Scalextric slot car racing has been around for ages, but like so many other toys these days it has had to adapt its business model to keep going. Gone are the days when all they needed to do to garner some more income was to release the latest update to a Formula 1 car or the current World Rally Championship winner's wheels. It takes more than the addition of a chicane or cross-over section of track to bring in the new bucks these days.

Back when I was a lad, I was completely happy with my small set and two Mini Coopers. My dad built me an ingenious wooden table with the track fixed to it, which was hinged and folded flat against my bedroom wall when not in use. He painted the visible side with a giant London Bus and filled all the windows with Mr. Men characters. As soon as I got home from school, I'd dash into my room and lower the track down and have a quick few laps, a lot of the time with a controller in each hand, racing both the cars, re-enacting bits of The Italian Job. A growth spurt meant I needed a bigger bed, which in turn meant that the track couldn't fold down properly. Rather than remove it and do something different, my dad and I just raced up and down the incline as well as round and round the track. A house remodel saw me move to a bigger bedroom and that was the end of my Scalextric days – I've no memory of what happened to the track, but I'd probably moved on to Lego or my Commodore 64 by then anyway.

Having a daughter who hasn't shown interest in toy cars has meant that there would be no real chance to relive those days by buying a new set for her, so I've missed out on a great part of the renaissance of Scalextric. It seems they have now gone down the same route as many of today's toy ranges and joined forces with more well-known brands to help shift their products. A quick browse of their online shop shows tie-ins with Need For Speed, MySims, Cars, James Bond and Transformers, in addition to the Formula 1, WRC and regular/classic road cars. They even have the General Lee!

One thing all of those have in common, though, is the fact that they're all actually cars, which makes this latest licensing arrangement seem a little odd. The first of the new sets, due out later this year, features the classic X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter battle and also a speeder bike chase through the forests of Endor, with "detailed and collectible solo models" set to follow.

The "Death Star Attack" set is a 1:64 scale (Scalextric's 'Micro' range) set featuring Vader's TIE Fighter and Luke's X-wing racing around a glow in the dark track, which at one point disappears inside the box for a bit of added excitement. Hornby has tried to increase the playability by marking out staggered starting points so the game becomes more like a pursuit than a race and also added a "jousting" mode. I'm not entirely sure how that will work.

The "Battle Of Endor" is a 1:32 scale set with two Imperial Speeder bikes, one for Luke and the other with a Biker Scout, and is on sale for £99. This time the track has been printed with a 'Woodland' theme - in other words brown with green bits - and comes with a few trees and other trackside accessories - but apparently no Ewoks, although there is a listing for a separate Ewok bike! This one just seems to be flat out racing set, with no additional ideas. Maybe they should add a few giant redwoods into the track just mix it up a bit?

We all know that George must be short of a few bucks now after the release of the Blu Ray set and the success of the Clone Wars. The upcoming 3D re-releases of all six movies (what do you mean six? There are only three!) are set to introduce a whole new generation of kids to seeing the films on the big screen and so these sets are bound to sell well, and if they do maybe we'll see some more added to the range. Maybe a Millennium Falcon one where you have to do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs? Or a snowy Hoth scene, complete with an AT-AT that you have to race around 4 or 5 times without coming off the track in order to topple the beast. Obi-Wan's Kraytt Dragon vs. Grievous' funny wheel thing?

I really don't get why they're not launching with a Pod Race set though. It's the only part of the galaxy far, far away that is actually a proper race, it would work great with more than two racers as part of their 'Digital' lane switching sets and, more importantly, it's in the film that's opening very soon.

Star Wars Scalextric sets, coming soon to a galaxy near you.