There is a lot of literature on which slot car brands and types are compatible with which slot car brands and types of tracks. It’s common knowledge, for instance, that just about any analog slot car would function properly on it due to Carrera’s analog track’s broader and deeper slot. Find out the best info about slotxo.
However, many Carrera vehicles will not function properly, if at all, on other brands of the track due to the guide being too comprehensive or deep to fit in a Scalextric track, for example. Although several articles discuss the cars’ compatibility, very few address the issue of retaining walls or barriers on the circuit. This research will examine the compatibility and performance of Carrera, Ninco, and Scalextric track components, including retaining walls and fences.
The most popular brand of mass-produced slot car systems is undoubtedly Scalextric, so we’ll begin with their track and barriers. Scalextric’s fence is aesthetically pleasing; it’s composed of flexible plastic that keeps its shape and can take a beating from slot cars without breaking. These barriers can be attached to the Scalextric Sport track in one of two ways: either by using the included small black clips to secure them to the track’s underside or fitting them into the grooves and channels on the shoulder pieces sold separately.
The barriers fit snugly and reasonably rigidly into the black clips, but without adhesives or other methods of affixing them to the track, the pins tend to come loose and fall to the ground. A significant hit might also cause the barrier or the whole shoulder part to open from the track. The walls are aesthetically beautiful and minimally injure vehicles as they slow or stop them. However, they are frequently repositioned following accidents.
Carrera’s earlier obstacles were made of a soft, malleable rubber that slid into clips to attach to the track and came in either black or red. Production of these has ceased. The current Carrera barrier system is a 3mil PVC “candy cane” with red and white stripes that fits into vinyl clips attached to the track’s base. While the red and white striping seems appropriate on fast bends, it is far less so on straight parts where a barrier may be necessary, such as a bridge, and instead more closely resembles the pattern found on the border and shoulder pieces of the Carrera track.
The PVC also becomes brittle, so repeated hits might cause it to crack and break. It’s not flexible and can easily pick up paint from passing cars. As a result, the barrier will have a more natural appearance, but the vehicles will exhibit more wear. Extreme collisions do not dislodge this mechanism from the track. The PVC strips are flexible and can be trimmed to any desired length; one piece can be as long as 4 feet to provide a seamless appearance even at a sharp angle. To make your unique barriers, print on sheets of PVC and cut them into strips of the required height. Using this method, we can make train station billboards that look authentic and last for a while.
Ninco offers excellent track and barrier items that are nearly unanimously considered the highest quality mass-made systems, albeit not as widely available as Carrera and Scalextric. The track is almost as wide and deep as Scalextric, but it has Carrera’s versatility and visual appeal. The walls vary in height, with some being only a fence and others appearing as stone. Like the Scalextric ones, the Ninco barriers are impact-absorbing and don’t “trade paint.”
Let’s say you’re already familiar with one brand of the track but want to incorporate another brand into a wall or barrier design. Thankfully, this compatibility issue isn’t as complicated or challenging as with automobiles. For example, it’s simple to switch out the Carrera candy-cane strips for Scalextric guardrails, as their height is identical to the space between the top and bottom rails of the latter.
When using Carrera clips on the Carrera track, the fences hold in place just as well as when using Scalextric clips on the Scalextric track, if not better. Any inconsistencies in length can be easily remedied by using a utility knife. Using an adhesive to apply the Carrera strips over the Scalextric guard rails is the only effective method for using the Carrera “candy cane” on the Scalextric track. The use of hot glue is effective, and it is also simple to remove.
Ninco’s walls and barriers are a singular unit, with the clips integrated into the structure. These fit snugly on Carrera and Scalextric tracks and the Ninco ones. The Ninco items include on the Scalextric track even more securely than they do on their way.
The distance between the top and bottom of the Ninco clips and the height of the Carrera track is only somewhat more on the latter. To make it work, you just need to trim the bottom edge of the Carrera track very little so that it fits. Then, again, adhesives can secure the Carrera candy cane to the Ninco fences.
Read also: Are you interested in Trading the Forex Market As a 2nd Source of Income?