Which Scalextric set for a 9 year old?

[PH5121]

Christmas is approaching and I am doing my santa bit for the kids.

One thing my 9 year old mentioned was a Scalextric. After a bit of searching it is not as simple as it was in my youth as there is now digital and analogue options.

Does anyone have any recommendations as what would be a good set to go for? I don't have a cast in concrete budget set, but would £150 - £200 be enough to get something decent?

Thanks in advance

PH

[ferrisbueller]

I would contact forum member Russy who is best equipped to advise (and supply).

FWIW, I would recommend an analogue set in the first instance (you can add digital later if required). I would also look for impact resistant cars as the high detail ones never survive intact beyond their first off track excursion.

You may find the appeal of Scalextric wears of quickly in the face of competition from Playstation in a few years time.
However, because of this, you will find lots of good condition second hand sets on eBay and the like. Half your budget should be enough to secure a decent set.

[OtherBusiness]

I have this one http://www.scalextric.com/uk-en/shop/sets/scalextr...

Been great and withstands a 5 year old playing with it.

[ferrisbueller]

OtherBusiness said:

I have this one http://www.scalextric.com/uk-en/shop/sets/scalextr...

Been great and withstands a 5 year old playing with it.

You can pick that up for around £140, which is pretty good value IMO.

[OtherBusiness]

Yes I got it for about that I think.

[sgrimshaw]

Hawkins Bazaar is worth a look

http://gifts.hawkin.com/search?view=grid&w=Sca...

[russy01]

Ok, where do we start? Jadlam offers over 70 different sets ranging from £50 to £2000....

Id say start with a decent Analogue set for a 9yr old and avoid the Scalextric Box sets unless they are in a supermarket half price. The box sets are perfectly good and can offer great value when on sale - BUT there is just not enough track and you WILL be bored after half hour...

Thats where we come in.... here are my personal recommendations.

Here are all the sets we offer - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric/sets-...

£50 - You dont want to spend any money at all. Not much track, very basic cars.- http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-set-c...

£66 - Same as above, but with slightly nicer cars - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-set-c...

£100 - Total speed set, 2 cool cars with lights!! But still a boring track - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextrix-set-c...

£160 - Now we're talking, Total speed set as above with decent cars. But we've bundled a load of extra track with it - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-set-s...

£300 - Want to do it properly from the off? Proper track and Digital - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-digit...

£780 - You have a 14ft table - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-digit...

£1200 - You have a snooker table you want to stick a set on top of - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-digit...

£1500 - You have a spare village hall - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-digit...

Thanks.

[Kaelic]

russy01 said:

Ok, where do we start? Jadlam offers over 70 different sets ranging from £50 to £2000....

Id say start with a decent Analogue set for a 9yr old and avoid the Scalextric Box sets unless they are in a supermarket half price. The box sets are perfectly good and can offer great value when on sale - BUT there is just not enough track and you WILL be bored after half hour...

Thats where we come in.... here are my personal recommendations.

Here are all the sets we offer - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric/sets-...

£50 - You dont want to spend any money at all. Not much track, very basic cars.- http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-set-c...

£66 - Same as above, but with slightly nicer cars - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-set-c...

£100 - Total speed set, 2 cool cars with lights!! But still a boring track - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextrix-set-c...

£160 - Now we're talking, Total speed set as above with decent cars. But we've bundled a load of extra track with it - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-set-s...

£300 - Want to do it properly from the off? Proper track and Digital - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-digit...

£780 - You have a 14ft table - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-digit...

£1200 - You have a snooker table you want to stick a set on top of - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-digit...

£1500 - You have a spare village hall - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric-digit...

Thanks.

Just spent far too much time this morning looking at all of those on your site! That "snooker table" layout is brilliant and the FPV view is brilliant hahah

[russy01]

Yea it was just a bit of fun. But I cant tell you how hard it was to set up! I only really had a GoPro to use and even without the body the car was too tall to get under certain sections! The Snooker table probably gets used for Scalextric and train sets more than what it was designed for...

[PH5121]

ferrisbueller said:

You may find the appeal of Scalextric wears of quickly in the face of competition from Playstation in a few years time.
However, because of this, you will find lots of good condition second hand sets on eBay and the like. Half your budget should be enough to secure a decent set.

You are right about that, he and his brother share a PS3 but he wants a PS4 or Xbox 1s as that is what his mates have. From my perspective I would rather he have something to play with but these days kids don't seem to play with toys like I did in the olden days of the 1980's.

[alangtt]

Hi. Could you redo the £160 link please. It's not going through.

[ferrisbueller]

PH5121 said:

ferrisbueller said:

You may find the appeal of Scalextric wears of quickly in the face of competition from Playstation in a few years time.
However, because of this, you will find lots of good condition second hand sets on eBay and the like. Half your budget should be enough to secure a decent set.

You are right about that, he and his brother share a PS3 but he wants a PS4 or Xbox 1s as that is what his mates have. From my perspective I would rather he have something to play with but these days kids don't seem to play with toys like I did in the olden days of the 1980's.

I learnt the hard way, spending, and incurring losses, on "real toys" such as Lego and Scalextric. I don't look beyond Playstation now.

[PH5121]

He and my younger son differ in that at 7 years old number 2 son likes playing with his train set, drawing, and has asked Santa for a road bike for Christmas, so he is not yet as obsessed with phones / tablets / game consoles.

[russy01]

alangtt said:

Hi. Could you redo the £160 link please. It's not going through.

Sold out....

[ferrisbueller]

Oh, to be a purveyor of toys at Christmas!

(You can keep the rest of the year, Russy!)

[AshVX220]

russy01 said:

Ok, where do we start? Jadlam offers over 70 different sets ranging from £50 to £2000....

Id say start with a decent Analogue set for a 9yr old and avoid the Scalextric Box sets unless they are in a supermarket half price. The box sets are perfectly good and can offer great value when on sale - BUT there is just not enough track and you WILL be bored after half hour...

Thats where we come in.... here are my personal recommendations.

Here are all the sets we offer - http://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/scalextric/sets-...

Thanks.

They're awesome, I particularly like the sets you've done that represent real world circuits!

[SunsetZed]

ferrisbueller said:

I learnt the hard way, spending, and incurring losses, on "real toys" such as Lego and Scalextric. I don't look beyond Playstation now.

It's only a loss if you don't get the value out of them, you can rectify that

[joshleb]

Oh wow, those sets are amazing!

As soon as I have kids and can justify them being old enough for it, I will be purchasing something. Playing the long game here!

[PH5121]

Aren't kids great, my eldest son was adamant that he wanted a games console and I tried but couldn't talk him out of it.

Yesterday whilst Christmas shopping in York we called into a model shop (Monk Bar models - which is a great shop) so my youngest could look at Hornby train stuff and my eldest sees the Scalextric stuff and changes his ming about a PS4.

Brilliant except my wife had got him a PS4 on Friday! Do you think Smyths Toys will do a swap.

At least I now have an idea what to get him for his birthday.