Amazon Minimum Age: 4
Batteries Included: 0
Binding: Toy
Brand: Mattel
EAN: 0027084351644
Feature: Super 2-in-1 track set
Item Dimensions: Array
Label: Mattel
Manufacturer: Mattel
Manufacturer Maximum Age: 8
Manufacturer Minimum Age: 4
Model: J7965
MPN: J7965
Publisher: Mattel
Studio: Mattel

• Super 2-in-1 track set
• Design it, build it, race it
• Includes over 7 feet of track and one Hot Wheels basic vehicle
• Not for use with some Hot Wheels vehicles
• Recommended Ages 4 and Up

Customer Rating:
Summary: Fun, but gobbles batteries
Comment: Gave this to my 3-year-old son for xmas. He loves it. I also like it. It doesn't really encourage creative play like something like Thomas the Tank Engine sets do, but he is captivated by the speed and motion and he enjoys experimenting with cars of different weight to see what cars go the fastest. The drive wheels are well designed and try as I might, I couldn't manage to get the wheels to pinch my fingers in any way. However, he used the track about a total of an hour of "up time" and the pair off D-batteries has already started to dwindle. Might be worth looking into some rechargables, but 2 NiMH D-cells will probably cost more than a 12-pack of alkalines! Overall, fun toy.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Better for younger kids
Comment: The box says "Ages 5 and up," but IMO this toy is actually more appropriate for 2- and 3-year-olds. Once you set up the track in one of 3 configurations and load the batteries, you just fire up the motor and watch it shoot a car down the track over and over and over. I don't think it will hold the interest of anyone much older than 3 for very long. For them, it's probably more useful simply as a box of track pieces to add to an existing setup.

That said, my 2-year-old really enjoys it. He switches the motor on and off and tries different cars to see what happens. It works with most 1/64 scale cars. Watching the car zip along is pretty interesting for him, and he likes pushing the car along the track by hand too.

The motor wheels that shoot the car down the track are soft enough that it doesn't hurt if he touches them while they're spinning. However, be aware that very small kids will require adult supervision since the battery door doesn't lock and they won't be able to connect the track pieces without help (also, please remember that kids who still put toys in their mouths shouldn't be playing with 1/64 scale cars at all -- this is not officially safe for the under-3 crowd).

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Lots of fun but track falls apart all the time
Comment: We just got this for my 3 year old who is obsessed with match box cars. It was relatively easy to put together, once I found the one small plastic extender strip that joins the 2 runway pieces together. It doesn't look like the little strip belongs with the rest of the track pieces so I missed it initially and spent 45 minutes cursing mattel - maybe if I had read the instructions instead of just looking at the picture on the box...

But anyway, we've had the set for 2 weeks now and it is one of my son's favorite toys (rated this a 5 for fun). He loves watching the cars zoom around the track. I also rated a 4 for educational value because my son has made a game out of trying to figure out which cars work best in the track and which fall off.

Where this toy fails is in durability. I don't mind toys that require assembly upon purchase. But I absoltuely HATE that I have to reassemble this track literally every day. The track pieces come apart really easily and my son is constantly pulling the track apart. I just know we're going to lose a piece and will then have to junk the whole thing.

My son is a little young for this toy based on the suggested age range, though so maybe older kids don't pull apart their toys?

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not very durable
Comment: The track needs to be taped to the floor in order to work and did not really keep our chldrens interest since the car simply goes around the track by itself as you simply watch it. Not very interactive at all. The kids now proceed to try to beat each other up with the parts instead of playing with it.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Give your Hot Wheels more life
Comment: I remember these from back when I was a kid. I never had one but my cousin did and I always thought it was cool. This helps me play cars with my son. It gives more life to the cars than just pushing them around on the floor by hand. Many of the cars work with this but many of them don't. A larger, heavier car will not work on this unless you want to give it a push each time to get it back to the wheelhouse. Also, if you have more than one car on at a time, you will need to have brand new batteries to keep two going. The drag on the motor to send one car speeding through the loop requires a little time to get back up to speed for next car. It is a lot of fun but will get old quickly since you can't change the configuration of the track at all. The only reason it isn't a 5 star item is the cheap build quality, but what isn't made cheap any more?

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