I was wondering, for each of you, do you tend to buy just bodies and swap them out with a limited supply of chassis that they fit? Or do you always buy complete RTR's - body and chassis that are ready to run?

I have just about any chassis that a body would fit and was thinking is it better to just buy the bodies now and not the complete RTR's or is it still advantageous to buy complete RTR's?

Thoughts?

Just planning for when I have the cash flow to begin buying again.;)

PD2:thumbsup:

I like this question. I buy mostly RTR's. I have puchased about a dozen of the DashMotorSports bodies. Had to have those. The Falcon and Galaxies are just great.
I was able to get NOS original Thunderjet chassis from one place close to home. But they're out now.
I prefer having a complete car as to just the body. If you buy a bunch of bodies when they're just released for $10.00 then pay another $10.00 to $13.00 for the chassis it can add up.
A RTR may cost $10.00 to $20.00
I guess it comes down to what you want, like, and how much money you're willing to spend or can spend. Just my 2 pennies worth. Randy.

I have been buying chassis lots on e-bay and putting them back together......right now I have 8 extra G+, 5 extra Afx, 5 specialty chassis, 2 extra super magna-traction, 18 extra magna-traction, 9 extra t-jet,
25 extra x-traction, 7 lighted x-traction, 5 a.w. thunder jets, 2 tomy turbo, 3 pull back thunder jet chassis.

Needless to say, I keep the extra chassis in hope I'll stumble across a few bodies I really like. Most of what I have is related to the AFX platform,(My 1st true slot car) I have somewhere around 1000 cars and from time to time my wife gets on me for having "more than you can race".

So I go after (collect) RTR and bodies.:confused:

Now back to the pursuit of my next treasure :thumbsup:


Pickeringtondad
aka
Bob

Depends on your situation. I have a lot of chassis that I am happy with so I just get bodies when possible. There is the convenience factor of every body on a chassis when goofin around.

I have been buying chassis lots on e-bay and putting them back together......right now I have 8 extra G+, 5 extra Afx, 5 specialty chassis,
2 extra super magna-traction, 18 extra magna-traction, 9 extra t-jet,
25 extra x-traction, 7 lighted x-traction, 5 a.w. thunder jets, 2 tomy turbo,
3 pull pack thunder jet chassis.

Pickeringtondad
aka
Bob

Bob AKA pickeringtondad,

So you're the guy who keeps beating me for chassis components! I drool in your general direction! I send da bomb bad Jar Jar Binks to visit you for a whole week! Meas just kidding, slot bro! :wave:

I do the same thing. I have been buying chassis, gear plate/arm assembles, magnets, etc. and spending quality slot time rebuilding the many disassociated parts into running chassis. It is cool to see a running chassis appear where there was once only a scattering of parts. I guess it's theraputic as well. Maybe this could be the start of a Dr. Phil kinda muchie feelie goodie book...:jest:

Just leave some stuff for me, yah hear?

Hutt :drunk::hat::freak::dude::tongue:

Me that is.. I went on a body buying spree.. Not all at once , but the "a few here and a bunch there" do add up rather quickly! I am so pathetically far behind on chassis I may never catch up. I now find myself about 130 chassis behind.. And Bad Dawg is just adding fuel to the fire!!! I want this one, and that one... see what I mean???? It's bound to get worse before it gets better.... :(

Last week, out of boredoom, I got out my blank viable chassis and my parts container and put together
18 tjets
4 lighted tjets
1 tuffones tjet
2 AFX
1 lighted AFX
Now when I find some bodies I'm ready to go.
hojoe

At least 99.99999% of my purchases are for the collection and will end up on a display shelf. This is because I realize I can only keep so many chassis in good running order and actually get a chance to run them around the track for a while.

So I have my stable of 150 or so cars which I run and the multitudes of cars (and bodies) which are for show. Basically all cars purchased for the collection are complete cars.

