Well I have an idea for a release of cars I'd like to see Autoworld produce. I know some of you guys may not like it, but I think they would be a hit. so here they are.

Supercar Release. The cars I'm talking about here are the Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari 599, Pagani Zonda F, Aston Martin Vanquish, Marcos TSO GT2, Ascari KZ1, Maserati MC12, and Mercedes SLR.

Anyone who watches Top Gear should know what I'm talking about. But most important, what do you guys think?

Randy.

Those would be some nice Thunderjet bodies, I'd like to see a 599.

But I've noticed a lot of the new X-Traction releases,
Auto World has been having some difficulty getting their bodies low enough on the chassis.
They need some slot car racers to help them out with that.

__________________

http://www.sloganizer.net/en/style8,SuperFist.png

I'd like to see them produce more Xtraction style late 60's, early 70's GM and Fords!

Ditto on the lower stance!

I'd like to see the " Supercar " release on XTraction Ultra-G chassis. Definitely make the bodies sit low to the track. The picture below is a Bugatti Veyron. Two V-8 engines, 4 Turbo Chargers, 1001 Horsepower, Top speed ( LIMITED to ) 252 MPH, 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds. This car would look great as a slot car.

Randy.

I want to see a Mad Max release, and/or a Deathrace release.

Agreed!

Something completly off the regular menu sounds delicious.

I'm not really sure why so many (Brand X) cars have trouble settling onto their chassis, but it would be a huge issue for the type of car your referring too. Look back at how nicely the wheel well to tire fit was on the original AFX cars...and it wasnt just them!

The Tycos of the era fit nicely too, and (IMHO) the undisputed albeit short lived leader of body to chassis fitment....AMRAC! I always look at one of my Amrac RSRs or Z cars for inspiration and guidance when it comes time for trimming.

Sadly, I dont think the makers of Brand Xs bodies ...

a. care
b. take a second look
c. have ever seen a real car

...and by that time it's too late for us.

c. have ever seen a real car

That's precious!

That's 'cause Wee Hung One and Long Duck Dong carpool in the rickshaw to work.. :lol:

As racist as hell, but funny as hell too.

That's 'cause Wee Hung One and Long Duck Dong carpool in the rickshaw to work.. :lol:
Yuck Foo with an Eggroll. :thumbsup:

_________________

http://www.sloganizer.net/en/style8,SuperFist.png

Agreed!

Something completly off the regular menu sounds delicious.

I'm not really sure why so many (Brand X) cars have trouble settling onto their chassis, but it would be a huge issue for the type of car your referring too. Look back at how nicely the wheel well to tire fit was on the original AFX cars...and it wasnt just them!

The Tycos of the era fit nicely too, and (IMHO) the undisputed albeit short lived leader of body to chassis fitment....AMRAC! I always look at one of my Amrac RSRs or Z cars for inspiration and guidance when it comes time for trimming.

Sadly, I dont think the makers of Brand Xs bodies ...

a. care
b. take a second look
c. have ever seen a real car

...and by that time it's too late for us.


Racemasters? They would do the Supercar release right. They would cost a little more than Autoworld, but they would look good and would be worth it.

I agree that the slot makers need to get the body to sit low on the chassis.
Nothing looks better than a slot car body that sits low to the track. Aurora's Magna-Traction Porsche Carrera #1933, Mercury Stocker, Corvette "A" Production, and Porsche 917-10K Can Am are good looking cars.

If Autoworld would make a "Supercar Release" with the cars mentioned in my first post on this thread, they would have to make the bodies sit low on the chassis and the wheel wells fit the tires. I think the Pagani Zonda F would be a challenge to make the body fit the chassis correctly.

I'd like to see this release, just something different and with an appeal to the collectors and racers.

I've been watching the TV show Top Gear on BBC America and I'm amazed at some of the cars I've seen. Plus the entire show is great fun to watch. Funny and for me educational. The host are good and my favorite, THE STIG.

Randy.

I would agree...save for the Carrera. While it sits nice and low there has always been something proportionally wrong with it. Looks a bit more like a batting helmet than a 911...and the pillars and posts are overly askew/akimbo. Admittedly I'm a 911 nut so my observations are overly biased when a 911 topic arises ...LOL!

