Carrera USA Go, Street Power Race Car Set Review

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(More customer reviews)We had high hopes for this set based on other Carrera racing sets. We bought it for our six-year old son (knowing the packaging recommends eight years and up for the toy but thinking our boy might be close enough in age. Upon opening the box and reading the instructions, we then saw that the instructions are broken down by country and while the USA recommended age is eight and up, the remaining twelve other countries all recommend age six and up as the appropriate age for the toy. Also, the instructions recommend NOT setting-up this track on carpet. We had originally intended to do so (prior to getting the toy and reading the instructions), but instead moved the carpet off of the floor to make room for the track on the hardwood below. I imagine this has something to do with static electricity, and may or may not be a big deal, but we decided to work within the recommendations on this one.

Anyway, the toy itself, I can't really say it is well constructed. You would think a toy such as this would have more engineering worked into its production, but lots of little things about the track itself are cumbersome, flimsy and easily unintentionally dis-assembled during the course of "play".

1. The clips that hold on the guard rails are very easily knocked off, they are also brittle and break quite easily.

2. The guardrails themselves require delicate maneuvering so that they do not catch the car coming around the track on the front end. The flat plastic rails can be shifted back so this doesn't happen, but there are a significant number of guardrails (that are held up with the clips that also shift a lot, and keeping things where they should be is an ongoing frustration)

3. The "raisers" that hold up certain areas of the track off of the ground also come apart easily and are in a constant state of flux due to their design. They don't sit in place evenly on the ground (again another thing that one must often take time to'adjust' instead of actually playing with the toy.)

4. The pieces of the track themselves do not connect smoothly and solidly, and with so many loops and turns on the track, again, constant "settling" and alignment of the track is necessary.

4. It would be nice if the car controllers were two different colors with two different colored cords and plugs. Would just make play simpler, particularly because one is up out of their seat often retrieving a car or adjusting something on the track)

5. After 15 or so minutes of use with the red car, the back wheels sort of "seized-up" and got very tight. I examined them to see what could be wrong, couldn't find much wrong (no dirt or fuzz or anything caught in there). So, I kind of pulled them apart away from the axle and spun them in the reverse direction a few times and that seemed to help. I wonder if over time, the back wheels will roll forward enough that they lock back into that place again. For now, they seem to be working.

6. Also, overtime I noticed that straight out of the gate or off the starting line, the controller was not giving sufficient power to to get the car around the first banked curve. If I compensated with the turbo boost, the car shot off the curve. This is particularly discouraging since it is the very first two feet or so of the track length. If I started elsewhere on the track for example, into the first loopwhere I could boost the power, I could get the thing going and have continued momentum.

I do realize there is a learning curve to be had here and hopefully over time some of these idiosyncrasies will become less irritating, or we will find better work arounds. But for me --as an adult with very good hand/eye coordination and control-- I found the toy awkward and at times irritating. It could be so much more well-made and it is just not. That would make a huge difference.

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Product Description:
The Go Series - The Go series is a world class starter system for kids 8 and up. All sets include "Turbo Speed" controllers for added racing boost. There is an extensive variety of accessories for thrilling action. The track system has an "Easy to Assemble" bolt system. The street curves have red and white printed shoulders. All cars are fitted with double contact brushes. The cars are high-quality original detailed and tampo printed. They are 1:43 scale. Ages 8 +

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