Types of slot cars - Overview

Homeset production

Manufacturers Artin and Carrera make very nice 1/43 slot cars.

• True 1/43 scale

• bodies made of molded hard plastic

• chassis is part of the whole car made of same plastic as body.

• Motors fall in the toy category

• Advantages- attention to appearance unsurpassed by any other slot car

• Disadvantages – technologically simplistic. Slow, hard to drive, spare parts hard to find, must be run on low power, fragile.

It has to be noted that these are the only TRUE 1/43 slot cars that can be bought in stores.

Toys Set cars

• 1/43 quasi scale

• plastic body and chassis

• toy motors, run on D battery packs

• only run on plastic tracks with steel rails

• require built in magnet for traction and handling

• Advantages – super cheap

• Disadvantages – these are toys. Poor quality, lack of detail, generic styling, aren't fun to drive.

Production HO

made for stores

• plastic chassis and body

• scale appearance very good

• Advantages – look good, fairly scale. Affordable

• Disadvantages – too fast, not very fun to “drive” magnet traction too strong.

Professional HO

• plastic chassis

• sophisticated armatures, neodymium magnets

• Lexan clear body

• bodies lack scale shape or detail

• Advantages – impressive, easy to drive.

• Disadvantages – much too fast, a blur. Not fun to drive, not fun to watch. Very expensive.

HO T Jets

Born in the 60's this is the only non-magnet class. Today it is a popular class run at 18volts. The cars actually have to be driven and have some slide. Reproductions true to the original Aurora cars are readily available and affordable. This is the only HO we can recommend as fun.