American mini r/c's "Zip Zaps" at radio shack, $19.99 for kit

[Sachmho]

Hey all, I recall the thread about those mini r/c cars circa a few months back. Well in todays radio shack circular, a brand of said toy called "zip zaps" is now being sold. for $19.99, you get the starter kit with everything needed, in popular body styles such as mustang and 911 turbo. They carry additional motors and gears, and are sold with a "fast and the furious" endorsement. seems pretty good to me, the other ones from japan come to around $30 shipped, and these are local and cheaper. I think i'm going to go in on these now.

 

[cpals]

Sweet. I got in on the "deal" a while back on the r/c cars from Japan. They're work pretty well and are fun.

 

[BlackNinja]

Sweeettt!!! I love those.. ima hit Radio Shock tommorow

 

[chiwawa626]

I wonder whats the quality like... The american release of the bit char-g is called Microsizers and those for now are the only other ones that are the same quality as the original TOMY ones...

 

[Hoeboy]

coming from someone who bought the zipzaps, trust me, they are crap! first of all, they're not the same size as the tomys or other japanese knockoffs. these ones are actually a lot bigger. the stock body is crap because it's heavy and the paint job is horrible. they only have two frequencies which makes racing w/ more than 1 friend impossible. overall the quality is decent but don't expect it to perform as well as the real deal (micro/tomys). my friends japanese knockoff brand (not even tomy/micro) w/ stock motor can whoop my zipzap w/ the NOS motor (highest one). and good luck w/ the range. mines was decent range but my nephews crap out if it goes further than 3 feet. know what you're buying

 

[MrNutz]

Originally posted by: Hoeboy
coming from someone who bought the zipzaps, trust me, they are crap! first of all, they're not the same size as the tomys or other japanese knockoffs. these ones are actually a lot bigger. the stock body is crap because it's heavy and the paint job is horrible. they only have two frequencies which makes racing w/ more than 1 friend impossible. overall the quality is decent but don't expect it to perform as well as the real deal (micro/tomys). my friends japanese knockoff brand (not even tomy/micro) w/ stock motor can whoop my zipzap w/ the NOS motor (highest one). and good luck w/ the range. mines was decent range but my nephews crap out if it goes further than 3 feet. know what you're buying

I agree completely....I used to work @ RadioShack and ALL of the RC cars were very cheaply made....the electronics in the RC were basically the same as what comes right off the shelf....no ICs or complex circuit boards that would guarantee a lasting purchase.....so im sure these
ZipZaps follow the same RS practices and actually only cost RS about $0.50 to make.... :disgust:

 

[Amp]

i'm pretty new to this, but i'd researched many of the mini r/c's lately and i found a pretty decent site for the tomy booster sets plus the multi-band controller... if anyone's interested

imo, the booster Bit Char-g is probably one of the best looking on paper because of the boost function, etc. and the multiband controller allows you to control a car on any of their frequencies with one controller.

the site is Hobby Link Japan and some of there stuff is pretty pricey except for the booster set and the controller in relation to other online prices.

the prices are in yen, but they also post the US dollar equivilant...

booster sets are $17.95
and the multi-band controllers are $12.24

there are also a lot of car bodies and hop up parts for a few dollars. quantities are sketchy, but if you can get your order to ship together, it would be a pretty good deal.

i've received my car but i can't play with it till the controller comes in, hopefully in the next week

hope i could help... =)

 

[Sachmho]

hey i went and picked up a kit for one of these, I have no idea exactly what you fanatics expect, but this thing is great so far. the battery time is pretty good,a nd all the pieces fit perfectly and run well. I'm very content, 20 bux, no shipping, right down the street in case of a return. i'm good to go

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Amp
i'm pretty new to this, but i'd researched many of the mini r/c's lately and i found a pretty decent site for the tomy booster sets plus the multi-band controller... if anyone's interested

imo, the booster Bit Char-g is probably one of the best looking on paper because of the boost function, etc. and the multiband controller allows you to control a car on any of their frequencies with one controller.

the site is Hobby Link Japan and some of there stuff is pretty pricey except for the booster set and the controller in relation to other online prices.

the prices are in yen, but they also post the US dollar equivilant...

booster sets are $17.95
and the multi-band controllers are $12.24

there are also a lot of car bodies and hop up parts for a few dollars. quantities are sketchy, but if you can get your order to ship together, it would be a pretty good deal.

i've received my car but i can't play with it till the controller comes in, hopefully in the next week

hope i could help... =)

Oddly enough, friends and I have found that the boost controller has less range then the standard controller. Its not really a boost. If you don't hit the boost button, then the car runs at partial speed, hit the button and it runs full speed. IMHO its not that useful.

 

[Nyconx]

Although I havent purchased these yet i have done alot of research. Yes they are bigger size (not scaled down as much) and weigh more then the bit char-g cars they still do work well. They only get bashed because they arent as fast as the bit char-g. If your only racing for fun against someone elses zipzaps then who cares? You will be happy with it if you only plan on racing against one frind at a time using both zipzaps. If you plan on going hardcore into this then its not for you. But for 20 bucks and no hastle you cant beat it.

 

[vcarpio2]

How do you pronounce bitchars? Bit-tsars or bit-cars?

 

[huesmann]

How about "bit-chars?"

 

[PING]

it's bit-charge.

 

[TxBBQ]

I have one of these zipzap puppies and also purchased the fast and furious tuner kit. Not bad at all. They are less cartoonish (same size as a hot wheels car), changeable hubcaps, motors, body, sway bars, and tires. Granted the mustang kit I got didn't quite look scaled right but the fast and furious body's are very nicely detailed, much more realistic, and the quility is way superior to any of the OEMs that many of us broke out our credit cards for when we first found out these mini's. They don't seem as fast as my bit-charg but I think it's because they are slight bigger (lengthwise) and slightly more weight. Control is much better tho. Just keep em running on smooth surface (they have zero torque for carpet) and you should be pretty satisfied. Oh, I have to agree that they are hella slow with the standard motors. Either try one of the "extra battery mods" or hook it up with a faster motor cause who the heck wants standard?