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Pocket-Sized RC Cars Hit U.S. Soil
airrage writes "RC cars are nothing new. But apparently, ZipZaps, now being sold at RadioShack, are pocket-sized, modifiable, and can be tricked out with body kits and other accessories. Even more impressive, "A 16,000-RPM performance motor is included with all starter kits". The story at extremetech here is." Kinda like the Thinkgeek cars. Yes, TG is part of OSDN - obligatory disclosure.
i have seen these exact toys in airports for well over a year in the states. hope you spend the kickback money wisely taco...
MARIJUANA, SHROOMS, X: ONLINE?! - E
I'll take two! Too Bad they don't run well on carpet.
All it is a Bit Char-g with English instructions I'm sure
moo.
ThinkGeek sucks. I ordered this item from ThinkGeek and they never delivered.
here
Live web cams
These little cars are all the rage in Asia as Bit Char-G (bit charge) and Europe as Compact Char-G. Check out http://www.blackadderhall.com/bitchar-g/index.html for the scoop.
Cheers,
_GP_
You mean Radio Shack has been out of stock for months on their cars, too?
Neat!
blog
I work at Radioshack, and we've had these in for about a week. We took apart a couple of the cars and mod kits, and they really aren't that impressive, you'd think that the 23,000 rpm engine would really make the car zoom, but it doesn't.
The Fast and the Furious mods are pretty cool, though.
My friend got one of these in an airport a while back and it freaking rocks. He can do all sorts of things with it, and it is totally customizable...you can even get different gears for it to do tricks and whatnot. This is awesome..I just got paid today (tech support *is* worth 8 bucks an hour I guess)...so I'm gonna try and pick one of these up on the way home! Woohoo!
The anti-salmon
Yeah! Now I can gat into a pocket-sized Road Rage!
I hope that they offer really small Type-R stickers...
Connon O'brian showed this on his show last night. It was kind of funny watching him pimp this stupid product ...
man
No manual entry for
I saw these while on a business trip to Irvine for sale in the Spectrum.
This is not big, new or interesting news. Blah!
You will have to find it somewhere else. Their inventory seems to be slashdotted.
I saw someone playing with one of these type of RC cars in our cafeteria. They were driving it around annoying people. Unfortunately, it was so small that someone accidently stepped on it. Didn't work after that.
You can find the Zip Zaps website here, at least until it gets /.'ed.
So where can I get the hydro/bass kit?
I can just see my co-worker driving around the office thumping his kit car through my cube.
Or how about the "hummer" kit so I can drive my car through the bath tub or a parking lot puddle?
And we definitely need a neon underglow kit for those late night office parties.
ZipZap tools allow users to play with three different gear ratios to adjust the "horsepower"
To be pedantic, a different gear will give you different axel torque. Higher torque usually gives you quicker acceleration, at a possible (not always) lowering of top speed - you essentially run out of RPM before the motor is maxed out. Since this has no transmission so no way of playing with different RPM bands, I bet it does lower top speed a bit.
Horsepower is work per unit of time. A different gear ratio changes the work (effort) and the time in equal opposite amounts, horsepower remains constant.
These have been in Japan for a while, namely the brand "DigiQ" pocket RC cars.
/ www.takaratoys.co.jp/digiq/a .com/
Some links:
http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~muro/
http:/
http://digiq.s12.xre
They're about 600-900 yen each, or about $5-$8 US for the basic cars.
Human nature is the same everywhere; the modes only are different. -- Earl of Chesterfield
Why are they using a radio frequency with a wavelength the size of a real car? Why not use a more efficient frequency in the microwave band?
These look amazing,
but are they coming to Canada?
Radioshack doesn't have shipping info, although I did email someone there.
Sig: "Examine the road over which the fault has passed"
Only Much Much cheaper.
Fastest combination I got from the website was 411 Feet Per Minute. 411 * 60 = 24660 Feet Per Hour or 4.67 Miles Per Hour -- not much faster than walking speed (how fast do they really need to go anyway). Who cares though... I still think they're nifty!
