Does anyone have any slot car history on how Aurora AFX went to Tomy AFX?

I know Aurora went out of business in 1983 but how was it that Tomy picked up the product line? Is the current TOMY track a Tomy design or something Aurora had in the works?

The reason I ask is that it is surprising that the AFX line would continue. This happened back when computer games were beginning to take hold devastating the traditional toy/hobby market. I am surprised that AFX racing endured despite one company closing and another having to recreate the whole affair.

Thanks in advance.

Jim Norton
Huntsville, Alabama

The more I go back and consider how the whole video game craze rolled out, the more I'm not surprised that slots never actually went away any further than they did. I agree about how video games really put a damper on the hobby scene, but for a lot of people video games are flat and sterile and just aren't all that impressive. Slots are such a tangible entity... hold 'em, run 'em, fix 'em, paint 'em (heck you can smell 'em). That kind of really hands on activity either gets into your blood or it doesn't. So I think it's more of a situation where customers and demand kept AFX afloat. Not that I in any way take any accolades from the mfgs for keeping it going, but bottom line is you can make as many slot cars as you want, but you can't make customers. nd

BTW: Would it hurt to run a commercial or two for some of these mfgs? How about on the Speed Channel?

You have point about the lack of commercials. I can't remember the last time I saw an ad for slot cars on the tube.

You have point about the lack of commercials. I can't remember the last time I saw an ad for slot cars on the tube.
David Hobbs every F1 race is a rolling slot car comercial.. "Those Cars handle just alike a slot car they do.." He says it at least once a race and is about the only time I don't wish he'd shut up lol...


Coach

The Thrrrrrill of RRRRReal RRRRRacing with Jackie Stewart commercial...no?

(trying to roll my R's above)...nd :tongue:

shamless plug, sorry.... but I can't resist.

If any of you want a DVD with lots of Aurora commericals. PM me.
I authored one that's a huge hit, sold more than 200 hundred copies and not a single complaint, but lots of repeat orders. Look up Videojimmy on ebay and read about it.

Forum members get a special deal... as a few here can attest to.

dunno, when I was a kid, at some point we all watched Saturday morning cartoons. Now if the TV goes on in the morning courtesy of my son most of the time it's MLB 2008, or Madden, or whatever. So much for network TV. There is also R/C, from big ol' hummers to those little tuner cars (Zaps) they sell at radio shack - can't tell you how many R/C toys my son has had. We didn't have any of that. His diecast experience was similar to mine, same with little action figures/army men, but R/C definitely replaced most of the battery/electric stuff I had.

Jim, the Graham book has a good timelog of Aurora, and Beers' book is pretty informative too, about how some bad decisions and problems sunk the company in 1983.

I agree with nuther Dave, if you like to build and model, or run, you need the real deal. I think there are several things that hold slot cars back, though 1/32 certainly has made a comeback in many areas. One is a lack of continually intro'd new ho cars to capture the younger set's imagination. Another is the lack of a competition standard. Aurora did the hobby store competition, everybody tuned their own car, ran on identical tracks, the finalists moved on. It still works with Pinewood derby cars, it could still work with slot cars.

I think the commercial deal would be tough now. Tomy/Racemasters is still selling new cars modeled on 956/962 Porsches, 15 year old formula cars, and 959s the newest of which came out in 1989. At least there is a PT cruiser, though that's not what it's called.... maybe a better chance when the new sets come out. Historic cars and classics need to be represented, so do current cars.

Does anyone have any slot car history on how Aurora AFX went to Tomy AFX?

I know Aurora went out of business in 1983 but how was it that Tomy picked up the product line? Is the current TOMY track a Tomy design or something Aurora had in the works?

The reason I ask is that it is surprising that the AFX line would continue. This happened back when computer games were beginning to take hold devastating the traditional toy/hobby market. I am surprised that AFX racing endured despite one company closing and another having to recreate the whole affair.

Thanks in advance.

Jim Norton
Huntsville, Alabama


There's a book titled, Grenburg's Guide To AURORA SLOT CARS. The book tells the story of Aurora from it's start to end.

1977 AFX was purchased by Dunbee-Combex-Marx of Great Britian.
1981 AFX was purchased by Aurora Canada.
1984 AFX was purchased by Tomy Kogyo Ltd of Japan.
1986 AFX was puchased by Coleco Industries of Connecticut.
1988 AFX was purchased by Tomy Kogyo Ltd of Japan.
Source, Greenburg's Guide to Aurora Slot Cars, page 74.

Hope this helps, Randy.

The track Tomy uses is what Rokar was making in the 70's-early 80's. I'm guessing the bought out their track rights, patent, etc. Wonder why they didn't buy the rights to the chassis? At the time the Rokar M-chassis was very good. They're almost identical to Lifelike's FastTracker chassis, which were very popular until Wizzard, Slottech, and BSRT made their RTR chassis.

Life Like bought the line from Rokar in the late 80's. Life Like is the same track that was used by Rokar. LL used the M-chassis for a while until they released the T-chassis a few years ago.

Best regards,
Brian

Lifelike track is different from Rokar, BRS. Its more like the vintage Afx track, except that the lock in in the middle of the track (but unfortunately more fragile), instead of on the very corners of each piece.

DLW,

Are you sure? I have a ROKAR catalog and it shows the exact same track pieces as Like Like such as the 12" radius banked curve with the apron. The ROKAR catalog also shows the center lock in the track as you mentioned when you described the LL track.

Best regards,
Brian

The track Tomy uses is what Rokar was making in the 70's-early 80's. I'm guessing the bought out their track rights, patent, etc. Wonder why they didn't buy the rights to the chassis? At the time the Rokar M-chassis was very good. They're almost identical to Lifelike's FastTracker chassis, which were very popular until Wizzard, Slottech, and BSRT made their RTR chassis.

Actually the Tomy AFX track that came out around 1986 by Coleco was a brand new design and nothing taken from any other designs expect possibly something that Aurora could have had in the works.

Rokar didn't come about until the mid to late 1980s taking over the Amrac line-up including their track system which dates back to Cox in the 1970s when they produced a new line of HO track and cars which later had Rokar produce their M-Car chassis and Life-Like later take over their line-up with improvements in the 1990s to current.

I recall seeing Amrac track sold in Kay-Bee Toy Stores in the late 1980s and they were mostly curves especially the 12inch banked curves with the side apron molded in to what Life-Like produces today. Strange how probably nobody bought that track since it was mostly old AFX, Tyco, and the newer Tomy AFX that people had and only bought the Amrac cars for some cheap runners...not sure if Amrac actually had any sets out but Rokar sure did and Life-Like took over from there...