Tyco Race and Chase with Double Cross Jump! is a slot car set based around the U-Turn chassis, released into the US, UK, and other markets worldwide in 1990.
Concept
With the energizing Ken Smith artistry on the front of a Ferrari F-40 being chased by Highway Patrol, the theme of this set is exciting from the beginning, and matches well with Tyco's U-Turn slot car chassis.
Features
In Race & Chase there's limited scenery or decoration, however you've got everything you need right here, starting with the U-Turn chassis on each car. These race on a knifes edge, with their rear end easily going wide on the corners, perfect for knocking off the included yellow barrels, and any sudden jerk or acceleration able to throw it out, causing the car to spin around and drive back up the way it came!
The cars themselves are nice, particularly the Highway Patrol but we'll cover that next. The set also includes a Dukes of Hazzard style Double Cross Jump on a specific track piece where you can jump (and hopefully land) both cars at once in opposite directions. If you're quick enough you can also bypass the jump and gain the upper hand.
Vehicles
With the U-Turn mechanic already explained, let's dig deeper in to that feature-packed Highway Patrol Car. Shipped stock with flashing lights on the top, and a police siren wailing away, it really looks the part together with the highway patrol paint job.
As with all U-Turn cars those front wheels are fake and stiff, with the fat rear wheels pushing hard, ensuring any slight jolt will cause it to lose grip and swing around into the namesake U-Turn. I'm surprised they never released a Blues Brothers track with ten cop cars, and a Bluesmobile... that would be nuts!
The Ferrari F-40 also looks great as the getaway car - this classic needs no introduction and no accessories to make it shine, though the U-Turn functionality is also present, adding to the excitement.
Track Layout
Race & Chase ships with a fairly standard track, a little longer than some at 13 feet, it's basically a Figure 8 with an extra long straight on the lower half allowing for the Double Cross Jump piece.
TV Commercial
Always part of their game plan, strong TV advertisements were an important part of Tyco's success, to get those kits interested during morning cartoons, and pestering their mum on the way to/from school!
It's well shot and edited as always, though I reckon some footage of 'real' TV cops chasing the bad guys would have been even more epic.
Availability and Collectability
Race & Chase has sold well over the last 6 months, though we've seen a bloat of stock recently, pushing down the prices a little, with many still available.
As for collectability, it's a personal choice whether this set does anything for you - it's hard to review objectively as I'm quite fond of the Ferrari F-40, especially Tyco RC's Ferrari F-40 9.6V Turbo rendition of it which is immeasurable fun to drive.