Still, in my mind, a car just isn't cool as a pocket tank. Oh yeah, time to mod one of these puppies for Warhammer 40K...
"I'm not really a sysadmin, I just play one at work..."
There's no wrong way, to eat a Rhesus...
I'm going to buy one and strap a doggie cookie to the roof, and have my pup chase it. This will save me tons of time spent in walking her every day. Hope the car is strong enough to stand up to repeated dog bites.
sporadic
While on a recent trip to Radio Shack, longtime automotive hobbiest Grant Holman found a solution to a longtime problem.
"I just never felt it was big enough," explained Grant. "I've tried everything possible to compensate - tried extreme hobbies, got on steroids and worked out, and drove only the biggest, fastest cars. But it seemed that the bigger the compensation I tried, the smaller my pecker felt."
But after seeing the new ZipZap pocket sized RC cars, Grant's problems were solved. "I realized that I'd been looking at this all wrong. Bigger wasn't the answer. These cars are so small and so fun, I feel a lot better about my pecker's potential."
Eunice Abrahms, Grant's girlfriend, concured. "Ever since he bought his first ZipZap my sexual satisfaction has increased immensely," she added while trying out various models at the store. "Grant even lets me help pick which one we get next," she said. "You can hold the really powerful ones in your hand and run the motor and they really shake! Those are my favorite."
paintball
I saw a bit on conan obrien the other day where he did a commercial for these things, and then they zoomed on some girl in the audience and she said "And I thought I was a prostitute!" and walked out.
when am I gonna see a shriner rolling around in one of these things? Better yet, how many circus clowns can fit in one?
I guess the obligatory disclosure worked: ThinkGeek is already sold out!
Amazing magic tricks
A 16,000 RPM motor just isn't that much. I remember many 540 type motors pulling more RPM's about 15 years ago. I'm sure they're over 30k these days. In addition, there are plenty of gas powered engines that go well over 16k.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
...but where's the option to install a bunch of subwoofers that rattle the trunk lid, making the stereo sound like crap? And how about coffee can sized exhaust tips that make the engine sound like a bicycle with playing cards in the spokes?
Stickers are essential, too. How else can you show off your Ford Escort Evolution IV or your Chevy Beretta Type R?
SIGFEH
This isn't as much "normalization" as it is "don't take so many drugs when you're designing tables."
Odd what version of Mozilla are you using and what OS. I'm hitting it with Moz on Windows 2000 (have to at work and stuff) just fine.
Cypherpunks: Civil Liberty Through Complex Mathematics. Those who live by the sword die by the arrow.
1. Make Tiny RC car
2. Market through Radio Shack
3. ????????
4. Profit!!!!!
-Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.
While I don't necessarily disagree with your evaluation of their collective intelligence, you haven't quite justified your use of profanity.
I can see the fnords!
to look the product up at RadioShack.com, here is a direct link to the Micro RC Porsche 911 Car. Product No. 60-7001
For only $20, I think it'd be a fun toy for any geek, girl or boy.
In a press conference Wednesday, Radio Shack introduced the ZipZap line of miniature RC cars. Each is based upon real-life roadster, and can be tricked out with body kits and other accessories. Customers also have the option of upgrading and tweaking the gear ratios to give their car an extra boost.
:)
So you can fit out your Porsche 911 RC with a spoiler, super charger, nitros, chrome alloy mag wheels, cool purple fog downlights, tinted windows, a "SPEEED DEEEMON" windscreen decal, and tiny little "extra large" beverage holders and it will still be defeated by a carpet with only a moderate shag-pile rating.
Pffft!
www.teamassociated.com and www.teamlosi.com for real RC cars not gay ass radioshack shit
Now about 17,000 RPM???
http://www.hondaf1.com/english/info/engine.htm
There is even a link to find out what it sounds like on a dyno.
From the linked article:
The Starter Kit for each ZipZaps model comes complete with a stock chassis, "performance" motor, 12:1 gearing, factory tires, factory wheels, custom rims, realistic body shell, owner's manual, a collectable trading card, and a six-way controller/charger with removable wrist strap.
