Carrera will continue to win this award until someone else steps up and can do what they do. That likely isn't going to happen though. And it isn't just the products, although without them our hobby would be incredibly empty.
It's people like Dave Kennedy, his team at Carrera of America, AND the participation of Carrera in Germany. They take the time to actively visit sites like ours and support the enthusiasts. Not just product reviews, but answers to tech questions and some fantastic slot car promotions world wide. They take more criticism than praise most times, but not from ME. I have been told I am biased toward the brand and I won't deny it. I happen to like a slot car company who makes decent quality toys at a GREAT PRICE. If that means I am biased? So be it.
No other manufacturer has a team like Carrera of America. They are always out there setting up displays and showing off our hobby to literally thousands of people every year. They cannot do every show, or go where some feel they should, but they DO IT more than any other. In fact, most others do nothing at all. When I ask a question to them, I get an answer. I cannot say that about any other distribution team.
We have too many "fallen flags" in this hobby. Brands that simply spun out of control and ignored the core enthusiast. Thankfully Carrera isn't one of them. I personally hope this coming year will be the best yet and congratulate all the PEOPLE behind the scenes. I appreciate what you do.
Brands that impact us like Slot.it, Thunderslot, Policar, Sideways, NSR, Scaleauto...all have a strong following. No secret that I enjoy my share of most of them. All of them deserve our praise and we should be quite thankful for the models we see.
These brands cater to the racer. Used to be Slot.it was the one and only brand that the hardcore competition enthusiast had. Not by a long shot today. And thanks to them, we have a metric ton of after-market goodies to tune our other models with. Not to mention the benefits to the scratchbuilder :clap:
Scalextric has had some tough times and hopefully this year things get back on track. Look forward to the Javelin and perhaps a few others here and there.
But regarding the PEOPLE behind the scenes, I simply have to give credit where it is due. I do not always agree with him or collect every model they make, but when it comes to supporting sites like HRW and taking time to join in our community, Jules at Pioneer deserves a nod.
Most of us see Jules post here and elsewhere. Rare do we see "The Man" who is directly responsible for the product in front of us, but he continues to come along and take our abuse :)
Regardless of the small number of releases, Pioneer is still with us and releasing new models. Although the molds are older, you have to hand it to Jules and his team for creativity. The General Grant? Now who else could come up with that? :) Hopefully his efforts will soon lead to new molds/releases.
If I forgot your favorite brand by all means chime in. :)
