Please comment on how you think the various mfr's do supplying us w/ info on how to use their products. They pump out stuff for us to buy, but I don't think they do a very good job @ telling us what to do w/ it. This results in "lore" or rumors circulating about their use. Slot.it does a pretty good job, between their online & printed resources & open communication. I think if they offer a new parts range or a kit, there should be some guidance; it will help sell the product & ultimately make the brand more credible.
I would like to see some of the jargon (slot car speak) explained like f-can motors and c -can .I learned a long time ago that as a soldier most people don't have a clue what MOS means or a lot of other terms used every day in different venues. Drag racing has it's own "speak as does any other racing .
The manufactures who produce chassis should put out the wheel base and width of a chassis for scratch building. What that means is that the on line stores don't sell much unless you get the info from the guy next to you at the track.
the forums on here do a lot to help but some times the info thats needed to make something different is missing . Case in point ,Read the bit about putting Revell/Mono. chassis under a Carrera GTO car and making it run . I have 6 Vintage stockers and none of them would meet the correct wheel base of the GTO. Tried changing the front wheel base and still not a good fit? I really wish this site would put out that kind of info.ie motors names , wheel base of certain chassis, etc.
charlie
As these cars are considered toys, I guess the people who make them do not feel the need to do the extra effort for what is basically a niche market of enthusiasts.
As noted above, you need instructions on how to play with toys...!?
In any case...since everyone is different, has different like's and dislike's, many choises of plastic track, many choises of surface on wood tracks...MANY choises of tires to experiment with...just how is a company supposed to instruct anyone on how to play or maybe a better word.."tune" the cars ?
Then throw in adjustable controllers...and a whole new set of instructions may pop up..!
Learn as you go. Make mistakes, then do it again differently. These things aren't that expensive that a different set of tires or a different gear ratio shouldn't be out of order to purchase now and again.
Hell...these are wear items anyway, so you'll be buying at some point in the future no matter what.
Other tuning items are all over this website. Read, learn, experiment, learn, have fun.
Just like learning to ride your first bicycle...I'd bet you fell a time or two before you got the hang of it... Same thing with the slot cars.
I remember as a kid, every AFX car I bought had basic assembly/disassembly instructions printed in a booklet underneath the box. They had a different set for each type of chassis they made, and I think they even had part numbers (don't quite remember).
Anything made to be taken apart and/or put together should have basic instructions. If you buy a Hamilton Beach blender, even though it's not a toy and it's not very complicated, it's guaranteed that there are basic assembly instructions included.
It seems like this should be a very basic tenet of customer service. First rule -- don't leave your customers in the dark about your product. If you make your product familiar and comfortable, people will come back. Having replacement part numbers available makes people realize that they're not on their own, and they're not helpless if and when something breaks.
Many of us don't need to see these instructions, but some people do, and it's a mistake for a manufacturer to assume too much about what their customers can and can't do.
I remember as a kid, every AFX car I bought had basic assembly/disassembly instructions printed in a booklet underneath the box. They had a different set for each type of chassis they made, and I think they even had part numbers (don't quite remember).
Anything made to be taken apart and/or put together should have basic instructions. If you buy a Hamilton Beach blender, even though it's not a toy and it's not very complicated, it's guaranteed that there are basic assembly instructions included.
It seems like this should be a very basic tenet of customer service. First rule -- don't leave your customers in the dark about your product. If you make your product familiar and comfortable, people will come back. Having replacement part numbers available makes people realize that they're not on their own, and they're not helpless if and when something breaks.
Many of us don't need to see these instructions, but some people do, and it's a mistake for a manufacturer to assume too much about what their customers can and can't do.
The bottom line on things like slot cars is COST, as I am sure the profit margin on these is not large. It cost money to print and provide instructions of any sort and you need to do them in several different languages because they may sell anywhere in the world. I am more than willing to bet that most do not provide anything in order to save what would add up to a large cost if multiplied times the number of Items produced each year.
For that reason, many give this information on their website. No need to deal with the costs of putting in sheets of paper into a box that the huge majority will not use.
As mentioned, these are toys, and ones that, for most people, do not require instructions. You get those when you buy the sets. For the kits, I have to guess that it is assumed that if you are that far along in the sport, then you should be able to figure out what goes where. I have built enough kits of all sorts that I can build one without instructions, though there are times when I am scratching my head about a part until I figure out where it goes.
I would think that anything that has the ability to have replacement parts the manufactures would find it a benefit to have a parts print included or online. The margin on replacement parts is a lot more then on the actual product itself. Having a QR code to direct you to a website or just having it on the website works and is cheaper for them. A car that cost $50 or $60, can easily have replacement/upgraded parts that add another $40.00 to it. Guides, tires, hubs, gears, etc... But some compaines don't even have that...
The bottom line on things like slot cars is COST, as I am sure the profit margin on these is not large. It cost money to print and provide instructions of any sort and you need to do them in several different languages because they may sell anywhere in the world. I am more than willing to bet that most do not provide anything in order to save what would add up to a large cost if multiplied times the number of Items produced each year.
For that reason, many give this information on their website. No need to deal with the costs of putting in sheets of paper into a box that the huge majority will not use.
As mentioned, these are toys, and ones that, for most people, do not require instructions. You get those when you buy the sets. For the kits, I have to guess that it is assumed that if you are that far along in the sport, then you should be able to figure out what goes where. I have built enough kits of all sorts that I can build one without instructions, though there are times when I am scratching my head about a part until I figure out where it goes.
Every toy I ever got as a kid had instructions. We got instructions with our 4 dollar AFX cars -- can't get them in our 50-100 dollar cars? A simple diagram showing the parts and where they go should suffice, no need for 18 languages. Show the website for the company, and you're done.
Shoot, I got instructions with a 2-car set of plastic Rolls Royces, and each had a magnet in it. They could roll, and they could stick together, and that was it. Still had instructions. lol
As a kid, the packaging meant something. It was part of the experience, it's where you found out the little details. I remember getting those Aurora 'Prehistoric Scenes' models as a kid. Each one had a set of instructions, even though the kits were simple enough to put together with both eyes tied behind your back. They personalized the toy. Or maybe we shouldn't bother with packaging at all -- wrap them up in bubble wrap and say "here ya go, kid!"
Carrera includes a sheet (well, they did- haven't bought one for over a year) that shows how to disassemble their cars and a note on how to replace the braids (spare set included with car). Since they are some of the cheapest cars out there, it can't be that cost prohibitive to include some instructions...
Carrera includes a sheet (well, they did- haven't bought one for over a year) that shows how to disassemble their cars and a note on how to replace the braids (spare set included with car). Since they are some of the cheapest cars out there, it can't be that cost prohibitive to include some instructions...
for the smarta$$es; I know quite well how to "play w/ my toys" & I am not talking about the products marketed as "toys".
What I am referring to is things like the various gear sizes, pitches, & diameters & what gears they should then be used with. Currently there "lore" circulating that NSR cars should not be run w/ the chassis, guide, & pod the same color; things like that.
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I don't need a breakdown on my slotcars but it is nice to go to a mfg's website for that info. I really appreciate the tuning help that Maurizio has put on the Slot.it web site.
Mfr's supplied info
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