Okay, I see forward/reverse and left/right. What're the other two ways or is it talking about something else?
Mozilla 1.0 on FreeBSD 4.5-RELEASE works just fine.
They say that nickle metal hydride AA batteries cannot be use as replacements for the AA batteries because "real" AA batteries are 1.5 volts each and the rechargable nickle metal hydride AAs are only 1.2 volts. The remote control must *really* want 6 volts to work right. Or at least, that's what they want you to believe.
TyZone
That being said, I'll still buy one.
Somewhat OT, but a quick googling turned up this page about the old customizable motorized toy cars from the 80's. I remember family christmas gatherings where uncles and cousins brought in their "Stomper Kits" (tackleboxes full of wheels, gears, chassis, and other bits) and we'd have Stomper races and "tractor pulls" (one relative built a small trailer that he could add weights to). They didn't have the fancy remote control mechanism, but they sure were fun to play with! Perhaps these new toys can add a little fun to our next X-mas gathering :)
Hum, I'll buy the RX-7 upgrade, then swap in a real rotary, the OS Wankel 0.303 cu in, 1.27 bhp(ps)/17,000 rpm, and 11.8 oz. a Power to weight ratio of 1:10 rivals the real RX-7 Type RZ. MMmmmm
Jeez, these things were on sale for $10 in Thailand the last time I visited. What a markup!
I saw a story on CNN about it as well! This is not news, this is advertising.
Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley
Can't wait. Windows 2000 Pro CDs as obstacles.
Luck favors the prepared, darling.
You probably need to feed their cookie monster.
is that other stores will now carry them so I don't have to spend my money at Radio Shack.
Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
Oh great. I only needed one more reason to go to RS.
These are flooding the market now and there appear to be many different manufacturers using the same basic design. See the following link for a sample.
. ht ml
http://www.sheldonshobbies.com/listing/tinycars
I've had a Z-car for a few months and my one year old daughter loves chasing it around the kitchen floor. A friend of mine bought a BIT CHAR-G for twice the price and we compared the two.
Nearly identical car design. Z-car has a much faster gear ratio out of the box. My friend had to buy a gear mod to get the same speed. Z-car has a red led that lights up during radio reception which is nice. Bit Char-G has a stronger electromagnet for slightly better steering. Bit Char-G has a better radio & charger. My Z-Car doesn't fit into the charger very well. Have to hold it in place usually. both have about a 40 second charge time.
Same range. Same amount of fun.
We also test drove some of the infra-red/C cars with two motor steering (one for each wheel) instead of an electromagnet but found them to be hard to control.
I get the same error with Internet Explorer. I suspect it's because I have persistent cookies disabled.
Sure the Tommy Bit Char-G chars are cuter, but I prefer a car that is faster and looks nicer, say, like my Dodge Viper ...
http://www.kyosho.com/cars/kyod01x3.html
"Under the hood":
http://www.kyosho.com/cars/kyod01x1.html
--
"The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite."
- Thomas Jefferson
I think these are much cooler: http://www.sigmaautomotive.com/TechieMon/offroadbi ke.html (R/C controlled motorcycles with gyroscope technology so that they don't tip over) Anyone ever seen one of these in action? I want one ;)
...you're the kind of guy who would get a kick out of (or is a fan of) Beaterz. : )
And I agree, the modification community is way over the top. Spend that $25K on a used viper rather than a tricked out 02 civic.
Using OmniWeb and its default User-Agent string, I get "Cannot Load Address -- This page redirects the browser back to itself". I have cookies enabled, too.
Changed the User-Agent string to that of IE 5.2 (OS X), and it works. I lay the blame on the website's idiot coders.
In Soviet Russia, Jesus asks: "What Would You Do?"
-dB
"It if was easy to do, we'd find someone cheaper than you to do it."
His web site is here. He has an excellent reputation, highly recommended.
I find your ideas intriguing and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
a driver's license to race these fun little cars!
Disclaimer: You will however need to present, given that this is radio shack and all
your name
your address
your blood type
your birthday
you SSN (SIN in Canada)
and the serial number from your cue cat
a beowulf cluster of th *whack!*
eleven plus two / twelve plus one
this website is for you
I hate sigs.
