[Marty]

I just received another bay auction win. It is the AutoWorld McLaren XLR. It has a broken rear spoiler and is missing the wing. I was excited to win this auction because it had the Super Traction sticker on the front! I got it for $12.50!:thumbsup: Apparently no one else saw the sticker.

Were all the AFX cars available as Super Traction?

Now another auction I got was a UOP Shadow. Yes I am one of the few that like them. I got this one for $2.75. I was surprised when I got it because it has a front lead weight in it. It is slightly different from the Super Traction weight:

Who made that front weight?

And look at the funny armatures with the green wire and green laminations.

Marty

 

[bobwoodly]

Marty - saw that car but was ignorant as to the meaning of the sticker, out foxed again!

 

[afxcrazy]

Super traction was from a sears set(sears only) as far as the other weight it's probably from autoworld as part of a hop up kit.

 

[wheelszk]

I think it's the same weight, just in upsidedown. The arms are mean green arms.

 

[SuperFist]

wheelszk

Mean Green is not a green wire armature.
That green green is an AFX arm.

This is a Mean Green.

__________________

 

[T-jetjim]

Marty - Great post. Another variation that I was unfamiliar with. Never saw a Super Traction or the weighted front ends. Funny thing is, those old spongies didn't really add enough traction to fight a weight in the front unless you put some goop on them.
Jim

 

[RMMseven]

Th Super-Traction cars were from Sears and Ithink only in sets, all of them had the paper sticker and lead weight in front. I saw a list somewhere of the known cars that were produced. These interesting cars came out the year before the Magna-Traction cars were released.

 

[jeremy1082]

Check out ebay item #320425008097. They are selling 2 of those Sears Supertraction wieghts. I have a couple of them. They help hold the front end down on acceleration. I have one in a magnatraction and one in a non-magnatraction.
http://cgi.ebay.com/AURORA-AFX-MAGNATRACTION-CHASSIS-WEIGHTS_W0QQitemZ320425008097QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSlot_Cars?hash=item4a9ad19be1&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14

 

[ParkRNDL]

nice. i've only ever found a SuperTraction chassis in the wild once, under a rough white/blue AFX Camaro...

 

[Marty]

I think it's the same weight, just in upsidedown. quote]

Nope. I just tried it. It will only fit one way to clear the front tabs on the arm plate.

Marty

 

[Bill Hall]

The more one got the standard AFX cars dialed in, the front got light an chattery. Even worse now-a-days with super silis. The extra weight helped most in that it allowed pick up spring tension to be maintained and therefore maintain good current transfer as well.

Girlie...er....magna...traction made it a moot point.

I run the Sears slug in several of my favorite old standard AFX's.

 

[partspig]

I beg to disagree with all of you on the weights and armatures. The weights are different, the one with the square hole is from the Sears only race sets. The weight with the round hole is Aurora, exactly what cars they came on I am not sure. I always thought they were on some later Super Magnatraction chassis. Which were also front wheel happy. The armatures in the photo may or may not br mean greens, they came with either green or gold colored wire and light green or dark green tips. The only sure way to tell is to ohm them. Mean greens ohm out at about 6.0 to 6.5 if I remember right. partspig

 

[afxcrazy]

I think it's the same weight, just in upsidedown. The arms are mean green arms.

What makes mean greens so special anyway??

 

[eastside johnny]

What makes mean greens so special anyway??

SPEED

 

[SuperFist]

SPEED

Speedballs.

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[AfxToo]

Other than the front weight, the "Super Traction" chassis were run of the mill A/FX chassis. I have a few of these with the weights.

Aurora always had a way of garishly embellishing what were in fact very minor variations in their product line. But I guess the the name "Super Traction" A/FX sounds a lot more exciting and intriguing than "Slightly Better Handling" A/FX. If you were looking to "Superize" your A/FX all by yourself, some lead fishing line sinkers had the same effect.

 

[Bill Hall]

Rear view mirror

Other than the front weight, the "Super Traction" chassis were run of the mill A/FX chassis. I have a few of these with the weights.

Aurora always had a way of garishly embellishing what were in fact very minor variations in their product line. But I guess the the name "Super Traction" A/FX sounds a lot more exciting and intriguing than "Slightly Better Handling" A/FX. If you were looking to "Superize" your A/FX all by yourself, some lead fishing line sinkers had the same effect.

So true! Back when terradactyls and t-jets ruled the earth we were always mashing up sinkers, trimming them up with moms good scissors and tucking them here or there in an attempt to conjure handling voodoo. Occassionally I still find a wad of lead sequestered under the body of some pit kit refugee and it makes me giggle.

 

[Marty]

Occassionally I still find a wad of lead sequestered under the body of some pit kit refugee and it makes me giggle.

I always enjoy the dried up wad of modeling clay stuck in the REAR of already under-tractioned slot cars. When that car hit the corners with the extra weight up high in the rear it must have swung like a well oiled gate!

That is of course unless it was used for drag racing, then I'm sure it helped a lot.

Marty

 

[slotcarman12078]

I always enjoy the dried up wad of modeling clay stuck in the REAR of already under-tractioned slot cars. When that car hit the corners with the extra weight up high in the rear it must have swung like a well oiled gate!

That is of course unless it was used for drag racing, then I'm sure it helped a lot.

Marty

Someone mention clay??? You paying attention NTx???

 

[Jim Norton]

Sears

The Super Traction concept was a request from Sears to Aurora to offer an exclusive feature for the Christmas Wishbook.

Super Traction cars and sets were offered for one year only and that was in 1973. The 1972 Wishbook featured standard Aurora AFX cars and the 1974 catalog featured AFX MagnaTraction.

The cars featured a small red, white and blue Super Traction decal. The sets had the same Super Traction logo as part of the box art work. The best Super Traction set was the Roger Penske Four Lane featuring 2 Porsche 510Ks, 1 Shadow and 1 Auto World McLaren all with the little decals afixed.

The Super Traction pieces are desirable. Recently, a packaged 510K brought over $220.00. A mint Penske 4 lane has brought over $460.00. The little weights have value as well.

Jim Norton
Huntsville, AL