help pick scalextric

[dazzer1]

need some advise on picking scalextric for 3 kids! we have been looking at  scalextric digital supercars , I like the idea of have up to 4 cars on track to race .

I also liked the scalextric arc one set I like the idea of the table and apps which look fun but only 2 cars on track .

Is it possible to use the arc one with the scalextric digital supercars? What do you guys think would be a good set for us to get?

[homingpigeon79]

Currently you need to choose between the two options you suggested. Personally i would go for the digital sets which allow multiple cars. When the arc systems are updated for more than 2 cars you will still have compatible cars and track to use.

[Andy P.]

HI There,

The advantage of digital is that you can tweak car performance so that the cars will ot fly off the track due to excessive speed.

You can have up to 4 on a 4 car powerbase or up to 6 on the latest digital powerbase. The 6 car powerbase also has an analog mode so you can use standrad i.e. analog cars on it. With the 4 car powerbase you have to swap out the digital powerbase for an analog one.

In digital mode you can change lanes and with the 6 car powerbase you can do very advanced stuff when using 3rd party software, like pit stops.

The downside is that digital cars are more expensive and they must have a Scalextric digital chip (other brands' digital cars are NOT compatile). The 6 car powerbase is also not cheap.

The two ARC sets (ARC ONE and ARC AIR) are analog only (i,e. only 2 cars) and personally I see no point in buying ARC ONE anymore. You get a lot mroe features and you get wireless controllers with ARC AIR which are a Godsend when racing with kids.

You get almost all the featrues of a digital set without the lane changing. You can also use any brand analog car on the track as long as the guide blade is black.

Important question for you: How old are the kids?

My son will be 8 soon and he is just now getting the hang of "racecraft" i.e. braking points, drifting etc. Up until now I had to use an in-line dimmer on the power supply to lower the voltage so that he could smash the trigger and not fly off.

If your kids are younger the lane changing may be too much for them. You can leave them off, but that defeats the purpose of a digital set.