Many of you will have either owned a Scalextric set in the past or at least heard of this famous slot car racing brand. Countless childhoods were spent with siblings, friends and families together, even those bigger kids disguised as parents, battling for the number one podium and a homemade gold cup. Scalextric has become the household name for slot car racing in the UK, but Scalextric slot cars aren’t the only brand around!
There are many manufacturers producing cars, tracks and accessories for slot car racing. You might think that Gaugemaster only stocks model railway products, but that isn’t the case. For many years, we’ve supplied a range of slot car products, including many of the other worldwide brands.
Many people's first introduction to slot car racing would have been a Scalextric starter set. These are readily available starter packages containing everything you need to get up and running in a matter of minutes. This was traditionally the introduction to the hobby for many people, young and old alike, whether it was one owned by a friend across the street or a long-awaited Christmas gift of your own
A Classic style Scalextric Slot Car Starter Set released in 2023. This set took inspiration from sets from yesteryear.
Nowadays there are more options on the market with a range of manufacturers offering starter sets, but where do you actually begin? The first thing to consider is the size of the slot car race track. There is a general standard of 1:32 scale for the main range of cars available, however, many manufacturers offer smaller scales as part of their ranges too. These sets tend to be more suited to those testing the waters, as they tend to be one-off sets, with a smaller range of options for expansion. These are used by many as a test for the younger slot car racing enthusiasts to see how well they engage with the hobby prior to investing in a fully-fledged 1:32 racing system.
When it comes to the larger scale, there are similar offerings from each of the manufacturers with pros and cons to each. There are two types of control systems; analogue and digital. We take a look at this question in more detail below. Regardless of the control method, the larger scale offers a larger selection of cars and vehicles than the smaller counterparts.
The other option for getting a feeling for slot car racing is popping along to a local slot car club. There are a number of clubs around the country, some more specialised than others, but the majority would be happy for you to join a race night and have a go. Just be aware that the club experience can be a little different. Regardless of whether you’re just starting out or if you have your own track and raced and won against everyone in your family, the slot car racing club scene can offer a different experience.
Club racing is a different experience than racing against the family as many clubs compete with similar vehicles. The track shown here uses a wooden routed track.
Up and down the country, like-minded people come together to race at clubs in sports halls, churches and community centres. A lot of clubs build a track on the evening itself, but a lucky few have access to a hall on a permanent basis. Most club tracks are usually between 4 and 8 lanes and all run slightly different events. Usually, a club will run the same few cars over a period of time, or specify the types or styles of cars that can be used. Regardless of the style of race, there are usually people on hand to help you get up to pace.
A close-up of a routed track. This track uses copper tape to provide power to the cars.
The track used at a club can be different too, as some slot car racing clubs do use out-of-the-box track like that produced by Scalextric, whereas others prefer a routed track system. This type of track system is custom-made by the clubs' members, although there are companies that will cut the baseboards for you. The slots are then routed out, and a conductive strip is installed on each side. The reason this method is favoured by some clubs is that it doesn't allow the magnetic effect that using a proprietary track allows. This means that the cars rely more on driving skills rather than the strength of a magnet to keep the cars on track.
When it comes to ‘how do slot cars work?’, there’s one common factor that the worlds of model railways and slot car racing share, and that is the question of analogue vs digital. Although this is a deeper subject than this article is going into, the basic difference is that with analogue, you have one car running on one lane at a time; with digital, you can have multiple cars running on one lane at the same time, and cars can switch between lanes.
Pit lane tracks are one of the additional sections of slot car race track available to digital racers. It utilises the lane-change technology of the crossover to provide the third lane.
The advantage of digital is that you can have more people racing on one track, making it perfect for home tracks where space is a bit more of a premium. The way the tracks are powered looks the same on both analogue and digital, however, the power running through them is different. Essentially, with analogue, you control the power to the track, whereas with digital, you’re communicating with a decoder. This does mean that you do need a decoder in each car to operate it, and we do have other articles on the subject if this is the way you’d like to go.
