This is a more complicated set than our others. This can connect to make an elaborate set, but it works well as a stand alone. The toddler gets the concept but cannot work it well on his own yet, so his sister is the toy master. The provided car worked fine, as did many of our other cars including a back heavy beast.

For those having trouble, part of the appeal of the tracks you build yourself is adjusting for engineering and physics. Depending on the surface, how level it is, how you space the tracks, and the strength of the rubber bands you will get different results of speed and accuracy of the cars. Our set is the same quality as our other sets, it’s use is just different. Cars won’t always make the jump and you must tweak your launch accordingly so you don’t overshoot or undershoot. When both racers get it just right the then have to deal with a tower crash where the both fall into the pit! All part of the fun. My husband has had more experience with set construction so here are a few tips:

Tip #1: Rubber bands are the heart of the set. If you find that there isn’t enough zoom replace the rubber band; they do stretch out and lose rebound after a while. If you have too much zoom even with the slowest launch setting, try a looser rubber band.  A launch into space isn’t the goal, after all.

Tip #2: You don’t have to use the spiral tower. It is there for a race to ensure that the start between opponents is fair. It is a battery-less timer.    We often just leave it down and play as normal.

Tip #3: Let the kids experiment! Play with the different settings on the launcher to see which click point works best with each car. Adjust the positioning of the track by moving it a bit left or right. Adjust the height or stability with blocks if the play surface is uneven. Cars that are unequally balanced may run better if launched backwards! This is not a toy that is designed to do all the work for you and we love that.

Tip #4: To extend the life of the rubber bands, make sure the launcher is not left fully loaded position when not in use.

A challenge to a toy like this is an asset. It is great when something works predictably, but there is much to be said of a toy that requires some thinking, tweaking and tuning.