It was awkward
squeezing around the track, much like having to shove past the
casket when entering a funeral you really didn’t want to attend.
We were aware that slot car racing was declining at the time. It
was the end of an era of exuberance, the baby boom, the muscle
cars and the Can Am / Trans Am series. The big splash of the mid
sixties, which saw big slot car tracks on every mall, were long
gone.
“Has it come to this?” I had to ask myself looking at the stained
walls and bleak little plastic track. “Is this the future of slot
car racing?” The feeling of doom passed as I noticed how neatly
the track was built and how much the kids were enjoying
themselves.
Where do I start? What track
should I buy? How much track do I need? These are the usual
questions asked by someone entertaining the idea of getting into
the slot car hobby. In this article, we will discuss some of the
finer points that should be considered by anyone that will be
buying a Slot Car Racing set whether for themselves or as a gift.
First, let’s decide what you have
in mind as far as space and money go.
What are you looking to do? Buy a
slot racing set to give as a gift or put together a racing empire
for you?
If you are buying as a gift to give
to someone that currently does not have a slot car track, then by
all means get a set. A slot car racing set will come with
everything the lucky recipient will need to get started in the
hobby, including track, power supply, controllers, and cars. Some
sets include accessories such as overpass supports, borders, and
guardrails for some or even all of the turns. With a set, you can
be racing within half an hour or so of opening the box. Track
sections simply snap together with the exception of Carrera brand
track which uses separate clips underneath the track to hold the
sections together.
Also, with a set, all the
electrical components plug in and come with easy to follow
instructions and pictures to get you up and running quickly. When
choosing a race set for young children you should keep in mind
that crashing will be unavoidable until the kids develop the skill
necessary for serious racing. Plus, crashing will be a huge part
of the fun! Because of this, it’s always a good idea to look for a
racing set with cars that are robust, with no delicate parts to
break off. You also want cars with lots of cornering grip so they
will be easy to drive with only a little practice and experience.
Kids enjoy crashing but they will get discouraged and maybe lose
interest if they can’t complete a lap without de-slotting.
If the whole family will be using
the race set you may want to go ahead and get a set with some of
the more detailed cars such as the Formula One or GT racers. These
faster cars are really not for children or even for adults until
they develop some skill, so also get a pair of inexpensive,
rugged, high impact cars Like the Scalextric Porsche 997 GT3 and
Lamborghini Gallardo for everybody to learn on and for the kids to
have their wrecks and crashes with. Otherwise, those fragile F1
cars will be in pieces in no time at all.
When you are choosing your first
race set, you are choosing a track system that will grow along
with your slot car racing interest. That first set may one day
lead to a track that fills an entire room if the slot car bug
bites hard enough. Because of this, you want to look beyond the
original purchase in making your selection. You will need to take
into account factors such as available space, availability of
accessories, and track appropriateness for your particular
situation, such as the need to set the track up and take it down
regularly or whether it will be played with by small children.
If you are certain right from the
start that you will be growing and expanding that first slot car
racing set to a larger layout and a long-term hobby, you may want
to consider starting with the largest slot car racing set your
budget will allow because, the track and other components are less
expensive as parts of a set than if purchased separately. If you
don’t know if you (or the person you are buying the set for) will
stay with the slot car racing hobby, then start with a smaller,
less costly slot car racing set to test the waters. You can always
add additional track and accessories later.
The four big names in slot car
racing are Artin, Carrera, Ninco, and Scalextric. These are the
major brands most people find available today. There are also some
older slot car racing track systems still available, but the big
four mentioned above offer all you need to enjoy the hobby of slot
car racing, and parts and accessories will be more readily
available.
As
a final point, once you decide what brand of track you want, it’s
time to figure out a track design if you want to go with something
other than what is shown on the set’s box. For this task you can
use track design software such as
Tracker
2000 layout design software
or Scalextric’s Track Designer. With the Scalextric software, you
can landscape your design and even take a bumper-cam tour of your
future circuit.
Now go out there and make someone’s
dream come true by buying them a slot car racing set.