Unlike the model railway world, unfortunately, the slot car industry is yet to build digital systems to a single standard. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as each system offers a different experience, with more choice to the user, but it does mean that once you’ve decided on your system, it is best to stick to that manufacturer of digital equipment. Scalextric, SCX and Slot.it all produce their own digital systems, as well as other manufacturers from around the world.
The fitting of a DPR Decoder is a relatively simple project. Just unscrew the blanking plate, plug in the decoder and reassemble.
As standard, the cars that Scalextric currently offer are analogue. The majority of these vehicles are easily convertible to digital as they are DPR, which stands for ‘Digital Plug Ready’. This means that the car is fitted with a socket ready for a digital decoder, also known as a chip, to be plugged into. All you need to do is unscrew the blanking plate on the bottom of the car and plug the decoder in, and secure it in the position where the blanking plate was originally located. Older Scalextric cars and those not DPR will need a different decoder hard-wiring.
A Slot.it Oxygen Digital Chip. Modules like this are used to convert non-DPR cars to run on a digital system.
The biggest name in British slot car racing is of course Scalextric. This company offers a range of 1:32 scale cars, track and accessories, along with starter sets to help people start out in the hobby. This brand has been in people's homes since the 1950s and many lofts are still full of Scalextric track today. The great thing about this hobby is that if you do find an old slot car race track in the loft, with a bit of work on cleaning the track, testing the power supplies and maybe purchasing a new car or two, your track could have cars tearing around the house in no time!
Three different styles of car are seen here, all from Scalextric.
A smaller part of the Scalextric Range is Micro Scalextric. This is a smaller version of their standard system coming in at 1:64 scale and it is offered as a good entry point to the hobby. This range is generally cheaper and provides a taste of the excitement without having to invest in a larger set. It’s also perfect for those who want a set to get out and race at family gatherings and festive times of the year.
An easy start to the hobby can be a Micro Scalextric Starter set.
Although the UK recognises Scalextric as the number one slot car racing brand, in mainland Europe and the rest of the world, things are a little different. For example, in Spain, the Scalextric brand is sold under the name Superslot. This is down to its agreement with the Spanish firm SCX, originally the European manufacturer and distributor of the Scalextric cars.
Like Scalextric, SCX offers a range of starter sets, accessories and of course cars. They do have a leaning to producing more Rally and GT cars, but other styles are also available. SCX offers both analogue and digital cars and also produces a range of digital-only track sections alongside their main range, including cross-over sections. Their track can also be connected to Scalextric slot car race track, although you do need the converter from SCX to the older style of Scalextric, and then the converter from the old to the new.
SCX also offers a smaller scale of car and set, placed in the market in the same space as the Micro Scalextric range, but it actually comes in between the two scales at 1:43. This range is called their Compact range. For those interested in railways too, this comes in at O Scale, meaning that all the O scale accessories will fit perfectly with these sets.
A SCX Compact car. Although smaller, these cars offer the same detailed look as their larger counterparts.
The other big name that offers a complete track system including control is Carrera. This company is the name when it comes to slot cars in Germany. The cars will run on the standard track, however, you will need to change the guide blade for some of these. Carerra recognises that many people use the Scalextric track system rather than their own, so have provided a relevant replacement guide with each of their cars. Also available is the Carrera GO! range. This range is their smaller scale, matching SCX with a 1:43 scale, making their cars compatible with the SCX Compact range. Again, with this range, a full suite of track and control equipment complements the offering, but there is no converter between this track and that of other systems.
Just one of the many slot cars Carrera have produced.
Slot.it finishes the line-up of complete packages; however, their offerings are a little different, as they’re split between their Slot.it range and their Policar subbrand. Prior to acquiring the Policar range, Slot.it were known for producing high-performance cars and digital control equipment compatible with the Scalextric digital system. With the acquisition of Policar, the range expanded to offer entry-level cars and a track system was also developed and released. The connection between Slot.it and Scalextric doesn't end with digital compatibility, however, as the companies worked together to allow the more recent Scalextric cars to be upgraded with a selection of Slot.it replacement parts.
One of the quickest ranges of cars are those manufactured by the Italian firm NSR.
