Welcome to the Slot Car Clubhouse, home of Central Arkansas Racers of Slotcars (CARS). Jim Cunningham, a seasoned slot car racer, club founder, event producer, and track builder, invites you into his world.
Explore exclusive event coverage, in-depth slot car profiles, and a living museum of over 1500 race-ready cars. Our 'OmniSlotBox' switch enables seamless racing across all scales, from family-friendly to vintage gems and high-powered racers.
Beyond racing, we host private parties, offer workshops on slot car mechanics, and provide opportunities for building, repairing, and restoring slot cars. Subscribe for virtual visits to other clubs and raceways, plus insights into track design and club organization.
Get ready for a thrilling dive into Club Style slot car racing on RU-vid. Y'all are also welcome to visit the clubhouse in person. Appointments can be made on our website. Our motto is 'You can crash at our place!'
I'm used to say that slottists are a lot into cosmetics, if you like racing, considering how much slotcars cost, you shall be more interested in lexan detailess bodies. There are static models to get into detailed scale reproductions
It’s true that lexan bodies offer great performance and durability, especially when racing at high speeds. They're lightweight, and their cost-effectiveness makes them a practical choice for competitive racing. At Slotcar Clubhouse, we embrace that aspect too, but we also love the artistry that comes with model building. For many of us, the challenge of creating a detailed, scale-accurate car adds another layer of enjoyment to the hobby. While lexan bodies are fantastic for pure racing, detailed hard bodies can bring a sense of craftsmanship and personal pride, which is why we give points for best appearance in our model kit class. It's fun to have a mix of both worlds-racing fast with lexan, but also taking time to appreciate the beauty of well-crafted models. Ultimately, it’s all about what brings you the most enjoyment!
Man not only do i love these metal chassis cars but im loving tje track after watching a bunch of your videos can u please post a community link showing how to build this layout its perfect for my basment its got good flow
@@Winstonchurchill-t5i Thanks for your interest! This particular track was built without using layout software, so I don't have an exact plan. I’ve tried creating it with a few programs, but the unconventional pit lane, banking, and elevations confuse them, making a proper drawing difficult. Right now, I’m focused on higher-priority projects, such as custom car builds, events, and creating new videos. For instance, I recently built 48 custom cars for a client and designed a track for Ferrari’s Modena HQ. I’ll try to create the plan manually when I have time. Best,
We have been busy with OSb selling about as fast as we can make them. I have shipped to Germany with our problem and I have taken a quick look at the registration to export there properly . I have not had time to work through it.
Hey Big Jim it’s JD . I just bought this car in the Scx pro version 😁version having not seen it before. It comes in a large box, some additional parts, extra motor mount , upgraded hardware on the car looks more like a slot-it.. looks interesting. Thanks for posting. 🏎👍
SCX cars are interesting. arsod the period were slower than most other brands but great fun to drive or racing with each other. The "Pro" series brought them up to speed. Have fun! Good to hear from you!
@@jimcunningham534 thats so kind of you, haha yes I’m a bit far, located on Vancouver Island in BC, Canada. Keep up the great work supporting the slot car community.
Perhaps. I do have over 1500 complete tuned ones on display and ready to roll, many more project cars in trays ready for work. These do not need any work, i have not raced them help and they duplicate cars I have raced and owned since new, so I am selling them. I dot no generally keep more than one of each type. But you can!
Yees, My favorite track, lots of comput corners,soem R4 banking, and subtle banking help whi Carrera track drive like a swoopy commercial track of old.
Me too! Tempted to keep this one, but is it for sale on my webstore here: omnislotbox.com/shop/ols/products/monogram-124-scale-ferrari-275p-sports-racer-vintage-slot-car
As mentioned in the video and in our listing of the JK cars on our webstore, foam tires do not work well on a dry dusty track. We apply a VERY light mist of "Track Honey" to our tracks. This does not make track sticky, but dust and rubber stay on the track and do not collect on tires. We do not have to clean track or tires each time we start running. All types of tires work better. The track gets better with use as it "rubbers in". Another issue with foam tires is that the foam can oxidize or dry out. If the tires have lost grip, sand them lightly and or treat with one of the many tire treatments. Also, if you track does not have a power supply upgraded to 5 Amps of more and /or does not have good power taps and or upgraded controllers you will not ge good performance out of the JK cars. We sell the JK cars on our OmniSLotBox site becasue they work well with the OmniSlotbox upgrade and we include a bottle of Track honey with every OmniSlotBox.
Thanks! We run all kinds of cars on this track, both digital and analog. This race for Carrera Digital 1/32 GTs. We remove the rear magnets and change to Paul Gage tires. This makes for a fun class with close races. The cars are durable and there is good variety of liveries available. Not the fastest cars we run, but great fun. If you can, visit some time.
i remember in the 60's when i was a kid me and my brothers raced this size slot cars with model car bodies on them in columbia , mo. it cost 25 cents had a slot to put a quarter in like a washing machine ,don't remember how long a quarter for racing lasted, i think 5 minutes. fun times, a better world then todays radicals etc.
