A fascinating look at the history of Scalextric, from the earliest slot cars to the present day Tells the amazing story of the world's longest scalextric track, built by james May and a team of volunteers as part of the hit BBG2 television series Toy Stories James May's Toy Stories: The Scalextric Handbook examines the development and expansion of Scalextric over the course of half a century's innovation and improvement, outlining the history of this iconic brand from the first tinplate cars to modern digital control. It also gets to grips with the cutting-edge technology used to design the latest Scalextric cars, explains the elements of good track design and looks at what it takes to be a slot-car champion. Finally the book tells the complete story of James May's visit to Brooklands, the historic home of British motorsport, when James assembled a team of volunteers to build and race the world's longest Scalextric track. Book jacket.

1/32 scale slot racing, made popular by Scalextric, is enjoyed by all ages. Half the fun of the hobby is taking apart, tuning, upgrading and reassembling the cars, but until now this has been a black art. For the first time, this complete guide to tuning and racing gives step-by-step instructions on how to set up the cars and the track to give the best performance.

James May raids the Airfix archives to reveal how designers, graphic designers and production teams get a scale model from the drawing board concept to finished product. He also looks at the world of modellers and collectors.

First published in 1981, this book has long been recognized as the ‘bible of Scalextric’, providing a complete catalogue of the cars and equipment produced. Now, for this seventh edition, the book has undergone a transformation, with a complete redesign and masses of new information about cars, sets and accessories produced around the world. As well as extra detail about earlier periods, there is full coverage of all the new Scalextric products launched in the four years that have elapsed since the previous edition. Now containing nearly 1,000 photographs, this book has become an extraordinarily detailed summary of everything in the world of Scalextric, written by an author who has been captivated by the subject for nearly 50 years.

Robert Schleicher wrote the book on slot car racing—literally. In the three short years since Schleicher’s Slot Car Racing: Tips, Tricks & Track Plans was published, the hobby has been virtually transformed by new products and technologies. This new volume, a perfect complement to its predecessor, brings readers and racers up to date, offering a concise, comprehensive overview of slot car racing’s developments, along with expert, practical guidance for putting this information to good use. A primer on the latest digital and analog developments for both 1/32 and HO scales, Schleicher’s book delivers the lowdown on building cars from individual components on ready-to-race chassis, as well as popular tune-up tips to get even more speed and better handling out of today’s cars. Schleicher also provides track tests of 70 cars and a slot-car shootout featuring 23 more vehicles. Finally, Schleicher includes nearly 50 track plans: 14 tabletop-size plans for Scalextric, Classic, Carrera, Sport, SCX, and Ninco brand track; 14 plans modeled on real circuits like Watkins Glen, Monaco, Spa-Francorchamps, Sears Point, and the Bahrain and Shanghai F1 courses; and 17 4x8-foot HO scale plans. Illustrated throughout with color photography and track plan line art, this is the book that no serious slot car racer can afford to be without.

By the early 1960s such famous toy brands as Airfix, Dinky, Corgi, FROG, Matchbox, Tri-ang, Meccano, Hornby and Scalextric had secured a firm hold on the imagination of children and hobbyists throughout the world. With over 400 colour photographs taken by the author, this is a reference work for the collector.