Slot Car Sets in NZ: A Recreational Pursuit for All Ages and Skill Levels
Imagine controlling a racecar and seeing it zoom around the track, speeding across the finish line a split-second before the cars behind it. The thrill of the race is palpable, filled with excitement that you’ll treasure. Slot cars bring this excitement to Kiwis of all ages and skill levels.
What Are Slot Cars?
Slot cars are miniature cars that you can control with a handheld controller. But, these aren’t standard RC cars - they’re designed to race along slotted tracks, with each car following one guiding slot. Slot car racing has been a beloved hobby since the 1950s, and it continues to be popular in New Zealand today.
While this pastime may seem simple at first, when you delve into the world of slot car racing, you’ll find some incredible surprises. For one, there are so many amazing cars to choose from. Brands like Scalextric create an impressive amount of slot cars and products. Some of these cars are amazing mini-versions of real vehicles, but others take creativity to the next level by referencing pop culture or getting imaginative with shapes and colours.
Of course, there are also the tracks themselves. You could create your own racetrack, including turns, ramps and mini-decorations to bring your track to life.
Winning a slot car race isn’t as simple as ‘push button to make the car go the fastest’, either. Going too fast could cause your car to leap off the track entirely, but going too slow could make it lag behind the other racers. You need to find that perfect balance between going fast when you can, slowing at turns and incorporating other clever techniques so you always come out on top.
Why Slot Cars Are A Fun Hobby For People Of All Ages
Slot car racing is a fun, accessible hobby for anyone who’s interested.
It’s Easy To Learn. Getting into a new hobby can be a challenge because most hobbies have incredible depth to them. Slot cars are no different, but that doesn’t mean they’re hard to start with. Just start simple and pace yourself.
Anyone can pick up a controller and take a few laps around the track. It doesn’t matter if you’re an RC enthusiast who’s raced RC cars or Tamiya Mini 4WDs before, or if you’ve never touched a slot car controller in your life. Just find a car, a track and a controller and see how it feels.
That’s not to say that mastering the track is easy, though. Starting is easy, but becoming a master racer is a fun challenge. You’ll need to hone your skills regarding accelerating and braking, timing, taking corners and more.
This means that slot cars are perfect for casual hobbyists and hardcore hobbyists. If you just want something fun, then have a few races with your friends. But, if you really want to get into it, then you could get into competitions or slot car customisation. Some hobbyists even build their own cars from scratch, or they modify car kits to suit their preferences.
An Opportunity To Bond With Others. There’s nothing quite like bonding over a shared hobby. Whether you want to spend more time with your kids, find a new pastime for your friend group or make entirely new friends at events, slot car racing’s accessibility makes it a fantastic option.
You could bond when racing and having a good time, or you could even get together to make your own track. Designing the perfect track, decorating it and then using it for the first time is an enjoyable process that you can put plenty of time, care and effort into.
Hands-On, Physical Fun. We use the digital world for so much nowadays. Technology can be so useful when learning, working or entertaining ourselves, but it’s always good to take a break from screens every once in a while.
Slot car racing offers you an escape from the digital world and anything that may be stressing you. Take a refreshing break from everything and simply immerse yourself in the mini-world of slot car racing. Have hands-on fun when building, customising and racing your cars.
Slot car racing can also help children learn more about hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills. For instance, your child might start the race thinking ‘all I have to do to win is go the fastest!’ but when their car hops off the track, they’ll have a great opportunity to analyse what went wrong and how they can remedy the situation.
How To Get Started With Slot Cars In New Zealand
Getting started is easy. Buy your first slot car set, find a place to race and jump into your first race. Once you get the hang of things, you could get into customisation or competitions. Remember to pay attention to the rules if you use a public track or are going to enter a race.
Visit our slot car section at Totara Hobbies to pick out your beginner car. Or, if you’re experienced, you could expand your collection.
Need help? Call us on +64 21438727 or reach out online.
Totara Hobbies: Discover fun and accessible hobbies for the whole family.
