allowing him to use your proprietary concept without your consent. I am sure that he would not have a problem with it.
Jim


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

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## coach61 (Sep 6, 2004)

Point on copyright, As a writer my work is protected in a fashion the minute I put it on paper. You have posted this chasiss and a very good working description on this board. I would just print out the threads with eveyones email that has comented on it. and have a notery sign and date it. That would cover you in British courts for sure and I doubt Tom would be hunting to steal anything anyways so that would protect you down the road should you make a deal with a offshore to do it yourself if Tom was not involved. If nothing else it would be better then nothing.

My Email is [email protected] feel free to add me to the witness list

( BTW coach61 is paid for the next ten years for sure so I will be around fer a while at it.. lol)

Coach


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

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## mking (Apr 25, 2000)

patents in a nutshell is that you must file for patent protection BEFORE you talk about your idea or show your invention in public. in most countries, once you SHOW an invention without a confidentiality agreement, you LOSE any right to patent your invention. in the US, you have a 1 year grace period. talking about an invention/showing pictures on the internet does count as a public disclosure. 

so depending on when deane first disclosed his current design/invention, there might still be time to file a patent. i think the the idea of adjustable magnets has been kicked around on the internet for awhile, its just making a workable implementation of that idea hasnt surfaced commercially yet (at least that i know of). 

if deane has come up with a "new" mechanical configuration of adjusting magnets (and he has recognized that there are probably many ways to mechanically implement that), and that idea has been publically disclosed for less than 1 year, then a patent could be applied for in the US. deanes scorpio would be considered prior art (because it was disclosed at least as early as 2003), so the new design would be judged as to how different it is compared to scorpio.

http://ns1.nwecs.org/howorld/archives/innovate/walpole/scorpio/walpole.html


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## Mark Hosaflook (Jan 5, 2001)

Tom


I had lunch with Mike Groothuis the other day and we were kicking around some old stories and some new possibilities. I was wondering two things. In my opinion Mike kicks out some of the best car graphics going. Since he is local and loves to do design on the side, had you considered using his services on the slot car side of things and potentially in the future, perhaps die-cast as well? Second, would you consider once things get a little more settled and established doing another PM style LightningFest show with events, contests, a Dinner, dealer sales etc. I may know some people experienced in that area that would be willing to talk.

Mark


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## T-jetjim (Sep 12, 2005)

Great point Mark! Everyone has been talking about body styles, etc. But, paint schemes would be a great consideration.

Jim


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Thanks for all the advice/feedback/encouragement. I'm going to see where the Tom Lowe option takes me and will of course keep you all appraised.

Incidentally, anyone recall the time a couple of years ago when Ed Bianchi lifted my idea?


dw


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

AfxToo said:


> I know that Ed is also working on an adjustable traction magnet chassis. I also know that he gave you credit on his web site. Whether Ed's chassis, which is very different in other ways, will ever see the light of day is questionable. At best it will be a limited production specialty item like his other chassis. I'm an admirer of Ed's work and have followed his contributions to the hobby over the past 30+ years. Few people have contributed more.
> 
> Claiming original ownership of an invention is very difficult. If you think you've got one then you have to patent it. If you don't get a patent then all you have is more material for bar room conversations.


I never understood why he didn't try to get the Rattler more noticed (or maybe he did), I would have thought someone would want to manufacture it.

The top speed of those things was INSANE....


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

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## rodstrguy (Feb 14, 2002)

Any answers coming anytime soon???


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Yeah, some answers are about due again I think. This post has been up since Nov. 6.

Maybe TL is too busy making those cars!

'doba


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## Rickc (Jul 9, 2002)

Sorry if this is a repeat request. Anyway, a controller with a switch to go between older chassis and TJ chassis would be great, or at least a controller with resistor more matched to the new chassis. add a "brake" button to cut power for turns.

Rick


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## LeeRoy98 (Jul 8, 2005)

*I would like to see...*

JL/RC2 did a nice job with the X-traction Charger and Daytona, how about a nice Torino and Talladega to compliment them? As a fan of the 60-70's Nascar, I would also like to see a 70 Monte Carlo, 69 Charger 500, etc.