We are still having fun with vintage cars like these these and similar cars still being made. Check out out www.slotcarclubhouse.com and www.Omnislotbox.com sites. maybe you can have your own track and rekindle this great hobby at your place!
Track is 8' by 17' I have designed many layouts and really love this one. Easy to marshal and interesting to drive. I never tires of it. Especially since Carrera digital Or any of my analog cars.
Wow, that direct drive is really intriguing, I should get one myself ! As a curiosity pertaining to the Carrera, why did you remove the rear magnet and not the central magnet? I do find that keeping only the rear magnet (with perhaps some additional extra stacked aftermarket one) provides maximum handling and grip….
Yes, adding or keeping the rear magnet in Carrera cars can result in faster lap times, but it also reduces the fun factor and makes the driving experience less dynamic. With stronger magnets, the cars tend to stick to the track and don’t drift before deslotting, leading to more abrupt crashes. We’ve moved toward removing all magnets from our 1/24 cars for a more engaging and predictable driving experience. For Carrera cars, keeping the center magnet can improve stability. Since it’s wide and sits on a smaller arc, it allows some controlled drifting without that sudden deslotting. However, removing all magnets from Carrera cars can make them challenging to drive, especially with poor tire grip or dusty tracks. To counteract this, we true all tires, use mostly Paul Gage tires for better traction, and apply a light track conditioner to keep dust off the tires. We often let new racers try different setups-standard magnets, reduced magnets, and no magnets. They usually feel most comfortable with mid-magnet Carrera cars or no-magnet setups in cars with well-built chassis and wheels. Interestingly, even though no-magnet steel-chassis cars are "scary fast," they often turn out to be the easiest for beginners to drive due to their balance and handling.
NICE! I really dig those lil' cars. Thinking about getting one soon. They look like fun. Will have to research the guide keel to see if can be improved upon. Great layout you have. Race On!
an excellent description of these slot cars...the voice of a true master of this craft/hobby has spoken...i could listen to your technical explanations all day...just added you to my subscriptions, sir...thank you for my fun and joy of watching these videos in advance.
yes, along with car company comparison testings that you do, i'd like to see your explanation of how you constructed your layout and it's timing system. i think that would be very informative too. thank you for considering my suggestions.
Yes. You can order here: omnislotbox.com/shop/ols/categories/cars---jk-132-cheetah-11-and-direct-drive-cars I believe the site will correctly calculate international shipping.
Cars with strong magnetic downforce are easier to drive and can achieve faster lap times but are harder to race than cars with little or no magnetic downforce. Racing is about putting your car "on the limit". With little or no magnet, cars can drift, thereby signaling where the limits are. So they are more predictable and reward proper driving technique. Magnet cars, especially those with magnet toward the rear of the car, loose grip suddenly as the magnet moves off the rail. Crashes are more violent and less predicable. Removing traction magnets form Carrera cars is problematic because Carrera tire and wheel manufacturing tolerances vary considerably, so some cars will handle OK and most badly. Ther can be huge performance difference, even comparing, cars of the same the same exact model. Magnets largely disguise this problems. SO, after long experience, we find that the best set-up for racing Carrera cars, both 1/32 and 1/24 is to remove the rear magnet, but leave the center one in. This gives stability with less sudden release. Then we replace the inconsistent and quickly degrading Carrera rear tires with Paul Gauge tires. We like these tires because they give better traction and do not degrade. Unlike many other replacement tires they can be easily trued. By truing both front and rear tires on our CG tire truer, the wobble and shake often found in Carrera axles and wheels is eliminated. The cars then are much more drivable and differences between cars are mostly eliminated. If you need a tire truer, OmniSlotBox usually has then in stock here: omnislotbox.com/shop/ols/products/cg-slotcars-cgsctm01-tire-truer-machine
@@jimcunningham534 Thank you for your time and advice. We currently true the PG tires and have about 10 consistent guys having a blast currently using magnets. We have removed the rear magnets on a few and find it very challenging. Sure slows things down. We only race stock cars and some just won't stay on the track and was hoping to make more competitive. I figured we could have limits on weight and magnet stick. Thanks again.
