Derby Talk

The blue one looks like a veneer.

Our district does not allow parts resold by 3rd parties; however, how do you inspect for that? Our rules only say that the tread has to be flat (no U or V cut wheels) and that the decrotive beads must remain visible.

Speaking for myself the list includes: Tungsten (lasts multiple years) 4 kits Ink Jet decal paper (lasts multiple years) Clear for the decal paper (lasts multiple years) Clear for the car paint Oil for outlaw, graphite for scout (lasts multiple years) Axle polishing kit (lasts multiple years) Specia...

I don't think he is saying he built the car. I think what he is saying is he was going to let his son build most of the car with little help with the expectation that it would not win.

WOW! What else do your district's best performers buy? Can't speak for all of us, but for me: Drill press, bench sander, scroll saw, files, sand paper, paint, dremel, bits, polishes, oils, graphite, and on and on. You know the first thing I did with the bench sander I bought? I took it to a distric...

You can get more fragile than that:

I started to write a long response, but I decided to stick to your question about your proposed rule change. 1) I think there are more advantages to using a more dense material than COM. In other words, I still think using tungsten will give you an advantage. 2) I don't know what it takes to be comp...

Almost missed this. I just registered. Hopefully made the first 100.

Why not just have everyone bring a car, put a number on it, then do a drawing and award cars at random. This will ensure that no matter how hard you worked (or didn't work) that you still have a chance to win. Heck, why even have cars? Just have everyone show up and award the trophies at random. Hmm...

May I point out that the intent of PWD is not for the scout to build their own car, but for a dad & son team to work together and build the car. Take whatever approach on the rules you would like (I personally prefer open rules that allow for learning and creativity), but just make sure no matte...

It seems that the smaller the fenders the better. This isn't based on experience, but what I have found on the internet. You just need to be very careful that the fenders do not touch the guide rail.

Let me start by saying that it is highly probable that you do not need fenders to win a scout race. Also, there is a decent chance that, at least at first, you are going to do the fenders wrong and slow your car down. All that being said, just about every "pro" uses them. We are talking ab...

If the rears are drilled canted and done correctly then no bend is required. If you have a drill press or even just a drill you can chuck the axle and tell pretty quick how straight it is. I have found it easier to go through a hand full of axles and find the straight ones vs using the axle press.

IMO, that would be a really bad interpretation of that rule. The only purpose of the rule is to ensure the car can make it down the track. In fact, just about every pinewood derby event we have been to will give a car a test run if it does not meet the clearance in the box. If it rolls it runs.

Hmm, the only other thing I could think about is making an electric car just for fun. Have some kind of starting mechanism that is trigged by the start gate.