Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)QUICK SUMMARY: Wow, am I impressed with this set! Setup was easy, and everything works much, much better than I ever expected or remembered from the slot car sets from my childhood. Great fun for boys and girls both, children and adults! Highly recommended!
Background: This was the big-ticket item for my 8yo son this Christmas. It was either this slot car set or a train set, but he's never been real interested in trains, so I thought I'd try a slot car set instead (figuring I'd be more apt to play with him using a slot car set). The setup was extremely easy to do, and the two race cars do an AMAZING job staying on the track! I can't believe how much better this set is than the sets I grew up with. The track layout is excellent, providing two places where the cars might crash as they crossover from one lane to the other, and another place where the track's wavy pattern requires slowing the car down to get through successfully. A long straightway lets you get top speed from your car.
Notes: The track takes up a space of about 5 feet x 4 feet on the floor. It's the HO scale, meaning 1:87 ratio. If you're not familiar with that size, the cars are pretty small -- about the length of your thumb, and not much wider.
TIP: The instructions say to use fine grit sandpaper to clean the car's metal contacts. We use 91% rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip to do the same thing, but it's easier with the Q-tip and you won't risk accidentally sandpapering your car's wheels or wear down the metal tabs more quickly than you need to.
WHAT I LIKE:
- Easy setup. No trouble with breaking plastic tabs or faulty track connections. I do recommend that an adult or older child assemble the track pieces, since it does take some pressure to snap the track pieces together.
- The racing is TERRIFIC! Very exciting! The cars do a superior job staying on the track and are very fast!
- The cars are *designed* for crashing and appear quite durable.
- Although the instructions advise assembling on a hard floor surface, it works just fine on the carpeting, too.
- The set came with a "tune-up set" which includes replacement contacts for both cars. Nice touch.
- The instructions provide a lot of useful information about how to warm-up your cars, how to drive them on the track, how to clean and tune-up the cars, and troubleshooting tips.
- The set comes with a one-year limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.
What could be BETTER:
- If you do need warranty service, it will cost $6.50 for return postage plus the cost of shipping parts back to Walthers. It'd be nice to not have to pay return postage if you've got a problem with your set. Other reviewers suggest calling Walthers to obtain faster (and sometimes less expensive) warranty service.
- The lap counter sometimes doesn't increment after a car passes through the counter, and it'd be nice if there were a reset-to-zero button to quickly reset the counter back to zero, rather than having to turn a tiny dial manually.
CONCLUSION: I'm really impressed with how well this set performs. When I was a kid, slot car racing was frustrating because the cars came off the track too easily, the guardrail pieces would detach from the track, the track connections wouldn't work, and the cars were troublesome to run. In contrast, this set resolves all those issues and what's left is the fun and excitement of racing slot cars over a challenging course. It's all the fun and none of the hassle.
HIGHLY Recommended!
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Life-Like Stock Car Thunder NASCAR Electric Slot Car Race SetPit your favorite drivers against each other with the Life-Like Racing® Stock Car Thunder slot car set. It includes two slot cars, a Fast Trackers™ tune-up kit, a Dura-Lock™ Track System, and more!
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