Toy cars have been around since the advent of horseless carriage. What started out as big cast iron wagons and carriages, grew to include cars, trucks, buses and nearly every other wheeled vehicle found on the road.

Of course, cast iron has since been replaced by various alloys, composites and plastics to produce the diecast cars that we collect today. This trend toward producing miniatures of vehicles we see every day has grown into a huge industry that makes almost anything one can imagine, from garbage trucks and farm tractors, to racing cars, to the latest super car from your favorite marque. Scales range generally from 1:87 (HO) to 1:12 and in some cases even larger. The most popular scales today are 1:64, 1:43, 1:24 and 1:18.

Dad Sparked Interest in Diecast Cars

I guess I could blame my parents, specifically my dad, for my diecast (and plastic) model car collection. It all started in the summer of 1970 when my dad bought his brand new 1969 Pontiac Tempest and received a plastic promotional scale model of a 1970 GTO from the dealer. He gave me the GTO and that started a lifelong love of all things automotive. Over the years, I received many more models, Hot Wheels, Matchboxes and other various toy trucks, cars etc.

Unfortunately, I was a very destructive child and wrecked most all of my toys and especially my Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars using things like a hammer, the vise on the garage workbench, and even putting them under the leg of my bed. This continued until my pre-adolescent years, when I finally matured enough to realize the value of my toys and that they were worth more to me intact than in pieces. I’m sure my parents wondered if they should ever buy me another toy again! Once I was old enough to have some money of my own I started buying toys and models for myself and have continued to do so to this day.

A Sizable Scale Model Collection

I collect plastic model kits, diecasts in several scales, including 1:64 and 1:18, as well as various other automotive memorabilia. At present, I have over 80 1:18 diecasts plus a few hundred 1:64 cars plus well over 600-700 models.

Why do I collect all this stuff and in such relatively high numbers, you may ask? Well, my problem is this: I like nearly anything with four and even two wheels and would love to have a bunch of real cars and a couple of motorcycles. Since this would be impossible from a financial and logistical standpoint, I try to fuel my fantasy with models of the real thing! A scale model collection allows me the freedom to own my dream machines without an insanely huge amount of capital investment. Heck, one can still find Hot Wheels, etc. at around a buck and oftentimes one can acquire 1:18 diecasts for much less than the $30-$40 that many of them are going for these days. I used to pick up a lot of the Ertl diecast musclecars at Toys ‘R’ Us years ago but the market has changed, making diecasts a bit more challenging to find. Still, many good deals can be found at your local hobby shop.

Article provided by Bob Kremer, Member of IPMS-Steve Wittman Model Club, Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

On street trackage for model train layouts, sharp curves, embedded rail and turnouts, not to mention vehicular traffic, are all construction, maintenance and/or operational challenges. That’s why many lines decided to build track on a center median or side-of-the-road easement.

While electric interurban lines built many of these, mainline railroads built plenty too, or took over track from interurbans. Modeling them is as easy as building your street parallel and very close to the track. Ten scale feet between the road’s edge and the track centerline is typical. If your street is in a village or city, add a curb along the edge of your road surface using a scale 6 x 6″ styrene strip painted a concrete color. If the track is between two lanes of traffic, make sure to add appropriate grade crossings and signs where streets cross. Rural lines seldom have curbs. Instead they have a strip of tall grass or a small weedy drainage ditch—easily modeled using appropriate ground cover.

This tip provided courtesy of Walthers

It’s that time again. Pinewood Derby is being held at almost every elementary school right around now. Our local races were last night, and technology has definitely had an impact since our oldest son was racing some 15 years ago!

These days, as you are probably already aware, the races are judged with a laser beam and digital count. It’s pretty neat. The track we saw last night was a four lane with a high slope at the start, and laser read digital display at the bottom. Not only does the digital display allow more than one placer (2 second place, for instance), but the information is also captured on a laptop for final judging.

Each den used to be allowed to write their own rules and guidelines, taking into consideration that the more wins, the higher the level of competition, and ultimately there are guidelines to those races. Usually the differences had to do with what the younger dens getting some wiggle room, not anything big.  You wouldn’t want to win, for example, on flimsy rules where you would be out of the running in the higher levels. Bearing that in mind, the rules outlined for Pack 871, our local Cub Scout Pack, were the Boy Scouts of America Official Grand Pix Derby Rules, using the official kit only. Most are done that way for obvious reasons.