How about the Z-28 though? One of my first AFX cars...and still one of my favs. Although not a super exotic car per-sey; it illustrates my point about the idea of wrapping a body around the chassis properly, rather than puking out a happy meal toy and halfass slapping it on a chassis and cramming it in a pretty cube with groovy artwork. Thanx just the same, I'd rather have a bitchen' chassis fit and a plain brown wrapper.

I inserted Racemasters into your thread with the intent of devil's advocacy. I think we can all stipulate to the obvious thought that their attention to detail and execution would likely be superior to Brand X. However, my initial thought really was that their Mega G chassis would better lend itself to the snug, ground hugging styling requirments of most all exotic super cars; and perhaps keep to a minimum all the fudging of height to length to width ratios that the happy meal designers do to get a body wrapped around a given chassis.

Just dreaming along....

Agreed!

Something completly off the regular menu sounds delicious.

Hmmmmm...... How about a Movie car release?

Let's say a.....

70 Plymouth Valiant 4dr in red

71 Ford Galaxie 4dr in brown and a cop version in light blue

73 Ford Mach1 Mustang in butterscotch.

74 Dodge Monaco cop car (retired)

75 Pontiac Firebird (base model) in gold

77 Ferrari 308 GTS in red

73 Pontiac Ventura in silver

75 Dodge utility truck in red (LA fire dept)

Anyone remember where these cars are from?

?
Gator?White Lightning
?
Blues Bros.
Rockford
Magnum
French Connection
Emergency

Don't forget Crazy Larry's Charger and the white Challenger from Vanishing Point.( I remembered this before you posted!)

Vanishing Point, but then they would have to do the bike with the chick on it.

Vanishing Point, but then they would have to do the bike with the chick on it.

That's ok.

V8 Supercars would be a huge hit on this side of the world. Available in 1/32 but nothing in HO. I know AW wouldn't be looking at the market down here. But it's a real shame these are not available in HO.

http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac218/kiwidave_photos/toddkellybahrain07side1zu6.jpg

http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac218/kiwidave_photos/v8supercars.jpg

Well the 4 dr valiant is from Duel, I know that one.

I agree on the Crazy Larry and Vanishing point cars, totally!

The hardware already exists for a smokey and the bandit release, the firebird and semi rig are no problem, just take the gm 4-door from the very first Dukes release and slap a pontiac grille on it, paint it gold and call that one good.

They could have a field day doing Cannonball Run cars too, havent heard that one brought up.

I would assume the 73 Ford Mach1 Mustang in butterscotch would be the Eleanor from the original gone in 60 seconds. That's a comprehensive list Rich!!! :freak:

More ... oops , ANY Rally racing vehicle. Even one would be nice.

GT Racing cars. Again, start with one, any one, and build from there.

More tuners and drifters. PM/RC2 nailed the body fitment on these.

American, especially muscle cars have been done to death - and beyond, deep into the afterlife, look out here comes yet another Mustang or Camaro back from the dead. Again and again. Goofy movie novelty cars - no mas, no mas. If we're to the point of even considering the mundane and mediocre 4-door grandpa cars, sure sign that the genre has been played out. Put away the bag of Cheetos, ditch the bare steamed hot dog on gooey bread, and nix the syrupy Classic Coca Cola and give us something different for a change Mr. One Track Tommy.

There IS a big world out there beyond the 1960s and 1970s Big American Tin from Detroit. Step out of the rust and into the light, of the '80s, 90s, 00s, and race cars, sports car, rally cars, exotics, tuners, low riders, Euro, Aussie, and maybe some classic artful customs.

Scooby Vans? Penguinmobile? You've gotta be kidding. Give me a break.

Hot Rods.... with lots of chrome. blowers, pipes, new style rims...
60's stocker t-jets would be cool too. MEV makes nice ones, but they're a bit expensive to be used as runners though. Classic drag cars would be a winner in my book too.

and... I like the goofy movie/TV cars... but I admit, I can see why some would think they've been done to to death.

But I'll buy the scooby van, and a monkiemobile, crazy larry, some of the cannoball cars, a Barris line would be awsome, more Tom Daniels cars too.


I really don't need anymore Mustangs, Camaros, Vettes or Vipers in my collection though.

Aw, c'mon!!!! Scooby vans are cool!! If I start casting my own bodies I'll be doing worse than 4 doors!! I'll be making dreaded station wagons!! :lol: But then of course, I'm the oddball of the group.

