Age Guide

Slot racing sets

Our suggested ages are a result of many "temper tantrums" in our shop (both by children, their parents/grandparents and occasionally our store manager) where children's "Christmas has been ruined" by being bought an inappropriate set.

It's not overly likely that ages below those we suggest here will be able to work the sets satisfactorarily.  Some children may, but most will not.  This is not a personal affront on any child - it's just that a child needs good hand-eye co-ordination for some sets and this isn't developed at 3.

Micro Scalextric Sets: These have super strong magnets, a child of 3 will find the cars difficult to hold onto the track, a 4 or 5 year old will find it possible with practice.  Older children should find it very easy.

Standard Scalextric or SCX Sets:  These sets need you to slow down massively for corners.  Children under 5 tend to find them impossible to control and crash the cars at every corner (NB: crash damage is not warranted, and since the cars are often high detail they can damage very easily in a bad crash).  Realistically, these shouldn't be considered for children under 6 years of age - and even then, they will need considerable practice to perfect driving the car around the track without it coming off.  The ideal age is 8 years and over.

Digital Scalextric or Digital SCX: These are not "first time" sets.  They are much more complex to set up, maintain and use - we suggest ages 10+ as an absolute minimum and only then where the child has already mastered driving on a normal set.