Keep Oppo Pinewood

"leicester" (leicester) 07/02/2014 at 19:42 • Filed to: None

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Was home this week and I see my Pinewood Derby racers are still on display.

On the right, inspired by Tuvolari's Alfa P3, and on the left, its nemesis, the Silver Arrow. Ironically, the cars finished 1st and 2nd, just as in the actual race...

Bandit > leicester 07/02/2014 at 19:56

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Nice! Here's mine from back in the day. Quite a good looking car if I do say so my self. The thing only got 3rd.

Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 > leicester 07/02/2014 at 20:03

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Here's my collection. Yes, dad helped.

leicester > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 07/02/2014 at 20:16

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Holy buckets, the Wienermobile!

Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 > leicester 07/02/2014 at 20:27

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Yep, it's my pride and joy

ranwhenparked > leicester 07/02/2014 at 20:37

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Very cool. You've inspired me to go find out if any of mine still exist. Heading home this weekend, so will look.

I had one that was modeled after a '59 Cadillac, but it was very crudely made because it was my first year in Cubs and my parents didn't realize they were allowed to help me. The fins came out OK, the rest, not so much.

Sn210 > leicester 07/02/2014 at 20:52

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I made one of these in shop class in seventh grade! it was my one and only shop class (thanks budget cuts!) so I only built one Silver Bullet. I don't have it anymore but I lost in the second round of racing. We used co2 cartridges in the back

zeontestpilot > Sn210 07/02/2014 at 21:17

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Wait what? co2?

Sn210 > zeontestpilot 07/02/2014 at 21:26

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Yeah they weren't quite Pinewood cars. We had a "track" which was some fishing line between two gates. The cars had eyelets under them to guide the cars straight. The starting gate would drop and puncture the cartridges, winner would advance and loser went home. My design was built for strength not for added lightness

Sn210 > zeontestpilot 07/02/2014 at 21:29

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Pitsco dragsters! I remembered! We got a kit like this:

And made it into this:

zeontestpilot > Sn210 07/02/2014 at 21:55

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That's pretty epic. I never knew these existed!

ly2v8-Brian > leicester 07/02/2014 at 23:42

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I don't have pics right now (and my derby cars need repairing). My first car was styled like a hot rod. Nice cherry red paint and the number 23 on the back (for Michael Jordan because that was when I actually watched basketball). It won the race. My other race winner was a firetruck, red of course.

ly2v8-Brian > zeontestpilot 07/02/2014 at 23:44

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I did this for my shop class too. Mine was the fastest because I added the most lightness that was allowed.

orcim > leicester 07/03/2014 at 05:20

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60's memories. I remember my dad telling me about sanding the nails for the axles, then producing some jig to sand the inside of the wheel holes, smoothing the wheel outsides, and loading the weight equally across the axles. I didn't understand until later, but just did and was happy how they blew the uninformed competition away. (We didn't take the other pimped out rides, tho.)

zeontestpilot > ly2v8-Brian 07/03/2014 at 06:30

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When I did pinewood derby, they were gravity cars. I had two of them, one was shaped like a wedge, and got 3rd place, the other was modeled after the fastest car that beat the speed record on land, that car didn't even get placed.

I remember there was one guy who did nothing to his car, I looked like a present, he won the whole derby that year.

I also did rain gutter regatta, where we built boats, put them in gutters, and blew on the backs to see who got farther. It's interesting when your on crutches.