However, I recently started picking up Auto World bodies when I could get them at a few dollars a piece. I never started collecting the Auto World cars because of their marketing tactics during the early releases; remember the "mixed case", different windshield and "chase" days? Had I collected them like everything else, I would have bought complete cars. So for these cars, when I can get them cheap, I'll buy a body I don't have. The entire AW collection will go in the display case without chassis.

The bottom line for me is that there are only so many cars I can keep in running order. So for runners you have to decide whether you want a chassis for every body, or want to tune a bunch of chassis and then just switch out bodies. Trying to keep 100+ chassis happy could be a full time job.

Thanks...Joe

I would venture to guess that 98% of the cars in my display cases have chassis's... I have a little bit of everything. About the time a snagged a bunch of JL pullbacks at the local dollar stores I went way behind on chassis's to body ratio. The AFX body JLs I had covered via AFX or Tomy, but the tjet chassis is getting to be a little ridiculous in reference to price. $12 a pop for original tjet chassis's is ridiculous I think. And unfortunately I am not a fan of the newer JL/AW chassis's. Truthfully I only have a couple tuff-one JLs floatin' around here with a radio shack magnet on it. They are a blast but now the ultra whatever chassis came out... Why not just race magnet cars then? (Another post I guess)

I like prototypes too and bought a large group of just bodies. Nice thing is that the cheap mattel chassis's are available for a few bucks so someday I will catch up...

No you will never race all of your cars at the same time.. LOL And you will probably race only a handfull of you favorites... My recommendation is that if the price is right, buy complete, but if there is a particular body you want, don't pass it up.

-Marc and Marcus

I buy whatever feels good and fits my needs at the time. I don't care about body / chassis ratios. :)

I like getting a chassis, but I buy cars for the bodies. I go nuts over old dollar bodies.

Rich

My display cases house the cars (bodies) that I want to keep from beating up on the tracks. My race boxes house the chassis that I use for racing. The chassis that aren't good enough to stay ahead of or keep up with the pack go into the display cases. Since my walls of cases can't hold ALL of my "show off" stuff I rotate bodies on many of the chassis from time to time and then don't have to worry about a chassis for every body. I've also got LOTS of beatup, busted, & dis-assembled race chassis that need to (or can) be put together to use under display cars. So...... sometimes I buy bodies, sometimes I buy chassis, & sometimes I buy complete cars.

Personaly I prefer to buy chassis and bodies separatly, to create custom race classes. Example, I bought some racemaster bodies to fit magna and xtraction chassis, or lifelike nascar bodies to fit tomy turbo chassis ;)

Thanks for all of your responses guys! Great posts and feedback! If I had to sum things up so far and from what I can tell, it really becomes either a deal search or particular chassis/body search. Sounds like most of you are driven by the costs of what you are looking at or for - be it just a body, just a chassis or a complete RTR. And then there are those rare occassions that you guys go after a particular body, chassis or RTR that you have decided you must have. Very interesting and great responses - if anyone else has not responded and would like to throw their $.02 in, please do! I hope others are getting good use of this thread other than me.

So let me throw another question out that came to me while reading Eastside Johnny's post. How many of you buy the same two of any body, chassis or RTR - one to race/bash/use and the other to have as a collection display or just for future spare parts? When I was heavy into 1/32 racing I recall SEVERAL guys doing this...just wondering how many of you guys here do it.

Thanks again for all the great posts! Feel free to continue to add to the original question and post up on the new question I have here.

PD2:thumbsup:

So...... sometimes I buy bodies, sometimes I buy chassis, & sometimes I buy complete cars.

Me too.

Also, I keep a small Plano lure box full of all the possible silicone tire combinations for running my box stock cars on the track. I don't outfit every car in a display case with good aftermarket tires. When the cars are in the case they can have black rock tires on them for all I care. When I pull them out I slap on the pink, green, blue, etc., silicones and run them 'round the track. All of my cars get run at one time or another. No queens.

