Pinewood Derby Times Newsletter Volume 15 Issue 12

Pinewood Derby Times
Volume 15, Issue 12
March 9, 2016
In this Edition:

- Editor's Notes

- Humor

- Product Showcase - 7% off Orders of $70 or More

- Pinewood Derby Car Showcase

- Q&A

Editor's Notes

Last Issue of the Season
This is the last issue of the Pinewood Derby Times for the 2015-2016 season. The new issues (Volume 16) will begin in October 2016. You will automatically continue to receive the newsletter in the fall, as our mailing list will remain intact. If your e-mail address should change before then, from the NEW e-mail account simply send a blank e- mail to: [email protected] with your OLD e-mail address in the 'Subject:' line.

We have many of the articles planned for next season, but we are always looking for your input. So if you have an idea for an article, please send it to me at [email protected]

I would like to thank all of our readers and contributors. Your input is greatly appreciated and certainly contributes to the success of the newsletter. I wish you all a blessed summer. See you in October.

Expanded Car Showcase Instead of including a Feature Article, this edition contains an expanded Car Showcase.

Inventory Clearance Sale We will be putting more items on clearance, and will have an end of season special offer in early May. At that time we will send out a short notice to our subscribers to let you know more about this sale.

MV Basic & Wedge Car Kits

If you are planning a race and are not required to use a specific kit type, our MV Basic or Wedge Car Kit are just what you need. These attractively priced kits are equipped with:

Quality Block - Unlike the blocks provided by some organizations, our blocks are soft, northwestern pine blocks, cut precisely to 7 inches long, 1-3/4 inches wide, and 1-1/4 inches tall. These dimensions, as well as the axle slots accurately duplicate the dimensions of standard pinewood derby blocks from BSA and PineCar.
Simple Axle Preparation - Don't worry about filing off flaws, or losing hub caps. Our Speed Axles have no burrs or crimp marks, and install without hub caps. With or without polishing, they are ready to go. We supply five, so you have a spare.
Quality Wheels - Forget cheap, out of round wheels. Our MV wheels are top-quality wheels. You will not be disappointed with the quality of these wheels.

So, if your organization does not mandate a particular kit type, consider our MV Basic Car Kits or MV Wedge Car Kits

Can We Help? If we can help you in any way with your pinewood derby project, or if you have any feedback regarding this newsletter, please contact us at: info@maximum-velocity.com

Humor

Some tourists in the Chicago Museum of Natural History are marveling at the dinosaur bones. One of them asks the guard, "Can you tell me how old the dinosaur bones are?"

The guard replies, "They are 3 million, four years, and six months old."

"That's an awfully exact number," says the tourist. "How do you know their age so precisely?"

The guard answers, "Well, the dinosaur bones were three million years old when I started working here, and that was four and a half years ago."

Product Showcase

Last Edition Sale
7% off Orders of $70 or More

Now is your chance to stock up before your pinewood derby event, or for next season!

Through March 22, 2016, you can get 7% off any order of $70 or more. To take advantage of this limited time offer, use coupon code MAR9NL during checkout.

Important Notes:
(1) The coupon code must be entered in UPPERCASE.
(2) Apply the coupon code after all items are in the cart. If the shopping cart content is changed after the coupon is entered, the coupon code may need to be re-applied before pressing the "Proceed to Checkout" button.

Car Showcase

First Car - Timothy Davis - 1995

This is the first car we ever built. It didn't look like much, but ended up in 3rd place. If you are interested in the story, check out the memory in Volume 15 Issue 1

Yellow Dragster - Shannon Davis - 1997

We built two cars in 1996, but they both disappeared. Then in 1997 we built two yellow dragsters. At the time there was a Lego driver in both cars, but by the time I took the photos one had disappeared (maybe he stole the two missing cars!). This Yellow Dragster took 2nd Place in speed.

