Tyco Boomerang Cliff Hangers is a HO scale slot car track set manufactured by Tyco Toys and released in the US, UK, and worldwide in 1993.
Boomerang is one of many in the successful Cliff Hangers series which ran from the 1980s through the 1990s, and included:
- 1983 Tyco Cliff Hangers with Nite-Glow
- 1988 Tyco Zero Gravity Cliff Hangers
- 1993 Tyco Ultra Cliff Hangers
- 1994 Tyco Super Cliff Hangers
To name just a few! Of course, Tyco made hundreds of slot cars, and slot car track sets during its existence, beginning as one of the first to introduce HO scale train, and later slot cars into the United States, making the format popular globally. Read my History of Tyco Toys article for more.
OK, so how does it work?
The giant 'Boomerang' launcher is the centerpiece of the set, and it's a seriously large piece of kit.
In the below diagram from the manual, I've highlighted the car and its path in red.
Cars drive up a half loop and approach upside down into the top of the Boomerang and enter the car carrier, with momentum causing it to swing down and deposit the car onto the track below, right way up.
Finding the optimum speed takes practice - you need enough force to ensure the car carrier swings down all the way and not half way, yet not so much that the carrier swings violently and smacks the base, causing a malfunction.
Track layout
The track supplied is a basic Cliff Hanger arrangement, with an added section that provides just enough track to perform a half loop and connect upside down into the Boomerang device, and out the bottom.
It's a substantial length of track, though at the speed these HO scale cars travel, it may feel a bit short and quick after a while, with the Boomerang engagements suddenly interrupting the flow of your car on every lap. Once the gimmick is mastered I can see it being fun for a while, but certainly owners with other track sets would be best served by incorporating this into a much larger, interesting, and engaging race, or simply bringing out the Boomerang only occasionally.
The set includes the following track and accessory pieces:
3 x 9" Straight
2 x 15" Straight
4 x 9" 1/4 Radius Curve with Deco
8 x Transition
1 x 9" Terminal
2 x 9" 1/4 Radius Curve
2 x 9" 1/4 Radius Curve with Deco Double Rail
Plus various accessories: 1 x Label Sticker Sheet, 1 x Power Pack, 2 x Controllers, 3 x Cradles, 4 x Base Clips, 1 x Boomerang Feature Base, 1 x Boomerang Feature Body, 8 x Guard Rails
Still, this is all about the gimmick, and kids will absolutely love the display of physics that this provides.
Vehicles
Included are two Chrome Lamborghini Countach, which were a popular Tyco vehicle at the time from the radio control car range, with 1992 Lamborghini Countach following up on several earlier (and better) models from the 80s, along with the 1993 Hi-Jacker launching the year before also using a Countach styled body, in addition to the numerous slot car sets and cars.
Availability and Collectability
Boomerang is one of those sets that comes up occasionally, so if you want it you'll likely get it within 1-3 months if you're lucky, though you're unlikely to find a New In Box more than once or twice a year.
Whether it's collectable or not, well that depends on personal taste, with the core gimmick having greater or lesser lasting power depending on the audience and nostalgia factor. It's not one that I remember as a kid, but for some it may just be that one Christmas present they'll remember for all time.
