Talk:Slot car

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The last three paragraphs of the "competition tracks" were written from the perspective of HO. If they also apply to 1/24th, then it should be made clear that they apply to both scales. If they do not, then that information should be moved into the HO part of the section. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 146.148.99.38 (talk • contribs) 17:16, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Thanks to Contributor

I would like thank the original author of the Slot Cars section, It is very comprehensive and well done.

Rudy Garriga,

Slick 7 Products —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.131.37.39 (talk • contribs) 17:56, 29 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cleanup Links

The links sections needs a drastic cleanup,

There seems to be many links that aren't of educational value, but simply contain ads or other stuff that probably doesn't belong in Wikipedia. I took out some of the ad links, but there are probably more there. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.37.202.32 (talk • contribs) 18:46, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

Agreed. I've started by removing a few redundant links & links to personal-type websites. I've also culled some external links from the article text itself and moved them to the external links section, where they can be scrutinized more easily (trust me I won't be upset if they are removed!). There's still much cleanup to do here though. I'll try to get around to it soon, but if any other editors are feeling ambitious feel free to dive in. --AbsolutDan ^(talk) 16:58, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Have carried out a drastic cleanup removing all sites where the primary content was commercial. Mighty Antar 16:17, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Well done so far.

May I offer some comment/reaction from a fresh reader?

1. Wikipedia - World Encyclopedia.
With great respect to the hard working author(s), while there are a few, very few, non-USA references, the overall thrust is unmistakably North American, rather than World. There is, arguably, a larger slot car fraternity in Europe and, to a lesser degree, in the rest of the world, that isn't apparent in the text. This applies particularly to the Organizations and Competitions areas. While I feel sure that was not the intention, the impression is fairly strong to a neutral reader and is probably not ideal in a "World Encyclopedia" setting. Perhaps a good idea to consider rephrasing/rewording/expanding anything that might prove to be ‘arguable’?

2. Abbreviations.
It could be helpful to enlighten inexperienced readers with the full name of organizations such as "HOPRA", on first mention.

3. Miscellaneous.
While it is true that "OO" is the most common (mongrel) scale in UK for model trains, "OO" is never used in connection with slot cars. I suggest removing the "OO" reference.

In Slotless and Digital Slot Racing section, I suggest removal of the word "primitive". It seems too emotive/judgemental and nothing would be lost by its omission, other than elimination of a subjective sounding judgement call, which removal feels appropriate in an Encyclopedia.

Similarly, but opposite, is the rather apparent approval intimated in “Digital slot racing promises to fundamentally change the way in which circuits are constructed . . . etc”. I suggest that a neutral word such as “offers” would be more approriate in an Encyclopedia context. Again, it would seem ‘a good thing’ to strive towards avoiding contentiousness, as far as possible.

I would also suggest separation of slotless from digital – they are so different as to be virtually unrelated.

I hope these comments can be accepted in the spirit intended – strictly neutral and with constructive intent.
--John Tempest 14:43, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

This article is headed "Slot Car"

But it very quickly meanders off into slot car RACING and the vast majority of the article is actually devoted to the racing aspect and organisation of racing, to the very severe detriment of the basic heading.

My personal opinion is that a VERY long list of who won what racing class in one given year of some championship is of zero educational value to a newcomer who simply wants to know what a slot car is and how it works.

Slot Car Racing should be a separate article - a natural follow on from "Slot Car".

As it is, the existing description of a slot car falls down unbelievably badly by initially failing entirely to mention that slot cars are ELECTRICALLY powered - that is a crucial part of any slot car definition! At no point do I see any mention of the absolute necessity for low voltage, powered metal strips each side of the slot. I am sorry but I must withdraw my yesterday's comment of "Well done so far". It isn't - it's bad, very bad indeed.

I will give this all further thought because, the more I look at it, the clearer it becomes that this article has completely lost its way as any form of informative or educational tool and needs fundamental change.

John Tempest 22:12, 3 October 2006 (UTC)