Scalextric & Slot Car

A slot car is a powered miniature auto (or similar vehicle) which is guided by a groove or slot in the track on which it runs. A pin or blade extends from the bottom of the car into the slot. more...

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Though some slot cars are used to model highway traffic on scenic layouts, the great majority are used in the competitive hobby of miniature motor-racing, also called slot car racing or slot racing.

Slot cars are usually models of actual automobiles, though a few racers custom-design their cars' bodies. Most enthusiasts use commercially-available slot cars (often modified for better performance), others motorize static models, and some "scratch-build," creating their own mechanisms and bodies from basic parts and materials.

Racers generally use a hand-held controller or throttle to regulate a small electric motor hidden within each car; greater pressure on the throttle produces a greater speed. Each car runs on a separate lane, with its own guide-slot. The challenge in racing slot cars comes in taking curves at the highest speed that will not cause the car to lose its grip and spin sideways, or 'deslot' and leave the track altogether. As in actual rear wheel-drive auto racing, some "drift" of the back end of the car is possible (even though it offers no comparable advantage), and this adds a touch of realism to slot racing.

Though many slot car racers prefer a racetrack unobstructed by scenery, some enthusiasts, much as in model railroading, build elaborate tracks, sculpted to have the appearance of a real-life racecourse, including miniature buildings, trees and people. Slot car racing has a smaller (though no less enthusiastic) following than model railroading.

Model motorcycles, trucks and similar vehicles which use the guide-slot system, are also generally included under the loose classification of "slot car."

How it works

Left is a schematic diagram of the wiring of typical 1:24 and 1:32 scale slot car setups. The track is part of a circuit, and the voltage is varied by a resistor in the hand controller. Power for the car's motor is carried by metal strips next to the slot, and is picked up by contacts alongside the guide flag (a swiveling blade) under the front of the slot car.

HO slot cars work on a similar principle, but the electrical contacts, called "pickup shoes," are generally fixed directly to the car's chassis, and a round guide pin is sometimes used instead of a swiveling flag. The current is carried by thin metal rails which project barely above the track surface.

Today, in all scales, 'downforce' or 'traction' magnets are often used to help hold the car to the track at higher speeds, though some enthusiasts believe magnet-free racing provides greater driving challenge and enjoyment.

Common slot car scales

There are three common slotcar scales (sizes): 1:24 scale, 1:32 scale, and so-called HO scale (1:87 to 1:64 scale). These are also commonly written as 1/24, 1/32, 1/87 and 1/64. Usual pronunciation is "one twenty-fourth," "one thirty-second," and so on, but sometimes "one to twenty-four," "one to thirty-two," etc.

Read more at Wikipedia.org