Scalextric - Products

Products

The majority of Scalextric Products are 1:32 scale, though between 1968 and 1970 Super124 cars and track were manufactured at 1:24 scale. In the late 1990s, Micro Scalextric at 1:64 scale was introduced. Cars and track are not compatible between scales; however classic 1950s models should run on modern Scalextric track and vice versa.

At the beginning of the 21st century, Scalextric track underwent a major redesign to make the track easier to assemble. The new design is known as Scalextric Sport. Scalextric Sport track can be connected to the classic design of track using special adaptor pieces.

Other manufacturers (such as Fly, Slot.it, SCX, MRRC and Ninco) produce cars that can run on Scalextric track without modification.

Also introduced, in 2004, is Scalextric Sport Digital (SSD), in which up to 4 digital cars can be raced in a single slot. The cars can change from one slot to another using special slot-lane change tracks, the lane change or otherwise being controlled by a button on the throttle. Sport Digital cars should run on non-digital track unmodified, but standard analogue cars require a new circuit (digital chip) to be added to them before they can run on the digital system.

Many of the original non digital Scalextric cars can be converted to operate on the digital system but not all, this is due mainly to insufficient space to install the necessary digital conversion chip. Performance of the converted classic cars on the digital system can vary, but enthusiasts have been able to successfully chip a wide range of cars, from Scalextric and also from other brands, to run on Scalextric Sport Digital.

As use of Scalextric Digital has increased, a community has established itself where users have developed enhanced powerbase functionality, fuel management and timing systems to increase the realism of the hobby.

A kit for converting Scalextric sport into Scalextric digital requires a digital power base; a transformer; lane changing track (to utilise the full benefits) and digital controllers.

To push Scalextric digital further into the 21st Century, Scalextric have released (Late 2010) a revised 6 Car digital powerbase, C7042. This powerbase includes a separate screen which aids set up and also displays race information such as lap times etc. Scalextric worked closely with its customers to make the product they wanted. The resulting product includes features such as yellow flag options for dealing with crashed cars, ghost cars to race against which can run and change lanes without a human controlling them, and the ability to race in analogue mode, for people who still have cars to race that are not digitally chipped.

In Spain, Hornby Scalextric is marketed under the brand Superslot, as the Scalextric brand is owned there by Tecnitoys, whose products are sold internationally under the SCX brand. Whilst there are some common standards, parts of the two ranges (particularly in their digital offerings) are not compatible.