Advice for Getting Started

[kd017]

Hi Everyone

As someone who loved Scalextric as a child, I've decided (now that I'm a father) to rediscover Scaletric again. I have a few questiosn and am hoping that you guys could help with some advice.

Just a bit of background - as a tech-loving motorsport fan, ARC PRO has obviously caught my eye. I imagine I will be playing with a mix of my daughter (5 y/o), some adult friends, or just by myself.

- Is it possible to "dumb the ARC PRO" down so that my 5 y/o can enjoy it? i.e. turn of things like tyre wear etc?

- how suitable are the ARC PRO controllers for children with small hands?

- i know the ARC PRO can be bought standalone or as part of a pack. If bought standalone, what do i need to look out for in terms of compatability when adding track and cars? I assume not all track/cars are compatible?

- have scalextrics mentioned anything about the next iteration of ARC PRO? i wouldnt want to buy this set only for it to be superseded soon after (altho 100% understand that with all the features etc it would by no means be obsolete!)

I think those are all my questions for now :) Thanks in advance!

[Andy P.]

Hi there and welcome!

Slot racing is a great family activity.

You can check this out for some of the info you need.

You can turn off all features of all version of ARC except for lap counting.

You can use the ARC APP to adjust top speed and acceleration in ARC AIR and ARC PRO. ARC ONE has mechanical max throttle settings on the controllers.

The ARC PRO and AIR controllers can be used by children, though the ARC ONE controllers are likely a bit smaller.

ARC PRO combines digital (2 lanes but up to 6 cars) as well as analog (one car per lane only).

Digital cars must have a digital chip to use digital features. Most digital racers use 2 hands, one for throttle and one for lane changing.

ARC PRO is backwards compatible in digital mode and while the latest sets such as Sunset Speedway and the 24Hour Ginetta Le mans set have an upgraded powerbase the upgrades are more tweaks but still thoroughly compatible.

Personally I think lap counting (which all ARC systems do) is essential. Once the thrill of watching (and controlling) the car fades you need for better or worse something to keep things going. ARC also measures speed and timing. 

Thanks to the features like tire wear you can keep things interesting by adding more complexity, much like video games do...

[woodcote]

Hi kd017 - welcome to the forum and welcome back to Scalextric!

 

I'll try and answer your questions:

 

1) Yes, it is perfectly possible to turn all the features in the ARC app on and off. There is a BTCC format described here on the Scalextric website (www.scalextric.com/uk-en/btcc-race-scalextric-arc) which has no pit stops, but uses the Max Power feature to simulate 'success ballast' - something that can also be used to limit speed for beginners. I've written a detailed guide to racing with the ARC app here: slotracer.online/arc-pro-guide/

 

2) Yes, the ARC controllers fit somewhere between the tiny Micro Scalextric controllers (designed for 3-year-olds' hands) and a big chunky 'adult' controller. They are very nice wireless controllers and fine for 5-year-olds all the way through to the biggest grown-up hands.

 

3) Buying a set is the most economical way of starting with Scalextric digital. The ARC Pro range starts at £200-250 with the two-car C1404 ARC Pro Le Mans 24 hour set. This comes with two digital cars, two ARC controllers, a small loop of track and one power supply. What it doesn't have is a pit lane (you'll need to add that to enjoy most of the ARC app features). You'll also need to add an extra power supply to run more than three cars, plus extra controllers (up to a maximum of six) and more cars, each with a digital chip (decoder). You can add any Scalextric Sport track to extend the layout - Scalextric Digital uses the Scalextric Sport track system. The new-for-2020 C1413 ARC Pro Platinum GT set gives you pretty much the full set-up for £400-500 - four cars, four controllers, two power supplies, pit lane, bigger track etc. This set will be available in the autumn.

 

4) ARC Pro is only two years old. There have been a couple of small updates to the powerbase, but I suspect what will be available in 5 years time will be essentially the same as what was first released for Christmas 2017. The ARC app has been updated from time to time, and that is the usual, simple update process on your phone/tablet. There may also be third-party accessories made available (there is already the Magic ARC app) - but I suspect the ARC Pro powerbase as produced by Scalextric to stay exactly the same. Having said that, I would recommend getting one of the two sets mentioned above that have the very latest version of the powerbase.

 

A couple of additional things... To work with the multi-car-per-lane digital mode, all cars must have a Scalextric Digital compatible decoder ('Digital Chip'). Cars that are sold as DPR (Digital Plug Ready) are easily converted to digital using a C8515 Digital Plug (C8516 for modern F1 cars) - it is a 1-2 minute plug & play conversion and most Scalextric cars are now DPR. Non-DPR Scalextric cars (usually where there's not enough room for a digital plug - 1960s & 70s-style F1 cars or front-engined classic cars) take the C7005 Retro-Fit chip, which requires basic soldering skills (and a soldering iron!).

 

Finally, ARC Pro also has a traditional one-car-per-lane analogue mode - there's a small switch on the left side of the powerbase that toggles between digital and analogue. This means you can use non-digital cars to race one-car-per-lane, using most of the features of the ARC app, but no lane changing or separate pit lane. Pit stops in analogue mode are carried out on the powerbase straight. This is essentially the same as the ARC Air system, which is an analogue-only set-up using the ARC app and the ARC wireless controllers, but requires no digital chips, lane-change track pieces or separate pit lane.

 

I hope that helps!

[kd017]

Wow - what detailed and clear responses. Thanks Andy and Woodcote. Clearly a great and supportive community here. thank you