I've thought about this and noticed long ago that people don't particularly care about the chassis as long as the body they want is available. I'm the same way to an extent but I hesitate buying a whole car if the chassis is of no use to me (e.g. an Ultra 5 chassis) unless it's super cheap combined with the shipping.

I'm extremely price conscious and sometimes break down the cost of what is for sale. I just can't seem to bring myself to spend $20 for a body only not including shipping.

To better answer your question though, I typically go for the RTR cars first. I like having a chassis already paired up with a body. That being said, show me a good deal on just chassis and I'm there. I'll acquire bodies later.

I tried to have a chassis under every body,but with the rapidly disappearing and ever increasing price of the NOS chassis I see more and more bodies without chassis in the near future.

I tried to have a chassis under every body,but with the rapidly disappearing and ever increasing price of the NOS chassis I see more and more bodies without chassis in the near future.

BINGO! Actually, this is what prompted me to post up about this topic. I see some bodies for a good deal, then they slap it on a chassis and its well over $20. I see some approaching close to $30 lately. Another $10 and you can buy a 1/32 SCX. Another $20 and you are buying all the other 1/32 cars. And you if you only want to go to a 1/43, those are $10 to at most $20! RTR!

I love my HO's and really have been enjoying them lately. But I was just wondering if there was any advantage to having the complete RTR's vs. just a body that gets swapped with the chassis you have. I have always thought it better to have one body to one chassis, but, as pointed out, I was beginning to question that due to costs.

Any other thoughts on this or even the other question I posed about buying two of everything - one for display and one to run?

Thanks guys!
PD2:thumbsup:

I guess a high 5 is in order here to JL and AW. The pullback chassis and the free wheeling chassis do have their place in our world after all!! Better to have something under a body than nothing at all..

I guess a high 5 is in order here to JL and AW. The pullback chassis and the free wheeling chassis do have their place in our world after all!! Better to have something under a body than nothing at all..

LOL! Now that's funny because I was flipping through those cars the other day and thinking, "Why have these other than to have something under the body for a display, right?" I suppose you are right Slotcarman. Funny thing is that Kyosho did the same thing with the R/C Mini-Z car - they had RTR's, but then created what they called crystal display bodies - car bodies that could be used on the RTR's, but came in a molded crystal display that looked like you had it on a chassis (the chassis was molded into the display). Cheap bodies that you could either shelf queen or use to replace a beat up body or use as an alternative race body. Of course, each body had a special weight and aerodynamics for certain types of racing so hence you wanted just certain bodies with a consistent chassis. But yeah, never thought of JL/AW pullbacks and freewheelers that way.

PD2:thumbsup:

Actually, after I thought about it, probably a 50/50 split. :) rr

On the topic of having one for display and one for racin'...I'm not at a point in my buying/collecting to focus on buying duplicate bodies BUT I will not turn down a good deal either. I do have some duplicates like most people and welcome even more when the good opportunity arises but I still have a ton of the "don't have yet" on my list.

I would love to have a display case of shelf queens with the bodies sitting on "empty" chassis. I picture myself showing friends my collection while wearing a nice burgundy smoking jacket, holding a snifter of brandy, and speaking with an uppity British accent..."Yaws, this my Tyrrell P34 First National City specimen. The going rate for one of these is a pretty hefty penny I must say."

Until then it's a dirty racing related T shirt, beer, and grammatically incorrect sentences.

I would love to have a display case of shelf queens with the bodies sitting on "empty" chassis. I picture myself showing friends my collection while wearing a nice burgundy smoking jacket, holding a snifter of brandy, and speaking with an uppity British accent..."Yaws, this my Tyrrell P34 First National City specimen. The going rate for one of these is a pretty hefty penny I must say."



Hats off to you, Ligier Runner! I like the way you think. See the dream. Be the dream.