And when done with the X-traction bodies, how about the same in Thunderjet? An all Ford special release? Say a Thunderbird, Torino, Talladega, Cyclone, Galaxie... please??

Gary
AKA LeeRoy98
www.delta-simracing.com


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

LeeRoy98 said:


> JL/RC2 did a nice job with the X-traction Charger and Daytona, how about a nice Torino and Talladega to compliment them? As a fan of the 60-70's Nascar, I would also like to see a 70 Monte Carlo, 69 Charger 500, etc.
> 
> And when done with the X-traction bodies, how about the same in Thunderjet? An all Ford special release? Say a Thunderbird, Torino, Talladega, Cyclone, Galaxie... please??
> 
> ...


Imagine the customs you could make with those models! Would have to get a half dozen each to start. I'll keep my fingers crossed.. :thumbsup: rr


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

*Torinos*

There is a Torino included in an upcoming series...


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## tjettim (Nov 29, 2005)

*questions*

Is this a talk to the wall thread? Well if so ,I want
someone to make a Tjet mini cooper body that weighs
one gram and is Fray legal.


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## AMX (Nov 1, 2005)

> What are you going to do to keep the AutoWorld products from falling into the overproduction/dumping cycle that we saw with the JL slot cars when they were under the Playing Mantis and RC2 umbrella? We heard that the production numbers were decreasing and the MSRPs were increasing yet the first round of products being offered from AutoWorld are already preselling at lower prices than similar products from RC2. Is the dumping cycle already starting



Uhhh....I really don'y mind the dumping cycle myself....why pay 14 dollars per unit when you can pay 3?

The cost out the door for the product rep really isn't that much different....it is the end seller that can't make more money....as long as the maker keeps making is this such a bad thing?

You want to make money on them buy them and hold them....look at the release 1 prices....soon release 8 will be the same way.


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## AMX (Nov 1, 2005)

> I have taken a look at the legal 'coverage' options I can give myself but, frankly, they are not worth it. First off is the time/expense and then the fact that the patent or similar legal 'device' would be leakier than a sieve chewed on by a rottweiler.



Look up the term "Prior Art"

Problem is, even if you did it first, the cost of proving that may far outweigh a patent. And if you want a patent you better patent every aspect of what you are trying to do including the other 4 ways.

then hope nobody else comes along and tries to prove Prior Art on you :wave: have fun.


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

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## mercury09 (Feb 17, 2002)

I want my Torino green with gold c-stripes. Please!


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## TRR (Oct 31, 2004)

No one has aver done a 65-66 Mustang fastback for the AFX or X-traction. Something I never understood.
An all Ford/Merc realease would be sweet in view of all the Mopar/Chevies.
Some of the bodies wheelbase seem very out of whack, also the wheelbase of the tjet 500 should be made to the same specs as the old thunderjet.


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

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## boss9 (Apr 19, 2002)

I would love an all-Ford release, myself—No particulars, I’d buy them all, anyway…



AfxToo said:


> I couldn't agree more. Why is Ford so poorly represented in slot cars across the board? It's pretty much Mustangs or nothing. I'd love to see a '65/66 Galaxy 500 XL , '66 Thunderbird Town Landau, '66 Ford F100 Pickup, '66 Comet Cyclone, '64 Marauder, etc. The Fords in that era had some nice lines that would look great in HO scale. I'd even settle for a repop on the Cougar.


I agree this is the case as of late--it's Nascar's or nothing, except for the one BTTF Ford from JL/RC-2 and maybe the Tomy-type Cobra Daytona's. 

But, Ford was well represented in the heyday of HO. In fact Ford had an agreement with Aurora to produce all the latest models at the time, and also sponsored the Aurora Nats’. I believe Ford offered the design prints to Aurora at the introduction of the then new Mustang, before letting the other manufacturers have a go at it. 
We had Fords from just about every big HO manufacturer, back then. 


I hope to see a bunch more Fords in our future—but not so much that I have to take a mortgage out on the house to pay for a zillion different colours, tampos, and paint schemes! That gets old quick. 




Cheers..


