Wave Racers - Super Stunt Showdown Track Set

My grandsons really enjoy playing with this. There is frantic activity as they wave and get the cars moving fast.

Brought as gift

The car does not work, my 4 year old son was most disappointed in Christmas morning.

Totally fantastic

I’m reviewing the Mega-Match Raceway here. There are other variations in the range which all look essentially similar but with either 1 or 2 cars, and differently sized track layouts. This was our first Wave Racer set, and it had a few surprises in store- in particular the ‘wave to make it go’ process and the absurdly high speed that the cars zip round the track.Before you can get that far you have to construct the track, which is a little bit tougher than expected. The pieces click together but you need to apply quite a bit of force- my six-year-old could do some of it but struggled with other bits. The instructions are a little bit unclear- the design itself is OK but the print quality is a little poor and so it’s hard to make out details, and you end up using the picture on the box as a better reference for what it’s meant to look like.Once we’d built it and fitted the batteries (2 AAAs per car, not included, and you’ll also need a screwdriver), there was a couple of minutes of “so how do we make it go?” before we worked it out- it wasn’t what I’d anticipated. There’s a light sensor on the top of each car and if it detects rapid alternation between light and dark, consistently for 5 seconds, then zzzzippppp, the car zooms off, at a speed which is (apparently) proportional to how fast the light alternation was- although to be honest they only seem to have one speed, which is very-very-fast. It’s quite impressive that two AAA batteries were able to drive the cars at such high speeds- a feat of electronics and engineering probably, but does the high speed make it more fun? It’d have to say not.For older kids who will master the knack, it’s OK, but for younger kids who might be a bit flappier and less consistent, it’s a hit-and-miss affair. If one car is ready before the other, then the other player only has a second or so to finish their waving before the other car will have zipped round and bumped them along. It takes a lot of control- a bit too much control- to really get the cars started at the same time.The cars are so fast that the idea it’s a race is really obscured. Unless you’re going to very diligently count how many times each car passes a certain point- surprisingly tricky- then lap-counting won’t work, and so it’s only a race in terms of whether one car can catch the other one. And whenever we managed to get both cars launched at the same time, generally they seemed to run at the same speed and never caught one another. So in terms of having a real score or a sense of a winner, there was rarely anything to go on.If your kids like super-fast cars zipping around, and particularly if you’re thinking of combining this with other tracks from the range to get more complex arrangements going on, then there’s a lot of potential enjoyment in this. But if you’re looking for something in the Scalextric bracket but a bit different, then the awkward building process, the rickety nature of it and the lack of play variation involved mean that I’m not convinced this is a strong alternative.I wanted to attach a video to this review but it seems that’s not allowed at the moment; hopefully I’ll find a way to append one because the video really does get across just how zippy the cars are, for better or worse.

Very disappointed very small x2 card would be nice.

What sort of devil came up with this idea?Ack. I'm getting ahead of myself.Pay particular attention to the instructions that show how to assemble the track as I managed to make a couple of mistakes. Fortunately it comes apart and goes together fairly easily. I did have two pegs left over which I couldn't fathom the use for from the diagram.Put a couple of AAA batteries (not supplied) into the car and waved at it frantically until I thought my arm would drop off. The red light flashes but I mustn't have been hitting the necessary waves per second over the required five second period. I suspected the batteries (even though the light was coming on) so charged up some fresh ones and tried again.This time I waved a spatula at it, as this was less painful and success, the car took off.It absolutely belts around the track and managed to shake itself off the kitchen island I had it on. No harm done to anything though.My eleven year old niece came over the next day (we have younger son who had ZERO interest in this, especially when he found out work was involved. He just shuffled off, staring at his phone. I fear for the future of society) and she was completely unable to get it working. I had to show her the packaging because I was getting some very malevolent looks and accusations that I was pranking her (again). My brother managed to get the car to go off on his second attempt (I had to show him the packaging as well, as he shares my niece's scepticism and has known me longer).I know they're called Waveracers, but I don't see the attraction personally and nobody has looked at it twice since the initial couple of days testing. Maybe have a third switch position to, you know, just turn the car on.

Constructing the Super Helix Speedway wasn’t particularly quick and easy, though two excitable youngsters wanting to assist didn’t exactly help. The images on the box were actually better to work from than the instructions provided. Once completed, the track is quite robust, though it sits better on a firm base rather than carpet. The motion sensors on the roof of the cars work well, and there is an initial delay before the motor kicks in - but this fine, because it gives the player a chance to reposition the car if needed.The speed at which the cars whizz around the track and loop is very impressive, and caused squeals of delight from our two boys. They move so fast that it’s sometimes hard to tell one car from another, and nearly impossible to count laps because they change tracks. However, although this caused minor disagreements, it’s kept our two amused for hours.Batteries are not included, so you’ll need 4 AAAs and a small screwdriver before the cars can be activated. All things considered, this a smashing toy that’s well designed, although the construction could be illustrated more clearly – so one star deducted for this, but definitely recommended!