1st set

[andrew_ball1]

Back in time I had HO slots. I now have 2 grandsons and would like to introduce them to slot cars but everything has changed.

Here is what I think I want but I'm open to suggestions:

Wireless controllers but not i-Phones/tablets  etc.

Ability to run more than 2 cars (maybe)

Ability to change lanes

Ability to run all models saloons, F1 any vintage

Any and all suggestions will be welcome.

AndyB

[andrew_ball1]

Another question, is it better to start with a set or buy separate componants?

[Andy P.]

Hi Andy B,

What you want is only available in 1/32 scale cars which are over twice as big as your H0 (sometimes called HO, is usually between 1/72 and 1/60 scale)

Wireless controllers but not i-Phones/tablets  etc. -> Available with ARC AIR (analog, 2 cars only) only at this time. ARC PRO will hopefully be out before Christmas and will have them too. You can use the wireless controllers without the app but you are missing out on a ton of fun.

Ability to run more than 2 cars (maybe): -> More than 2 cars is only available with digital and currently only with wired controllers. There is a 4-car power base but it is out of production and often has power issues especially on larger layouts. There is 6-car powerbase that also has an active community that has been able to eek out more functions and features and can give you more options than out of the box. It is a fairly steep initial investment, the starting price of 6-car platinum set can give you an idea. All cars must be chipped (added cost of 5-10 GBP per car) but the "DPR"=Digital Plug Ready cars allow you to swap chips amongst cars.

Ability to change lanes: Same as above. It also requires lane changing pieces of track.

Ability to run all models saloons, F1 any vintage: ->See above about DPR. Most F1 cars (old or new) usually require a retro.chip to soldered in. There is an entire database on slotforum.com about which cars can be chipped and which can't  because of lack of space.  Most of the vintage cars are simply too narrow. Also lane changing usually leads to crashes and missing parts.

is it better to start with a set or buy separate componants? -> Usually getting a simple set is a good start. No sets contain R3 or R4 curves and few have R1 (though R1 is usually too tight for most drivers). On the other hand, the "super long straight" and 90° R2 (standard radius) curves are only available in sets.

Any and all suggestions will be welcome.

Not knowing how old your grandkids are here are my tips:

1. The layout should have at least one super long straight so they can go full throttle for at least a second.

2. 90° R2 curves make for fasting set up times.

3. Add guardrails and borders otherwise you will be spending too  much time getting the cars back on track

ARC AIR when coupled with a smart device allows you to modify the throttles so that younger drivers don't go too crazy.

You can do that with the 6-car power base but you need 3rd party software to do it.

I have been very successful with analog by simply using a plug in dimmer and bringing the power down that way. I also make sure each lane has its own power.

Let us know how you get on!

Andy P.

[gorp]

To clarify, the digital advanced power base aka APB or 7042 will allow power to be turned down for new racers WITHOUT 3rd party software.

 

As a scaly digital user since the beginning,  have this to add.

The price of sets is basically the price of the track minus the cars so buying a set to start is usually best.

The price of digital is about twice the price of an analog (old style) set.

Suggest starting out with a digital power base 4 set aka pb4 (check ebay for new with the choice of cars you like), however you can not turn down power with this simple but effective model which will only run 3 cars well.

If later you decide to upgrade your digital, all the components you own are usable.

However if digital then is not for you and you want to go old school analog, no problem.

You can pick up a new analog powerbase (arc one) with power pack, and adjustable controllers really cheap on ebay, usually stripped out of a new set and selling for half the price of retail.

Your digital cars WILL work on analog and so will the straight dual changer (tape it open).

The grand kids (8 to 16) here race both but appear to like digital better.

Lastly personally know scalextric stands by their warranty.

 

[Andy P.]

Thanks fo rthe clarification!

[andrew_ball1]

Thanks all for the infomation. Our Canadian distributor told me there's some exciting stuff to be released just before Christmas, have you guys heard anything?

[gorp]

Your first post requested wireless WITHOUT smart phones or tablets.

The wireless 6 car arc pro is suppose to be out at end of year (type in arc pro under search here and see a complete set and powerbase only and additional controllers ).

but no one knows what it will do WITHOUT smart phones and tablets.

Alone it may be an upgraded pb4 which allows you to race and id the cars

or it may not.

You will definitely need a separate digital 6 (but only shows 4) car lap counter when not using smart phones or tablets.

Lastly it is 99% definite that arc pro will not run analog while the advanced power base will.

[Andy P.]

Your distributor is referring to ARC PRO which is the digital version of ARC AIR allowing up to 6 cars and lane changing and a few features to the mix. However it will require a mobile device for most features and the final spec is not clearly known at this point.