Racing cars in your living room
Slot cars were one of the best toys you could wish for when I was a child in the 1980s and I have many a memory of my brother and I desperately trying to outdo one another around hairpin bends in our living room floor.
These days there are countless ways to bring the thrill of the racetrack to your living room, particularly on video games like Mario Kart. But, while these games are undoubtedly fun, there’s nothing quite like racing physical cars through your living room. The kids love it, dads ache with nostalgia for it and there’s something semi-religious about putting the track together before the racing commences.
So, whether you’re hunting for a last-minute Xmas present, or wanting to recreate your childhood passion, here’s my guide to choosing the right slot car for your family.
For the youngest children
A big factor in deciding which slot car set to purchase is going to be the age of your children. For younger children getting to grips with slowing for corners can be a problem, which means the car is likely to come off the track more often.
It’s probably a good idea to start with a My First Scalextric in these instances, as they use “magnatraction” to hold the lightweight vehicles to the rails as they whizz around. The cars are also super durable, so any mishaps are less likely to result in damage to them. The hand controllers are smaller and lighter and can also be adjusted so that the maximum speed of the cars is restricted to either 25%, 50%, 75% or 100%. The cars come in bright colours, designed to appeal to younger eyes and are at 1/64 scale, so easily fit in the palm of a child’s hand. These sets are also the most wallet friendly, priced at £39.99 for a battery powered set and £49.99 for a mains powered set.
Micro Scalextric
Moving up we get the Micro Scalextric range, which could just as easily work as a first set for younger racers. We’ve previously reviewed a James Bond set in M&D as our first family set and both kids (aged 9 and 6 at the time) had no trouble at all with putting the set together or keeping the cars on the track. As with the My First Scalextric, the cars are 1/64 scale and very durable. They stick to the track really well, even at high speeds, which allows for some really great stunt opportunities, like a loop the loop and vertical stunt ramp. The speeds can still be restricted on the hand controller and the track is again really easy to put together and take apart without breaking. The biggest difference in the Micro Scalextric set from the My First sets are the track layouts and the branding on the cars. Our latest set is a Batman vs Joker race and this came with nine different track layouts including a loop-the-loop and stunt ramp, with over 4 metres of track to race one another around. The cars are small but nicely detailed and there are plenty of options to choose from, with Batman and James Bond being perennial favourites. There are various extension packs too, in case you want to build on your set up and a lap counter that ejects the losing car from the track at the end of the race. For me, Micro-Scalextric is the best place to start for children. The Batman Vs Joker set is currently retailing at £69.99
Standard Scalextric
However, the best sets overall have to be the full-size Scalextric sets, which is also reflected in the higher prices. The cars are at 1/32 scale in this range and are objects of beauty as well as racing toys, with incredible amounts of detail. The most recent James Bond set – which is a web exclusive for now – has an Aston Martin V8 Vantage racing against an Aston Martin DB5. Both cars look amazing and have working headlights as well as Mr Bond sat sternly behind the wheel. Indeed, these cars often go on to become collectors’ items because of how well they’re made. This is one reason you might not want to start with these sets for younger children, as they are more easily damaged and – frankly – you’d be more upset about damaging them. Speeds can still be restricted, if necessary, but you will need more skill to stay on the track with these sets. That said, the side swipe feature and the ability to ram one another on the crossroads is great fun, particularly for the racer doing the swiping or ramming, not so much for competitive younger racers on the receiving end though.
Space
After the age of the racers, the next biggest factor is probably going to be how much space you have to set up the track. If you’re working in a tight space, then Micro Scalextric is probably best for you. The length of the track on our Micro Scalextric Batman vs Joker set is 408cm as opposed to the 532cm on the standard 1/32 scale set sized set. That might not sound like a significant difference but, as you can see on the pictures above, the footprint of the Micro Scalextric is far smaller than the standard set.
Characters
Choosing the right slot car system for you may well depend on the theme of the cars. Does James Bond as a brand appeal to younger racers? I’m not so sure it does. I wouldn’t say our two children know much about James Bond, but they’re perfectly happy to race his cars around the track and no questions have ever been asked about the occupants of the cars. With the Batman Vs Joker this was very different, with both kids (oddly) wanting to be the Joker every time we crack the set out. To be fair, the Joker’s car does look rather cool, especially on the box of the set. Other themes in the Micro range include: Formula 1 style cars (branded as Formula E) and cops and robbers style cars (branded as High Speed Pursuit and Law Enforcer sets). Themed cars can also be purchased separately, with Looney Tunes characters, Justice League themes, more James Bond cars and various supercars.
The standard 1/32 size sets come in even more themes, the most recent ones being: Batman Vs Joker, Back to the Future vs Knight Rider, Grand Prix, Street Cruisers, Drift 360 as well as the web exclusive James Bond set pictured. There is a dizzying array of cars that can be bought as add-ons in the 1/32 sets too, ranging from various Mr Bean cars and the Blues Brothers to super collectable limited edition Jaguars – with prices to match.
The sky’s the limit
If you or the kids really get into slot car racing, you’re not just limited to these sets or car add ons. There are various app-controlled sets and digital sets for serious racers that allow all sorts of additional fun but I wouldn’t recommend diving straight into any of these unless you or the kids get really serious with the hobby.