I agree there is more out there than the already beat to death muscle cars. But then there are mid to late 60's cars that haven't been done yet, and there's plenty of room for improvement on the ones that have been done. There are a number of mid to late 60's Detroit Iron that have eluded the molds that I would like to see made. But I would like a level of quality that would probably stress the capabilities of AW. I'm thinking maybe the quality of the new Model Motoring. A 67 Grand Prix, a 67 Catalina or Bonneville, maybe a 65-68 Galaxy, 70 skylark GSX, a 67 Chrysler 300.. You get the idea. There's plenty of stuff that hasn't been done. I agree it's time to give the Camaros, Firebirds, Mustangs, Cudas, Chargers and Cougars a break. At least the model years that have been beat to death..

I'd like to see older hot rods done up too, like a 32,33,or 34 ford coupe, pick up, and sedan. Full fenders and optional hood and a detailed engine. There will be chassis clearance problems that will need to be addressed to make these proportioned correctly. There are ways of doing it and having it look right. Other than a select few scratch built models, noone has really taken to time to try it on a manufacturing level.

There's more to the 50's than the Merc sled. A 50 Ford Crestliner, a 56 Ford Sunliner, maybe an early 50's Chevy or 48-49 Dodge. There are plenty of cars out there that just haven't been modeled yet.

Like I said many times before, I am the oddball of the group. I'm most likely the only one on here who doesn't race at all. So my tastes are bound to differ with most of you. But that's what make this place so much fun!! :tongue:

... I like the goofy movie/TV cars... but I admit, I can see why some would think they've been done to to death.


They have! But not all of them. Why not go all out?

Exotic cars are nice to look at I guess, but how many of you have actually driven Lambos & Ferraris? I think that's the continuing appeal of the Detroit iron, we've all been in and around the cars at one point or another. More modern production cars are half plastic anyways, so maybe it wouldn't be so foreign to see a plastic body remake of let's say a Supra, oh wait that one's been done, a RX7, oh done too.......gee, these were a big hit. Maybe AW can come out with a limited edition series made out of recycled plastic from the actual cars that don't run anymore because of a bad computer, or too many $300 sensors that went out at the same time, making it cheaper to just buy another car. Or maybe it was their crumple zones? At any rate, there is more plastic sitting in any given junkyard than there ever was Detroit iron.

Scooby dooby doo

Problem is that the kiddies at McDonalds dont want what we want in the way of a happy meal toy. It's a flux capacitor vs flux collector equation.

Here is the biggest problem to add to the frustration equation and that is simple economics. And here is where Tom Lowe gets a little respect. It's hard if not almost impossible to get a good balance of low cost and profitability these days. We as collectors demand (well ask for anyways) higher quality, but at the same time look for cheaper prices. You really can't have both. Looking for a happy median is like looking for a unicorn. We've all heard of it, but it's never seen. I wouldn't want to take a guess at what the tooling would cost to make a body, let alone a group of them. Releasing a group of fairly decent bodies whether for a T Jet, X Traction, a Mega G, or any other chassis costs up front money. Then you have to wait and see if they will sell or not. In order to recuperate the tooling costs you either have to jack the price up per piece just to break even, or make an awful lot of them and hope they sell good. It also has to be profitable for the company making them. After all, if there is no profit, what is the sense of making them??

This is where my desires for certain body styles goes in the potty and gets flushed. There just isn't a demand for simple Plain Jane coupes, wagons and sedans. The mass appeal just isn't there. For the cellar dweller cave man dude making a mold and pushing out 30 - 40 bodies from a die cast master it would work. For a company with 30+ employees and overseas shipping and a professional injection molded body it just won't happen.

As far as ever driving a Lambo or a Panoz or some other super car, this may be the only way most of us would ever get the opportunity to drive one. I know whatever car is on the track is personally being driven by me... While my personal tastes differ to the vast majority, I will have to endorse the idea of a fleet of super cars. My mediocre car desires will sit on the back burner in my mind, waiting for that cellar adventure in silicone and resin...:rolleyes: Some day...maybe...

To put it more succinctly...

Take a look at what the 1:32 crowd has been feasting on.

I'll have what they're having, please.

Slot car hors d'oeuvres, in HO scale, naturally.

Thank You.

Alot of good suggestions here that I would be interested in in adding to my collection. I just wished they could engineer a better fit on the chassis so they they all don't look like candidates for a swamp buggy meet down in Georgia. :) rr

I would like to see some 60's 70's 80's stock car bodies

I'm glad to see some agreement with the "Supercar Release". I love American cars, but there's room for cars from over seas. I know, American cars are the "native cusine". But sometimes you want something different to eat.

