[SuperSport]

Ok, since my ancient Scalextric track seems to have died i'm after a new set, but nowadays there seems to be so many more different makes etc, so what should I go for, i'm looking for something with a good amount of track, not overpriced, readily available and just generally good quality.

 

[fast lucky]

ohoh ... I sense a war of words coming on !

Well, help us a bit ...

Do you race your cars with or without magnet ?

If you don't like magnetic downforce, Carrera has the less magnetic track.

Do you prefer a grippy or a smooth surface ?

Ninco has more grip, Carrera the least, SCX being second to Ninco and Sport second to Carrera.

Is space an issue ?

Carrera can be regarded as the best track but it takes much more place.

Is price an issue ?

If it is really an issue, Classic is probably one of the cheapest choice.

Is your track permanent or not ?

Sport is known to be very easy and fast to set up. Not really the case for Carrera.

Hmmm... The choice is obvious, isn't it ?

My personal choice ? Since I really don't like strong magnetic downforce, I went for Carrera. I still have my Classic track which I use for rally cars.

 

[Tropi]

QUOTE my ancient Scalextric track seems to have died
Let's hear more about this 'death'!
Tracks don't die!
Perhaps the matter has been somewhat exaggerated.
What happened?
We want to know the details.
Maybe we can give it the kiss of life!

 

[LMP]

Ninco is pretty expensive (bad) but is wide, grippy and good with magnets.(good)

If you plan on just using mag cars then sport is fine, but its got poo grip for non mag cars.

 

[MR MAX]

If its Scalextric Classic, then I can fully recommend Plebys track cleaners. Mine didn't work at all until I cleaned it. It came up perfectly and has superb conductivity. For around a tenner you could save your track and yourself from buying a new one.

 

[RMMseven]

There are a number of excellent choices; Artin, Carrera, Ninco and Scalextric Sport are all good choices. But it is hard to shop because the contents of each race set is difficult to obtain. There's a summary of set contents on www.HomeRacingWorld.com that I wrote to help people by providing this important information.

I have evaluated all of the tracks I mentioned above and all are high quality, I'm sure you would be satisfied with any of them.

 

[Da Vols]

QUOTE i'm looking for something with a good amount of track, not overpriced, readily available and just generally good quality.

Based on that criteria there's no choice other than a 4-lane Artin (40 feet of track) set without the cars...right around $100.00 shipped. I recently switched from my very "wavy" Classic to Artin and have been very happy with it. Only "problem" is that it isn't hooked up for "brakes" - there's an article over at HRW that shows how to add brakes. All I did was take off my Sport Power base (which I had adapted to my Classic track) and adapt it to an Artin straight...just 4 wires to solder. Another alternative would be to get a Ninco power base straight and do the same thing - the plus in using the Ninco is that it has a "reverse polarity" switch and you can plug in any aftermarket DC power supply.

 

[The Muffin Man]

Choice of system is a personal thing with each having their pros and cons. However, if your UK based I'd take a quick shufty at www.slotcity.com as they have some good offers on sets at the moment and I just picked up a v nice ninco set for a very good price.

 

[Slot City]

QUOTE Ok, since my ancient Scalextric track seems to have died i'm after a new set, but nowadays there seems to be so many more different makes etc, so what should I go for, i'm looking for something with a good amount of track, not overpriced, readily available and just generally good quality.

Speaking from a UK perspective....

As regards quality and price there isn't much in it between the different brands.

As regards availability, Scalextric Sport is the only one to go for. With other brands (Carrera and Ninco) you will normally be limited to buying mail order (we, along with various other internet shops stock all the track ranges).

The availability angle is something people often overlook - there is no point buying Carrera or Ninco (especially for your children) if you are hoping (or expecting) to get more track as gifts / presents.

I normally recommend sticking with Scalextric Sport. Most people who go with Carrera or Ninco are generally converting from Scalextric Classic / Sport and do so for specific reasons - such as track width and surface.

Jon,
Slot City.

PS Our website is http://www.slotcity.co.uk/ (not slotcity.com).

 

[SuperSport]

Thanks for all the replies, to answer some of your questions, its not going to be a permanent track, I have plenty of room and when it comes to knowing more technical stuff I haven't got a clue what I like yet as i'm just used to my set from the late eighties and things have advanced so much since then.

Regarding my "dead" track, I honestly don't know whats the matter with it, once set up it worked for about a minute literally before it just went dead, to be honest even if I did get it working again I think i'll still be investing in a new track since mine is so old and warped etc, i've had it since I was a Baby virtually so its had a lot of use and its only been the last two years or so that it hasn't been raced on so I think its about time I invested in some new stuff.