Hutt :drunk::hat::freak::dude::tongue:

And to think, I just sold 25 of my body over-population solution!! Doh!! I buy bulk bodies of cars I think will be capable of lighting. Somewhere in the back of my mind I still think I can make these to sell somewhere down the line. I'm still working out the bugs in the lighting circuit so we'll just have to wait and see... I can't sell them until I have a clear conscience they will work for a long, long time. I'm hoping by this fall to have at least 4 body styles available for market. Only time will tell!! :)

I guess a high 5 is in order here to JL and AW. The pullback chassis and the free wheeling chassis do have their place in our world after all!! Better to have something under a body than nothing at all..I thought it was just me!!!:wave::thumbsup::thumbsup:And i love this post!!!:dude:i don't like the feeling of having more bodies than chassis but the j.l pullback chassis's and w.lightning chassis make it a little better!!!!

I use the vibe chasis for display purposes since I do not have much luck with them. I used to swap bodies around on chasis but then they seem to lose their identity. If your favorite body has a slow chasis you are more likely to work on it rather than just swap it for a quicker one. I realized this one day when I looked at my favorite first slot car and wondered if the solid rivet chasis was the correct one for that body and was disappointed to not be sure.

And to think, I just sold 25 of my body over-population solution!! Doh!! I buy bulk bodies of cars I think will be capable of lighting. Somewhere in the back of my mind I still think I can make these to sell somewhere down the line. I'm still working out the bugs in the lighting circuit so we'll just have to wait and see... I can't sell them until I have a clear conscience they will work for a long, long time. I'm hoping by this fall to have at least 4 body styles available for market. Only time will tell!! :)

If you have something that is working for longer than a few months, I think you are doing better than the manufacturers. I remember my old lighted Tyco cars - I think have of them started winking after only a few months. It wasn't long before both lights were not even working and that ended my buddy and I's night racing - or dark room racing at least. I'm all for quality construction, but some things you might not be able to overcome just because of the nature of the "beast."

PD2:thumbsup:

I use the vibe chasis for display purposes since I do not have much luck with them. I used to swap bodies around on chasis but then they seem to lose their identity. If your favorite body has a slow chasis you are more likely to work on it rather than just swap it for a quicker one. I realized this one day when I looked at my favorite first slot car and wondered if the solid rivet chasis was the correct one for that body and was disappointed to not be sure.

I just did this with an AW/JL Round 2 that had a nice custom cobra body that one of the other HT members did. I'm still battling some minor issues with the chassis, but I've refused to give up....don't ask me why? Maybe its lack of cash to just buy another chassis or dozens to find a good one? At any rate, I know what you mean!

PD2:thumbsup:

I just bought a bunch of slimline chassis.I needed them for all the Joe Ferulli bodies that I have picked up over the years.I know it gets expensive putting chassis under every car but they sure look better.The main thing I sell at all the shows is Dash bodies and RRR 37 Ford Rodsters.I usually sell the Dash bodies for $10.It's easy math.Aurora T-Jet chassis go for $ 13 to $ 18 depending who you get them from.Here's my offer to help the economy.Yours and mine.Every Dash bodY you buy for $10 will be available with an original Aurora T-Jet chassis for $20.Don't ask to buy chassis for $10,it won't happen.Thanks Tom Stumpf Tomhocars@aol.com

I have johnny lightning t-jet chassis with narrow front wheels and Aw xtraction chassis wide front tires, Plenty available. I prefer to buy the bodies seperate then add my own chassis to it, but thats me...

I buy just bodies and then wonder why I didn't buy the chassis for them when I had the cash.. :freak: Now I need $1500.00 worth of chassis and have a nearly empty checking account!!! Doh!!! :tongue:

I just bought a bunch of slimline chassis.I needed them for all the Joe Ferulli bodies that I have picked up over the years.I know it gets expensive putting chassis under every car but they sure look better.The main thing I sell at all the shows is Dash bodies and RRR 37 Ford Rodsters.I usually sell the Dash bodies for $10.It's easy math.Aurora T-Jet chassis go for $ 13 to $ 18 depending who you get them from.Here's my offer to help the economy.Yours and mine.Every Dash bodY you buy for $10 will be available with an original Aurora T-Jet chassis for $20.Don't ask to buy chassis for $10,it won't happen.Thanks Tom Stumpf Tomhocars@aol.com

Wow! Now that is a great deal Tom! GEEZ! This is what I'm talking about - I've got to get the cash flow, flowing again so that I have "spare" cash for great purchases like this! Hopefully I'm one interview away from changing that. I'm thankful I'm still employed, but even more thankful if the next job replaces the 35% cut in pay I've taken to "do my part for the economy."