I watched the Rolex Series this weekend and recorded the LeMans race. And I would love to see those cars in HO scale as someone already mentioned. I know some have been done but I'd like to see more current cars from those racing series'.

I'm hoping the manufactures are reading this post and may look into it. If Autoworld would decide to pursue the Bugatti Veyron for example, They have a license from Volkswagon for the Samba Bus and Beetle. Volkswagon owns Bugatti, so maybe that hurdle could be easy to get over.

I wanted to get on here last night and read up, but I broke my 4th finger on my right hand yesterday at work and decided to watch some tv instead. I'm kind of ticked because it's going to make tinkering with slots a little difficult the next 6 to 8 weeks.

Anyway, I love the ideas and talk going on here. Great to be able to come here, post a thought, see the reactions, and unwind.

Randy.

Some of you on this board know me to lower my cars for racing and proper aerodynamic stance...and I agree I would love to see some of the super cars (Ferrari 599)...I can't say too much about AW but i know that Tomy is working on the 1.5 Mega G Chassis and first relaease for that chassis is a dropped Porsche 962

Also according to our source at Tomy they are going to revive the original LMP they designed some years ago and correct it so that it will fit the 1.5 MG chassis..

We have been working with the A/FX division on a Factory Racing version of the Nylatron SG+ chassis belive me when I tell you that the prototypes are NICE...

Will post pics later....


Yo!

To put it more succinctly...

Take a look at what the 1:32 crowd has been feasting on.

I'll have what they're having, please.

Slot car hors d'oeuvres, in HO scale, naturally.

Thank You.

Very good point here. For the past several years now, 1/32 cars have gobbled up a large part of what was an H.O. market. Lots of guys with the space that never really liked working on "those small" H.O. cars have gone to 1/32 and when you compare the detail of the cars and compare the costs it's a no brainer to see why. The bottom line is that you have to sell what you're making, so the mass market will dictate to a large extent what gets produced.
For those of us who have all of our personal likes, we need to support the cottage industry of casters who are making stuff that is A LOT nicer than a decade ago and there are more casters doing high quality work. Back in the 90's I did some casting of bodies to supply our group for racing. Not great quality, but good enough to bash around. I personally have no desire to try and take it up a level and I have the utmost respect for the guys who are casting and producing high quality stuff. These are the guys that we need to support and encourage. They have a passion for what they do and are investing time and money and certainly deserve some reward in return.

I was thinking myself that Tomy would be the mfg to do the supercars. High end racing cars seems to be their 'thing' just as NASCAR is what LL does, and recycling the same tired kiddie-oriented releases for about 5 days a year is what MatTyco does. Tomy could really sink its teeth into a Lambo Murcielago or Bugatti Veyron and do those cars some real justice.

I have to disagree with you naysayers on the wacky scooby vans etc from AW. This is a brilliant marketing strategy, or in theory at least it SHOULD be. If they had a nice, simple chassis (think HP7/Turbo/Supermagnatraction) that is cheap to build, runs and handles fast enough to be fun, but reliable and controllable enough to have broad appeal then there would be no reason AW couldnt come up with a few small figure-8 sets with nice slightly wacky cars for around $35. Maybe a straight up muscle car vs cop car police chase and a summer blockbuster movie tie in set to appeal to established slotheads and older kids. If they get these into the hands of enough people and the sets not only work properly but have add on pieces and extra cars (AW has it covered, unlike Mattel) then you have plenty of fresh blood in the hobby. You put a flyer in each set with pics of all of AW's cars and a link to the website and people are hooked.

As to the mediocre grampa sedans, I mostly agree. As a stock street vehicle, they have no appeal at all, except for the Charger and 300C. But even a crown victoria will sell if its a cop car. I think Tomy could wrap theirs in fire cheif and taxicab paint and it'd sell that way too. But you cant expect to pop out toyota camry slotcars and expect to sell too many. They have no appeal as anything other than basic transportation, and toy cars are supposed to be FUN. Same reason why you dont see a tax attorney action figure being made. Even with the swappable power ties and an action supeona grip it just wouldnt fly.