I have one of these. According to my friend who knows a lot more about this shit than I do (note: that is a point of pride for me) they are identical to the Tomy at about US$10 less.
Atomic
The controller/charger is kinda cheesy but since it probably won't work but a few days anyway I doubt if it matters.
To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target
If you want to find out more about ZipZaps, DigiQ, iRacers, Bit Char-Gs, MiniZs, and a billion other micro rc cars, drop by microrccars.com and check out the forums.
Watch out, read the fine print -- these things only come in two different frequencies, which means only two of them can race against each other at a time. That's going to kill them. I was thinking of buying one of these for everybody on my team and having some great races, but not now...
These are just bad versions of Bit Chargers. Go look them up, they've been around in hawaii for a long time, and are pretty big in japan. note: Chargers not Racers, racers are the same size but require a triack.
keep them stock looking and usually they won't get broken into.
(don't laugh - tandy part #RS-14314, micro-vandal, blue w/mask is in next year's catalog.)
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
That would be it. I had cookies off...no go. Turned cookies on...the web page magically appeared.
I bought one of these after work today at a nearby RS. I went looking for a 5V AC/DC converter, but had no luck. As I was leaving, two of the guys working there were talking about these. I figured I'd easily get $20 worth of fun out of it.
I've run it for a couple hours already tonight, and it's been a blast. The recharge times are about a minute, and I've got a good 5-10 minutes from each charge.
There's only one thing I don't like, and that's the wide turning radius. (Which is tight when moving in reverse.) Maybe one of their suspension upgrades would fix that? ;)
I'm not sure how the batteries will hold up, I'll post again here in a few days and let you know.
Micro R/C cars have been out in japan for at least 2 years. Ebay has facilitated their entry into the U.S. as early as last winter (as far as I can tell). More proof that Japan gets cool toys way before we do.
If you want a wider range of customization, go for a Bit Char-G from Tomy, which have very recently been launched as R/C MicroSizers in the States (and also under different names in Australia and the U.K.). There are also numerous knockoffs of "bits" coming from China which are generally of lower quality. Hell, even Wal*Mart has a line on these things.
I admit, I first saw micro r/c cars on ThinkGeek (which are called Digi-Q from Takara). After I finally decided to get a micro r/c car, I did some research:
Therefore, I went with a bit. ZipZaps have a 16k rpm motor? So what: You can get 38k rpm motors for bits.
One of the things going against all these toys in the U.S. is the body styles they produce, which are all Japanese. How many people outside of Japan know what a Nissan Skyline is? Tomy may be prepared, as you can see a Mach 5 and Mini Cooper scheduled for release soon. I want a Chevy SSR and a '69 GTO Judge (gotta be orange) personally.
BUT, these things are temendous fun. There's a huge online community around the micro r/c hobby. Check out www.tinyrc.com, www.bitchar-g.co.uk and QFM Racing (click the right side of the page).
Hahaha, joke's on you, chump. I can see everything just fine with Konqueror 3.0.3. Time to upgrade, ye olde fashioned Slackware user.
$9.99 for a 2.6 motor?! You can get a 3.8 for $11 at tinyrc.com! http://tinyrc.com/shop/products.php?pid=2 and a 2.6 for $7!
There are only two legal frequencies in the US. However, you can get Bit Char-Gs on 4 different freqs.
Humm, no Mozilla, I guess the don't want to support AOL user either. Idiots
"Things are more moderner than before- bigger, and yet smaller- it's computers-- San Dimas High School football RULES!"
Under WinXP at least...
Hey! Boats! :D And best of all, the range of the transmitter is unfortunately not much bigger than your tub anyway, so.. ;)
Are these the same ones they were selling at AX2002?
Go to http://www.toyeast.com to order the real thing: Bit Char-G Racers by Tomy. They also sell Takara's Digi-Q. They are based in Hong Kong and can get really good prices on the real thing.
