Have you ever seen a Dare Devil Trik-Trak or Trik-Trak Cross Country Road Rally set?
Still image from video below.
I grew up in the 1970s and recall having Aurora AFX and Tyco slot car sets and later slotless car sets like Lionel’s PowerPassers where the cars could change lanes.
Transogram’s Dare Devil Trik-Trak was completely different from all of those, however. It was introduced sometime in the early to mid-1960s and its larger gear-driven racecar was powered by a C battery, or for higher performance, two AA batteries were recommended.
The car wasn’t guided by anything except the track sections it came in contact with. It used individual pieces: corners, some straights and a variety of stunt sections that could differ by set. They included a “wall of logs trik,” “somersault flip trak,” “bridge or flyover,” a “teeter totter trak,” “a steering trak” and a “fly-a-part house trik.” The car relied upon the floor or any flat surface to get from one corner or stunt to another instead of continuous interlocked track lengths.
These track pieces were set up as close or as far apart as desired. If their placement was right, the car would successfully negotiate the course. If it was wrong, the car would ride off into the sunset, since it would only go straight until its direction was changed by riding onto a track corner section. Or you could run around with the track sections and place them in front of the car at will while it was moving to lead it all over the house like the boy did in the commercial (see links below) for the Trik-Trak Cross Country Road Rally. Likely because they were before my time, I’d never seen the Dare Devil Trik-Trak or the Trik-Trak Cross Country Road Rally prior to finding TV commercials for them on YouTube.
A 1965 Montgomery Ward Christmas catalog listed the 18-piece Dare Devil Trik-Trak set, which included the car with a battery and 9 pieces of track, but no stunt sections or scenery, for $3.99. The 23-piece set had the car with a battery plus 12-pieces of track and scenery but no stunt sections for $5.99. For $9.99, the 33-piece set got you everything in the previous one, plus the stunt sections. Ordering an extra car cost $1.99.
Of course those LBJ-era prices from sound great to us today, but how would they translate into 2017 dollars? According to the Consumer Price Index calculator, the 18-piece set would be $30.76, the 23-piece one $46.18 and the 33-piece $77.01. An extra car would cost $15.34.
Do you remember the Dare Devil Trik-Trak or Trik-Trak Cross Country Road Rally sets? Tell us about your experience.