Wednesday July 23, 2003
TOMY AFX
4 LANE SUPER INTERNATIONAL RACE SET
When it comes to HO Scale Home Racing I have certainly had my fair share of
other track systems from time to time. Yet for many enthusiasts in this hobby,
there is only one track system to own and that is TOMY AFX. Since I have been a "arm
chair" HO scale enthusiast for quite some time now, I have had time to
learn a great deal about this scale thanks to the internet and a few good
friends. The day has finally arrived to get out of my chair and commit to
building a more permanent layout and with it
came the decision to use AFX.
AFX certainly has a good selection of track systems to choose from, ranging from a basic figure eight to this set we chose. Dollar for dollar this set is very hard to beat if your looking to make a medium to large layout. It includes 4 of the fastest box stock cars available on the market today, which in addition to this blazing speed are also tunable. These cars run separately for around $25.00, so when you consider the amount of track you get in this set, these 4 cars that come with it just adds to the overall value.
Arriving safe and sound from Slot Car World, the box art itself relays how much fun you are about to have. There is just something about a brand new slot car set...I wish I knew what it was! Something that no matter how many sets or cars I own seem to stir images of my youth on Christmas Day and makes me act as if I was 10 years old again, eager to open the box and begin racing.
Track assembly is easy, with good electrical contact and smooth connections. The instructions included are very easy to follow, and I am sure any of you who chose this system will have it up and running in no time at all. The amount of track you get in this set certainly allows for alternate layouts, and adding to the fact the number of available pieces from AFX makes designing other layouts extremely easy.
Power hook-up and control is all plug and play, which just gets you racing that much faster. Many enthusiasts upgrade the controllers rather quickly, however to be fair they work as intended, and it will be awhile before these upgrades take place. One reason for these upgrades is that our home racing in HO scale will be mostly the T-Jets and older A/FX cars and higher ohm controllers will be needed to get the most out of these older models.
The track design shown on the box wasn't one that was a option for us. Our space was limited to a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of plywood, so we had to come up with an alternate layout to fit in this space. The instructions included certainly give you many options, but all of these were too large for our space. We utilized TRACKER and came up with a simple 4 lane design that uses ONLY the track found in the set, with a few pieces left over. This is fine as one can never tell when a change might take place, so having the left over track really isn't wasted in my eyes.
Finally we had our track set up and ready to race. I have to say to those just beginning that I hope you enjoy blazing speed. Being primarily a 1/32nd scale home racer, along with my recent T-Jet interest, the speed of these little cars were something I had forgotten about and had to get used to all over again. What I liked was that all 4 cars seemed to run equally and we enjoyed some very close racing. We even ordered some extra cars to go with the set to have some variety, and I have to say they looked very well done and were again equally balanced.
The Super G plus cars come with a set on instructions that tell you how to tune them. Although I couldn't really tell much difference, it might be due to the fact I have such a smaller layout and cannot see the benefit. My 6 year old sure didn't seem to mind how they ran, as lap after lap he settled down to a nice racing groove that made the racing very close and a great deal of fun.
In closing this set is a great deal of fun, and of equal quality. It has all the ingredients for close, satisfying home racing in HO scale as many enthusiasts have already experienced. So of your looking to get started in the hobby and want to go HO scale, this set is the best start I can think of. I am very pleased to once again have an HO track and even more so because I chose AFX and I think you will be too.
Harry
As always feel free to contact me about this article or just the hobby in general at wiseone@yhti.net, or better yet drop into our Message Forum and share your thoughts with other enthusiasts!
Thanks go to SLOT CAR WORLD for providing us with this set. They have a full selection of sets and cars, so give them a call today for availability and prices.
