Now taking orders on the April to June 2012 Corgi Range Click Here
|
Selecting your Hornby train
set or Scalextric Set! |
|
|
|
|
||||||||
| Contact Us | About Us | Help Centre | Order Now | |||||||
| Main Menu | Corgi Classics | Model Buses | Railways | Radio Control | Tamiya Parts | Slot Racing | Bond/Films | Newsletters | ||
|
Teenage
Grade Radio Control Cars? Under £100? Type FTX into our search box or
Click Here! Now taking orders on the April to June 2012 Corgi Range Click Here |
||||||||||
| Gift Ideas? Click Here! ¦ Home > Bachmann & Hornby Railways > Hornby Train Sets and Scalextric Sets - Selecting the right one! |
How to select the right train or slot racing set for you!
We carry one of the widest selections of model train sets and slot racing sets in the United Kingdom |
|
Choosing a first Scalextric or Hornby set can be a daunting prospect
- especially if it's a gift and the lucky recipient isn't around to
suggest which one he (or she, although usually it's he) would like.
In general, although most questions refer to Hornby or Scalextric, unless
we note otherwise the replies would also apply to Bachmann and SCX
systems. This guide aims to give some general advice on choosing a suitable set - and gives a broad explanation of the various brands available - by answering the common questions we're frequently asked. |
| What age are these sets aimed at? |
|
All Hornby and Scalextric sets are suggested to be suitable
for a minimum age of 5 years. However, we find that the train sets
with longer carriages, and all the slot racing sets except Micro
Scalextric, are frustrating to use for under 8's. Particularly, for
the younger ages, the Thomas the Tank train set series are extremely easy
to use and have the benefit that the locos are not as fast so less likely
to fall off the track. Premium Sets such as the Master Cutler, Orient Express and all Digital train sets are aimed a adult audience, as a N Gauge sets which are very delicate indeed. Digital Scalextric is more delicate that the standard non-digital systems and we would recommend a minimum age of 10 years for these systems. |
| I have a limited space - what would you recommend? |
|
TRAIN SETS: The standard train set layout suggests a
6 foot by 4 foot board (approx 180cm by 120cm). This can usually be
stood behind a wardrobe or under a bed when not in use, and can be
operated very successfully if laid down on a single bed - it overlaps by
only a foot (30cm) so will be very stable. All sets can of course be
set up in a smaller space, but you will still need around 4 foot by 3 foot
6 (120cm by 100cm) absolute minimum for OO gauge - for these the basic
sets would be best purchases since the longer locos and long coaches have
difficulty on tight tracks. An alternative is N Gauge - but this is
very delicate so unsuitable for all but the most careful child. SLOT SETS: All slot sets can be set up in a small space - simply leave out some of the track. Sets are deceptively big - a standard X3 set will fill the spare floor space in most living rooms for example, and a X4 sized set in many cases you won't be able to completely set up unless you completely clear the floor. The basic £50 slot sets are always good buys since they're small but include everything you need. |
| My child is prone to boredom or loses attention quickly - would this interest him? |
| Model railway and slot sets are great for the child who has an active imagination. Some children can watch a train going round a circuit over and again without ever getting bored - others will become bored in minutes. Particularly with train sets - the track is designed to be set up only once or twice before being nailed down - if the layout will soon bore, the track will soon be wrecked with constant re-assembly. |
| Can I set this up on carpet? |
|
Slot sets - yes, that's what they're designed for.
