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Monday, October 28, 2002 |
Slow week: Amazing how getting all your wisdom teeth "extracted" can put a damper on just about any hobby (or other train of thought).
I'd be glad to post other people's news, ideas, or opinions. Just e-mail me via the link on the page.
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9:36:44 AM 
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Monday, October 21, 2002 |
Neat New Sign: Well I stopped by Radio Shack at lunch to see if they had any new ZipZaps in, and they don't. The 9 they got in were gone within one day on Friday. The did get a neat new sign that had the ZipZaps logo on it and said something like "due to popular demand we are temporarily out of stock . . . . ". I'd really like to get one or two more before I go into the circuit board and try some modification/experimentation.
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3:21:02 PM
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Back. I picked up a few "off-frequency" (57MHz/35MHz) "BitChar-G" cars from Tomy while I was in Boston. They are basically the same thing as Microsizers but I'll have to test to see if they have any of the resistor / capacitor issues for power and range that the Microsizers are supposed to have. My goal is to have a nice comparison of how ZipZaps, Microsizers, and the BitChar-G cars all compare to one another and how well they work together (how many parts are interchangeable).
I also got one of the "3.0" motors for the Char-G which is a bigger number than the 2.6 which is the highest you can get in the Microsizers line. I also got an off-brand "pink" 3.8 motor which I need to test to see if it will do any damage to the units and if the speed/power is much greater.
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9:04:18 AM
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Friday, October 11, 2002 |
Gone Fishing: I'll be away for a week (but taking a ZipZap with me - probably shouldn't have it in my carry-on), but during the trip I'll check out one of the big RC stores on the East Coast that has a bunch of the Microsizers and Char-G stuff - also checking out any Radio Shacks to see if I can finally get my Mustang!
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1:31:37 PM
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Thursday, October 10, 2002 |
Testing: Well it certainly does not look as good for the ZipZaps in testing as I had hoped - that is when compared to the Microsizers (I don't particularly like either brand name by the way). I picked up a Microsizer and tested it vs. the ZipZaps and in speed, acceleration, turning radius, and power the Microsizer does seem to have an advantage. I am going to have to tweak the gearing and motor combinations (and try to interchange the engines - supposedly possible) to see what works out the best.
More as it comes.
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12:59:07 PM
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Wednesday, October 09, 2002 |
Microsizers are starting to pop up at the big chain stores and ToysRUs - I had a good look at one compared to a ZipZaps car and have mixed feelings about the two. I will put a full review together soon, but here are my initial findings. Microsizers are a bit smaller - perhaps 3/4 the size of a ZipZaps. The level of detail, options, and overall quality of the ZipZaps far exceed that of the Microsizers - just compare the controllers and the car tops to see how much better the ZipZaps look and feel. But the Microsizers have a much smaller turning radius (which makes them easier to use on a table / desktop) and are possibly faster and more powerful (even with the NOS enhanced ZipZaps) - will do testing this weekend. In the end it will be good to have competition and availability of micro-RCs this Christmas so that both lines will continue to inovate and keep the prices down (Microsizers list for $40 each, but it is now easy to find them for $25 and I attribute this only to the ZipZaps being available).
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8:46:29 AM
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Monday, October 07, 2002 |
I created a quick and dirty Motor / Gear Ratio Chart - WOW! to show just how dramatic the NOS/Red Gear combination is over the stock Green/Blue.
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1:49:14 PM
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"The Fast and the Furious™" Street Tuner Upgrade Kit - Got it! I was wondering how significant the new motor and gear combinations would be. All I have to say is, AMAZING (and really not fair). Not only did the car go significantly faster (I'll back up and do some real-world timing soon), but with the new "slick" tires and the suspension pack it actually cornered better than the slower version. I figured that speed would increase the turning radius, but with the other mods it was actually an improvement. The modified car would run circles around any non-modified car without much skill at all.
I will have to see how significant the yellow "NOS" nitro engine is over the red "High Performance" engine. I also noticed a little slip of paper in with the new "trading cards" that said that for best performance you should match the transfer gear color with the gear color on the axle - this makes sense to me, but I had not seen it anywhere else before.
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8:15:15 AM
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Friday, October 04, 2002 |
If the UPS Tracking system is accurate, I should have The Fast and the Furious™ Street Tuner Upgrade Kit and the ZipZaps™ Grand Prix Race Track Barrier Wall Kit tonight. I am anxious to see how the NOS "Yellow" motor performs and see how big the race track actually is - I'll share as soon as I know.
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2:30:09 PM
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Techs weather port closure. Several industries are feeling the pinch from the six-day shutdown of West Coast ports, but the IT sector seems to be faring better than most. - This can't be good news for getting more ZipZaps from production in China (maybe they can fly in?)
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2:07:47 PM
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I am starting to catalog the Starter Kits with information and pictures.
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9:47:23 AM
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© 2002 Bruce Abernethy
Last Update: 10/28/2002; 9:36:51 AM
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