AFX vs Tyco: the Platform Question, Revisited…

When I first started this blog right before Christmas of 2020 I stated that I was in the process of building my first Tomy AFX track on a newly constructed table and had intentions of switching brands, retiring my Tyco track and migrating my diorama and racing activities from the older, small table to the new one. As part of this, I stated that I was “sold on the superiority of the AFX design.”

Well, its now been 6 months since I first set up that Tomy AFX track but only about a month that I’ve really been racing on it, and frankly, I’m starting to reconsider my position on this.

For some, the “Tyco vs AFX” question seems similar to “Coke vs Pepsi” or “Ford vs Chevy”; people seem to have pretty strong opinions! I’ve never been much for brand loyalty; I go with what works. I prefer Chevys but I don’t hate Fords; I prefer Coke, but I’ll drink Pepsi. And when it comes to my HO slot car track, I want the brand that gives me the best results. And considering some recent events, I’ve been making little mental lists of pros and cons that I’m going to mention here in hopes of getting some feedback! So, dear readers, I’m asking for your input: which do you prefer, and why? Here are some of the things that I’ve noticed…

My misgivings about the Tyco track are principally related to two things:

• The track is fragile and easy to break and doesn’t always snap together well, and it tends to come apart at the joints over time requiring frequent reconnections.
• I have always felt the output from the Tyco power packs was on the anemic side.

Since I’ve always had nothing but Tyco tracks until 2020, here is what I noticed about the color of the grass on the other side of the pasture:

• The AFX track snaps together more securely but also comes apart more easily, and the connectors are less prone to break
• The power packs have slightly higher voltage output

So far, none these seem very significant, but now I will add what I see as the biggest difference between them that gives the AFX track the edge: the slot is significantly deeper. This is an obvious advantage, allowing you to use longer pins on your car and lower the risk of deslots on cornering (see my exhaustive analysis of this, complete with side by side comparison pictures, in my previous post “PINNED DOWN”).

Put a section of each brand of track side by side and its easy to see why the uninitiated would be unable to tell the difference; the two are very similar; they are exactly the same width, exactly the same height, and seem to be made out of a roughly equivalent quality of plastic. The difference in the depth of the slot can be clearly seen when looking at the track in cross-section, but to see the other differences takes very careful observation: the lanes are slightly closer together on the AFX track, slightly closer to the edges on the Tyco track. The rails on the AFX track seem to be just a hair higher. And the rail shape at the ends is slightly different, with the AFX having the “zig-zag” shape at the connector while the Tyco rails are straight.

None of these differences seem significant enough for a “make or break” decision, with the exception of the slot depth; that is significant, and gives a clear advantage to AFX. But unfortunately, experience has now shown me that it doesn’t end there: there are a couple of other things I’ve realized now that I’ve spent quite a bit of time with both brands, things that merely observing won’t tell you.

For example:

• The Tyco “stock” hand controllers seem to be of much higher quality than the stock AFX controllers; I’ve owned 4 sets of the Tyco trigger-type controllers and all of them have a very smooth operation and are durable to boot, while I have been consistently disappointed with the AFX units; they are poorly made, clumsy to operate, and wear out very quickly; and the newer ones are significantly worse than the older ones, which are already bad.

• The connector design for the controllers and the power pack also gives an advantage to Tyco: although I do like the ability to merely flip the connector over on the AFX design in order to reverse the polarity of the track and race in the opposite direction  (something that requires a different power pack with Tyco), the connectors on both of my brand new AFX terminals are loose enough to pull the wires out with only a gentle tug and frequently work themselves loose during racing, while the Tyco connectors are so strong you can practically lift the entire track with them.

So, thus far things seems to be about even, all things considered. But then we come to the issue of power and power distribution: and here is where I’ve been surprised.

I have been having power distribution problems with my AFX track on and off ever since I first put it together. I was surprised by this because this issue is one of the specific things I have often heard other racers cite as an advantage to using AFX over Tyco. It’s true that there is more “juice” on the AFX track…near the terminal. However, as the cars get further away, the voltage drops begin. Now of course there’s always going to be some of this; I know about attenuation and I know that the longer the track is the more power taps it needs; and I know that connections, cleanliness of the rails, and many other things influence this. But what is increasingly vexing me about the AFX track is that I have believed I have fixed this problem several times only to have it return, and the nature of it changes; the places were the drops occur and stop, the distance away from the power supply, and the severity of the drops have all changed as I’ve done my troubleshooting and section replacement and adjusting. At this point I’ve been through every single piece of my AFX track with a fine tooth comb three times, changing pieces around, swapping out some for others, cleaning, checking joints, and testing with a multi-meter. And every time I think I have the problem licked, it works fine for a day or two, and then it comes back.

Of course there is attenuation with the Tyco track too, but a year ago I built a Tyco track on my basement floor that was even larger than my current AFX track, and I do not recall having these “drop-out” problems with that track; rather than sudden “dead spots,” the voltage just gradually lessened farther away from the power supply and gradually increased as the cars got closer, which is a much easier situation to live with; with predictable attenuation, you learn the track and know where to apply more power and where to let off; but with the sudden voltage drop problem I’ve seen with the AFX track, it’s very hard to calibrate power application to the car, as the drops affect different cars to differing degrees, and the sudden restoration of full power often results in a crash or deslot before I can compensate for it by letting off the “gas.” Certainly the power on the AFX track is more robust near the power supply, but the distribution of the power over a long distance seems to have been more stable with Tyco. And this, dear friends, is a potential “make or break” situation.

To be clear: I have tried multiple power packs, multiple terminals, and multiple sizes and types of layouts with both brands. I didn’t notice the power problems from the AFX track until I exceeded approximately 40 linear feet, but I’ve had Tyco tracks longer than that without these problems. So, maybe there’s a problem somewhere with my AFX track that I still haven’t been able to find; or, maybe I just got really lucky with my Tyco track. But at this point, I’m no longer sure which platform I want to use for my long-term setup. This is an unexpected situation.

To this, I will add one more issue which is entirely a matter of aesthetics and preference and does not bear on which design is “better.” While most of the Tyco track I own is the standard black, the majority of my actual course was made from a set called the “Ferrari Faceoff” which was made in gray to simulate concrete. Molded into the gray plastic along the length of the track near the rails on both sides is a dark streak that resembles tire marks and dripped oil. This adds a dose of realism to the track that I really love. As far as I have been able to find, this particular set is the only one Tyco ever made that is colored like this, but AFX never made anything similar. After spending a lot of time with both tracks, I can conclusively say I far prefer the gray track to the black; its more attractive, more realistic, and makes the darker colored cars “pop” while not muting the lighter colored ones.

I realize this is just aesthetic, but as I’ve stated time and again, I am very focused on how things look; my principal joy is in recreating the feel of vintage racing, so I want my slot cars and my track to look as realistic as possible. This, after all, is why I’m racing Thunderjets and not Wizzard/Viper/BSRT and all the other Lexan bodied cars.

So, it seems I have a decision to make: proceed with my plan to migrate to AFX, or pony-up for a second “Ferrari Faceoff” set and combine them, and stick with Tyco?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?