PD2:thumbsup:

I have johnny lightning t-jet chassis with narrow front wheels and Aw xtraction chassis wide front tires, Plenty available. I prefer to buy the bodies seperate then add my own chassis to it, but thats me...

You are definitely on my "purchase from list" - if not at the top it T-Jet Racer! I still appreciate the t-jet chassis I was able to get from you - as noted earlier, I think I have a smoother car now that runs great because of it. I'm a tweaker so I'm constantly messing with it. LOL! And I do like the X-Tractions - I run the two I have all the time and have a great time!

PD2:thumbsup:

I buy just bodies and then wonder why I didn't buy the chassis for them when I had the cash.. :freak: Now I need $1500.00 worth of chassis and have a nearly empty checking account!!! Doh!!! :tongue:

But, if you have some great running chassis that are solid, why don't you just switch out the bodies and different bodies on the same chassis? Just wondering.

PD2:thumbsup:

There are a ton of duplicates, PD2.. I'm hoping I'm sitting on the "next cool thing" to hit HO slots, and need supplies to attempt it. Unfortunately, I bought way too many part "A"s and nowhere near enough part "B"s to go with them!!! :lol: And to make matters worse, I still need parts "C and D" to finish my experiments.. To add to my frustration, I'm attempting to do this on an unemployment budget. I have a little of my tax return left so parts "C and D" have to get ordered this week or the project falls by the wayside... If you haven't yet, check out "playing with LEDs thread" in customs for insight as to what I'm shooting for..

There are a ton of duplicates, PD2.. I'm hoping I'm sitting on the "next cool thing" to hit HO slots, and need supplies to attempt it. Unfortunately, I bought way too many part "A"s and nowhere near enough part "B"s to go with them!!! :lol: And to make matters worse, I still need parts "C and D" to finish my experiments.. To add to my frustration, I'm attempting to do this on an unemployment budget. I have a little of my tax return left so parts "C and D" have to get ordered this week or the project falls by the wayside... If you haven't yet, check out "playing with LEDs thread" in customs for insight as to what I'm shooting for..

AH. OK. I was just wondering if you had any insight into why you would not want to have a few good chassis and just switch bodies out. No worries. I have not been to the playing with LED's thread in a long time - I'll need to go check it out. I appreciate your help and responses both here and from before. I greatly appreciate all the help!

PD2:thumbsup:

Mind ya this is just my perspective and adds up to bubkus when all is said and done.

It's about handling around here. Snapping bodies on and off repeatedly and winding screws in and out only adds to what I lump in as "play wear". I try to run all my stuff when I can. I limit the actual greazy kid fingers contact to the absolute minimum

Naturally this depends on the car/body, vintage, rarity...so on and so forth...but for the vast majority I try and keep a good chassis under all my "keepers".

Mind ya this is just my perspective and adds up to bubkus when all is said and done.

It's about handling around here. Snapping bodies on and off repeatedly and winding screws in and out only adds to what I lump in as "play wear". I try to run all my stuff when I can. I limit the actual greazy kid fingers contact to the absolute minimum

Naturally this depends on the car/body, vintage, rarity...so on and so forth...but for the vast majority I try and keep a good chassis under all my "keepers".

Ah, but Bill, all of your cars have TONS of TLC put into them - I'd definitely agree that keeping greasy finger prints and the wear and tear to a minimum on those bodies you have would be key. I have a few like that so I understand.

