Slashdot Log In
Pocket-Sized RC Cars Hit U.S. Soil
Posted by
Hemos
on Thu Sep 26, 2002 06:12 PM
from the vroom-vroom-VROOM dept.
from the vroom-vroom-VROOM dept.
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.
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Full
Abbreviated
Hidden
Loading... please wait.
the whole story needs a disclaimer... (Score:2, Funny)
Buy it.. (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Buy it... or NOT (Score:2)
Re:Buy it... or NOT (Score:2)
While I don't necessarily disagree with your evaluation of their collective intelligence, you haven't quite justified your use of profanity.
Re:Buy it.. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Buy it.. (Score:3, Informative)
Bit Char-G for the USA (Score:2, Interesting)
Cheers,
_GP_
Just like the Thinkgeek cars? (Score:2, Funny)
Neat!
airports (Score:2)
Good for anger management (Score:2, Funny)
First requested option (Score:3, Funny)
Re:First requested option (Score:3, Funny)
The high octane NOS® Nitrous motor zooms along at 23,500 RPM and is only available in The Fast And The Furious Street Tuner Upgrade Kit
I've always wondered where those civic lx "racers" have been getting their parts from...
My apologies in advance for those few people out there who enjoy imports AND actually go to the work to make them go fast.
Add for this (Score:2, Interesting)
saw these in Irvine California last May (Score:2)
This is not big, new or interesting news. Blah!
If you want one... (Score:2)
Don't step on them! (Score:5, Funny)
Obligatory link to home page (Score:2)
Kit Suggestions (Score:2, Interesting)
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.
Axel gear ratios don't change horsepower (Score:2)
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.
Re:Axel gear ratios don't change horsepower (Score:2)
"On the company's web site, ZipZap tools allow users to play with three different gear ratios and to adjust the "horsepower" and top speed through a "performance" booster kit"
The booster kits include other engines, which do have different horsepowers. I don't imagine that the lower HP 10,000 RPM engine is very popular though.
If I buy one, I'm going straight to the model shop to buy some paints for a flame job. Slapping a pre-made Fast and Furious body onto the same chassis that everyone uses isn't my idea of "custom." I should probably practice on some Hot Wheels first though, they are much cheaper.
These have been out in Japan... (Score:3)
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.
Re:These have been out in Japan... (Score:2)
49MHz? (Score:2)
Re:49MHz? (Score:2)
Almost the same . . . (Score:5, Informative)
Only Much Much cheaper.
Re:Almost the same . . . (Score:3, Interesting)
Not very fast ... but still pretty neat. (Score:2, Informative)
Lots of 'em (Score:3, Interesting)
Still, in my mind, a car just isn't cool as a pocket tank [dansdata.com]. Oh yeah, time to mod one of these puppies for Warhammer 40K...
"I'm not really a sysadmin, I just play one at work..."
Hobbiest solves penis size insecurity problem. (Score:3, Funny)
"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."
ThinkGeek Sold Out (Score:2)
Not impressed. (Score:2)
Re:Not impressed. (Score:2)
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.
---snip
Not many of gas powered engines of any RPM this small...even most model airplane engines would be nearly the size of the entire car.
Re:Not impressed. (Score:2)
They sound pretty customizable... (Score:5, Funny)
Stickers are essential, too. How else can you show off your Ford Escort Evolution IV or your Chevy Beretta Type R?
That age old dilemma (Score:5, Funny)
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!
Six way controller? (Score:2)
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?
Re:Six way controller? (Score:2)
Re:Six way controller? (Score:2)
$54.99!!!! (Score:2)
Advertising in Media ? (Score:3, Insightful)
I saw a story on CNN about it as well! This is not news, this is advertising.
Data Center 500! (Score:5, Funny)
Bah, Humbug - Mini Z are more impressive :) (Score:3, Insightful)
http://www.kyosho.com/cars/kyod01x3.html [kyosho.com]
"Under the hood":
http://www.kyosho.com/cars/kyod01x1.html [kyosho.com]
--
"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
microrccars.com (Score:4, Informative)
Radio Shack is just jumping on a bandwagon (Score:4, Informative)
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 [tomy.co.jp], which have very recently been launched as R/C MicroSizers [microsizers.com] 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 [takaratoys.co.jp]). 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 [tinyrc.com], www.bitchar-g.co.uk [bitchar-g.co.uk] and QFM Racing [questformadness.com] (click the right side of the page).
So THAT'S what a "slashdotting" is (Score:3, Informative)
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
Re:Don't get too excited... (Score:2)
High revving and no torque...sounds like your average ricer. :-)
Re:16,000 RPM motor!! (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.hondaf1.com/english/info/engine.htm
There is even a link to find out what it sounds like on a dyno.
Re:can't resist unnatural urges..... (Score:2)
Re:Anyone else remember Stompers? (Score:2)
Thaks for reminding me of the name. I dug one up in the yard about a year or so ago, well the chassis anyways. I had lost it in my childhood.....my bet is that it had been buried for about 16 years or so. It was in suprisingly good shape. I wanted to 'restore' it but I can't remember where I put it. When I was a kid I remember not caring about the shells for them. The important part was the chassis and the motor. I used to make roads over hills of dirt for them to climb.
**sniff** oh the memories...
Re:YAPSRCC (Score:3, Informative)
You friend don't know much, then. ZipZaps and BitChar-G's are not identical. ZipZaps have a longer wheelbase and use a slightly different form factor motor, among other things.
People have swapped the gears and axles from a Zip onto a Bit, though.