Battery Car - Timothy Davis - 1998

This car has an alarm. If you tilt the car, it beeps. This was done with a mercury switch (yes, I know this is taboo - but at the time I didn't know better). We flipped the switch off after two heats; while it was staged the beeping got really annoying. The car took 1st place for speed and 3rd place for design. The Battery Car still intrigues kids that come into our shop.

Maroon Low-Rider - Shannon Davis - 1999

This was the first extended wheelbase car we built. At the time another family was building this type of car, so we were trying to catch them. The car took 3rd place for speed.

Rocket Carrier - Timothy Davis - 2000

My son wanted a "Rocket Car", and this was the compromise. The rocket is a tiny Estes rocket. The car took 2nd place for speed, just a few milliseconds behind the 1st place car.

Interceptor - Janel Davis - 2001

At this time Maximum Velocity was in its infancy, and I was writing car plan booklets. The Interceptor was one of those designs - it is in "Advanced Car Plans". I'm sure I did most of the body work, but my daughter did work on the wheels and axles. The Interceptor took 1st place for speed and 3rd place for design.

Speeder - Stephen Davis - 2002

Another Maximum Velocity design (in "Car Plans"), the Speeder is one of my all time favorites. It was inspired by Luke's speeder in the original Star Wars. It took 2nd place for speed, and 2nd place for design.

Dominator - Stephen Davis - 2003

Bill Launius of DerbyWorx was considering offering balsa wood "noses" so that cars could easily have a high nose (an advantage on some tracks). So we built a car with one. It took 2nd place for speed and 1st place for design.

Tulip - Shannon Davis - 2004

My daughter designed this car on her own, and did most of the work. The car took 3rd place for speed and 3rd place for design.

Cell Phone - Janel Davis - 2005

The Cell Phone is basically a Wing design with a lid. It was very popular and took 1st place for speed and 1st place for design.

Patriotic Stealth - Janel Davis - 2006

The Stealth is another Maximum Velocity design (Car Plans 5). My daughter spent a lot of time on the artwork. It took 1st place in speed and 2nd place in design.

Velocinator - Shannon Davis - 2007

The Velocinator was a prototype of the kit we still sell. It was also the first try using needle axles. It was the fastest car, but the needles bent for the final two heats, which was enough to drop it into 3rd place in the Outlaw race (and 2nd place in design). This was the impetus for the creation of the "Needle Axle Upgrade Kit".

Two-wheeled Wonder - Janel Davis - 2008

This was a try at running on two wheels. The two "outriggers" ride above the track, and are there just to keep in on the track. It ran quite well, taking 2nd place for speed in the Outlaw race, and 1st place for design. The center weighting kept it from taking 1st place.

Green Stealth - Stephen Davis - 2009

This car was based off the Accelerator design ("Car Plans 6"). We made two of these cars; the second car has a white dish instead of the green sphere. The green sphere car took 1st place in speed in the Outlaw race, and 3rd place in design. In a later race, the second car was loaned to another adult, and it also took 1st place in speed.

Vaccinator - Stephen Davis - 2010

This was the prototype of the Vaccinator ("Car Plans 7"). My son Stephen helped design the car. It took 1st place in speed and design.

Share Your Car With Our Readers
Do you have a car you would like to "show off" to our readers? If so, send us a photo of your car along with a brief description of any special features. Please include your full name. If selected, we will include the photo and description in this newsletter. Please e-mail photos to:
info@maximum-velocity.com.

Photos must be sent by e-mail in JPG format (minimum size of 640x480, maximum size of 1280 x 960). Please shoot photos from the front left of the car, similar to the orientation of this car:

For better focus, keep the camera four or five feet away from the car, and then use the camera's zoom to fill the frame with the car. Also, use a solid (preferably white) background for the photo.

Send only one photo per car, unless an additional photo is needed to adequately show a feature. Also, only one car per subscriber per year please. Thanks!

