Customer Reviews

Life Like Freeway Showdown Corvette Electric Slot Car Race Set

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got this for my 6 yr old son. He and his 3 yr old sister love it although she can't keep the car on the track long. We had a blast with it during New Years eve and New years.

My 6 yr is very good at keeping it on the track and can even out run his dad(sometimes). I guess he has a bit better reaction time with his fingers and is able to slow down when needed.

It didn't take very long to setup(30 mins). But it did require verifying all the parts were there (with the numbers in the manual). This allowed for familarity of the parts with the instructions, so it helped to speed up the process.

Overall I rate this as a great toy, even for 6 yr olds. If you are going to buy a track...spend the extra $$$ for a longer one.....it allows for changing the layout and hours and hours of fun.


Issues
1. WIPE OUT CAR:
The only bad part was the wipe out race car that uses a single double AA battery. After we put the battery in we didn't know what it was suppose to do. The instructions said it should activate itself. But it didnt do anything nor make any sounds.

I could return the unit, along with shipping for a replacement, but i figured it wasn't worth the few dollars they were requiring. So I opened it up myself and noticed some gears that make the car go back and forth across the track(so a passing car can hit it and crash). After I opened it I reinstalled the battery and it self-activated.

I suppose the gears were stuck when it was put together....cause its worked flawless since. Sometimes when a car hit it just right, it will get stuck with the race car and the wipe-out car. This causes the gears to make a grinding sound.....so we make sure when that happens that we immediately remove the race car that is stopping the wipe-out car from crossing the road. We haven't had any issues, so we are just being proactive with it.

The cool thing is that the wipe-out car activates when a race car passes it. It activates at different times, so you don't know when its going to start up. It also stops after a car deactivates it......so it usually runs one cycle for 2-3 laps and is off from 2-5 laps.

2. THROTTLES:
As they were in the past, the throttle can pinch your fingers if you have the finger too close to the top. My 3 yr old has done this a few times. I've showed her to touch it from the tip(bottom) of the throttle. So, she has not had the problem as much.

3. RACE CARS:
As with all race cars, they will eventually break apart and will need replacement. One of the cars front wheel broke after flying off and hitting another toy perfectly square on that wheel. We still use the car with no problems(front wheel isn't a key mover of the car)....only has less traction on a few corners so sometimes it flies off faster than the non-broken race car. This break occurred within 30 minutes of using the product and we've used the both cars with no other breaks since. So I'm not so sure it wasn't defective from the factory, and just needed one throw from the track to finish the job. Anyway, I'll be looking for a few replacement cars for it.

We purchased this track around Christmas 2008 and within 2 weeks of use, one of the cars was already giving us problems. It starting slowing down a lot and I tried all the recommended tune up tips but with no luck. I called the manufacturer and they did send me a new one along with a new controller track (because the original was not working at times). However now the Silver car runs VERY SLOW! I can't win with this race car set! Has anybody else encountered this problem and if so were you able to do anything to the car to restore it to its original speed? Even if I pull the throttle in 100% the silver car barely goes around the track and cannot make it up the 360 degree loop.

I purchased this item just this Christmas and 2 weeks into playing it, there's already a problem with the cars running smoothly. Too much of a hassale to return it so I'm just going to keep it as it still runs, just might need a little oiling but for what I'd paid I was hoping it would last for awhile before it needs any maintenance work. Overall was still a fun toy and the entire family had fun with it. Hopefully it'll run well again after putting in some oil.....

We're very happy with this set. I had one when I was a kid and it wasn't even close to this one.

I have seen comments about the cars coming off of the track on other sets by Carrera. This is an issue without a doubt but the reason is because they can achieve more speed than what the law of physics will allow around corners. You have to learn to control your speed to stay on the track. In my opinion, this is the challenge of racing! We have a 2 year old and I found that if I put my finger behind the trigger as she pulled it, she could make it around the track almost every time. (I'm thinking of making a spacer for when she and her 5 year old brother play.) I say almost, because if you let off the trigger in certain locations on the track, such as at the loop, you will not make it. Again this makes it racing and not simply pulling a trigger and watching cars go around the track. My 7 year old is getting too good for me on day 2 already and try as I might, I can only beat him maybe 1 in 10 races.

Don't know about the durability but I hope it lasts. I already made slight adjustments to one car to make it work better by bending the contact plates out a little.

One suggestion on the design, if Carrera ever ready these reviews, would be to make the connection between the transformer and the track go out horizontally instead of vertically. The cord tends to hang over the track too easily and get in the way of the cars at time.

Our son loves this toy! I was skeptical, given his fascination for electronics these days. The track snaps together easily and no problems with the electrical connections. The only thing they could have done better was had a little longer cord for the hand controllers/plug. Overall a fun toy!