Jeff Hoy, American

Radio controlled cars come in many sizes, but they don’t get much smaller than these. ZipZaps are part of a still relatively new trend in rc called micro-size. They’re about the same size as a typical Hot Wheels die-cast car, about 1/64 scale, but they offer the same features as their much bigger, and more popular, cousins in the 1/10 and 1/12 scale range. Many companies make these micro-size rc racers, but the ZipZap SEs are probably the most advanced.

What’s new?

RadioShack’s ZipZaps SEs can be considered the second generation of micro-size rc cars. These are much more advanced than their earlier counterparts. The biggest advance is fully proportional throttle and steering control. This makes them much easier to drive because you can actually control the car instead of just flinging it around at full throttle or no throttle. Add to that proportional steering which allows you to gently sweep through a long curve or whip the tail around a much tighter hairpin quite easily. Together they make for a much better and more fun driving experience than with previous generations of micro rc cars. ZipZaps SEs aren’t the first micro rc to have proportional control, but in my opinion they have the best implementation of it.

Another advance is in the transmitter/receiver system. The previous generation only offerred two channels in completely seperate systems. The new radio system has six channels, on the 27 Mhz band, built in. The channels are selectable by a sliding switch on the front of the transmitter. Now you can race up to five of your friends, instead of just one. Another change is in the transmitter’s design. The new version has a miniaturized pistol grip style, with a trigger for throttle and a wheel for steering, similar to the full size radios used by larger scales of rc cars. Also new to the radio system is steering and throttle trim settings that actually work. Now it’s possible to make a micro rc car go in a straight line, without having to steer it back on course every few inches.

What’s the same?

Like with all other micro rc cars, these ZipZaps are fully integrated systems. All the electronics are on one circuit board and a small battery is hardwired to the system. The battery charger is built into the transmitter, sitting right on top of the whole deal. When you want to charge the car you just turn it on, turn the transmitter on, and snap the car to the top of the transmitter. The charger is powered by the batteries that power the transmitter. Also, as with the previous generation, you can replace some parts, such as the motor and gears to increase the speed, or the tires to give you better traction on different surfaces. You can also swap out the car’s body shell and hubcaps to suit your aesthetic tastes.

Prep time

Assembling the car is about as straight forward as you can get. Put the idler gear on, snap the rear axle into place, put the hubcaps and tires on, then stick the body on. That’s it, no screws, no thread-locking compound, no servo tape or soldering. Just snap it all together, put batteries in the transmitter and you’re ready to go. Before the charger starts actually charging the battery, the radio system goes through a syncronization procedure to make sure the transmitter and the receiver in the car are on the same channel. After that it takes about a minute for the car’s battery to be charged. Counting charge time it shouldn’t take you more than five minutes to get the car ready to drive.

Drive time

Don’t expect a ZipZap to handle anything like a HPI RS4 or Associated TC3. There’s no suspension to speak of, no differential on the axle, or any other comforts available in the larger scale cars. That doesn’t matter though, ZipZaps aren’t supposed to be like those big ones, they’re supposed to be small and fun. Indeed they are that. In stock form my ZipZap was pretty quick. With an upgraded motor and different gearing it was suprising just how fast this little thing could go. On my kitchen floor’s textured linoleum it bounced around quite a bit and tended to spin out on the slick surface. On the much smoother and less slick dining table , the ZipZap managed to turn quick, controlled laps. Desktops and other smooth surfaces offered the same amount of controllability and speed as the dining table. Short carpeting was a no go for it however, as was pretty much any other soft surface.

Conclusion

ZipZaps are fun little toys to play with. They are also cheap. Cheap and fun always equals good in my book. If you count yourself as a RC nerd then you definately have to get one of these ZipZaps SE’s. They are that good. And just in case you were wondering, grown cats seem to love them, kittens however seem to be frightened to death by them.

Info

Manufacturer

RadioShack (http://www.radioshack.com/)

Product website

http://www.zipzaps.com/

Where to buy

RadioShack brick & mortar stores
RadioShack Web Store