[Aragorn]

Hi,

I have recently bought the old F1 (circuit 3) Sport set and started using both the F1 cars supplied and the kid's TVR and Opel V8 cars.

Even with 'careful' driving the cars are frequently flying off the track or colliding on the crossovers.

I am very disappointed at how robust these cars are (or aren't) - The TVR has lost it's spoiler several times and they've now broken the radiator grille as well.

Are these cars designed to used, or to sit in their boxes on a shelf? Should I expect these cars to lose bits or is it worth complaining to Scalextric?

Can anyone recommend more robust cars, eg the Ford Focus and GT40 don't appear to have many spoilers, mirrors, etc sticking out from the shell! Are any other makers more robust?

Thanks for any assistance.

 

[Wankel Ickx]

A post for Moped to deal with?

Sadly, Aragorn (nice name), you've just learnt that modern high detail cars are very fragile. You can't have one without the other.

The GT-40s are a nightmare for broken bits!! Avoid like the plague. Ditto the Trans Ams.

Your best bet for replacements might be some of the rally cars from the SCX range; they generally have moulded on mirrors and they definitely run slower.

Alternatively, the new, and cheap, Scalextric Boxster has few extra fiddly bits.

[Edit]
Maybe the Scaley Indycar things are tougher than their F1s? You can always pretend they are F1 cars.

 

[Difflock]

You could try the Scalextric NASCARS or the newly released Scaley Porsche Boxster - not many protuberances on either type and hence tend to be quite robust. At the risk of going slower but getting more powerslides, try running the cars without magnets - the theory being that any de-slots will be at a slower velocity.

F1 cars from any manufacturer are inherently fragile thanks to open wheels and wings

Mark.

 

[astro]

ditto to wankels and diff's car advice.

Do you/your kids enjoy the crashing? I understand some people do, but a lot of us have removed all the cross-overs and chicanes from our circuits, and find it more fun AND easier on the cars.

 

[gecko]

There is also the new Scaley Audi TT to race alongside the Porsche - it should be out soon.

Mark

 

[Slotrace.dk]

I will not let my kid run anything else than a SCX rally car.
Without the magnet!

 

[a Bill]

Anything NASCAR. Those things are shapeless blobs that have no parts hanging off of them to break. Plus, they are bright enough to attract small animals, err, children

 

[250 GTO]

The Scalex Indycars are more fragile than the F1 cars. We raced these at the recent British GP at Dover and front suspension and wing breakages were very common.
I agree with a Bill's comments about NASCARS, these are about as unbreakable as you can get today. The SCX rally cars are next best and most Ninco DTMs arent too bad if you leave the rear wings loose so they dont break when they fall off, also applies to the BMW M3.

Roly

 

[compound_goose]

ninco 911 and m3 are pretty much the most robust things i know of, the m3 was dropped from a large height onto a wooden floor and it only lost one morror thatb was loose anyway, as for the 911, it survived my brother

what more of a durability test do you need? hmm other cars he hasnt destroyed.... scalex single seat racer, thats it

 

[Harry Porsche]

Welcome, Aragorn!
While I mostly agree with the above advice, I have had great success with my GT-40's. Once the easily lost pieces are stored in the infield pile, (see my photobucket) - I don't knock them off again. As mentioned, high detail= more to go wrong. I have found that a "soft landing" when the cars de-slot helps alot and by all means remove those brutal cross-overs. Nascars with a Slot-it v-12 25k motor and the Slot-it #1 magnet , riding Indy-Grip tires are fast and nearly indestructable. As you proceed, you will be able to pick out the cars and mods which suit your race style best. One other alternative is a good power supply that allows the voltage to be reduced on the track, hence the speeds of the cars,too. As the skill levels go up, the nastiest crashes should lessen. I don't despair when things break as I know this going in. I still consider this a very inexpensive form of entertainment even with breakage factored in. These cars still race well and are remarkably resilient. To me they get a certain "mean" look with their "battle-patina" which I like as each one is unique. (Now I'm waxing off on a tangent.....) Enjoy the fun!

and remember what the wise men say:"Nothing lasts forever" and Race to win!)

Cheers!!

 

[bacardibeast]

Just to add to the echo

I'd say the NASCARs and the new Porsche Box thingy & Audi TT. The NASCARs are in 100 + 1 colours so your kids can pick there favourite colur scheme. There are vertually no bits to knock of and they are pretty cheap if you do need to replace one.

Finally, I would echo the removal of the magnets. It looks a lot better to the kids when the back end slides out (alot easier without magnets) and it slows thins down abit so if they do come a cropper, less impact.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

 

[mtucker666]

My 5 yr old has a couple of his own cars - a NASCAR with an extra magnet in and a cheap scaly F3000 (rrp£10). I started with SCX rally cars (no mag) but he got frustrated and quickly disinterested they weren't super quick and they kept on coming out of the slot. Although he has got better driving them he still only lasts a few minutes till he's bored with them. Now the NASCAR and cheap F3000 go at Mach 1 round the track and he chuckles and wows all the time he is running these. When they crash, they fly, but they remain in tact.

I will wean him off these magnet beasts with SCX rally until he gains the finesse to maintain a good pace with no magnets all the time - he already beats some of my mates with them

Basically go with the new ASCARs released (about £18 each) or the newly released Audi TT / porsche boxter and you might have to add another magnet just to keep them on the track all the way round, as deslotting quickly equals boredom. Also get an SCX rally car, remoive the magnet, tune it, and let them have a go with it for a couple of laps at a time.

At the start I also gave him the standard sclay throttle with a bit of tape that restricted its movement so it did not quite go to full throttle. Now he uses my PM controllers and controls the cars much better

Overall make it fun

Matt

 

[fouldsc]

My advise is to get some of those Nascars & remove the chicanes / cross-overs they are leathel with adults never wanting to back off so with kids it will
be crash city !!!

My nephew is in the digital driving with no care about crashing school of driving
so I have a couple of older style scalextric cars I got from a car boot for 50p each , I replaced the rear hubs/tyres , put new motor in and replaced the crappy soft bar magnet underneath with a Slot.It(?) progressive magnet - these things now are alot of fun and can fly for miles with no damage.

 

[scalextricracer]

Hi

Try the cars from the crash abd bash set, that way you can leave the crossovers in.

Happy racing

ScalextricRacer

 

[Brian Schindler]

The Aussie Supercars are pretty good also but for kids, you might want a bit more magnet. They can be a bit top heavy

 

[compound_goose]

if you have problems with cars going too slow, superglue a proslot magnet on the bottom of the chassis, it gives them loads of grip and makes them mega fast especialyy good on scalex single seaters, they out perform a mg lola with added magnet to the bottom

 

[Jamie]

Don't buy the Renault F1 car...

One crash later (into a stationary car) the front spoiler flew off & I thought phew, that's okay... it's meant to do that; to prevent damage...

Sadly it didn't... The tub is now cracked, the suspension struts are broken.

wah! It was brand new... *sniff*

Jamie

For Sale: 1 Renault F1 (only a couple of test laps)