Tiny N' Tuff Buildables City

The Tiny N' Tuff Buildables City 22-piece set is a primer for the youngest race-car enthusiasts. It's bulky for little hands, bright, and colorful, and has turns, ramps, and jumps on which toddlers can practice their tricks. Younger kids, even if they love playing with building blocks, might not be able to assemble it on their own right away, but that's where you and the real fun come in.

Age:
Retail Price: $47.95
Available at: amazon.com

SCX Compact GP Moto

We were thrilled to preview the new SCX Compact Moto set before it hits stores around the holidays, especially after gushing over the Nascar Tri-Oval Super Speedway last year. But the SCX attempt at adapting slot racing to mini-motorcycles fell short of being a true marvel. The bikes were super-delicate and fell out of alignment too often, making the races we ran more frustrating than exciting. There weren't enough rubber guard-walls included for all the track's turns, so we had to keep the bikes at a slow speed or constantly pick them up and put them back on track. We recommend sticking with the traditional slot car sets.

Age: 4+
Retail Price: $84.99
Available at: oakridgehobbies.com

GX Racers Tightrope Terror

A zip-cord that shoots off the cars like spinning tops powers the GX Racers, mini-race-cars that have one large wheel on the base. The Tightrope Terror is a multi-part set with steep dives and a novel tightrope section on which cars are supposed to zip along — though our tester-kid had some trouble with the innovative feature. Grandkids are probably better off putting the racers through their own homemade jumps and obstacle courses.

Age: 5+
Retail Price: $19.99
Available at: jakks.com