# Evolution of the AW/JL tjet?



## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

I'm just getting back into the hobby, in a sense, and have been working mainly with AW Xtraction cars. Now I'm turning my attention to Tjets....and have a few questions.

I have a small handful of tjets from the initial release when Johnny Lightning put them out. I tuned them as best I could and actually got a couple that ran quite well. (I remember they were all horrible straight out of the box)

Anyway, I know they came out with the one with a traction magnet. What I want to know is this: Is it just the same old Tuff Ones chassis, except with a traction magnet added, or did they change other stuff too? If you remove the magnet, will they run with other post-Aurora tjets? 

What is the evolution of the JL/R2/AW Tjet in particular?

Also, the Tuff Ones chassis is just a regular Tjet with fat back tires and independent fronts, right? Assuming I put original style skinny tires on it, original style (meant for NOS Aurora tjets) bodies should fit? I'd hate to put out an order for bodies just to find they don't fit properly on an AW.

Any opinions on the matter?

Trev


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*my .02¢*

My Replies in *RED*. Shadowracer wrote- I'm just getting back into the hobby, in a sense, and have been working mainly with AW Xtraction cars. Now I'm turning my attention to Tjets....and have a few questions.

I have a small handful of tjets from the initial release when Johnny Lightning put them out. I tuned them as best I could and actually got a couple that ran quite well. (I remember they were all horrible straight out of the box)

Anyway, I know they came out with the one with a traction magnet. What I want to know is this: Is it just the same old Tuff Ones chassis, except with a traction magnet added, or did they change other stuff too? If you remove the magnet, will they run with other post-Aurora tjets? 
*Reply- pretty much the same JL/AW chassis with a Different(lower ratio) Crown gear and the Neo Traction magnet. will run slightly different because of the newer gearing.
*
What is the evolution of the JL/R2/AW Tjet in particular?
*Reply- not much evolution, chassis material changed from JL-Black to Grey(don't think it's Nylatron like Aurora used -tho), still pretty much the same crappy chassis.*

Also, the Tuff Ones chassis is just a regular Tjet with fat back tires and independent fronts, right? Assuming I put original style skinny tires on it, original style (meant for NOS Aurora tjets) bodies should fit? I'd hate to put out an order for bodies just to find they don't fit properly on an AW.
*Reply- bodies will interchange, some say the wheelbase is off a micron, but I don't see it, altho the chassis(JL/AW) differ enough from the Aurora that chassis and top plates won't interchange. BTW- a tuff ones chassis from aurora had Silver plated electrics and brushes, a Hotter Arm and stronger magnets, plus taller gearing and wider axles with wider rear wheels than a regular T-Jet.*

Any opinions on the matter?
*Reply- IMHO, Auto World T-Jets are Crap ! They only SEEM to run better because of the Neo Traction magnet.....take that away and they are back to the old sloppy running way they were before, tho they can be modded and tuned to run right....but that takes time and patience. BTW- Take out the Neo traction magnet from the chassis, and swap in some older(low strength) Aurora motor mags to calm down the Arm, and the cars run slower- but alot nicer....alot more like an old aurora T-Jet.*

Trev


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

I'll have to disagree on the body/chassis interchange. Some of it works and looks good. ... some of it works but doesnt look good...some of it doesnt work, especially when you start playing with wheels and tires. Depending on your standards your mileage may vary.

The "trackshun" magnet is just a band aid for gaping QC issues that had put their "Out of the box experience" right in the terlet. If you sort out all the out of round, lumpiness, and adjust the shoe hooks; you dont need der magnut. It's the ole "look at our groovy new idea"; rather than actually fixing a myriad of nagging little problems. I'm sure it quieted the phones at the complaint department, but the hard cold reality is that the vast majority of grizzled dinosaurs from the golden age were not impressed.

Their motor magnets are much improved from the original by comparison. Unlike the low ohm originals, the armatures are high ohm units with QC all over the place. The good ones are GREAT and the bad ones are really bad. The vast majority are fair to middling... just like the ones from the days of yore you have sort and test accordingly. There were some comm brush binding issues that seem to have been resolved. You have to watch "brush canting". The tails on the spring arms arent real crisp so you can get some odd approach angles with the stock V notch brushes. 

