3DBotMaker track observations, questions
I've recently become very interested in open track racing. 3Dbotmaker really got me. His production and commentary are on another level. That channel will hit 1 million soon I'm sure. Anyway about my observation.
3D's older race videos in comparison to now looked very erratic with cars crashing, zig zagging and spinning backwards too often. I've noticed in the last 8 months or so 3D changed his track to what appears to be a more narrow straight and also the 180 turns are not as high. As a result I feel the races have far less cars finishing backwards and zig zagging all the way down the track. The races look more polished and real. I have some questions.
1) Is my assertion correct that narrower straights and less high 180 turns allow cars to maintain stability? (assuming all other variables are identical)
2) What track is 3d using for his 180 turns?
Thanks
Discussion
Yes, and yes. Also, He now starts will divided single lanes out of the gate, which allows the cars to pick up speed without all the bumping. His older stuff shows open track from the start gate.
I have Hot Wheels Orange Track, 4mil corrugated hand made, Hot Wheels Sizzlers, and Crash Racers Track.
The sizzlers, lile the corrugated board, is very smooth but has some ridges. But the traction is not there. The Crash Racers had raised ridges which help immensely with keeping cars straight on track.
Intresting how our opinions contrast, I find many of 3d's races rather slow with the new track, with not as much passing. Sure, old Race Mountain speedway presented more erratic driving, especially in 2019 where I found it a bit painful to watch the cars continuously fail to run straight, but the speed of the races made up some what for that. As for 2018, I have no complaints. You make a good point though, the quality of 3ds videos defineitly picked up with the change of track type. I think his 3 lane sizzler track in 2018 presented the best racing, as with the ridges, cars were able to usually stay straight, but still delivered the kind of magic you get with 3 lanes.
- Well said! — CutRock_R_Marc_D
- Personally I dont like the mag track at all. The banking was all wrong — NDeavers80
3DBM recently posted a video about his track choices over the years. A good recap if you're looking to build in his footsteps.
Something he's alluded to in the video, but didn't spend much time on: softer plastic, like the sizzlers and the crash racers has give to it that causes a little more friction than coroplast does. That give is the only grip the plastic wheels of a diecast car really get. So, the sliding about on the MagTrack is largely because two mostly frictionless surfaces were in direct contact. The cars were never really guided by their own spinning wheels. They were basically in one long skid from the get-go. He could have rectified that in some manner such as adding the printed labels that some use to simulate the look of pavement, or even just dusting the coroplast with Aquanet (a trick stage folks use to reduce glare from lighting on shiny surfaces). Just painting it would have added to the friction. But, when all is said and done, the soft, pliable plastic of the commercially available track is always going to give the cars the right amount of grip to roll rather than slide. The moment they are rolling, they have a better chance to go straight (assuming they've got a good set of wheels). MagTrack was a neat idea, but flawed in the execution as we saw it in those videos.
- Good ol' Aquanet, solving hundreds of life's problems since 1961. — redlinederby
- That's very interesting and good information to know. Although I can only think of big 80's style hair when I hear the word Aquanet. :D — G4DiecastRacing
- The Lost Boys - vampires with AquaNet! — SpyDude
Depending on how far back you go he was using hotwheels sizzlers track, than be switched to a track he 3d printed himself and now he is using crash racers 2 lane for the open racing.