Retiring from Pinewood, Photos of 12 years of racing

Show off your cool vehicle designs and track burning speedsters!
againstthegrain
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Retiring from Pinewood, Photos of 12 years of racing

Post by againstthegrain »

5 kids,12 years of making cars. 9 pack champions and 4 district champions, two council champs.
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We want to race the truck! 2 wood blocks stacked. Our 1st car (girl scouts)...(I'm a UPS man)
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Penguin sliding downhill, our 2nd car. Penguin is made of a separate pinewood block (girl scouts)
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3rd at districts, a little beat up now after all these years. Cub scouts
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Stan Pope inspired "rail car" design. I thought there was no chance we would lose...2nd in Pack, a lot to learn!
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Pack champion (actually 2nd to a later disqualified illegal car)
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District champion. Was featured on a local new story. Had the fastest run of the day at Council..then tanked. We found a human hair wrapped around the back axle after the races were over. That's pinewood!
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Luckily this car did not beat his older bother who won district
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Council champion (girl scouts) "JAWS"
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Pack champion, 6th at district
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Council 3rd place (girl scouts)
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Pack champion
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Council champion (girl scouts)
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Council 3rd place (girl scouts)
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Last but not least, last year's district champ. (thank goodness he equaled his brother's accomplishment)
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Thanks to all who contributed to this forum. I always tell the new dads all my tricks, but they have to spend the time with the kid and the car implementing ALL of them if they want to beat us! Lots of great memories with my kids.

We are also selling all our Pinewood stuff. See post in Trading Post on this forum...

http://www.derbytalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7506" target="_blank
Last edited by againstthegrain on Wed Jan 29, 2014 1:31 am, edited 6 times in total.
Selling all my Pinewood gear...
http://www.derbytalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7506" target="_blank
TXDerbyDad
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood

Post by TXDerbyDad »

You have some really impressive cars. That's some fine work you and your kids have done. I'm hoping to be like that as well. I have six sons. The oldest is about to make Star Scout in his Troop, and the next youngest are a Webelos and a Bear, respectively. Then I've got a 5 year old son who will be a tiger next year and two year old twins. My oldest daughter is 15, so by the time my youngest boys are out of Cubs, I will probably already have grandkids. I'm looking forward to being "grumpa." :) We have that derby reputation, but honestly I think it's big fish in a small pond thing of us because I still learn new stuff here almost daily.

Congrats on a great run with your kids and enjoy your retirement! :)
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Vitamin K
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood

Post by Vitamin K »

Wow, that's a big crowd, TXDerbyDad. You definitely have a Pinewood Legacy ahead of you!
TXDerbyDad wrote:You have some really impressive cars. That's some fine work you and your kids have done. I'm hoping to be like that as well. I have six sons. The oldest is about to make Star Scout in his Troop, and the next youngest are a Webelos and a Bear, respectively. Then I've got a 5 year old son who will be a tiger next year and two year old twins. My oldest daughter is 15, so by the time my youngest boys are out of Cubs, I will probably already have grandkids. I'm looking forward to being "grumpa." :) We have that derby reputation, but honestly I think it's big fish in a small pond thing of us because I still learn new stuff here almost daily.

Congrats on a great run with your kids and enjoy your retirement! :)
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood

Post by TXDerbyDad »

Vitamin K wrote:Wow, that's a big crowd, TXDerbyDad. You definitely have a Pinewood Legacy ahead of you!
Yep. It can make building our cars really stressful, especially since I'm also in charge of the race, but I wouldn't trade them for the world. Not even the surly teenage daughter. :rofl:

Hopefully our cars will eventually start looking as awesome as againstthegrain's family's. I have car envy. :paperbag:
againstthegrain
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood

Post by againstthegrain »

TXDerbyDad wrote:You have some really impressive cars. That's some fine work you and your kids have done. I'm hoping to be like that as well. I have six sons. The oldest is about to make Star Scout in his Troop, and the next youngest are a Webelos and a Bear, respectively. Then I've got a 5 year old son who will be a tiger next year and two year old twins. My oldest daughter is 15, so by the time my youngest boys are out of Cubs, I will probably already have grandkids. I'm looking forward to being "grumpa." :) We have that derby reputation, but honestly I think it's big fish in a small pond thing of us because I still learn new stuff here almost daily.