The gears are pretty gumball with no hope for redemption. It's not so much the gears as it is the tolerances between their centers. This actually applies to all the bores on the model. Retrofitting the cluster assembly to a 9 tooth set up works quite well, but then the crowns proved suspect. The higher count crown gear on newer releases looks like a promising improvement with regard to drive-ability; if not more reliable in service than the first generation units with teeth that looked like baked beans and were about as durable. The original Super Oval gear ratio was never really suited to table top racing in the first place. 

The axles, likely made of play-doh; if not already bent, will be, if your rough with them. In some cases the center spline where the crown mounts actually rubs on the underside of the chassis' tail plate, but only because the axle bores are so far out of whack. Wheels and tires were a joke at best. A complete crap shoot with regard to roundness. The guide pin folds over like a daffodil in the wind. If you dont monitor it after crashes it could be dragging the slot at a severely compromising angle. Shoe geometry is off at the hooks on all the jlto's, it's easily fixed; but you have to be able recognize whats right and whats wrong to correct it. At one point they were gunning the twisty ties down so hard on the Xtracs they were tweaking the shoes.

In the end, you could potentially have a warped chassis with a cocked armature of the out of balance warped commutator variety, bound or skipping gears, stuck brushes, a crown needing dentures, 1 or two bent axles, any one of four wheels or tires out of round for a potential total score of -8 in that department....or a chassis with any possible combination of the above. Then set it all pair of pick ups that are so over sprung they resemble a James Bond ejector seat....and you'll need some neo magic...er....mag-nut too. 

Bottom line is that like any slot car, you'll have to sort everything out systematically from the "crank" outward. While not directly comparable on all points, they are a tinkerers chassis and therefore spritually cut from the same cloth as the original.


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## mahorsc (Mar 26, 2008)

Bill i agree with alot of what you said but what slot car ever ran great out of the box 
look at fray/echorr racers most original t-jets you go through 10 arms to find a ok 1 you might search 100 to find a great one thats why all us racers balance and true them granted they have issues but dang i luv racing them both
no matter what you play with you have to deal with it quirks and oddites so play with what you want and have fun fun fun


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

One thing not mentioned above is a JL chassis with skinny tires will be squirrelly at best.


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Yeah, what Bill said. But the again, us dinosaurs had to do some tweeking back when Aurora was pumping out the chassis. We just didn't happen to have all the available pieces that are out their today to get them running. Hell, that was half the fun of running Aurora chassis then and the JL/AW of today.  rr


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

sometimes ya get a screamer, sometimes a lemon. last Sat night I attended a case race event from the Looney Tunes AW series. my car was and still is a dog. yet, I have drawn cars out of similar cases that screamed after minor pick up shoe adjustment.
I agree with Bill that the JL/AW chassis have a lot of faults and can hardly be considered real race material. but many felt that way about Aurora Model Motoring Thunder Jets for along time too.
no comparison between the chassis QC however.
until someone finally comes up with a challenger that is better (and we all are holding our breath for the DASH chassis) AW is all there is and will have to do.


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## Dyno Dom (May 26, 2007)

Many good points, but IMHO, the readily accessible AW/JL chassis brought in new racers of pancake style racing. The hobby benefits by increased volume
and purchasing of related aftermarket bodies and parts.


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## Jim Norton (Jun 29, 2007)

The AW bodys are great with no comparrison with bodies of old. I have found that if the rear axle is straight you have great chances of getting a good running car. And, the later releases tend to run much better than the earlier.

The way I look at it is who'd believed in 2012 you could buy anything close to an Aurora T-jet of almost 50 years ago?! Enjoy them.

Jim Norton
Huntsville, AL


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## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm basically just looking to field a small stable of "vintage fairgrounds" racers, in hopes that it might take off within my group. We're predominantly Magna/Xtraction guys so the pancake thing is not entirely an unknown.

Basically I just wanted to know if my 1st generation JL Tjet is in the ballpark with the latest AW releases (once you take the magnet out)


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

To answer that question, yes, my JL Black Chassis T-Jet chassis, are some of my faves....once they were tuned.
As a matter of fact, I'm always looking to BUY the JL Black Chassis T-Jets


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