Why Kids Don't Play With Slot Cars

[Modlerbob]

Harry, just so you will know, I build static models of planes, ships and cars out of various materials but primarily plastic. But I do know people who simply collect the kits to sit in their wrappers in a closet somewhere. The world is filled with strange people.

[frank9129]

What happened to: "If you build it, they will come" ?

[Reegs]

[Perrotoro]

Great read all. I see I fit the mold reasonably pretty well - old and never dying love for slots. With empty nesting and burn out on golf, I've had enough disposable income to renew this hobby, though I'll curtail a somewhat when fixed income hits. I wish I had some of the actual exposure to road racing and slot competitions that many of you have had - but even without this, my enjoyment of slots has never waned.

For the last two years, I've used this site, Clover, LEB, Professor, 132, Cincy, BRS, NCHobbies, Slotforum, SCC, YouTube videos, and maybe a few others to gain way more knowledge than I had as a kid with Eldon, or as a 30-year-old with minor Flexi events and HO home racing. So I know that if someone has interest, cars , sets, and help is just a keyboard away.

I'm slowly interfacing friends and family to try to get at least one or two to follow in the footsteps. Will do more of this as I gain more experience.

I did a 4-lane Aurora/Tyco with the church youth 30 years ago. It was okay, but fathering responsibilities and economies kept me from taking it further from what I learned from the first time. They seemed to enjoy, but I'm sure none pursued it with computer gaming as the competitor.

Our Hobby Lobby has Carrera 143 - has anyone tried donating a Saturday with a 4x8 portable track in a Hobby Lobby? Maybe something close to the door to catch Parents/Grandparents with kids as they came in? I suppose liabilities are too limiting and today's "empowered' children would be rough, but I would probably try it if there were some precedence.

And how about a digital 132 portable set-up with the new brewery wave? Later hours, say 8-10Pm or 9-11pm is not that attractive to me anymore - but might be worth a "think-about".

[strangebrew]

There was a tavern in my area with a 2 lane setup & had regular scheduled racing nights...................................Then
ALONG CAME VIDEO GAMING & the space is now occupied by video gambling machines.
Can't compete with the money those bring in. :snooty:

[WB2]

Where was that tavern? I never heard of one.
I do remember Sidetracks in Belleville. They had an HO train layout in the glass-topped bar.

[downtowndeco]

Demos where kids can play are great BUT make sure that the layout you use has pretty high borders so that the cars don't fly off every 2 or 3 seconds. Don't ask me how I know. :)

[strangebrew]

[frank9129]

Perro,
I have offered my routed track to several sports bast for the Daytona and Indy. Not one taker. I even made the price right. $-0-.
People think there is a hitch or I want something. I just want to find someone to race with. Who would have known.

[Dangermouse]

Talking to a chap here the other day - he was looking at a digital set for his child. Started at $395 with one lane changer - $595 for a set with 2 lane changers and 3 cars. Add to that extra track to make a decent layout and maybe some other accessories a table to put it on (which requires space - you don't get a lot of track on a 8x4 sheet) and you are easily talking a $1000 initial investment. Why don't kids play with slot cars maybe that is the answer - not enough space and their parents aren't prepared to spend up to $1000 for an initial set up.

My local Hobby Shop now lists Carrera digital cars at $99 (our $ dropped in value against other currencies). Perhaps many parents don't see value in it because I they only bought the $395 set the kids would tire of that pretty quickly.

They do however seem to buy quite a few of the Carrera GO sets - I see them turn up on our online Trading Post site all the time.

[-Nimrod-]

Hi All,

It's not totally lost yet.
My Son (16) hold a 12hour gaming night from 7 at night till 7 in the morning, about once every two months.
We have a Shed decked out with a 6m x 1.8m wooden slotcar track, retro gaming consoles, pc's for LAN multiplayer games and a couple of old CRT's for shooting games, oh and a poker table.
Initially the boys just played games and watched youtube funnies and showed only a little interest in the slot cars, like , nice cars, that's it.
At that time, my timing system was not running and I only had 1/32 cars (1970's Le Mans cars mostly) out on track.

Fast forward to the next Gaming night, Sensors now working with power controlled by the PC, all race info showing on a 42" in plain view, plus I had purchased a number of 1/24 cars from my good mate Rooster and all of them wrapped in PG tires.
This time the night was split racing/gaming 50/50, they enjoyed the competition trying to beat each others times.
It's been the same ever since, if it's all running smoothly and they don't have to think too much, they will enjoy it.
Any car maintenance or stuff they need to fiddle with, etc would just turn them away IMO

For now they are enjoying it and some of the Dad's are expressing interest too.
So I'm thinking a Dad n' Son night of racing (new Scaley stockers), then gaming for the Boys and Poker for Dads.

Cheers
NimROD

[MikeyAutobahn]

I've linked to ya, Harry! Most recently with the Ford vs Ferrari Scaley Shootout, but a number of times over the past few years. I like my links spicy, and I like your spicy links!

I think there's something to be said about current kids' lack of interest in slot cars. First I think that it really depends on taste. I mean, I like slot cars, I like the mechanics, the miniaturization of a real-life thing, etc etc....so it would go without saying that I would also be a huge model train fan. Well, it doesn't work that way, we all know that. It's a lot in the way a matter of taste. I think those miniature battlefields with loads of soldiers and tanks and stuff, all scenic'ed, look really great. But if I was a 15 year old kid and got dragged into a basement to check out some dude's weird hobby, well.

We all know how awesome slot car racing is, and we all wish we could find the magic button that will hook the next generation of fans, and we hope they're our kids. But that may very well not be, and we should be okay to accept that. One day I'm going to sit my daughter [and hopefully her kids] down, hand them a big box of race cars and let them know how special they were to me. And maybe they'll end up in the attic. Maybe they'll get re-discovered.

With all that said, I'm definitely going to be picking up a car for my daughter once she can handle a controller. She'll be 3 in a year, so her hands will be big enough.

[Perrotoro]

[BRS Hobbies]

Carrera GO has a hand controller very similar to the DIGITAL 132 one except that it has a Turbo button. The GO thumb controller plunger probably gives you 0 to 75% throttle and the Turbo button is set at 100% throttle.

Brian

[GoldGuy]