Congrats on a great run with your kids and enjoy your retirement! :)
Thanks so much.
I would have not traded the time I spent with them building for anything. I would encourage every dad/adult mentor to try to explain why you do each thing you do to the car. By trying to explain things like aerodynamics, sliding vs rolling friction, potential and kinetic energy in the context of why it makes the car faster, you will make learning science fun for them. My oldest girl will be graduating with an engineering degree this year. My 3rd kid just made Eagle scout and plans on becoming an engineer as well. I credit their interest in Physics and science to our days planning and building Pinewood cars.

God will bless you for being so generous by having those 6 boys! My parents had 7 girls in a row and then 4 boys in a row. My 5 kids are the joy of my life.

I think the other Pack dads are glad I am retired. In the spirit of this forum I would always share any and all my tricks with them. They just had to spend the time with their boys/girls building and fine tuning. That's the whole point isn't it?
Selling all my Pinewood gear...
http://www.derbytalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7506" target="_blank
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Scrollsawer
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood

Post by Scrollsawer »

Great cars, and wow...9 Pack Championships! We might get lucky with 3 before we're done next year. :pray:

TXDerbyDad, my Webelos are identical twins. Can't imagine what 6 are like. My 3 are all I can handle. We built 4 cars this year, and that was more than I usually care to manage. You must be frazzled during Derby season.

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againstthegrain
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood

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Scrollsawer wrote:Great cars, and wow...9 Pack Championships! We might get lucky with 3 before we're done next year. :pray:

Scrollsawer
Thanks,

Nothing like the pros on this forum. But I do make the kids do all the sanding and painting. Kids don't often have the hand strength for aerosol paint cans, but there is an attachment you can buy that makes it easier to spray. Along with a high-build primer you can get a great smooth metallic looking finish.

It was really cool when the local TV station showed up for our races and he got the lowdown to watch my son's car. He featured my kids car on the news segment proclaiming.." No one was going to touch So and So's car", with video of us smoking everyone. It made me so proud that my son handled it with humility, consoling his friend who did not do so well.

againstthegrain
Last edited by againstthegrain on Wed Jan 29, 2014 12:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
Selling all my Pinewood gear...
http://www.derbytalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7506" target="_blank
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Noskills
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood

Post by Noskills »

Great story and great cars!. Now how are we going to store/display these cars for posterity?

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Re: Retiring from Pinewood

Post by FatSebastian »

againstthegrain wrote:We found a human hair wrapped around the back axle after the races were over.
:shifty: Sabotage!
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood

Post by MOFAST »

That is a very inspiring story. I have 8 yr. old triplets and a ten year old. This year we just made one car per kid and even that was a challenge. I am glad my hands are full rather than empty, we have 2 more years of PWD and I will be said when the cross over.

You should be very proud of all your brood, god bless!
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood

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FatSebastian wrote:
againstthegrain wrote:We found a human hair wrapped around the back axle after the races were over.
:shifty: Sabotage!
More like the unseen providential hand of God. I always encourage my kids to "Do their Best". But even more important is to teach them to accept whatever the outcome is, with filial trust in the Divine providence of God. The failures and hardships usually turn out to be far greater blessings than the wins.
Selling all my Pinewood gear...
http://www.derbytalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7506" target="_blank
TXDerbyDad
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood

Post by TXDerbyDad »

againstthegrain wrote:
FatSebastian wrote: :shifty: Sabotage!
More like the unseen providential hand of God. I always encourage my kids to "Do their Best". But even more important is to teach them to accept whatever the outcome is, with filial trust in the Divine providence of God. The failures and hardships usually turn out to be far greater blessings than the wins.
Amen to that my friend! :bigups:
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood, Photos of 12 years of racing

Post by sporty »

Awesome
againstthegrain
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood, Photos of 12 years of racing

Post by againstthegrain »

I just loved racing the UPS truck in our first Derby. I am a UPS driver and the UPS commercials at the time were with NASCAR champion Dale Jerrett #88 with the slogan "we want to race the truck".
We hollowed out two pinewood blocks stacked on top of each other. No extra weight added!
We learned a lot about woodworking and car prep since then.
I wonder if we could build a competitive Double stacked truck at this point. It would certainly look a lot cooler.

I was surprised when my 3rd daughter's "Jaws" car won Council. The Girl Scout races back then were more about winning design categories than winning races. In the 3 years that followed, the girl's races became every bit as competitive as the boys.
Selling all my Pinewood gear...
http://www.derbytalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7506" target="_blank
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Re: Retiring from Pinewood, Photos of 12 years of racing

Post by Scrollsawer »

Uh oh.. I work for FedEx. Looks like we may have a rivalry in the making 'againstthegrain'. :muahaha:

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