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## bluerod (Nov 1, 2005)

How About The 64 Falcon Sprint And The 64 Fairlane Thunderbolts Great Drag Cars


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## micyou03 (Apr 8, 2003)

And the Pinto. I would especially love to see Pinto Modified. It would be great if someone did a Modofied series: Coupes, Pintos, Vegas, etc.


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

I'd love to see a 70's Ford Maverick.....and a Pinto would also be cool. I liked the Afx Pinto funnycars. Here's a link to a small pic of the Afx Pinto's:

http://members.aol.com/AFX1927/pinto.gif


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## micyou03 (Apr 8, 2003)

I like the Tyco Pinto. I have a couple. I want to get rid of the blower and chute on one and make a street car of it, and try and make a modified out of another one and mount it on a JL chassis.


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

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## Mad Matt (Dec 16, 2004)

dlw said:


> I'd love to see a 70's Ford Maverick.....and a Pinto would also be cool. I liked the Afx Pinto funnycars. Here's a link to a small pic of the Afx Pinto's:
> 
> http://members.aol.com/AFX1927/pinto.gif


Pinto's, only if you can rig it to burst into flames when hit from behind (I guess you can make it like a track game ) :tongue:


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## fordcowboy (Dec 27, 1999)

I love the way you all think or type .they all sound good to me   FORDCOWBOY


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## micyou03 (Apr 8, 2003)

Mad Matt said:


> Pinto's, only if you can rig it to burst into flames when hit from behind (I guess you can make it like a track game ) :tongue:


That would be cool for the street version.


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## TRR (Oct 31, 2004)

I too would like to see a Thunderbolt. Love the teardrop hood scoop.
67 was a great year for most American body styles. 
RRR makes a nice 58 T bird and 3 diff Torinos. I have a NASCAR and Talladega. 
I have a Maverick that Roger Corrie did. Wish I could get some more of those.
In real life I had a 76 Maverick with a Boss 429 hood scoop, 67 Cougar tail lights, Magnum 500 Wheels and a 351 Windsor I had built. That was a fun car.


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## Mad Matt (Dec 16, 2004)

AfxToo said:


> I couldn't agree more. Why is Ford so poorly represented in slot cars across the board? It's pretty much Mustangs or nothing. I'd love to see a '65/66 Galaxy 500 XL , '66 Thunderbird Town Landau, '66 Ford F100 Pickup, '66 Comet Cyclone, '64 Marauder, etc. The Fords in that era had some nice lines that would look great in HO scale. I'd even settle for a repop on the Cougar.


Don't forget the 63 Falcon or 63 Galaxies either!!!!


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## SCJ (Jul 15, 1999)

AfxToo said:


> A stock Pinto would be nice to put up against my Vega. A Maverick too.


Aurora/AFX was actually working on these as well as a Pantera and Willys......how do I know, I have the original blue prints!


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


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## lenny (Feb 29, 2000)

SCJ said:


> Aurora/AFX was actually working on these as well as a Pantera and Willys......how do I know, I have the original blue prints!
> 
> 
> ---------------------------
> www.SlotCarJohnnies.com


 Here's a screen shot from my CAD program of a Pantera I scanned in recently. I've since resized it down to a more 'T-Jet' sized car and have a done a few wax cuts on the CNC machine with it...


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## buzzinhornet (Jan 20, 2000)

lenny said:


> Here's a screen shot from my CAD program of a Pantera I scanned in recently. I've since resized it down to a more 'T-Jet' sized car and have a done a few wax cuts on the CNC machine with it...


So... is this going to be added to your "coming soon" products? 

GP


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## lenny (Feb 29, 2000)

buzzinhornet said:


> So... is this going to be added to your "coming soon" products?
> 
> GP


 yes, but not any time soon. Way too many projects ahead of it. Just having fun with the scanner and milling machine...


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## red73mustang (Aug 20, 2001)

Awsome job Dan ! Any chance this could be made for the Tyco-Pro/440 X2 chassis (Long term future of coarse)


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## ScottD961 (Jan 31, 2008)

lenny said:


> Here's a screen shot from my CAD program of a Pantera I scanned in recently. I've since resized it down to a more 'T-Jet' sized car and have a done a few wax cuts on the CNC machine with it...


HEy ! I have got to have these ! What is there status ? I know it's an old thread


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