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      09-21-2012, 06:05 AM   #1
mobileadam
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Scalextric Digital worth it?

Morning,

A bit early for Christmas presents ideas but the wife thinks that our son would enjoy a Scalextric set this Christmas as just one main present really instead of lots of little bits. Like most kids these days he has a good selection of toys and plays with them various amounts but obviously enjoys it when we play with him.

He already has a Microscalextrix which he does enjoy but really it only goes round and round and can be a little boring after a while. I recall from my childhood playing for hours with our slot cars sets and loved the working lights etc and ability to make different layouts - he is a bit young for that now but anyway I was struggling to decide whether to buy just a typical 2 car set or splash out and get a digital version.

Which typically leads me to the most expensive option of the 6 car set where you can set handicaps, have pace cars, yellow flag situations where the other cars stop in the case of a crash and have different race modes like endurance, fastest lap etc all for around £480!!!. Sounds a great idea when he eventually has friends over and they all want to play (and obviously I can 'supervise' too)

Any fathers (or mothers) out there that have experience of buying a similar set and the children actually playing with it after Christmas day? If I spend £100 on a normal one then I not going to be that bothered if it only comes out occasionally but the pricey one I would like to know whether (impossible I know) if it will become a favourite toy (I know I would enjoy it though...)

Any opinions gratefully received - cheers
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      09-21-2012, 06:21 AM   #2
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Confess - its for you really is it not!!
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      09-21-2012, 06:42 AM   #3
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How old is your boy??

I think the boring answer (even though it pains me to say this) is to get the normal one for £100 and see how it goes. If he does take to it you could eventually upgrade in the confidence it'll actually be used. £480 is a hell of a lot of money for something you're unsure whether it'll get the use to warranty the cash.

Plus, as we all know, he'll get more fun from the box anyway
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      09-21-2012, 06:44 AM   #4
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...I can't believe I just wrote that load of old cobblers...


...GET THE DIGITAL ONE ALREADY
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      09-21-2012, 06:59 AM   #5
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I have a digital set and it is more interesting in terms of playing as its not just a case of hold the button in until it doesn't fall off the track - you can get blocked etc. I wouldn't spend £500 mind but the cheaper digital sets are no-where near that price
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      09-21-2012, 07:16 AM   #6
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Cheers, I know the sensible thing to do.

I have found a more interesting 'custom' set which still offers all the digital functionality but with 4 cars supplied (capacity for 6) and a far more interesting layout:

http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/p-...ars-c7042.aspx
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      09-21-2012, 07:18 AM   #7
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My boy is 5 next summer, he did say at his next birthday party he wanted a Scalextric party after we played this large layout at some outdoors event that had computer and times and stats etc.

So it could be a cheaper party option next year too....
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      09-21-2012, 06:35 PM   #8
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Costco's are currently doing them for £300!
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      09-22-2012, 05:58 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vaheed1 View Post
Costco's are currently doing them for £300!
Thanks- I did hear they were doing them for around 380 which makes sense if your price was ex-vat.

I think I'm going to get a four car digital set which doesn't do all the tricks but buy extra track to do a good layout like shown above and then perhaps pick up the adavanced 6 person power base with all the tricks if the present is a success later in the year. I can then try to sell the original 4 person base and laptop counter etc on eBay.

After some serious consideration I think an interesting track layout is key to ensuring longevity and flexibility as opposed to a simple figure of 8 which you can tire of fairly quickly.

I'm going to mention to the wife that I will happily forgo any gifts this year (nothing I need anyway) and just spend the cash on the boy in the hope of having a family inclusive gift.

Last edited by mobileadam; 09-22-2012 at 08:56 AM..
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      09-22-2012, 08:40 AM   #10
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Personally I think you're crackers spending that sort of money on a 4 year old. Sorry, just had to say that.
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      09-22-2012, 08:40 AM   #11
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Track is for sure the priority ..

Scalextric is awwwwweeeeeesome
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      09-22-2012, 08:54 AM   #12
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@Rich, no need to say sorry. I was unsure myself hence the post.

Over the years I've seen grandparents, and relatives buy presents for their kids that aren't really well thought but soon all add up in terms of costs but then rarely get played with. I didn't really want to spend 400 to 500 quid, especially not on just one 'theme' but I reckon I could sort something out for around 200 quid now. I like the idea of investing in something that you can buy additional items and then has lots of flexibility and could be pulled out of the box in the years to come. I need to get the balance right between cost and getting enough to get him hooked (if he doesn't then no biggie, just sell it)

My boy is never that bothered with gifts really and has no sense of expense and rarely does he ask for anything when out and about (he doesn't watch commercial TV, only cbeebies so doesn't see adverts) although this year for his birthday he did say in response to opening one present: 'I didn't want that!' - although he was very tired from his party the day before (or just being very honest!)

Back when I was young (36 now) we were allowed £100 each Christmas, but I reckon we must have had far more and I always remember the presents that where significant (not in terms of costs) but had options to develop and adapt to different number of people being around (such as scalextrix, boards games etc)
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      09-22-2012, 10:25 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mobileadam View Post
Thanks- I did hear they were doing them for around 380 which makes sense if your price was ex-vat.

I think I'm going to get a four car digital set which doesn't do all the tricks but buy extra track to do a good layout like shown above and then perhaps pick up the adavanced 6 person power base with all the tricks if the present is a success later in the year. I can then try to sell the original 4 person base and laptop counter etc on eBay.

After some serious consideration I think an interesting track layout is key to ensuring longevity and flexibility as opposed to a simple figure of 8 which you can tire of fairly quickly.

I'm going to mention to the wife that I will happily forgo any gifts this year (nothing I need anyway) and just spend the cash on the boy in the hope of having a family inclusive gift.
Back in the days, I used to have one setup in my mum and dad's attic. It was pretty sizeable, as one of my mates used to work in a modelling shop - so used to bring loads of 'unwanted' gear up - in exchange for some curry off my mum. I absolutely adored it and loved messing on with the track to build different circuits etc. One of my favourite bits was when we built a 'S' bend over a gradual climb, which then went over a large, flat container of water. Brilliant brilliant childhood memories. Scaletrix, BMX's and Skateboards - it's how we rolled.
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      09-22-2012, 12:47 PM   #14
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You need the drift type scaletrix for a 4 yr old, the std type will become far too frustrating.

http://www.scalextric.com/shop/sets/...ric-drift-360/
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      09-22-2012, 01:28 PM   #15
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I used to love my Scalextric and I've no idea what the digital version is.

What used to anger me was after a few times of taking the track apart the joins started bending and the track became bumpy and the cars would catch the joins.
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