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  #1  
Old 03-20-2004, 07:13 PM
lornecherry lornecherry is offline
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Porta-Trax announces SuperCircuits Pro Track Kits

Here are some prerelease pictures of our new SuperCircuits Track Kit. Your feedback is appreciated.

This layout is 12' x 6' and has some very unique featrues adapted from our larger-scale commerical tracks. (Porta-Trax is the world's largest manufacturer of custom R/C tracks)

-- The rails attach anywhere on the track and bend to almost any shape (all the rails in the picture are 'straight' to begin with and are bent to follow whatever radius you choose)

-- The surface is the new 'fiberless' Mini-Z Ozite. It offers high traction with stock tires ... it is especially designed for small scale cars.

-- Although th track in the picture is cut out to the lane shape, kits will ship with a full piece of 6' x 6' or 12' x 6' un-cut base material, allowing you to design and change your layout at any time. (The green trim and grandstand/ buildings/people are not included in the basic kit.)

-- The entire track rolls up and fits in its storage tube; setup/takedown is about 10-15 minutes.

-- Sharp eyes will notice the bridge goes nowwhere!... however bridge rails are included to make and overpass or underpass...(we wanted to show all the components of the kit.)

-- Banked corners install in 30 seconds and are adjustable! Material is included for up to 6 banked corners. Realistic NASCAR type layouts are now possible ...ideal for those with dual cell cars and high RPM motors.

-- Plans will be included to duplicate famous F1 circuits, as well as the 'SuperCircuit' shown in the pictures.

-- The kit takes a couple of evenings to build and extra rail kits are available to add/modify layouts.

-- Projected retail for 12' x 6' super circuit is about $129 US. The 6' x 6' version will sell for about $79 ...Porta-Trax has worked hard to make this track affordable and appealing to the do-it-yourself hobbyist on a budget. To reach that price point, we had to make this a kit ... you must cut the rails to the correct length as shown in the plans and apply the red striping. The only tools needed are a razor knife and scissors.

-- The scale buildings, flagstand and grandstands are also avaialble as kits and will sell for about $10 each ... they are not cardboard ... rather they are laser-cut fiberboard, very durable and easily painted.

-- This track will preview at the East Coast Hobby Show in Philadelphia on March 26th and will be available in the retail channel or direct from us within 30 days.

-- For those running different scales/classes, the ability to change lane widths and curve radii is a feature that will allow you to run anything from Epoch 1/43 to MicroSizer. Mini-Z is also possible with the 12' x 6', although the track is primaraly designed for "TinyRC" class cars.

Porta-Trax has spent almost a year of R&D on this kit concept in order to give serious hobbyists a track that will truly enhance their racing experience, yet offer the convenience of quick setup and design change at an affordable price point.


Please let us know what you think of this engineering sample ... if there is enough interest we will begin to kit the track soon!

Regards, Lorne Cherry
Senior Track Designer
Porta-Trax Canada

(Track shown with 1/43 scale Digi-Q formula 1 cars)

Note to moderator: I've posted in this general forum because we are trying to get as much feedback as possilbe ... move it to the track forum if you feel that is more appropriate.)
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  #2  
Old 03-20-2004, 07:17 PM
lornecherry lornecherry is offline
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...more pictures of Porta-Trax SuperCircuit

.... start area with scale buildings/grandstands. The F1 cars in the pictures are 1/43 scale Digi-Q F1.
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  #3  
Old 03-20-2004, 07:24 PM
lornecherry lornecherry is offline
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...more SuperCircuit picutres

...banked corners. From an engineering stanpoint ...this was the most difficult problem ...solved with a 28 cent piece of pipe insulation cut at specific angles/heights to acheive various banking angles and apexes.

This worked better than many other expensive/elaborate banked corners that we tried and is ever-so simple ... I was able to install and adjust the banking in for four corner in 5 minutes.)

--Lorne
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  #4  
Old 03-21-2004, 12:36 AM
N2O N2O is offline
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hehe thats kinda kool that but how come you cant seem to go over the bridge?,or can you move that about?
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  #5  
Old 03-21-2004, 01:22 AM
lornecherry lornecherry is offline
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...yes, the bridge moves anywhere and the kit contains material to make a larger bridge should you wish to do an overpass or figure eight. I received this engineering sample just on Thursday, so I have had only two days to come up with a layout ..but any layout is possible with the kit. --Lorne
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  #6  
Old 03-21-2004, 02:41 AM
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wow,sounds really fun...You couldnt possably take some in-racing shots of your cars could you?.Or maybe just some shots of your cars?....
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  #7  
Old 03-21-2004, 02:18 PM
urbandork urbandork is offline
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"You couldnt possably take some in-racing shots of your cars could you?."

lol thats funny i could c it now. it would be like those vids ppl post on the net of them playing fighting games.(teken, snk vs capcom ect)
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  #8  
Old 03-21-2004, 05:30 PM
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That is awesome! I want now!
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  #9  
Old 03-21-2004, 09:33 PM
ruddfan ruddfan is offline
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Looks good! I will definately pick up a kit for the price. I've been trying to make a banked track for sometime. Good idea!
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  #10  
Old 03-22-2004, 04:47 AM
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Sounds like a good deal. Is it possible to show a picture of exactly how the kit will come? I'm just curious what is necessary to go from the kit to a track like the one pictured. It would also be good to see a close-up of the driving surface.

