Repositioning the Big Screen

 A couple of years ago, I modified a digital photo frame to act as a big screen on the layout.

The location looked good but it's always partially obscured the far corner.  This weekend I finally got round to moving it to the background.

I removed the screen and replaced it with a marshal's hit, and fitted the screen to a new stand.

I also added a Big Red Button (TM) for starting the races.

More spectators and a new car

I got a load more Chinese figures a while back.  I mounted them in groups and grassed the bases.  The figures I'd painted I placed on painted foam.

The Chinese figures look ok from a distance so I've used them around the big screen and filled out the grandstands with them.

I also treated myself to another car last month, one that I used to enjoy using on Gran Turismo.  This isn't the most exciting colour scheme for the Mazda 787B but it's a great car.  It's the first car I've bought from MrSlotCar, a Canadian company owned by a slot car racing champion, and these cars are designed for racers with high-spec components, including machined bronze axle bushings, hardened steel axles, adjustable motor pod for spring suspension, and adjustable front axle height.

The Big Screen

I didn't plan to have a Christmas project (like last year's Top Gear track) but ended up with one anyway.  There's always been a bit of unfinished scenery in the far corner between two curves of track.  The gap was cunningly covered by a roll of grass paper:

This looked ok but the cats had a habit of walking on it and falling through to the table-top below.  But I needed an excuse to put the effort into creating a proper piece of scenery.  Inspiration finally came from the old digital photo frame gathering dust in the corner of the bedroom.  Could it be rewired to create a big screen for the track...?

Of course it could!  I removed the LCD screen and wired in an extension lead (two lengths of phone cable proving perfect for the twelve wires needed).  A slight error led to my blowing the power supply (lesson: always double check your connections!) but I managed to rewire the power into the input used by the internal battery, now disconnected.

Then I started on the scenery with the trusty MDF, cardboard and offcuts left over from when I made the layout table back in 2009.

Add Plaster of Paris and last week's Guardian:

Spray on some paint, glue on some grass and install the big screen:

In place on the circuit, with some added people, barriers and the time-keeper's hut:

It's not completely finished - I have some 1/32 scale trees and more spectators on the way from China - so I'll add them later to fill up the open space a bit.

I've wired the power for the screen through the switchboard and the memory card has been loaded up with all the images of my slot cars, with the addition of this welcome screen:

Here's some video of the screen in action: