My First Scalextric Review

The appeal of Scalextric completely passed me by as a child, but apparently it is the epitome of cool if you have a Y chromosome. So there was great excitement in the male dominated Toy Reviewer household when the boys received a My First Scalextric set.

What are the good points about My First Scalextric?

I probably should have asked Mr Toy Reviewer to write this review since watching two tiny cars whizzing round and round and track isn't my idea of fun. But I'll try not to let my bias cloud this review too much.

The Tiny Toy Reviewers really love the My First Scalextric set, (the version we have is set 2). Tiny Toy Reviewer #2 was only just three when we received this, so required a little help to get the hang of it. If you apply too much pressure to the button the car goes so fast it has no chance of staying on the track, so I'd sit him on my lap and put my thumb underneath the button so he couldn't fully compress it and the cars would move at a more reasonable pace. Once he did get the technique right there has been no stopping him though, and watching the cars do endless laps keeps both children inextricably hypnotised for hours. They don't mind that the cars often come off the track if they go too fast, as learning to control the speed so that the cars slow down at the bends and don't go flying is all part of the fun and skill.

What are the negatives?

We do not keep this toy out at all times, not because of the space issue (although I should think that could be a problem for many households), but because I don't think the toy would last that long if my children had unrestricted access to it. It doesn't seem robust to me and I'm pretty sure that the more scratches the track gets the less effective it becomes. The downside of putting it away whenever it's not in use is that it is a real inconvenience to put it make together again, trying to remember what shape the track goes in and making sure all the parts are clicked together properly. I've been reliably informed that building the tracks is part of the fun by Mr Toy Reviewer, but I personally find it annoying.

The two cars fly off at regular intervals and sustain damage fairly easily. Usually this just means adjusting the little metal contact bits underneath and blowing off fluff and dust before replacing them back on the track, but occasionally repairs have involved superglue too (to reattach spoilers). Again, I'm told putting the cars back together is part of the appeal when you're male. I think that appeal is lost when the drivers are three and six years old and you're hearing "Mum, the cars aren't moving again" at regular intervals.

One last criticism is the little yellow barriers do nada. I'm not sure if they are purely decoration or if they are genuinely meant to help keep the cars back on the track (they don't), but since all they did was pop off we never bother putting them on any more.

Verdict

I'm not terribly excited about this toy but I'm probably not the target demographic. I'd give the My First Scalextric set 3 out of 5, and it is worth emphasising how much the two mini Toy Reviewers enjoy playing with it. It would get a higher score if it seemed more durable.