Scalextric digital Vs Carrera digital Slot car sets

In the UK Scalextric has always been the brand to buy with its almost historic place in our minds. However, there are other makes available and are well worth looking in to before jumping to buy Scalextric.

Scalextric Digital is far more readily available, you will find the sets in most large toy stockists but additional track and cars are now really only available with specialist dealers.

The Scalextric track is good value as we all wish to have the biggest track we can have in the space available, so extending your layout is a cost effective reason to purchase Scalextric compared to Carrera.

Scalextric now produce a range of cars that have DPR chassis that only need the addition of a digital plug that can be easily fitted in under a minute and the cost of these plugs is very reasonable with prices on the net starting at less than ?10. There is also a massive range of cars for you to choose from.

The actual digital track and operating system is not as good as its Carrera counterpart. We are still awaiting the arrival of the 6 car powerbase and even when it is on the market it still will not have the features of the Carrera digital unit. To use the pit lane game this is another cost that you will have to factor in to your purchase. Carrera provide the software as standard with their powerbase and this will save you further pounds.

Carrera Digital can be more expensive in the beginning but you will get a far higher quality track with rust proof rails that can even be used in your garden. Carrera produce a range of track that you can operate 1:24 and 1:32 scale cars. This means that the track is a little wider and does help remove the need for borders all the way around your layout.

Carrera do have a range of cars that are supplied with digital plugs already fitted or they also supply a range of digital plugs should you wish to convert any older cars or if you wanted to convert any analogue cars that are not available already converted to digital. The reason for their wide range of digital cars they have on the market is because Germany sold in the region of 90% of their sets in the digital form last year. Carrera have a better range of track pieces and we feel it is far more durable than its Scalextric counterpart. You will find the Carrera cars far better value for money and the finish of the cars is second to none. Their range of cars with no fitted lights start from ?25

The Actual Digital system is head and shoulders above Scalextric track, with 6 cars already available, plus you can up rate your transformer to allow the racing of the magnificent 1:24 scale cars. These cars are fantastically detailed and are fully tuneable straight out of the box. Carrera offer Wireless controllers which are ideal if you are racing 4 or more people on your track at once, With Scalextric you will all be fighting around the powerbase which is not ideal in the heat of the racing situation. With the wireless controllers some players can set up and marshal the track while still racing which adds to the fun of the racing. The digital system can be plugged in to a lap top and even forwarded to a TV screen to show all the details of the cars and fuel levels can be programmed with slower speed for car with more fuel and this bring in the strategy to the pit lane and pit stops. There are also is monitors that can be fitted to the track so every racer can see their cars status right in front of them.

In conclusion we would suggest the purchase of a Carrera digital layout over the Scalextric digital. Although the number of retailers who stock the items is lower and the price may be a little higher, you will not be disappointed with the quality of the product and it will be more than durable enough to keep you happy for many years. You may wish to weigh up the pros and cons for your budget and needs but do not forget that there are other manufacturers out there.

Backgammon Rules and Strategies

Backgammon is a game that requires skill and a little bit of luck. In a way, it’s a little bit like checkers, except that your next moves depend on the value of your dice roll. To win the game, you have to learn to manage your risks. This game is played with just three simple items – a game board, 30 checkers, and a pair of dice.

The game board is where the entire game takes place. On the board, there are 24 points, starting from 1 to 24. Each point is represented by a tall triangle. Two players play on opposite sites during the game. On each side, there is the home board, and the outer board.

The checkers are usually in black and white. So each player will choose a color. The goal of the game is simple – to enable all 15 checkers to reach the bearing (home) point. The first player that accomplishes this goal wins the game. However, the game is setup with some simple rules so that players can vary the way they play the game.

For instance, you cannot move a checker on to a point that has more than 1 checker from the opponent. You can only move the checker to a point that has got no other checkers, or a point that has your own checkers. If there is a checker from the opponent, there can only be a maximum of one. These rules enable a player to defend or attack certain points.

As your play, your opponent will try ways and means to prevent your checkers from reaching the bearing position. Of course, you will do likewise. This gives rise to several well known strategies such as an anchor game, an outfield point game, or a holding game.

You can create anchor points by having two or more checkers in the same point on the opponent’s home board. Anchors can be strategically created for different purposes. You can use anchors to hold a position for defense or attack. Anchors are also particularly useful if you wish to prevent your opponent’s checkers from reaching a position.

An outfield point is a point that is outside of the home boards. Such a point is less used for attacking but you have a better chance of stopping your opponent.

A holding game sometimes occurs accidentally. You see a holding game when both players have more than 2 anchors or outfield points on both halves of the board. In other words, there are no open points, and both players cannot create open points for fear of being hit. The game appears to be suspended. The holding game continues when a player clears a checker, or when someone rolls a double.

The backgammon game is like a race. When played strategically, you never know if you are going to win or lose. It may appear that you may be losing right from the start, but bear in mind that there are strategies for players to use who are behind in the game. For example, if you find yourself behind in the game, you can choose to adopt a blocking strategy.

Blocking means that you have as many points as possible with two or more of your checkers. Remember that any point with two or more checkers means that your opponent cannot occupy the point. If you have occupied these points one after another, it becomes very difficult for your opponent to advance. Hence, your blocking becomes more effective. You may then make plans to occupy open points to make progress for your own game.