The Bit Char-Gs have lots of parts to upgrade (called Hop up parts) and there is a Toyota Trueno (Celica) set that comes with 3 different hardnesses of tires, 3 different suspensions, 4 different axel sets, two different bodies, 3 different gear ratios, the 2.2 rated (2200 rpm) motor, and some racing cones. It is a really good deal and runs at 27mhz.
I also have the Xanavi Hiroto GT-R special that has a 2.6 motor and uses 57mhz. It has a "cripple capacitor" in it, but you can go to http://www.ausmicro.com and search there for details on which cars have that and how to remove it. Once the capacitor is removed, the range dramatically improves.
Also look into the Booster cars. They have clear bodies that can be painted, have a motor that has a "stutter" setting for slower speeds (and longer battery life), and a booster speed that is normal. Motors are 2.2 and there is one car per each of the 4 frequencies (57mhz, 45mhz, 35mhz, and 27mhz). They use a special remote that can select any of the 4 freqs, but it has a terrible range. The remote for the boosters is sold separately and has a setting for use with future toy releases (tanks and subs are rumored).
The Bit Char-G advertise that they charge in 45secs on the controller (about right, sometimes longer), then race for 2 minutes (I get closer to 5 minutes). They are digital controlled, meaning no proportional speed or steering (but the booster cars' stutter speed gives effectively 2 speeds to cycle between). If you want that, look to the Takare Digi-Qs.
The Digi-Qs are a bit smaller, a lot faster, and suffer from a lag when sending signals. They run on infrared signals (the Bits are radio controlled), and have two motors (one per rear wheel). The cars mimic the real ones in performance, but a special controller (Digi Propo) can override the computer chips to change speed, breaking, steering, and acceleration. These cars cannot be modified as much as the Bits, but are awesome. They take around 10 minutes to charge and race for about 15 minutes.
Both cars types are not for carpet racing, and do require a bit of maintenance. Be prepared to play with the steering magnet on the Bits, clean out axels, and other odds and ends. Then hit the net to see the modified semis, monster trucks, and more!
Hi everyone. I'm COMPLETELY wet behind the ears with regards slashdot - hell, it took me almost 15mins to work out how to post this first ever reply - DOH! The only times I've really taken any notice of it was when my old *nix-lovin' flatmate used to try to highlight the errors in my Microsoft-lovin' ways.
:-o We moved about half of our average monthly traffic in ONE DAY. I phoned my old flatmate tonig
;-)
;-) After all, Aaron and I both have "day jobs" to bay the bills. This is just a hobby! But if want to get into the craze and need help in sourcing a car or two (particularly for Aussies), we can help. We'd just like to see more folks taking up the hobby and growing the racing scene.
I was having a pretty quiet Friday here in Sydney. I was at work, idling browsing the 'Net (I am pretty safe saying that in here as my boss even struggles to use MS Word spellcheck without online help) and I saw a post on our ausmicro.com forums mentioning micro RC cars on slashdot.
Next thing I know, our poor little web server is straining under the load and we're getting emails from all over the place. Certainly NOT how I expected another quiet Friday at work to pan out
Yes, Aaron and I (aka ausmicro.com) do import micro and mini radio control equipment into Oz. It all started when we both wanted a Bit Char-G and throught that the US-based vendors were a little on the exxy side (with the dodgy USD-AUD exchange rate et al). Aaron (who is in Canberra) and I (in Sydney) are good friends and both of us had a lot of business/market experience business in Japan and SE Asia. So the phone calls and emails started.
We got our first cars in and we were hooked. Colleagues at our workplaces wanted them and so the demand grew. We started ausmicro to see if anyone else wanted to join us for a group buy (save on freight). Suddenly it became much bigger than we'd ever hoped for.
Everyone's gotta have a vice/hobby and RC is one of ours. Running the website (which gives us great mod ideas!) is the most expensive part of the hobby. I know it sounds like tired rhetoric, but ausmicro.com is about a sense of community - not profit. We load up the landed/dutied cost of the items we import by 5%, which goes towards subsidising the site running costs (transferring ~3GB of traffic per month doesn't come cheaply) Put it this way, after 6mths we're still well and truly in the red. And we expect to stay that way for another 12-18mths. But we're still loving it!
