The Tyco Super Cliff Hangers with Nite Glow was a electric racing slot car set manufactured by Tyco, and released into the US, UK, and other markets worldwide in 1984. It is a sequel to the original 1983 Tyco Super Cliff Hangers.
There are multiple 'cliff hanger' based sets available, including Ultra Cliff Hangers, and Zero Gravity Cliff Hangers which are covered in their own articles.
Features and Vehicles
As the name implies, the core features of this set are the 'Cliff Hanging' vertical wall climb, inverted track, the loop, and the glow-in-the-dark feature.
This 1984 version keeps the same Magnum 440x2 cars, except this time they are Glow-In-The-Dark (or 'Nite-Glow as Tyco calls it), which is certainly a gimmick, but a pretty darn cool one if you ask me!
with Nite Glow Glowing Cars
The difference between Magnum 440 and 440x2 cars is mostly in the double-magnet design of the x2, though there were minor changes to the chassis. They are interchangeable and somewhat upgradeable between each other, so it's not something I've worried too much about when buying these track sets.
Track and Layout
The track is itself is identical to the 1983 version, which is a good thing as it's one of the longest and best track sets that Tyco ever made, with 22 feet (almost 7 meters) of racing action which could be extended even further with add-on track sets.
This version also included rails made of the same phosphorescent Nite-Glow plastic, and glow stickers to add to specific areas of the track to highlight detail while the lights were off.
TV Commercial
Here's a restored copy of the TV commercial that aired at Christmas time in 1984. It's an updated version of the original which starts off like its introducing the next Star Wars or Alien movie, no doubt due to the popularity of such films and TV shows at the time.
Availability and Collectability
The Nite-Glow version of Super Cliff Hangers is quite common and you shouldn't have a problem finding a set, though getting one which is complete and in good condition can get a little more expensive.
As for whether or not it's collectable, well, personally this is on my 'to buy' list, which is a short list considering slot car tracks are large with big boxes, so it's not like I can have a garage full of these like I do with the R/C cars right?.... right?