I have followed the discussion so far and to me the bottom line for the mfg is to what group of customers I want to drop my stuff on.
There are three very distinctive groups:

G1: kids who want to have the stuff they see on telly, it should run and have a very high entertainment value, this is the most hard to please group especially with so much alternative distracting media around.


G2: the collectors want anything that hasn't been made available yet. They nearly buy everything to be complete and as far as the money stretches.

G3: racers, they don't need really anything what the mfg have on offer, they are too specialized

So how to convince G1 which is my opinion the only group that has growth potential, theoratically? Simply by flogging trendy stuff on them as seen on telly and that is what Tyco/Mattel does. Or bring them into collecting instead of trading cards or HW and the like into cars but again here you need something glam and stylish. It is flashy that counts and not love to detail.

Therefore nothing your dad or mum drives. Especially not boring old stuff from the past. That may be fine for the adult collector but he belongs to a group to small to be catered for by the bigger mfg. Leave him prey for the cottage industry.

So what would I like to see? What about a decent e-type on any chassis, remember Vanishing Point, or early Porsches, 911 Targa, 904, 906, on Tyco/Tomy's. Or European ones of the 70's like VW Rabbit/Golf GTI, Shirocco, Citroen DS. Or todays WRC cars and not something like the LL stuff.

foxkilo

Also according to our source at Tomy they are going to revive the original LMP they designed some years ago and correct it so that it will fit the 1.5 MG chassisYo!

Can you be more specific? LMP is a bit generic. We do know they plan to do an Audi R10 fort the longer chassis, or at least that is what we had heard...



We have been working with the A/FX division on a Factory Racing version of the Nylatron SG+ chassis belive me when I tell you that the prototypes are NICE... Yo!

An official Racemasters chassis? Who is ''we''?. This runs almost exactly counter to something I heard, admittedly third hand etc.

Can you be more specific? LMP is a bit generic. We do know they plan to do an Audi R10 fort the longer chassis, or at least that is what we had heard...

Thats the one I'm referring too...



An official Racemasters chassis? Who is ''we''?. This runs almost exactly counter to something I heard, admittedly third hand etc.

ASHRRA is working with A/FX and three separate hardbody racing league to bring forth a working high performance Nylatron SG+ for their upcoming Racing series that will feature a "Stock" class that will consists of a stock Nylatron SG+ chassis with Indi fronts and slip on's and the stock black traction magnets.

The Super Stock class will consist of either a SG+N or a G3 that can have HP parts from BSRT but both chassis must run Double Dots and slip ons.. Testing so far has been a serious blast.

The Bodies for the Stock class will be "GT" Class hardbodies...SS will be closed cockpit GTP with or without rear wing....(Jag, mercedes, 917 Porsche 917...etc...)

Working on my SS entry as we speak...

I'd like to see the " Supercar " release on XTraction Ultra-G chassis. Definitely make the bodies sit low to the track. The picture below is a Bugatti Veyron. Two V-8 engines, 4 Turbo Chargers, 1001 Horsepower, Top speed ( LIMITED to ) 252 MPH, 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds. This car would look great as a slot car.

Randy.

Hey Randy ,
i did some Bugatti's for tjets before. 1st a couple of years back then a small batch a few months back. Guess you never seen the picks . Anyway here's couple below bad and grainy but LOL here anyway.

Bear :wave:

Hey Randy ,
i did some Bugatti's for tjets before. 1st a couple of years back then a small batch a few months back. Guess you never seen the picks . Anyway here's couple below bad and grainy but LOL here anyway.

Bear :wave:


Well I'll be.... Yes, I missed your post on these. I like the yellow one. Are you going to have any at the Midwest Show to sell? I'm interested.

Those look good. I recently saw the Veyron on Top Gear. I've fallen in love with that car. But it's out of my league.

Randy.

Another thing is, we keep getting a lot of '60s muscle cars for one reason: Mass appeal. You have to go pretty far to find someone who doesnt think a '67 camaro or '69 Charger is freakin sweet. Dont care if its an 8 year old or a 68 year old, anyone who loves cars is going to appreciate american muscle. Even if some of these have been done up as slots a billion times youre going to keep seeing them since they sell. If the mfg makes a good profit of these guaranteed money makers, then there's room to risk some more offbeat stuff.

Another thing I would like to see more of is a few of the more 'modern' muscle cars such as the '05 GTO, ram air firebird, fox body mustang, and even an '84-'86 dodge daytona. All of these have a following and both racers and collectors will snap them right up.

