In This Issue:
Printable
Version of this Issue (556K)
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From The
Editor
Hi Gang-
Thanks to all of YOU, VSRN
continues to grow. There have been
well in excess of 4000
hits in the past few months – undoubtedly
more contact than in 10
years of doing the printed version!
I kind of overwhelmed the
OWH Web Site with the load of stuff
I posted last month, so
I’ll take it easy on webmaster Paul Kassens
this month. I’ve got tons
of material already scanned, and even more
to do, so let us know what
you would like to see next.
Next time, I’ll be starting
a series on home track layouts. Using some
of the neat software that’s
out there, I’ll show you how to recreate
some famous U.S. tracks,
including some you may not have thought
of in a long time!
Also, I think I’ll show
you some of the tricks to making decals at home,
using your Ink Jet printer.
Believe it or not, I'm even shopping for parts
to finish some of the "Project
Cars" I intended to use in the old VSRN!
Hopefully, you'll be seeing
them in the upcoming months...
In the future, As always,
your comments and suggestions are welcome -
I do appreciate the feedback!
You can contact us at: greg@vsrnonline.com
Keep It In The Slot
!!!
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Hi Greg,
I have a suggestion on the reference library.
I have scanned pictures
and such for ebay auctions and other things
and have found that
when you scan items, they automatically enlarge.
This looks to be the
case in your reference library. The items are too
large to print so, what
can we use them for? I have had good luck
scanning a 8-1/2 X 11
item at about 30 or 35% to get it the same size
as the screen thus,
printable but, you would have to experiment.
If I am way off base
here please let me know but, I would love to be
able to print these
items if possible but, as they are now, I wouldn't
get the whole page.
If your intention is to deter people from doing this,
then I understand. Thanks,
Mike Zimmerman, Sr.
(Ed
Note: Mike, the intent of VSRN is to make sure everyone can get
access to the
information. You’re not the only one who has had this
problem. When
you click on the listing on the Web site, it comes up
bigger than the
screen in your browser. I don’t know of a way around
that other than
by creating a web page for every page in the Library
(maybe you Java
experts can help me out with this). What you need
is a program
that will let you scale the image.
There are a number
of choices.
One of the easiest
is to use a "photo" program, which are a dime a
dozen at most
software stores. I got Microsoft PictureIt2001 at an
office supply
warehouse (Staples to be exact). Normal price was $30,
with a $10 instant
rebate, and a $15 mail-in rebate, so it ended up
costing me $5
plus tax. Theis type of program gives you a wide
variety of printing
options, including the all important "Fit to Page".
So when you bring
up the image on the web site, right click on it, and
select "Save
Image" (I use the Netscape browser), and put it in a folder
where you can
find. Then, start your photo program, open up the file
you just saved,
select "one picture per page" and "print to fit".
There are a bunch
of other ways to do this. If you have a word processor,
like Microsoft
Works, get to an empty page, select "Insert / Picture From File",
then pick the
saved image. It is placed inside a frame, which you can resize
so it fills the
page.
If you have a
scanner, you probably got some kind of a graphics program
with it, like
Photoshop LE, which can also scale the picture so that it fills
the page.
If anyone is still
having trouble, let me know.
Greg)
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Hi Greg, it's
good to get up with you again. I just got on the internet at home
recently for
the first time (believe it or not). What a delightful surprise to stumble
on to VSRN
from the get go. I've missed the old hard copies of a few yr. ago.....
but hey, this
is even better. I have always been into vintage slots and vintage
real cars.
When VSRN fizzled out several years ago, and I didn't have a computer
at that timeI
guess I leaned toward real vintage cars a little too much. But one
should do
everything in balance, so it's great to spend some time with the
vintage slot
stuff again. Thank you for spending your time and effort in creating
and maintaining
this site. I look forward to talking to some old acquaintances
and meeting
some new one's interested in vintage slots. Andy Sawchak, Va.
P.S. Are you
ever going to do a classified section?
(Ed Note: Thanks
for the message, Andy. I’ve been thinking about the
Classifieds,
which everyone loved in the old VSRN. I haven’t come up
with a good way
to set this up, without me having to spend a lot of time
watching over
it. About the only possibility so far is to create a private
mailing list
which will limit the circulation.
