Another Review Brought To You By

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Have you ever had so much fun that you find it hard to find the right words? Well this reviewer certainly has, and then some. Sure, I knew when I first seen this new Sport Track set that it would be fun, but the word fun almost doesn't say enough!
	Yes, finally arriving are the new Sport Track systems from Scalextric. After having the privilege of reviewing one of these sets, the GT Sport Set, I told myself when it was available that this would be one to start with. I suggest taking the time to peek in our ever-growing Archives section and give it a read as I give a closer look at the new track components, and improvements over the older, Classic system. I still think its one of the best sets you can
buy, regardless if you are just beginning, or getting ready to change over to the new track. However, when I discovered that Scalextric was releasing this set, I could not help myself. A race set designed to wreck your cars? One with my long time favorite NASCAR Ford Taurus painted in some fantasy liveries? Were they serious? Oh, you better believe it!

"Eager" might be the word I am searching for to describe my family upon the arrival of this set. My 3 sons were ready to help me make sure I put it all together correctly, and quickly. Instructions are very easy to understand, and within 10 short minutes it was completely assembled and ready for action. This set is clearly designed for the younger, soon-to-be enthusiast, and I felt allowing my 15 and 14 year old sons to assemble it would be appropriate. My 5 year old

even joined in and hooked together several pieces of track, with no assistance. After this, he clearly took over the supervisory role, and headed straight for the cars!

	One thing you must know, that the Scalextric NASCAR Ford Taurus is one of the most durable cars on the market, and it really is no surprise it was chosen to be included as the cars for this set. These cars do not have the smaller parts that so often seem to break in hard crashes and tumbles. Items such as mirrors, antenna, bumpers or wings are non-existent,
plus, these cars are some of the smoothest driving cars you will ever own. These qualities have always been the main reasons why I have highly recommended a NASCAR set to anyone just starting out, and I still stand by that.

The models in this set are utilizing the chassis design of the 2000 Taurus, having the inline drive system and the newer, stronger bar magnet. These cars have decent grip, keeping the de-slotting action in the hands of the track sections! The liveries chosen are very eye catching indeed. Its "Robo-Racer" VS "Test-Car", and I feel this was a great move on Scalextrics part. These cars are intended to see some hard racing, and a simple, fictional livery works perfectly.

	The power here is the standard Scalextric power pack, and plugs directly into the all-new power base. Brakes are standard, as is the option of adding another power pack for individual power per lane. Since independent power per lane is THE first step one would want to take in upgrading their layout, this new power base gets an A+ from me. The older Scalextric power packs (C977W)
WILL work on this base, so if you have one from a previous set, you're all ready for this option.

The controllers are different than the classic type, as they are wired for brakes. The classic controllers will NOT work on this new power system. Control was smooth and responsive, with braking action being the same. As discussed in my prior review, the track is now smoother than before, having abandoned the abrasive texture. In addition, a deeper slot and flush rails make this new track system simply a pleasure to drive on. The set comes with guardrails, these work as intended, and keep your cars from hitting the floor if you decide to set it up on a table. Installation is, needless to say... a snap.

Of course, this set is a little different than the "normal" race set you may have seen. Having an intersection crossover along with the squeeze chicane, and last but certainly not least a RAMP!

Yes, a ramp. Does it work? YES. Simplicity takes over here, and the folks at Scalextric have designed a winner. The ramp comes in 2 parts, with separate entrance and landing ramps. The pieces simply snap right on top of existing track, and you are free to adjust the length of your jump. The entrance ramp DOES conduct power, and works a lot smoother than I had expected. As the photo shows, there are metal tabs that connect to the existing track on the bottom, conducting

power to ramps rails. The landing ramp works perfectly as well, with not so much as one de-slotted Taurus in 2 solid hours of playing (I mean testingJ). I'll let the pictures tell most of the story here. You will find that you need a good amount of speed when hitting the ramp, as the landing piece is not powered, and the cars have to roll forward far enough to make contact again with the
rails. Still, after the first time we discovered this, applying more speed was never an issue as you can imagine. This also applies to the intersection, as there are the dead spots for the crossing of the rails. But again, more speed was always available.

I have to say that this race set is all it was intended to be, and whole lot more. We have had our fair share of fun in our dungeon, but nothing quite like this. It has found a new home in our living room, right in front of the television, where the recently purchased Playstation 2 gathers dust. It may be intended for children, but don't think for a second that my wife and I have not had a great time crashing these machines. In fact, visitors who

happened by this weekend found it as interesting as we did, and soon my living room became quite popular.

Starting out with a set like this will only bring you hours of fun. It's small enough to set up quickly and takes up minimal room, yet it's large enough to have some challenging racing. If you already own a track, and are looking to change over to the new Sport Track, I have to recommend it as well. This would be a fun, yet inexpensive way to see if you want to replace your Classic system. For around $129.95 it's hard to say no. Fun being the name of the game, Scalextric has just raised the bar once more, try one and see for yourself!

Bash & Crash #1 is a fine purchase, makes me wonder what #2 will be like? Thanks you to Frank at Slot Car World for providing this extremely fun set. Harry As always, feel free to email me at wiseone@yhti.net, or drop me a line  the Slot Car Illustrated Online Forum about this car, or just the hobby in general.