For Christmas, my 4 year old has determined that he wants a race track with 151 tunnels and 151 cars and has a flipper on the end that flips the cars off and they land on their wheels and a tow rope that pulls up cars up instead of an elevator...
I think I got the details right :)
With the understanding that we might not be able to get every feature requested, I do think he would enjoy a slot car-type race track.
Any suggestions?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PJ7SYSG/ref=tsm_1_tp_tc
When I googled " The best slot car race set " this came up.
Uh, thanks. Any personal experience with the brand or anything?
Wait till everyone wakes up. I'm sure Javelin had an opinion. 
Carrera brand is the sturdiest on the ready to race stuff. Two scales to choose, but the larger (1/32) is easier to grow with if he sticks to it. Current racer commenting here.
I got my kids two of the carrera sets last year; 1/32, their interest stayed for almost a year so I consider it a win.
I have no idea about brands, but I'd totally plan on one that is expandable. My dad was into large scale slot cars, so he bought my brother and I a decent HO set when we were young. We played with that thing for a good 10 years- being able to get more and more parts and cars. The track went from the basic set up my dad got to one that is about 2-3x as long on the same 4x8 table my dad got originally.
It still sits in our basement, and we sometimes go and mess with it way over 30 years since we both left home.
It was an AFX set up, and we improvised fixes as parts broke.
We got a scalectrix set for my nephew that's held up well. The 1/32 cars seem easier than HO ones for kids to put back on track.
Carrera Go.
I bought one for my kids when they were that age. They broke it
I'd suggest a different gift for a 4 year old.
Scalextric is sturdier than Carrera Go for 1/32 stuff, which is way easier than my beloved HO scale. My 4 year old races HO, but there's lots of supervision and teaching. He can't do the Tyco loop-d-loops yet.
Scalextric has a police chase at that's fun with a cop car (Javelin, natch) that has a light and siren and a Challenger and comes with a jump and a squeeze track. My dad bought one and even us adults had a hoot playing with it. There's hundreds of Scalextric cars out there and track expansions are affordable, plus they have more crazy pieces. If I was not already so heavily invested in HO, this is what I would do.
Scalextric American Police Chase AMC Javelin vs Dodge Challenger Police Car 1:32 Slot Car Race Track Set C1405T
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N8BDSQR/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_7T86DbJ16DA11
At age four, I'd say the gift is for Dad, and the kids can play with supervision.
Hot Wheels is more age-appropriate, IMO.
1988RedT2 said:At age four, I'd say the gift is for Dad, and the kids can play with supervision.
Hot Wheels is more age-appropriate, IMO.
Shhhhh lad! Next you'll be exposing the fact that the 4 year old doesn't ACTUALLY NEED aero for a Miata...
Seriously, he has a ton of hot wheels and the bigger stuff and constantly plays with them, but he's being persistent on the desire for a track and I think he'd do fine with slot car stuff.
Thanks for the rest of the info and links, guys!
I like the look of the 1/32nd stuff, and that set you linked to looks schweet, Javelin!
Scalextric will work very well. If yo expand track length with anything 1/32 you will need additional power points every 12 -15 track sections. Also both Carrera and Scalex track connections deteriorate with repeated assembly/disassembly. Scalex track also is moisture sensitive in a manner that Carrera is not, you can set a Carrera track out in the snow, Scalex will corrode. I have 52 feet of 4 lane Scalex in my basement, and chasing corrosion is an issue.
Good to know about the corrosion issues, Turner! That's an awesome looking setup you have over there!
My favorite as a kid as the A-Team slot car set...they could spin around and go the other way if you took the turns a certain way. Like a car chase. I don't know if there's a modern equivalent but it was very cool, entertained me for a long time. Then I got into 1/24 scale at the local hobby shop, all those tracks are closed now though. HO or 1/32 are the most feasible for home use.
In reply to slowbird :
Scalextric did have some drift cars (350Z I think) that would spin around and go back. That was a few years ago, I think they are discontinued now,
For track I would go with Carrera, I was told that the rails are stainless and Scalextric are coated steel. Another good thing about Carerra track is that the trough that the slot runs in is deeper than Scalextric, we have Scalextric track and have to trim the guide on some brands of cars to get them to run right. As far as cars go Scalextric makes some cars that are geared towards younger kids, they don't have all of the little bits to break off and supposedly will take more off track excursions than other cars.
I've spent the last day or so reading up on digital slot cars, and I'm mildly frustrated that they're all different between brands. I guess they can be converted with the right chip and some soldering, but still...there's Carrera, Scalextric, and Ninco cars that I really really want, and all of them might not be able to race together unless I stick to analog.
I recall dropping a good amount of money on something called Anki Overdrive a few years back. The kids played with it for a bit, then stuffed it into the closet. I see Anki stuff is still sold, but the prices seem to have come down a lot. Kids today seem to think it's cooler than old-school slot cars?
In reply to slowbird :
And that's why I stick with HO...
Did someone mention slot cars? Lol
I would have to lean towards Carrera. The cars are built stronger/heavy duty.
Carrera also has the stainless rails, so less upkeep. Bad side is Carrera track is designed to accommodate 1/32 or 1/24 so that makes the track physically larger so less track in a given space. Digital racing is fun but I am also unhappy that there isn't a standard between the slot car companies. The good news is there are 3rd party companies that make digital convertors that accept programing from more than one brand. But that means more money.
But back to the op. A four year old does have a hard time following a car around a track and controlling it. But kids have to start learning how to pay attention to what they are doing somewhere.
Squirrel!
In reply to lauras :
Do they have slot Canoe's too?
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