Axle Placement Update

The official rules don’t allow your own grooves for the axle placement. That’s contrary to the advice given earlier. While the dens may get away with that, the packs won’t. Now that the tracks have individual lanes, it just doesn’t matter. That car will run straight, no matter what speed! If the pre-cut grooves aren’t square and parallel, the car will just be slower. The BSA rules say there are NO exceptions to the factory cut grooves, so if it isn’t square, it probably needs to be returned and swapped out.

Rocket Scientist Pinewood Derby

Picture by Katie H

It’s great to see what these kids are up to now. The coolest thing I’ve seen so far is the Rocket Scientist competition. WOW.  Only a handful of rules similar to the Pinewood Derby rules. The difference is in the propulsion methods.  With the exclusion of explosives or anything that might harm the track, anything goes!

My daughter took these pictures. I see photojournalism in her future!

When did all the technology start seeping into the Pinewood Derby? I like it.

Picture by Pinecar

After the basic design is determined, you will need to get cracking on axle placement. It is one of the most crucial parts to install, so getting it right the first time is pretty important.

The axles need to be positioned with perfect alignment to allow the car to roll down the track in as straight a line as possible. If they are not straight, the wheels will battle each other and slow the car down. In addition, the axles need to be far enough into the car, but yet leave enough space between the body of the car and the wheel to allow free spinning motion.

Don’t trust the precut grooves in the block because they may not be square. Before the shaping and carving begins, draw a line for the axles using a square and a pencil to make sure they are congruent. Drill out only when you know your axles will be square. It’s much easier to do when it’s still in block form, than if you try to drill out after your car has its intended shape.

What If Your Car Won’t Run Straight?

Several things should be checked to see why you’re not getting the performance you want.

• Do the wheels have any molding left on the tread? Sand them off being careful not to compromise the shape of the wheel.

• Use a strip of fine sandpaper to remove any burrs or jagged edges on the nail head where it meets the wheel. Use a cloth and chrome polish, or another polishing agent to bring your axles to a high gloss.

• Consider putting each axle in a drill chuck to practice getting up to high speed. Does it all move smoothly?

Lubrication

Don’t forget to lubricate your axles with graphite. Most often your competition will allow you to lubricate directly before you race, but make sure you have done this ahead of time as well. Give each wheel a spin and apply a little bit of graphite at a time until you achieve your maximum spin rate. Graphite is messy, so do it over a workspace that you aren’t worried about.

picture by Pinecar

Pinewood Derby cars are a lot of fun, but it takes a little know how to get the most out of your experience. Whether you got your kit from your scout leader or picked it up yourself at a Boy Scout Store, you probably opened it up and went, “Now what do I do with this wood?” I remember the first time we opened our son’s kit. We had no idea how to make a car out of it, or how to make it competitive!

My husband and I were talking about Pinewood racing the other day, and it brought back some great memories. Here’s what got us from block of wood to competition ready car.

Within Your Pinewood Derby Rules:

• The shape is yours to play with. Your car can have a cool shape, paint job, and even decals. Have your son draw it out a couple of different ways. Remember that length is critical to controlling your car, so go as long as you can.

• Within the weight limit, you should go as heavy as the rules allow. This will allow your car some speed. Weight increments start as low as 1 oz., but most are 2 oz, and are capable of breaking off at smaller increments. Positioning the weight is the fun part.

Weight Placement

You will have to purchase your own weights, but as long as you stay within the weight limit, you can use what you like. That said, after your son has given some decent input on where he thinks the weight should go, you may want to make sure you’ve guided him to weight placement in the rear of the car. Positioning is the key. The further towards the back, the faster your car will be. That’s tricky because you will sacrifice some front-end stability. You can regain control by placing your rear wheels as far to the back as possible.

Drilling out a place for the weight is a good idea because of the weight exchange. Wood displacement gives you a little more room. Some competitors have used fishing weights, closing the hole on the top with a wax plug.

These days the weights you can just purchase make the most sense, though. For around $4.00 you can get what you need and figure out how to adhere it without going over limit. You’ll be able to find selections at your local hobby retailer.

You don’t have to drill into the top, either. You can turn it over and completely conceal from the topside where you’ve decided to put the weight. Keep a close eye on the scale because you will become disqualified if you go over limit.

We’ll go over the axles and lubrication in my next submission.