Swindon Swapmeet 2014

Andy and I went along to Swindon Oasis last weekend for the annual Scalextric Swapmeet.

It's at least the fifth time we've been but this was the first time we've been stall holders.  We paid to share a table where we attempted to thin out our car collections and raise a bit of cash.  It was a good day as lots of people want to have a chat about your cars, and fortunately some of them want to buy them too.  I still came home with most of what I took along but I sold enough to make the day extremely worthwhile, and I learned a lot from Andy, the master salesman, who pretty much cleared his stock.  Keen to do this again next year.

I didn't spend much - a couple of chassis for future projects, a Maserati for spares, and a couple of Nissan 350Z cars with 360 degree drift guides.  They were only £3 each and I soon discovered why - they didn't work.  But it was only that the diodes had blown in the circuit rectifiers (which allow you to place the car in any direction and it always drives forwards) so I just bypassed them, and all was fine (although now you have to ensure the guide is the right way round before racing).  The 350Zs can swing around at corners and drive away in the opposite direction, clearly useless for racing laps but a lot of fun just to mess around with.  I also bought another Chase Cars bodyshell as a future project - watch this space.

Stuart visited today for another boys' day of racing and FIFA.  The racing was very close and "assertive" - as summed up well by this photo of the finish line:

LEGO Technic Jet

David got me the LEGO Technic Jet for Christmas.  I hadn't built a Technic set for years (decades?) and this was a big one.  Really nice looking model with some clever moving mechanisms.  Lots and lots of parts, and instructions over two books...

The completed model has retractable undercarriage, opening canopy, swing wings and ailerons operated by stick in the cockpit.

Here's a video (not by me) of it being constructed (speeded up to 2.5 minutes - so about a minute an hour).  Start at this point (or skip to 2m04s)to see the moving parts demonstrated.



Not Scalextric but of a similar scale (about 50 cm in length) to my Spitfire so it may end up flying over the layout.

Scalextric-scale Motorbikes

I've blogged before about motorbike models that work on slot tracks.  They are inevitably a larger-scale than the cars and so look out of place if left on the layout.  I found on eBay some 1:32 scale motorbikes for a couple of quid each that, although they don't run on the track, do look good as part of the scenery on the layout.

I bought the models to match the Scalextric MotoGP bikes I have.  Nicky Hayden's Repsol Honda (right hand side) is a perfect clone.  The colour schemes of the bikes on the left are a reasonable match, even though they aren't exactly the same bike.  Amazing models for the price.

1:1 scale Scalextric

This is great (especially for electric car drivers, Kieron!).

Jaguar Mk2 number 2

Andy bought me a Jaguar Mk2 to race against the one I built last year.  I'd spotted the very nice Jaguar XJS produced by GeorgeTurnerModels and I thought the 1980s TWR paint scheme and livery would make an appropriate (although twenty years early!) design for the Mk2.

George Turner's XJS model 

The bodyshell was prepared, primed and painted before I remembered to photograph it, so here it is with the interior, windows, and Ninco Jaguar XK120 chassis that this Pendle kit comes with.

The waterslide decals provided by George Turner were very sharp and detailed, easy to apply, and I'm pleased with how the car turned out.  It races well too.

Fiat Bartoletti Ferrari Transporter

This limited edition model has just been released by Racer.  It's a reproduction in 1/32 scale of the Fiat Bartoletti Ferrari Transporter that was used in the fifties and sixties to transport up to three Ferraris to races.  It is a working slot car model with two motors and the rear ramp can be lowered.  I won't be buying one (RRP £450!) but I do think it's a beautiful model.

You built a time machine… out of a DeLorean?

Continuing the theme of modelling slot cars on famous Film & TV vehicles, I proudly present the DeLorean DMC-12 from Back to the Future.

I bought the resin bodyshell from a Spanish eBay seller and adapted a chassis from a Scalextric Lamborghini Diablo.

I painted the body with a brush rather than spray as I thought that would give a better representation of the brushed stainless steel bodywork.  Marty McFly was painted with his jeans and red body warmer.

I fitted some mounting posts and then put it all together, adding the final touch of a little sticker with the number plate from the movies.


The model reflects the car in the second film, with the addition of the Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor (installed in 2015) which replaces plutonium as the primary power source of the DeLorean's time travel capability.

In the third film, the car goes back to 1885 but can't get back because the time circuits are not functioning correctly.  The DeLorean is hidden in a mine for 70 years because suitable replacement parts to replace the destroyed microchip would not be invented until 1947.  The car is recovered from the mine on November 14, 1955 and restored to working order by replaced the microchip by a tray of valves and other 1950s electrical components.  This tray was included with the bodyshell I bought and so I've painted it up too.

Great Scott!