Detail sells, I mean getting it right. There's a lot of good points about the 32nd scale.
The detail they have been producing is awesome, all the proportions correct.
Most 32nd scalers I know don't like to race them hard because of the damage factor.
The detail is better because its bigger, but they break (brake?) easily on a big track.
Still, the 32nd scale muscle cars and stock cars rule.
The HO paint detail has come along way over the last decade, if HO manufacturers
could equally make the body detail and proportions as good, we would all be winners.
Look what's happening with the same scale diecast, incredible.

RaceMasters sure is going in the right direction.

Rich

JLM ... awesome looking stance on the 917K. I'm also a big fan of the next gen (Nylatron) SG+ chassis. I had all but given up the SG+ for dead due to the brittle black chassis fiasco. To say that Tomy/Racemasters redeemed themselves with the new chassis is a massive understatement. They hit a home run with the new SG+ chassis. It's not just the material improvements either, they raised the QC significantly on the whole package.

The SG+ chassis coupled with the last few rounds of drop dead gorgeous bodies like the GT40 Clears has solidly placed Tomy/Racemasters on the top podium spot for HO slot cars. I only wish they made more variety. That's where AutoWorld rules the roost, variety & volume. Together, Tomy and AutoWorld give us an interesting mix and are complementary for the hobby as a whole. Racemasters quality at AutoWorld variety & volume would decimate my wallet in no time.

That yellow Bugatti looks nice. I love the heck out of building and racing TJets, but nothing would please me more than to see a wholesale switchover to using 1:64 scale bodies on anything but stock racing classes for TJets. I'd like to run the Fray/VHORS style chassis without having all your junk hanging out the sides. The tiny TJets are quaint and cute and evoke warm memories, Christmas and Apple Pie, but once you get them equipped with a skinny little resin body and open wheel chassis, all that quaintness and warm and fuzzy is long gone. Harmonizing racing bodies around a common scale (1:64) would be my preference and make it easier for casters to target multiple hardbody classes. My 2 cent bid.

Racemasters quality at AutoWorld variety & volume would decimate my wallet in no time.

That yellow Bugatti looks nice. I love the heck out of building and racing TJets, but nothing would please me more than to see a wholesale switchover to using 1:64 scale bodies on anything but stock racing classes for TJets. I'd like to run the Fray/VHORS style chassis without having all your junk hanging out the sides. The tiny TJets are quaint and cute and evoke warm memories, Christmas and Apple Pie, but once you get them equipped with a skinny little resin body and open wheel chassis, all that quaintness and warm and fuzzy is long gone. Harmonizing racing bodies around a common scale (1:64) would be my preference and make it easier for casters to target multiple hardbody classes. My 2 cent bid.

Agreed on the Tjets. The skinny tire Tjets are by far my favorite, but that's not what people race.
Frankly, I can't stand that skateboard look, it just kills all that body detail.
I've seen someone put posts on a 64th scale and run a Tjet chassis under it.
It looks better, but, I would rather race a full bodied HP7 that looks much more realistic.

Skinny tires rule.

Rich

Agreed on the Thunderjets. They look best with the skinny tires. I made a fray style t-jet a few years ago. Didn't look right at all.

My group does run Stock T-jets with the skinny tires. We love it. Race them on the 4' X 16' 4 lane oval. Some of them handle like a dream.

I'd hate to see just 1/64 bodies being made though. I like the T-jets. But for a Supercars Release 1/64 would be the way to go.

Musle Cars have appeal and are popular. But in my opinion they've been done to death lately. There is room for European and Asian cars I feel.

And the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine when Autoworld releases it next year will be a hit. It's not my flavor but others will like it. I thought the Dukes Of Hazzard Race Sets where overdone. But one vendor told me he sells out everytime he gets an order.

I want to come away from the Midwest Slot Show with atleast a couple of Racemasters Ford GTs. Those people are really doing a great job. Love that car too.

Randy.

That yellow Bugatti looks nice. I love the heck out of building and racing TJets, but nothing would please me more than to see a wholesale switchover to using 1:64 scale bodies on anything but stock racing classes for TJets. I'd like to run the Fray/VHORS style chassis without having all your junk hanging out the sides. The tiny TJets are quaint and cute and evoke warm memories, Christmas and Apple Pie, but once you get them equipped with a skinny little resin body and open wheel chassis, all that quaintness and warm and fuzzy is long gone. Harmonizing racing bodies around a common scale (1:64) would be my preference and make it easier for casters to target multiple hardbody classes. My 2 cent bid.