There are a range of other manufacturers that produce items and these can generally be categorised into three groups. The first, like those previously mentioned, are brands that produce full systems including slot car race track, control systems and the cars themselves.
Some of the manufacturers like Fly and NSR also produce a range of kit cars. Not quite the famous Knightrider, these kits are designed to allow the user the opportunity to customise their racers.
The second is those manufacturers like NSR, Thunderslot and Sideways. These manufacturers specialise in high-performance cars. These cars are usually more tuned and rely on higher grade components than the all-round manufacturers and because of this, do come with a slightly more premium price tag, but are definitely quicker around a track. Because of their added performance, these cars are favoured by slot car racing clubs and are used at professional events, more commonly using routed wooden tracks. They will of course still work and run on a standard track system, just remember that for a fair race, you will need two! Alongside the cars themselves, these manufacturers also offer a large range of replacement parts, which allow the user the chance to really upgrade and enhance their cars, just like the real thing.
Le Mans Miniatures produce cars that will race, but have additional details that make them ideal as collectors and display models.
Although the previously mentioned manufacturers do produce detailed cars, the final category is for those that specialise in highly detailed vehicles. Brands like Fly and Le Mans Miniatures focus on detail but are still perfectly happy racing around the track. Although happy being pitted against other racers, these cars are primarily aimed at collectors. Le Mans Miniatures, as the name suggests, focuses on sports cars that have raced at the famous Le Mans 24-hour races. The detail on the models is second to none, but they also produce models of racing figures in 1:18 and 1:32 scales. This range includes famous drivers like Graham Hill or owners like Enzo Ferrari. Fly produces a range of cars including some of those that raced at Le Mans and in recent times has branched out into producing Rally and Formula 1 Fly slot cars too.
Throughout the year, many clubs or suppliers organise slot car racing swap meets and race events. These are perfect for meeting other enthusiasts and suppliers to race and discuss tactics with, and you may even get the chance to purchase that rare classic car you have always wanted. The biggest slot car racing event of the year in the UK is the UK Slot Car Festival held at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon. Typically held in May, this event brings all the manufacturers together along with traders and plenty of tracks in one place. During the event, you also gain access to the museum, which is well worth a visit as it showcases the creme-de-la-creme of British motor racing history. Of course, although this is the biggest event in the year, many local clubs, societies and stockists host their own events which are also worthwhile to attend, as you can meet the local scene and usually grab a bargain too.
Whether out-of-the-box or custom racing, a scenically decorated track is a different race experience.
If you do become the champion of your club or home raceway, why not try your hand at one of the big races, or take part in a team racing for 24 hours? As a company, Gaugemaster have taken teams to the large NSR World Racing Endurance event in Italy, one of the biggest 24-hour races in the world, and our team can definitely say there is a certain buzz when you race. This event features teams from all around Europe coming together to see who will be crowned the NSR slot car champion. There are plenty of smaller events around the UK too.
The main thing to consider when starting out with slot car racing is that you get out of the hobby what you want to. If you want the spirit of a community, then joining a club could be your best option, or if you want to simply beat the family on the track, then a home set-up could be the way. Regardless of your aim, don’t forget to check out the Slot Car Tips section of the Knowledge Base for help and advice from all aspects of the hobby.
Further Reading
You may also find the following articles of interest:
At Gaugemaster, you can shop by all the different slot car bands and scale to find the ideal pieces for your race tracks. Choose from:
We do sometimes add additional brands to the range of slot cars we offer, so also check out our full collection of slot car supplies today. If you have any questions about what scale or range you should be searching for, or which is right for you, please don’t hesitate to contact us - our team of experts and enthusiasts will be more than happy to help.
This article has been written by our staff here at Gaugemaster, drawing on thousands of hours of modelling experience. Each article has been written to make it easy for everyone from beginner to expert to learn and expand their own knowledge base. If there is something you would like to see covered, feel free to contact us to suggest a topic - we’d love to hear from you.
For more articles like this, and many others; don't forget to check out the Gaugemaster Knowledge Base.