The History of Gold Coins and Understanding Gold Coin Values

According to history, King Croesus of Lydia was the one who introduced gold coins around 643-630 B.C. A pale yellow mixture of gold and silver called the electrum was a natural resource in Lydia. As people did not know how to separate these two metals, the first gold coins were a mixture of gold and silver.

In 560 B.C., the Lydians found out a way to separate gold from silver. At last, real gold coins were produced along with silver coins, although gold was considered to be more precious than silver. In 546 B.C., the Lydians captured Persian army and when the Persians walked around the Lydian kingdom, they were astonished with the gold coins. The Persians started learning to mint gold coins and after some time they used them for trading.

In the past, one of the most progressive nations in the world was Persia and they popularized the used of gold coins around the world. As a result, gold coins became an important currency for commerce. Many nations used them for trading and for some people, collecting gold coins became a way to accumulate wealth.

After many centuries, gold coins were stopped being used as a currency in 1933 because most countries considered them too expensive. There are some gold colored coins today, but they do not contain any gold.

How to determine gold coin values

As gold coins are not circulated anymore, they become valuable. Many collectors are chasing them to add their collections and to gain profits from them. If you want to gain profits, it is essential for you to understand factors that affect gold coin values as discussed in this section.

The first factor is age where the older the coin, the higher its value. These coins are antique artifacts and their age can reach centuries old. Some tests can be done to check the coin’s authenticity and age if you want to determine gold coin values based on this factor.

The second factor is condition. Weathered coins will have lower values than good condition coins. There are some qualities that collectors look for to determine gold coin quality, such as the sharpness of the relief, the text, and the edges. Normally it is more difficult to sell weathered coins than coins that are in a relatively good condition.

The last factor is its rarity. When a gold coin is extremely rare, its value will skyrocket. In general, there are two factors that affect rarity. The first is the number created and the second is the number of coins that has been lost, damaged, or destroyed. There is a rare double eagle $20 gold coin minted in 1933. It was worth more than $7 million in an auction.

Stamp collection

Philately is the study of stamps and related items. Its collection could be a fun activity especially for children. Make a file or buy an album to stick the stamps of global postal stamps. Stamps of different worth and different size, all reflects to its national identity. Instead of collecting all the foreign postage stamps, you can stick to a particular country only. When you become a collector your friends will start gifting you special stamps on different occasion. It’s a simple and interesting activity to pursue, as you don’t need to spend much on your collection. Just unstuck stamps from the daily letter you receive from your mailbox.

Information about different types of stamps such as foreign and Indian or both is easily available on these online websites. From type of stamps to name of the advertiser, number of stamps, country, number of years old, the condition of the stamps, all the related information is available online. Also, purpose of collecting stamps, features, benefits, and many more information can be easily taken for these online websites.

Stamps are brought mostly at post office or from markets or purchased online through websites such as www.freeads.in and online auctions. This makes the search of the user who is willing to buy or sell different kinds of stamps. It makes the job of the user all the more easy as one can easily get the information about the types, different brands, different colors, shapes and sizes, number of years it is used many more information online. These online websites make the job of the user very easy and it is convenient for both the clients as well as the dealers to get relevant information. The price of different types of stamps is also available online on these free-ad classifieds sites.

The information on these websites is of great help not only to the person who is interested in buying and collecting stamps but the one who wishes to sell his stamps is at great benefit. Thus, one can blindly rely on the information displayed on these websites and even make huge profits.

Type Of A Silver Coin Collection

Starting a silver coin collection is a great hobby that you will quickly find yourself addicted to. There are numerous different coins that can be collected so it is a good idea to pick something like silver coins to focus on when you are just getting started. This will prevent you from getting overwhelmed.

When people think about silver coins it is easy to assume this includes all nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars. They are all silver in appearance so it is not hard to imagine why people would think of them in that regard. In reality, many of these coins are not really silver at all. In fact, most of the coins produced today do not even contain any silver as it cost too much money to produce each coin.

In order to determine the types of silver coins for your collection that are available you will need to do a little research first. Spend some time getting to know the different types of coins that are out there and then learn the details connected with each one. Understand the levels of grading that are associated with each coin to help you get a better understanding of the overall value that each coin has.

Different Types of Silver Coins You Can Collect

Half dollars are great silver coins to collect. The United States Mint began producing this coin way back in 1794 which were then called the Flowing Hair Half Dollars. Several different varieties of the half dollar were minted between 1794 and 1964. During this time period these coins were made out of 90 per cent silver.

Many people will find that collecting the earliest half dollars will not be an easy task. Coins from the 1700s and 1800s are likely to be pretty worn out which decreases their value. Even in this worn out condition old silver coins like this can still cost a small fortune.

Another popular silver coin to collect is the dollar. Just like the half dollar, production of the silver dollar began in 1794. There are a variety of different versions of the dollar and up until 1971 they were produced with a large amount of silver in them.

When the United States Mint began producing the Eisenhower Dollar in 1971 they stopped using silver as its key ingredient. There were a few years where the mint produced special versions of this dollar but they were limited in release and aimed specifically towards silver coin collectors.