The first time I saw a Darda racetrack set, I couldn’t help but think that it looked like it had been designed by kids. Surely no grown up would dare put so many twists and loops in a racetrack. They would, of course, know that even little toy cars have to obey the laws of gravity.
Yet, almost every one of the Darda tracks has not only loops for the cars to race, but they also have loops that corkscrew through even more loops, then out and around in another loop before flattening out into long straightaways and sweeping curves. As it turns out, there are some very smart adults working very hard at Darda to make their cars seemingly break all those natural laws we studied in grade school science class with every lap to delight all gravity-defying kids.
It all starts with the Darda track, which comes in a multitude of colors in each set to guarantee that race day at your house will be an eye catching affair. The track comes in different lengths of curved and straight pieces which are easily assembled using the included instructions, or you are free to use your imagination. The pieces attach to each other by tabs that slide into grooves on the underside of the track so that each transition is smooth and won’t hinder the cars as they pass. In some sets there is also a base plate that has the same tabs built in that you use to build up the track on while giving it structure.
All this great track would be useless if you didn’t have cars that could handle it, and Darda makes the fastest in the world at up to 600 scale MPH. And, even better than that is the fact that they are completely “kid powered” so you don’t have to buy any batteries - ever. To power up a Darda car, you simply push down over the back wheels and then roll the car back and forth before you let it go and away it zooms.
Let me clarify in case you missed the subtlety of that last sentence; Merely pushing the car forwards or backwards a few times powers the car up for it’s high speed journey around the raceway. Unlike wind up cars from our youth where you had to pull it back then hold the tires, lift it up, pull it back again, hold the tires, then put it where you wanted it to start from, the Darda cars can simply roll back and forth and then roll up to the starting line. And in another example of modern technology, you can’t over crank the cars, meaning that even the littlest racers can help without leaving their car sputtering to a stop just after the starting line.
We received the Victory Lane NASCAR Race Set, which combines side by side racing with Darda’s imaginative and expansive tracks. One of the coolest parts of this track (and my daughter’s favorite) is that it has a start/finish line that actually holds the cars in place until you hit the green start button. Of course, she likes to start the race with one push of a button, and then run to the straightaway and last curve to watch the cars finish.
These little cars are fast, and it really is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of thing, so we really appreciate that when the first car crosses the finish line, the track has a little checkered flag that turns to point at the winner. This single addition to the track will certainly save us all from countless arguments over which car really won. Between this and the push button start, which virtually eliminates the argument that someone let their car go early or held on to their opponent’s longer, you are almost guaranteed a fair race. A collective sigh of relief is heard from all parents, everywhere.
Now, all that’s left to argue about is who gets what car...
Price: $64.99 for the Victory Lane Nascar Race Track, with other Darda Race Tracks available
Visit www.dardatoys.com to see the choices!
And now for the Giveaway...
One Rave and Review reader will win a Darda Track Set of their very own, with your choice of the Victory Lane ($65) set or the Power Loop Pyramid ($70)! To enter, just visit Darda Toys and tell me which Darda set you would love to have if money were not an issue and why you chose that set. Remember to tell me whether you would like the Victory Lane or Power Loop Pyramid in your comment!
This Giveaway is CLOSED. Thank you to all who have entered and congrats to Margaret who has won the Darda Power Loop Pyramid!
A personal thank you to Darda Toys for providing the Victory Lane Set be reviewed, and for offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers. No type of monetary compensation was received for this rave review.