Now, you did bring up a good point - wear and tear on the screw posts and tabs/clips to mount the bodies could be a significant wear factor. Another good reason to have a chassis for each body and keep it there unless the chassis needs maintenance or replacing. Thanks for the insight on that - it seems like an obvious point, but one that can get overlooked, like I just did. LOL!

Thanks!
PD2:thumbsup:

There are a ton of duplicates, PD2.. I'm hoping I'm sitting on the "next cool thing" to hit HO slots, and need supplies to attempt it. Unfortunately, I bought way too many part "A"s and nowhere near enough part "B"s to go with them!!! :lol: And to make matters worse, I still need parts "C and D" to finish my experiments.. To add to my frustration, I'm attempting to do this on an unemployment budget. I have a little of my tax return left so parts "C and D" have to get ordered this week or the project falls by the wayside... If you haven't yet, check out "playing with LEDs thread" in customs for insight as to what I'm shooting for..

Slotcarman - checked out the LED thread again! Sweet convertible lead sled with LED's! The LED's look great on the Camaro as well as the sled. I did see the Bad Dawg trick truck you did in the Bad Dawg thread - very trick! I think I know what you are talking about with the parts and what not now. Good luck on getting this project going - awesome work!

PD2:thumbsup:

The amount and type of handling you impart on your cars should reflect your long term strategy for your "collection." I have a bunch-o-cars but I don't have a collection. All of the residual value in my bunch-o-cars is in their value to me to play with and look at in whatever state they are in, fingerprints and all. I haven't figured out a way to take them with me when I go, and they are not going to be an alternative 401K investment, so out of the case and on to the track they go. I'm spending the kids' inheritance, so to speak.

Now wait just a gol darned minute!....LOL! The camera only shows what "I" allow it to show.

My point being that like so many other topics there often becomes more than one facet to the conversation. Please note the carefully placed disclaimer at the end of my last post. Pigeon holing slotcars is a slippery slope especially when ya try and get things to fit neatly into sentences and paragraphs.

I am a tinkerer and builder of things first and formost. So I tend to have organized piles! Am I a collector? Not by long shot! Have I accumulated a pile of related objects that one might lump into the term "collection"...well.....yeah. For the record though let's just say that it's eclectic by nature and not all of it reaches the standard of "HT Post Quality".

Ya see it's all based on needs and wants from the mind of a child...my own of course....mental age approx 11-12 yrs; and my grandson age 7. "Grampa? What good is a body with no chassis?"

Hmmmmmmmmmm. He's got us there.

Ya see it's all based on needs and wants from the mind of a child...my own of course....mental age approx 11-12 yrs; and my grandson age 7. "Grampa? What good is a body with no chassis?"

Hmmmmmmmmmm. He's got us there.

Well, if you put it that way, then my slot cars would probably look like my old Tyco's from my childhood. They run, but the bodies are missing paint, detail parts (like wings) and a variety of other things. The kid has a point - in the mind of that age, you just ran them. That's why I'm amazed at the guys who still have their Star Wars, GI Joe, Hot Wheels and other toys from when they were kids AND they are still in the original package! Dude, when I was that age, the package was just something that kept me from playing with it! LOL! So you are right there and your Grandson has a point - depends on what the mental focus is for each person.

PD2:thumbsup:

I usually get RTR cars. But, if I see a deal on a car with a body I don't care for, I'll buy it and look for a body I like. I did this with one of the two pack SG+ cars. I also change chassis out between cars. Right now my F1's and GTP's are all SG+'s. All my AFX Stock cars are now SRT's. Everything else is pretty much as bought. I'll be interested to see the new Mega G's. Isn't there some new models coming out with full bodies soon?

I'm just a big kid. I don't need no steenkin' package!

I'm just a big kid. I don't need no steenkin' package!

I'm the same way...I only had a few slot cars that were still NIP, but that was only because I had bought them and got sidetracked with work and personal things. Unfortunately, they were some of the first to go back around Christmas time so that we could have some cash, but anything I buy, even now, gets pulled from the package and at least ran once, if not more. LOL!!

PD2:thumbsup: