STARTER SCALEXTRIC FOR GRANDSON

[Carol W]

Hi everyone - I would like to get my grandson aged nearly 5 started with Scalextrics for this Christmas - I haven't got a clue where to start - thought of a beginners set with cars that could then be added to if he likes it - any advice you can give me would be appreciated

[woodcote]

Hi Carol - you have a very lucky grandson!

 

The Scalextric ranges are explained here: https://www.scalextric.com/uk-en/our-ranges-explained

 

As your grandson is nearly five and you want to add to the set in the future, I'd suggest skipping past 'My First Scalextric' and 'Micro Scalextric', unless space is really limited. These small sets can be set up in a small room - they need around 4 x 3 foot, whereas the smallest standard Scalexric set needs at least a 6 x 4 foot space.

 

Unfortunately the 'My First Scalextric' and 'Micro Scalextric' sets are not compatible with the standard Scalextric sets. So it's a case of choosing one system or the other. If you have room, I would recommend the standard Scalextric sets.

 

The choice then is one of the standard Scalextric sets. The cars in the Urban Outrun set are eye-catching and very robust and the set has new-and-improved 'speed-limiting' controllers that mean the maximum speed can be lowered until your grandson has got the hang of it (that probably won't take long). These controllers are new and only available in the latest sets.

 

Something for the future - unless your grandson is already into using a tablet computer - is the App Race Control (APP) system. This adds an extra dimension to racing - with pit stops, weather simulations, arcade modes etc. I think ARC is brilliant for all ages. The entry-level ARC One sets are a little bit more than the standard sets, but I much prefer the ARC Air system, which has more features. It would be easy to upgrade a standard set to ARC Air in the future, maybe next Christmas...

 

All these sets are available on this Scalextric site, but there are also official stockists around the country (see link at the top of the page) which will offer help and advice and sometimes better deals. Some sets are also available in big retailers like Argos and Debenhams.

 

Hope that helps. If you've any more questions, just ask.

[Andy P.]

I can only echo what woodcote said.

If you have access to a compatible device seriously consider ARC and in my opinion ARC AIR. Almost everyone I know who has bought an ARC ONE has gone back and bought an ARC AIR as it really is the ultimate in 2-car analog racing.

The most important thing to remember is once the cars get up and going the only way to continue interest is to increase functions and features and ARC will provide you that.

At the very least you need a reliable lap counter. Otherwise watching cars go round and round gets old quickly...

Good luck!

[HowlinDawg]

Hi Carol,

I started my daughter, aged 5, on scalextric earlier this year and she has absolutely loved it.

If I had one piece of advice it would be to go with one of the wireless ARC options, Air or Pro.

• you can dial the power down to make the cars easier to control
• the wireless controllers are a godsend for excited kids who run for their crashed car

With ARC you can turn off all the bells and whistles as they learn and then add in some of the features for extra fun as they get the hang of it.

You do need a device to run the app but an old android phone will do just fine.