@@philipsoucie3015 "Some just won;t stay on track". If "some" refers to drivers, coaching and practice is the answer. If it is some cars... be sure you are truing the tires. On the Nascars the tires are tall and cars that handle less well can be improved by reducing tire diameter, especially at the front. Yes less magnets is slower but the racing is more satisfying and damage to cars is reduced. Another factor is you track. We highly recommend shoulders at and beyond all turns. Also traction sprays like "Track Honey". When it comes to setting limits on magnet cars to equalize performance, we have had great success with the "1 Gee" rule. That is cars may have up to but no more magnet than will cause them to hang upside down on a on a Carrera track. If car "hangs" one can either use a spacer to raise the magnet rf add weight. Either way, it tends to equalize performance even between different brands. Here is a short video demonstrating the "1 Gee" test. Not that the test track is bonded to a piece of MDF to insure itin flat for consistent results. ru-vid.comi4jSb5IvmgE
@@jimcunningham534 Thanks again, lots of great info. We were trying the "GEE" method and noticed out the box all of the Carrera 911's held way better and seems to be the only cars winning even when we switched drivers, a work in progress. We have 120 feet of track and having a blast at high speeds with stock cars other than PG tires and with magnets for now.
@@philipsoucie3015 When racing with magnets we are also to achieve good parity by using the "1G" rule. Cars that can hand on an upside down piece of Carrera Track must add weight or lessen magnet.
Interesting video, the JK anglewinder is what I would consider slow - thick lexan, can motor and simple chassis. Unlimited spring steel and brushless motors are another level. Probably need some goop on the track though!
Yes these $85 cars ARE slow compared to the $600 cars you are referring to. I own and have raced that category, but here I am introducing a low cost, low maintenance commercial track type car to owners of Carrera and small club tracks. Most of my audience has never seen or considered running such cars on their track. Our club enjoys these and are buying them. Few, if any would buy $600 cars let along the tools, supplies, spares and controllers required to field one. It is possible to run much faster cars than these on our OmniSlotBox equipped Carrea digital track, but they are not more fun. You are also correct about the need for traction goop for the very high powered cars. We find that even these cars with their foam tires need a light application of track spray to perform well, but we have been using that to improve te performance of everything we run here.
Of course, but not many realize how much fun they are on Carrera track with a little track honey, and even a digital Carrera track with an OmniSlotBox.
Thanks for the video, great slot cars, very fast and more or less same price as nsr cars, they are not designed for scale and detail but for speed, very rare to see them here in Spain, they call them "zapatillas". Maybe those flexis or stamped cars where at slot clubs in the 80s-90s but not anymore😢
I have many more like them. If you visit you can try them! Most were tuned for optimum performance then retired from racing except for the occasional vintage race. It takes me more than a year to drive each cari the collection for a few minutes, so I can used your help. :<)
Good video comparison of the different car styles. I saw Massimo’s video with the cars you supplied him. He needs a little more practice to be able to go as fast as you were going. I’ve never seen a direct drive car before. Always learning 👍
Yes the DD car requires a very different driving style. It has little brakes and torque. But because of his Low Cg and magnet downforce from the motor it can carry a crazy amount of speed in the turns under acceleration. SO the technique is to brake earlier than usual and stomp the throttle at the turn entrance so the gentle acceleration controls drift. Of course the other problem Massimo had was the tires of both cars immediately fouled with dust. But yes I have 50 years of practice on him.
Super cool! It encourages me to start my own slot car, Clubhouse . My concern is overhead cost. And whether or not can ever achieve profit. I would like to do two 1/4 mile dragstrip and a couple of street tracks .
Glad to hear it! The SlotCarClubhouse as it is now is not a profit making venture. It is sponsored by my other two companies. OmniSlotBox and Nomad Raceways. I run it mainly to build a community of local slot racers. The Clubhouse itself is located behind my home so it does not have commercial overhead. It's tracks were all designed to be portable and are available at Nomad Raceways events. I operated a commercial raceway In San Diego for 13 years with a modest profit. When I was transferred to Arkansas I studied the market and felt that there would be insufficient support for a comercial raceway. There have been several on the past 7 year that have opened and closed with insufficient support. Your local market, network and location might be viable, but be careful. I'd be glad to give further insights on this if you call or visit.
Very tidy example...many more have a bit more play wear displayed 😀. Interesting to see that a Cox F1 swingarm has been slotted in. I will have to get measuring and see if there is a difference between that and the stock swing arm that would make a difference to the guide height. Those GT40 rear wheels would be slowing it down some as well😜 Great clip, thanks for putting it up.
You are correct rear wheel being Gt 40 and the Ferrari drop arm. This car is a runnerand has seen some changes over the years. Speaking of changes I remember breaking the chassis on my Cox Ferrari when new ones were still on the raceway shelf. I was told at the time that replacement part was not available and wrote the car off. Now, 50+ years later original parts are easily found... one of the benefits of the internet I suppose.
¡Te animo a conducirlo! Son muy divertidos. La dificultad con este estilo es que los neumáticos de espuma se pueden secar, ya que las pistas de plástico necesitan un pequeño compuesto de tracción para permitir un buen rendimiento, pero luego... ¡Velocidad!
