by waaytoomuchintothis » Fri Apr 18, 2014 7:34 pm
I still have a box full of Vibrators. I take them out and stare at them every now and then and wonder how in the world they worked in those days.
Quo vadis, slot cars, eh?
I see lots of improvements in the cars that can be done in detail and scaling, first off. Just in the area of lights, there are illuminated LeMans numbers, brake lights, fog lamps, and of course universal headlight and tailights yet to be done. Engine detail for cars that have visible engines, F-1, many mid-engine under glass, etc. Huge advances in tires have just begun to scratch the surface of what they can do, and gearing is wide open for development. I'd like to see independent front wheels on all cars. Silent drive (belt drive) systems are coming into play in scale racing, which is downright spooky smooth.
We have seen better pressure adhesives that allow the long hoped for easy braid layment, which although very expensive now, will get much easier to afford before long. Its already such a time-saver many people are willing to go the expense to get the job finished. I'm a cheapskate to rival anyone, and I have thought about it. Computer timing systems are in their infancy still, although there is a system coming soon that will knock everyone on their keester, plastic or wood track. More and more tracks on this side of the Atlantic are getting extensive detailed scenery, even amazing rally tracks with dirt trails that have weeds coming up through them! Wild stuff.
I couldn't care less for the digital stuff. Its irrelevant to me, and I don't intend to ever run any of my cars that way. It muddies up the water as far as I'm concerned. I don't need a new way to be passed nor a new way to nerf people out of place. The whole idea reminds me of the toys many years ago that were intended to bash together and springs inside made them blow up. If it was just no-wires controllers, that would be a completely different thing, but lane changing during a slot car race? Why is this interesting? Why is it slot racing? I think we took a strange wrong direction on that one. But the thing is, we have a big tent now in this hobby. We can make room for this kind of aberration, and coexist easily. Sooner or later, it will bring people into the hobby who might not have come in, and that can't help but be a good thing.
Speed is no longer an issue. We have been able to make cars stupid fast and unable to be seen at speed for decades. Its just unimportant as far as I am concerned. Of course, competing matters, and that is or should be in the hand that holds the controller, not huge magnets, bodies that don't resemble cars, silly hot motors or anything else.
That's my 2 cents worth.