Pinewood Derby Memory

The Secret to Winning?

My step-son is in Royal Rangers, and we built a car for their derby race. Instead of axle slots cut in the wood block, Royal Ranger cars are equipped with two 3/8 inch dowel rods that are placed in slots on the bottom of the car. The wheels are then attached to the ends of the dowels with screw axles.

The night before the race I was making final wheel adjustments. I was having some problems getting the wheels aligned so I lost a lot of the graphite that had been put on the axles. On race day I added some graphite before check-in and was spinning the wheels to get it worked in. I slapped the wheel too hard, knocking the car out of my hands and onto the ground!!

Our worst fear ... I cracked the front dowel. Luckily the crack was by the wheel that we purposely lifted off the ground. We had to realign the car, and we got it as close as possible. We were expecting that this was going to kill us on the track.

But surprisingly, the car performed great, winning the age division race and then taking second place in the finals.

We consider ourselves very fortunate that the car performed well. After the race our Pastor joked that dropping the car was the secret. Maybe we'll have to drop next year's car as well!?

Patrick Mulligan
Sylvania, Ohio

Share Your Pinewood Derby Memory! If you have a pinewood derby story that is funny, unusual, sad, heart- warming, etc., please E-mail it to me.

Don't worry about literary polish. We will edit as needed. If your memory is used, you will receive a $10 coupon in May of 2016.

Also, please read our Submission Policy

Q&A

Which wheels are faster: the 4005-MV Speed Wheels or the 4060- Official BSA Pro Ultra Lite Speed Wheels?

The two wheels are very similar and both have the same weight. But if you have a choice I would go with the 4005 wheel. Out of the mold, the MV wheels are more accurate than the BSA wheels, and the 4005 wheel is a bit stronger. Just make sure that the MV wheels are legal for your race.

I had purchased Tungsten cylinders (Item # 5030) from you previously. I am interested in the Tungsten Powder now (Item #5064) and would like a better understanding of the volume contained in the 3 ounces, relative to how much space it would require on my pinewood derby car.

For instance, each 1/2 ounce Tungsten cylinder that I purchased earlier can fit into a 3/8 x 7/16 inch hole I drill into my car. Will 1/2 ounce of Tungsten powder be accommodated in that same hole?

Tungsten powder would take considerably more space than the tungsten cylinders. To make cylinders, tungsten powder is compressed into a cylinder shape mold (high pressure), and then is heated in a kiln. The tungsten powder melts and shrinks. So the resulting part is smaller than the mold.

So, raw powder takes much more space as it is not compressed or melted. Generally, tungsten powder is used for filling cavities that you can't get anything else into. Also, some people mix it with epoxy and then use the result to glue in tungsten cubes. This makes the epoxy heavier. Another use is to make castings (domes, drivers, etc).

If you are interested in how tungsten parts are made from powder, check out the feature article in Volume 13, Issue 12

How can I soften tungsten putty and make it a little more sticky?

You can try warming it up. Don't microwave it, but if you can find a warm (100-150 degree) place, it will soften up a little. Maybe on top of a computer or radiator. I think you can also put it in a Ziploc and put that in hot water.

Do You Have Questions that Need Answers? Do you have a pinewood derby-related question? If so, send your question to: info.maximum-velocity@com. We answer all questions by e-mail, but not every question will appear in the Q&A section of the newsletter.

Back Issues

Are you a new subscriber, or have you missed some of the previous newsletters? Don't miss out! All of the issues for Volume 5 through Volume 15 are posted on our web site and can be found using our Newsletter Index.

Issues from Volumes 1 to 4 are available in four formatted documents, ready for immediate download. To find out more, Click Here.

Newsletter Contributions

We welcome your contributions! If you would like to contribute an article, a web site review, or a speed tip, please send it to: [email protected].

Please read our submission policy.

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Randy Davis, Editor, Pinewood Derby Times
E-Mail: [email protected]
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