October 11, 2006 In the early fifties, Scalex gave the world the slot car phenomenon and for the next quarter century, a Scalextric slot car set was part of every adolescent’s dreams. Then came the remote control craze and a plethora of other indoor activities and the brand dropped in popularity. Now there’s a new range of Scalextric using digital technologies that are starting to rejuvenate the indoor action sport and you can change lanes, overtake or block your opponents and brake into corners for a much more realistic experience. Up to four cars can now move into the inner or outer lanes at the touch of a button on the hand throttles to take them past their track rivals. There’s also a completely new variation on the Scalextric based around the latest racing craze of Drifting. Like Drifting, the new GBP75 Scalextric Powerslide racing set demands the ultimate in car control and requires drivers to maintain and manoeuvre controlled slides at high speeds. The cars are fitted with 'guideblade' systems which allow them to spin 360 degrees and travel in both directions around the figure-of-eight track. Oh to be a kid again!
The Digital range comes with a variety of 'Race Ready' sets beginning with the entry level 'Digital Ignition' (GBP125 RRP) which comes with two cool looking blue and yellow Nissan 350Z cars and over four metres of track. The next set up is 'A1 Grand Prix Digital' (GBP165 RRP) which comes with Team GB and Team France A1 GP cars and over six metres of track. For those who want a staggering 7 metres worth of competitive racing, there is the top of the range 'Triple Rivals' set (GBP200 RRP) which includes the Maserati MC12, Porsche 911 GT3R and Dodge Viper Competition Coupe.
The new range also offers a wide choice of authentic looking digital cars including F1, Rally, GT and road cars. Models already available include the stunning Aston Martin DBR9, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and the 2005 F1 World Championship winning Fernando Alonso Renault F1 car.
And for fans wanting to convert their existing analogue models to digital, Scalextric offers two types of digital conversion chips for single seater and saloon cars.
The Scalextric Powerslide set contains two models of the most popular racing car amongst Drift racers - the Nissan 350Z. Scalextric fans may also be surprised that the set is in the shape of a figure of eight! The figure of eight shape allows fans to build up a good track speed before pulling off some crazy driving stunts!
