Filed under ‘Radio control’
Tomy Q-Steer - micro RC is back!
I’ve always been a huge fan of Tomy Bit Char-G micro RC cars, so when I saw the new Takara Q-Steer (aka Tomy) micro cars I knew it would be the start of a new spending spree. Q-Steer cars are perfect for racing around your coffee table, or for smuggling into your office, and they come in lots of different designs - you can get everything from a Corvette to an Initial-D AE86.
Micro-T goes LiPo
The world cutest micro RC car has just got a LiPo battery upgrade. Losi have released a 180mAh lithium battery for the Micro-T, featuring special internal circuit protection to prevent over charge and over discharge. The Micro-T lithium battery provides more power, and also gives much longer runtimes.
Micro RC Silverlit X-Twin Jet
Silverlit (makers of the superb PiccoZ) have just released another great micro RC ‘toy’ - the X-Twin Jet. It has 2 ‘hidden’ pusher props in the wings, and uses the same charger/controller system as the PiccoZ. The most surprising thing abou the X-Twin Jet is that is can be flown outside, even in a light breeze.
» $29.90 from Play-Asia
Losi Micro-T - new body
There’s now a new wedge shaped lexan body available for the superb Losi Micro-T micro RC car - and it’s not just a pretty face, it also protects the wheels and steering linkages from damage. Micro tough!
Worlds smallest RC helicopter
The PiccoZ micro indoor helicopter is our new favorite RC toy for 2007. It’s cheap, it’s tough, and even if you have a serious crash it can be easily repaired. And the best thing is it actually flies really really nicely!
Fighting RC robots
Robots are cool. And fighting RC robots are even cooler. These combat robots come in packs of two, each on a different RC frequency (27 MHz and 40 MHz), and are able to punch and block, and can move in all directions (forwards, backwards, left, right).
Losi Micro-T video
Finally we get to see a Losi Micro-T video! It’s pretty obvious that Losi have done their homework on the Micro-T - the handling and suspension look seriously impressive for an RC car that tiny. Losi have released a LiPo battery for the Micro-T, which gives it even more power, and longer runtimes.
Losi Micro-T
Losi have come up with something very special for the micro RC crowd - the Micro-T. The 1/36 RTR Losi Micro-T is under 5 inches long, and comes with a Ni-MH battery pack, independent suspension, differential equipped transmission, automatic peak charger and a 27MHz Team Losi radio. The Micro-T is an absolute bargain considering it includes a Losi transmitter. This could be the start of a whole new “indoor offroad” RC class.
TrackStick GPS logger
I’ve been looking for something to track the altitude of my RC planes, and this looks like it just might do what I want. The TrackStick GPS Data Logger will keep a record of time, date, location, speed, direction and altitude - and then playback the data to your computer (via USB) using GoogleEarth or MapQuest. The TrackStick has 1mb of memory, and can record up to 4000 events - so it can even be used to plot cycling or driving routes. I’m getting one!
» Available on eBay for around $150.
Cheap (but good) RC helicopter
There’s plenty of cheap RC helicopters available these days, most are cheap, and most are junk. We’ve tried a few ultra cheapies from those shops that sell brooms and plastic tubs, and unsuprisingly they were pretty ordinary. ThinkGeek’s RC helicopter is altogether different. Yes it’s cheap, but it’s also incredibly well designed. It has 2 sets of main blades that spin in opposite directions, eliminating all the torque problems that single blade helicopters suffer from - so it’s just a matter of ‘up and down’, and then using the tail rotor to pitch the heli to go forwards and backwards. With a rotor diameter of only 10″, this is ideal for indoor use - and it’s built tough, so if you crash it (which is actually kinda hard to do) it won’t fall to bits. Best of all, it’s only $39.99 (including everything you need), which is cheap enough to start an indoor helicopter racing club.
» Check it out at ThinkGeek.com
