Why 1/24th scale?

[Czar]

I am not trying to start a fight, I don't want to change anybody's mind. But, I would like to know what he attraction is to 1/24th models over 1/32nd scale cars? I am very curious to know why you prefer the bigger scale.

[pastor bubba]

I grew up building 1/24 models because that is what was mostly available and a lot better selection. I blame Dave and Harry with the barn find and the sportsman showdown for getting me hooked into the 1/32 scale.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Mostly, its a matter of variety in model bodies for me. I like to wire and fuel line the engines too, so its pretty much like all the rest- its just for fun.

[carlosinseattle]

For plastic track digital the 1/24 cars are just more fun to drive. They are larger so you see more of the car as it travels around the track, heavier so it's easier to "feel" the how the car is traveling through turns and needs more braking distance. In some ways the experience is slower so I feel like I am actually experiencing more of what the car is doing. All of what I said only applies to detailed scale cars, not to brass cars.

[HomeRacingWorld]

"only applies to detailed scale cars, not to brass cars."

I can't agree totally sir. The cars we build with the H&R chassis are as scale as we can make them. We make interiors and try our best to make the wheels look correct. They are a far cry from commercial type models. One main difference is we use milder, more to scale motors. Most of my builds are 18K HAWK motors to give you an idea.

The appeal is simply the variety it offers combined with that "feel" Carlos talked about. The sight of 4 big bombers or Jalopies on our oval is about as good as it gets.

Yet, now that more and more offerings are arriving in 1/32, I'm slowing down on these builds. I still enjoy the scale a great deal and race them often.

It's hard to convey the sight and feel these bigger cars deliver. The first time you drive one, you will think "Ok, Now I knwo what they mean" :)

[HomeRacingWorld]

Sure, it can and does happen. On our oval it's not really a problem. And I get lost looking at the car and don't pay much attention to the trees...oh, until I drive into them :)

[RazorJon]

for me 1\24 offers all those cars 1\32 will not build, and I like the big tracks and big cars

[J Y D]

For some of us older guys it's a trip back to good old days.
When we started playin' with slot cars the first time around the bigger scale was pretty much the only game in town.
If you had a home set-up it might be 1/32 scale but if you went to a commercial track 1/24 was all you saw.
And on top of that there's the feeling you get when you build it then you get to drive & when you crash it past the point of repair you grab another body & do it again.

Hope it helps ... J Y D

[Dangermouse]

for me they are bigger - that is it

being bigger does mean more detail and more visible detail

[Fast Co.]

I'm more of a 1/32 guy than 1/24 but if you are a scratch builder 1/24 does give you a plethora of available model kits to choose from. Also, the 1/24 cars have a real "presence" on track. And I agree with those that said that with 1/24 cars you get a better "feel" for what the cars are doing on track.

I'm stuck with the 3.5" lane spacing on my routed track and I've got too much invested in it to tear it down and build another anytime soon. We do occasionally race 1/24 hardbody cars and '60s vintage classic F1 cars on it and and the racing's always fun but my circuit is really a 1/32 track.

Steve

[carlosinseattle]

[DAVE]

Why not both?

[woodguy32]

Well..I like to build TANKS ( more Brass the Better ).. yea they are heavy.. yea they can push each other around and stay on the track.. And yea..they are fast..

Every time I pick up a p1/32 scale thing it just feels cheap.. light weight and cheap.. I guess everyone likes them because you can buy ready to run cars.. done and go.. and the 1/24 crowd has to build there own..but I rather build then race..but thats just me

I going start a whole mess now.. Yes I want even a BIGGER scale.. been working on 1/16 scale.. yup ..big big Sprint cars I built my track for them and should be wild..heavy brass ..homebrew bodies ..working steering and drivers attached to the steering wheel .. so they look like they are driving these cars.. yup insane

Wood..

[Nor Cal Mike]

I guess one could also ask why 1/32 instead of 1/43 or even HO ?

[Vintage 1/24]

There is a line that runs through this.

In the 'golden era' of slot car racing - (in 1965 there were more commercial slot car tracks in the United States than there were bowling alleys) - 1/24 was the scale that dominated the commercial venues. They were fast, expensive, heavy, well made, with metal chassis and running gear and with interchangeable quality parts - *substantial racers* - plus they had a connection to the 1/24 and 1/25 static model kits, which were also at the top of their arc of popularity.

The home set cars were 1/32 - cheaper, lighter, plastic, slower - less substantial toys - and were looked at more like 'toys'. Sure, there was a lot of fun to be had with plastic track on the living room rug, but the real action - and the action that defined the 'era' - was at the commercial tracks and with 1/24.

I collected 'Vintage 1/24' slot cars and appreciated the quality of these 'Lionel Trains' of slot cars. For me these well crafted vintage cars were the road that leads to 1/24.

The Renaissance of the 1990s-2000s brought higher quality 1/32 cars to the home market in droves - and I even have a handful...

But I connect to rebuildable 16ds, 36ds, low ohm controllers, brass, set screws, and wood tracks with real braid.

I figure that home based wood track folks approach from two directions - two roads.

One the 1/24 commercial track refugee - the store track closed or got expensive and they built a wood track to run their cars - a small but necessary downgrade. The other, the advanced 1/32 collector - builds a wood track to make a permanent, smoother, and higher quality replacement for the plastic track on the living room floor - a welcome upgrade.

There is a line that runs through this - sometimes they are just different lines.

All roads lead to Rome.