Scalextric Stock Car Challenge Review

I have to give Scalextric credit for investing heavily and bringing us plenty of American slot car products.  This Scalextric Stock Car Challenge race set is no exception, with two 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlos that are available for the first time as a 1:32 scale slot car.  The included cars are exclusive to the set which are fantasy liveries but still look the part.

The race set came well packed in a really nice box that has a lot of good information including all the features of the race set.  Opening the box, the track is bundled together with rubber bands and the ends protected with cardboard.  Each car is held in place securely from the bottom of the chassis with a screw-in fastener.  The instructions and warranty information come in a clear bag.  Overall, I'm very impressed with the packaging which is always part of the fun of getting a new race set.

Now it's time to get into setting up the track.  Some considerations are that Scalextric track is made of a somewhat soft plastic, so it's best supported on a hard surface such as a hard wood floor or a table top.  If going the table route, be sure that you have some sort of barrier system in place since 1:32 scale slot cars tend to have a lot of detail and aren't really made for flying off the table to the ground excursions.

The Scalextric track is really easy to put together.  You just slide it together and the tabs on each end locks it in place.  To disassemble, you only need to push the tabs on each end in and gently slide the track apart.  I chose to start off with the layout on the front of the box which takes up a space of 7' 4" x 4' 4" with a total running length of 18 feet.   The instructions also include 3 alternate oval layouts that can be built using the included track.  The set comes with banking supports that bank the curves 10 degrees for even more realism.

Now that the track is assembled, it's time to hook up the AC/DC transformer and the controllers to the power base.  The plugs are made in such a way that you can only plug the transformer plug in the center of the power base and the controller plugs will only fit the controller inputs on the power base.   Traditionally, Scalextric race sets came with an AC output transformer that was converted to DC by using electronics inside the power base.  Well, Scalextric has simplified things by going to a 15 volt DC output transformer that is rated at 1.2 amps, which is more power than the 0.8 amp transformer used in previous Scalextric sets. This extra power helps to eliminate any power surges on the track which ultimately leads to better racing.

The wait is almost over, just take a quick look at the cars and it's time to start racing.  Scalextric did a really nice job with these Monte Carlo stock cars. They are advertised as Super Resistant so the cars should hold up well and are also Digital Plug Ready, which means these cars can be easily converted to the Scalextric ARC Pro digital system at some point.  A quick spin of the wheel  found them to be very true on both cars which is a good sign for consistent handling.  Time to put each car on the track.

The set comes with all new Scalextric hand controllers that are very comfortable to hold and have 4 speed settings: 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of the available power.  Just to get a feel for the track, I started at 25% and found the car very easy to drive with the ability to almost go wide open around the entire track.  This is a great option for young kids and those with little to no slot car racing experience.  I tried the different hand controller speed settings and found the 75% setting to be ideal for this oval track.  On a larger track the 100% speed setting might be the way to go for the more experienced slot car enthusiast.

I did come across a problem when trying the second car as it would just stutter and barely move at times.  I then tried the second car with the the controller that I used with the first car and it ran fine.  This led me to believe something was wrong with the second controller so I decided to open it up by removing two screws.  After opening the controller, I found the problem right away.  The metal wiper arm that rubs against the resistor was barely touching the resistor.  It was an easy fix, by gently bending the wiper arm a little closer to the resistor.  After reassembling the controller, it worked perfectly.  Scalextric race sets come with a 90 day warranty that covers the correct functioning of the product which would also have resolved the issue that I had with the one hand controller.

I was surprised that an oval track could bring so much fun.  It reminded me of watching a NASCAR race on TV as lap after lap you could slowly inch up on the car in front of you and also have a lot of side by side battles.   This set can also be expanded to a road course so you can replicate say Watkins Glen for those who also like to turn right.  Another thing worth mentioning is that Scalextric even got the clockwise direction right which is correct for a 1:1 oval stock car race.
 
Pros

• Included 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 1:32 slot cars are durable and look the part.
• Hand controllers are comfortable and love the 4 speed settings.
• Transformer is DC and has 1.2 amps of power.
• Track is easy to assemble and disassemble.
• Race set is compatible with Scalextric and other brands of analog 1:32 scale slot cars.

Cons

• Controllers don't have brakes and one controller needed adjusted out of the box.
• Track is made out of a soft plastic which needs to be used in a temperature controlled environment to resist warping.

Final Thoughts - I would say overall, this race set offers a very good out of box experience.  This Scalextric race set is a great option for those who plan on running only 1:32 scale slot cars on a hard surface in a temperature controlled environment and are somewhat limited in space.  Even better, you can upgrade this set at some point to either the ARC AIR power base which gives you wireless controllers, working brakes, lap counting and pit stops or the ARC PRO digital system which has all the features of the ARC AIR, but with the ability of racing up to 6 cars on the same track which can change lanes at special lane change tracks.

For those who want to run both 1:24 and 1:32 scale slot cars on a track that can also be in a garage or attic with wide temperature changes and/or folds up against the wall, then Carrera would be the better choice.

This race set is available for purchase right now at BRS Hobbies for $ 149.99 with FREE shipping within the United States.  Here is the link - Scalextric Stock Car Challenge