Ron Todhunter - Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Slot Car Mods - RS65photos - Classic Cars & Historic Motorsport

The 34th issue of Ron Todhunter's Slot Car Mods Online Magazine was recently published and as you read it, his fascination with the hobby is palpable. Or rather, Ron's fascination is infectious. The 68-year-old Canadian's enthusiasm for slot cars began in his childhood and has remained with him to this day. Ron and Slot Car Mods aroused my curiosity and I wanted to know more about him and his magazine.

Ron Todhunter - Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Slot Car Mods

1. Ron, when did you first come into contact with the small and fast world of racing and what fascination does slot racing have for you in particular?

It was back in the early '60s, and it would have been an Eldon 1/32 slot car set for Christmas from my Mom and Dad. The one thing that I'll never forget about the Eldon set, is the hum that you'd get when you slid the slide-switch to power that gold-coloured transformer on. A few years later I would have received an Aurora HO (pin and clip style) set. After that, I discovered the world of commercial slot car racing, at Grand Prix Raceways in Vancouver, B.C. Canada in my early teens. I was hooked. The fascination that keeps me addicted to this hobby, is how the inner artist can flourish in multiple aspects. To me it's not about the competition, it's about the creativity.

2. The 34th issue of your Slot Car Mods Magazine was recently published. What inspired you to start it in 2016?

Well, I must say I was shocked by the “34th issue“ comment as I have never thought of that, at all. Since I create the magazine four times a year, that's all I'm ever thinking about, never once have I thought of the total issues. Now back to your question, Rainer. Our local club was having a race event, the Camaro Cup. After the event was over I wanted to create some sort of souvenir for everyone, and since I've always been a magazine fanatic, that's what I created, but in digital form. I called the magazine, Slot Rod, paying homage to Hot Rod magazine from my youth. I shared it for fun on the World Wide Web and ended up receiving a lot of positive responses, and at that moment, Slot Car Mods came into being.

3. What makes Slot Car Mods so interesting for your many readers?

That's a good question, Rainer. My all-time favourite kind of feedback is when so many people tell me that they read it cover-to-cover, I take great pride in that. I've always liked to mix the hobby with various aspects of life, with an emphasis on getting to know the individuals who are a part of our world.

4. Do you regularly meet up with friends to practice our wonderful hobby and compete head-to-head with them?

Not as much as I used to. Occasionally, on Thursday evenings, you'll find me at Slot Car Racing Edmonton's facility, and on Friday afternoons with the gang at Idle Time Raceways. Nowadays the competitive part of the hobby is far less important to me. I mainly go for the social aspect, the sharing of tall tales, and the testing and photography of a variety of slot cars.

5. I suspect that your interest lies not only in the small speedsters, but in motorsport in general. Am I right?

If one can be addicted to motorsports, well that guy is me. From my teenage years with street racing, and spending time watching drag racing at Mission Raceways, where on Sundays they’d shut the track down between noon and 1 pm so the town could go to church. Some friends and I would also cross the border to head to Washington State's SIR (Seattle International Raceway) to enjoy their 64 Funny Car event. I signed up for driver training to get my racing license at Westwood - the home of Mountain High Racing (It was a stunning and challenging road course), a track that has disappeared like so many as the housing developments move closer. I was supposed to run my Mazda RX-3 but blew the apex seals the night before, so I took my brand-new Chevy Celebrity and had a blast.

6. Keyword “slot car tuning“ - are you an expert in this field?

I can hold my own at times, though I never take it too seriously. I find it fascinating how the performance can be affected, good or bad, as you play with the tune. I'm a urethane tire guy as well. I love how the tires wear and leave debris similar to what would be on a 1:1 car. Urethane tires are easy to true as well, unlike silicone or rubber tires.

7. Which 3 slot cars are your personal favorites?

This is a tough question, and I've given it a lot of thought. I'm glad I get to pick three, as I think picking a favourite would be just about impossible. I'll start with my 1/24th L.A.Dart Wheelstander Drag Car, this was built for me by a couple of my friends, the late Mark Schuller, and Pat Bodard. We spent a bit of time talking about it, then Mark went to work on the body and paint, and Pat got to engineering the chassis and building it. I created the decal set for it and ordered the various bits and pieces, and Mark did the final assembly. The experience of running this car is fascinating, as it seems to behave like the real car would have.

Another would have to be my 1/24th '58 Plymouth Fury oval racer built by my friend, master artist Tom Baker. His work in brass and stainless steel is something to behold, and he knocked this one out of the park. He started with a picture of an old local racecar that I sent him, I supplied the model kit, and he created his version of that old racecar.

And the final one has to be the latest, my yet-to-be-finished, though I have run it at the track, 1/32nd '65 Ford Mustang "Hoonicorn", the original version. It's 4-wheel-drive and is powered by a 50k motor. It lights the tires up with ease and slides through the corners. Perfect! My friend Pat Bodard told me what parts I needed, I delivered them, and then sometime later he handed me the finished working chassis, a brilliant piece of engineering.