Incomplete Gamer

Challenge #4 of the Toy Stories Challenge is done and dusted.  For those not keeping score, here at the Incomplete Gamer we’ve been inspired to spend some quality time with some iconic toys and hobbies after watching James May’s Toy Stories TV show.  His show’s a tribute to the toys of yesteryear including Britain’s best loved slot cars – Scalextric.   The premise of James May’s doco is not simply to pay tribute to the toys and hobbies but find a way of capturing the attention and imagination of a younger generation more at home on the couch with a video game controller in one hand and a TV remote in the other.

Consider us captured.  Since watching the show, we’ve set Incomplete Gamer Junior at total of four challenges, building a remote control Meccano car, making plasticine flowers (and assorted fruits), recreating an iconic video game scene out of Lego, and our latest project – an outdoor Scalextric circuit.  Hit the jump to see how Incomplete Gamer Junior fared.

It’s Monday the 26th of April, on the Anzac Day long weekend in Canberra, and right on schedule the temperature has plummeted.  The sun’s out, but only one third of the grounds of the proposed outdoor Scalextric track is bathed in sunlight. Incomplete Gamer Junior, again ably assisted by cheap labour a good friend, sets out to build the biggest outdoor circuit he can manage with a box of Scalextric track that looks like it hasn’t seen action since the 1970’s.

Fleeces on, and hot Milo at the ready the work begins.  The first problem – circuit design.  Plans to start building immediately are soon shelved.  Instead it’s deemed wiser to simply lay out the track pieces end to end, attempt to form a circuit, ensure both ends will actually meet up, and  then join all the track together.

Incomplete Gamer Junior meets with immediate success.   The box of tracks includes a variety of different sized curves which means that getting the two ends of the ‘designed on the run’ track to actually meet together and join properly is actually achievable.  If you don’t have a variety of different curves at your disposal you may find completing your track a little harder without a bit of careful planning.

Actually connecting the track takes a little longer.  Scalextric have since redesigned it’s ‘quick and simple’ connection system to be even more quick and simple. Even so, the track is soon fully assembled 

If the track looks a little tired, the transformer looks positively ancient, and the Scalextric cars themselves are authentic 1970’s models in the sense that they are models of 1970’s racing cars, themselves manufactured in the 70’s  With the track fencing on, it’s time to  race.   There are three major points of failure in Slot Car Racing.  you have your track, your cars, and your power supply.  As all three of our ‘major points’ are looking a little worse for wear, we’re not entirely sure what to fix first. Some of our track is slightly buckled, the metal rails are tarnished and in places, the metal joins are loose where the track ends join.  Of the cars, only one, a two-tone Datsun 260Z seems interested in turning a wheel in anger.    

Instead of a race, Incomplete Gamer Junior throws down the challenge.  Nurse the car around the circuit.  100 points on offer for anyone who can manage a full lap and five points off for every ‘manual assist’ required to nudge the Datsun back into motion.

As a race, Incomplete Gamer Junior deems the Challenge a ‘fail’.  Not an ‘epic’ one but a ‘fail’ nonetheless.  Building the track  is seen as a worthwhile way to spend a couple of hours outside on a public holiday.  Says Incomplete Gamer Junior, “I have only ever played wth Scalextric once before about four years ago with my Dad, but don’t remember it very well.  Building the track was probably the best part because trying to race the cars proved impossible.”

The challenge complete, Incomplete Gamer Junior is soon back inside with friend in tow, and firing up the nearest game console.  Crashing may be unavoidable in Burnout Paradise, and sometimes you might even total your car, but a restart is always only a button press away.