Perhaps you've seen commercials on TV for toy cars that seem to leave light trails behind them as the race around a track. I wanted to see if they really work, as glow in the dark sets often, well, don't. Boy, was I impressed with this one!
The MaxFlex RC ($39.99) comes with 200 flexible pieces that link together in a variety of track designs. Flexibility is a big draw as you can put small blocks under the tracks to give it topographical variety. I found there is a limit to how high you can raise a piece before the cars won't be able to negotiate it, particularly on curves, but the variety (also seen to greater effect in the Anki OverDrive series, which even has jumps and over-under bridges) adds a lot to the way the set can be combined for creative play with other toys.
In this set you get just one rechargeable car and a single RC throttle. (Much more expensive sets are available that feature head-to-head racing, not tested here.) After a quick charge, your car goes on the track and is ready to go. Pull the trigger on the throttle all the way and it goes fast; pull it less and it goes slower. That's about all the control you have, but if you mash the trigger your car will likely fly off the course, so some skill is required.
The real fun begins if you dim the lights, or better yet turn them off all the way. The "tire marks" the car makes really do brightly light up as it zooms around the course, like greased lightening as the song goes. The tracks slowly fade as the cars whips forward. It is an unexpectedly spectacular effect. I had expected what was in the box to disappoint. Here, the toy actually exceeded my wildest expectations, and the price is right, too!