Thanks ! The best looking cars IMHO are the skinny tires as well . And they are my personal favorite to race. Trouble is our classes for wherever i have raced have allways been skinny tires = hardbodies for rules . Seems no one runs resin bodies with skinny stock setups these days. So we end up running the Fray / Nitro / VHORS rules on the resin bodies. I would love to just once open up stock to a whole new look and batch of resin bodies as there are so many to offer. Last i knew in KC was the only place to run the fast tjets but with stock tires and rim widths ? Ahh man would i love to rid racing of those skates one day .... but until then i gotta run what the rules say or sit at home .

Bear :wave:

I made my own Rockford Firebird out of a Tyco Trans Am and some modelling putty....and some tan/gold paint of course. I also did a version of his dad's (Rocky) pick up from an AFX GMC.

As far as T^-Jets go they should use the Tuff One tire width...much more realistic

I too was pleased to see the Nylatron chassis right past wrongs, but it is Mega-G all the way now....

Anyway, forget the VW vey-ron, ugly thing, what we really need in terms of Euro hypercars is:

http://www.sportscarcup.com/cars/pagani-zonda-f.jpg

OK - Now, The News . . .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, didn't mean to tease. Just got pulled away in the middle of the post. This is likely to happen again so bear with me. I will get as far as I can

OK. Here is whazzup:

Overview: As you know, there has been a lot of legislation affecting the toy industry over the past year. The cumulative effect of these laws has been to raise costs dramatically, especially for relatively low volume product lines. As a result we were forced to reconsider the business in order to avoid, believe me, REALLY big price increases and elimination of much of the line. This, by the way, is what has occupied me and a lot of Tomy for this past year. That is also the reason that much of the stuff we wanted to bring out this year will have to wait 'till next.

In the end, we have been able to come up with a solution that allows us to continue our strategy of producing super high quality, realistic products while introducing cool new stuff going forward. Although there are some price increases coming, they are not nearly as big as they could have been and the customer will get more value. Here is why:

1) Our existing and new sets will start coming with the Mega-G chassis as standard. Sets with Formula car bodies will get the long wheelbase , the others will use the MG1.5. The first sets to get the Mega-G treatment will be the Big Block Battler and the Infinity. These should be available in November.

2) While the other chassis' will continue to be available for some time to come, the Mega-G will slowly take over. Eventually, Mega-G will be the only chassis fitted to AFX cars.

The Audi R10, which I fully expected to arrive before the end of the year has been delayed until the second quarter of 2010. That's the bad news. The good news is that we are definitely making the Peugeot 908 too, and there will be a set at the same time. (BTW: not absolutely set in stone yet but the provisional plan is that the set version of the 908 will have painted windows while the individual cars will come in CLEAR with interiors.)

We will ship a new, lowered version of the ubiquitous Porsche 962 by March/April. These will feature historic liveries (which are not quite finalized but should be really cool) and come molded in CLEAR with interiors. The final iteration of the adjusted body has only an 0.8 mm gap from tire to body, front and rear, compared to the previous 4 to 5 mm monster truck gap of the previous version. Needless to say, the car is transformed and the effect is remarkable.

We are working on at least one other new body for 2010 but that is dependent on licensing so I'll leave that alone for now. In any case it would come later in the year. However, bottom line is that we expect 3 new bodies plus the new 962 along with multiple liveries for delivery in 2010.

Looks like I'm going to have to cut it off at this point. But I will snap some photos later today and get them up by tomorrow.

Thanks for hangin' in!

Awesome news.

I like the MegaG almost as much as I like the SG+. The only rubs with the Mega has been the inability to fit the chassis on anything other than the 4 bodies it came with, AND, the lack of individually available spare parts, especially shoes. The pit kits are nice, but a steady supply of shoes cannot come soon enough. I expect that both of these situations will change for the better very soon.

I will miss the SG+ when it gets retired and replaced with the skinny new kid on the block. It's been a warrior and served us well. Time to start stocking up on spares!

I made my own Rockford Firebird out of a Tyco Trans Am and some modelling putty....and some tan/gold paint of course. I also did a version of his dad's (Rocky) pick up from an AFX GMC.

Cool beans! You got any pics?????

JLM Racing, thanks for the heads up. Very interesting.