Greg)
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VSRN-
GREAT SITE YOU
HAVE....Keep the Vintage Slots Alive! I'll be linking your site
from my new site
just published but dtill under construction...I was inspired upon
finding out that
one of my Reproduction cars..a '69 FORD GT 400 GULF will be
featured in "SLOTRACER
1/32 Scale News & Commentary" sometime soon...
If you get a chance check ou my site at:
"http://drive.to/COOLRETROHOTSLOTS"
Please sign my
guestbook while there...appreciate all your efforts to keep the
hobby exciting!
T.D. Bash
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Subject: cleaning
Cox mag frames!
It's a DIRTY job!
I have had good luck with a dremel tool and the wire wheel to
clean them up.
They are usually pretty bad and I do not enjoy it!!
VSRN puts the car back in slot car!!!!
"hurricane145nz"
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(ED NOTE:
I got an e-mail
from one of the big names in the "glory days" of slot racing,
Howie Ursaner.
Since he was East Coast based and often pictured with Jose
Rodriguez,Jr,
I asked him about him memories of Jose….)
Hi Greg,
Jose and I had a very
special relationship back in my racing days. I started racing
at Polk's hobbies in
NYC and was somewhat adopted by a great slot car builder
and real racing fanatic
Steve Vogel. Steve's best friend was Jose and I spent
countless time with
both of them. I was "the kid" and these guys were both like
my father at that time,
I had lost my real father a few years before at age 12 in 1962.
Everyone wanted to run
thingies and Jose wanted the cars to look scale so he
started NAMRA and I
was by his side to prove that scale cars could also be rockets.
Jose was always funny.
He loved to laugh and had a great time with everything.
His cars were always
the most perfectly detailed and many had handmade balsa
bodies. He always made
fun of himself in his racing and tried hard but was never
very quick. I was fortunate
enough to have a little reunion dinner with Jose and
Bob Emott in 1979.
He sent me a letter after that and I still have that.
When I recently
heard that Jose had passed away I felt extreme sorrow and
remourse that
I never continued our communication, I felt a great loss. I turned
my back to
slot racing many years ago , did R/C in the late 80's and would have
been the first
ROAR national oval champion if not for a last second incident. I
have recently
become interested in my past again and that is why I have contacted
you. I am
sure I haven't lost my skills and maybe someday I will run a car again.
I
have stayed
in contact with some of my old cohorts, mainly Sandy Gross, my gold
dust twin
as Jose used to write, John Cukras, and Wayne Williams. I had been
also talking
to Pete Von Ahrens over the years and am also saddened by his
passing. My
life has always been based on the years i raced slot cars . They were
the greatest
times with the greatest people and I remember most of it as if it was
yesterday.We
could talk sometime if you would like, and you are free to pick my brain.
Regards,Howie
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Paint
By Bill Shaw
Spray paint is good for
the larger areas, but for the real detail, brush on paint is required.
So you’ve a complete set
of Testors enamels to handle most details. Good now you want
to use a flat enamel say
#1185 rust. Finding the bottle, the paint appears to have settled.
No problem, a few quick
shakes and all is ready… The paint didn’t budge. Add that to
your list of stuff to buy
the next trip to the hobby store. Wait!
Open the bottle and probe
the paint with a piece of music wire or small screwdriver.
If the paint is still soft,
there is hope. Grab your bottle of Testors enamel thinner #1148,
add some to the soft paint,
and stir. Add more thinner to achieve the desired viscosity.
Presto, the paint has been
revived.
But the lid is history?
It’s caked with dried paint or the paper seal had to be pried off of
the top of the bottle after
you finally got the lid off with pliers? When you use up the bottle
of enamel thinner, always
save the lid. The lid can replace that caked lid with the bad seal.
Then you can toss the bad
lid.
Why does Testors use bottles
with such poor seals? I still have a dozen bottles of
Pactra Authentic International
Colors that I purchased about 15 years ago from a hobby
shop that was moving from
Queensgate Shopping Center in York, Pa. to West Manchester
Mall, for 10 cents. The
paint was old stock they wanted to get rid of. These bottles have
maintained their seals.
They all have liquid on top of the paint, which can be remixed by shaking.
The reason for poor seals
is to sell more paints! But not to me, I just by more bottles of thinner.
The local Wal-Mart recent
raised their price from 88 cent to 96 cents a bottle.
Keep on revvin’
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