My boys love anything to do with cars, racing, and track construction. So we were really excited to review the Scalextric Endurance set, and two Scalextric expansion packs.
The Endurance set comes with two cars, and a basic, circular track. It has everything you need for a starter pack, but I do recommend buying one or two expansion packs just to make the track a bit more interesting.
The ultimate extension pack includes a hairpin turn, crash barriers, and a jump / ramp.
Extension pack 1 includes an extra bend, giving you more track layout options.
Scalextric is, by nature, a fiddly toy. The cars spin off the track sometimes, and the brushes need adjusting. For this reason, I do not recommend it if your child / children don’t cope well with toys that need fixing / adjusting a lot. It’s also a toy that will need adult supervision until approximately the age of seven, depending on the individual child.
Luckily, my eight year old really enjoys problem-solving, so the hands-on nature of Scalextric really appealed to him, and he has been on hand to fix any track or car issues for the younger two.
Initially, my more emotionally led five year old struggled with the exasperation of the cars flying off the tracks But he ended up surprising us all by mastering the track and really taking satisfaction in being able to race his car around the track 13 times without any pauses or crashes. He is now our family resident Scalextric expert and is very pleased with his title : )
That’s the thing with Scalextric, it can be fiddly and challenging, but that is where the fun is. If your child is the personality type that excels with a challenge instead of becoming frustrated, then Scalextric could be a great toy choice.
Even our two year old was able to get involved. Albeit with a lot of assistance from us when his car goes astray, etc. He grasped the idea of holding the control and pressing the button down to move his car straight away, and he couldn’t wait to have his turn. He’s not really the target age range just yet, but it is a bonus that he is still able to have a go and feel involved.
When I was a child, the Scalextric set that I shared with my brother was one of our most exciting toys. We loved how fast the cars moved, and the feeling of pressing the trigger on the control to start a race has never grown old. It was great to be able to share one of my best childhood toys with my own children, and I’m pleased to see that the brand is still well-loved today.
Recommended for: children that love racing and fast cars. Not recommended for: children who get overly frustrated with toys that need frequent adjusting.
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Our Scalextric sets were sent to us free of charge for the purpose of this review, and we were also given an extra set to donate to a local charity. Thanks Scalextric : )
