Scalextric Aston Martin DBR9 with Slotrax 3DP-Chassis

While chatting with Mike Roe from Slotrax over Messenger about the 3D printed chassis, he sent me a list of other models they offered.

Among them was one for the Scalextric Aston Martin DBR9 — something no other 3DP chassis maker had ever produced, just like the SCX R8 LMP.

For the longest time, the only 3D chassis options available for the DBR9 were for SCX or Black Arrow, so I had completely given up on finding one for the Scalextric version.

Not just for the DBR9, but Scalextric stock chassis in general tend to have their limits — once you swap in an aftermarket rear axle set, the gear mesh changes and produces harsh noise, or the motor mount cracks easily after a few removals due to low rigidity.

It’s understandable since they were designed as toys for kids, but I could never accept that kind of performance for such a beautifully modeled DBR9 body. So my DBR9s just stayed untouched in my collection for years — too beautiful to race, yet too flawed to enjoy.

Then I spotted my beloved DBR9 on Slotrax’s 3DP chassis list, and I was as excited as when I first found the one for the SCX R8LMP. I got one and built it into a race car worthy of its beautiful Scalextric body.

SCX Audi R8 LMP with Slotrax 3DP-Chassis

Back around 2005–07 in the magnet racing era, I used to run the SCX Audi R8 with a Scaleauto red 35k motor. Back then, if you wanted a high-rev short-can motor that was easy to get, that was about the only option. Plus, everyone had a spare one lying around because it came with the MRRC Cobra and most people didn’t know what to do with it.

With that motor, a Scalextric wide-bar magnet glued underneath the chassis as low as it could go, and Slot-it alloy wheels with S1 tires, the car was absolutely unbeatable on a magnabraided commercial wood track. On the other hand, at small home-club circuits with plastic track, the magnet was way too strong and the car just stuck to the rails and couldn’t really run. That was when many clubs started exploring the idea of non-magnet racing. And that’s exactly the era when I first entered the world of 1/32 slot car racing.

In Japan back then, this kind of tinkering was simply what everyone was doing for fun. But from 2007 onward, I completely fell in love with non-magnet racing, and for the past 18 years I never looked back. 

Back in August this year, I came across William Wellbean’s post on Facebook, and it made me want to bring back to life my long-sleeping, brand-new SCX R8s (Team GOH “Kabuki” and the Adelaide 2000 “Crocodile”) as proper non-magnet racers.

Will kindly introduced me to Mike Roe from Slotrax in Lakeland, Florida, and I got the same 3D printed chassis for the SCX Audi R8LMP that Will is using.

Following my current preferences, I went with CB Design insert wheels and Paul Gage XPG urethanes. As for the motor, I used a BRM Super EVO from my stock—one that had too much torque for any other project until now. Since this car carries so many good memories for me, I wanted to give it something special spec.