S is for slot cars (and super stoked)
// December 30th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Cars & Bikes, Photos
For the past few hours I’ve been likened to a kid in a candy shop. I’ve wanted to get myself a slot car racing system since I was 6 and now, at 32 I finally have my own.
While browsing for a radio controlled car at the Sandton Reggies yesterday afternoon, I happened on some Carrera slots boxes. I flashed back instantly to my childhood days where I would go over to my friend’s house and we’d play for hours with his Scalextric set. I could almost feel the excitement of holding the controller in my hand, pressing the button and watching the little cars speed around the racetrack. Much to the dismay of my friend I would win all the races – I mean I was the Formula 1 supremo after all.
A nudge from my wife brought me back to reality, only to notice that I was clutching hugging one of the boxes. I think the lady behind the counter thought I was slightly nuts too. I got myself the Carrera Go Formula Speed 1:43 Slot racing system and knowing that I needed a partner, suggested that my wife pics out an extra car of her choice. She gave in and chose a yellow Mini Cooper as her vehicle for world domination. Since we had to match car for car, I also got a Mini Cooper Police car (with blue flashing LEDs).
After leaving the store everything was a bit of a blur really. My only focus was to get home and set this puppy up. Now for some reason I never really knew what it meant to set one of these up. It wasn’t difficult by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m not 6 any more and my limbs, knees and back weren’t built for crouching and crawling on the carpet. But I’m not complaining. A few minutes of huffing and puffing and it was all set up, ready to go.
Power on, cars on the starting line, fingers on the controllers, red light, green light….go…go….gooooooooooooo!
An invisible vortex sucked me in and transformed me back to the age of 6. A grin on my face growing with every lap. The little cars whooshing down the straights and turning into the corners at a blisteringly fast pace. I am in heaven.
If only I could find some space for a permanent setup.