Train sets need a hard surface, carpet fibres get into the engines amazingly quickly and can ruin gearing and motors in only a short time. In particular train track is very delicate and will not withstand assembly and disassembly more than a few times - it is designed to be nailed down to a board. |
| Bachmann - what's that? |
| Bachmann are often referred to as the "modellers choice" in model railways. Bachmann make 100% Hornby compatible systems, but with different locos and coaches to the equivalent Hornby sets. Detail in all their sets is extremely high, but prices are lower than the equivalent Hornby. Any Bachmann set will run Hornby locos and vice-versa. The track in Bachmann sets comes from a former Hornby factory in Austria and is pretty much identical to the Hornby track - just a little different in colour in fact. |
| Graham Farish - what's that? |
| These are N Gauge sets - very small scale and only for an adult audience. Not suitable for children, Farish is an interesting miniature system in very high detail - we can obtain further Farish items by special order, but at this time cannot supply additional track. It is available from a number of other dealers online though. |
| SCX - what's that? |
| SCX and Scalextric, some years ago, were very closely related. Then after various buyouts, mergers and changes they went their separate ways. Today, if you buy a SCX set in parts of Europe it's actually marketed as Scalextric! The cars are totally compatible between the two systems, but the track is slightly different - SCX using an improved version of the original style Scalextric track with round fittings at either end, and Scalextric using a smooth "sport" quick-lock track. SCX track is easily obtained (there is an excellent UK importer who supply every part to us) and well worth considering since we find the sets highly reliable - and many cars run and corner faster on the rougher surfaced SCX track! Remember - SCX benefits you since you can run Scalextric cars on it without a problem, and you can connect directly to it the old-style Scalextric track - which you can often pick up for pennies at car boot sales etc! |
| Micro Scalextric - what's that? |
| A miniature high-grip system, with cars or figures the size of Matchbox-type cars. This is a great system for the youngster but tends to come as a complete set only - very limited upgrades are available for this (not many more cars or bits of track) but great value with sets from under £30 |
| Carrera, Go and Ninco - what are they? |
| These are rival slot systems - Carrera and Ninco are the same size as Normal Scalextric but tend to have specially themed sets, Go is a miniature system. All are excellent value and have very high specifications, but are probably better for the enthusiast purchasing for themselves as opposed to gifts. |
| Warranties |
|
A quick word about warranties: Hornby, SCX,
Scalextric and other brands are warranted usually for 90 days after
purchase, not 90 days after first use. You must therefore advise
us when you purchase if the set is to be stored for a later present so
that we can annotate your receipt to start the warranty at the time of the
Birthday or Christmas - if you do not advise us, the warranty will start
counting down on day of purchase. Telling us 5 months later that
you'd stored the set won't be covered unfortunately. Maximum
extension is 3 months - i.e. sets bought from 25th September can be marked
at Christmas items, but not sets purchased before.
This is at the request of the manufacturers and due to people in the past
claiming that a set they'd had for 2 years was a gift and had "never been
used until today". Warranty covers parts that fail in use due to faulty manufacture - it specifically does not cover any damage caused by impact - so lights, mirrors and guide blades that get smashed off a Scalextric car when it hits the skirting board at full speed, or details on a loco which break when it's handled heavily are not covered. Warranty is limited to replacement of faulty components only. |
| Second Hand Sets - not usually a good buy unless you can see them running! |
|
Over the years, the Scalextric system has been altered a
number of times. There are a number of older sets around which are
often sold second hand for very attractive prices - however, common
failings of older sets include the gearing on the cars (available but
fiddly to fit), the tyres (not usually available for most older cars) and
the hand controllers (the versions which plug UNDER the track have been
outlawed by recent safety regulations and can no longer be obtained).
As a result, only buy an older set if you can set it up and see it running
for at least 10 minutes to check that no faults show up. If a
controller is faulty, it's often only possible to resurrect a
non-Scalextric Sport set (i.e. a set with round track fittings) by
purchasing either a complete new powerbase and transformer/controller pack
from Scalextric (just under £40) or a complete SCX set (from around £50) -
as the older version parts are not available separately. Train sets used can also be a nightmare since the track (which can add up considerably if you have to replace it) will likely be poor if it's been assembled and dismantled a number of times. Checking locos for fluff underneath is wise - if they're fluffy, they've been run on carpet and are likely gummed up in side. Power delivery should be smooth and strong, it often isn't on an abused loco. We get used sets brought into us regularly for us to "look at" - in general they are well past their best and not worth what people have paid for them - so tread with care, particularly if you're tempted by second hand goods online where you can't look at the item closely before purchase. |
| Digital Systems |
| Digital slot racing systems need specially modified cars - either specifically manufactured Digital cars or cars that have been converted. The conversion for most cars to run on Scalextric Digital is around £11 - you have to dismantle the car and solder in a circuit board. To convert SCX cars to SCX digital is a little dearer. You cannot run standard non-chipped cars on digital systems, and unless the cars say they are DIGITAL they are not chipped. |
| Digital Train Locos |
| Again, watch out here - Locos sold separately are not fitted with chips if they simply say "DCC Ready" - that just means there is a socket inside to take the chip - which has to be purchased separately. Chips are available for around £10 but it's still an expense you need to allow for. |
| Under 5's will learn to work a Scalextric |
|
They won't. They'll crash it every corner and will
end up in floods of tears. This is no personal affront on anyone's
own child - it's just that the hand-eye co-ordination needed to slow and
accelerate on these sets isn't fully developed at under 5. In fact,
many children find Scalextric in particular very hard to control until
they are around 8 years old - even then needing many hours of practice to
become proficient. All sets need several hours of practice. The cars are DESIGNED on all sets to come off if you go too fast - if they didn't you would very soon bore of the system. |
|
|
The contents of this page are Copyright © 1997 to 2011 Time Tunnel Models.
Reproduction of data or images prohibited except when printed for personal
use.
Copyright on images used within this site is retained by the original
copyright holder. |
 Your orders are processed very securely on this site Affiliated Sites and Recommended links |
|
| Prices on this web site are applicable only to orders placed on line and must be quoted if orders are placed by telephone, fax or in person at our store. | |||
