An Aurora TV ad campaign from the mid 1970’s began with the statement, “A lot of people make racing sets…” proceeded by a showcase of the product in focus in the ad to explain why you should buy Aurora AFX over “those other guys.” But, what about all those “other people” who made racing sets?
Like so many (I daresay, most) aging adults who are interested in toys, I have the collector’s disease, and if you’re reading this, I bet you do, too! You know the symptoms: the urge for completion, the drive for more. When I find a model car I like-whether it’s a Matchbox, a Hot Wheels, or a Thunderjet-its not enough to have just one; I need to have multiple copies in multiple colors; then I need different wheel types, different decals, different details; and soon you are cataloging the variations you’ve acquired and the ones you still want. Its bad enough to have this illness when building a collection of cars within a platform, such as Aurora Thunderjets or Matchbox Superfasts; the problem blows up geometrically if the disease worsens and you begin expanding your voracious appetite for completion to different platforms. And now I’m starting to learn about other HO slot cars made by other makers, as well as variations on the themes made by Aurora, and my head is starting to spin with the amount of space I will need and money I will spend if I pursue all these interests!
When I was a kid I remember seeing these cool commercials for “TCR.” This was a slotless “slotcar line” developed by ideal around 1978-ish which, as I understand it, was later acquired by Tyco. Originally I thought this was a revolutionary advancement on the slot car theme until I found out (only very recently) about the Aurora “Ultra 5” line. I know very little about these and would like to hear from anyone else out there who is familiar with them and knows how they work; it appears Ideal’s TCR “system” was cribbed heavily from this Aurora innovation.
Even lesser known to me are the Aurora XLerators, which I also was not aware existed until very recently. I have no idea how these work and would like to know more about them; this classic TV ad refers to them as “free-wheeling” but they clearly have motors, yet I don’t see what technology is in use here. From what little I’ve seen so far these are difficult to find and highly sought after by collectors, which means “big bucks”, but also means “why TF didn’t some other company pick up the torch and make a similar product.” What appeals to me, specifically, about this product (knowing as little as I do about it) is that it looks like at least some of the Aurora and other T-Jet bodies might be compatible with the XLerator format…. Hmmmmm…
And then there’s the Matchbox Speedtrack. As mentioned elsewhere in this ‘blog, I did have one of these as a kid, the “Race & Chase” set which, as with my original Tyco set, disappeared down the memory hole; I cannot recall its fate. Since I am an avid Lesney-era Matchbox collector I have looked into the possibility of buying another of these sets, but it does appear that they are quite desirable and finding a good, clean, complete set in working condition looks to be an expensive proposition.
This could go on and on; there are all kinds of other vintage slot car makers and brands and formats that look appealing: the Aurora copies by German firm Faller, slot cars made by companies like Lionel and Gilbert, and this is all just keeping it HO; go into bigger scales and we’re looking at some of the awesome stuff made over the last 60 years by Scalextric and Carrera as well as the bigger vintage stuff from Ideal and from Aurora, who also made 1:32-scale slot cars.
It’s likely that some of these more clever designs didn’t really work as well as the TV ads would suggest (that is certainly the case with one of the conceptually coolest non-slot automotive toys ever made, the Matchbox Motorway, which was a frustrating mess disguised as a great concept). But then again, its also possible that some of them worked very well, but they were complex enough that they could not be economically sold at a price the market for toys would bear, resulting in brilliant technology disappearing into the corridors of time. I figured there’s a reason why so many other manufacturers fell by the wayside over the years, leaving only Tyco and Tomy AFX as the makers of the HO-scale electric slot car format, and I also figure there’s a reason why the conventional slotted track design has endured the way it has.
At least, I can make myself feel better by telling myself that! Otherwise, things quickly get out of hand…and, similar to an ever-recovering alcoholic, knowing that I have “collector’s disease” and knowing I have to control it as best as possible, I try not to look too much at all the cool toys all the other kids have. Maybe “limiting” myself to the “conventional’ 2-lane slotted tracks with the original Aurora motor design smacks of a lack of imagination, but as adults we have to be “practical.” Unless you’re a “1%’er” there’s only so much time, space, and money…but, oh man, does some of this stuff look cool!
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