We recently received My First ScaleXtric - Racing Fun for the Young Driver - which was just perfect being that Aaron is a huge car and track fan. He's played with tracks for over 3 years and these are his finest moments in terms of concentration and play enjoyment. Once upon a time I'd have to build everything and his enjoyment was the play, but now he gets just as much enjoyment from setting things up and he's so quick too. I confess I did set the ScaleXtric up for him though, purely as I was concerned about the electrical circuit and that it may not function if he did something wrong.
It was extremely speedy to set up and I filmed us live as we unboxed it. Bear in mind though, we've just come back from Movie Night at school (for Children in Need) and it's a Friday so it's been a long week, so we're quite mellow (tired) and both in onesies :-)
VLOG of the UNBOXING
VLOG of the UNBOXING
I love that the tracks, cars and triggers are all colour coordinated red and yellow.
As you hear in the video, I keep obsessing that we need batteries, but turns out that the track is powered by the mains and the cars hook up with that electricity, hence the importance of keeping their underneaths clear of dust and debri.
Being that the track is a number 8 it comes with two bridge supports for the upper level. These perplexed me a little until I resorted to looking at the instructions and realised that the track simply balances on top.
I can imagine this would be a great gift to open on Christmas Day as it is always a relief when something is quick to set up and doesn't require batteries. A gift that is too time consuming to build can take away from the excitement that builds whilst unwrapping.
So that brings me on to pros and cons.
Pros
- It is only £34.99 available here: My First ScaleXtric.
- No batteries required.
- Simple construction that means you don't need a resident track expert. Tip: do make sure all of the arrows are pointing in the right direction, like I pointed out in the above video.
- The triggers have a groove on them which can be adjusted for speed.
- It is a starter set. The simple number 8 style track is perfectly simple for a 3 year old, but what makes it fun/challenging for a 5 year old and the adult that maybe playing with the second trigger, is the fact that: go too fast and you will fall off on the bends.
- This means there is a technique to be learned. You either slow down overall, or pulse the trigger so that you go slower on the bends. The degree to which you do this may be slower or faster than your opponent and that's the second layer of fun right there!!!
- I would recommend getting this for a 3 year old so that they can get a couple of years out of it.
Cons
- There is a metal area (like wire wool) on the underside of the cars. These need to be well maintained.
- Similarly there are metal grooves on the track, that are best kept dust free.
- Therefore this is a track that requires a bit of adult supervision and can't be flung around and stepped on like wooden tracks you may have previously owned. Make it about it being special and precious. If they hover their hand above the track, they'll feel a "current" and hopefully be in awe of it and understand it needs a little care.
- For a 5 year old, it is not a toy you will get years out of, but is perfect if they are new to tracks/cars or if they have a younger sibling who they can teach how to play. It's a great starter set though.
I'll leave you with the official promotional TV advert for this toy:
Disclosure: we received this toy for the purposes of an honest review and I have not been told what to say.
All the best, Liska
P.S. this will definitely be making it to my Christmas Gift Guide when I finally get round to putting it together.