It says track rolls up. Even after built? is the 15-20 min setup/take down to put the rails in and take them out?

And lastly, when will it be available? Are you interested in some beta testers?
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  #11  
Old 03-22-2004, 07:23 AM
jamesm jamesm is offline
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Lorne ,
After you launch this great looking track kit, maybe you could consitter designing a playfield for the Digi-Q Combat tanks.
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  #12  
Old 03-22-2004, 09:44 AM
lornecherry lornecherry is offline
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...some questions answered.

... thanks for all the positive feedback. It's (finally) nice to see that we have hit a price point offering the value you forum experts expect ...most of our tracks are larger, expensive and hand built, so I constantly got berated for being too expensive, despite the quality that we insist on and the high cost of material for our rail attachment system, which uses a patented type of industrial Velcro with special adhesives developed by Velcro for us.

With repsect to setup time ...the first go-around will take you an evening or two (you need to cut the rails and apply the Velcro and red striping). The red striping is a bit of work, but we pre-cut the vinyl stripes for you and you can do this manotonous striping while watching TV. After you have cut rails and designed your layout, setup and take down is very fast, ... 5-15 minutes depending on layout. And if you like to experiment, you can try all sorts of layout, widths, etc. by just moving the rails around.

I built the entire track in the picture in about 6 hours ...without the templates and rail measurements that will be supplied for at least 2-3 layouts. It is the QucikAttach rail system that makes this possible ...ther are no pins, screws or bolts to contend with, just a small plastic clip that joins one rail to another.

I'm hoping to develop a strong community of users that post ltheir ayouts and the corresponing rail sizes. (Once you cut a rail, it may only be the right size for a particular layout ... so I suspect that many will order add-on rail kits ... but at 60 cents per foot it won't be and issue for most.). We will also include/post some famous circuits so you can dupliate those if you wish, although after trying that, I much prefer my own creativity over what works with full-scale, although Mugello (Italy) is a nice layout. (if you don't want to bother with the red striping, then the rails are certainly more interchangleable)

I also suspect that this is a kit that will inspire a lot of inspiration and creativity ... some will build overpasses, add scenery, etc., whereas others, will just cut a few rails and start racing. I do want to emphasize again that this IS a KIT ... we give you all the correct materials and you must cut and assemble yourself ...that is the only way we can make the sub $140 for such a large track and $79 for a 6 x6. As such, this is not a Toys R Us unpack n' play, but rather a hobby shop item, not unlike any other model kit you would buy.

The track above is only our second engineering sample ...it is not perfect, and we still have to work out the most difficult probelm (packaging). The Ozite needs a large tube to keep it from wrinkling and the rails are 8 feet long before cutting, so it will ship in large tube, that also doubles as the storage tube for the rails and the Ozite. I tried with smaller rails/smaller packaging tube, but it was problematic and less flexible with respect to layouts. There is some minor bubling of the Ozite if you bank the corners, but it is minor and even my low clearence Digi-Q Formula 1s don't have a problem.

So there are still some shipping issues (we are in Canada) and packaging issues that I will work on over the next month or so. If there is enough interest, I'm sure TinyRC will carry the kits and spare rails, as he is familar with our build quality, having seen my larger scale tracks at the 2002 Chicago show. I suspect that a number of local hobby shops will also carry the tracks, as we are setting up a retail dealer program for this product. (I will know more after I see the dealer reception the kit gets at the Philly show this weekend.)

Again, thanks for the positive feedback ... I need this as I attempt to build 4 large tracks in 4 days for the upcomming show!

And to the person asking about the Digi-Q tanks ...that is a possibility, as the Ozite is well-suited to making bumpy terrain, although I'm no airbruh expert and I 'm not sure how well it will take paint. (We may modify the 6x6 kit and you could add your own scale building and scenery, as there are many companies, such as Scenic Woodlands catering to the HO train market that make buildings, trees, etc.).

I will have more pictures and perhaps a video in the upcomming weeks after the show - Lorne
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Old 03-22-2004, 12:02 PM
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I would say your guess as to the price point barrier is about right. Once that thing gets over $160, then a scratch-built track becomes more of an option. I think the storage/shipping tube is an excellent idea. FWIW, the main reason i would be interested in one is portability and small storage footprint. I already have a great floor to race on, but it requires moving furntiture and rolling up a carpet. I've toyed with the idea of finding a used ping pong table that folds in half and building a track on that, if I had something I could lay right on top, it would be much better.
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  #14  
Old 03-24-2004, 10:02 AM
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It's cool your going to debut it here in Philly. I wasn't planning on making that show but now I have to. Mind if I bring a car to run on it?

And will you be selling them at the show?
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Old 03-24-2004, 10:47 AM
leadfootedfool leadfootedfool is offline
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I like it! The portability is definitely a big plus.

A 6x12 mockup of an older Lemans track would be pretty cool (just a suggestion for the show)

I'm guessing the 6 x 6 requires a 6' tube, or does it fold in half?

For that matter does the 6 x 12 have the same size tube?

I'm looking for putting it in a small car, a 3' tube would be great.
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