What to do if there's no space for a permanent track
I've been building single-use tracks for my kids for the last two years. It is loads of fun. We recently started a YouTube page with videos of our recent activity. However, it feels like we are missing something.
Unlike other die cast racing folks on YouTube, we don't have space for a stand-alone race course in our house. We need to put the track away at the end of the day.
I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for how to develop and maintain a channel without a static race course. Should we design a track that can be rebuilt every week for mini tournaments? Has anyone out there built a modular track that we can try to replicate? (I have a small shed that could hold pieces of a larger track but not host one itself.) Thanks for any advice.
Discussion
Diecast 64 has one of the most successful channels and he uses a shelf type track. Check out his YouTube channel and racehotwheels.com for lots of great tips on track building.
- That looks good. Thanks. These days I keep finding new (to me) racing channels. Loads of great ideas. — AB_IB_Racing
A shelf track is a good way to get a track in your space without taking up space - it's why I made one! And even my track is only quasi-permanent. Yes, the shelf is "permanent" but the track is not and all that's left is a shelf. And if you're not chasing diorama tracks or modeling, then a shelf track is definitely an quick & easy one to build and manage.
- Ha. I've been meaning to mount my TV to the wall for a while. Good test to see if I can mount a proper track to it as well.. — AB_IB_Racing
I think there are a lot of people in your situations, despite all what you might see here or on YouTube. When I started racing, I didn't have room either and had to put up and install my track every week to do racing. Mine was just a drag strip so it was somewhat easy to put up & down, but I still had to plan for efficiency.
You might want to check out this post that someone shared about making his own modular track that runs through his living room. It uses side tables from Ikea and such. Pretty spiffy, if you ask me, and a great way to think about making a track that isn't permanent.
But like you said, I would focus on coming up with a track course (or two) that you can easily replicate each week when you want to record video. It'll just make YouTube life easier. And then it's just about getting your reps in - the more you do it over and over, the easier it'll be.