In the last couple of months we've jumped aboard the Mini-Z craze (1:24 scale vs 1:70 scale). These are GREAT fun, too. I can highly recommend http://www.minizworld.com as a good place to start if you're interested in learning about them.
Apologies if this post sounds cheesy/spammy. I assure you - it wasn't intended to be. I'll go as far to say as we're NOT the cheapest place to buy micro RC gear from. We DO NOT have a big range. Even our customer service SUCKS
Thanks again to those who contacted us (and all of the other suppliers/fansites mentioned in this story) for your interest in the hobby. If you have any questions feel free to email us (please be patient - the mail server is currently undergoing intensive care after its heart attack), or ask the community at http://www.ausmicro.com/forum
Cheers - and have a top weekend
Derek (aka DJ!)
derek@ausmicro.com
Although not that brand, it's pretty similar. I've got pictures on my website of my cat playing with mine (she didn't know what to make of it, but she was curious) here and a description here
The car is pretty cool (even though it was more expensive than the Radio shack model), and it runs on carpet pretty well. On our lamianate floor in the kitchen, it's pretty quick and nimble. I've even been able to get it to do a "bootlegger reverse" a couple of times.
I have to admit, the batteries last a lot longer in this toy than I expected. I've probably recharged the car about 20-30 times, and the batteries are still going strong (it takes about a minute to recharge the car, and it runs for 5-10 minutes from there).
Ed Wedig
Graphic design services
docbrown.net
Microsizers have been out a short time, and I've got two. They are available with various upgrade parts, the batteries charge in 45 seconds, and they're great for chasing housepets.
***
This is my Sig. This is my Glock, this is my Walther, and this is my Beretta.
Any questions?
Hey now! Don't casually lump in the car that reintroduced the roadster as a viable car again in the 90's.
Seriously, the Miata is generally considered a classic, C&D consistently puts it in their top 10, and I believe one of the car rags just put it into the top 10 cars of all time list, a weighted list that included value in its measures, putting the car right next to such lofty craft as the Ferrari Modena. And despite not having the supercar-horsepower of the other vehicles you mentioned, it is an incredibly performing roadster. For some reason, too, much of the public perceives it to be a cheap car, but mind that it tops out at ~$27k now. IMHO, it's the car that Austin Healey wishes they could've engineered (used to drive a 3000).
Of course, if you can afford German, by all means....I'd highly recommend it ;-).
DP -- former Miata driver
True, this is news for some hicks on the east coast, like me. :) Now, I read the radio shacks are cheap knockoffs of the microracers. What are the best sites to buy microracers?
I regularly hit radioshack.com with Mozilla. Sounds like your lizard is smoking crack, sir.
Besides - isn't there a store somewhere near you?
"Champagne for my real friends - and real pain for my sham friends!" http://ericblade.postalboard.com/
WRONG! There are bunch of legal freqs in the US, go to your favorite local hobby store and look over the RC radio gear. If there were only two legal freqs, it sure would be hard on all the 10+ car and plane races I have seen in the past...
Hi, I just signed up for an account this morning and don't quite understand yet how to use this forum. I noticed yesterday a big jump in my page hits and they came from this site. I see my site was mentioned as it is a history page for the 1980 to current releases of the great Stomper 4X4 toys. I also have a page for the Micro RC cars, minature outboard motors and more. If anyone sees this message and figures the site would be interesting to your friends please post a message in the proper location so people can see it. The site address is www.stomper4x4.com and there are lots of link buttons at the bottom of the page. It's free to all with no pop-ups. Thanks for any help. Mick
I just resigned from working at a RadioShack, and glad I did but I will say one thing, zipzaps are HOT sellers, sold out the day we got them, good bad or indifferent, they are selling fast and will be hard to get. I dont care about the performance or the car, just saying they will be a hot seller and already are.
... Linux und seine Programme sind damit so etwas wie ein real existierender ...
Sozialismus der besseren Art
-- Christian Seel in der Berliner Morgenpost v. 9.3.1997
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