I was born in 1955, so at the age of 9 there was nothing in the world better, to me, than struggling with a lock and joiner set up and sending a white Hot Rod, with a newly applied “Phantom” decal, careening off the first turn into the opposite wall. Eventually I figured out that if I took my thumb off the controller I could probably keep it on the track for a lap or two. The ’63 ‘Vette that was included in my first set never seemed to be as fast as the Hot Rod; and, when I wanted to stay on the track I would put the Vette on and hold the hammer down, cruising to my heart’s content.

Like the rest of my contemporaries bitten by the T-jet bug, standing for hours in local hobby shops or hobby departments in Mont Ward or EJ Korvettes, gawking at what seemed like an endless array of cars, track and accessories, longing for $3.49 to buy the candy Jag or Vette, we discovered the joys of hop-up and silicone tires and could actually begin to hold competitive races. Obviously this is something that just does not leave your system.

Fast forward through puberty and high school. Who knows what became of the track, cars, controllers and transformers. Basketball, baseball, football and especially girls beckoned and the tiny racers were forgotten. Who knew that those early sensations were merely lying dormant and would surface again when only a king’s ransom would be enough to finance an HO hobbyists’ interest. Such is life, but it helps to minimize the embarrassment of a 47-year-old man trying to explain his interest in pre-pubescent toys when there are contemporaries doling out hundreds of dollars for the same little plastic buggers.

And that’s really the point of all my verbal diarrhea. Those contemporaries of mine who have re-energized the interest in T-Jets are some of the most honest, magnanimous and friendliest individuals that I have ever met; and, a real case in point are the racers who meet every Friday night at Joe Correa’s store in Scotch Plains New Jersey – NJ Nostalgia Hobby – to race T-Jets.

Joe’s place was the first thing I landed on in my search for vendors who were offering T-Jets for sale. Ebay soon hit my radar screen and I was off and running. Today I have about 500 T-Jets and a few AFX’s that I find interesting and I’m on a methodical quest to fill in all colors all models. The collecting thing, though, soon led to a curiosity about the racing thing. Knowing NJ Nostalgia had an old Aurora tub track that hosted regular Friday night races I asked Joe if I could come by and test my mettle. “Sure, 5 bucks and you’re in” was the reply.

I showed up the following Friday with my 7 year old daughter, Katie, and one car. Not knowing what to expect I thought I would just spectate for a while and get a feel for the goings on before actually committing to an entry. Katie, however, had other ideas after seeing the little cars whizzing around the track during warm-ups – she wanted in, now! Before I could even find Joe, one of the regulars, Brian, who I would later find out, is a great racer with a fierce competitive style, invitingly asked if I was racing with them tonight. When I said that I only brought one car and my daughter wanted to give it a try he immediately responded GREAT!, sign up, she’ll have fun.

That immediate acceptance is priceless and I found it permeated the attitudes of all the regular Friday nighters at Joe’s. Mario – the Ace, Junior, Senior, Brian, little Brian, Dennis, Joe, Guy, Paul all love to race but all have a healthy perspective on the hobby; and, they let me and my two daughters, Casey & Kate 9&7, into their circle unrequited. Could be because they got a fish on the line, but I like to think that they realize that this hobby should be all about fun and the more the merrier.

I’ve even found this attitude outside of Joe’s shop: on the HOWL list, on the many personal websites of hobbyists beckoning interaction, even from John Balson, the undisputed king of brushes, who actually picked up the phone and called me to find out how I did with a suggestion he made to me during an Email exchange. This will probably be a big reason why I will stay in this hobby for a good long time, in this my born-again T-Jet life.

I started writing this article sometime during the 2002 summer. Since then I’ve had some personal circumstances to contend with and had suspended my racing activities. I’ve seen Joe and one or two of the regular Friday night racers at the subsequent swap shows in New York and in Parsippany New Jersey; and, even though I had only come for four races they all still remembered my name and each asked when I was coming back. Soon, guys, soon.

I’ve taken my collecting to another level, redid half of my basement, got some vinyl display cases from K&S and, with some cyber help from Greg Braun, I am in the process of building a 4x12 Tomy track setup. The contest was inspiration enough for me to go ahead and finish this article and to see if I really had a point to make.

Probably not and that’s the beauty of this hobby. It’s pointless to try to explain the fascination grown men continue to have for these little plastic toys; better to just enjoy it for what it has become and to spread the joy whenever possible. I hope the attached pictures of my collection and new working set-up do just that – enjoy!; and, let’s continue to have fun doing it.

Oh, and an unsolicited plug for Joe Correa and NJ Nostalgia Hobby (njhobby on Ebay), the real inspiration for this article. If you have an opportunity to do business with the man, by all means do not hesitate, do so. Joe is one of the most knowledgeable men in the hobby. Reliable, accommodating and genuinely interested in the hobby, he just doesn’t seem capable of conducting business poorly. He always has first-rate product/merchandise and if you’re ever in the neighborhood there’s nothing quite like a few laps on the Tubbie.